bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regaining trust
Authors: Wemmers Jo-Anne , Manirabona Amissi
Published: November 2013

Crimes against humanity involve not only a willing offender but often collaboration by government authorities as well. Besides threatening victims’ faith in others, their faith in government and social institutions is also threatened. In this article we examine victims’ perceptions of justice in order to obtain a better understanding of how to restore justice for victims following crimes against humanity. Based on qualitative interviews with victims of crimes against humanity, we explore the meaning and function of justice. The results support the Fairness Heuristic Theory of Justice, which considers justice judgements to be a determinant of trust in authorities. The article closes with recommendations for transitional governments.
The development of international policy in relation to victims of crime
Authors: Groenhuijsen Marc
Published: November 2013

This article addresses the development of international policy in relation to victims of crime. It starts with an outline of the 1985 United Nations (UN) Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power. It demonstrates that compliance by Member States with the provisions of the Declaration is still unsatisfactory, despite serious efforts by the UN to promote its standards and norms. A similar trend is described on a regional level in Europe. In 2001, the European Union adopted a Framework Decision (a legally binding instrument) on minimum rights for crime victims in the criminal justice system. Evaluations undertaken in 2004 and 2009 have proved that none of the Member States fully complied with its content. In the article it is argued that a lack of compliance is usually followed by the adoption of an even stronger legal instrument, containing even more ambitious rights for victims of crime. It is questioned whether this is the most productive approach. It is doubted that ‘hard law’ is always more effective than ‘soft law’. The most recent generation of more elevated rights run the risk of leading to ‘victim fatigue’ on the part of the officials responsible for the operation of the criminal justice system.
The sleep effects of tiagabine on the first night of treatment predict post-traumatic stress disorder response at three weeks
Authors: Krystal Andrew D , Zhang Wei , Davidson Jonathan RT , Connor Kathryn M
Published: November 2013

Introduction:

We sought to test the hypothesis that improvements in sleep might mediate treatment-related improvements in daytime symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We evaluated whether changes in sleep occurring on the first night of tiagabine (a gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) reuptake inhibitor) administration predicted subsequent PTSD response.

Methods:

This was an open-label three-week polysomnographic (PSG) study of nightly treatment with tiagabine dosing from 2–12 mg including 20 adults with PTSD with ≥30 min of self-reported and PSG wake time after sleep onset (WASO).

Results:

A treatment night 1 decrease in self-reported and PSG WASO and an increase in slow-wave sleep (SWS) accounted for 94% of the variance in week 3 Short PTSD Rating Interview (SPRINT) score, the primary outcome measure ( p<0.001). Increased night 1 SWS also accounted for 91% of the variance in Work/School Impairment and 45% of the variance in Social Life Impairment as measured with the Sheehan Disability Scale ( p<0.001). These relationships were much stronger correlates of three-week outcome than three-week sleep effects.

Conclusions:

The initial sleep response to tiagabine may mediate or be an indicator of the subsequent PTSD response. The findings highlight the importance of sleep maintenance and SWS in the treatment of PTSD and also suggest a potential relationship between SWS and daytime function.
The impact of comorbid body dysmorphic disorder on the response to sequential pharmacological trials for obsessive-compulsive disorder
Authors: Diniz Juliana B , Costa Daniel LC , Cassab Raony CC , Pereira Carlos AB , Miguel Euripedes C , Shavitt Roseli G
Published: November 2013

Our aim was to investigate the impact of comorbid body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) on the response to sequential pharmacological trials in adult obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. The sequential trial initially involved fluoxetine monotherapy followed by one of three randomized, add-on strategies: placebo, clomipramine or quetiapine. We included 138 patients in the initial phase of fluoxetine, up to 80 mg or the maximum tolerated dosage, for 12 weeks. We invited 70 non-responders to participate in the add-on trial; as 54 accepted, we allocated 18 to each treatment group and followed them for an additional 12 weeks. To evaluate the combined effects of sex, age, age at onset, initial severity, type of augmentation and BDD on the response to sequential treatments, we constructed a model using generalized estimating equations (GEE). Of the 39 patients who completed the study (OCD-BDD, n = 13; OCD-non-BDD, n = 26), the OCD-BDD patients were less likely to be classified as responders than the OCD-non-BDD patients (Pearson Chi-Square = 4.4; p = 0.036). In the GEE model, BDD was not significantly associated with a worse response to sequential treatments (z-robust = 1.77; p = 0.07). The predictive potential of BDD regarding sequential treatment strategies for OCD did not survive when the analyses were controlled for other clinical characteristics.
Correlation between plasma miR-122 expression and liver injury induced by hepatectomy
Authors: Ruoquan Yao , Wanpin Nie , Qiangsheng Xiao , Guodong Tian , Feizhou Huang
Published: November 2013

Objective:

This study aimed to define the correlation between microRNA-122 (miR-122) expression and hepatectomy-induced liver injury in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods:

Plasma miR-122 expression in patients with HCC and healthy age-matched controls was determined, and correlated with plasma alanine transaminase activity (ALT) and bilirubin levels preoperatively and on days 1 and 7 postoperation. Correlations between plasma miR-122 and clinicopathological characteristics at 1 day postoperation were also determined.

