bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
8. Behaviour in the macroeconomy
Authors: Baddeley Michelle
Published: April 2017

Behavioural macroeconomics has significant constraints, reflecting the difficulty of bringing together the choices of different people with widely different personality types, moods, and emotions, making decisions in complex ways using a wide range of heuristics that generate an even wider range of biases. ‘Behaviour in the macroeconomy’ explores how behavioural economists can overcome these difficulties, contributing to the development of innovative macroeconomic theories and collection of new types of behavioural macroeconomic data. It focuses on how social and psychological factors, including optimism and pessimism, help us to understand macroeconomic fluctuations; the impact of confidence and social mood on macroeconomic outcomes; and another theme in behavioural economics—happiness and well-being.
9. Economic behaviour and public policy
Authors: Baddeley Michelle
Published: April 2017

At its best, economics can help policy-makers to design policies that resolve a wide range of economic and financial problems, for individuals and economies as a whole. ‘Economic behaviour and public policy’ explores some key insights and evidence from behavioural public policy, particularly microeconomic policy. Instead of examining market failures, behavioural public policy looks at behaviour change—changing the way that people make their everyday decisions and choices by nudging them towards more efficient and productive decision-making. The future for behavioural public policy is promising. Policy-makers need to look carefully at how policies based around behavioural insights can be used to complement rather than replace conventional economic policy instruments.
Introduction
Authors: Stewart Ian
Published: April 2017

Why do we need to think about the infinite—a concept we never encounter directly? There are many reasons. Even in elementary mathematics, we encounter aspects of infinity, but more generally, our minds seem to require the idea that things might ‘go on forever’—in space and in time, in the future and the past. The Introduction explains how infinity is a fascinating concept, full of subtleties, logical pitfalls, puzzles, and paradoxes, and then considers the subtle distinctions which philosophers, theologians, and mathematicians have been forced to make when contemplating infinity. One of the greatest paradoxes of the infinite is that it’s turned out to be extremely useful.
The canon, authoritative scriptures, and the scrolls
Authors: Lim Timothy H.
Published: April 2017

The Dead Sea Scrolls have shed light on the canonization of the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible in the Second Temple period. They provide us with exemplars of their biblical texts and how they used them in an authoritative manner. ‘The canon, authoritative scriptures, and the scrolls’ explains that the sectarian concept of authoritative scriptures seemed to reflect a dual pattern of authority by which the traditional biblical texts served as the source of the sectarian interpretation that in turn was defined by it. The authority was graded, beginning with the biblical books and extending to other books that were not eventually included in the canon.
The scrolls and early Christianity
Authors: Lim Timothy H.
Published: April 2017

‘The scrolls and early Christianity’ looks at what the Dead Sea Scrolls can tell us about Christianity. Any link between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the early Church generates a great deal of sensationalism. Some say that the scrolls are New Testament documents that depict Jesus. For instance, one fragment apparently tells of a ‘slain prince [or messiah]’. In fact, the prince was actually slaying someone else—oddities in vowel and suffix use in ancient Hebrew give rise to the misinterpretation. Another theory suggests that there was a common sectarian matrix in use at the birth of Christianity, meaning that one sect could use words very differently to another.
5. Measurement in the behavioural sciences
Authors: Hand David J.
Published: April 2017

Concepts of measurement in psychology are particularly noteworthy for having encountered scepticism. While people have been happy to accept that psychological attributes can be compared, many are suspicious about the possibility of assigning numerical scores to such concepts. The earliest success stories in psychological measurement occurred in the realm of psychophysics, the area most closely linked to the physical sciences. ‘Measurement in the behavioural sciences’ explains that there are different high level purposes for which psychological measurement might be undertaken, and that these purposes require different kinds of procedures. It looks at some particular challenges of measuring the mind, including the measurement of sensation and of intelligence.
Attending
Authors: Passingham Richard
Published: April 2017

‘Attending’ considers the following questions: Why do some patients neglect things to their left after a stroke? Why does attending to something else decrease the feeling of pain? Why is it dangerous to use a mobile phone while driving? It shows that there is not a limit to the capacity of the brain system to take in information, but at any one time you are only interested in some of the information that is available. The anatomical systems that support functional systems in looking and attending are described along with how we locate and identify targets, how attention is focused and divided, and how inputs and outputs are processed during multitasking.
7. World war and dissolution
Authors: Rady Martyn
Published: April 2017

