bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postmodernizm jako czynnik zmian we współczesnym językoznawstwie w aspekcie epistemicznym, społecznym i etycznym (przy uwzględnieniu innych nauk humanistycznych)
Authors: Kiklewicz Aleksander
Published: April 2018

Postmodernism as a change factor in modern linguistics, in the epistemic, social and ethical aspect (taking into account the humanities). Part 1

The author considers the impact of postmodernism on contemporary humanities, and in particular on theoretical linguistics. The main thesis of the paper can be formulated as follows: postmodernism contributes to the increase of such tendencies in linguistics as: blurring of the subject of research, disregard for the ‘directives of language’, i.e. disuse of the conventional scientific language, violations of the requirement of verifiability of statements, and breaking of the rules of communication. The author examines elements of postmodern science using the example of several branches of modern linguistics: cultural linguistics (linguoculturology), ethnolinguistics, anthropological linguistics, cognitive linguistics, and discourse linguistics.
Słowniki przed sądem
Authors: Czelakowska Anna , Kubicka Emilia , Klubińska Maja
Published: April 2018

Dictionaries on trial. Use of lexicographic works in court judgements

The paper discusses the issue of the use of lexicographic works in the process of linguistic interpretation, which causes multiple problems in the judicial practice. Omitting positive examples, we show judgements in which the decision can be considered argumentatively unsatisfactory in the area of linguistic interpretation. We hope that the presented material will help linguists and authors of Polish dictionaries better understand how their work is utilized by other users of Polish. Simultaneously, we indicate moments where judicial errors result not only from lack of knowledge or negligence on the part of the interpreters, but also from defects and inconsistencies in the results of linguistic work (e.g. from inadequate definitions or insufficient contrast between definitions of related lexemes), and insufficient familiarization of the extra-linguistic milieu with methodologically newer dictionaries and language corpora.
Jednostki apelatywne
Authors: Zaucha Joanna
Published: April 2018

Appellative units. In search for a differentiator

The goal of the paper is to characterize four units with a dominating appellative function: Uwaga! (‘Warning!’ / ‘Attention!’), Start! (‘Start!’), Stop! (‘Stop!’), and Dalej! (‘Carry on!’). Their nature is performative; they are excluded from the reach of negation; they cannot be presented in reported speech. The author indicates the syntactic independence of these units and their deep rooting in the situational context. She believes that the essential property of appellatives is the marked position of the addressee, contextually identified by the action he or she is to perform or performs. This is reflected in the description of the function of these units, one that reveals their specific character which, according to K. Bühler’s (2004: 32) advice, is particular behaviour of the addressee of the utterance, a reaction to the uttering of those units.
Nieliterackie źródła do dziejów słownictwa polskiego (do XVIII w.)
Authors: Zajda Aleksander
Published: April 2018

Non-literary sources for the history of Polish vocabulary (until the 18th century). Part I

The author discusses non-literary sources for the history of Polish vocabulary from the period from the 16th to the 18th century. They are not always taken into account by the editors of the newest historical dictionaries, despite the fact that they contain a wealth of interesting vocabulary from various areas of everyday life of peasants and townsmen, from the history of law and judicature, trade, craft, military, etc. Many of those words have survived till our times, constituting a lasting legacy of Polish vocabulary and a testimony of the history of culture.
Profesor Marian Kucała – historyk języka, leksykograf i dydaktyk
Authors: Deptuchowa Ewa
Published: April 2018

Professor Marian Kucała. A historian of language, lexicographer, and teacher

The paper is a recollection of Professor Marian Kucała (died 2014), a dialectologist and historian of language. Particular emphasis is put on his contribution to historical lexicography and the fields of language learning and teaching (language culture in the broad sense).
Service Differentiation and Operating Segments: A Framework and an Application to After-Sales Services
Authors: Guajardo Jose A. , Cohen Morris A.
Published: April 2018

The decisions of whether and how to adopt service differentiation are at the core of a firm’s service operations strategy. This paper proposes a framework for service differentiation that highlights the identification and use of operating segments as a central component in the delivery of differentiated services. The notion of operating segments and the general empirical methodology to identify them proposed in this paper integrally considers the consumer’s preferences and operational capabilities required to fulfill the differentiated service offering. An application in the context of after-sales services for product-service bundles using data from a major manufacturer in the consumer electronics industry is presented, which illustrates how operational decisions need to be adjusted when multiple operating segments are defined to support a service differentiation strategy.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2017.0645 .
Improving Supplier Compliance Through Joint and Shared Audits with Collective Penalty
Authors: Caro Felipe , Chintapalli Prashant , Rajaram Kumar , Tang Chris S.
Published: April 2018