Results:

This study included 80 patients with HCC and 80 controls. Baseline expression of miR-122 mRNA and ALT in patients with HCC was significantly higher than in controls. MiR-122 expression correlated with ALT and bilirubin levels preoperatively and on days 1 and 7 postoperatively. In patients with HCC who received a block of the first hepatic portal during surgery and those with excised tumour size >5 cm, plasma miR-122 expression was significantly increased on day 1 postoperatively, compared with expression levels in those who did not receive a block and those with smaller tumours.

Conclusions:

Plasma miR-122 expression is correlated with hepatectomy-induced liver injury in patients with HCC. Increase in miR-122 expression could be used as an index of such injury before and after hepatectomy in these patients.
Variability of warfarin dose response associated with CYP2C9 and VKORC1 gene polymorphisms in Chinese patients
Authors: Ye Changqing , Jin Haiqiang , Zhang Rui , Sun Yongan , Wang Zhaoxia , Sun Weiping , Sun Wei , Peng Qing , Liu Ran , Huang Yining
Published: November 2013

Objective

To investigate the prevalence and implication of cytochrome P450, family 2, subfamily C, polypeptide 9 ( CYP2C9) variants and vitamin K epoxide reductase complex, subunit 1 ( VKORC1)-1639 G > A polymorphisms in Chinese patients receiving warfarin therapy.

Methods

Chinese Han patients requiring oral warfarin therapy were consecutively enrolled. Correlations between CYP2C9*1, *2, *3, *4, *5 variants and VKORC1-1639 G > A polymorphisms, fourth-day international normalized ratios (INRs) and warfarin maintenance dose were investigated.

Results

Out of 101 patients, there were no significant differences in fourth-day INR or warfarin daily maintenance doses between patients with CYP2C9*1*1 and CYP2C9*1*3 genotypes. Patients with the VKORC1-1639 AA genotype had a higher fourth-day INR (1.87 ± 0.14) than those with the VKORC1-1639 AG genotype (1.32 ± 0.15). Warfarin maintenance dose for patients with the VKORC1-1639 AA genotype (2.40 ± 0.70 mg/day) was significantly lower than for patients with the VKORC1-1639 AG genotype (4.83 ± 0.70 mg/day).

Conclusions

Unlike Caucasian populations, VKORC1-1639 G > A polymorphisms in the Chinese population may be the dominant genetic factors associated with warfarin response variability.
Musical training and musical ability: Effects on chord discrimination
Authors: Kuusi Tuire
Published: November 2013

The effects of Western musical training and musical ability on the discrimination of intervallic ordering in both tonal and post-tonal chords were examined using an oddball-paradigm experiment. Participants with different levels of formal musical training (composers and theorists, other professional musicians, and non-professionals) but with high scores from a musical aptitude test (the KMT) were recruited. The results of the study revealed a main effect for the type of musical training: composers’ and theorists’ scores differed markedly from the scores of the other participant groups, whereas professionals and non-professionals had similar response profiles. The discrimination between intervallic orderings of even the most familiar tonal chords seemed to require analysis-oriented training.
Repetition and recency increases involuntary musical imagery of previously unfamiliar songs
Authors: Byron Timothy P. , Fowles Lucinda C.
Published: November 2013

We investigated the effect of repetition, recency, and levels of processing on the induction of involuntary musical imagery of previously unfamiliar songs. In an experimental session where participants heard an unfamiliar song, we manipulated song familiarity (participants heard the song either two or six times) and levels of processing (participants either had to answer general questions about the song or questions about how the song related to their life), followed by 3 days of probe-caught experience sampling. In a sample of 36 participants, we found that involuntary musical imagery induced by stimulus songs occurred more often when songs were more familiar, and more often during the earlier part of the experience sampling period. However, levels of processing did not affect rates of involuntary musical imagery.
Effect of fibre loading on mechanical and thermal properties of sisal and kenaf fibre-reinforced injection moulded composites
Authors: Phiri G , Khoathane MC , Sadiku ER
Published: November 2013

