bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mapping accountability: core concept and subtypes
Authors: Lindberg Staffan I
Published: June 2013

The recent surge in popularity of ‘accountability’ in public administration and international development seems in part divorced from centuries of conceptual and empirical work done in related disciplines of finance and accounting, and in political science. This article brings together the core meaning of accountability as used in hundreds of previous works, and seeks to bring order to the litany of subtypes in this literature. An organizing scheme with three dimensions (source of control, strength of control, and direction of relationship) captures all the existing varying types of accountability. The resulting typology also clarifies that varying subtypes have not only different actors and characteristics, but also seek to uphold varying values and are facing different challenges. These have important implications both for research and the (im-)possibility of translating findings from one subtype field to another; as well as practical implications for the policy world.

Points for practitioners

Accountability has several different forms depending on the actors (e.g. citizens–politicians; politicians–bureaucrats; or judges–citizens). These types of accountability seek to protect different values, and are accompanied by varying challenges. Yet, everything is not accountability: it is but one of many possible ways to constrain the (mis-)use of power. This article clarifies the core idea of accountability. It then depicts the full range of subtypes with their different characteristics and problems. This can function as a guide for policy makers and practitioners when seeking to address weaknesses in accountability of varying actors based on acknowledging their differences.
Accountability in Central and Eastern Europe: concept and reality
Authors: Veselý Arnošt
Published: June 2013

This article deals with accountability in EU new member states (the EU-10). First, the different meanings of the concept of accountability are reviewed. Second, accountability in the EU-10 is analysed in terms of three theoretical perspectives (accountability deficits, overloads and traps). Then the specificity of the accountability regime in the EU-10 is discussed as well as its possible explanations. It is argued that the accountability regime in the EU-10 is characterized by discrepancy between the formal existence of many accountability mechanisms and their actual performance (‘sleeping accountability’). This might be explained by the context in which accountability mechanisms are embedded (the high level of corruption, clientelism, low level of trust), frequent changes in political representation and public administration and the lack of knowledgeable and impartial accountees. The article concludes with implications for empirical comparative research and theory-building.

Points for practitioners

Accountability is one of the most important public administration concepts, but its empirical investigation is underdeveloped, especially in Central and Eastern European countries. Empirical research must be led by propositions that have practical relevance. Three such propositions – the accountability deficit, overload and asymmetry – are suggested. This includes considering the broader contexts in which accountability is embedded, analysing accountability relations over time, and carefully distinguishing between de jure and de facto accountability.
Reshaping public accountability: hospital reforms in Germany, Norway and Denmark
Authors: Mattei Paola , Mitra Mahima , Vrangbæk Karsten , Neby Simon , Byrkjeflot Haldor
Published: June 2013

The article contributes to the literature on multi-level welfare governance and public accountability in the context of recent European hospital reforms. Focusing on the changing dynamics between regional and central governance of hospitals in Germany, Norway and Denmark, we raise concerns about the reshaping of traditional public accountability mechanisms. We argue that, triggered by growing financial pressures, corporatization and professionalization have increasingly removed decision-making power from regional political bodies in hospital funding and planning. National governments have tightened their control over the overall trajectory of their hospital systems, but have also shifted significant responsibility downwards to the hospital level. This has reshaped public accountability relationships towards more managerial or professional types embedded within multi-level forms of governance.

Points for practitioners

Our study may be taken to suggest that if reforms are responses to policy pressures, the accompanying changes in accountability relationships and arrangements in turn contribute to altering the pressures and constraints that form the context for administrative, managerial and professional work. As reforms in Norwegian, Danish and German healthcare contribute to corporatization, centralization and economization, there is reason to expect that what officials are held accountable for, and how, is also likely to change and to accentuate the span between policy aims and actual managerial and professional performance.
Between supply and demand: the limits to participatory development in South Africa
Authors: Tapscott Chris , Thompson Lisa
Published: June 2013

Much of the focus in the literature on participatory development has been on the demand side and on the extent to which citizens succeed in pressuring the state to deliver basic services. Less attention has been focused on the supply side of participatory development, namely on how state institutions give effect to development policies. Post-Apartheid South Africa is replete with policies and legislation supporting participatory processes and yet in practice this has seldom lived up to the ideals espoused. This article examines the delivery of public housing in poor communities in three municipalities in South Africa and argues that there is a mismatch between how the formulators of policy understand participation and how it is interpreted by beneficiary communities and local officials. It concludes that considerably more attention needs to be focused on why officials fail to translate national policies into action if participatory democracy is to attain any legitimacy in the population at large.

