bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Applying Deliberative Democracy in Africa: Uganda's First Deliberative Polls
Authors: Fishkin James S. , Mayega Roy William , Atuyambe Lynn , Tumuhamye Nathan , Ssentongo Julius , Siu Alice , Bazeyo William
Published: June 2017

Practical experiments with deliberative democracy, instituted with random samples of the public, have had success in many countries. But this approach has never before been tried in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reflecting on the first two applications in Uganda, we apply the same criteria for success commonly used for such projects in the most advanced countries. Can this approach work successfully with samples of a public low in literacy and education? Can it work on some of the critical policy choices faced by the public in rural Uganda? This essay reflects on quantitative and qualitative results from Uganda's first Deliberative Polls. We find that the projects were representative in both attitudes and demographics. They produced substantial opinion change supported by identifiable reasons. They avoided distortions from inequality and polarization. They produced actionable results that can be expected to influence policy on difficult choices.
Misattribution of Teacher Value Added
Authors: Özek Umut , Xu Zeyu
Published: June 2017

The federal Race to the Top competition provided significant impetus for states to adopt value-added models as a part of their teacher evaluation systems. Such models typically link students to their teachers in the spring semester when statewide tests are administered and estimate a teacher's performance based on his or her students’ learning between the test date in the previous school year and the test date in the current year. Because of data limitations in many states, however, the effect of most student learning experiences between two consecutive tests cannot be distinguished from, and hence is often attributed to, the value added of teachers in the spring classrooms. This study examines how teacher evaluations are affected by such misattribution and explores methods that can provide the best approximation in the absence of more detailed data. We find that ignoring previous school-year teachers’ contributions on student learning has a sizeable impact on estimated value-added scores for teachers in the current school year. We also present an alternative approach that can be implemented in the absence of more detailed data on student learning experiences and closely approximates teacher value-added scores that are estimated based on complete student enrollment and roster information.
Making Meaningful the Right to Appeal under the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Authors: Federle Katherine Hunt
Published: June 2017

The un Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees every child found to be in violation of the penal law a right to appeal from the finding and measures imposed to a higher and impartial authority or judicial body. Nevertheless, this provision garnered a number of reservations, many of which are still in force. This paper examines not only those countries that still refuse to recognise the right but also examines data suggesting that the right to appeal may be illusory even when no declaration or reservation was made. The paper argues for a change in the requirements for reporting information to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, whilst also making some suggestions to guarantee the right on the national level.
Children’s Rights to Asylum in the Swedish Migration Court of Appeal
Authors: Josefsson Jonathan
Published: June 2017

Children’s rights to asylum have led to political controversies in a number of countries in recent years. This article focuses on the translation of nearly universally recognised children’s rights principles into a domestic practice of immigration control, and explores how legal norms regarding children’s rights to asylum have developed in the Swedish Migration Court of Appeal 2006–2013. Court decisions are analysed with a focus on the meanings given to the best interests of the child, how this is given weight against state interests of immigration control, and how children’s interests are given normative force. It is only in a small minority of cases in which the Best Interests Principle (bip) in fact does have a decisive normative force in granting residence permits and the meanings and use of children’s interests in court argument makes evident that the bip enables both the granting and denial of residence permits. The bip is doing normative work in double directions.
Melambyrsus hoplita Breddin rediscovered (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Discocephalinae): redescription of genus and species
Authors: CAMPOS LUIZ ALEXANDRE , ROELL TALITA
Published: June 2017

The monotypic Melambyrsus Breddin was described as related to Ochlerus Spinola and Melanodermus Stål, but its identity remained uncertain since the holotype had been considered probably lost. We located in the Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut at Müncheberg a female that we believe is the type specimen of Melambyrsus hoplita Breddin, and concluded that both the species and the genus were valid based on somatic and genital characteristics. Here Melambyrsus and its type species M. hoplita are redescribed.
A new species of Paratus Simon, 1898 (Araneae: Liocranidae, Paratinae) from India
Authors: SANKARAN PRADEEP M. , MALAMEL JOBI J. , JOSEPH MATHEW M. , SEBASTIAN POTHALIL A.
Published: June 2017

Paratus Simon, 1898 is a small and ill-defined liocranid genus distributed in the Oriental region (World Spider Catalog 2017) at altitudes of 27 (present data) to 2020 metres (Guchengshan [Zhao & Peng 2013]). Simon (1898) proposed this genus for a single female from Sri Lanka (Kandy) described as Paratus reticulatus Simon, 1898. Since the original description of the genus (Simon 1898) failed to provide diagnostic illustrations, the genus, after its erection, received no significant taxonomic treatment and remained dormant for a period of 103 years, until Deeleman-Reinhold (2001) re-examined and provided a detailed, illustrated redescription of the type of P. reticulatus, placing Paratus among ‘Liocraninae s.l. incertae sedis’. Marusik et al. (2008) revised, rediagnosed the genus, and assigned it into a newly proposed subfamily, Paratinae Marusik, Zheng & Li, 2008. The genus currently comprises five nominal species, two of which are known from both sexes, two only from males, and one only from the female (World Spider Catalog 2017). In this paper we describe a new species of Paratus from southern India, known from both sexes. Additionally the distribution of all known Paratus spp. is mapped.
Remarks on some Ceratocanthinae (Coleoptera: Hybosoridae) in Dominican amber
Authors: POINAR GEORGE JR. , BALLERIO ALBERTO
Published: June 2017

