bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Morphometry of the mandibular foramen applied to the local anesthetic block to inferior alveolar nerve in boars (Sus scrofa scrofa Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors: Paulo Caroline Bures de , Magalhães Henrique Inhauser Riceti , De Paula Ygor Henrique , Barcelos Jeferson Borges , Romão Fabiano Braz , Borges Tânia Ribeiro Junqueira , Silva Frederico Ozanam Carneiro e , Ribeiro Lucas De Assis
Published: April 2020

Boars kept on commercial farms use their canine teeth as a mechanism of defense and attack in order to express their natural instincts, which could result in fractures of the teeth and jaws. Thus, utilizing local desensitization of the inferior alveolar nerve is crucial for executing therapeutic procedures in the oral cavities of those animals. Then, the goal is to carry out the morphometry of the mandibular foramen of that species, correlating it with the mandibular structures, while doing so in the safest manner for the animals. For that purpose, six hemimandibles of young-aged Sus scrofa scrofa were used, from which the proposed measurements were taken. On average, the lateral margin of the condylar process stood 142.43 mm away from the root of the lower medial incisive tooth. The longitudinal axis of the body of the mandible measured 22.3 mm at the level of the diastema that exists between the fourth lower premolar tooth and the first lower molar tooth. The mandibular foramen, from the caudal limit of the ventral margin, would be positioned at26.6 mm from the ventral margin of the angle of the mandible in that level, 34.92 mm away from the medial margin of the condylar process, and 38.63 mm away from the dorsal limit from the caudal margin of the coronoid process. The lack of statistically significant differences, and observing that the osseous accident under scrutiny had been positioned in the ramus of the mandible, indicated that the proposed procedure should be performed from the introduction of the needle in an oblique and rostrodorsal direction for 2.0 cm, and angulated at 60º with the anatomic reference created by the medial demarcation obtained via the support of the thumb on the lateral margin of the ramus of the mandible, ventrally to the zygomatic arch, all while preserving neighboring structures and establishing an unheard-of anesthetic methodology for boars.
O digital como lugar do enxame
Authors: Teixeira Filho Clóvis
Published: April 2020

O livro “No Enxame: perspectivas do digital”, de Byung-Chul Han, apresenta a visão ensaística do filósofo sobre as interações entre sujeitos, mediadas pelos ambientes digitais. Respeito e poder, identidade, predomínio da imagem, excesso de informação e apagamentos ontológicos são alguns dos aspectos tratados. Assim, é possível delinear convergências tanto com as propostas de mediação, quanto de midiatização na Comunicação, que envolvem também o consumo. Dentre essas destacam-se a psicopolítica, a interação humano e não humano, assim como as competências do pesquisador.
Uma publicidade com conteúdo
Authors: Quintela Guilherme Pedrosa
Published: April 2020

A obra Publicidade Que Entretém: A Circulação Transbordada de Conteúdos de Marca, de Pablo Moreno Viana Fernandes, reflete sobre o conteúdo de marca produzido no Brasil, além de verificar questões como suas definições, sua relevância e as características de sua mensagem para analisar sua presença na expressividade de marcas nacionais. O livro traz um levantamento que observa, no intervalo entre 2012 e 2016, a presença do conteúdo de marca na comunicação de quatro anunciantes brasileiros e, analisa esses conteúdos com base na Semiótica da Expressividade Marcária.
Comunicação dirigida digital
Authors: Rhoden Valmor , Andres Fernanda Sagrilo
Published: April 2020

Este artigo trabalha com conceitos de Comunicação Dirigida na perspectiva de Relações Públicas e Big Data e visa relacionar os dois num contexto atual. O objetivo é debater a atualização do conceito de Comunicação Dirigida para o cenário digital – a Comunicação Dirigida Digital - e entender um pouco sobre os resultados que pode trazer para a área de Relações Públicas, utilizando como metodologia a pesquisa bibliográfica. É uma linha de pesquisa promissora – que aproxima o Big Data com a área de Relações Públicas, pois traz grandes avanços no trabalho da profissão.
McDONALD’s
Authors: Yue Gin Kwan , Lencastre Paulo De
Published: April 2020

Este artigo apresenta uma discussão sobre a gestão da marca McDonald’s com a contribuição das operações logísticas, realizadas por um operador logístico, numa relação de parceria estratégica e de novas tecnologias. As redes de restaurantes do tipo fast food apresentam uma grande dificuldade no abastecimento de suas lojas, aspecto agravado pela grande dimensão territorial do Brasil. A pesquisa realizada no Brasil e em Portugal, com gestores da marca, com os restaurantes e com o operador logístico procura explicar o sucesso da marca McDonald’s, a mais valiosa no segmento de fast food.
A experiência estética no consumo de coleções
Authors: Silva Helder Haddad Carneiro da , Nunes Mônica Rebecca Ferrari , Strehlau Vivian Iara
Published: April 2020