When suppliers (i.e., contract manufacturers) fail to comply with health and safety regulations, buyers (retailers) are compelled to improve supplier compliance by conducting audits and imposing penalties. As a benchmark, we first consider the independent audit-penalty mechanism in which the buyers conduct their respective audits and impose penalties independently. We then examine the implications of two new audit-penalty mechanisms that entail a collective penalty. The first is the joint mechanism under which buyers conduct audits jointly, share the total audit cost incurred, and impose a collective penalty if the supplier fails their joint audit. The second is the shared mechanism in which each buyer conducts audits independently, shares its audit reports with the other buyers, and imposes a collective penalty if the supplier fails any one of the audits. Using a simultaneous-move game-theoretic model with two buyers and one supplier, our analysis reveals that both the joint and the shared mechanisms are beneficial in several ways. First, when the wholesale price is exogenously given, we establish the following analytical results for the joint mechanism in comparison with the independent mechanism: (a) the supplier’s compliance level is higher; (b) the supplier’s profit is lower while the buyers’ profits are higher; and (c) when the buyers’ damage cost is high, the joint audit mechanism creates supply chain value so the buyers can offer an appropriate transfer payment to make the supplier better off. Second, for the shared audit mechanism, we establish similar results but under more restrictive conditions. Finally, when the wholesale price is endogenously determined by the buyers, our numerical analysis shows that the key results continue to hold.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2017.0653 .
Automated Teller Machine Replenishment Policies with Submodular Costs
Authors: Zhang Yu , Kulkarni Vidyadhar
Published: April 2018

We develop an automated teller machine (ATM) replenishment policy for a bank that operates multiple ATMs. The aim is to minimize the cost of replenishments and stockouts, taking into account the economies of scale involved in replenishing multiple ATMs simultaneously. When the replenishment is outsourced to an outside vendor, the replenishment cost is typically additive. However, when it is done by in-house operations, the replenishment cost is a submodular function of the set of ATMs being replenished. The additive replenishment cost function yields a tractable and separable inventory management problem. However, the submodular cost function creates a much harder problem. We construct a Markov decision process model and study the structure of the optimal strategy that minimizes the long-run average cost. Since the optimal policy is analytically and computationally intractable for the case of a large number of ATMs, we study a heuristic policy (called the index policy) in the case of submodular replenishment costs. We find that the index policy performs close to the optimal policy (when it can be computed) and performs much better than the benchmark (namely, an (s, M) policy) in general. We demonstrate similar findings in a real-world data set with 139 ATMs and 20 months of historical demand data. Finally, we recommend that the bank managers use the index policy to design a replenishment schedule.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2017.0656 .
Assortment Optimization and Pricing Under a Nonparametric Tree Choice Model
Authors: Paul Alice , Feldman Jacob , Davis James Mario
Published: April 2018

We consider assortment and pricing problems when customers purchase products according to a nonparametric choice model. Each customer arrives with a preference list and will purchase the highest-ranking offered product in her preference list. We assume the set of customer classes is derived from paths in a tree, in which the order of nodes visited along each path gives the corresponding preference list. First, we study assortment problems, in which the goal is to find which products to offer to maximize expected revenue. We give a dynamic programming solution, which can be extended to versions of the assortment problem in which there are fixed costs for offering a product, shelf constraints, or substitution costs. Second, we study the joint assortment and pricing problem, in which the goal is to simultaneously select the set of offered products as well as their prices. We solve the pricing problem optimally when customers have some universal ranking of the products, and hence the tree takes the form of a single path. We also solve the problem optimally on the general tree when the prices are restricted to be quality consistent; higher-quality products must be priced above lower-quality products. Finally, we present computational experiments on both synthetic data and real hotel purchase data. Our estimation procedure shows both how to build the tree of products and how to estimate the underlying arrival probabilities of each customer type from historical sales data. These experiments show that the tree choice model captures customer purchasing behavior more accurately than the multinomial logit choice model in the majority of test cases.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2017.0662 .
Watching the wind in your sails
Authors: Francis-Pester Dawn
Published: April 2018

Sunlight and a gentle breeze are ideal conditions for mobiles. Here are some different projects you can make with children of different ages, using natural or recycled objects.
Reliability and validity of the five-repetition sit-to-stand test in adult kidney transplant recipients
Authors: Huang Katherin S , O'Connor Ellen , Tuffnell Rachel , Lindup Herolin , Macdougall Iain C , Greenwood Sharlene A
Published: April 2018

Background/Aims:

To investigate the reliability and validity of the five-repetition sit-to-stand test (FRSTST) to assess lower-limb muscle strength and physical function in adult kidney transplant recipients.

Methods:

A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in a secondary care centre. A convenience sample of 56 adult kidney transplant recipients were recruited following a 6-week post-transplantation recovery period. The participants were within their first 18 months of kidney transplantation. The measurements included FRSTST times, myometer measurements of isometric quadriceps muscle strength, 60-second sit-to-stand test (STS60) scores, and Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) scores.

Findings:

Inter- and intratester reliability of the FRSTST were excellent (intraclass correlation coefficients 0.997 and 0.970, respectively). The standard error of measurement and the minimal detectable change at 95% confidence level were 0.9 and 2.5 seconds, respectively. The best FRSTST scores by the two testers had non-significant, weak correlations with the isometric quadriceps muscle force (Spearman's rho, rs=-0.04, p=0.76), and quadriceps muscle torque (rs=0.04, p=0.76). The FRSTST correlated significantly with the STS60 (rs=-0.90, p=0.001) and DASI scores (rs=-0.49, p=0.001).

