bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Convergences et divergences entre Églises dans le domaine éthique et social
Authors: Collange Jean-François
Published: July 2016

L’article se penche sur la question de l’éthique théologique dans un monde pluraliste et sécularisé à partir des relations possibles entre Églises, religions, et société. À partir de trois cas d’actualité en France – les débats sur la loi sur la fin de vie, sur l’institution du mariage pour tous et sur les changements climatiques – et des différentes positions ecclésiales en matière, l’article montre qu’il y a là à l’œuvre une diversité marquée d’ecclésiologies, mais aussi une complémentarité des démarches qu’il faudrait mettre au service d’un ethos participatif d’échanges et de débats en vue de la création d’un espace public ouvert à tous les courants convictionnels acceptant la délibération commune.
Bible et étude et enseignement de la morale
Authors: Chiappini Azzolino
Published: July 2016

L’article montre que la Bible n’est pas un répertoire de solutions éthiques prêtes à l’emploi. Selon l’Évangile, les clés herméneutiques de l’agir, et donc de la morale, sont le discours des béatitudes, l’annonce et l’accueil du Royaume, la nécessaire attitude de pauvreté vis-à-vis de Dieu : non pas des normes morales en elles-mêmes, mais l’esquisse d’une attitude fondamentale de l’homme devant Dieu. Une attitude qui pose évidemment aussi des exigences éthiques, de manière que l’on peut dire que si l’on interroge la Bible à partir d’une préoccupation morale, on y trouvera peu et beaucoup en même temps.
Pourquoi l’éthicien aurait-il besoin de la recherche historique ?
Authors: Bondolfi Alberto
Published: July 2016

Après avoir dressé le status quaestionis de la production historique dans le domaine de l’éthique théologique, l’article montre comment une exploration critique et différenciée du passé de cette discipline, dans sa genèse et ses transformations, serait indispensable pour comprendre et éventuellement changer le présent et donner une consistance argumentative à la réflexion systématique. Un renouvellement de la recherche historique pourrait indirectement contribuer aussi à une diminution de la fragilité de l’éthique théologique vis-à-vis de l’éthique philosophique et enrichir ainsi les approches systématiques aux problèmes normatifs.
L’éthique théologique : témoignage à partir du protestantisme italien
Authors: Spini Debora
Published: July 2016

L’article présente sa réflexion sur l’avenir de l’éthique théologique à partir de la perspective de son domaine d’expertise, celui de la théorie politique et sociale, et de sa biographie, qui est celle d’une appartenance au courant minoritaire du protestantisme italien. Après avoir montré le devoir des chrétiens de contribuer au débat public, l’article met en garde les éthiciens contre la « très grave » tentation d’oublier la spécificité de l’éthique théologique et d’essayer d’« occuper » le champ de l’éthique publique.
L’arbre du bien et du mal : le couple et l’éthique théologique aujourd’hui (Gn 2, 15-23)
Authors: Collange Jean-François
Published: July 2016

L’article propose une lecture d’un texte biblique où il est question, d’une certaine manière, de l’institution de l’éthique : Dieu y appelle au bonheur et n’est-ce pas là ce qu’invite à recevoir et à construire toute éthique authentique ? Le garant de ce bonheur n’en est pas moins un interdit originel, dont on dit justement qu’il porte sur la connaissance du bien et du mal, du bonheur ou du malheur.
Management of Chronic Mental Illnesses and Substance Use Disorders
Authors: Sinha Pallavi , Garg Amit , Khanna Prerna , Khanna Amit
Published: July 2016

There is vast literature available about prevalence and pattern of substance use in patients with Chronic mental illness such as Schizophrenia. Many of these studies have also investigated the issues related to the impact of substance use on the course and prognosis of the mental illness and vice versa. The factors affecting the use and its impact on treatment have also been studied to some extent in the Western countries. Estimates of the prevalence of substance abuse in schizophrenia and major affective disorder vary as a function of settings (e.g., community, hospital-in-patient vs. out-patient), demographic characteristics of the sample and assessment methods, with most prevalence rates ranging between15% to 65%. Patients with Chronic Mental illnesses and Substance use disorders are difficult to treat and many models for their management have been proposed. This chapter will deal with some of these issues.
Understanding and Management of Caregivers' Stress and Burden of Person with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Authors: Soni Shikha , C. Poornima , Ahamed P. C. Ashfak
Published: July 2016

The objective of the chapter is to understand the processes involved in care giving for those with a Chronic Mental Illness and to develop an effective intervention incorporating methods and strategies that aims at reducing caregiver stress and burden. OCD is a neurobiological disorder characterized by the presence of symptoms such as obsessions and compulsions. Literature is reviewed on prevalence, intervention and tools that can assess caregiver stress and burden in OCD. Accommodation and Expressed emotion plays key roles in interpersonal relationships that exist in the families of those afflicted with mental illness and may affect the treatment. Psycho education found to be helpful in educating the family about all the relevant aspects of OCD and to determine their role as a caregiver in order to deal with the illness in an effective way. Family intervention beyond the scope of psycho-education programme is required to prepare caregivers to take on the role of care giving more effectively.
Assessment Techniques in EFL Brain-Compatible Classroom
Authors: El-Henawy Walaa M.
Published: July 2016