International politics in the later 19th and early 20th centuries was dominated by the ‘Eastern Question’: the legacy of the failing Ottoman Empire in the Balkans. ‘World war and dissolution: 20th century’ considers issues that led to the First World War, including the murder of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, June 1914. To withstand the Russians, the Habsburg armies increasingly depended on German reinforcements. By passing strategic command of its forces to Wilhelm II in 1916, the Habsburg Empire’s fate was sealed. Franz Joseph’s nephew Karl was to be the last emperor. A final section gives a historical overview, asking whether the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire was inevitable.
1. Copernicus, the young scholar
Authors: Gingerich Owen
Published: April 2017

Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland, on February 19, 1473. When his father died in 1483, his maternal uncle, Lucas Watzenrode (who became bishop of Varmia in 1489), took over responsibility for him and his older brother. ‘Copernicus, the young scholar’ outlines Copernicus’ studies, which began at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow from 1491 to 1495 and included an astronomy course and introductions to Sacrobosco’s De sphaera, the Alfonsine Tables, and Euclid’s Geometry. In 1496, Copernicus was enrolled at Bologna University to study civil and canon law, and in 1497 he became one of the sixteen canons at Frauenburg in his uncle’s diocese. He went on to study medicine at Padua University in 1501.
3. Copernicus’s vision
Authors: Gingerich Owen
Published: April 2017

The Ptolemaic system, created by Claudius Ptolemaeus around AD 150, for the first time in history introduced a comprehensive geometrical structure from which the positions of the planets (including the sun and moon) could be calculated for any time, past or future. It was a monumental achievement, and it held sway for 1,400 years. ‘Copernicus’s vision’ describes the basic structure of Ptolemy’s epicyclic system before explaining the heliocentric arrangement of Copernicus’s solar system. Copernicus’s sun-centered system automatically and unambiguously arranged the planets according to their periods of revolution around the sun. It also gave a logical explanation for the phenomenon of retrograde motion.
4. Canon days and the Little Commentary
Authors: Gingerich Owen
Published: April 2017

Late in 1510, Copernicus’s passion for astronomy resulted in his leaving the Bishop’s Palace in Lidzbark Warminski for a residence in Frauenburg. Very little of his work over the next few years is dated, but two pages of random notes in one of his astronomy books supply tantalizing clues to his future theory. ‘Canon days and the Little Commentary’ considers these clues and the questions that Copernicus needed to answer. What kept the planets moving? How would he deal with Ptolemy’s equants? Copernicus’s Little Commentary, thought to have been written in 1514 or a little earlier, explained his new arrangement of the sun, the earth, the moon, and the other planets.
5. Competing with Ptolemy
Authors: Gingerich Owen
Published: April 2017

In 1515, a full Latin translation of Ptolemy’s account of his geocentric cosmology was printed. Copernicus soon realized that his own radical cosmology would need a comparable book—with a full set of observed planetary positions—to be taken seriously. ‘Competing with Ptolemy’ explains how he spent more than two decades collecting the specific observations for his magnum opus, De revolutionibus. But how could he measure the position of a slowly moving planet? How would he deal with the precession of the equinoxes? This was the starting problem for Copernicus; he had to get precession under control before he could get into serious details of the planetary motions.
7. Epilogue: the future of blood
Authors: Cooper Chris
Published: April 2017

For a long time, synthetic biologists have attempted to manufacture an artificial, easily stored and transported, blood substitute that does not require blood typing, is long lasting, and can be guaranteed pathogen free. Three different methods have been attempted to replace red blood cell transfusions: the use of perfluorocarbons, inert chemicals that, in liquid form, can dissolve gases without reacting with them; creating a haemoglobin-based blood substitute—but despite almost a billion dollars of research and development there is not one in general use today; and growing artificial red blood cells using stem cell technology—but doing this safely, reproducibly, and in large amounts is a huge bioengineering challenge.
Modern Jewish nationalism, 1872–1897
Authors: Stanislawski Michael
Published: April 2017

The true historical invention of modern Jewish nationalism was the result of an internal development within the Jewish Enlightenment movement known as the Haskalah. The Haskalah began in Germany in the mid-eighteenth century under the aegis of Moses Mendelssohn, one of the most formidable philosophers of his age. “Modern Jewish Nationalism, 1872–1897” outlines early Jewish nationalist ideology including Peretz Smolenskin’s periodical Ha-Shahar (The dawn), founded in 1868; Russian Jews Moshe Leib Lilienblum and Eliezer Ben-Yehuda; Leon Pinsker; the Alliance Israélite Universelle, set up to improve the conditions of the Jews around the world; and the movements Bilu and Love of Zion that set up agricultural communities in Palestine.
Nationalism and messianism, 1967–1977
Authors: Stanislawski Michael
Published: April 2017