Conclusions:

The FRSTST can be considered to be a reliable test of physical function for adult kidney transplant recipients, but may not be used as a surrogate measure of lower limb muscle strength in this population.
Allergic rhinitis: assessing the triggers and treatments
Authors: Dhruve Hetal
Published: April 2018

As hay fever season approaches again, Hetal Dhruve explains its causes and most effective treatments
Management of incontinence associated dermatitis
Authors: Hoyle Joanne
Published: April 2018

Joanne Hoyle discusses how nurses can treat and manage dermatitis brought on by incontinence
Drawing practical lessons from punctuated equilibrium theory
Authors: Koski Chris , Workman Samuel
Published: April 2018

Political organisations and policymakers contend with an ever-deepening sea of information regarding policy problems, constituent demands and solutions. Moreover, the problems confronted by modern governments are complex, multi-dimensional and boundary-spanning. This article leverages studies of national and subnational information processing and policy change to identify potential bottlenecks of information and patterns of policy feedback. We identify five lessons from this literature: two cautions and three suggestions. We caution that (1) centralisation does not solve problems of information search, instead, centralisation creates bottlenecks and (2) multiple venues offer more representation and opportunities for citizen influence, but suffer from attention limitations. Given these cautions, we suggest that (3) institutions be explicitly designed to be information-seeking, (4) issue bundling (grouping similar, interdependent issues together for the purpose of capturing attention) can prompt more holistic information searches, and (5) governments consider the correlation of information from subgovernments as policy information.
WALL-E, classroom discussion and media ecology’s stupid question
Authors: Schmitt Casey R.
Published: April 2018

This essay presents a four-minute clip from the 2008 Disney/Pixar film WALL-E as a useful tool for inspiring student-led discussion of media ecology and anxieties about the fifth/digital epoch of media communication.
Searching for stillness in the flux of the electric world: Vorticular media theory from Wyndham Lewis to Marshall McLuhan
Authors: Sutherland Thomas
Published: April 2018

Exploring the philosophical influence exercised by the works of Wyndham Lewis over Marshall McLuhan, this article contends that these two figures both sought to capture a momentary stillness through the figure of the vortex, first established in Lewis’s early contributions to the Vorticist art movement, a stillness that necessarily endures within the tumult of a world of electric media. What Lewis hoped to achieve through painting, McLuhan sought likewise in the study of media, foregrounding the need to identify what remains fixed within the seemingly ever-accelerating tempo of modern life, viewing this task as crucial for resisting the determinative powers of media technologies.
Performance of some jute & allied fiber varieties in the southern part of Bangladesh
Authors: Islam Md.Monirul , Islam Mohammad Kabirul , Hoque Md.Fazlul , Bhuyan Md.Isfatuzzaman , Islam Md.Sazedul , Hassan K.M.Mehadi , Ferdous Mahbuba
Published: April 2018

The present study was conducted to know the performance of growth, yield contributing parameters and yield of some Tossa and Deshi Jute and also some Allied fiber varieties at the agronomy field laboratory during the period from March to September 2012. Twelve Jute and Kenaf vareities viz. CVL–1 (V1), HC–2 (V2), 0–9897 (V3), CVE–3 (V4), 0–72 (V5), BJC–7370 (V6), HC–95 (V7), BJC–83 (V8), VM–1 (V9), 0–795 (V10), HC–3 (V11), BJC–2142 (V12) were taken and catagorized into three viz. Deshi (V1 to T5), Tossa (V6 to V8) and Kenaf (V9 to V12). The single factor experimental data was laid out in a completely randomized block design with three replications and the means were adjudged by DMRT at 5% level of probability. Varietals performance of Jute and Kenaf were showed statistically significant variation among the studied whole growth, yield and yield attributing traits. Among the varieites, the Jute variety BJC–7370 porduce the tallest plant (299.0 cm), medium base diameter (27.04) mm and longest root (28.44 cm) at harvest. Dry matter viz. root (13.51 g plant–1), stem (48.51 g plant–1), leaf (12.87 g plant–1) and TDM (74.89 g plant–1) production had also higher in BJC–7370. However, base diameter (26.84 mm) and dry weight of leaf (12.37 g plant–1) were statistically similar with Kenaf variety HC–3. The Jute variety BJC–7370 had also showed greater results on various yield characters viz. green (whole plant) weight (232.4 g plant–1) and stick (58.97 g plant–1) and fiber yield (58.97 g plant–1).The Kenaf variety HC–3 was also showed fiber (19.91 g plant–1) production. So, therefore, the Jute variety BJC–7370 and Kenaf vareity HC–3 gave understanding superiority on growth, yield and yield contributing traits as well as higher seed and fiber yield under the AEZ–13. So, Jute variety BJC–7370 or Kenaf variety HC–3 would be more successful productive variety in AEZ– 13 compare to the other studied Jute and Allied fiber varieties.
Evaluation of IFN-γ Enzyme-linked Immunospot Assay (ELISPOT) as a First-line Test in the Diagnosis of Non-Immediate Hypersensitivity to Amoxicillin and Penicillin
Authors: Sedláčková Lenka , Průcha Miroslav , Poláková Ingrid , Míková Blanka
Published: April 2018