O colecionar é uma forma especializada de comportamento do consumidor. O presente artigo tem por objetivo demonstrar como o colecionismo de estátuas e figuras de ação proporciona a seus colecionadores uma experiência estética e contribui para uma vida estetizada. Por meio de um levantamento bibliográfico e revisão da literatura, revela-se que esse tipo de coleção corresponde a um processo ativo, seletivo e apaixonado de adquirir e possuir coisas percebidas como parte de um conjunto de objetos de memória, comprometido com o sentir. A partir da interação de componentes cognitivos e emocionais do colecionador com os objetos de coleção, desencadeia-se sentimentos, impressões e imagens carregadas de sentido simbólico. Conclui-se que o poder de evocação sentimental dos objetos de coleção proporciona uma imersão estetizada do consumo, surgindo como uma forma de expressão e cultura hedônica individualista.
Depletion of Vasohibin 1 Speeds Contraction and Relaxation in Failing Human Cardiomyocytes
Authors: Chen Christina Yingxian , Salomon Alexander K. , Caporizzo Matthew A. , Curry Sam , Kelly Neil A. , Bedi Kenneth , Bogush Alexey I. , Krämer Elisabeth , Schlossarek Saskia , Janiak Philip , Moutin Marie-Jo , Carrier Lucie , Margulies Kenneth B. , Prosser Benjamin L.
Published: April 2020

Rationale:

Impaired myocardial relaxation is an intractable feature of several heart failure (HF) causes. In human HF, detyrosinated microtubules stiffen cardiomyocytes and impair relaxation. Yet the identity of detyrosinating enzymes have remained ambiguous, hindering mechanistic study and therapeutic development.

Objective:

We aimed to determine if the recently identified complex of VASH1/2 (vasohibin 1/2) and SVBP (small vasohibin binding protein) is an active detyrosinase in cardiomyocytes and if genetic inhibition of VASH-SVBP is sufficient to lower stiffness and improve contractility in HF.

Methods and Results:

Transcriptional profiling revealed that
VASH1
transcript is >10-fold more abundant than
VASH2
in human hearts. Using short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) against
VASH1
,
VASH2
, and
SVBP
, we showed that both VASH1- and VASH2-SVBP complexes function as tubulin carboxypeptidases in cardiomyocytes, with a predominant role for VASH1. We also generated a catalytically dead version of the tyrosinating enzyme TTL (TTL-E331Q) to separate the microtubule depolymerizing effects of TTL from its enzymatic activity. Assays of microtubule stability revealed that both TTL and TTL-E331Q depolymerize microtubules, while VASH1 and SVBP depletion reduce detyrosination independent of depolymerization. We next probed effects on human cardiomyocyte contractility. Contractile kinetics were slowed in HF, with dramatically slowed relaxation in cardiomyocytes from patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction. Knockdown of VASH1 conferred subtle kinetic improvements in nonfailing cardiomyocytes, while markedly improving kinetics in failing cardiomyocytes. Further, TTL, but not TTL-E331Q, robustly sped relaxation. Simultaneous measurements of calcium transients and contractility demonstrated that VASH1 depletion speeds kinetics independent from alterations to calcium cycling. Finally, atomic force microscopy confirmed that VASH1 depletion reduces the stiffness of failing human cardiomyocytes.

Conclusions:

VASH-SVBP complexes are active tubulin carboxypeptidases in cardiomyocytes. Inhibition of VASH1 or activation of TTL is sufficient to lower stiffness and speed relaxation in cardiomyocytes from patients with HF, supporting further pursuit of detyrosination as a therapeutic target for diastolic dysfunction.
The New Animism and Its Challenges to the Study of Religion
Authors: Laack Isabel
Published: April 2020

In the last decades, the worldview(s) of so-called Indigenous religions have regained academic interest. Scholars of religion, anthropologists, and Indigenous writers engage in a new research field called new animism characterized by a diversity of insider and outsider positions. The field contains immense potential for inspiring general debates in the study of religion because it touches on fundamental questions about hermeneutics, epistemology, epistemic goals, disciplinary identities, and the influence of Western ontology on scientific and academic research.

This article aims to draw the attention of scholars of religion to the new animism by contextualizing the field within disciplinary and cultural history, presenting its core theories, analyzing its methodological and epistemological positions, and identifying the central players ands its politically highly charged social contexts with asymmetrical power relations. Finally, it discusses how the new animism challenges general debates within the study of religion and may provocatively stimulate them.
A Nonpermanent Seat in the United Nations Security Council
Authors: Ekengren Ann-Marie , Hjorthen Fredrik D. , Möller Ulrika
Published: April 2020

This article contributes with a novel systematic theoretical and empirical exploration of why states find a nonpermanent seat in the UN Security Council attractive. Three conceptualizations of power—to influence, to network, and to gain status—guide the empirical analysis. A telephone interview survey with diplomatic staff at Member States’ permanent missions to the United Nations in New York provides readers with original and unique empirical knowledge of state perceptions of power. The candidature for a seat comes with expectations of influencing decision-making, despite modest estimations of the opportunity to have impact. Opportunities to network and to gain status are not frequent reasons for a candidature. Diplomats’ estimations are nevertheless higher on the opportunity to actually establish relevant relationships and to gain status brought by a seat.
The Role of the Law of the Sea in Climate Change Litigation
Authors: Johansen Elise
Published: April 2020