The most consequential event in Israel’s history in the second half of the twentieth century was its victory in the Six Day War of June 1967 and its occupation of the West Bank, the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, and East Jerusalem. “Nationalism and messianism: 1967–1977” outlines the effects of this war and the 1973 Yom Kippur War on Israel and Zionism. Two historic developments were the dilution of the socialist component of Mapai’s labor Zionism in favor of a more centrist economic and social politics and the de-marginalization and embrace of Menachem Begin’s Herut Party as full members of Israel’s political establishment.
Improved data-driven likelihood factorizations for transcript abundance estimation
Authors: Zakeri Mohsen , Srivastava Avi , Almodaresi Fatemeh , Patro Rob
Published: April 2017

Motivation

Many methods for transcript-level abundance estimation reduce the computational burden associated with the iterative algorithms they use by adopting an approximate factorization of the likelihood function they optimize. This leads to considerably faster convergence of the optimization procedure, since each round of e.g. the EM algorithm, can execute much more quickly. However, these approximate factorizations of the likelihood function simplify calculations at the expense of discarding certain information that can be useful for accurate transcript abundance estimation.

Results

We demonstrate that model simplifications (i.e. factorizations of the likelihood function) adopted by certain abundance estimation methods can lead to a diminished ability to accurately estimate the abundances of highly related transcripts. In particular, considering factorizations based on transcript-fragment compatibility alone can result in a loss of accuracy compared to the per-fragment, unsimplified model. However, we show that such shortcomings are not an inherent limitation of approximately factorizing the underlying likelihood function. By considering the appropriate conditional fragment probabilities, and adopting improved, data-driven factorizations of this likelihood, we demonstrate that such approaches can achieve accuracy nearly indistinguishable from methods that consider the complete (i.e. per-fragment) likelihood, while retaining the computational efficiently of the compatibility-based factorizations.

Availability and implementation

Our data-driven factorizations are incorporated into a branch of the Salmon transcript quantification tool: https://github.com/COMBINE-lab/salmon/tree/factorizations.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
miniMDS: 3D structural inference from high-resolution Hi-C data
Authors: Rieber Lila , Mahony Shaun
Published: April 2017

Motivation

Recent experiments have provided Hi-C data at resolution as high as 1 kbp. However, 3D structural inference from high-resolution Hi-C datasets is often computationally unfeasible using existing methods.

Results

We have developed miniMDS, an approximation of multidimensional scaling (MDS) that partitions a Hi-C dataset, performs high-resolution MDS separately on each partition, and then reassembles the partitions using low-resolution MDS. miniMDS is faster, more accurate, and uses less memory than existing methods for inferring the human genome at high resolution (10 kbp).

Availability and implementation

A Python implementation of miniMDS is available on GitHub: https://github.com/seqcode/miniMDS.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
High-Fat Feeding Protects Mice From Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury, Via Neutrophil-Independent Mechanisms
Authors: Wilson Michael R. , Petrie Joanne E. , Shaw Michael W. , Hu Cong , Oakley Charlotte M. , Woods Samantha J. , Patel Brijesh V. , O’Dea Kieran P. , Takata Masao
Published: April 2017

Objective:

Obesity has a complex impact on acute respiratory distress syndrome patients, being associated with increased likelihood of developing the syndrome but reduced likelihood of dying. We propose that such observations are potentially explained by a model in which obesity influences the iatrogenic injury that occurs subsequent to intensive care admission. This study therefore investigated whether fat feeding protected mice from ventilator-induced lung injury.

Design:

In vivo study.

Setting:

University research laboratory.

Subjects:

Wild-type C57Bl/6 mice or tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 knockout mice, either fed a high-fat diet for 12–14 weeks, or age-matched lean controls.

Interventions:

Anesthetized mice were ventilated with injurious high tidal volume ventilation for periods up to 180 minutes.

Measurements and Main Results:

Fat-fed mice showed clear attenuation of ventilator-induced lung injury in terms of respiratory mechanics, blood gases, and pulmonary edema. Leukocyte recruitment and activation within the lungs were not significantly attenuated nor were a host of circulating or intra-alveolar inflammatory cytokines. However, intra-alveolar matrix metalloproteinase activity and levels of the matrix metalloproteinase cleavage product soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products were significantly attenuated in fat-fed mice. This was associated with reduced stretch-induced CD147 expression on lung epithelial cells.

Conclusions:

Consumption of a high-fat diet protects mice from ventilator-induced lung injury in a manner independent of neutrophil recruitment, which we postulate instead arises through blunted up-regulation of CD147 expression and subsequent activation of intra-alveolar matrix metalloproteinases. These findings may open avenues for therapeutic manipulation in acute respiratory distress syndrome and could have implications for understanding the pathogenesis of lung disease in obese patients.
Sport participation behaviours of spectators attending major sports events and event induced attitudinal changes towards sport
Authors: Ramchandani Girish , Coleman Richard J. , Bingham Jerry
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Evidence of the link between major sports events and increased participation at grassroots level is somewhat mixed. The purpose of this paper is to examine attitudinal changes to sport participation among spectators associated with seven sports events held in Great Britain in 2014.