Kenaf and sisal fibres were selected for the development of natural fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites because they are in abundance in South Africa. These materials can be used in the building industry, where good mechanical and fire resistance properties are required for structural and non-structural applications. High load bearing, moisture and fire can negatively affect the properties of these composites and decrease their performance. The effect of water glass, maleic anhydride-grafted-polypropylene (MAPP) treatment and fibre loadings on mechanical and thermal properties as well as fire resistance of kenaf and sisal fibre-reinforced polypropylene composites were investigated. The fibre-reinforced polypropylene composites were produced by injection and compression moulding processes. A significant improvement of the tensile strength and modulus of kenaf fibre composites was more pronounced when compared to sisal fibre composites. However, the water glass has a slight negative influence on mechanical properties of fibre/polypropylene matrix composites but showed better fire resistance and thermal properties when compared to the untreated fibre/polypropylene composites. Generally, the impact strength of fibre/polypropylene composites decreased with the addition of MAPP. The low impact strength could be the results of weak interfacial bond strength between the fibre and the matrix. The total heat release was reduced by water glass treatment due to the non-flammable polysilicate coating, while the average mass loss rate was slightly reduced by MAPP.
The effect of processing conditions for polylactic acid based fibre composites via twin-screw extrusion
Authors: Gunning Michael A , Geever Luke M , Killion John A , Lyons John G , Higginbotham Clement L
Published: November 2013

Hemp, jute and lyocell fibres were incorporated into polylactic acid via twin-screw extrusion using three screw configurations, with varying lengths of mixing sections, in order to reduce the levels of shear and fibre attrition. When mixing zones were reduced, the measured fibre lengths increased and as a result the tensile properties of polylactic acid composites were improved. Similarly impact properties were observed to improve as fibre length increased. However, by increasing the fibre length in polylactic acid composites, fibre surface area within the composite was reduced and subsequently the rate of biodegradation decreased. Composites prepared using different extrusion temperature profiles were shown to have vastly different mechanical properties and in all cases composites produced using low temperature profiles exhibited superior properties to those produced at higher temperatures, indicating thermal degradation at the more elevated temperatures. For example, 50 wt% jute composites exhibited increases of 20.9% and 199% in tensile strength and flexural modulus, the greatest improvement of all composite types at that loading.
Development of sustainable polyoxymethylene-based composites with recycled carbon fibre: mechanical enhancement, morphology, and crystallization kinetics
Authors: Qian Zhiqiang , Wang Yatao , Li Jianhua , Wang Xiaodong , Wu Dezhen
Published: November 2013

Recycled carbon fibre was employed as a reinforcing material to prepare polyoxymethylene–based composites through a simple melting extrusion. An effective approach was developed to clean and modify the surface of as-received recycled carbon fibre with nitric acid and then with a silane-coupling agent. The mechanical evaluation demonstrated that a significant reinforcement was achieved for polyoxymethylene/recycled carbon fibre composites due to the improved interfacial adhesion between fibres and the matrix. The thermal stabilities of the composites were also improved in the presence of recycled carbon fibre. The morphological observation of impact fracture surfaces indicated a good interfacial boding between fibres and matrix. The studies on nonisothermal and isothermal crystallization behaviors showed that recycled carbon fibre acted as a nucleation agent for the crystallization of polyoxymethylene domain in composites; therefore, the crystallization rate and nucleation density increased remarkably due to the heterogeneous nucleating effect of recycled carbon fibre. These crystallization features may be advantageous for the enhancement of mechanical performance and processability of polyoxymethylene−based composites. Derived from a combination of polyoxymethylene and recycled carbon fibre, this study may provide a development guide for sustainable engineering materials with a great potential as well as a low cost for industrial and civil applications.
Analysis of carbon nanotube-reinforced alumina matrix nanocomposites with a broken fiber
Authors: Kirtania Sushen , Chakraborty Debabrata
Published: November 2013

Multi-scale finite element analysis has been performed for determination of longitudinal and transverse Young’s moduli of carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced alumina matrix nanocomposites considering a square representative volume element (RVE). The square RVE has been used to simulate the stress redistribution around a broken CNT at the interface of CNT and matrix, and ineffective length of the broken CNT has been determined. It has been observed that ineffective length of the broken CNT does not show sufficient dependence on the volume fraction. It is also been observed that high magnitude of interfacial shear stress around the broken CNT exists indicating the chances of fiber debonding.
A Comparison of deterministic and probabilistic approaches for assessing risks from contaminated aquifers: An Italian case study
Authors: Rivera-Velasquez Maria Fernanda , Fallico Carmine , Guerra Ignazio , Straface Salvatore
Published: November 2013