Neuroscience has disclosed important information about the brain and how it learns. Brain-Based Learning is student centered learning that utilizes the whole brain and recognizes that not all students learn in the same way. Assessment and evaluation are necessary and important elements of the instructional cycle. Feedback also motivates students and allows students to apply what they have learned to real-life situations. This chapter presents attempts to explain brain-compatible assessment and alternative or authentic assessment and its different forms that can be used in providing brain-based education.
An Overview of Machine Learning in Medical Image Analysis
Authors: Narasimhamurthy Anand
Published: July 2016

Medical image analysis is an area which has witnessed an increased use of machine learning in recent times. In this chapter, the authors attempt to provide an overview of applications of machine learning techniques to medical imaging problems, focusing on some of the recent work. The target audience comprises of practitioners, engineers, students and researchers working on medical image analysis, no prior knowledge of machine learning is assumed. Although the stress is mostly on medical imaging problems, applications of machine learning to other proximal areas will also be elucidated briefly. Health informatics is a relatively new area which deals with mining large amounts of data to gain useful insights. Some of the common challenges in health informatics will be briefly touched upon and some of the efforts in related directions will be outlined.
Biomedical Imaging Techniques
Authors: Ilangovan Shanmuga Sundari , Mahanty Biswanath , Sen Shampa
Published: July 2016

Biomedical imaging techniques had significantly improved the health care of patients. Image guided therapy has reduced the high risk of human errors with improved accuracy in disease detection and surgical procedures. The chapter provides an overview of existing imaging methods and current imaging approaches and their potential to unravel the challenges in medical field. First part of the chapter picture outs the basic concepts and mechanism of various imaging techniques that are currently in use. The second part explains about the features of image processing system and future trends in image guided therapy extended with a short discussion on radiation exposure in medical imaging. The authors trust the chapter to be beneficial to the beginners in the area of medical science and to the clinicians.
Methods of Skull Implants Modeling with Use of CAx and Haptic Systems
Authors: Wyleżoł Marek
Published: July 2016

This chapter deals with four exemplary methods of virtual skull implants modeling. These methods combine simultaneous usage of three modeling systems: reverse engineering system, surface modeling system, and haptic modeling system, and their characteristic modeling methods and techniques. Using three different modeling systems, the authors obtain a synergy effect of the implant shape and model quality increasing. The target virtual model of the implant is always well suited to the coastline of bone lack in the skull. Additionally, time of the virtual model developed is very short compared to use of only one of the standard engineering CAx systems. The chapter describes four original methods developed by the author.
The Implications of India's Special Characteristics for FDI Spillovers
Authors: Kumar Manoj
Published: July 2016

A number of recent studies examine technology transfer from foreign direct investment (FDI) to India's domestic industrial enterprises. This study goes further by investigating the implications of institutions for the nature of technology spillovers during 2004 - 2013. The author examines three institutional features that comprise aspects of India's “special characteristics”: (1) the different sources of FDI, where FDI is nearly evenly divided between mostly Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and Mauritius; (2) India's heterogeneous ownership structure, involving state- (SOEs) and non-state owned (non-SOEs) enterprises; and (3) industrial promotion via tariffs or through tax holidays to foreign direct investment. The author found robust positive and significant spillovers (as measured by total factor productivity) to domestic firms via backward linkages (the contacts between foreign buyers and local suppliers). The results suggest varied success with industrial promotion policies. Final goods tariffs as well as input tariffs are negatively associated with firm-level productivity. However, the author found statistically significant evidence of stronger productivity spillovers associated with firms that received tax breaks, suggesting that tax holidays were more successful than tariffs as an instrument to promote productivity growth in India.
The Next Generation of Scientific-Based Risk Metrics
Authors: Watkins Lanier , Hurley John S.
Published: July 2016

One of the major challenges to an organization achieving a certain level of preparedness to “effectively” combat existing and future cyber threats and vulnerabilities is its ability to ensure the security and reliability of its networks. Most of the existing efforts are quantitative, by nature, and limited solely to the networks and systems of the organization. It would be unfair to not acknowledge that for sure some progress has been achieved in the way that organizations, as a whole, are now positioning themselves to address the threats (GAO 2012). Unfortunately, so have the skill sets and resource levels improved for attackers--they are increasingly getting better at achieving the unwanted access to organizations' information assets. In large part the authors believe that some of this is due to the failure by methods to assess the overall vulnerability of the networks. In addition, significant levels of threats and vulnerabilities beyond organizations' networks and systems are not being given the level of attention that is warranted. In this paper, the authors propose a more comprehensive approach that enables an organization to more realistically assess its “cyber maturity” level in hope of better positioning itself to address existing and new cyber threats. The authors also propose the need to better understand another missing critical piece to the puzzle--the reliability and security of networks in terms of scientific risk-based metrics (e.g., the severity of individual vulnerabilities and overall vulnerability of the network). Their risk-based metrics focus on the probability of compromise due to a given vulnerability; employee non-adherence to company cyber-based policies; insider threats. They are: (1) built on the CVSS Base Score which is modified by developing weights derived from the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to make the overall score more representative of the impact the vulnerability has on the global infrastructure, and (2) rooted in repeatable quantitative characteristics (i.e., vulnerabilities) such as the sum of the probabilities that devices will be compromised via client-side or server-side attacks stemming from software or hardware vulnerabilities. The authors will demonstrate the feasibility of their method by applying their approach to a case study and highlighting the benefits and impediments which result.
Early Epithelial Restitution by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug–Activated Gene 1 Counteracts Intestinal Ulcerative Injuries
Authors: Choi Hye Jin , Do Kee Hun , Park Jae-Hong , Kim Juil , Yu Mira , Park Seong-Hwan , Moon Yuseok
Published: July 2016