Points for practitioners

Effective citizen engagement in decision-making processes is the key factor in participatory development programmes. Enabling legislation and policy is essential to the process but it is not sufficient to ensure participation. The design of participatory programmes will thus need to take into account the capacity of communities to organize themselves and will need to factor in the means and time to develop their ability to engage effectively. Officials managing participatory development projects need to undergo formal training so that they understand that the manner in which beneficiaries participate is as important the actual activities in which they are involved.
Accountability of immigration administration: comparing crises in Norway, Denmark and Germany
Authors: Reichersdorfer Johannes , Christensen Tom , Vrangbæk Karsten
Published: June 2013

Accountability can be conceptualized as institutionalized mechanisms obliging actors to explain their conduct to different forums, which can pose questions and impose sanctions. This article analyses different ‘crises’ in immigration policies in Norway, Denmark and Germany along a descriptive framework of five different accountability types: political, administrative, legal, professional and social accountability. The exchanges of information, debate and their consequences between an actor and a forum are crucial to understanding how political-administrative action is carried out in critical situations. First, accountability dynamics emphasize conventional norms and values regarding policy change and, second, formal political responsibility does not necessarily lead to political consequences such as minister resignations in cases of misbehaviour. Consequences strongly depend on how accountability dynamics take place.

Points for practitioners

Political and administrative leaders as well as civil servants are faced with several demands from the wider public and from internal or external peers. There is a relationship between actors and forums that is important in understanding how public administration works. This relationship can be described as accountability dynamics. In cases of crises, these dynamics can overcome or sustain daily administrative practices and routines. Our accountability framework offers a systematic scheme to recognize five accountability relations which should be considered during reorganization processes or policy changing initiatives.
Effects of Chitosan Particles in Periodontal Pathogens and Gingival Fibroblasts
Authors: Arancibia R. , Maturana C. , Silva D. , Tobar N. , Tapia C. , Salazar J.C. , Martínez J. , Smith P.C.
Published: June 2013

Chitosan is a naturally derived polymer with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. However, studies evaluating the role of chitosan in the control of periodontal pathogens and the responses of fibroblasts to inflammatory stimuli are lacking. In the present study, we analyzed whether chitosan particles may inhibit the growth of periodontal pathogens and modulate the inflammatory response in human gingival fibroblasts. Chitosan particles were generated through ionic gelation. They inhibited the growth of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans at 5 mg/mL. Conversely, IL-1β strongly stimulated PGE2 protein levels in gingival fibroblasts, and chitosan inhibited this response at 50 µg/mL. IL-1β–stimulated PGE2 production was dependent on the JNK pathway, and chitosan strongly inhibited this response. IL-1β stimulated NF-κB activation, another signaling pathway involved in PGE2 production. However, chitosan particles were unable to modify NF-κB signaling. The present study shows that chitosan exerts a predominantly anti-inflammatory activity by modulating PGE2 levels through the JNK pathway, which may be useful in the prevention or treatment of periodontal inflammation.
LPS-induced Inflammatory Response after Therapy of Aggressive Periodontitis
Authors: Shaddox L.M. , Gonçalves P.F. , Vovk A. , Allin N. , Huang H. , Hou W. , Aukhil I. , Wallet S.M.
Published: June 2013

We have reported a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced hyper-inflammatory response in localized aggressive periodontitis (LAP). It is unknown whether treatment is able to modulate this LPS responsiveness. Fifty-nine individuals with LAP were treated by mechanical debridement and systemic antibiotics. Clinical parameters and cyto/chemokine responsiveness of whole blood stimulated with Porphyromonas gingivalis or Escherichia coli LPS were monitored at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months post-treatment. Overall, clinical parameters were improved following treatment. Additionally, P. gingivalis LPS induction of eotaxin, IFNγ, IL10, IL12p40, IL1β, IL6, IP10, MCP1, MIP1α, GM-CSF, and TNFα was significantly decreased ( p < .05). Similarly, induction of eotaxin, INFγ, IL10, IL12p40, GM-CSF, and TNFα by E. coli LPS was also reduced post-treatment. These reductions correlated with decreases in clinical parameters. Importantly, these reductions in LPS responsiveness were most robust at 3 months, and some lost significance at 6 to 12 months post-treatment. In conclusion, LPS-induced hyper-inflammatory response in LAP can be partially modulated by periodontal therapy. Conversely, rebound in the hyper-responsiveness of some mediators, in the presence of improved clinical parameters, suggests that this phenotype could be partially influenced by a genetic trait and play a role in future disease recurrence (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01330719).
Forecasting the onset of genocide and politicide
Authors: Goldsmith Benjamin E , Butcher Charles R , Semenovich Dimitri , Sowmya Arcot
Published: June 2013

We present what is, to the best of our knowledge, the first published set of annual out-of-sample forecasts of genocide and politicide based on a global dataset. Our goal is to produce a prototype for a real-time model capable of forecasting one year into the future. Building on the current literature, we take several important steps forward. We implement an unconditional two-stage model encompassing both instability and genocide, allowing our sample to be the available global data, rather than using conditional case selection or a case-control approach. We explore factors exhibiting considerable variance over time to improve yearly forecasting performance. And we produce annual lists of at-risk states in a format that should be of use to policymakers seeking to prevent such mass atrocities. Our out-of-sample forecasts for 1988–2003 predict 90.9% of genocide onsets correctly while also predicting 79.2% of non-onset years correctly, an improvement over a previous study using a case-control in-sample approach. We produce 16 annual forecasts based only on previous years’ data, which identify six of 11 cases of genocide/politicide onset within the top 5% of at-risk countries per year. We believe this represents substantial progress towards useful real-time forecasting of such rare events. We conclude by suggesting ways to further enhance predictive performance.
Into the lion’s den
Authors: Dorussen Han , Gizelis Theodora-Ismene
Published: June 2013