The current diagnostic algorithm for beta-lactam allergy is based on skin and provocation tests, both of which carry a certain risk of inducing hypersensitivity reactions. Thus, non-invasive in vitro tests reliable enough to replace skin and provocation tests at least in a portion of patients are desirable. We aimed to verify the utility of IFN-γ ELISPOT as a first-line test in patients with suspected non-immediate hypersensitivity reaction to amoxicillin (AMX) and penicillin (PNC). The prospective observational study included 24 patients with recent, suspected non-immediate hypersensitivity reaction to AMX or PNC and 6 recently-exposed healthy subjects. In vitro tests were performed in all patients and healthy subjects: a) IFN-γ ELISPOT with PNC, AMX and amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid (AMX-CL); b) penicillin specific IgE; c) basophil activation test (BAT). Skin and provocation tests followed only in certain patients. IFN-γ ELISPOT results with PNC and AMX stimulation did not differ from the unstimulated condition. The highest IFN-γ responses to AMX-CL were close to previously published criteria in three patients; one of which had true hypersensitivity according to drug provocation tests. Five patients with confirmed hypersensitivity by skin tests showed no response to the culprit antibiotic on IFN-γ ELISPOT assay. Our results did not support the utility of IFN-γ ELISPOT in the diagnosis of mild, non-immediate hypersensitivity to amoxicillin and penicillin.
How Aristotle Changes Anaxagoras’s Mind
Authors: Carter Jason W.
Published: April 2018

I argue that a common interpretation of DA 3.4, which sees Aristotle as there rejecting Anaxagoras’s account of mind, is mistaken. Instead, I claim that, in providing his solution to the main puzzles of this chapter, Aristotle takes special care to preserve the essential features that he thinks Anaxagoras ascribes to mind, namely, its ability to know all things, its being unmixed, and its inability to be affected by mixed objects.
Microaggressions as speech acts: Using pragmatics to define and develop a research agenda for microaggressions
Authors: di Gennaro Kristen , Brewer Meaghan
Published: April 2018

In an effort to explain why we found certain exchanges among colleagues troubling, the current study draws on Sue’s (2010a) microaggressions framework to reveal hidden hierarchies within an academic speech community. We complement Sue’s theoretical framework with empirical, pragmatic approaches to analyzing every-day, unrecorded interactions to both strengthen and refine the microaggressions construct and research agenda. Based on our analyses, which highlight the hierarchical relationships between participants, we propose revising the microaggressions construct to attribute their existence to revelations of (overt and covert) hierarchies, and not marginalization. Where Sue attributes microaggressions to an individual’s or group’s marginalization, our analyses suggest, in fact, that marginalization is the result (rather than the cause) of microaggressions. The analysis and discussion focus on hierarchical relationships common to many university English departments, but parallels can be drawn with other fields, such as language and linguistics programs within larger departments, and thus are relevant beyond a single discipline. We also propose restricting the microaggressions construct to unintentional slights and snubs (rather than both intentional and unintentional as in Sue’s framework), since part of what makes microaggressions so troubling is their unexpected appearance in conversations and friendly discussions among colleagues.
Escaping National Tags and Embracing Diversity: Third Culture Kid Songwriters
Authors: Sanfilippo-Schulz Jessica
Published: April 2018

Nowadays, more and more writers cannot be classified according to one single nation. Whereas in Imagined Communities Anderson describes the development of nations and national belongings, in Third Culture Kid (TCK) discourse a central theme is the concept of not belonging to one specific nation or culture (“NatioNILism”). TCKs are individuals who were raised moving from one country to the next due to their parents’ career choices. Not having had a fixed home while growing up, rather than accepting classifications according to nations and cultures, many TCKs prefer to embrace diversity. Antje Rauwerda argues that the fiction of adult TCKs comprises typical features that reflect the consequences of a displaced international childhood and accordingly coins the new literary classification Third Culture Literature. Whereas Rauwerda exclusively analyses novels written by TCKs, this article examines whether the effects of hypermobile international childhoods can be detected in the works of TCK songwriters. By analysing not only the song lyrics of contemporary musicians such as Haikaa, Sinkane and Tanita Tikaram but also the artists’ views regarding issues such as belonging, identity and transience, it will be shown that in the scholarly realm the TCK lens can be expanded to song texts too.
Ergodic and fixed point theorems for sequences and nonlinear mappings in a Hilbert space
Authors: Rouhani Behzad Djafari
Published: April 2018