In this article we consider the methods of deterministic and probabilistic risk analysis regarding the presence of chemical contaminants in soil, water and air, with a broader meaning than usual for the latter, as we extended the probabilistic treatment to the parameters that influence the transport to a greater extent, in particular hydraulic conductivity and partition coefficient. These parameters, to which only one value is assigned, are considered here as random variables. The objective of the study reported herein was to demonstrate that application of the probabilistic method of risk assessment is preferable to the use of the deterministic method. Both methods yield contaminant removal levels that will reduce adverse effects on human health and the environment, but results from the deterministic method are typically more conservative than necessary, and are thus more costly to achieve. In addition, we found it essential to consider the importance of random variables (the parameters influencing the flow and the transport), such as the hydraulic conductivity and the partition coefficient, when assessing health risks. Both methodologies of health risk analysis, deterministic and probabilistic, were applied to a site in southern Italy, contaminated by heavy metals. The results obtained confirm the purposes of this study.
Review, mapping and analysis of the agricultural plastic waste generation and consolidation in Europe
Authors: Briassoulis Demetres , Babou Epifania , Hiskakis Miltiadis , Scarascia Giacomo , Picuno Pietro , Guarde Dorleta , Dejean Cyril
Published: November 2013

A review of agricultural plastic waste generation and consolidation in Europe is presented. A detailed geographical mapping of the agricultural plastic use and waste generation in Europe was conducted focusing on areas of high concentration of agricultural plastics. Quantitative data and analysis of the agricultural plastic waste generation by category, geographical distribution and compositional range, and physical characteristics of the agricultural plastic waste per use and the temporal distribution of the waste generation are presented. Data were collected and cross-checked from a variety of sources, including European, national and regional services and organizations, local agronomists, retailers and farmers, importers and converters. Missing data were estimated indirectly based on the recorded cultivated areas and the characteristics of the agricultural plastics commonly used in the particular regions. The temporal distribution, the composition and physical characteristics of the agricultural plastic waste streams were mapped by category and by application. This study represents the first systematic effort to map and analyse agricultural plastic waste generation and consolidation in Europe.
The sound of silence: Power, secrecy, and international audiences in US military basing negotiations
Authors: Brown Jonathan N.
Published: November 2013

Why do leaders draw attention to some cooperative security negotiations but shroud others in secrecy? Previous scholarship focuses on leaders’ efforts to gain better terms of agreement either by playing their cards close to the vest at the bargaining table or by leveraging/avoiding aroused public opinion at home. Yet, in many cases, it is neither dyadic nor domestic political pressures that motivate leaders’ decisions to publicly acknowledge or conceal the occurrence of talks. This article suggests, instead, that third-party states often constitute the primary targets of official secrecy and that a state’s international power position shapes its decision to conceal or acknowledge military cooperation by affecting the size and attentiveness of international audiences, the types of assets it brings to the relationship and the benefits it seeks from cooperation. I test five hypotheses about leaders’ use of secrecy and acknowledgment through a statistical analysis of an original dataset on US overseas military basing negotiations. This analysis produces strong support for my argument.
Inducing independence: A strategic model of World Bank assistance and legal reform
Authors: Helmke Gretchen , McLean Elena V.
Published: November 2013

Legal reforms matter for economic growth and democratic consolidation. As part of the “second-generation reforms”, international financial institutions have sought to build the rule of law by funding a vast array of legal and judicial reform projects throughout the developing world. Yet aside from scattered anecdotal evidence, the general effects of international assistance on legal reform and the rule of law remain poorly understood. This article addresses this gap by developing a theoretical framework that explores the strategic interaction among international financial institutions, national governments and non-governmental actors. Using original data on World Bank legal and judicial reform projects, we show that World Bank assistance can in fact encourage some types of incumbent governments to promote reforms that increase judicial independence.
Perceptions of world politics and support for terrorism among Muslims: Evidence from Muslim countries and Western Europe
Authors: Zhirkov Kirill , Verkuyten Maykel , Weesie Jeroen
Published: November 2013

Focusing on Muslim populations in five Muslim-majority countries and four Western European countries, we examine the correlates of popular support for terrorist violence. In both samples, support for terrorism is stronger among those who see democracy as a Western political system which is not suitable for Muslim societies. Perceived Western economic dominance is related to more support for terrorism among Muslims in Western Europe. In the Muslim countries, blaming the West for negative international relations is associated with greater support for terrorism. The associations found are remarkably similar across the Western European countries but vary considerably across the Muslim countries, preventing generalized interpretations. Nevertheless, our findings indicate that perceptions about world politics represent an important factor of pro-terrorist views among Muslims. Therefore, we suggest that improvement of the relationships between the West and the Muslim world can reduce support for terrorism.
Opportunities to kill or incentives for restraint? Rebel capabilities, the origins of support, and civilian victimization in civil war
Authors: Wood Reed M.
Published: November 2013