A recent phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily Ceratocanthinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Hybosoridae) (Ballerio & Grebennikov 2016) allowed the senior author to re-evaluate the generic placement of Ceratocanthus emarginatus Poinar, 2014, a species recently described from Dominican amber (Poinar 2014). The holotype lacks the enrollment coaptations (see Ballerio & Grebennikov 2016) and the flattened mesotibiae and metatibiae typical of members of the genus Ceratocanthus White, 1842 but has character states found in many species of the genus Germarostes Paulian, 1982. These features are a large, dorsal ocular area with incomplete genal canthus; mesotibiae and metatibiae less flattened than in Ceratocanthus; apical portion of mesotibiae bent inwards; and metatibiae with a distinct apical corbel (see Fig. 1 for ventral view of the holotype). Based on the above, Germarostes emarginatus (Poinar, 2014) new combination is proposed. All of the characters listed above are typical for the species of Germarostes assigned to the subgenus Haroldostes Paulian, 1982. However we hesitate to follow the current view of dividing the genus Germarostes into two subgenera, i.e., Germarostes and Haroldostes (Ocampo & Ballerio 2006), since the distinction between these subgenera is not well defined, as is indicated in the phylogenetic analysis (Ballerio & Grebennikov 2016). Germarostes emarginatus resembles some extant Central American Germarostes species that also have a similar dentate apical portion of the clypeus such as G. farri (Howden, 1970) from Jamaica, G. pecki (Howden, 1970) from Jamaica, G. bidens (Bates, 1887) from Panama and Brazil, G. sinuatus (Bates, 1887) from Central America, and G. nasutus (Bates, 1887) from Mexico.
Representativeness of Social Media in Great Britain: Investigating Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram
Authors: Blank Grant , Lutz Christoph
Published: June 2017

Sociological studies show that Internet access, skills, uses, and outcomes vary between different population segments. However, we lack differentiated statistical evidence of the social characteristics of users of distinct social media platforms. We address this issue using a representative survey of Great Britain and investigate the social characteristics of six major social media platforms. We find that age and socioeconomic status are driving forces of several—but not all—of these platforms. The findings suggest that no social media platform is representative of the general population. The unrepresentativeness has major implications for research that uses social media as a data source. Social media data cannot be used to generalize to any population other than themselves.
Born Political: A Dispositive Analysis of Google and Copyright
Authors: Whelan Glen
Published: June 2017

Google is a complex and complicated political beast with a significant, and often confusing, interest, in copyright matters. On one hand, for example, Google is widely accused of profiting from piracy. On the other, Google routinely complies with what is rapidly approaching a billion copyright takedown requests annually. In the present article, Foucault, neo-Gramscians, and Deleuze and Guattari are utilized to help construct a 32 dispositive analysis framework that overlaps three dispositive modalities (law, ethical, utilitarian) and perspectives (apparatus, articulation, assemblage). In applying the framework to the Google–copyright relationship, the article shows how Google was “born political”: in that it was, and still is, disposed by an apparatus comprised of copyright laws, Silicon Valley culture, and broad advances in digitization. Moreover, the article shows how Google continuously acts where “politics is born”: as it significantly shapes copyright considerations by disposing of (non-)human and organizational phenomena through articulations and assemblages.
Business Relationship Strategy for Foreign-Invested Enterprises in China: The Moderating Role of Competitive Structure and Entry Type
Authors: Yuan Xina , Kim Sang Yong , Song Tae Ho , Lee Jin Won
Published: June 2017

Although the role of Guanxi in China as a form of relationship marketing (RM) has received increasing attention in recent years, few empirical studies have indicated that Guanxi has more impact on performance than RM in the Chinese market. Foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) may have some difficulty in fully practicing RM in China without considering the influence of Guanxi. In this regard, this study is guided by the following research question: “In China, which factors influence the differences in the impacts created by RM and Guanxi?” In this study, we first provide an overview of previous research on Guanxi, focusing on the fundamental differences between Guanxi and RM. We then provide an empirical analysis of the differential effects of Guanxi and RM on firm performance by investigating 297 FIEs in China. The results suggest that Guanxi and RM are not trade-off options in today’s Chinese market. Guanxi and RM have synergetic effects on firm performance, that is, they have differential effects based on the mode of market entry and the competitive structure. Guanxi is more likely to influence firm performance for collaboration-based entry firms rather than entry without collaboration firms, whereas RM is more likely to influence firm performance when FIEs’ main competitors are foreign firms than when they are local firms.
Existential Angst and Meaning Making in Narratives of Lithuanian Survivors of Soviet Political Deportations
Authors: Blodgett Eva , Yakushko Oksana
Published: June 2017