People around the world are turning to the courts to ensure that steps are taken to tackle climate change, using litigation as a tool to force action. An emerging trend in climate litigation is to look to other legal regimes for sources of climate obligation and there is a growing number of climate change cases looking at the relationship between human rights and climate change, and refugee law and climate change. This paper looks at the role of the law of the sea regime in climate change cases, in which some connections to ocean issues are identified – either because the activities that contribute to GHG emissions takes place in the ocean space, or because the effects are felt there. One main finding is that that the use of the law of the sea-based rights and obligations is almost non-existent in climate litigation. Another main finding, based on an analysis of one of the relevant cases, namely the Norwegian Climate Change Case, is that the general obligations established by section 1 of Part XII of the LOSC represent an untapped resource to legal obligations in climate litigation.
Four Principles to Justify Claims to Jurisdiction and to Natural Resources in Antarctica
Authors: Mancilla Alejandra
Published: April 2020

Global pressure over Antarctic resources will mount in the course of the coming decades. Three factors are likely to motivate states to claim jurisdictional rights or rights to natural resources in Antarctica: climate change, dwindling natural resources in the rest of the world, and the fact that – by virtue of Article IV of the Antarctic Treaty – the question of sovereignty remains unresolved. It is high time to think about the moral dimensions that should shape Antarctic claims in the future. Is there any state or group of states more entitled than others to make such claims? What does sound management of natural resources require? How should environmental concerns factor into decisions about jurisdictional control and appropriation of natural resources?

With these broad questions in the background, in this article I examine four principles of justice that figure prominently in current theories of territorial rights and rights over natural resources in political philosophy: connection, capacity, fair distribution, and need. I show how these principles have been used by states, alone or in tandem, to justify claims to jurisdiction and claims to natural resources in Antarctica. After pointing to their main strengths and weaknesses, I suggest that they may be necessary, but insufficient to build a just framework for jurisdiction and appropriation of resources in the White Continent.
An optimized DNA extraction protocol for wood DNA barcoding of Pterocarpus erinaceus
Authors: Lu Yang , Jiao Lichao , He Tuo , Zhang Yonggang , Jiang Xiaomei , Yin Yafang
Published: April 2020

The isolation of wood DNA is a crucial step in the process of genetic identification of wood tissues and the current wood DNA extraction method is a limiting factor. For some valuable wood samples sent for forensic identification, the size of allowable sample is limited. Additionally, the identification process is so lengthy that it often cannot meet the needs of law enforcement. This study describes an optimized protocol that minimizes the sample size and duration of DNA extraction without decreasing the yield of DNA. Experiments on sample mass per extraction, sample lysis time and DNA precipitation time were carried out by a series of gradient tests. The amounts of DNA extracted were evaluated by the copy numbers of target DNA barcodes (rbcL and matK) from droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). It is the first to apply ddPCR technology to quantify and evaluate accurately DNA extracted from wood. The results indicated that 300 mg is an optimal sample mass when keeping the volume of DNA lysis buffer constant, which reduces the sample usage by 40%. Five hours is the optimal sample lysis time. Extending the duration of DNA precipitation does not significantly increase the amplicon yield from wood specimens of Pterocarpus erinaceus. The protocol developed in this study shortens the period of DNA extraction from wood tissues by approximately 58%. The amplicon yields obtained using the optimized method in this study indicate good extraction efficiency, and the wood samples sent for certification were identified as Pterocarpus erinaceus using the barcode combination matK+ndhF-rpl32+ITS2. This method will be suitable for the broad applicability of DNA identification and conservation of global wood resources.
Visual Research Methods: Qualifying and Quantifying the Visual
Authors: ONG Patricia A. L.
Published: April 2020

The role of visual research methods in ethnographic research has been significant, particularly in place-making and representing visual culture and environments in ways that are not easily substituted by text. Digital media has extended into mundane, everyday existences and routines through most noticeably the modern smartphone, social media and digital artefacts that have created new forms of ethnographic enquiry. Ethnographers have engaged in this relatively new possibility of exploring how social media and new technologies transform the way we view social realities through the digital experience. The paper discusses the possible role of visual research methods in multimethod research and the theoretical underpinning of interpreting visual data. In the process of interpreting and analysing visual data, there is a need to acknowledge the possible ambiguity and polysemic quality of visual representation. It presents selectively the use of visual methods in an ethnographic exploration of early childhood settings through the use of internet-based visual data, researcher and participant-generated visual materials and media, together with visual-elicited (e.g. drawings, still images, video clips) information data through several examples. This approach in ‘visualizing’ the curriculum also unveils some aspects of the visual culture or the ‘hidden curriculum’ in the learning environment.
Solving the Evaluation Problem of Four-Recognitions-Only in the “Double World-Class” Construction of Chinese Universities
Authors: Zhanjun WANG , Xiaodong WANG
Published: April 2020