During civil conflicts the distribution of power heavily influences belligerents’ war strategies, potentially including civilian targeting. Despite the potential relevance to wartime victimization, the relationship between insurgent capabilities and civilian victimization has received limited attention. A complicating factor in assessing this relationship is that power produces countervailing incentives and opportunities for violence. While greater military capabilities present more opportunities for death and destruction, incentives for anti-civilian violence should decline as the range of war strategies available to the group expands. This intuition suggests a tension between the opportunities and incentives to kill that past studies have failed to explicitly address. I help resolve this tension by examining the manner in which the origins of rebel resources condition the relationship between military capabilities and civilian victimization. Where groups rely on local support, violence declines as group capabilities increase. By contrast, when rebels rely on alternative sources of support, greater capabilities produce greater levels of violence. I test these relationships quantitatively using recently constructed data on insurgent resources and one-sided violence against civilians in conflicts occurring between 1989 and 2009.
Specific ultraviolet-C irradiation energy for functionalization of titanium surface to increase osteoblastic cellular attachment
Authors: Uchiyama Hiroshi , Yamada Masahiro , Ishizaki Ken , Sakurai Kaoru
Published: November 2013

Purpose

The objective of this in vitro study was to examine the influence of the total energy of ultraviolet-C preirradiation on the number and morphology of osteoblastic cells attached to turned or acid-etched titanium surfaces, and physicochemical properties of the surface.

Materials and methods

Rat bone marrow-derived osteoblasts were incubated with turned or acid-etched titanium disks preirradiated with ultraviolet-C at 1 or 3 mW/cm2, resulting in total energies of 10, 100, 250, 400, 500, 600, 750, or 1000 J/cm2. Osteoblast attachment to the surface was evaluated using the WST-1 assay. Physicochemical changes of the titanium were evaluated by measuring water wettability and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis.

Results

Number of attached cells was greater on turned or acid-etched surface preirradiated with 500 or 750 J/cm2 of 3 mW/cm2 ultraviolet-C than on the nonirradiated surface, respectively. However, the further irradiation energy did not increase the numbers on both types of the surfaces. These phenomena were also seen on the surfaces preirradiated at different ultraviolet-C intensities. Ultraviolet-C irradiation induced superhydrophilicity on both types of surface even with the less irradiation energy. The amount of carbon on ultraviolet-C preirradiated titanium surfaces decreased gradually with an increase in the total irradiation energy.

Conclusion

Specific ultraviolet-C energy used to irradiate turned or acid-etched surfaces increased the number of osteoblastic cells attached to each of the surface. This was canceled by overirradiation, despite maintenance of both the acquired superhydrophilicity and the accompanying reduction in carbon on each surface.
Precipitation of hydroxyapatite on electrospun polycaprolactone/aloe vera/silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering
Authors: Shanmugavel Suganya , Reddy Venugopal Jayarama , Ramakrishna Seeram , Lakshmi BS , Dev VR Giri
Published: November 2013

Advances in electrospun nanofibres with bioactive materials have enhanced the scope of fabricating biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering. The present research focuses on fabrication of polycaprolactone/aloe vera/silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds by electrospinning followed by hydroxyapatite deposition by calcium-phosphate dipping method for bone tissue engineering. Morphology, composition, hydrophilicity and mechanical properties of polycaprolactone/aloe vera/silk fibroin–hydroxyapatite nanofibrous scaffolds along with controls polycaprolactone and polycaprolactone/aloe vera/silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds were examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, contact angle and tensile tests, respectively. Adipose-derived stem cells cultured on polycaprolactone/aloe vera/silk fibroin–hydroxyapatite nanofibrous scaffolds displayed highest cell proliferation, increased osteogenic markers expression (alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin), osteogenic differentiation and increased mineralization in comparison with polycaprolactone control. The obtained results indicate that polycaprolactone/aloe vera/silk fibroin–hydroxyapatite nanofibrous scaffolds have appropriate physico-chemical and biological properties to be used as biomimetic scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration.
A novel combination of nano-scaffolds with micro-scaffolds to mimic extracellularmatrices improve osteogenesis
Authors: Xia Yang , Peng Sha-Sha , Xie Li-Zhe , Lian Xiao-Jie , Zhang Xiao-Jun , Cui Han , Song Tian-Xi , Zhang Fei-Min , Gu Ning , Cui Fu-Zhai
Published: November 2013

To improve bone engineering for clinical applications, we coupled nanofiber-peptide hydrogel to nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen to form a bioactive scaffold (cnHAC) that mimics extracellular matrices. In comparison to nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen, we found that cnHAC promoted cell adhesion and spreading, and DNA content measurements, alkaline phosphatase activity assays, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analyses of osteogenic gene expression showed that cnHAC significantly improved cellular attachment, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation in vitro ( P < 0.05). In vivo models based on rat calvarial implants showed that cnHAC significantly enhanced bone regeneration ( P < 0.05). In conclusion, we demonstrated that novel cnHAC scaffolds could potentially facilitate future bone regenerative medicine.
The Associations Among Dark Personalities and Sexual Tactics Across Different Scenarios
Authors: Jones Daniel N. , Olderbak Sally G.
Published: November 2013