Experiences related to forced deportations of ethnic Lithuanians as part of Stalin’s political genocide were explored in the narratives of six survivors. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was chosen for its idiographic and interpretive focus on the meanings and individual sense-making of lived experiences. Semistructured interviews were conducted, and the data were analyzed for emergent superordinate themes and subthemes. The results revealed three superordinate themes, which reflect three stages of the participants’ experience of Soviet political persecutions: the Existential Shock of Arrest and Deportation, the Angst of Survival and Identity Negotiation during the Exile, and Rebuilding Life and Seeking Meaning after Amnesty. Subthemes highlighted various dimensions of the effects of political repressions as well as coping mechanisms employed by the survivors. Additionally, the results examined how the participants made meaning of their experiences and explored their perceptions of long-term consequences of trauma associated with political repressions. The article provides an existential and liberation/postcolonial theoretical framework for understanding political violence and concludes with implications for clinical practices with survivors of political persecutions perpetuated against ethnic groups around the world.
Effects of Cumulative Context and Guessing Methods On Estimates of Transition Probability in Speech
Authors: Burke John P. , Schiavetti Nicholas
Published: June 2017

This study investigated the effects of cumulative context and of various guessing methods on transition probability estimates derived from the same speech materials. Transition probability estimates obtained from the single-guess and continuous-guessing methods were highly correlated and yielded similar distributions of scores for both isolated and cumulative context material. Forward and backward guessing methods yielded uncorrelated sets of predictability scores, the distributions of which were significantly different. Cloze procedure predictability scores were highly correlated with forward guessing and combined forward-backward guessing results, but were significantly higher in magnitude. Implications of the effects of procedural differences for future investigations are discussed.
A Psychophysical Study of Rate of Continuous Speech Stimuli By Means of Direct Magnitude Estimation Scaling
Authors: Cartwright Lynn R. , Lass Norman J.
Published: June 2017

The psychological scaling procedure of direct magnitude estimation was employed to establish the relationship of measured and perceived rate of continuous speech stimuli. Time-altered recordings of a standard prose passage were prepared with a speech compressor to provide six variable rates: 75, 125, 175, 225, 275, and 325 w.p.m. A total of 30 master tapes were constructed, one for each of the 30 subjects who participated in the study. Each tape included the six variable stimuli and the standard stimulus to be used in each of three experimental sessions. For each session, one standard stimulus (125, 175, or 225 w.p.m.) and a total of three randomized series of six variable stimuli were used. Results of subjects' magnitude estimations indicate that although a linear trend is evident, there is no one-to-one relationship between measured and perceived rate of continuous speech stimuli. Stevens' power function law appears applicable in describing this relationship. Comparisons of the present results with previous findings using different scaling techniques and different stimuli are discussed.
Context and Complexity in Working Class Language
Authors: Rushton James , Young George
Published: June 2017

The research consisted of a comparative analysis of the written language of a working-class group of subjects and a middle-class group, the aim being to test Bernstein's socio-linguistic theory of a class-based limitation to a restricted ' code. Both groups of subjects were given essay titles demanding different forms of stylistic treatment. The written language they produced was then analysed to assess and compare the degree of stylistic variation it contained. On certain linguistic items stylistic 'shifts ' were predicted in the writing of both groups as they moved from title to title. In certain areas and contrary to the preconceptions of earlier workers in the field it was predicted that these stylistic shifts would be more pronounced in the writing of working-class subjects. In line with the prediction, the working-class group was shown to posses a greater stylistic variation in its writing on the titles and linguistic indicators selected. Their scores on the items were more likely to move in the predicted direction and, when they did so, were more likely than those of the middle-class group to move consistently and to a level of statistical significance.
Modeling and simulation of an eight-bit auto-configurable successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter for cardiac and neural implants
Authors: Ahmed Suhaib , Kakkar Vipan
Published: June 2017