In response to ulcerative mucosal injuries, intestinal epithelial restitution is a critical event in the early defense against harmful attacks by luminal Ags. Based on the assumption that epithelial NAG-1 is an endogenous regulator of ulcerative stress-induced injuries, the expression and functions of NAG-1 were investigated. Genetic ablation of NAG-1 decreased survival of mice with dextran sodium sulfate–induced intestinal ulcer and histologically delayed the epithelial restitution, confirming early protective roles of NAG-1 in ulcerative insults. Moreover, enhanced expression of NAG-1 during the wound-healing process was associated with epithelial cell migration and spreading. In response to ulcerative injury, RhoA GTPase, a cytoskeleton modulator, mediated epithelial restitution via enhanced motility. RhoA expression was prominently elevated in the restituting epithelia cells around the insulted wound bed and was attenuated by NAG-1 deficiency. Pharmacological intervention with RhoA thus attenuated NAG-1–mediated epithelial cell migration during epithelial restitution. Taken together, epithelial restitution was promoted by enhanced NAG-1 expression and subsequent enterocyte locomotion during the early wound-healing process, suggesting clinical usefulness of NAG-1 as a novel endogenous muco-protective factor or an indicator of therapeutic efficacy against the ulcerative gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease.
Complex Negative Regulation of TLR9 by Multiple Proteolytic Cleavage Events
Authors: Sinha Siddhartha S. , Cameron Jody , Brooks James C. , Leifer Cynthia A.
Published: July 2016

TLR9 is an innate immune receptor important for recognizing DNA of host and foreign origin. A mechanism proposed to prevent excessive response to host DNA is the requirement for proteolytic cleavage of TLR9 in endosomes to generate a mature form of the receptor (TLR9471–1032). We previously described another cleavage event in the juxtamembrane region of the ectodomain that generated a dominant-negative form of TLR9. Thus, there are at least two independent cleavage events that regulate TLR9. In this study, we investigated whether an N-terminal fragment of TLR9 could be responsible for regulation of the mature or negative-regulatory form. We show that TLR9471–1032, corresponding to the proteolytically cleaved form, does not function on its own. Furthermore, activity is not rescued by coexpression of the N-terminal fragment (TLR91–440), inclusion of the hinge region (TLR9441–1032), or overexpression of UNC93B1, the last of which is critical for trafficking and cleavage of TLR9. TLR91–440 coimmunoprecipitates with full-length TLR9 and TLR9471–1032 but does not rescue the native glycosylation pattern; thus, inappropriate trafficking likely explains why TLR9471–1032 is nonfunctional. Lastly, we show that TLR9471–1032 is also a dominant-negative regulator of TLR9 signaling. Together, these data provide a new perspective on the complexity of TLR9 regulation by proteolytic cleavage and offer potential ways to inhibit activity through this receptor, which may dampen autoimmune inflammation.
Early Terminal Complement Blockade and C6 Deficiency Are Protective in Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli–Infected Mice
Authors: Arvidsson Ida , Rebetz Johan , Loos Sebastian , Herthelius Maria , Kristoffersson Ann-Charlotte , Englund Elisabet , Chromek Milan , Karpman Diana
Published: July 2016

Complement activation occurs during enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection and may exacerbate renal manifestations. In this study, we show glomerular C5b-9 deposits in the renal biopsy of a child with EHEC-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome. The role of the terminal complement complex, and its blockade as a therapeutic modality, was investigated in a mouse model of E. coli O157:H7 infection. BALB/c mice were treated with monoclonal anti-C5 i.p. on day 3 or 6 after intragastric inoculation and monitored for clinical signs of disease and weight loss for 14 d. All infected untreated mice (15 of 15) or those treated with an irrelevant Ab (8 of 8) developed severe illness. In contrast, only few infected mice treated with anti-C5 on day 3 developed symptoms (three of eight, p < 0.01 compared with mice treated with the irrelevant Ab on day 3) whereas most mice treated with anti-C5 on day 6 developed symptoms (six of eight). C6-deficient C57BL/6 mice were also inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 and only 1 of 14 developed disease, whereas 10 of 16 wild-type mice developed weight loss and severe disease (p < 0.01). Complement activation via the terminal pathway is thus involved in the development of disease in murine EHEC infection. Early blockade of the terminal complement pathway, before the development of symptoms, was largely protective, whereas late blockade was not. Likewise, lack of C6, and thereby deficient terminal complement complex, was protective in murine E. coli O157:H7 infection.
Integrated Nanovaccine with MicroRNA-148a Inhibition Reprograms Tumor-Associated Dendritic Cells by Modulating miR-148a/DNMT1/SOCS1 Axis
Authors: Liu Lanlan , Yi Huqiang , Wang Ce , He Huamei , Li Ping , Pan Hong , Sheng Nan , Ji Manyi , Cai Lintao , Ma Yifan
Published: July 2016