The ‘Double World-Class construction has created a new movement for the quality development of higher education in China. It also demands the improvement of higher education evaluation from traditional approaches to monitoring evaluation. This article presents the latest move of higher education evaluation in China, analyzing its various dimensions, multi-value judgment, monitoring platform, and so on. It constructs the Chinese evaluation system based on the ‘Double World-Class’ and proposes an innovative evaluation framework for the ‘Double World-Class’ construction in line with the solution of the system-wide problem of ‘Four-Recognitions-Only’.
Compulsory Educational Policies in Rural China since 1978: A Macro Perspective
Authors: LI Jian
Published: April 2020

Since 1978 China has implemented a series of educational policies for shaping rural compulsory education in order to improve its quality and competitiveness. This short article takes a macro perspective to review the rural compulsory education policies in contemporary China. Specifically, the macro perspective concentrates on examining the historical urbanization process of basic education in rural areas and the four stages of compulsory educational development in these regions. The article suggests that China has made tremendous contributions on closing the rural and urban gaps in recent years, but challenges remain to be solved.
Evaluation for Protein Binding Affinity of Maghemite and Magnetite Nanoparticles
Authors: Kang Se Chan , Jo Yong Jun , Bak Jong Phil , Kim Ki-Chul , Kim Young-Sung
Published: April 2020

We investigated the protein binding affinity of magnetite (Fe3O4) and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles with against non-characterized protein from human lung cancer A549 cell line on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel
electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The binding ability of maghemite was 400 ng/mg. According to the SDS-PAGE results, the protein binding affinity of maghemite nanoparticles is stronger than magnetite nanoparticles. These data suggest that a protein can be detected with maghemite nanoparticles.
Equivalent Circuit Model of Semiconductor Nanowire Diode by SPICE
Authors: Lee Sehan , Yu Yunseop , Hwang Sungwoo , Ahn Doyeol
Published: April 2020

An equivalent circuit model of nanowire diodes is introduced. Because nanowire diodes inevitably involve a metal-semiconductor-metal structure, they consist of two metal-semiconductor contacts and one resistor in between these contacts. Our equivalent circuit consists of two Schottky
diodes and one resistor. The current through the reverse-biased Schottky diode is calculated from the thermionic field emission (TFE) theory and that of the forward-biased Schottky diode is obtained from the classical thermionic emission (TE) equation. Our model is integrated into the conventional
circuit simulator SPICE by a sub-circuit with TFE and TE routines. The results simulated with our model by SPICE are in good agreement with various, previously reported experimental results.
Fabrication and Characterization of Directly-Assembled ZnO Nanowire Field Effect Transistors with Polymer Gate Dielectrics
Authors: Yoon Ahnsook , Hong Woong-Ki , Lee Takhee
Published: April 2020

We report the fabrication and electrical characterization of ZnO nanowire field effect transistors (FETs). Dielectrophoresis technique was used to directly align ZnO nanowires between lithographically prepatterned source and drain electrodes, and spin-coated polyvinylphenol (PVP) polymer
thin layer was used as a gate dielectric layer in "top-gate" FET device configuration. The electrical characteristics of the top-gate ZnO nanowire FETs were found to be comparable to the conventional "bottom-gate" nanowire FETs with a SiO2 gate dielectric layer, suggesting the directly-assembled
nanowire FET with a polymer gate dielectric layer is a useful device structure of nanowire FETs.
Placing and Imaging Individual Carbon Nanotubes on Cu(111) Clean Surface Using In Situ Pulsed-Jet Deposition-STM Technique
Authors: Fukui Nobuyuki , Taninaka Atsushi , Sugai Toshiki , Yoshida Hiromichi , Heike Seiji , Fujimori Masaaki , Terada Yasuhiko , Hashizume Tomihiro , Shinohara Hisanori
Published: April 2020

We report pulsed-jet deposition of single-wall and double-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs and DWNTs; CNTs) onto a clean Cu(111) surface and their scanning tunneling microscopy(STM) observations under ultra-high vacuum (UHV). The clean Cu(111) surface prepared by a repeated Ar-sputtering
and annealing is introduced into a load-lock chamber kept at a 10−5-Pa range vacuum, and the CNTs dispersed in a chloroform solution byultrasonication are pulse-injected onto the surface. Since the substrate is annealed at 700 K to remove the residual solvent molecules, high
resolution lattice images of the CNTs are successfullyobserved bySTM. High-resolution chirality-resolved images of the two SWNTs with a metal cluster are also observed, supporting the well accepted growth mechanism of the CNTs from the metal-catalyst cluster. The present pulsed-jet deposition
in high-vacuum is superior to the conventional spin-coating or drop-coating techniques for preparing clean and well-defined CNTs on clean surfaces for high-resolution and contamination-free UHV-STM observation.
Nanocrystalline Diamond—An Excellent Platform for Life Science Applications
Authors: Kloss Frank R. , Najam-Ul-Haq Muhammed , Rainer Matthias , Gassner Robert , Lepperdinger Günter , Huck Christian W. , Bonn Günther , Klauser Frederik , Liu Xianjie , Memmel Norbert , Bertel Erminald , Garrido Jose A. , Steinmüller-Nethl Doris
Published: April 2020

Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) has recently been successfully utilized in a variety of life science applications. NCD films are favorable and salubrious substrates for cells during cultivation. Therefore NCD has also been employed in tissue engineering strategies. NCD as reported in
this contribution was grown by means of a modified hot-filament chemical vapor deposition technique, which results in less than 3% sp2-hybridization and yields grain sizes of 5–20 nm. After production the NCD surface was rather hydrophobic, however it could be efficiently
refined to exhibit more hydrophilic properties. Changing of the surface structure was found to be an efficient means to influence growth and differentiation capacity of a variety of cells. The particular needs for any given cell type has to be proven empirically. Yet flexible features of NCD
appear to be superior to plastic surfaces which can be hardly changed in quality. Besides its molecular properties, crystal structural peculiarities of NCD appear to influence cell growth as well. In our attempt to facilitate, highly specialized applications in biomedicine, we recently discovered
that growth factors can be tightly bound to NCD by mere physisorption. Hence, combination of surface functionalization together with further options to coat NCD with any kind of three-dimensional structure opens up new avenues for many more applications. In fact, high through-put protein profiling
of early disease stages may become possible from serum samples, because proteins bound to NCD can now be efficiently analyzed by MALDI/TOF-MS. Given these results, it is to be presumed that the physical properties and effective electrochemical characteristics of NCD will allow tailoring devices
suitable for many more diagnostic as well as therapeutic applications.
Deep Convective Adjustment of Temperature and Moisture
Authors: Ahmed Fiaz , Adames Ángel F. , Neelin J. David
Published: April 2020

Simple process models and complex climate models are remarkably sensitive to the time scale of convective adjustment τ, but this parameter remains poorly constrained and understood. This study uses the linear-range slope of a semiempirical relationship between precipitation and a lower-free-tropospheric buoyancy measure BL. The BL measure is a function of layer-averaged moist enthalpy in the boundary layer (150-hPa-thick layer above surface), and temperature and moisture in the lower free troposphere (boundary layer top to 500 hPa). Sensitivity parameters with units of time quantify the BL response to its component perturbations. In moist enthalpy units, BL is more sensitive to temperature than equivalent moisture perturbations. However, column-integrated moist static energy conservation ensures that temperature and moisture are equally altered during the adjustment process. Multiple adjusted states with different temperature–moisture combinations exist; the BL sensitivity parameters govern the relationship between adjusted states, and also combine to yield a time scale of convective adjustment ~2 h. This value is comparable to τ values used in cumulus parameterization closures. Disparities in previously reported values of τ are attributed to the neglect of the temperature contribution to precipitation, and to averaging operations that include data from both precipitating and nonprecipitating regimes. A stochastic model of tropical convection demonstrates how either averaging operations or neglected environmental influences on precipitation can yield τ estimates longer than the true τ value built into the model. The analysis here culminates in construction of a precipitation closure with both moisture and temperature adjustment (q–T closure), suitable for use in both linearized and nonlinear, intermediate-complexity models.
Remote Forcing of Tasman Sea Marine Heatwaves
Authors: Li Zeya , Holbrook Neil J. , Zhang Xuebin , Oliver Eric C. J. , Cougnon Eva A.
Published: April 2020

Recent marine heatwave (MHW) events in the Tasman Sea have had dramatic impacts on the ecosystems, fisheries, and aquaculture off Tasmania’s east coast. However, our understanding of the large-scale drivers (forcing) and potential predictability of MHW events in this region off southeast Australia is still in its infancy. Here, we investigate the role of oceanic Rossby waves forced in the interior South Pacific on observed MHW occurrences off southeast Australia from 1994 to 2016, including the extreme 2015/16 MHW event. First, we used an upper-ocean heat budget analysis to show that 51% of these historical Tasman Sea MHWs were primarily due to increased East Australian Current (EAC) Extension poleward transports through the region. Second, we used lagged correlation analysis to empirically connect the EAC Extension intensification to incoming westward-propagating sea surface height (SSH) anomalies from the interior South Pacific. Third, we dynamically analyzed these SSH anomalies using simple process-based baroclinic and barotropic Rossby wave models forced by wind stress curl changes across the South Pacific. Finally, we show that associated monthly SSH changes around New Zealand may be a useful index of western Tasman Sea MHW predictability, with a lead time of 2–3 years. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that there is potential predictability of advection-dominated MHW event likelihoods in the EAC Extension region up to several years in advance, due to the deterministic contribution from baroclinic and barotropic Rossby waves in modulating the EAC Extension transports.
An Evaluation of a Hybrid, Terrain-Following Vertical Coordinate in the WRF-Based RAP and HRRR Models
Authors: Beck Jeffrey , Brown John , Dudhia Jimy , Gill David , Hertneky Tracy , Klemp Joseph , Wang Wei , Williams Christopher , Hu Ming , James Eric , Kenyon Jaymes , Smirnova Tanya , Kim Jung-Hoon
Published: April 2020