Although malevolent individuals may be willing to use any tactic necessary to obtain sex, not all antagonistic traits will predict coercion or coaxing in all situations. A sample of 447 adult men, collected in two waves, reported their intentions to engage in coercion or coaxing of hypothetical targets. Study 1 provided three hypothetical scenarios that result in sexual rejection: (a) an expensive date, (b) a stranger, and (c) a relationship partner, and Study 2 provided the same scenarios, and three additional scenarios: (d) a rival’s partner, (e) a bet, and (f) a powerful person. A Structural Equations Model indicated that a common antagonistic factor, indicated by Social Dominance and the Dark Triad traits of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism, predicted coaxing across all situations, whereas only psychopathy predicted coercion across all situations. In addition, narcissism accounted for additional variance in coaxing when rejected by an expensive date. These findings suggest that across the different scenarios, psychopathy is primarily associated with coercive tactics and the common malevolent core among the traits is associated with coaxing tactics.
Professionals’ Perceptions of Support Resources for Battered Immigrant Women
Authors: Briones-Vozmediano Erica , Goicolea Isabel , Ortiz-Barreda Gaby M. , Gil-González Diana , Vives-Cases Carmen
Published: November 2013

The aim of this study was to explore the experience of service providers in Spain regarding their daily professional encounters with battered immigrant women and their perception of this group’s help-seeking process and the eventual abandonment of the same. Twenty-nine in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 43 professionals involved in providing support to battered immigrant women. We interviewed social workers, psychologists, intercultural mediators, judges, lawyers, and public health professionals from Spain. Through qualitative content analysis, four categories emerged: (a) frustration with the victim’s decision to abandon the help-seeking process, (b) ambivalent positions regarding differences between immigrant and Spanish women, (c) difficulties in the migratory process that may hinder the help-seeking process, and (d) criticisms regarding the inefficiency of existing resources. The four categories were cross-cut by an overarching theme: helping immigrant women not to abandon the help-seeking process as a chronicle of anticipated failure. The main reasons that emerged for abandoning the help-seeking process involved structural factors such as economic dependence, loss of social support after leaving their country of origin, and limited knowledge about available resources. The professionals perceived their encounters with battered immigrant women to be frustrating and unproductive because they felt that they had few resources to back them up. They felt that despite the existence of public policies targeting intimate partner violence (IPV) and immigration in Spain, the resources dedicated to tackling gender-based violence were insufficient to meet battered immigrant women’s needs. Professionals should be trained both in the problem of IPV and in providing support to the immigrant population.
Secondary Traumatic Stress and Disruptions to Interpersonal Functioning Among Mental Health Therapists
Authors: Robinson-Keilig Rachael A.
Published: November 2013

Disruptions within interpersonal relationships are often cited as a symptom of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and vicarious trauma among mental health therapists. However, the primary evidence to support these claims is based on theoretical explanations and limited descriptive data. The current study sought to test the theoretical model of STS and to extend prior research by directly measuring interpersonal and sexual disruptions and their association with STS symptomology. The study hypothesized that mental health therapists with higher levels of intrusion, avoidance, and arousal symptoms would also report disruptions in their interpersonal relationships. A total of 320 licensed mental health therapists completed the online study questionnaire. Results of the current study were mixed. Higher levels of STS symptoms showed a significant association with lower relationship satisfaction, lower social intimacy, less use of constructive communication patterns, and more use of avoidance communication and demand-withdrawal communication patterns. These relationships remained after controlling for gender, years of counseling experience, and exposure level to trauma clients. However, no association was found between STS, sexual activity interest, and sexual relationship satisfaction. Implications of these findings are reviewed.
Promoting Civil Discourse Through Search Engine Diversity
Authors: Yom-Tov Elad , Dumais Susan , Guo Qi
Published: November 2013

The ability of modern web services such as news aggregators and search engines to tailor their results to the tastes of individuals, together with people's preference for reading opinions which reinforce their own viewpoints, have raised concerns that people are nowadays exposed to a narrow range of view-points, a phenomenon referred to as the “filter bubble”. In this paper we focus on increasing exposure to varied political opinions with a goal of improving civil discourse. We develop a method to algorithmically encourage people to read diverse political opinions and test it when people actively seek information. First, analyzing data from a popular search engine we show that people are indeed more likely to read opinions consistent with their own. Interestingly, they are more likely to read news from opposing sites when the language model of a particular news item is close to the language model of their own political leaning. Based on this finding, we describe a method for assisting people to read divergent opinions by choosing documents of opposing viewpoints that have a language model closer to their own language model. We test our method on a number of web searchers and show that pages of the opposing side which were more similar than the average persons' own language model tended to be clicked 38% more than those below. We also describe the long-term effects of our method, showing that people who were shown more diverse results continued reading more diverse results and overall became more interested in news.
A novel design of extrusion container for large steel tube extrusion process
Authors: Liu Changyong , Zhang Lei , Lin Feng , Zhang Renji , Yan Yongnian , Kang Feiyu
Published: November 2013