Immunosuppressive tumor-associated dendritic cells (TADCs) are potential targets for cancer therapy. However, their poor responsiveness to TLR stimulation is a major obstacle for achieving successful cancer immunotherapy. In the current study, we reported a dysregulated miR-148a/DNA methyltransferase (DNMT)1/suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 axis as a unique mechanism for dampened TLR stimulation in TADCs. The results showed that aberrantly elevated miR-148a in bone marrow–derived TADC (BM-TADC) abolished polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) or LPS-induced dendritic cell maturation through directly suppressing DNMT1 gene, which consequently led to the hypomethylation and upregulation of SOCS1, the suppressor of TLR signaling. In contrast, miR-148a inhibitor (miR-148ai) effectively rescued the expression of DNMT1 and decreased SOCS1 in BM-TADCs, thereby recovering their sensitivity to TLR3 or TLR4 stimulation. To further reprogram TADCs in vivo, miR-148ai was coencapsulated with poly I:C and OVA by cationic polypeptide micelles to generate integrated polypeptide micelle/poly I:C (PMP)/OVA/148ai nanovaccine, which was designed to simultaneously inhibit miR-148a and activate TLR3 signaling in TADCs. The immunization of PMP/OVA/148ai nanovaccine not only effectively modulated the miR-148a/DNMT1/SOCS1 axis in the spleen, but also significantly increased mature dendritic cells both in the spleen and in tumor microenvironment. Moreover, PMP/OVA/148ai ameliorated tumor immunosuppression through reducing regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, thereby leading to potent anticancer immune responses and robust tumor regression with prolonged survival. This study proposes a nanovaccine-based immunogene therapy with the integration of miR-148a inhibition and TLR3 stimulation as a novel therapeutic approach to boost anticancer immunity by reprogramming TADCs in vivo.
A Stochastic Model of the Germinal Center Integrating Local Antigen Competition, Individualistic T–B Interactions, and B Cell Receptor Signaling
Authors: Wang Peng , Shih Chang-ming , Qi Hai , Lan Yue-heng
Published: July 2016

The germinal center (GC) reaction underlies productive humoral immunity by orchestrating competition-based affinity maturation to produce plasma cells and memory B cells. T cells are limiting in this process. How B cells integrate signals from T cells and BCRs to make fate decisions while subjected to a cyclic selection process is not clear. In this article, we present a spatiotemporally resolved stochastic model that describes cell behaviors as rate-limited stochastic reactions. We hypothesize a signal integrator protein integrates follicular helper T (Tfh)- and Ag-derived signals to drive different B cell fates in a probabilistic manner and a dedicated module of Tfh interaction promoting factors control the efficiency of contact-dependent Tfh help delivery to B cells. Without assuming deterministic affinity-based decisions or temporal event sequence, this model recapitulates GC characteristics, highlights the importance of efficient T cell help delivery during individual contacts with B cells and intercellular positive feedback for affinity maturation, reveals the possibility that antagonism between BCR signaling and T cell help accelerates affinity maturation, and suggests that the dichotomy between affinity and magnitude of GC reaction can be avoided by tuning the efficiency of contact-dependent help delivery during reiterative T–B interactions.
On Chromatic Functors and Stable Partitions of Graphs
Authors: Liu Ye
Published: July 2016

The chromatic functor of a simple graph is a functorization of the chromatic polynomial. M. Yoshinaga showed that two ûnite graphs have isomorphic chromatic functors if and only if they have the same chromatic polynomial. The key ingredient in the proof is the use of stable partitions of graphs. The latter is shown to be closely related to chromatic functors. In this note, we further investigate some interesting properties of chromatic functors associated with simple graphs using stable partitions. Our ûrst result is the determination of the group of natural automorphisms of the chromatic functor, which is, in general, a larger group than the automorphism group of the graph. The second result is that the composition of the chromatic functor associated with a ûnite graph restricted to the category FI of ûnite sets and injections with the free functor into the category of complex vector spaces yields a consistent sequence of representations of symmetric groups that is representation stable in the sense of Church–Farb.
Evaluation of Passenger Ride Comfort of Indian Rail and Road Vehicles with ISO 2631-1 Standards Part 1 - Mathematical Modelling
Authors: Sharma R.C.
Published: July 2016

Ride quality and ride comfort are the most important performance indices of road or rail vehicles and is affected by various factors, such as vibrations, acoustics, smell, temperature, visual stimuli, humidity and seat design. Among these vibration is a dominant factor that influences the performance indices the most. In this work the coupled vertical-lateral mathematical models of Indian rail and road vehicles have been formulated using Lagrangian. The roadway vehicles considered for this analysis are three wheel and light four wheel Indian passenger vehicle. The rail vehicles considered for this analysis are General sleeper ICF coach of Indian railway.
Evaluation of Passenger Ride Comfort of Indian Rail and Road Vehicles with ISO 2631-1 Standards Part 2 - Simulation
Authors: Sharma R.C.
Published: July 2016