An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is a critical block of the sensing unit of all implants and for measurements of various biophysiological signals that cover distinct portions of the frequency spectrum and signal bandwidths. However, the conventional methodology of direct transistor-level implementation of the ADC for any application does not guarantee the accuracy to meet the desired specifications. For this purpose, the behavioral modeling approach facilitates the designer to set up an environment to extract various electric and dynamic parameters with a good level of accuracy. Based on this, behavioral modeling of a new architecture of an eight-bit auto-configurable successive approximation register (SAR) ADC has been proposed in this paper for application in both cardiac and neural implants, such as pacemakers, deep brain stimulators, etc. All the building blocks of the SAR ADC have been modeled in such a way that the ADC can operate either in the voltage mode or the current mode and the various non-idealities, such as clock jitter, clock feedthrough, and thermal and flicker noise, among others, have been incorporated into the design to make it as realistic as possible and estimate the response of the ADC with high accuracy. Based on the simulations for both ideal and non-ideal scenarios, it is observed that the proposed eight-bit auto-configurable SAR ADC works efficiently for applications in both cardiac and neural implants and achieves a signal-to-noise ratio as high as 48.943 dB and effective number of bits of 7.838 bits with very low distortion of only −62.549 dB.
Measuring fiber orientations in nonwoven web images using corner detection by Bézier fitting curves
Authors: Hou Jue , Xu Bugao , Gao Hanchao , Wang RongWu
Published: June 2017

This paper describes a novel method for measuring fiber orientations in nonwoven web images by using Bézier fitting curves to detect corners of fiber edges and to separate crossing fiber edges. First, the Canny detector was adopted to extract fiber edges. Second, Bézier curve fitting was used to fit each fiber edge for calculating the curvature of every point on the edge. Third, corner points were detected by locating points where the curvatures were minimal on various edges and below the threshold to divide edges into segments for orientation calculations. Last, a formula calculating the fiber orientation statistics based on the Euclidean distance was established. The experiment results demonstrated that the proposed method is robust for analyzing different nonwoven web images, and has a high accuracy for corner detection and fiber orientation calculation.
Leadership and ministry
Authors: Percy Martyn
Published: June 2017

An exploration of leadership studies as they relate to churches and beyond.
Obstetric risk and obstetric care in central India
Authors: Chaurasia Alok Ranjan
Published: June 2017

This paper focuses on the obstetric risk and obstetric care in the Hindi-speaking belt of the country, i.e. central India. Central India accounts for nearly half the population of the Republic of India. In terms of social and economic development, Central India lags far behind the rest of India. The health and development scenario in central India is not only associated with the prevailing poverty conditions of the population but also with an orthodox society characterised by a strong caste and kinship structure. Maternal mortality ratio and the lifetime risk of a maternal death are the two indicators commonly used to measure the obstetric risk in women. The paper concludes that maternal mortality as well as lifetime risk of maternal death in central India is well above the national average. Thus, the findings imply that this part of the country shares the maximum burden of reproduction-related morbidity and mortality of women. Therefore, this also implies that reduction in maternal mortality and lifetime risk of maternal death in India as a whole depends largely upon the reduction in maternal mortality and lifetime risk of a maternal death in central India. The author suggests that by universalising the availability of obstetric care services, at the level of community at an affordable cost, may be a feasible strategy of addressing the obstetric care needs of the people.
The inclusion of SC girls in education: A long path ahead
Authors: Anand Mily Roy , Yadav Mona
Published: June 2017

The issue of the Scheduled Caste or what may be called the Dalit issue is one of the worst examples of discrimination against, and the oppressive living conditions of millions of people in India. The girl child is a critical agent in any society. Despite more than half a century of various affirmative action policies and programmes, there remains little improvement in the overall status, particularly educational status of SC girls. A large number of SC girls do not have access to successive stages of education. The drop-out rates of Scheduled Caste girls is another crucial indicator in the field of educational development. This paper not only lists the factors responsible for the low female literacy and non-participation of SC girls in education but also makes an attempt to look into some of the initiatives undertaken by the government to improve the situation. Finally, the paper identifies the critical concerns in the field and suggests strategies to reach out to the SC girl child in the area of education.
A Critique of the Logic of the Agency Costs Theory for Dividends in the Finance Literature
Authors: Tse Chin-Bun
Published: June 2017

This paper argues that the logic of the agency costs theory for dividends is internally inconsistent in the finance literature. Under the core assumption of the theory, that managers pursue their interests when they can, managers will not payout dividends to cut down the free cash flows that they can use for their benefits. In addition, we argue that shareholders have little direct or indirect power to force managers to payout dividends. Finance literature reports some mechanisms, mainly market forces, to make managers consider shareholders interests. However, we argue that if these mechanisms work, agency problems become insignificant and the shareholders do not need to rely on the costly dividends to reduce the free cash problems. If these mechanisms do not work perfectly, agency costs problems still exist although to a lesser extent, then managers will not pay out dividends under the core assumption of the theory.
Energy Efficiency and the Domestic Consumer
Authors: Williams D.I. , Crawshaw A.J.E. , Crawshaw C.M.
Published: June 2017

