bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Insights to Problems, Research Trend and Progress in Techniques of Sentiment Analysis
Authors: P. K. Kumar , S. Nandagopalan
Published: October 2017

The research-based implementations towards Sentiment analyses are about a decade old and have introduced many significant algorithms, techniques, and framework towards enhancing its performance. The applicability of sentiment analysis towards business and the political survey is quite immense. However, we strongly feel that existing progress in research towards Sentiment Analysis is not at par with the demand of massively increasing dynamic data over the pervasive environment. The degree of problems associated with opinion mining over such forms of data has been less addressed, and still, it leaves the certain major scope of research. This paper will brief about existing research trends, some important research implementation in recent times, and exploring some major open issues about sentiment analysis. We believe that this manuscript will give a progress report with the snapshot of effectiveness borne by the research techniques towards sentiment analysis to further assist the upcoming researcher to identify and pave their research work in a perfect direction towards considering research gap.
STM Observation of the Si(111) - (7×7) Reconstructed Surface Modified by Excess Phosphorus Doping
Authors: Siriwardena Hirulak D. , Yamashita Toru , Shimomura Masaru
Published: October 2017

The electronic properties of semiconductor surfaces change readily upon changing the carrier densities by controlling the dopant concentration. Additionally, excess dopant atoms can exert electric field which would affect the molecular adsorption process and could be used to manipulate the dynamic movement of confined molecules. A mechanism can be developed to control the molecular dynamic movement on modified semiconductor surface by dopants thus changing the effect of the electric field on the active molecules.  In this study, the Si(111) surface was doped with phosphorus excessively using thermal diffusion process. The surface was then reconstructed to the 7 × 7 configuration via heating under UHV conditions and then studied through STM and STS techniques. The protrusions due to surface and subsurface P atoms appear brighter due to the lone electron pair. The 7 × 7 reconstruction would be destabilized after a critical P substitution of Si-adatom concentration due to high surface strain result in P-terminated (6√3 × 6√3)R30º reconstruction.
Optimization of Empirical Modelling of Advanced Highly Strained In0.7Ga0.3As/In0.52Al0.48As pHEMTs for Low Noise Amplifier
Authors: Jubadi W.M. , Packeer F. , Missous M.
Published: October 2017

An optimized empirical modelling for a 0.25µm gate length of highly strained channel of an InP-based pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) using InGaAs–InAlAs material systems is presented. An accurate procedure for extraction is described and tested using the pHEMT measured dataset of I-V characteristics and related multi-bias s-parameters over 20GHz frequency range. The extraction of linear and nonlinear parameters from the small signal and large signal pHEMT equivalent model are performed in ADS. The optimized DC and S-parameter model for the pHEMT device provides a basis for active device selection in the MMIC low noise amplifier circuit designs.
Multi-way Array Decomposition on Acoustic Source Separation for Fault Diagnosis of a Motor-Pump System
Authors: Vinaya Anindita Adikaputri , Arifianto Dhany
Published: October 2017

In this study, we propose a multi-way array decomposition approach to solve the complexity of approximate joint diagonalization process for fault diagnosis of a motor-pump system. Sources used in this study came from  drive end-motor, nondrive end-motor , drive end pump , and nondrive end pump. An approximate joint diagonalization is a common approach to resolving an underdetermined cases in blind source separation. However, it has quite heavy computation and requires more complexity. In this study, we use an acoustic emission to detect faults based on multi-way array decomposition approach. Based on the obtained results, the difference types of machinery fault such as misalignment and outer bearing fault can be detected by vibration spectrum and estimated acoustic spectrum. The performance of proposed method is evaluated using MSE and LSD. Based on the results of the separation, the estimated signal of the nondrive end pump is the closest to the baseline signal compared to other signals with  LSD is 1.914 and MSE is 0.0707. The instantaneous frequency of the estimated source signal will also be compared with the vibration signal in frequency spectrum to test the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Planning and Conducting Magnetic Field Level Measurement from Overhead Transmission Line
Authors: Luqman H.M. , Baharom M.N.R. , Ahmad H. , Ullah Irshad
Published: October 2017

Human population and power consumption keeps on growing with each year. In order to satisfy electricity demand, more electrical energy has to be supplied, resulting in higher magnetic field level radiation. In rapid urbanization country, lack of space will force civilization to be built near overhead transmission line that sparks public concern on adverse health effects due to the magnetic field radiation. A new UTHM hostel residential area was built near OTLs that shared the same concern. Thus a proper planning to conduct magnetic field level measurement was done to examine the maximum magnetic field level radiated that covered the hostel residential area. The results were far from reaching the maximum permissible magnetic field level proposed by ICNIRP. Though, the steps taken and the methods used might be suitable guidelines for others that encounter similar situations.
Experimental Analysis of Factors Affecting the Power Output of the PV Module
Authors: Pradhan Arjyadhara , Panda Bhagbat
Published: October 2017