In this paper, we introduce the notion of 2-generalized hybrid sequences, extending the notion of nonexpansive and hybrid sequences introduced and studied in our previous work [Djafari Rouhani B., Ergodic theorems for nonexpansive sequences in Hilbert spaces and related problems, Ph.D. thesis, YaleUniversity, 1981; and other published in J. Math. Anal. Appl., 1990, 2002, and 2014; Nonlinear Anal., 1997, 2002, and 2004], and prove ergodic and convergence theorems for such sequences in a Hilbert space H. Subsequently, we apply our results to prove new fixed point theorems for 2-generalized hybrid mappings, first introduced in [Maruyama T., Takahashi W., Yao M., Fixed point and mean ergodic theorems for new nonlinear mappings in Hilbert spaces, J. Nonlinear Convex Anal., 2011, 12, 185-197] and further studied in [Lin L.-J., Takahashi W., Attractive point theorems and ergodic theorems for nonlinear mappings in Hilbert spaces, Taiwanese J. Math., 2012, 16, 1763-1779], defined on arbitrary nonempty subsets of H.
Helianthus porteri, a Granite Outcrop Endemic, Does Not Have More Drought Resistant Traits Than Congeners
Authors: Bartelme Elise , Bowsher Alan , Donovan Lisa A.
Published: April 2018

Helianthus porteri, a sunflower endemic to drought prone granite outcrops, has been hypothesized to be drought resistant. We compared H. porteri to three Helianthus species (H. annuus, H. agrestis, H. carnosus) from less drought prone habitats for traits associated with drought avoidance and tolerance in greenhouse experiments. Under well-watered conditions, H. porteri had high specific root length suggestive of high capacity for water uptake, but intermediate root mass ratio (RMR) and shallow rooting inconsistent with enhanced capacity for drought avoidance. In response to mild drought, none of the species exhibited osmotic adjustment, and H. porteri had no change in RMR and no greater capacity to increase water-use efficiency, again, inconsistent with greater drought avoidance. In response to cessation of watering, H. porteri wilted at a leaf water potential similar to a wet habitat species, inconsistent with greater drought tolerance. Overall, under the conditions assessed, we found no evidence that H. porteri possesses traits that confer a unique ability to avoid or tolerate drought as compared to congeners.
Ironic implicature strength and the test of explicit cancellability
Authors: Kapogianni Eleni
Published: April 2018

In this paper, the Gricean notion of explicit cancellability

Grice’s original spelling is “cancelability”.

is used as a testable characteristic, able to indicate different degrees of strength for different types of (ironic) implicatures. According to the definition adopted for this analysis, implicature strength is determined by the likelihood of retrieval of an implicature in a specific context and, essentially, by the degree of certainty that the hearer maintains about the correctness of the inferred interpretation. Ironic implicature strength is considered the product of various factors (“factors of implicature strength”), some of which are always present (such as the type and strength of assumptions on which a derivation is based), while others are optional and appear in tandem with specific irony strategies. Irony strategies are categorized into two general types (meaning reversal and meaning replacement), which are expected to show different degrees of implicature strength, being influenced by different factors. For the experimental testing of the hypotheses, subjects were presented with the task of judging the acceptability of the explicit cancellation of various implicated (ironic, as well as non-ironic) meanings. Findings show significant differences between irony types in terms of cancellability (measured as acceptability of cancellation – AC), under the influence of (i) type of syllogism and associated assumptions, (ii) co-textual cues, and (iii) humorous framing.
Greetings as social action in Finland Swedish and Sweden Swedish service encounters – a pluricentric perspective
Authors: Nilsson Jenny , Norrthon Stefan , Lindström Jan , Wide Camilla
Published: April 2018

While greetings are performed in all cultures and open most conversations, previous studies suggest that there are cross-cultural differences between different languages in greeting behavior. But do speakers of different national varieties of the same language organize and perform their greeting behavior in similar ways? In this study, we investigate the sequential organization of greetings in relation to gaze behavior in the two national varieties of Swedish: Sweden Swedish spoken in Sweden and Finland Swedish spoken in Finland. In recent years, the importance of studying pluricentric languages from a pragmatic perspective has been foregrounded, not least within the framework of variational pragmatics. To date, most studies have focused on structural differences between national varieties of pluricentric languages. With this study, we extend the scope of variational pragmatics through adding an interactional, micro perspective to the broader macro analysis typical of this field. For this study, we have analyzed patterns for greetings in 297 video-recorded service encounters, where staff and customers interact at theatre box offices and event booking venues in Sweden and Finland. The study shows that there are similarities and differences in greeting behavior between varieties. There is a strong preference for exchanging reciprocal verbal greetings, one at a time, in both. There is also a similar organization of the greeting sequence, where customer and staff establish mutual gaze prior to the verbal greetings, thus signaling availability for interaction. The duration of mutual gaze and the timing of the greeting, however, differ between the two varieties. We have also conducted a multi modal analysis of gaze behavior in correlation to the greeting. We found that the customers and staff in the Finland Swedish data share mutual gaze before and during the verbal greeting, and often avert gazeafterthe verbal greetings. However, in the Sweden Swedish data, the participants often avert gazebeforethe verbal greetings. Our results thus indicate that both similarities and differences in pragmatic routines and bodily behavior exist between the two national varieties of Swedish. The present study on greeting practices in Finland Swedish and Sweden Swedish should contribute to the field of variational pragmatics and to the development of pluricentric theory.
Statistical evaluation of grain boundaries of varistors with modified bismuth oxide
Authors: Warycha J. , Mielcarek W.
Published: April 2018