Design/methodology/approach

Primary data were gathered from 4,590 spectators aged 16 and over who attended one of the events. Both positive (inspiration) effects and negative (discouragement) effects were considered through the lens of the transtheoretical model (TTM).

Findings

The evidence from this research indicates that event audiences belong primarily to the latter (more active) stages of the TTM. It was also found that attending sports events can further fuel the existing desire of contemplators to increase participation, whereas the catalytic effect among pre-contemplators is arguably less potent. Virtually no discouragement effects were observed across the different TTM stages.

Research limitations/implications

The research stops short of measuring actual changes in sport participation post-event of individuals in the different TTM stages and any attribution of such behaviour changes to events. This is both a limitation of the current research and a natural direction for future research.

Practical implications

The main implications for promoting sport participation through the medium of sports events include attracting more people in the early stages of the TTM, greater collaboration between different event stakeholders and the building of sport participation strategies into the event planning phase.

Originality/value

Models of behaviour change such as the TTM have seldom been applied to document the current and/or planned sport participation behaviour of individuals in a sport event context or to examine attitudinal changes towards sport as a result of attending an event. An adapted version of the TTM has been proposed to overcome the limitations of the traditional model.
Lean Six Sigma applications in the textile industry: a case study
Authors: Adikorley Ruth Dede , Rothenberg Lori , Guillory Aaron
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project and program success in the textile and apparel industry. This paper presents depictions of LSS implementations and the resulting economic impact for a textile company.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach consisting of a single descriptive case study and project document reviews was used. This method provided an in-depth view into what LSS means for one medium-sized global textile company and how it has proven important to the company’s success.

Findings

Three successful projects, two on changeover time reduction and one on metal contamination, were completed. Additional findings from this study suggest that strategic partnerships with other high-performing companies and storytelling are two critical success factors. Also, it is critical for management to convey a clear vision for LSS that can be operationalized within a company for successful deployment of LSS textile projects.

Research limitations/implications

The findings from this case study cannot be generalized.

Originality/value

The literature on LSS in small- and medium-sized businesses is limited. The literature on the use of LSS in the textile and apparel industry is even more limited. This paper shows various processes within the textile complex where LSS has been deployed successfully, yielding economic impacts. By using qualitative methods, the value of strategic partnerships, storytelling and a vision was seen.
What really happens in Kavos
Authors: Williams-Burnett Nicola Jayne , Fallon Julia
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast the organic destination image of Kavos, as portrayed through irresponsible tourism-related behaviours on “reality” TV programmes, with its complex image according to members of the local community.

Design/methodology/approach

A thematic analysis was undertaken of four reality television programmes. This was compared with the qualitative data gathered from depth interviews.

Findings

The portrayal of tourism in Kavos focuses on only one narrow segment of young British high-season tourists. Thus, the destination image is unbalanced, neglects changing patterns of tourism throughout the year and neglects various other stakeholders in the destination’s image formation process.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of this study is that it explored reality television programmes that focused on Kavos and featured a younger demographic. Further studies could look to include a range of reality programmes from different geographic locations and, include other demographics.

Practical implications

A more holistic image, created and communicated by those responsible for managing the destination, could go some way to ameliorating the disparities between what is portrayed on reality television and what really happens in the resort.

Social implications

Most media portrayal about Kavos focuses only on irresponsible tourist behaviours. This paper explores the physical and social aspects of place-making, an approach that thus becomes more inclusive of considering a place from the perspective of both its permanent and transient inhabitants.

Originality/value

By including in the authors’ data sources the under-researched phenomenon of reality television programmes, along with insights gained from members of the local community, this study makes a number of contributions to: the way destinations are theorised and conceptualised; and to the way tourism destinations with negative images may be approached both theoretically and in practice.
Fatal Acute Hemorrhagic Bowel Infarction Caused by Mesenteric Venous Thrombosis
Authors: Srettabunjong Supawon
Published: April 2017