In this paper ride comfort of Indian road and rail vehicle is evaluated using ISO 2631-1 comfort specifications. A three wheel vehicle, light four wheel vehicle and general sleeper ICF coach of Indian railway have been evaluated on the basis of 1 hr, 2.5 hrs, 4 hrs and 8 hrs ISO 2631 comfort specifications in seated position as these are the normal duration for passengers. An insight to comfortable ride duration for these vehicles is presented in this paper.
Multi-Objective Optimization of Material Layout for Body-In-White using Design of Experiments
Authors: Rajasekaran M. , Hari Ram V. , Subramanian M.
Published: July 2016

Vehicle mass reduction is a major area of research in the automobile industry. Various techniques like reduced part break up, section reduction, material alternatives and load path design are widely being researched across the world. This paper presents a new technique of identifying materials for the components of minimal part break-up Body-In-White (BIW) in the conceptual phase using design of experiments and multi-objective optimization. Prime focus was on the methodology to effectively consider the materials for the parts without compromising the structural performance of the target components. BIW structural load cases like bending and torsion stiffness were considered to evaluate the structural performance. Material list is used as the design variable and then sampled using design of experiments to undertake multi-objective optimization. As a result, optimal material distribution and mass savings have been achieved for the BIW parts. The optimized design performance is closer to the baseline design. The proposed methodology may be widely adopted by engineers to optimally distribute the materials for the BIW components at various stages of the vehicle design.
Systematic Layout Planning and Balancing of Engine Production Processes for After Test and After Paint Assembly Lines
Authors: Durga Prasad R. , Vishwa Kumar K. , Jeeva P.A
Published: July 2016

This paper is aimed at reducing the costs, maintaining the quality and designing the plant layout that is flexible to meet the customer demand. A number of stations in the after test assembly and after paint assembly are selected for capturing the production process requirements. Then, failure mode and effects analysis of after test assembly is carried out. Layout designs for the after test assembly and after paint assembly are developed using systematic layout planning and are validated using Spaghetti diagrams. With the improved layout, considerable reduction in the distance moved by the operator has resulted in 20 percent cost saving at 80 percent Takt time.
Modelling and Simulation of a Lead Acid Battery for Traction Applications
Authors: Elangovan D. , Arunkumar G. , Tania H.M. , Patra J.K
Published: July 2016

In this paper, modeling of a lead acid battery was done by electrical equivalent circuit approach. Model based equivalent circuit approach was used to find the state of charge, terminal voltage, cell temperature and life of the battery at various temperatures. Based on complexity and accuracy, Thevininâ€™s third order equivalent battery model was simulated using MATLAB Simulink software. The simulation results were validated with the experimental state of charge and terminal voltage values.
Design Optimization of Rocker Bogie System and Development of Look-Up Table for Reconfigurable Wheels for a Planetary Rover
Authors: Kshirsagar A. , Guha A.
Published: July 2016

Planetary rovers offer promising alternatives for conducting in-situ experiments on other planets. Considering the huge costs of such exploration missions, it becomes necessary to design an optimal mobility system configuration to meet the mission goals. In this paper, a constrained optimization procedure is presented to obtain optimal design parameters of rocker-bogie mobility system. More recently, researchers have proposed the idea of using reconfigurable wheels, which would be able to change their shape according to the terrain, to improve roverâ€™s performance. One of the major challenges in implementation of such wheels is their control and autonomy. To avoid complex on-board calculations, the method of using look-up table for autonomously changing the wheel dimensions is proposed in this paper. For obtaining this look-up table, physics based motion dynamics simulation model is developed, incorporating the wheel-soil contact mechanics and motion dynamics of the rocker bogie mobility system. The simulated motion of rocker bogie is found to be in conformance with the ground profile. Performance metrics like slip ratio, effective ground pressure and power consumption are evaluated through the motion simulations. Finally, a lookup table for autonomous shape changing wheels is presented for certain terrain characteristics.
Influence of Flexible Bodies in Military Tracked Vehicle Dynamics
Authors: Jothi S. , Balamurugan V. , Mohan K.M.
Published: July 2016

Tracked vehicles are meant to be used in the harsh cross country environment. In particular, the military tracked vehicles are highly exposed to severe terrains and critical handling conditions. Yet while carrying out the dynamic studies, the tracked vehicles, in general, are modeled as rigid bodies. Hence in this article, an attempt has been made to understand closely the dynamics of a tracked vehicle with the inclusion of some parts of the tracked vehicle viz., hull side plates and road wheel arms, as flexible bodies in the dynamic analysis using the finite element method. Result of the flexible dynamic simulation is also compared with the tracked vehicle analysis with the same parts modeled as rigid bodies. In this investigation, dimensions of the standard staggered trapezoidal blocks terrain meant for testing the tracked vehicles is used to carry out the dynamic studies on the tracked vehicle. The dynamic simulation result of the flexible tracked vehicle model is also compared with the experimental test result of the actual tracked vehicle conducted in the actual trapezoidal blocks terrain.
Performance of Compression Ignition Engine with Coated Piston for Multiple Blends of Methyl Castor Oil
Authors: Wilson V.H. , Yalini V.
Published: July 2016