Oxide varistors are made of inhomogeneous material whose properties are determined by active grain boundaries. It is essential that in the microstructure of a varistor only active grain boundaries are present as only such boundaries are involved in the process of conduction. Commercial varistors are characterized by a microstructure with a large amount of electrically inactive areas which include zinc-antimony spinel, bismuth oxide, and pores. Studies on elimination of inactive grain boundaries, which are the intergranular areas rich in reaction products of varistor components and pores, lead to an improvement in the microstructure, thereby improving the electrical properties of the varistor. The results were evaluated using statistical methods, defining the percentage of active grain boundaries in the varistor. Statistical analysis showed that the best results were obtained for a bismuth oxide varistor doped with antimony oxide, containing nearly 100 % conductive grain boundaries in its body.
Global Questions About Rent and the Longue Durée of Urban Power, 1848 to the Present
Authors: Guldi Jo
Published: April 2018

This article examines the forces, public and private, that have exerted political power over the longue durée of the modern city since 1848. The article identifies three major turning points that contextualize the modern moment: the rise of democratic movements of 1848 and their gradual targeting of city governments; the rise of an expert-managed, urban reform state beginning in 1870; and the birth of neoliberal state, from 1974 to the present. The article positions the knowledge of urban history within the rise of democratic, participatory movements concerned with opening, replicating, and publicly analyzing governmental data.
Studies on the drying kinetics and rehydration capacities of cardaba banana compared to plantain slices
Authors: Taiwo K. A. , Babalola R. T.
Published: April 2018

The utilization of Cardaba banana as food or functional food requires knowledge about its preservation (drying), and physical and functional characteristics of the crop. The study is aimed at determining the drying kinetics of Cardaba slices as well as to determine the physio-chemical and rehydration properties. Unripe Cardaba banana and plantain bunches were produced into flour separately. The drying kinetics of the slices (sun, 50°C and 70°C) with and without blanching were monitored. The rehydration capacities of the slices at room temperature, 45°C, 75°C and 95°C were determined. The functional and proximate properties of the flour samples were determined. Results showed that the higher the drying temperature, the faster the drying and the shorter the drying time. Furthermore, the greater the rehydration capacity and the greater the shrinkage of the Cardaba banana and plantain slices. Cardaba banana flour samples were higher in bulk density (0.52 to 0.65 g/ ml), oil absorption capacity (76.47 to 98.83%), swelling power (4.42 to 6.36 g/g) and protein content (4.73 to 9.92%) than plantain flour samples in bulk density (0.56 g/ml to 0.73 g/ml), oil absorption capacity (66.20 to 90.67%), swelling power (4.15 to 5.65 g/g) and protein content (3.66 to 8.43%). The result obtained in this study proved that Cardaba banana compares favorably with plantain and can be used as a substituted for plantain.
“When I feel the worst pain, I look like shit” – body image concerns in persistent pain
Authors: Sündermann Oliver , Rydberg Karin , Linder Ludwig , Linton Steven James
Published: April 2018

Background and aims

Persistent pain is a pervasive condition that is often associated with a distorted body image. Most research into pain and body image investigated neural or physiological correlates (e.g. phantom limb pain), and much less is known about the psychological experience of body image changes in response to pain such as appearance concerns. The aim was to examine body image concerns in people with persistent pain, in particular appearance concerns and related coping behaviours and appearance-related emotions such as anger and shame.

Methods

Design was cross-sectional and data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with people suffering from persistent musculoskeletal pain (n=7; six females; age=19–56), and analysed with inductive thematic analysis (TA).

Results

Two main themes were identified: “Relationship to the painful body” and “Dissatisfaction with the body”, each containing three subthemes, along with the side-theme “Appearance concerns affected by pain and mood”. All participants reported appearance concerns, predominantly about their weight and related coping behaviours such as avoidance of mirrors, exercising or dieting and pain-induced mood changes that were associated with a negative body image.