Multidimensional peacekeeping has drawn the United Nations (UN) into state-building, and missions have taken on significant responsibilities for good governance. Since it aims at transforming states from fragile post-conflict situations into inclusive, well-governed societies, multidimensional peacekeeping is more complex and arguably also more contentious than traditional peacekeeping. Multidimensional peacekeeping affects the balance of power between the government and rebels and provides them with opportunities for rent-seeking. Although the potential gains are obvious, the process is bound to lead to uncertainty and controversy. Whereas the international community mainly appreciates the opportunity of comprehensive peacekeeping to create value, local actors may be more concerned with opportunities for claiming value. What will be the responses of local actors to peacekeeping given the likely impact on the distribution of power between rebels and governments and their uneven opportunities to benefit from collaborating? Using event data for post-Cold War UN peacekeeping missions in Africa, the analysis considers when peacekeeping elicits cooperation rather than conflict, focusing on (a) the authorities involved in the event, (b) the policies implemented, and (c) the role of the peacekeepers. Key findings are that government authorities are more likely to respond cooperatively to peacekeeping actions, while rebels are more likely to respond with hostility. Both the government and rebels are unlikely to contest policies that aim to strengthen state capacity, while both are more likely to contest human rights policies. Finally, rebels tend to respond more cooperatively when peacekeepers have a mainly supportive role.
Nature’s Experiments and Natural Experiments in the Social Sciences
Authors: Morgan Mary S.
Published: June 2013

This article explores the characteristics of research sites that scientists have called “natural experiments” to understand and develop usable distinctions for the social sciences between “Nature’s or Society’s experiments” and “natural experiments.” In this analysis, natural experiments emerge as the retro-fitting by social scientists of events that have happened in the social world into the traditional forms of field or randomized trial experiments. By contrast, “Society’s experiments” figure as events in the world that happen in circumstances that are already sufficiently “controlled” to be open for direct analysis without reconstruction work.
Interventional based study to reduce child mortality in rural Uganda
Authors: Jones Rebecca , Kantono Edith Birungi
Published: June 2013

Background:

Reducing child mortality is a WHO Millennium Development Goal. Child mortality rate in Uganda in 2009 was 128. In a rural hospital observations on the paediatric ward were being performed infrequently.

Methods:

Introduction of regular observation Hourly, two hourly or 4 hourly observation on sick children Training of nurses I interpretation of observations. The number of admissions, discharges and deaths was calculated during two six month periods and mortality rates calculated.

Results:

Mortality decreased from 6.9% (34 deaths from 496 admissions) to 4% (27 deaths from 706 admissions). This is statistically significant (p-value 0.023). The demographics, cause of death and length of stay remained similar in both groups.

Conclusions:

The simple intervention of regular nursing observation in children with associated training of nurses has resulted in a statistically significant reduction in child mortality rates in a rural hospital in Uganda.
The Institutionalization and Legitimatization of Guohua 國畫
Authors: Chan Pedith
Published: June 2013

This article examines guohua societies established in Republican Shanghai to show how the young generation of artists appropriated discursive practices to institutionalize and legitimatize guohua in the face of political and cultural upheaval. In the early Republican period, artistic practices underwent significant change as a result of major changes in the larger cultural and social context: the blooming of new media, the reform of the educational system, and the rise of urban culture. This article explores various aspects of guohua societies within a sociocultural context: the structure, the societal activities, the membership, and the attitudes toward art practice. Adopting Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of artistic field, it argues that the transformation in the attitude toward guohua as well as the practice of art in general in modern China is not merely the result of the Western impact but a major consideration of the rules of the artistic field.
Rapid Incorporation of ω‐3 Fatty Acids Into Colonic Tissue After Oral Supplementation in Patients With Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Sorensen Lone Schmidt , Rasmussen Henrik Hojgaard , Aardestrup Inge Valbak , Thorlacius‐Ussing Ole , Lindorff‐Larsen Karen , Schmidt Erik Berg , Calder Philip C.
Published: June 2013