Domestic energy consumption represents a sizable proportion of total energy delivered in the U.K. The major source of variance between households lies in the behaviour of the occupants rather than the physical parameters of the buildings. The behaviour of the consumer, and particularly its cognitive aspects, needs to be understood. Simply attempting to change attitudes is not sufficient; if a person is motivated to save energy/money he still needs to know how this can be acheived. More efficient use of energy will follow from human factors studies that lead to the redesign of controls, tariffs, bills. These issues will become more, not less, acute with the advent of new technology in energy controls and metering.
Book Review: The Reform of Social Security
Authors: Timbrell Martin
Published: June 2017

The Reform of Social Security. A.W. Dilnot, J.A. Kay and C.N. Morris O.U.P.
Barriers to the Development of the Polish Banking System in the 1990s and to the Increasing Integration of the Household Sector
Authors: Nowak Alojzy Z. , Maloney William F.
Published: June 2017

The last three years have seen the dramatic transformation of the Polish banking system from a monobank that served primarily as an accounting system for the central plan to an increasingly dynamic system of independent commercial banks. Financing for productive enterprise, mortgages and household expenditures however remains restricted by a variety of problems. Some of which will be resolved naturally through increasing competition, while others reflect more profound problems in the macro-environment and the economic structure inherited from the socialist past. There has been a greater integration of households in the banking sector but here also, flaws in the deposit insurance scheme have prevented the efficient intermediation of private savings while deficiencies in the mortgage system prevent necessary expansion of housing construction on a solid basis.
Problems of Unemployment in Poland and some other Postcommunist Countries Arising from the Transition of a Centrally Planned to a Market Economy
Authors: Patulski Andrzej
Published: June 2017

One of the results of the transformation of the former socialist economies is high levels of unemployment. This paper attempts to describe this phenomenon in some countries and show which steps have been undertaken by the governments in order to make it easier. Its worth adding that there was no experience in embracing such measures under the socialist system, because all those countries dealt at that time was underemployed labor and not its surplus. In result is that neither governments nor private citizens are accustomed to unemployment. Maybe for that reason this problem is so painful for both of them and still makes the implementation of the real changes in the economy difficult.
Towards a Microeconomics for Ecological Sustainability
Authors: Söderbaum Peter
Published: June 2017

Environmental problems represent a challenge to economics. The neoclassical view of man as a rational consumer and of firms as profit maximizing entities may be useful for some purposes but does not facilitate a debate about ethics or the social responsibility of business. In this essay ‘political-economic man’ is suggested as an alternative to ‘economic man’ and also organizations are seen as political entities. A view of markets in network terms is furthermore suggested as being complementary to the conventional ideas of supply and demand. Finally, a ‘holistic’ idea of economics is advocated and used as the building stone for alternative approaches to societal decision-making. Together these elements comprise the skeleton of a microeconomics for ecological sustainability.
Achieving Cooperation: Contracts, Trust and Hostages
Authors: Choi Chong Ju , Grint Keith , Hilton Brian , Taplin Ruth
Published: June 2017

Different societies use different mechanisms to assist people or organizations achieve cooperation. The purpose of this paper is to compare three different approaches to achieving cooperation. They are a contractual approach widely used in Anglo-Saxon societies, a trust approach more common in Asia, and a hostage approach widely used in the past and perhaps useful now in Eastern Europe or perhaps in some developing countries.
Computation Models and Numerical Solution Procedures for Nonlinear Analysis of Single Layer Lattice Shells
Authors: Dubina Dan
Published: June 2017

Single-layer space frames consisting of reticulated surfaces with assumed pin or rigid jointed members are widely used in practice. This is accounted for by the fact that they meet the need to cover large spans without the use of intermediate supports, while at the same time, yielding a very small structural weight per unit of area covered.

Because of the in-plane membrane action of shallow single-layer lattice shells associated with their initial curvature, such structures are able to carry considerable out-of-plane loads relative to the weight of the structure itself. However, in the case of shallow single-layer lattice shells with small rise-to-span ratios, the response is highly nonlinear even when the stresses in the members are small enough to ensure that the material properties fall within the elastic range. These structures become unstable at some critical value of the load and any design based on an elastic linearized analysis is potentially unsafe. Shallow single-layer lattice shells are characterized by a strong nonlinear behaviour with considerable softening, so they are extremely sensitive to out-of-plane instability and are affected by general and local instability.

As far as the pre-buckling range is concerned, an extensive literature dealing with effective solver techniques exists for the numerical solutions of structural problems, but only a few algorithms have been put forth with a view to tracing the nonlinear response from the pre-limit range into the post-limit one. The main purpose of this paper is to review these methods and to discuss their performance. The author's ASEF-N computer program and selected numerical examples are presented.
Definitions and Feasibility Studies of Tensegrity Systems
Authors: Wang B-B.
Published: June 2017

In this paper, the developments concerning tensegrity are briefly reviewed. The concept of tensegrity is systematically redefined. The concept is then expanded to cable-strut systems. The feasibility of tensegrity (cable-strut) systems is discussed, including some tools for further research. Finally, work concerning further research is considered.
Congenital Syndrome of Anophthalmia-Microphthalmia with Associated Defects in Cattle
Authors: Leipold H. W. , Huston Keith
Published: June 2017

An anophthalmia-microphthalmia syndrome occurred in 26 animals from several dairy and beef cattle breeds. Fifteen were bilaterally anophthalmic, 6 unilaterally anophthalmic, 3 microphthalmic in 1 eye and anophthalmic in the other, 1 bilaterally microphthalmic, and 1 unilaterally microphthalmic. Ten calves had other abnormalities involving the caudal portions of the spinal column including taillessness.