Acute mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT) is a rare, but life‐threatening medical phenomenon. MVT is normally characterized by insidious onset, with nonspecific signs and symptoms. A high index of clinical suspicion is required for diagnosis, and emergency surgery is necessary to optimize the chances of patient survival, especially in the people aged more than 70 years. Surprisingly, based on my review of the literature, no fatal acute MVT case has been reported in the forensic literature. All reported such cases have been documented in medical literature, and most of them have been associated with underlying risk factors for venous thrombosis, such as hypercoagulable state, certain cancers, and stasis of the blood flow. Here, I report the case of a sudden unexpected death due to extensive intestinal ischemia and infarction with massive abdominal hemorrhage caused by acute MVT in a 72‐year‐old man without known underlying risk factors.
Between Mexico and New York City: Mexican Maternal Migration's Influences on Separated Siblings’ Social and Educational Lives
Authors: Oliveira Gabrielle
Published: April 2017

There are negative consequences for children and youth when a primary caregiver leaves to migrate. However there are unforeseen experiences related to schooling. I compare how Mexican maternal migration has influenced the education experiences of the children left behind in Mexico and their siblings living in the United States. These microcontexts of where and how siblings live in Mexico and in New York City present us with a somewhat surprising picture of the different education experiences.
To Be or Not to Be Board Certified? A Question of Quality and Identification for Psychologists
Authors: Robiner William N. , Fossum Thyra A.
Published: April 2017

Achieving board certification in psychology is an important step in a psychologist's professional development. Board certification serves as a quality indicator for consumers, employers, and other stakeholders while providing enhanced opportunities for psychologists who complete the peer‐review process that leads to it. This commentary provides an update on trends in board certification in psychology and explores the roles and benefits of board certification as well as barriers to pursuing board certification. Board certification is an important issue to consider because more mental and physical healthcare clinicians and researchers are now embracing the biopsychosocial model. Board certification could well help with maximizing reimbursement or clinical opportunities, as well as produce a greater understanding of the biobehavioral underpinnings of comorbid mental and physical disorders. Specialist data from the American Board of Professional Psychology and membership data from the American Psychological Association were reviewed across specialty areas. The work was archival and involved no human subjects, and therefore, this study was exempt from review by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Minnesota. There are currently 4,198 board certifications across the 15 boards of the American Board of Professional Psychology. These represent a relatively small proportion (less than 4%) of U.S. licensed psychologists. The numbers correlate positively with membership levels in corresponding APA divisions. Between 2011 and 2015, there was a 25.8% increase in the number of board‐certified psychologists. Board certification appears to be undergoing a period of rapid growth among psychologists. This trend appears to reflect multiple factors, including an increased number of boards representing expanding areas of specialization in the field, a growing interest in board certification as part of increasing quality emphasis within healthcare, and psychologists' desire to distinguish themselves in a competitive marketplace. Board certification in diverse areas, including clinical health psychology, affords various professionally and personally rewarding linkages and opportunities.
On Using a Strong High-Frequency Excitation for Parametric Identification of Nonlinear Systems
Authors: Abusoua Abdraouf , Daqaq Mohammed F.
Published: April 2017

This paper describes a new parametric method for the development of nonlinear models with parameters identified from an experimental setting. The approach is based on applying a strong nonresonant high-frequency harmonic excitation to the unknown nonlinear system and monitoring its influence on the slow modulation of the system's response. In particular, it is observed that the high-frequency excitation induces a shift in the slow-modulation frequency and a static bias in the mean of the dynamic response. Such changes can be directly related to the amplitude and frequency of the strong excitation offering a unique methodology to identify the unknown nonlinear parameters. The proposed technique is implemented to identify the nonlinear restoring-force coefficients of three experimental systems. Results demonstrate that this technique is capable of identifying the nonlinear parameters with relatively good accuracy.
The Beginning of Big Sciences in Physics: The Price to Pay
Authors: Kouneiher Joseph , Barbachoux Cécile
Published: April 2017

As long as there is freedom of research, there is the responsibility that comes with it

In this paper, we want to trace back the actual changes concerning the relations between physics in particular and sciences in general with socio-economical and technological evolution of the societies. Our main idea is that those changes started with the Atomic Bomb project and the beginning of big sciences mostly and in some degree it is a legacy of the implication of some scientific Laboratories in the World War I and II.
Acute Presentation of Mesectodermal Leiomyoma of the Ciliary Body
Authors: Kim Jenna May , Hall Laura Bressler , Elia Maxwell , Ehrlich Michael S. , Materin Miguel A. , Sinard John H.
Published: April 2017