Background: The purpose of the study was to examine whether a preoperative supplement with ω‐3 fatty acids (FAs) leads to their incorporation into colonic tissue in patients scheduled for colorectal cancer surgery. This would be of interest because ω‐3 FAs have potential beneficial (local) immunological effects that might benefit these patients. Methods: In a randomized, double‐blind, prospective, placebo‐controlled, single‐center intervention trial, patients referred for elective colorectal cancer surgery received either an ω‐3 FA–enriched oral nutrition supplement (ONS) (200 mL twice daily) providing 2.0 g of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 1.0 g of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) per day or a standard ONS for 7 days before surgery. Tissue samples from healthy colonic tissue (mucosa and muscular layer) were obtained during surgery, and tissue fatty acid composition was analyzed by gas chromatography. Results: EPA was significantly higher in colonic mucosa (P = .001) and in the colonic muscular layer (P = .004) in the ω‐3 FA group compared with controls. Patients in the ω‐3 FA group also tended to have higher docosapentaenoic acid and DHA levels in colonic tissue. Conclusions: EPA is incorporated rapidly into colonic mucosa and colonic muscular layer in patients given 3 g of ω‐3 FA daily for 7 days before surgery for colorectal cancer. This may lead to potential beneficially effects on (local) immune function, which might benefit these patients.
High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Glycol Cellular Distribution and PEG-associated Cytoplasmic Vacuolation Is Molecular Weight Dependent and Does Not Require Conjugation to Proteins
Authors: Rudmann Daniel G. , Alston James T. , Hanson Jeffrey C. , Heidel Shawn
Published: June 2013

Conjugation of therapeutic proteins with high molecular weight polyethylene glycols (HMW PEGs) is used to extend the half-life of biologics. To evaluate the effects of HMW PEGs in animals, we used an immunohistochemical procedure to study the tissue distribution and toxicity of unconjugated HMW PEGs in rats given 100 mg/kg 10KPEG, 20KPEG, or 40KPEG intravenously. Both the PEG cellular distribution and the histology were different between groups. In 10KPEG and 20KPEG groups, PEG immunoreactivity was most prominent in the renal tubule epithelium and in alveolar macrophages and hepatic Kupffer cells and cellular vacuolation was absent. In contrast, rats given 40KPEG had strong PEG immunoreactivity in splenic subcapsular red pulp macrophages, renal interstitial macrophages, and choroid plexus epithelial cells that was frequently associated with cytoplasmic vacuolation. While the vacuolation appeared to be an adaptive response, there was focal renal tubular epithelial degeneration associated with strong PEG immunoreactivity in one rat given 40KPEG. These data indicate that both the tissue distribution and the vacuolation observed with unconjugated HMW PEGs are markedly influenced by the molecular weight of the PEG and that when vacuolation is observed it is likely an adaptive change that is associated with PEG cytoplasmic immunoreactivity.
5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor control of a panic-like defensive response in the rat dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus
Authors: de Bortoli Valquíria Camin , Yamashita Paula Shimene de Melo , Zangrossi Hélio
Published: June 2013

The dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (DMH) has long been implicated in the genesis/regulation of escape, a panic-related defensive behavior. In the dorsal periaqueductal gray matter (dPAG), another key panic-associated area, serotonin, through the activation of 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors, exerts an inhibitory role on escape expression. This panicolytic-like effect is facilitated by chronic treatment with clinically effective antipanic drugs such as fluoxetine and imipramine. It is still unclear whether serotonin within the DMH plays a similar regulatory action. The results showed that intra-DMH injection of the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT, the preferential 5-HT2A receptor agonist DOI, but not the 5-HT2C agonist MK-212, inhibited the escape reaction of male Wistar rats evoked by electrical stimulation of the DMH. Local microinjection of the 5-HT1A antagonist WAY-100635 or the preferential 5-HT2A antagonist ketanserin was ineffective. Whereas chronic (21 days) systemic treatment with imipramine potentiated the anti-escape effect of both 8-OH-DPAT and DOI, repeated administration of fluoxetine enhanced the effect of the latter agonist. The results indicate that 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors within the DMH play a phasic inhibitory role upon escape expression, as previously reported in the dPAG. Facilitation of 5-HT-mediated neurotransmission in the DMH may be implicated in the mode of action of antipanic drugs.
The Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire
Authors: Lindberg Marc A. , Fugett April , Lounder Lindsay
Published: June 2013

Most modern theories suggest that interpersonal relationships are of central importance in the development of criminal behavior. We tested the parent attachment scales of a new research and clinical measure, the Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire (ACIQ). It is a 29-scale battery assessing attachments to mother, father, partner, and peers, which also includes several related clinical scales. Sixty-one (18-20 years of age) male offenders from a maximum security detention center and 131contrasts completed the ACIQ. ANOVA demonstrated that mother and father attachments displayed different patterns. The attachment scales also predicted the numbers of crimes within the population of juvenile offenders. Thus, the parent attachment scales of the ACIQ showed promise as an instrument to test dynamic systems approaches to developmental models of criminal behavior.
Predictors of Dislocation and Revision After Shoulder Stabilization in Ontario, Canada, From 2003 to 2008
Authors: Wasserstein David , Dwyer Tim , Veillette Christian , Gandhi Rajiv , Chahal Jaskarndip , Mahomed Nizar , Ogilvie-Harris Darrell
Published: June 2013

Background:

Factors contributing to recurrent dislocation, revision stabilization, and complications requiring reoperation after an initial shoulder stabilization procedure for instability have not been evaluated on a population level.