Extrusion container is the most important tooling in steel hot extrusion processing. Traditional designs such as the multilayered cylinder are difficult to execute for large extrusion containers. A novel design is proposed in this article, a salient feature of which is that the container employs steel wire winding technology. The primary difficulty of applying wire winding to the design of extrusion container is that the container should be heated to 350 °C while the temperature of steel wire cannot exceed 75 °C due to accelerated creep and stress relaxation at high temperature. In addition, the prestress generated by steel wire should fulfill the requirements necessary for the container. The proposed design should meet both goals. The functional requirements including preheating, protection of steel wire from high temperature, and stress distribution are discussed, and solutions are proposed. A new method to generate prestress called thermally induced prestress is introduced and detailed. To verify the design, a proof-of-concept prototype model was fabricated and tested. Results showed that the container using the proposed design could meet the expected prestressing goals, and the temperature of the wire would not exceed the limit and can offer an alternative to conventional design methods of extrusion containers.
Electrical discharge machining–based hybrid machining processes: A review
Authors: Shrivastava Pankaj K , Dubey Avanish K
Published: November 2013

Electrical discharge machining is one of the widely used noncontact-type advanced machining processes in which material removal takes place due to melting and vaporization by thermal energy of electric sparks. Electrical discharge machining has the capability of machining difficult-to-cut materials such as superalloys, advanced ceramics, and composites with complex shapes at both macro- and micro-levels. But its application is limited to electrically conductive materials. Other limitations include low material removal rate, high tool wear rate, recast layer formation, and geometrical inaccuracy in the form of taper and overcut. To overcome such limitations, the mechanism of electrical discharge machining has been combined with the mechanism of one or more other machining/physical/chemical processes. The mechanism of two constituent processes may be applied simultaneously or sequentially to constitute the hybrid machining process. It has been found that the performance of hybrid machining processes is better than the constituent processes. This article presents the comprehensive review of the research work carried out so far in the area of electrical discharge machining–based hybrid machining processes. It discusses about the experimental and theoretical studies of electrical discharge machining–based hybrid machining processes to elucidate the effects of various control factors or input parameters on process performances. This article includes modeling and optimization studies and discusses the future trend of the research work in this area.
Modelling and experimental analysis of surface roughness in spherical grinding
Authors: Xu Liming , Luo Rui , Yang Ziqi , Zha Tijian , Hu Dejin
Published: November 2013

A new method for predicting the surface roughness in spherical grinding was developed. Spherical grinding typically uses a cup grinding wheel containing segmented abrasive blocks that continually engage the surface of the sphere workpiece during grinding. In this study, the trajectory of the abrasive grain, undeformed chip thickness, and the grinding mechanism are considered separate from the surface grinding process. Therefore, the traditional method used to determine surface roughness based on surface grinding cannot be applied to predict the surface roughness in spherical grinding. A new analytical spherical surface roughness model was developed based on chip thickness, and the effect of overlapping of triangle grooves produced by multiple abrasive grains was considered to improve the precision of the roughness model. The process parameters that affect spherical surface roughness are theoretically analysed and experimentally studied. Comparison of the experimental results with the predicted results derived from the developed roughness model validates the proposed model and demonstrates the effects of the fundamental factors on surface roughness in spherical grinding.
Numerical and experimental investigations on micro-detonation of striking arc machining of alumina
Authors: Zhang Baoguo , Tian Xinli , Wang Wanglong , Tang Xiujian , Wang Pengxiao
Published: November 2013

Numerical and experimental investigations on micro-detonation of striking arc machining of alumina ceramics were performed to ascertain the material removal mechanism and study the effects of the process parameters on the machining performance. The shape of the micro-detonation plasma jet and the ablation pit generation process were observed by high-speed video and machining test. A three-dimensional finite element model for temperature simulation during a single-pulse micro-detonation of striking arc machining process was developed and validated by corresponding experiments. The effects of the five process parameters, that is, working current, gas pressure, pulse width, nozzle stand-off distance, and muzzle diameter, on the highest temperature and material removal rate were studied by employing the Taguchi method. The findings indicated that the simulated results were in good agreement with the experiments. The material removal mechanism for alumina machined by micro-detonation of striking arc machining was determined based on high-speed video observation, numerical simulation, and experimental study. The alumina ceramics were mainly removed by a combination of sublimation, melting, and phase transformation under the synergistic effect of high temperature and high impact force of the micro-detonation plasma jet. The highest temperature and the material removal rate were significantly affected by the process parameters. Both temperature and material removal rate increased with increase in the working current, gas pressure, and pulse width, but decreased with the increase in the nozzle stand-off distance and nozzle diameter. Based on the analysis of variance and the effects of parameters on the highest temperature and material removal rate, the optimal combination of parameters was presented. This study may serve as a reference in understanding the machining mechanism of micro-detonation of striking arc machining and presents a method that can be used for efficient machining of alumina.
Using modified grey forecasting models to forecast the growth trends of green materials
Authors: Tsai Sang-Bing , Lee Yu-Cheng , Guo Jiann-Jong
Published: November 2013