Conclusions

People with persistent pain report appearance concerns, often related to pain-induced negative mood changes, and reduced functioning. It remains unclear to what extent attitudes towards the body change over time in accordance with pain. A wider concept of body image is required, including the perception of reduced functioning, related appraisals (e.g. “I look weak and old”) and appearance investment.
On locally compact shift-continuous topologies on the α-bicyclic monoid
Authors: Bardyla Serhii
Published: April 2018

A topology τ on a monoid S is called shift-continuous if for every a, b ∈ S the two-sided shift S → S, x ↦ axb, is continuous. For every ordinal α ≤ ω, we describe all shift-continuous locally compact Hausdorff topologies on the α-bicyclic monoid Bα. More precisely, we prove that the lattice of shift-continuous locally compact Hausdorff topologies on Bαis anti-isomorphic to the segment of [1, α] of ordinals, endowed with the natural well-order. Also we prove that for each ordinal α the α + 1-bicyclic monoid Bα+1is isomorphic to the Bruck extension of the α-bicyclic monoid Bα.
Chemical Routes to Surface Enhanced Infrared Absorption (SEIRA) Substrates
Authors: Stanglmair Christoph , Neubrech Frank , Pacholski Claudia
Published: April 2018

Bottom-up strategies for fabricating SEIRA substrates are presented. For this purpose, wet-chemically prepared gold nanoparticles are coated with a polystyrene shell and subsequently self-assembled into different nanostructures such as quasi-hexagonally ordered gold nanoparticle monolayers, double layers, and honeycomb structures. Furthermore elongated gold nanostructures are obtained by sintering of gold nanoparticle double layers. The optical properties of these different gold nanostructures are directly connected to their morphology and geometrical arrangement – leading to surface plasmon resonances from the visible to the infrared wavelength range. Finally, SEIRA enhancement factors are determined. Gold nanoparticle double layers show the best performance as SEIRA substrates.
Life's a Beach: Using Role-Playing Scenarios to Facilitate Water Quality Studies
Authors: Sampson Christie , Linard Erica , Garcia-Chance Lauren
Published: April 2018

Role-playing scenarios in science education offer students an active way to engage in learning as well as to discover how their decisions as citizens, voters, or policymakers can affect environmental and public health. In this activity, students take on the role of environmental consultants, helping city planners decide the best location for a new recreation area located on the fictional community's major waterway. The objective of the game is to engage the students in critical thinking to determine the most relevant water tests needed to accept or reject the four proposed locations, given their knowledge of possible pollutants from different land-use activities. Students work in teams to integrate methods used in determining water quality, such as chemical testing, macroinvertebrate surveys, and bacterial monitoring, into a defendable decision for their recommendation. This activity was designed for and tested by high school students enrolled in AP Environmental Sciences and could be modified for undergraduate ecology or biology courses.
Cold War Activism and Japanese American Exceptionalism
Authors: Fujino Diane C.
Published: April 2018

This study contrasts Japanese American activism, centering on citizenship struggles surrounding the 1952 McCarran-Walter Act, to show alternatives to the emergence of the model minority trope. This complexity of activity worked to create and contest the making of a “successful” minority and ideas about U.S. democracy and equality at mid-century. Through a nuanced interpretation, this article reveals how certain narratives relied on a social progress framework and shifting global Cold War politics to create a “Japanese American Exceptionalism.” The little-known history of Japanese American Cold War progressivism shows the forging of deep solidarities and the refusal to promote domestic rights based on empire building. By inserting Japanese Americans into the “Long” freedom movement historiography, this article further examines intergenerational continuities and ruptures.
“A Grave Offense of Significant Consequences”
Authors: Montoya Benjamin C.
Published: April 2018

Relying on Mexican archival evidence, this article argues that Mexico opposed the U.S. effort to place a quota on Mexican immigration during the late 1920s because pro-quota arguments rested on a presumption of Mexicans’ racially inferiority. The three perspectives of the Mexican government officials Francisco Suástegui, Enrique Santibáñez, and Manuel Gamio demonstrate why Mexicans chaffed at the U.S. quota debate. Each of these perspectives also offers an analytical framework through which historians can understand how Mexican officials hoped the United States and Mexico could resolve the immigration controversy through bilateral negotiation. Finally, these officials’ fears about the quota demonstrate that U.S. immigration policy held significant consequences for diplomatic relations between the United States and Mexico.
Comparisons of the oxidative stress biomarkers levels in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and non-GDM among Thai population: cohort study
Authors: Rueangdetnarong Hathairat , Sekararithi Rattanaporn , Jaiwongkam Thidarat , Kumfu Sirinart , Chattipakorn Nipon , Tongsong Theera , Jatavan Phudit
Published: April 2018

Objective

The primary objective of this study was to compare the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers between pregnancies with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and normoglycemic pregnancies.

Materials and methods

A prospective study was conducted on pregnant women at average risk for GDM. The participants were screened for GDM with glucose challenge test and confirmed by 100 g, 3-h oral glucose tolerance test and categorized into the control (non-GDM) and GDM groups. Maternal blood was collected from all participants at gestational age (GA) 24–28 weeks and early labor and fetal cord blood was collected for measurements of 8 Isoprostane (8Isop) (oxidative stress marker), TNF-α (inflammatory marker) and IL-10 (anti-inflammatory marker) and were followed up for maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Result

A total of 62 women, 30 in GDM and 32 in control group, met the inclusion criteria. At 24–28 weeks of gestation, maternal serum 8Isop and TNF-α levels were significantly higher in GDM group (P = 0.032 and P = 0.047), in spite of good glycemic control. At early labor, maternal 8Isop levels were significantly higher in GDM (P = 0.001). The biomarkers in the cord blood as well as maternal and neonatal outcomes in both groups were not significantly different.