Five calves were dissected and the contents of the orbital cavity and optic nerve examined macroscopically and microscopically. The sphenoid bone was malformed and the optic nerve vesicle-like. The remnants of ocular structures were histologically variable. The etiology of these defects in cattle is unknown.
Intrachondral Rupture and Hematoma Formation in the External Ear of Dogs
Authors: Larsen Steen
Published: June 2017

Biopsies from auricular hematomas in 36 dogs and the whole ears from 4 dogs with recent untreated or old healed unilateral hematomas were studied microscopically. A predominantly intrachondral location of the hematomas was demonstrated. They apparently arise as sequelae to primary, traumatically induced, intrachondral ruptures with subsequent cleavage of the cartilage plate. Occasionally, in some areas, separation occurs between the perichondrium and the corium. The hemorrhage presumably results from rupture of small blood vessels where these pass through the foramina in the cartilage. No difference in histological appearance was found between auricular cartilage from affected dogs and normal dogs in the same age range. No breed predisposition was demonstrable.
Tree growth across the Nepal Himalaya during the last four centuries
Authors: Thapa UK , St. George S , Kharal DK , Gaire NP
Published: June 2017

The climate of Nepal has changed rapidly over the recent decades, but most instrumental records of weather and hydrology only extend back to the 1980s. Tree rings can provide a longer perspective on recent environmental changes, and since the early 2000s, a new round of field initiatives by international researchers and Nepali scientists have more than doubled the size of the country’s tree-ring network. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of the current tree-ring width network for Nepal, and use this network to estimate changes in forest growth nation-wide during the last four centuries. Ring-width chronologies in Nepal have been developed from 11 tree species, and half of the records span at least 290 years. The Nepal tree-ring width network provides a robust estimate of annual forest growth over roughly the last four centuries, but prior to this point, our mean ring-width composite fluctuates wildly due to low sample replication. Over the last four centuries, two major events are prominent in the all-Nepal composite: (i) a prolonged and widespread growth suppression during the early 1800s; and (ii) heightened growth during the most recent decade. The early 19th century decline in tree growth coincides with two major Indonesian eruptions, and suggests that short-term disturbances related to climate extremes can exert a lasting influence on the vigor of Nepal’s forests. Growth increases since AD 2000 are mainly apparent in high-elevation fir, which may be a consequence of the observed trend towards warmer temperatures, particularly during winter. This synthesis effort should be useful to establish baselines for tree-ring data in Nepal and provide a broader context to evaluate the sensitivity or behavior of this proxy in the central Himalayas.
Marriage Patterns in Spain, 1887-1930
Authors: Reher David Sven
Published: June 2017

Spain displays the greatest diversity of marriage patterns of any European country. This analysis of provincial data considers both the timing of marriage and celibacy from 1887 to 1930. As expected, demographic and economic factors, such as the marriage market and population density, exerted a substantial influence on nuptiality. Cultural patterns, represented here by inheritance practices, also played a pivotal role. Intense nuptiality can be found in areas of high mortality, partible inheritance, balanced marriage markets, moderate out-migration by both sexes, low population density, and professions which facilitated marriage.
Re-Thinking the Western European Marriage Pattern: the Decision to Marry in Ireland at The Turn of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Guinnane Timothy
Published: June 2017

John Hajnal's influential neo-Malthusian model of nuptiality in historical northwestern Europe makes economic conditions the regulator of the age at marriage and the proportion marrying, and so is in principle an economic theory of marriage. Yet because it over-simplifies the economic consequences of marriage for young adults, Hajnal's model cannot account for important differences in the incentive to marry implied by different economic and social environments. An alternative, non-Malthusian view of Ireland's nuptiality history suggests the need to integrate decisions by young adults about marriage into a broader appreciation of the consequences of marriage and permanent celibacy in concrete economic and social environments.
The European Marriage Pattern in the Cities: Variations on a Theme by Hajnal
Authors: Lynch Katherine A.
Published: June 2017

This study investigates the “European Marriage Pattern” in the cities of northwestern Europe in the early modern and modern periods. It shows the importance of heterogeneity in ways that the two features of the pattern—high age at marriage and high proportions single—were integrated in different types of urban economic settings and across various social groups. The study argues that while demographic consequences of the “European Marriage Pattern” were of fundamental importance, the endurance of the pattern is also explained by its vitality as part of a widespread system of cultural values.
Historic European Household Structures and the Capitalist World-Economy
Authors: Alderson Arthur S. , Sanderson Stephen K.
Published: June 2017