Purpose:

(1) To define the rate of ipsilateral revision stabilization, contralateral primary stabilization, postoperative dislocation, and complications after primary shoulder stabilization in a population cohort. (2) To understand which risk factors among patient, surgical, and provider factors influence these outcomes.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

All residents of Ontario, Canada, aged 16 to 60 years undergoing primary shoulder stabilization between July 2003 and December 2008 were identified from billing and hospital databases. Separate Cox proportional hazards survivorship models were built for the outcomes revision stabilization and postoperative physician-documented shoulder relocation (minimum 2-year follow-up). Model covariates included patient demographics (age, sex, preoperative dislocations), provider characteristics (surgeon volume, hospital academic status), and type of surgery (open, arthroscopic). The frequency and risk factors for contralateral stabilization were identified.

Results:

A total of 5904 patients (80.6% male; median age, 29 years) were identified. Arthroscopic stabilization was used in ~60% of cases in 2003, increasing to ~80% in 2008. The rates of postoperative dislocation were 6.9%, revision stabilization 4%, and contralateral primary stabilization 3.9%. Patients aged younger than 20 years had a 7.7% revision rate (hazard ratio [HR], 2.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7-4.2; P < .0001) and a 12.6% rate of postoperative physician-documented dislocation (HR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.8-3.4; P < .0001), compared with 2.8% and 5.5%, respectively, in patients 29 years old (median cohort age). Patients with 3 or more preoperative dislocations in Ontario had an increased risk of revision (HR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.5-3.0; P < .0001) and postoperative dislocation (HR, 10.6; 95% CI, 8.1-14.0; P < .0001). Revision was more common after arthroscopic (4.3%) compared with open (3.5%) stabilization (HR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.02-1.98; P = .04). No provider factor was predictive, including surgeon volume. Reoperation rate for complications not related to recurrent instability was 0.23% (infection, 0.07%; manipulation under anesthesia, 0.15%).

Conclusion:

The risks of revision stabilization and postoperative (either shoulder) dislocation were most influenced by young age (<20 years) and having had 3 or more preoperative dislocations. Complications requiring surgery are rare.
Intermediate crack-induced debonding in RC beams externally strengthened with prestressed FRP laminates
Authors: Wang Wen-Wei , Dai Jian-Guo , Harries Kent A
Published: June 2013

Intermediate crack-induced debonding is often a dominant failure mode in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)-strengthened reinforced concrete (RC) beams in flexure. It has been extensively studied for RC beams externally strengthened with unstressed FRP laminates. However, very little work has been done on FRP debonding for RC beams strengthened with prestressed FRP. This article presents a sectional analysis model for predicting the flexural capacity of RC beams strengthened with prestressed FRP laminates with due consideration of different failure modes. The focus is placed on the effective strain in the prestressed FRP at the ultimate states of intermediate crack-induced debonding or rupture of debonded FRP. Through back-calculation analysis of 51 RC beams strengthened with post-tensioned FRP laminates, a model for predicting the effective strain of prestressed FRP for ultimate strength prediction based upon sectional analyses was developed and validated through comparisons with test results.
Compression behavior and energy absorption capacity of stiffened syntactic foam core sandwich composites
Authors: Kumar SJ Amith , Ahmed K Sabeel
Published: June 2013

Phenolic syntactic foam sandwich composites are potential materials for aerospace and marine applications because of their good strength to weight ratio, stiffness to weight ratio, fire resistance and better energy absorption characteristics. In the present work, syntactic foam is prepared by uniform mixing of cenosphere and phenolic resin in equal proportions. The effect of stiffening the syntactic foam core by resin impregnated paper honeycomb (RIPH) structure on compression behavior and energy absorption capacity of sandwich composites is experimentally investigated under flatwise and edgewise loading configuration. Bare RIPH core and only syntactic foam core sandwich composites are also investigated for comparison purpose. The results show that RIPH incorporated syntactic foam has the highest compressive properties and energy absorption capacity compared to only syntactic foam core sandwich composites. Microscopic features of syntactic foam fragments tested under flatwise compression are also investigated to predict the failure mode.
Hot-pressed boards based on recycled high-density polyethylene tetrapack: Mechanical properties and fracture behavior
Authors: Sanchez-Cadena Lorena E , Alvarado-Tenorio Bonifacio , Romo-Uribe Angel , Campillo Bernardo , Flores Osvaldo , Yao Huifen
Published: June 2013