A new hybrid, sigma-pressure vertical coordinate was recently added to the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model in an effort to reduce numerical noise in the model equations near complex terrain. Testing of this hybrid, terrain-following coordinate was undertaken in the WRF-based Rapid Refresh (RAP) and High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) models to assess impacts on retrospective and real-time simulations. Initial cold-start simulations indicated that the majority of differences between the hybrid and traditional sigma coordinate were confined to regions downstream of mountainous terrain and focused in the upper levels. Week-long retrospective simulations generally resulted in small improvements for the RAP, and a neutral impact in the HRRR when the hybrid coordinate was used. However, one possibility is that the inclusion of data assimilation in the experiments may have minimized differences between the vertical coordinates. Finally, analysis of turbulence forecasts with the new hybrid coordinate indicate a significant reduction in spurious vertical motion over the full length of the Rocky Mountains. Overall, the results indicate a potential to improve forecast metrics through implementation of the hybrid coordinate, particularly at upper levels, and downstream of complex terrain.
Defiance and the speakability of rape: Decolonizing trauma studies in Mahasweta Devi’s short fiction
Authors: Banerjee Bidisha
Published: April 2020

This article considers traumatic representations of violence in the stories of the Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi that do not readily fit into trauma studies discourses which emphasise the aporia and unspeakability of trauma. Instead, the protagonists of these stories gesture towards defiance and agency in the face of trauma, thereby calling for justice and social change. Such portrayals offer us opportunities to decolonize cultural trauma theory by focusing on the unexpected arising of agency and empowerment from victims of gendered violence. The article explores the complex ways in which the trope of rape operates in Devi’s work and posits that it is used by Devi to empower her female protagonists and make them powerful critiques of patriarchal systems of exploitation. In doing so, the article argues, these stories also decolonize established discourses of trauma. In "Draupadi", the protagonist Dopdi Mejhen is a tribal revolutionary who is arrested and gang-raped in custody. In "Behind the Bodice", Gangor, a Dalit woman, is gang-raped by policemen. In these stories, rape functions at two levels: firstly, it functions as a critique of the stark reality and extent of the violence perpetrated daily on the bodies of women; secondly, it works as a trope in which the violation of the woman’s body becomes symptomatic of the violation of the land and its oppressed people by the ruling elite under decolonization. Thus, rape in Devi’s fiction can be read allegorically as a critique from within of nationalism and decolonization. By constituting the female subaltern as a complex figure of femininity whose body is not simply the site of exploitation and torture, but a transformative figure of resistance, Devi’s fiction radically destabilizes the basic premise of female vulnerability and the violent objectification of women in the context of rape as well as the expected traumatic aftermath.
Understanding Consumer Dynamic Decision Making Under Competing Loyalty Programs
Authors: Liu Jia , Ansari Asim
Published: April 2020

The authors develop an incentive-aligned experimental paradigm to study how consumer purchase dynamics are affected by the interplay between competing firms’ loyalty programs and their pricing and promotional strategies. In this experiment, participants made sequential choices between two competing airlines in a stylized frequent traveler task for which an optimal dynamic decision policy can be numerically computed. The authors find that, on average, participants are able to partially realize the long-term benefits from loyalty programs, though most are sensitive to price. They also find that participants’ preferences and levels of bounded rationality depend on the nature of the competitive environment, the particular state of each decision scenario, and the type of optimal action. Accordingly, the authors use an approximate dynamic programming model to incorporate boundedly rational decision making. The model classifies participants into five segments that exhibit variation in their performance and decision strategies. Importantly, they find that participants are able to adapt their decision strategies to the environment they face, and thus the overall market outcome and the performance of each firm are influenced by both the competitive environment and the assumption on the extent of consumer optimality.
The Moderating Effect of Buying Impulsivity on the Dynamics of Unplanned Purchasing Motivations
Authors: Suher Jacob , Hoyer Wayne D.
Published: April 2020

Previous studies of in-store decision making have assumed that motivations for unplanned purchases are homogeneous throughout a shopping trip. In response to this assumption, the authors develop a conceptual framework to explain how consumers’ internal (i.e., intrinsic) and external (i.e., extrinsic) motivations for unplanned purchases actually vary during a shopping trip. Two field studies and five online experiments provide evidence that the personality trait of buying impulsivity predicts differences in whether a shopper initially focuses on internal motivations (e.g., “because I love it”) or external motivations (e.g., “because it is on sale”) for unplanned purchases at the beginning of a shopping trip and, consistent with a mechanism of motivation balancing, that motivations for unplanned purchases change as a shopper satisfies their initial motivations. The studies also demonstrate how the level of buying impulsivity influences the effectiveness of point-of-purchase messages at stimulating unplanned purchases and consumers’ relative spending on unplanned purchases. Overall, these findings address conflicting results in previous shopping studies, advance the literature streams on consumer motivation and sequential choice, and contribute insights to enhance shopper-marketing programs.
Clinical and scientific expert witness bias: Sources and expression
Authors: Forrester Andrew
Published: April 2020