Conclusion

GDM is significantly associated with inflammatory process when compared to normal pregnancy, as indicated by higher oxidative stress and apoptosis markers. However, such levels were not correlated with the pregnancy outcomes. An increase in oxidative stress could not be prevented by good glycemic control. Cord blood biomarker levels in pregnancy with GDM were not changed, suggesting that the placenta could be the barrier for the oxidative stress and cytokines.
A note on the asymptotics for the randomly stopped weighted sums
Authors: Yang Yang , Shi Xi Xi Xi , Huang Xing Fang Fang
Published: April 2018

Let {Xi , i ⩾ 1} be a sequence of identically distributed real-valued random variables with common distribution FX; let {θi , i ⩾ 1} be a sequence of identically distributed, nonnegative and nondegenerate at zero random variables; and let τ be a positive integer-valued counting random variable. Assume that {Xi , i ⩾ 1}, {θi , i ⩾ 1} and τ are mutually independent. In the presence of heavy-tailed Xi's, this paper investigates the asymptotic tail behavior for the maximum of randomly weighted sums Mτ = max1 ⩽ k ⩽ τ ∑ki = 1θi Xi under the condition that {θi , i ⩾ 1} satisfy a general dependence structure.
Guidelines for personal exposure monitoring of chemicals: Part V
Authors: Hashimoto Haruo , Yamada Kenichi , Hori Hajime , Kumagai Shinji , Murata Masaru , Nagoya Toshio , Nakahara Hirohiko , Mochida Nobuyuki
Published: April 2018

This Document, “Guidelines for personal exposure monitoring of chemicals” (“this Guideline”), has been prepared by “The Committee for Personal Exposure Monitoring” (“the Committee”) of the Expert Division of Occupational Hygiene & Ergonomics, Japan Society for Occupational Health. Considering the background of the growing importance of personal exposure monitoring in risk assessment and the need to prepare for the introduction of monitoring using personal samplers from an administrative perspective in recent years, the Committee was organized in November 2012. The Committee has prepared this Guideline as a “practical guideline” for personal exposure monitoring, so as to offer proposals and recommendations to the members of the Japan Society for Occupational Health and to society in general. The scope of this Guideline covers all chemical substances and all related workplaces regarded as targets for general assessment and the management of risk. It thus is not to be considered to comment on legal regulations and methodology. The main text provides the basic methods and concepts of personal exposure monitoring, while 31 “Appendices ” are provided in this Guideline throughout the series; technical descriptions, statistical bases, and actual workplace examples are provided in these appendices, to assist better understanding. The personal exposure monitoring described as per this Guideline is equivalent to an “ expert-centered basic method to reasonably proceed with the assessment and management of risk at workplaces.” It is considered that practicing and expanding on this method will significantly contribute in reforming the overall framework of occupational hygiene management in Japan.
Análise da relação entre sintomas urinários e topografia da lesão cerebral em pacientes com acidente vascular cerebral
Authors: Banaszeski Viliane Lourdes , Christo Paulo Pereira
Published: April 2018

Objetivo: Analisar a relação entre a topografia da lesão cerebral e disfunção vesical em pacientes com acidente vascular cerebral (AVC) isquêmico e hemorrágico comparando a região cerebral afetada com os sintomas do trato urinário inferior (STUI).Materiais e Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo, desenvolvido no Hospital da Rede SARAH de Neurorreabilitação, Brasil, com 132 pacientes com AVC crônico atendidos no programa de reabilitação neurológica adulto, no período de janeiro de 2008 a dezembro de 2011.Resultados: Cento e seis pacientes (80,3%) apresentaram sequela de acidente vascular cerebral isquêmico e 26 (19,7%) acidente vascular cerebral hemorrágico. A média de idade foi de 56±13,1 anos e o tempo médio da ocorrência do AVC foi de 21,4 meses. Em relação ao comportamento miccional, 35,6% (n=47) eram continentes vesicais, 45,5% (n=60) com sintomas do trato urinário inferior, e 18,9% (n=25) com incontinência urinária contínua. Observou-se que na ocorrência de lesões extensas acometendo a área frontal parietal-temporal-occiptal (p=0,001), alterações cognitivas (p=0,001) e afasia (p=0,001) houve relação estatística significativa com a presença de incontinência urinária contínua nestes pacientes. Nos pacientes com lesão fronto-parietal houve associação com o sintoma urgência (p=0,050), urgeincontinência urinária (p=0,042), incontinência urinária de esforço (p=0,019) e polaciúria (p=0,042).Conclusão: Segundo a amostra estudada, observamos que alterações cognitivas e afasia tiveram correlação com a incontinência urinária contínua. Em relação a topografia de lesão cerebral houve associação entre lesões em região fronto-parietal com os sintomas de urgência, urgeincontinência, incontinência de esforço e polaciúria; e na ocorrência de lesão cerebral extensa houve prevalência de incontinência urinária contínua.