Purpose: We report a case of acutely presenting mesectodermal leiomyoma of the ciliary body in a 29-year-old female who reported waking up with swollen eyelids of the right eye and light-perception vision. The affected eye had elevated intraocular pressure, a flat anterior chamber, and a pale, round mass arising from the nasal ciliary body, invading the angle and protruding into the visual axis posterior to the lens. Within days, the visual acuity decreased to no light perception. The eye was enucleated. Methods: The enucleated eye harbored a tumor arising from the ciliary body, measuring 18 mm in the greatest dimension. Spindled cells with fibrillary cytoplasmic processes suggested a neural origin though negative for S-100, Melan-A, and HMB-45. The cells stained strongly positive for smooth muscle actin and vimentin, leading to the diagnosis of mesectodermal leiomyoma of the ciliary body. Results: We review the literature to expand upon the clinical findings, diagnostic methods, and histopathologic and immunohistochemistry characteristics of mesectodermal leiomyoma. Conclusion: Leiomyoma must be in the differential diagnosis for ciliary body mass, especially in women of reproductive age. Diagnosis relies on histopathology and immunohistochemistry. The mechanism of acute symptom onset may be multifactorial. This case emphasizes the possibility of acute presentation of a rare, benign intraocular tumor.
An approach for functionally graded cladding of composite material on austenitic stainless steel substrate through microwave heating
Authors: Kaushal Sarbjeet , Gupta Dheeraj , Bhowmick Hiralal
Published: April 2017

In the present work, functionally graded clads of Ni-SiC material have been developed on austenitic stainless steel (SS-304) substrate through 2.45 GHZ domestic microwave applicator. The functionally graded clads were processed by the concept of hybrid heating with varying exposed microwave power levels from 180 to 900 W. The optimum exposure time of 900 W microwave power was varied with compositional gradient and it is from 300 s to 420 s. The maximum thickness achieved for functionally graded clads was 2 mm at optimum exposure power and time. The microstructural analysis of developed clads reveals that the partial mutual diffusion between each successive layer took place and it confirms the metallurgical bonding in between. The typical flower like structure of Ni-matrix has been observed in clads where the SiC particles were uniformly dispersed. The maximum functionally graded clads micro-hardness of 1020 ± 30 HV were achieved.
Revisiting the Effects of Societal Threat Perceptions on Conflict-related Positions
Authors: Elad-Strenger Julia , Shahar Golan
Published: April 2017

Past research has produced convincing evidence for the association between perceived societal threat and political conservatism. Based on the view of political worldviews and threat perceptions as multifaceted constructs, the present study suggests that certain types of perceived threat are actually associated with the endorsement of more politically liberal positions. Employing a three-wave naturalistic design, we examined the unique longitudinal effects of perceived threats from real-life political events that challenge either liberal or conservative values, on conflict-related attitudes, using a nationally representative sample of Jewish-Israelis ( N = 437). Consistent with our hypotheses, perceived threat from events that challenge conservative values was associated with increased militaristic attitudes and decreased willingness to compromise for peace over time, whereas perceived threat from events that challenge liberal values was related to decreased militaristic attitudes and increased willingness to compromise for peace over time. Theoretical and practical implications of these longitudinal effects are discussed.
Reusing simulation experiment specifications in developing models by successive composition — a case study of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway
Authors: Peng Danhua , Warnke Tom , Haack Fiete , Uhrmacher Adelinde M
Published: April 2017

With the increasing size and complexity of models, developing models by composing existing ones becomes more important. We exploit the idea of reusing simulation experiments of individual models for composition to automatically generate experiments for the composed model. First, we illustrate the process of modeling based on composition and discuss the role simulation experiments can play in this process. Our focus is on semantic validation of the composed model. We explicitly specify simulation experiments in simulation experiment specification via a Scala layer, including the desired model behavioral properties and their required experiment set-ups. Models are annotated with experiment specifications, and upon composition, these specifications are adapted and automatically executed for the composed model. The approach is applied in a case study of developing a Wnt/ β-catenin signaling pathway model by successively composing three individual models, where we exploit metric interval temporal logic to describe model behavioral properties and check averages of stochastic simulation results against these properties.
Argentine Gramscians between Culture and Politics: The Case of Pasado y Presente
Authors: Popovitch Anna
Published: April 2017

The Argentine cultural journal Pasado y Presente (1963–1965; 1973), founded in the city of Córdoba by a group of New Left thinkers including José Aricó, positioned itself at the intersection between the cultural sphere and the field of political action. The members of the collective adopted a critical attitude toward European social theories imported to Latin America and envisioned an alliance between Marxism and Peronism. They also debated the viability of armed struggle, advocated workers’ councils, and identified a new political imaginary for the Argentine New Left, a “third way.” The journal’s intellectual trajectory reveals a tension between the cultural and the political spheres that prevented it from becoming a strictly political entity.