This paper summarises a joint meeting, organised by the British Academy of Forensic Sciences (BAFS) and the Clinical Forensic and Legal Medicine Section of the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM), which took place at the RSM, London, on 18 January 2020. It featured six speakers from different fields within medicine, science and the law – in keeping with the core aims of BAFS and Medicine, Science and the Law – and was concluded by a view from the judicial bench. The wide-ranging discussion included descriptions of cases of bias – both conscious and unconscious – and confirmed that while no professional group is exempt from the potential intrusion of bias, the phenomenon should be more clearly recognised, discussed and guarded against by individuals, peers and wider professional networks and bodies.
An experimental study of FDM parameters effects on tensile strength, density, and production time of ABS/Cu composites
Authors: Nabipour Mojtaba , Akhoundi Behnam
Published: April 2020

Recently, applications of three-dimensional (3-D) printers have extensively been increased in various industries. Fused deposition modeling process is one of the most widely used 3-D printing methods in this area due to its simplicity, reliability, and the ability to produce complex parts made of thermoplastic materials. In this research, composite sample parts consisted of copper particles with a constant 25 wt% of metallic powder as a filler and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene granules as a polymeric matrix. A filament production line to acquire printable filaments was applied and its optimum parameters were reported. Four printing parameters involved nozzle diameter, layer height, raster angle, and nozzle temperature were chosen in three levels for investigation of composite samples’ tensile strength, density, and production time as a new study. The Taguchi method, a well-known design of experiment tool, was employed to find the effect of each parameter and optimum levels with including the main effect, signal-to-noise ratio, and analysis of variance. Finally, optimum composite specimens manufactured by 3-D printer verified Taguchi method analysis and results.
What Drives Municipal Capital Investment? A Long-panel Data Analysis of U.S. Central Cities
Authors: Chen Can , Han Yanbing , Frank Howard A.
Published: April 2020

Cities across the United States are facing a severe infrastructure deficit. The challenge of financing infrastructure capital assets has emerged as one of the most urgent issues of the country. Using a panel data consisting of 100 American central cities from 1988 to 2012, this research reveals that city governments are responsive to sociodemographic forces and citizens’ demands, but their abilities to finance capital assets are constrained by city fiscal institutions and revenue capacity. This research also compares the determinants of different components of city capital outlays such as road and water utility capital expenditures.
Rural Transformation in India: Deagrarianization and the Transition from a Farming to Non-farming Economy
Authors: Majumdar Koustab
Published: April 2020

Rural transformation in general has been conceptualized as modernization, rural development, changes in economic structure, and the migration of the population from the farming sector to the non-farming sectors of the economy. Different theoretical approaches (unidimensional and multidimensional) have been applied to the study of rural transformation, and these approaches have involved different indicators to examine the nature and magnitude of rural change/transformation. The rural development approach to the study of rural transformation has been criticized on the grounds that rural transformation does not always involve development. This article examines the Indian experience and contends that India’s rural transformation has involved migration from the farming sector into the non-farming sectors and the de-agrarianization of the Indian economy.
The differential portrayal of ‘sympathetic’ homicide victims in the media
Authors: Bouchard Jessica , Wong Jennifer S. , Gushue Kelsey
Published: April 2020

The over-representation of crime is a prevalent occurrence in the media; so too is the under-representation of certain types of victims of crime. The purpose of the current study is to explore the role that characteristics of homicide victims play in the presentation and prominence of a news story. The study uses a sample of 3,998 newspaper articles on homicide from the Vancouver Sun to assess the relationship between victims who are cumulatively portrayed as more ‘sympathetic’ and structural measures of prominence in newspapers (placement on the front page, inclusion of a photograph, length of article). The findings reflect a statistically significant relationship between victim characteristics and prominent placement of a news article. Practical implications are discussed in relation to how disproportionate reporting of marginalized victims contributes to, reinforces and reproduces further marginalization in society and by law enforcement.
Nonparametric Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines Models for Investigating Lane-Changing Gap Acceptance Behavior Utilizing Strategic Highway Research Program 2 Naturalistic Driving Data
Authors: Das Anik , Khan Md Nasim , Ahmed Mohamed M.
Published: April 2020

Gap acceptance is one of the crucial components of lane-changing analysis and an important parameter in microsimulation modeling. Drivers’ poor gap judgment, and failure to accept a necessary safety gap, make it one of the major causes of lane-changing crashes on roadways. Several studies have been conducted to investigate lane-changing gap acceptance behavior; however, very few studies examined the behavior in complex real-world situations, such as in naturalistic settings. This study examined lane-changing gap acceptance behavior from the big Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2) Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) datasets using a nonparametric multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) approach to better understand the complex effects of different factors in gap acceptance behavior. The study developed a unique methodology to identify lane-changing events of the non-NDS-vehicles using the front-mounted radar data from NDS vehicles and extract necessary parameters for analyzing gap acceptance behavior. In addition, surrogate measures of safety, that is, time-to-collision (TTC), was utilized to understand the impact of lane-changing on the NDS following vehicle safety. Moreover, different distributions of gap acceptance were fitted to identify the trend of gap acceptance behavior. The results from the MARS model revealed that different factors including relative speed between lane-changing vehicle (LCV) and lead vehicle (LV)/following vehicle (FV), traffic conditions, acceleration of LCV and FV, and roadway geometric characteristics have significant effects on gap acceptance behavior. The results of this study have significant implications, which could be used in microsimulation model calibration and safety improvements in connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV).
Toward a More Just Feminism
Authors: Signorella Margaret L.
Published: April 2020