Energy is the driving force in all the sectors as it acts like an index of standard of living or prosperity of the people of the country. However heavy dependence on fossil fuels leads to global warming, hence there is a need for the use of clean, sustainable, and eco friendly form of energy. Among the various types of non-conventional energy solar energy is the fundamental as it is abundant, pollution free and universally available.Even though the main input to the PV system is the solar radiation still there are other factors which affects the efficiency of the pv module. In this paper real time experiment has been conducted to analyze the effect of various factors like irradiance, temperature, and angle of tilt, soiling, shading on the power output of the pv module. Temperature is a negative factor which reduces the efficiency of the module and can be reduced by various cooling arrangements. Presence of dust particles and shading obstructs the incident solar radiations entering the panel and the effect is seen in the iv and pv curve .For better performance solar tracking at maximum power point is suggested to improve the power output of the pv module.
Modeling and Simulation of a Photovoltaic Field for 13 kW
Authors: Mankour Salah Eddine , Belarbi Ahmed Wahid , Benmessaoud Mohammed Tarik
Published: October 2017

In the future solar energy will be very important source of energy. More than 45% of needed energy in the world will be generated by photovoltaic module. Therefore it is necessary to concentrate our efforts in order to reduce the application costs .This work investigates on the modeling of a Stand Alone Power System focusing on Photovoltaic energy systems. We introduce the models of the system components Therefore a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique is needed to track the peak power in order to make full utilization of PV array output power under varying conditions. This paper presents two widely-adopted MPPT algorithms, perturbation & observation (P&O) and incremental conductance (IC).A complete characterization and simulation model was implemented in the Matlab-Simulink environment. Design complete system is done to analyze its behavior for a typical year, with the aim to evaluate their energetic effectiveness.
S-Bend Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) Large Cross-Section Rib Waveguide for Directional Coupler
Authors: Zamhari Nurdiani , Ehsan Abang Annuar , Abdul Rahman Mohd Syuhaimi
Published: October 2017

S-bend contributes the high losses in the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) large cross-section rib waveguide (LCRW). The objective of this work is to investigate S-bend SOI LCRW with two different single-mode dimensions named symmetrical and asymmetrical. The S-bend SOI LCRW has been simulating using beam propagation method in OptiBPM software. The asymmetrical waveguide with two different dimension arc given the best performance if compared to others dimension with 3 µm of waveguide spacing. It achieved 92.24% and 91.10% of normalized output power (NOP) for 1550 nm and 1480 nm wavelength respectively. Moreover, the minimum of S-bend spacing between the two cores is 0.9 µm for both 1550 nm and 1480 nm. Therefore, asymmetrical waveguide with two different dimension arc and 0.9 µm of S-bend spacing are chosen. This analysis is important to determine the right parameter in order to design the SOI passive devices. However, future work should be done to see the performance by designing the coupler and implement in the real system.
Fuzzy Region Merging using Fuzzy Similarity Measurement on Image Segmentation
Authors: Gunawan Wawan , Arifin Agus Zainal , Indraswari Rarasmaya , Navastara Dini Adni
Published: October 2017

Some image’s regions have unbalance information, such as blurred contour, shade, and uneven brightness. Those regions are called as ambiguous regions. Ambiguous region cause problem during region merging process in interactive image segmentation because that region has double information, both as object and background. We proposed a new region merging strategy using fuzzy similarity measurement for image segmentation. The proposed method has four steps; the first step is initial segmentation using mean-shift algorithm. The second step is giving markers manually to indicate the object and background region. The third step is determining the fuzzy region or ambiguous region in the images. The last step is fuzzy region merging using fuzzy similarity measurement. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method is able to segment natural images and dental panoramic images successfully with the average value of misclassification error (ME) 1.96% and 5.47%, respectively.
A Reliable Peer-to-Peer Platform for Adding New Node Using Trust Based Model
Authors: S. Vimal , S K. Srivatsa
Published: October 2017

In order to evaluate the trustworthiness of participating peers in unstructured peer-to-peer networks, Reputation aggregation methods are used in this method. Each and every peer of the network will collect the local scores of each transaction and will compute global scores by aggregating all the local scores with the help of global scores, each individual peer can interact with its suitable peers. But the existing method will not consider the score of the new peer. In this condition, requests are handled by existing peers who leads to failure in downloading process. To rectify this, NP-TRUST model is used to distribute the request to all peers including the newly joined peers. The proposed method is compared with gossip and DFR-TRUST model in Transaction Success rate and variation in file request.
SmartBike: an IoT Crowd Sensing Platform for Monitoring City Air Pollution
Authors: Corno Fulvio , Montanaro Teodoro , Migliore Carmelo , Castrogiovanni Pino
Published: October 2017