Fossil fuel is getting exhausted at a fast rate and contributes to high carbon monoxide emissions. Biodiesel, being environmentally friendly, has better performance than diesel. Castor oil is an easily available vegetable oil in India. But its high viscosity leads to blockage of the fuel lines. The amount of free fatty acid more than 1% leads to soap formation which necessitates the biodiesel production in a two step process. The first step of acid catalyzed esterification process reduces the free fatty acid content of castor oil to below 1%. The second step of transesterification process converts the preheated oil to castor biodiesel. This two step process gave a maximum yield of 90%.The methyl castor oil (biodiesel) is blended with diesel in different proportions on volume basis as 15:85 (B15), 25:75 (B25), and 35:65 (B35). These blended oils are used to run a single cylinder four stroke compression ignition engine with different coatings of pistons, to study and compare the engine performance and emission characteristics at different load conditions.
Effect of Dry Sliding Wear Behaviour of AA6061/ZrB2/SiC Hybrid Composite
Authors: Ruban S.R. , Wins K.L.Dev. , Selvam J.D.R. , Richard A.A.
Published: July 2016

This paper investigates the dry sliding wear behaviour of AA6061/ZrB2/SiC hybrid composite prepared by the stir casting. A pin-on-disc wear apparatus was used for this study. The effect of ZrB2 and SiC particulate content and normal load on wear rate was analyzed. The insitu fabricated ZrB2 and the reinforced SiC particles enhance the wear resistance of the AA6061 composite. The worn surface analysis of the composite as a function of ZrB2 and SiC particulate content and normal load are also presented.
Automatic Adaptation of Tire Pressure According to Operating Conditions
Authors: Hendy A. , Hegazy Shawky , Emam M.A.A. , Hossamel-din H.
Published: July 2016

The off-road vehicles have much higher rolling resistance due to tire sinkage. This paper presents a proposed system for automatic adaptation for tire inflation/deflation, according to operating conditions. The tire inflation pressure is manually changed by the driver to some prefixed pressure values. The proposed control system is based on calculating the instantaneous wheel slip ratio. As the slip ratio increases, the tire pressure decreases automatically to increase the contact area and to decrease the dynamic sinkage and vice versa. An algorithm for the control strategy is developed. The proposed system provides a continuous monitoring of tire pressures inside the tire and then to inflate/deflate according to terrain types. The results show that a low inflation pressure has a considerable effect on the net traction ratio where it improves the performance by 20% and the buffed tire has a better traction than lugged tire on sand.
Customer Relationship Management and Customer Retention in Jordanian Bank
Authors: Qasem Mohammad Fayez , Abukhadijeh Mohammed Abdallah , Aladham Mohammad "Abd Alaffo"
Published: July 2016

This study examined the impact of CRM Activities on bank’s customer retention in Jordan. In order to collect the data of study the researchers designed a survey, the sample was collected from (405) customers of Jordanian banks' as respondents for the research questionnaire in 2016, by using a random sampling method, using Google form and survey monkey. 388 questionnaires were usable, incomplete returned questionnaires had been eliminated. The statistical results provide evidence on the significant positive relationship between CRM Activities and Attitudes of bank’s customers. the significant analysis revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between the independent variables ( i,e CRM Activities represented Solving customers, Quality of service, Behavior of the employees, CRM technology; and Activities to retain) and Attitudes of Banks Customer as a dependent variable (trust, affective commitment, and customer retention), also the statistical analysis revealed that there is a no significant relationship between behavior of the employees and affective commitment, and activities to retain and customer retention.
Drivers of Multiple Cropping-Systems as Adaptive Strategy to Climate Change in Central-Benin (West Africa)
Authors: Degla P. K. , Adekambi S. A. , Adanhoussode P.
Published: July 2016

Climate change is currently one of the most important global environmental issues that negatively affect agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. This importance has resulted in a great interest to understand both the farmers’ perception of and adaptation to observed climate change. A good number of previous studies did explicitly focus on several adaptation strategies. Nevertheless, a better understanding of the socio-economic drivers underlying specific adaptive measures to climate change is crucial to inform specific adaptation components that will fall into a wider adaptation plan. In this respect, the present study focuses on the use of multiple cropping systems consisting of growing two or more crops on the same field either at the same time or one after another as climate change adaptation strategy. Accordingly, this paper examines different strategies commonly used to intensify agricultural production in tropical agriculture. These include crop rotation and association in the center of Benin.

Data were collected in central Benin through interviews with 80 farmers selected by using a multistage random sampling technique. Data analysis was carried-out by using descriptive statistics and a Probit regression. The results showed that the major drivers of multiple cropping systems as adaptive strategy to climate change include contacts with extension services, education level, and farm size. Major constraints to the use of multiple cropping systems are gender, adult literacy, perception of adaptation to climate change, experience with climate change impacts, and farmer location. Policy options should include, among others, production of information related to impacts of climate change and their dissemination through formal services such as extension services; identification of potential ways to greatly improve returns on extra agricultural activities, and investigating on the effects of past adoption strategies on the different cropping systems.
De behoefte aan bescherming van slachtoffers van misdrijven in verschillende slachtoffer-daderrelaties
Authors: ten Boom Annemarie
Published: July 2016

The need for protection of victims of crime in different victim-offender relationships