The history of the women’s movements and women’s involvement in civic causes and actions shows that commitment to women’s causes is no guarantee that other human rights issues will be supported. Instances of racism and other prejudices that have impacted women’s groups in the United States will be used to illustrate the contradiction, and corollary patterns from the present will be used to show that the disconnect between promoting women’s causes and other pressing human rights issues remains. I will use the exemplar of citation practices as one aspect of contemporary professional behavior that may contribute to the ongoing invisibility of accomplishments by women and scholars of color of any gender. I will also demonstrate some tools that, combined with better self-awareness, can improve the visibility of all members of underrepresented groups. The challenge we face is to convert awareness of the complex intersections between gender and racial issues into the application of feminist values across the full spectrum of human experience.
A Time-Space Stream of DACA Benefits and Barriers Gleaned From the American Community Survey
Authors: Jones Richard C.
Published: April 2020

This study investigates the educational and economic attainment of Mexican Dreamers over the 4 years since DACA was implemented (2012–2016). A time-space stream of benefits and barriers is evaluated at the national, state, and individual levels. Based on assumptions linking the DACA-eligible to DACA recipients, I examine the annual American Community Survey (ACS) to glean insights not provided elsewhere. At national level, the results suggest that young Mexican Dreamers entered the workforce at higher rates, but college at lower rates, than a control group of Mexican Americans. At state level, in supportive states these Dreamers entered college at higher rates but the work force at slightly lower rates, than they did in restrictive states. At the individual level, it is revealed that DACA strongly promoted college over work for women, but just the reverse for men. These distinctions are bringing about new inequalities within the Mexican Dreamer community in the United States.
Impact of Sustained Cardiac Tachyarrhythmias Recorded in Coronary Intensive Care Unit on Short- and Long-Term Mortality and Duration of Hospitalization
Authors: Papakonstantinou Panteleimon E. , Malliou Angelliki , Chlouverakis Gregory , Kallergis Eleftherios , Mavrakis Hercules , Parthenakis Frangiskos , Vardas Panos E. , Simantirakis Emmanuel N.
Published: April 2020

Background:

Studies conducted in coronary intensive care units (CICUs) have demonstrated that tachyarrhythmias are associated with increased mortality after acute coronary syndromes (ACSs). However, the data for tachyarrhythmias occurred in CICUs due to a variety of cardiovascular disorders are limited.

Methods:

We conducted a single-center prospective observational study, which included consecutive CICU patients (January 1, 2014 to May 31, 2018). We recorded the ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), supraventricular tachycardias (SVTs), and days of CICU hospitalization. The patients were followed up for 6 months after CICU discharge.

Results:

A total of 943 patients (age: 66.37 ±15.4 years; 673 males [71.4%]) were included. Patients with tachyarrhythmias had higher in-CICU mortality (8.0% vs 4.1%, P = .029, odds ratio [OR]: 2.04, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-3.86) and higher 6-month all-cause mortality (12.8% vs 6.1%, P = .002, OR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.35-3.83) than those who did not develop tachyarrhythmias. Ventricular arrhythmias was significantly associated with higher all-cause mortality than no tachyarrhythmia (15.4% vs 6.1%; P = .001) or SVTs (15.4% vs 7.0%; P = .001). The mean duration of hospitalization for the patients with tachyarrhythmias was 3.89 ± 4.90 days, while for the patients without was 2.79 ± 3.31 days ( P < .001). Patients without ACS had higher short- and long-term mortality compared to patients with ACS (9.2% vs 2.9%, P < .001 and 12.9% vs 4.9%, P < .001).

Conclusions:

Tachyarrhythmias were associated with prolonged CICU hospitalization, while non-ACS cardiovascular disorders and the occurrence of VAs were associated with increased short- and long-term mortality.
Impact and acoustic emission performance of polyvinylidene fluoride sensor embedded in glass fiber-reinforced polymer composite structure
Authors: Jain Anjana , Minajagi Shivkumar , Dange Enoos , Bhover Sushma U , Dharanendra YT
Published: April 2020

Smart materials find vital applications in the aerospace industry due to their ability to adapt to surrounding conditions according to design requirements and applicability. Piezoelectric materials are commonly used under the category of smart materials for transducer applications. Among piezoelectric materials, piezo polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is widely used for structural health monitoring (SHM) applications of composite structures, acoustic emission (AE) sensor, accelerometer, strain gauge, pressure sensor, and so on because of its outstanding piezo stress constant ( g 33), piezo strain constant ( d 33), flexibility, and lightweight. In this article, glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminates have been prepared by embedding the PVDF sensor into GFRP for the first time. A detailed study has been done on the behavior and characterization of the PVDF sensor embedded in GFRP. The PVDF sensors embedded in laminates were subjected to impact test, where a constant weight of 5.5 kg was dropped from a height of 10–60 mm in the interval of 10 mm, and the voltage response of the PVDF sensor was recorded. Sensitivity analysis and AE test of the PVDF sensor in GFRP were also carried out. This is useful for various aerospace applications especially for SHM of aircraft.