The use of green materials reflects the notion that production materials should generate minimal environmental pollution through various efforts, including the design and development of low-pollution materials, innovation and improvement of low-pollution manufacturing processes, and recycling and reuse of materials. The development of green materials is an important part of corporate social responsibility. Companies need to use resources legitimately and have environmental protection responsibility. Forecasting the growth trends of green copper clad laminate material is crucial for manufacturers of printed circuit boards and green copper clad laminates. The main purpose of this study was to forecast the growth trends of green electronic materials. The industry sample investigated in this study only numbered 14. Because of the limited sample of historical data, the data distribution did not exhibit a normal distribution. Prediction methods for large data sets were not suitable for this study. Thus, three grey forecasting models (i.e. the grey model(1,1), non-linear grey Bernoulli model(1,1), and grey Verhulst model) were adopted for theoretical derivation and scientific verification. The results yielded by these methods were compared with the results of regression analysis to verify the forecasting accuracy and suitability of the three methods. The results indicated that for small data sets, the forecasting accuracy of the non-linear grey Bernoulli model(1,1) and grey Verhulst model was superior to that of the original grey model(1,1) as well as the regression analysis method.
Friction stir welding window for AA6061-T6 aluminium alloy
Authors: Gadakh Vijay S , Kumar Adepu
Published: November 2013

In this study, friction stir welding window for AA6061-T6 aluminium alloy based on tool rotational speed and weld speed was developed. The formation of friction stir welding/processing zone has been analysed macroscopically and microscopically. Fracture locations of the joints were also analysed using scanning electron microscope. It has been experimentally found that the joint fabricated using tool rotational speed of 1000 r/min and weld speed of 40 mm/min (obtained from friction stir welding window), tool shoulder diameter of 24 mm with tapered cylindrical pin profile and the ratio of shoulder to pin diameter with value 3 showed better mechanical properties compared to other joints. The developed welding window will be used as ready reckoner to select appropriate rotational and welding speed to fabricate defect-free joints.
Analysis of the machining performance and surface integrity in laser milling of polycrystalline diamonds
Authors: Wu Qi , Wang Jun , Huang Chuanzhen
Published: November 2013

The increasing use of diamond cutting tools necessitates the development of compatible fabrication technologies for the diamond tools, especially for three-dimensional surfaces with micron scale accuracy and good surface quality. In this article, the formation mechanism of surfaces milled using a nanosecond pulsed laser on polycrystalline diamond and the effect of process parameters on the milling performance such as material removal rate and surface integrity are investigated based on a statistically designed experiment. It is shown that laser milling is a viable technology for three-dimensional processing of polycrystalline diamonds with good machining rates and acceptable surface quality. A microscopy analysis indicates that diamond graphitization can occur on the milled surfaces, and laser pulse energy and pulse overlap have a significant effect on the milled surface morphology. Characterization of the machined surface/subsurface is conducted using Raman spectroscopy, and the relationships between damaged surface layer thickness and process parameters are discussed. It is found that an optimum pulse overlap together with moderate pulse energy may be used, while the scan overlap should be selected in the vicinity of its optimum value at around 50% for a good surface quality while maintaining a high material removal rate.
Mechanical work performed by individual limbs of transfemoral amputees during step-to-step transitions: Effect of walking velocity
Authors: Bonnet Xavier , Villa Coralie , Fodé Pascale , Lavaste Francois , Pillet Hélène
Published: November 2013

The greater metabolic demand during the gait of people with a transfemoral amputation limits their autonomy and walking velocity. Major modifications of the kinematic and kinetic patterns of transfemoral amputee gait quantified using gait analysis may explain their greater energy cost. Donelan et al. proposed a method called the individual limb method to explore the relationships between the gait biomechanics and metabolic cost. In the present study, we applied this method to quantify mechanical work performed by the affected and intact limbs of transfemoral amputees. We compared a cohort of six active unilateral transfemoral amputees to a control group of six asymptomatic subjects. Compared to the control group, we found that there was significantly less mechanical work produced by the affected leg and significantly more work performed by the unaffected leg during the step-to-step transition. We also found that this mechanical work increased with walking velocity; the increase was less pronounced for the affected leg and substantial for the unaffected leg. Finally, we observed that the lesser work produced by the affected leg was linked to the increase in the hip flexion moment during the late stance phase, which is necessary for initiating knee flexion in the affected leg. It is possible to quantify the mechanical work performed during gait by people with a transfemoral amputation, using the individual limb method and conventional gait laboratory equipment. The method provides information that is useful for prosthetic fitting and rehabilitation.