An explicit goal in the Dutch victim policy is to offer protection to victims of crime. Based on a EU Directive all member states shall ensure that victims receive a timely and individual assessment, to identify specific protection needs. In this paper the question is: which victims especially do need protection? More specific, it examines whether the victim-offender relationship, controlling for the confounders ‘type of crime’ and ‘gender of the victim’, contributes to the extent in which protection is a reason for reporting crimes to the police. For victims of domestic violence (by partners, ex-partners and (other) family members), the need for protection is an important reason for reporting – not just for women and girls, but also for men and boys. The need for protection is an important reason for reporting for victims by partners, ex-partners and (other) family members of non-violent as well as violent crimes.
Een eenvoudige diefstal of toch een mishandeling?
Authors: Timmermans Maartje , van den Tillaart Joost , ten Boom Annemarie
Published: July 2016

A simple theft or nevertheless mistreatment? Differences in types of offense between self-reports and registration systems of agencies

From a secondary analysis of data from a survey of victims of crime, commissioned by the WODC, it appears that more than occasionally the registration of the type of offence by the police, the Public Prosecution Service and Victim Support Netherlands does not match the victim’s own reporting of the offence. In this article, the differences between victims’ reports and registrations regarding the nature of the victimization are exposed and the background of the differences is explored. Some offences seem to have an increased chance of being classed by victims in offence categories which differ from those of the registrations.

Based on the secondary analysis, the authors conclude that it is important for the interpretation of future research among victims to identify the registered offence and explicitly verify this with the respondent. It is also good to consider what registration data is useful in samples to be able to identify differences between the registrations and the victims’ reports later. A practical implication of the discrepancy in the nature of victimization is that bottlenecks may occur in the connection between the support needs of victims and the supply.
Verbeelding en veiligheid
Authors: de Mare Heidi
Published: July 2016

Imagination and safety: The film Project X and the riots in Haren (2012)

On September 21th 2012, a sweet sixteen party in Haren (a Dutch village), announced on Facebook as PROJECT X Haren, turned into a riot in which youngsters clashed with the police. The blame was put on the film Project X (2012) that would have inspired adolescents to become aggressive and violent. However, like other adolescent comedies, this movie offers an insight in the adolescent state of mind, the role of humor and their lack of risk assessments. Much violence is (harmless) slapstick-like, boundaries are exceeded (sex, alcohol, drugs) and transgression is often directed against parents, teachers and the police. What is tested in the adolescent imagination is the public order. Film functions as a symbolic rite of passage, with carnivalesque inversions. Reacting in Haren on this adolescent state of mind with an administrative prohibition (‘there is no party’) confirmed the juvenile joke. Acting as if it is not a party but a huge disaster (by enlarging police forces) contributed to make the riot a reality that the youngsters themselves never imagined. The commission of inquiry recommends taking serious film and other forms of public imagination, because they contribute to our understanding of reality, especially concerning the perceptions of societal actors.
A construção do discurso sobre ciência e saúde em programa da CBN
Authors: Garrido Bruno Sampaio , Donini Adriana Maria , Rossi Jéssica De Cássia , Lopes Alexandre
Published: July 2016

Este artigo analisa a cobertura sobre doenças crônicas não transmissíveis no programa Saúde em Foco, da Rádio CBN. A investigação contemplou edições do veiculadas entre 01/08/2013 e 20/10/2013 e verificou manifestações de heterogeneidade presentes no fio discursivo, à adequação dos conteúdos ao meio radiofônico e à divulgação científica e elementos constituídos pela enunciação. Para tanto, recorreu-se ao referencial teórico referente à semiótica greimasiana e à análise do discurso de linha francesa.
A tira como notícia: um exercício de aplicação da teoria multifatorial do jornalismo
Authors: Copstein Liege , Da Rocha Jose Antonio Meira
Published: July 2016

O objetivo deste estudo é investigar a possibilidade da ressignificação da tira de jornal – subgênero das histórias em quadrinho – sob o conceito de notícia proposto pela Teoria Multifatorial desenvolvida por Jorge Pedro Sousa. Para tanto, traçamos uma analogia entre esta proposta teórica e a forma como a Teoria Literária e os estudos culturais vêm consolidando o gênero HQ como obra portadora de literariedade, a partir de pressupostos como o do Sistema Literário, de Antonio Candido, e as observações de Umberto Eco e Marshall McLuhan sobre o gênero quadrinhos, além de traçar a trajetória da tira desde seu surgimento, relacionando-a com o advento do jornalismo popular no final do século 19. Também foi avaliado o papel do gênero quadrinhos tanto na representação de questões sociais como na constituição de um veículo preferencial do pensamento não hegemônico, constituindo-se assim “notícia” se tomado pelos parâmetros da pós-modernidade.
O ensino jornalístico nas instituições universitárias do Sul do Brasil: presença de Teorias do Jornalismo na grade curricular
Authors: Gadini Sérgio Luiz
Published: July 2016

O texto apresenta um retrato da oferta da disciplina de Teorias do Jornalismo nos cursos mantidos por instituições de ensino superior nos três estados do Sul do Brasil. Os dados coletados em 2014 revelam a presença de um dos eixos conceituais norteadores da formação profissional na área, considerando a perspectiva de que a legitimidade de um campo social (onde se situa a profissão de jornalista) envolve o fortalecimento de modos de entender e nomear o fazer jornalístico. Pelos dados, entre os 60 cursos mantidos por IES sediadas nos estados do Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina e Paraná, 36 (ou 60%) ofertam Teorias do Jornalismo, com mais frequência nas IES do RS. Na primeira parte, o texto traz uma contextualização história do ensino de Jornalismo no Brasil. A atualidade e a pertinência do estudo dialogam com a adaptação do projeto pedagógico e grade disciplinar, em andamento desde 2013, a partir das Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais em Jornalismo nos cursos universitários do País.
A teoria do reconhecimento no documentário ônibus 174
Authors: Esteves Lorena Cruz , Costa Luciana Miranda , Igreja Monique Feio
Published: July 2016