This study approaches the history of household patterns in early modern Europe from the perspective of Wallersteinian world-system theory. It is shown that the European core during this time was characterized predominantly by simple nuclear households. By contrast, the European periphery and semiperiphery were far more likely to be characterized by complex households. We explain these relationships in terms of the mode of labor control predominating in each zone of the world-economy. Simple nuclear households become the norm where labor is being freed from traditional feudal bonds and where capitalist labor markets exist. Complex households are most likely to persist under traditional feudal relationships because they constitute adaptations to the labor needs that arise under such circumstances. Complex households are also common, although somewhat less so, where sharecropping is a predominant mode of labor control.
Damping of Moisture-Absorbed Composite Rackets
Authors: Chou Peter J. C. , Ding Dawen , Chen Wen-Hsiang
Published: June 2017

This work characterizes influence of moisture absorption on damping of tennis rackets. Three thermoset and one thermoplastic matrix composites were used for making the rackets. The first is a carbon/epoxy system, and the second is similar except that the epoxy is a polyurethane-modified type. The third is an interleaved composite that adds Nylon 6 non-woven fabrics in between the carbon/epoxy plies. The last is a thermoplastic composite made from commingled yarns that mix carbon and Nylon 6 filaments. Based on these materials, four prototypes of tennis rackets with identical shape were fabricated. Two environments representing extreme hygroscopic conditions have been applied to the rackets. One is a dried condition that forces the rackets to expel moisture, and the other is a wetted condition that allows the rackets to be fully saturated. Under these conditions the vibration tests were conducted by using the impulse method. The time-response of the rackets excited by a hammer was acquired, and the corresponding frequency response function was calculated in real time. The resonant frequency and the damping ratio were measured for each racket under the dried and wetted conditions. How the vibration behavior depends on the material systems and how the rackets respond to the hygroscopic conditions are discussed in detail.
Stress Distribution in Solid Polymer Compacts
Authors: Spalding Mark A. , Hyun Kun Sup , Hughes Kevin R.
Published: June 2017

During the extrusion process, polymer solids are conveyed forward, heated, and compacted under pressure. For some powder resins, the compaction process can increase the density of the solids by a factor of between 2 to 3. For all extrusion solids conveying models, this pressure (or stress) is assumed to be isotropic in the plane perpendicular to the flight. The data presented here, however, indicate that stresses in the solid bed are anisotropic. This anisotropy will affect the solids conveying forces at the metal surfaces of the extruder and hence affect the accuracy of the curTent published models. A new compaction cell was developed to measure the bulk density, coefficient of storage friction, the lateral stress ratio, and the coefficient of static friction at the wall. The lateral stress ratio is defined as the stress in the secondary direction divided by the stress in the primary direction.
The Effective Elastic Moduli of Plane-Weave Woven Fabric Composites by Numerical Homogenization
Authors: Theocaris P. S. , Stavroulakis G. E.
Published: June 2017

Effective elastic moduli for cross-ply fiber reinforced materials, simulating plane-weave woven fabric composites, are computed by means of a numerical homogenization technique and a simplified two-dimensional model. The fibers are placed in consecutive layers of parallel arrays of fibers and each layer was orthogonally oriented with its two neighbouring layers. Thus, a two-dimensional problem may be considered as a plane strain problem for the numerical solution and leads to the determination of the effective elastic moduli of the composite. The approximations achieved by traditional analytic solutions, which have been already developed for longitudinal and transverse effective moduli of classical fiber reinforced composites, considering also the influence of mesophase between fibers and matrix, introduced by the first author, are compared with the homogenization results by means of numerical parametric experiments.
Progressive Damage and Fracture of Unstiffened and Stiffened Composite Pressure Vessels
Authors: Minnetyan Levon , Gotsis Pascal K. , Chamis Christos C.
Published: June 2017

Structural durability and damage tolerance characteristics of pressurized graphite/epoxy laminated thin composite cylinders are investigated via computational simulation. Both unstiffened and integral hoop stiffened cylinders are considered. A computer code is utilized for the simulation of composite structural degradation under loading. Damage initiation, growth, accumulation, and propagation to structural fracture are included in the simulation. The increase of burst pressure due to hoop stiffening is quantified. Results demonstrate the significance of the type and size of local defects on the structural durability of pressurized composite cylindrical shells.
Laser Transmission Welding of Thermoplastics: Analysis of the Heating Phase
Authors: Potente H. , Korte J. , Becker F.
Published: June 2017

In laser transmission welding, the parts to be joined are brought into contact prior to welding, and the heating and joining phase take place simultaneously. The laser beam of the Nd:YAG laser penetrates the transparent part being joined and is converted into heat by the absorbing part. The transparent part is similarly heated and plasticised by means of heat conduction, thereby ensuring that the parts are welded together.