In this research, the mechanical properties and fracture behavior of composites based on recycled high-density polyethylene and recycled Tetrapack have been investigated. The matrix and filler were recovered from landfills, ground into flakes of ∼1.6 cm2 size, washed and physically mixed before putting the mixture in a cast, introduced in an oven at 250℃, and pressed applying 1 Metric Ton pressure. Mixtures with varying concentration of tetrapack flakes were prepared. Mechanical properties such as Young’s modulus, yield stress, and ultimate tensile stress were obtained from uniaxial tensile deformation tests carried out at room temperature. The results showed that the tetrapack flakes were effective reinforcers, increasing the Young’s modulus and yield stress relative to neat high-density polyethylene. However, it was also found that the filler acts as stress concentrator where mechanical failure initiates. Scanning electron microscopy showed that fracture of the composite occurred mainly by the lack of adhesion between polymer matrix and filler. Moreover, a percolation threshold was reached at about 5% g/g concentration of tetrapack, beyond which mechanical properties are severely compromised. Interestingly, this investigation also showed that the color of the high-density polyethylene flake, that is, the pigment, strongly influences the mechanical properties of the composite. Thus, boards hot-pressed from individual colors were also investigated. The results showed that pigments, like those used in gray color, favored higher degree of crystallinity, as measured by differential scanning calorimetry, and therefore higher Young’s modulus.
Public Communication of Science in Blogs
Authors: Luzón María José
Published: June 2013

New media are having a significant impact on science communication, both on the way scientists communicate with peers and on the dissemination of science to the lay public. Science blogs, in particular, provide an open space for science communication, where a diverse audience (with different degrees of expertise) may have access to science information intended both for nonspecialist readers and for experts. The purpose of this article is to analyze the strategies used by bloggers to communicate and recontextualize scientific discourse in the realm of science blogs. These strategies involve adjusting information to the readers’ knowledge and information needs, deploying linguistic features typical of personal, informal, and dialogic interaction to create intimacy and proximity, engaging in critical analysis of the recontextualized research and focusing on its relevance, and using explicit and personal expressions of evaluation. The article shows that, given the diverse audience of science posts, bloggers display a blending of discursive practices from different discourses and harness the affordances of new media to achieve their rhetorical purposes.
Mutagenic assessment of three synthetic pyridine-diaryl ketone derivatives
Authors: Ozkan Hakan , Gultekin Demet Demirci , Sezen Selma , Ozgeris Bunyamin , Gulluce Medine , Tumer Ferhan
Published: June 2013

Nowadays, there are increasing numbers of studies about synthetic chemicals according to the supply demands of bioactive chemicals. The current study aims to investigate genotoxic potential of bioactive synthetic pyridine compounds, phenyl-3-pyridinylmethanone (1), p-tolyl-3-pyridinylmethanone (2), and 4-methoxyphenyl-3-pyridinylmethanone (3), using Ames/ Salmonella and Escherichia coli WP2 bacterial reversion mutagenicity test systems. The mutant bacterial tester strains sodium azide-sensitive Salmonella typhimurium TA1535, 9-aminoacridine-sensitive S. typhimurium TA1537, and N-methyl- N′ -nitro- N-nitrosoguanidine-sensitive E. coli WP2 uvrA were used to detect the mutagenic potential of the test compounds. The results indicated that none of the test substances showed significant mutagenic activity on S. typhimurium TA1535, TA1537, and E. coli WP2 uvrA bacterial strains up to 1 µg/plate concentrations.
Protective effect of Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. ex DC. (family: Fabaceae) leaves against experimentally induced diarrhoea and peristalsis in mice
Authors: Chandra Phool , Sachan Neetu , Pal Dilipkumar
Published: June 2013

Ethnopharmacological relevance:

Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. ex DC. (family: Fabaceae; Indian Rosewood), is used in India, especially in rural communities by traditional medicine practitioners to treat diarrhoea. However, scientific evidence does not exist in any literature to substantiate the claim of therapeutic success of the plant species in diarrhoea.

Aim:

To study the protective effect of ethanol extract from D. sissoo Roxb. ex DC. leaves (EDSL) against experimentally induced diarrhoea and peristalsis in mice.

Materials and Methods:

Castor oil-induced diarrhoea and magnesium sulphate (MgSO4)-induced diarrhoea tests were used to assess the antidiarrhoeal activity of D. sissoo. Gastrointestinal tract transit of charcoal meal test and barium sulphate milk was used to assess the peristalsis activity of the extract, while the acute toxicity study and determination of total phenolics and total flavonoids were carried out using well-established protocols and methods.

Results:

The EDSL significantly reduced faecal output in castor oil-induced and MgSO4-induced diarrhoea and also significantly reduced the number of diarrhoeal episodes. D. sissoo significantly delayed the onset of diarrhoea induced by both castor oil and MgSO4 and comparable to loperamide, a standard antidiarrhoeal drug. Both D. sissoo and atropine sulphate significantly reduced the peristalsis activity of charcoal meal and barium sulphate milk in mice. The preliminary phytochemical analysis of EDSL revealed the presence of carbohydrates, phenolics, glycosides, and flavonoids. The median lethal dose of EDSL was greater than 2000 mg/kg (orally (p.o.)).