In recent years, the Smart City concept is emerging as a way to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the overall quality of citizen life. The rise of Smart City solutions is encouraged by the increasing availability of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and crowd sensing technologies. This paper presents an IoT Crowd Sensing platform that offers a set of services to citizens by exploiting a network of bicycles as IoT probes. Based on a survey conducted to identify the most interesting bike-enabled services, the SmartBike platform provides: real time remote geo-location of users’ bikes, anti-theft service, information about traveled route, and air pollution monitoring. The proposed SmartBike platform is composed of three main components: the SmartBike mobile sensors for data collection installed on the bicycle; the end-user devices implementing the user interface for geo-location and anti-theft; and the SmartBike central servers for storing and processing detected data and providing a web interface for data visualization. The suitability of the platform was evaluated through the implementation of an initial prototype. Results demonstrate that the proposed SmartBike platform is able to provide the stated services, and, in addition, that the accuracy of the acquired air quality measurements is compatible with the one provided by the official environmental monitoring system of the city of Turin. The described platform will be adopted within a project promoted by the city of Turin, that aims at helping people making their mobility behavior more sustainable.
Clustering in Aggregated User Profiles Across Multiple Social Networks
Authors: Virmani Charu , Pillai Anuradha , Juneja Dimple
Published: October 2017

A social network is indeed an abstraction of related groups interacting amongst themselves to develop relationships. However, toanalyze any relationships and psychology behind it, clustering plays a vital role. Clustering enhances the predictability and discoveryof like mindedness amongst users. This article’s goal exploits the technique of Ensemble K-means clusters to extract the entities and their corresponding interestsas per the skills and location by aggregating user profiles across the multiple online social networks. The proposed ensemble clustering utilizes known K-means algorithm to improve results for the aggregated user profiles across multiple social networks. The approach produces an ensemble similarity measure and provides 70% better results than taking a fixed value of K or guessing a value of K while not altering the clustering method. This paper states that good ensembles clusters can be spawned to envisage the discoverability of a user for a particular interest.
Derivation and validation of a novel bleeding risk score for elderly patients with venous thromboembolism on extended anticoagulation
Authors: Limacher Andreas , Méan Marie , Beer Hans-Jürg , Osterwalder Joseph , Frauchiger Beat , Righini Marc , Aschwanden Markus , Matter Christian , Banyai Martin , Kucher Nils , Staub Daniel , Lämmle Bernhard , Rodondi Nicolas , Squizzato Alessandro , Aujesky Drahomir , Seiler Eva
Published: October 2017

Existing clinical scores do not perform well in predicting bleeding in elderly patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE). We sought to derive an easy-to-use clinical score to help physicians identify elderly patients with VTE who are at high-risk of bleeding during extended anticoagulation (>3 months). Our derivation sample included 743 patients aged ≥65 years with VTE who were enrolled in a prospective multicenter cohort study. All patients received extended anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists. We derived our score using competing risk regression, with the time to a first major bleeding up to 36 months of extended anticoagulation as the outcome, and 17 candidate variables as predictors. We used bootstrapping methods for internal validation. Sixty-six (9%) patients suffered major bleeding. The clinical score is based on seven clinical factors (previous bleeding, active cancer, low physical activity, anemia, thrombocytopenia, antiplatelet drugs/NSAIDs, and poor INR control). Overall, 48% of patients were classified as low-risk, 37% as moderate-risk, and 15% as high-risk of bleeding. The rate of major bleeding was 1.4 events in low-risk, 5.0 events in moderate-risk, and 12.2 events per 100 patientyears in high-risk patients. The c-statistic was 0.78 at 3 months and 0.71 at 36 months of extended anticoagulation. Model calibration was excellent (p=0.93). Internal validation showed similar results. This simple clinical score accurately identified elderly patients with VTE who are at high risk of major bleeding and who may not benefit from extended anticoagulation. Further validation of the score is important before its implementation into practice. The study is registered to https://clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00973596.

This work was carried out at the Department of General Internal Medicine in the Bern University Hospital, Switzerland.
A influência do canal de denúncia anônima na detecção de fraudes contábeis em organizações
Authors: Silva Gilson Rodrigues da , Sousa Rossana Guerra de
Published: October 2017