Este artigo propõe uma análise do documentário brasileiro Ônibus 174, dirigido por José Padilha, com base na Teoria do Reconhecimento do filósofo alemão Axel Honneth. O objetivo é fazer uma correlação entre os três âmbitos do reconhecimento: amor, direito e solidariedade, tidos como essenciais para garantir a realização plena do indivíduo em sociedade, com elementos da trajetória de vida de Sandro do Nascimento, o sequestrador do ônibus. Da mesma maneira, com base na observação do documentário, pretende-se refletir sobre como, conscientemente, Sandro utilizou a mídia como espaço de reconhecimento e de que forma o reconhecimento pode ser identificado também na decisão de José Padilha na escolha do gênero.
Jovem de “periferia” como o outro na mídia: assimetrias e leituras dissonantes
Authors: BRITO ROSALY DE SEIXAS , CAL DANILA GENTIL RODRIGUEZ , COSTA ALDA CRISTINA SILVA DA
Published: July 2016

Busca-se compreender como são construídas no espaço de visibilidade midiática representações simbólicas sobre os jovens, em especial, os que vivem em bairros periféricos e como esses sujeitos dialogam com essas representações. A pesquisa focaliza o contexto paraense e parte de dois eixos de investigação: (1) percepções de jovens de Belém sobre os media, apreendidos por entrevistas individuais; e (2) análise da cobertura midiática dos principais jornais locais (O Liberal e Diário do Pará). Ao todo, foram analisadas 408 matérias que faziam referência a jovens e/ou juventude(s). Conclui-se que as representações midiáticas em torno dos jovens oscilam entre extremos, distinguindo com clareza efeitos de sentidos sobre jovens pobres e negros, por um lado, e brancos e abastados, do outro, e que os jovens entrevistados constroem leituras dissonantes acerca do conteúdo discursivo dos media.
A Revista Afirmativa: uma experiência nos campos do jornalismo, cidadania e políticas afirmativas
Authors: Cardoso Filho Jorge , Matos Daniela Abreu , Maia Jussara , Da Nova Luiz Henrique Sá
Published: July 2016

O artigo analisa um produto jornalístico desenvolvido por estudantes do curso de Comunicação Social, habilitação em Jornalismo, da Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia – UFRB, a Revista Afirmativa, sobretudo no que se refere à cobertura das políticas de ação afirmativa no âmbito da educação. Demonstra que a produção desestabiliza marcas tradicionais do fazer jornalístico, tratando-o como prática cultural e formação discursiva que oferece enquadramentos alternativos dados a questões étnicas, políticas, sociais, religiosas e culturais contemporâneas.
Contar seguido, alinhavado, só mesmo sendo as coisas de rasa importância – sobre retrato, biografia e confissões
Authors: Reinaldo Gabriela
Published: July 2016

Segundo Iuri Lotman, o retrato é o mais filosófico dos gêneros pictóricos. O que fundamenta sua tese? Quanto mais aparentemente simples uma imagem, diz ele, mais complexas são as leituras que podemos tecer sobre elas. Nesse ensaio, nosso intuito é, partindo dos estudos de pesquisadores da imagem e do retrato, como Iuri Lotman e de Hans Belting, e da biografia, como Bourdieu, Giovanni Levi e outros, discutir a parelha palavra e imagem de modo a discorrer sobre as analogias entre o retrato e as narrativas de vida, biográficas ou confessionais. Além de unidos pelos vínculos problemáticos da mimese e da iconicidade sígnica, o retrato e a biografia fundamentam e constituem a noção de sujeito que surge com a Modernidade
O ativismo das estrelas e a comunicação dissidente
Authors: Wainberg Jacques Alkalai
Published: July 2016

Este estudo elabora sobre o ativismo político das celebridades do showbis. Ele compara os astros americanos e brasileiros, seu impacto social e a maneira através da qual as estrelas militam. As evidências mostram que são raros os casos nos quais elas decidem se comprometer com causas dissidentes. Quando o fazem o impacto é marcante, pois ele chama a atenção da mídia que multiplica seu efeito persuasivo.
Estrangeiro: metáfora epistemológica e dinâmica cultural
Authors: Masella Lopes Paulo Roberto
Published: July 2016

As recorrentes referências aos conceitos de interface, fronteira e interdisciplinaridade nos discursos sobre comunicação, sugerem uma dimensão epistemológica do espaço que será tratada aqui através do conceito de estrangeiro, tanto pela perspectiva da linguagem como da cultura. Embora se configurem em eixos norteadores dos estudos da comunicação, tais perspectivas tendem a ser dissociadas, levando-nos a propor a semiótica da cultura como possibilidade teórica capaz de conjugar linguagem e cultura no campo da comunicação.