When the heating phase was analysed, it was seen that if the part that absorbs the laser beam has a high adsorption constant, this process phase can be readily described by a physico-mathematical model by analogy to single-sided heat impulse welding. A comparison of calculated and measured melt layer thicknesses showed that, by introducing a correction factor, it is possible for this model to be successfully used for the case of a low absorption constant as well.
Hygrothermal Characterisation and Diffusion Studies on Glass Epoxy Composites
Authors: Srihari Shylaja , Rao R. M. V. G. K.
Published: June 2017

Hygrothermal studies were carried out on a bidirectional (BID) glass fabric epoxy (LY 5052) composite specimens of Vf= 0.5 for three different cases of conditioning viz. 45°C/85% RH, 45°C/95% RH and 45°C/immersion (100% RH) until saturation was reached. Specimens of different test configurations [(Longitudinal Tensile (LT), Transverse Tensile (TT), Longitudinal Compression (LC), Transverse Compression (LC) and Inplane Shear (IPS)] were conditioned and their diffusion parameters estimated. Fickian diffusion behavior was, in general, observed for all these specimens.
Anatomy of Facial Recipient Sites for Autologous Fat Transfer
Authors: Rose John G. , Lemke Bradley N. , Lucarelli Mark J. , Boxrud Cynthia A. , Dortzbach Kathryn L. , Dortzbach Richard K. , Gentry Lindell R.
Published: June 2017

Introduction:

Autologous fat transfer is an increasingly popular treatment for the aging face. Recently, studies have suggested increased duration of effect with the injection of fat into or adjacent to muscles. Subcutaneous depths of facial muscles have been demonstrated using cadaver dissections, but to our knowledge this is the first study to use radiologic measurements in living subjects in order to quantify muscle depths in the face.

Materials and Methods:

Forty computed tomography (CT) scans were reviewed retrospectively using digital radio imaging software with a calibrated digital measurement tool that was used to measure the depths of the muscles of facial expression corresponding to fat-grafting sites. Correlation was made to formalin-preserved cadaver dissections.

Results:

Subcutaneous depths of facial muscles are listed as measured radio graphically and on cadaver sections.

Discussion:

The depths of the muscles of facial expression are more accurately measured using digital radiographs; these depths are important landmarks for facial cosmetic surgeons performing an autologous fat transfer. To our knowledge, this is the first study to characterize the anatomic depth of the facial muscles in the living human.
Exogenous Surfactant Therapy and Mucus Rheology in Chronic Obstructive Airway Diseases
Authors: Banerjee R. , Puniyani R. R.
Published: June 2017

Exogenous surfactant is a specialized biomaterial used for substitution of the lipoprotein mixture normally present in the lungs-pulmonary surfactant. Respiratory Distress Syndrome is a disease of preterm infants mainly caused by pulmonary immaturity as evidenced by a deficiency of mature lung surfactant. Pulmonary surfactant is known to stabilize small alveoli and prevent them from collapsing during expiration. However, apart from alveoli, surfactant also lines the narrow conducting airways of the tracheobronchial tree. This paper reviews the role of this surfactant in the airways and its effect on mucus rheology and mucociliary clearance. Its potential role as a therapeutic biomaterial in chronic obstructive airway diseases, namely asthma, chronic bronchitis, and respiratory manifestations of cystic fibrosis, are discussed. This paper also attempts to elucidate the exact steps in the pathogenic pathway of these diseases which could be reversed by supplementation of exogenous surfactant formulations. It is shown that there is great potential for the use of present day surfactants (which are actually formulated for use in Respiratory Disease Syndrome) as therapy in the aforementioned diseases of altered mucus viscoelasticity and mucociliary clearance. However, for improved effectiveness, specific surfactant formulations satisfying certain specific criteria should be tailor-made for the clinical condition for which they are intended. The properties required to be fulfilled by the optimal exogenous surfactant in each of the above clinical conditions are enumerated in this paper.
Assessment of Hemodialysis Access Performance by Color-Flow Doppler Ultrasound
Authors: Sands Jeffrey J. , Kapsick Brian , Brinckman Marthe
Published: June 2017

Hemodialysis access failure is a major cause of morbidity for patients with end stage renal disease with costs in excess of $743 million annually. Color-flow doppler ultrasound is the only mobile noninvasive technique that provides direct visual imaging of the access and measurement of access flow. Doppler ultrasound can identify patients at increased risk of future thrombosis and allow preventive intervention. Prospective trials show that ultrasound-based access management programs can decrease thrombosis rates, prolong access longevity, and decrease the cost of hemodialysis access management. It should be included as part of a coordinated program of hemodialysis management.