La revista cultural argentina Pasado y Presente (1963–1965; 1973), fundada en la ciudad de Córdoba por un grupo de pensadores de la Nueva Izquierda, incluyendo a José Aricó, se situó en la intersección entre el ámbito cultural y el campo de la acción política. Los miembros del colectivo adoptaron una actitud crítica en relación a las teorías sociales europeas importadas a América Latina y concibieron una alianza entre el marxismo y peronismo. También debatieron sobre la viabilidad de la lucha armada, abogaron a favor de los comités obreros e inauguraron un nuevo imaginario político para la nueva izquierda Argentina—una “tercera vía”. La trayectoria intelectual de la revista revela una tensión entre los espacios cultural y político que impidió que se convirtiera en una entidad estrictamente política.
Synchronization in mutual-coupled temporal Boolean networks
Authors: Wei Qiang , Xie Cheng-jun
Published: April 2017

In this paper, we first propose a mutual-coupled temporal Boolean networks model and then investigate complete synchronization in mutual-coupled temporal Boolean networks. The mutual-coupled temporal Boolean networks model with logical relationship is converted into an algebraic form based on a semi-tensor product. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived to realize synchronization based on the algebraic forms. An example illustrates the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis.
Charting the Gradual Emergence of a More Robust Level of Minority Protection: Minority Specific Instruments and the European Union
Authors: Henrard Kristin
Published: April 2017

Following a brief discussion concerning the concept ‘minority’, this article analyses certain trends that can be gleaned from the supervision of minority specific instruments (or provisions) as well as the gradual development of a minority protection paradigm within the EU. The supervisory system of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) will receive most attention, because it has developed the most extensive and most detailed body of relevant opinions concerning minority rights. Furthermore, it reveals remarkable developments regarding minority protection, through rather extensive and demanding interpretations of the ensuing State obligations which significantly reduce the at first sight almost boundless State discretion. At the same time, it seems important to discuss the latest views of the Human Rights Committee (HRC) concerning minority protection issues, some of which have elicited divergent interpretations among academics. While it would be far fetched to qualify developments regarding minority protection in the EU under the heading of ‘minority specific instruments’, they surely deserve attention. Arguably, the minority protection rhetoric is gradually expanding to the internal policy domain, which is reflected in the explicit recognition in the recently adopted Constitution of respect for minority rights as a foundational value of the EC. The final part of this article analyses the repercussions of the accession dynamic, with its attention for minority protection in the candidate countries, for both direct and more indirect channels of ‘minority protection’ within the EU.
Journalism Worthy of the Name: An Affirmative Reading of Article 10 of the ECHR
Authors: Thorgeirsdóttir Herdís
Published: April 2017

In an era of globalisation the significance of large media conglomerates in shaping public opinion gets ever more real. The author argues that it is no longer realistic to assert that the best press law is no law at all. The traditional criteria of hands off policy with regard to the media is obsolete not only in light of increased concentration of media power but also with an affirmative reading of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the democratic significance of the press as the public watchdog. Legal regulation may be the only safeguard left to counter the market control of the media – more often than not supported by political interests. Supra-national institutions like the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights may be the only forces available to counter the growing impact of big corporations potentially crushing fundamental rights in a parallel manner as many governments were suspected of when the European Convention on Human Rights was designed as a collective safeguard against abuse of power by authorities. The Convention did not put an end to pressures on media freedom. While it has developed into a constitutional bill of rights for the now 45 member States of the Council of Europe its relevance is of no less importance in the well-established original member States as in the newer ones. Journalists are not only threatened by shameless rulers but also by tough corporate elites who have the same objective as their forerunners who were elected – to use the media for their own agenda. An affirmative reading of Article 10 providing the argument for legislation, to guarantee freedom within the press, requires a separate theory and justification.
Rotten Fruit: State Solicitation, Acceptance, and Use of Information Obtained through Torture by Another State
Authors: Pollard Matt
Published: April 2017

The author argues that a State violates international law when it transmits questions for use in the interrogation of an individual by another State, or informally uses for its own national security purposes information received through interrogations by another State, where it knows or should know that there is a real risk that the interrogation will or did involve torture. The sources of law relied upon include: the comprehensive, absolute, and non-derogable prohibition of torture under treaty and customary international law; rules ascribing individual criminal responsibility for complicity or participation in acts of torture; and the secondary rules of State responsibility (using the framework of the Articles adopted by the International Law Commission). The author specifically considers and rejects the argument that territorial and jurisdictional limits on the human rights responsibilities of States preclude responsibility for participation in torture ‘out-sourced’ in this manner to another State.
The Wall and the Law: A Tale of Two Judgements
Authors: Akram Susan , Lynk Michael
Published: April 2017