Conclusion:

The data obtained indicate that the EDSL has antidiarrhoeal and antiperistalsis activities and thus supports its traditional use. The data also show that the plant material given p.o. may be safe and/or non-toxic in mice.
Sleep Disturbance Correlates With White Matter Hyperintensity in Patients With Subcortical Ischemic Vascular Dementia
Authors: Cheng Chun-Yu , Tsai Chia-Fen , Wang Shuu-Jiun , Hsu Chung-Yao , Fuh Jong-Ling
Published: June 2013

Background:

Subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (SIVD) caused by small-artery disease, and hypoperfusion is a major cause of vascular cognitive impairment. Little is known about the relationship between sleep disturbance and white matter hyperintensity (WMH). We investigated the association between sleep disturbance and WMH, measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in patients with SIVD.

Methods:

Patients with SIVD recruited from our outpatient clinic completed the Sleep Disturbance Symptom Questionnaire (SDSQ) and Geriatric Depression Scale-short form (GDS-S) and underwent brain MRI. Total SDSQ scores were calculated by summing frequency ratings of the instrument’s 20 items. We graded WMH on brain MR images using a visual rating scale ranging from 0 (barely detectable) to 9 (extensive changes).

Results:

We enrolled 72 patients (31 men, 41 women; mean age, 75.9 ± 7.9 years) with SIVD. The SDSQ scores were positively correlated with WMH grading ( r = .337, P = .001) and tended to be associated with higher GDS-S scores ( r = .268, P = .022). Patients with diabetes mellitus tended to display higher mean WMH severity than those without diabetes (4.2 vs 3.3, P = .022). After controlling for confounding factors, the multivariate regression model showed that WMH severity was significantly associated with sleep disturbance ( P = .002).

Conclusions:

This study showed that manifestations of sleep disturbance were significantly associated with WMH severity, with most symptoms related to daytime hypersomnolence. Disruption of the frontal–subcortical neuronal circuit might play a role in sleep disturbance in patients with SIVD.
The Effects of Career Calling and Perceived Overqualification on Work Outcomes for Primary and Secondary School Teachers
Authors: Lobene Eleni V. , Meade Adam W.
Published: June 2013

While perceived overqualification (POQ) has received increased research attention in recent years, the identification of variables that moderate POQ-outcome relationships is critical to our understanding of how the construct affects career outcomes. This study, involving 170 full-time primary and secondary school educators in a suburban mid-Atlantic school system, found that POQ is negatively related to job satisfaction and affective commitment while positively related to turnover intentions and desire to turnover. While POQ was not significantly related to performance or continuance organizational commitment, the relationships between POQ and both performance and continuance organizational commitment were significantly moderated by the experience of career calling orientation. Generally, the relationship between POQ and performance was stronger, and the relationship between POQ and continuance organizational commitment was weaker, for those with high calling. Additionally, the effects of career calling were considerably stronger than those of POQ for all criteria. The implications surrounding these results, and opportunities for future investigation, are discussed.
Digital Media in Primary Schools
Authors: Pereira Sara , Pereira Luís
Published: June 2013

This article examines the political and the media discourses concerning the Portuguese governmental program responsible for delivering a laptop named “Magalhães” to all primary school children. The analysis is based on the official documents related to the launch and development of the initiative as well as the press coverage of this topic. The main purpose is to recognize the dominant public discourses and to find out what the media select for the debate in the public sphere. This analysis was done with a particular focus on the critical media literacy framework. The results reveal that the press highlighted the negative aspects of that program and that this framing could have a strong impact on how it was accepted and understood by the public opinion. Analysis also reveals that the governmental initiative was predominantly driven by technological objectives, in particular the access to technology, rather than media literacy objectives.
First in Line
Authors: Bahr Peter Riley , Gross Jillian Leigh , Slay Kelly E. , Christensen Rebecca D.
Published: June 2013

Across the United States, community colleges are facing severe funding reductions and surging enrollment, resulting in a condition of impaction in which demand for coursework exceeds financial or physical capacity. In turn, impaction is necessitating changes in enrollment management policies, including rapid evolution in registration priority policies, which ration access to coursework by granting preferential course enrollment timing to students who meet specified criteria. During times of impaction, such policies effectively preclude some groups of students from making progress toward their goals or, under the worst circumstances, from attending college at all. Given the importance of community colleges for providing access to postsecondary education, these policies have significant, long-term implications. Here, we situate the discourse on registration priority policies in a larger context and body of literature, document the variation in policies across the colleges in one state, and develop a set of recommendations for policy and future research.
Unequal Access to Rigorous High School Curricula
Authors: Perna Laura W. , May Henry , Yee April , Ransom Tafaya , Rodriguez Awilda , Fester Rachél
Published: June 2013