Israel's construction of a 670 kilometre wall and barrier through the West Bank and East Jerusalem has generated international political controversy, and two significant judicial rulings. In July 2004, the International Court of Justice issued its Advisory Opinion to the United Nations General Assembly, stating that the Separation Wall violated international human rights and humanitarian law, and proposing that Israel immediately dismantle it, with reparations to its victims. The week before, the Israeli Supreme Court released its decision in Beit Sourik Village Council vs Israel, finding that the Wall complied in principle with legal norms, but portions of it must be re-located to reduce avoidable harm to Palestinian villages. This article critically assesses the two decisions against the requirements of international law. It also tracks the response of the international community to Israel's continued construction of the Wall in the aftermath of these two judicial rulings.
The Van Boven/Bassiouni Principles: An Appraisal
Authors: Zwanenburg Marten
Published: April 2017

On 16 December 2005 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the ‘Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law’, also known as the Van Boven/Bassiouni Principles. This article discusses a number of conceptual issues raised by The Principles, including their legal status, the relationship between human rights and international humanitarian law, and the role of non-State actors. It concludes that The Principles are not perfect and in many respects the result of compromise. They should nevertheless be welcomed because they attempt to structure the multiplicity of standards, principles and interpretations that exist regarding the right to a remedy and reparation.
Human Rights and Development: Some Institutional Perspectives
Authors: McInerney-Lankford Siobhán
Published: April 2017

The relationship between human rights and development endures as a subject of lively academic debate and critical comment. In this piece, the author offers some institutionally based perspectives on the nature of that relationship, which take as their starting point the principles and obligations of international human rights law. The article begins by examining the intersection of human rights and development at three distinct but interrelated levels: factual or substantive overlap, principles and obligations, and goes on to argue that aspects of each have been neglected in contemporary analyses. The article argues for clarity about the specific nature of the overlap and the emerging convergence between the two areas, and the particular need to revisit the issue human rights obligations. Following from this theoretic framework, the article proceeds to a discussion of the challenges faced by development actors in attempts to integrate human rights into developments policy and practice. The article argues that the significance of these challenges has not been fully appreciated, nor the potential of existing human rights obligations and frameworks to address them fully harnessed.
Freedom of Expression, Counter-Terrorism and the Internet in Light of the UK Terrorist Act 2006 and the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights
Authors: Murray Daragh
Published: April 2017

As a result of the ‘War on Terror’ domestic governments and the international community have paid increasing attention to counter-terrorism legislation. Given the meteoric rise in prominence of the Internet, and the ever-expanding ‘terrorist’ use of this entity, it is unsurprising that the Internet has now become the focus of legislative attention. However, what does this mean for one of the most fundamental of human rights, the right to freedom of expression? This article will analyse the concepts of incitement, glorification and dissemination as they relate to the Internet, and evaluate their place within the broader framework of the right to freedom of expression. Consequently, ‘context’, the quantifiable circulation of content, and other relevant issues are evaluated through the prism of the Internet. Similarly, the role of the ‘blogger’ is discussed as it relates to the dissemination of information, and the overarching concept of participatory democracy. For illustrative purposes, the United Kingdom's Terrorist Act 2006, and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights will be of primary interest.
Invigorating the African System on Human and Peoples' Rights through Institutional Mainstreaming and Rationalisation
Authors: Mbondenyi Morris Kiwinda
Published: April 2017

The African system on human and peoples' rights has encountered a proliferation of new institutions, programmes and initiatives since the end of the second millennium. This may partly be attributed to the emergence of the African Union (AU), which is more receptive and attuned to human rights than its predecessor the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The proliferation of human rights institutions in the region, however, has some disadvantages. In the main, the mandates and functions of some of the institutions overlap, resulting in unnecessary duplication. The main thesis of this contribution is that, for the regional human rights system to be effective, institutional mainstreaming and rationalisation are a prerequisite. The failure to mainstream and rationalise the subsisting and emerging institutions will most likely entrench the weaknesses of the regional human rights system. Through an in-depth analysis of the mandates and functions of some of its institutions, this contribution systematically proposes some possible strategies for rationalising the regional human rights system.
Hate Crimes against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Persons and the Policy Response of International Governmental Organisations
Authors: Swiebel Joke , van der Veur Dennis
Published: April 2017

International governmental organisations (IGOs) understand discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals mostly as unequal treatment in spheres such as employment, pensions, housing or insurances. Hate crimes are often not taken on board, though they can be regarded as the most cruel and violent form of discrimination and oppression of minorities. This article explores to what extent IGOs, that is the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, the Organization of American States and the United Nations have incorporated the issue of hate crime in their policies to fight discrimination against LGBT persons. These organisations vary in their response, but most approaches so far are only partial ones. This is not only a question of a lack of political will. Sound analyses, coherent concepts and methodologies and the collecting of relevant and comparable data are also part of the equation.