This study explores whether students from low-income families and racial/ethnic minority groups have the opportunity to benefit in what is arguably the most rigorous type of credit-based transition program: the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). The analyses first describe national longitudinal trends in characteristics of schools offering the IBDP and the characteristics of students within schools who enroll. The analyses draw on data from the International Baccalaureate database, which include individual-level data on more than 400,000 IBDP students from 1995 through 2009, as well as data from the Common Core of Data from the National Center for Education Statistics. The article also draws on data collected from a survey of IBDPs in Florida to document variations in the opportunity to benefit from available IBDPs.
Analytical modeling of thrust force and torque in drilling
Authors: Naisson Pierre , Rech Joel , Paris Henri
Published: June 2013

The prediction of thrust force and torque in drilling remains a key issue. There are three main ways to determine these forces based on experimental, numerical and finally analytical approaches. The major drawback with numerical and analytical methods concerns their reliability compared to phenomenological models. As a consequence, several studies use a resetting method in order to correct parameters of their analytical or numerical models so that they correspond to experimental results. The goal of this article is to introduce a new analytical model in drilling based on the discretization of the cutting edge. Local forces are estimated with a semiorthogonal analytical model based on a modified Merchant’s model. Parameters have been identified by a basic semiorthogonal cutting test for a large range of cutting speed and feed rates, by friction tests for a range of sliding velocities and by a variable shear angle model. The macroscopic feed force and torque are estimated by the sum of each local force along the cutting edge. Two drills applied in a large range of cutting conditions are investigated to validate this approach.
Multiobjective optimization of slotted electrical discharge abrasive grinding of metal matrix composite using artificial neural network and nondominated sorting genetic algorithm
Authors: Yadav Ravindra Nath , Yadava Vinod
Published: June 2013

The alternative use of electrical discharge grinding and abrasive grinding, which is applied with the application of slotted wheel named as slotted electrodischarge abrasive grinding, is much suitable for machining of metal matrix composites. But the selection of process parameters is a difficult task due to the complexity of the process. The aim of this study is to optimize the process parameters of slotted electrodischarge abrasive grinding process using a combined approach of artificial neural network and nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II. The artificial neural network architecture has been trained and tested with experimental data, and then the developed model is coupled with nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II to develop a hybrid approach of artificial neural network–nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II, which is used for optimization of process parameters. During experimentation, the effect of current, pulse on-time, pulse off-time, wheel speed and grit number has been studied on material removal rate and average surface roughness (Ra). The results have shown that prediction capability of artificial neural network model is within the range of acceptable limits. The developed hybrid approach of artificial neural network–nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II gives optimal solution with correlation coefficient of material removal rate and Ra as 0.9979 and 0.9982, respectively.
Angular velocity estimation based on adaptive simplified spherical simplex unscented Kalman filter in GFSINS
Authors: Wu Qingya , Jia Qingzhong , Shan Jiayuan , Meng Xiuyun
Published: June 2013

In this paper, the adaptive simplified spherical simplex unscented Kalman filter was proposed to calculate angular velocity in gyro-free strapdown inertial navigation system. Firstly, a general angular velocity calculation modeling method with time-varying process noise was proposed, which was not limited to a certain kind of accelerometer configuration. Then aiming at the issues of large amount of calculation of unscented Kalman filter and the time variation of the process noise, and based on the characteristics of additive noise and linear state equation, the adaptive simplified spherical simplex unscented Kalman filter was proposed to estimate the angular velocity. The sampling points were decreased in this method through adopting the spherical simplex sampling strategy and not augmenting the state, thus improving the calculation efficiency. Meanwhile, Sage–Husa suboptimal maximum a posteriori noise estimator was brought in to estimate the process noise in real time in order to settle the problem of filter divergence induced by the time variation. Lastly, the proposed algorithm was simulated and also contrasted with the integration method, the evolution method and the conventional adaptive UKF algorithm. The simulation results indicated that the adaptive simplified spherical simplex unscented Kalman filter algorithm has higher precision than the integration method and evolution method and has higher efficiency than the AUKF, which could effectively improve the calculation precision and meanwhile guarantee the calculation efficiency.
Knowledge-based functional conceptual design: Model, representation, and implementation
Authors: Ma Jin , Hu Jie , Zheng Kai , Peng Ying-Hong
Published: June 2013

Conceptual design is thus crucial to define new creative products. During conceptual design process, knowledge derivate from different domains is required to achieve a creative design. However, most of the design models restrict their representation to a specific domain. Knowledge representation for multidisciplinary is still an incipient issue for engineering design researchers. Moreover, to increase the robustness of design resolutions is another problem obsessing designers. This article proposes an adapted Gero’s Function–Behavior–State model (Requirement–Function–Behavior–Principle solutions) to aid creative design activities during conceptual design stage by introducing an integrated cross-domain knowledge representation methodology, to increase robustness by reusing existing cases knowledge through retrieval algorithm, and to realize effectiveness by putting forward a design synthesis methodology. Finally, a prototype system named knowledge-based innovative conceptual design system is developed to implement our approaches, and effectiveness of the proposed model is illustrated with a detailed example related to the design of eye movement apparatus incorporated with oculomotor machine of vision prosthesis for acquired blindness, with an overall design procedure classified.