Este estudo tem por objetivo analisar a influência da presença de canais de denúncias anônimos, operados internamente, na decisão dos colaboradores das organizações em comunicar casos de fraudes contábeis. Foi conduzido um experimento de campo com 191 indivíduos que atuam com a função contabilidade em empresas brasileiras com fins lucrativos, em um dos dois vínculos de trabalho ‘efetivo e precário’. Os participantes foram distribuídos em dois grupos. Para o grupo de tratamento foi manipulado a presença e a forma do canal interno de denúncia anônimo. O experimento foi aplicado por questionário eletrônico e os resultados foram analisados com testes não paramétricos de comparações de médias. Os resultados indicam que a presença de um canal de denúncia anônimo operado internamente aumenta a intenção dos colaboradores com vinculo efetivo em relatar uma fraude contábil. Contudo a propensão dos indivíduos com vínculo precário em denunciar não é afetada.
Uso de documentos para narrar a história de organizações: reflexões e experiências
Authors: Carneiro Adéle , Barros Amon
Published: October 2017

Este trabalho avança a discussão sobre o uso de documentos na elaboração de pesquisas historiográficas em organizações. O artigo se debruça sobre a pesquisa documental a partir das discussões de De Certeau (1982), Foucault (2008), e Le Goff (2003). Elabora uma revisão teórica sobre o tema, salientando a ideia de que documentos não são objetos históricos neutros que reproduzem o passado. Tal perspectiva propõe um novo olhar epistemológico para a pesquisa histórica com documentos em Ciências Sociais aplicadas. Tal discussão questiona a natureza dos documentos e salienta a necessidade de usá-los criticamente. O artigo apresenta algumas experiências de pesquisas que se valeram de fontes documentais a fim de evidenciar os aspectos procedimentais de tal abordagem. O texto termina apresentando uma discussão aplicada às pesquisas em contabilidade.
High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin and the Risk Stratification of Patients With Renal Impairment Presenting With Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome
Authors: Miller-Hodges Eve , Anand Atul , Shah Anoop S.V. , Chapman Andrew R. , Gallacher Peter , Lee Kuan Ken , Farrah Tariq , Halbesma Nynke , Blackmur James P. , Newby David E. , Mills Nicholas L. , Dhaun Neeraj
Published: October 2017

Background:

High-sensitivity cardiac troponin testing may improve the risk stratification and diagnosis of myocardial infarction, but concentrations can be challenging to interpret in patients with renal impairment, and the effectiveness of testing in this group is uncertain.

Methods:

In a prospective multicenter study of consecutive patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome, we evaluated the performance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I in those with and without renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60mL/min/1.73m
2
). The negative predictive value and sensitivity of troponin concentrations below the risk stratification threshold (5 ng/L) at presentation were reported for a primary outcome of index type 1 myocardial infarction, or type 1 myocardial infarction or cardiac death at 30 days. The positive predictive value and specificity at the 99th centile diagnostic threshold (16 ng/L in women, 34 ng/L in men) was determined for index type 1 myocardial infarction. Subsequent type 1 myocardial infarction and cardiac death were reported at 1 year.

Results:

Of 4726 patients identified, 904 (19%) had renal impairment. Troponin concentrations <5 ng/L at presentation identified 17% of patients with renal impairment as low risk for the primary outcome (negative predictive value, 98.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 96.0%–99.7%; sensitivity 98.9%; 95%CI, 97.5%–99.9%), in comparison with 56% without renal impairment (
P
<0.001) with similar performance (negative predictive value, 99.7%; 95% CI, 99.4%–99.9%; sensitivity 98.4%; 95% CI, 97.2%–99.4%). The positive predictive value and specificity at the 99th centile were lower in patients with renal impairment at 50.0% (95% CI, 45.2%–54.8%) and 70.9% (95% CI, 67.5%–74.2%), respectively, in comparison with 62.4% (95% CI, 58.8%–65.9%) and 92.1% (95% CI, 91.2%–93.0%) in those without. At 1 year, patients with troponin concentrations >99th centile and renal impairment were at greater risk of subsequent myocardial infarction or cardiac death than those with normal renal function (24% versus 10%; adjusted hazard ratio, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.54–3.11).

Conclusions:

In suspected acute coronary syndrome, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin identified fewer patients with renal impairment as low risk and more as high risk, but with lower specificity for type 1 myocardial infarction. Irrespective of diagnosis, patients with renal impairment and elevated cardiac troponin concentrations had a 2-fold greater risk of a major cardiac event than those with normal renal function, and should be considered for further investigation and treatment.

Clinical Trial Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT01852123.
Dispatch of Firefighters and Police Officers in Out‐of‐Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Nationwide Prospective Cohort Trial Using Propensity Score Analysis
Authors: Hasselqvist‐Ax Ingela , Nordberg Per , Herlitz Johan , Svensson Leif , Jonsson Martin , Lindqvist Jonny , Ringh Mattias , Claesson Andreas , Björklund Johan , Andersson Jan‐Otto , Ericson Caroline , Lindblad Pär , Engerström Lars , Rosenqvist Mårten , Hollenberg Jacob
Published: October 2017

Background

Dispatch of basic life support–trained first responders equipped with automated external defibrillators in addition to advanced life support–trained emergency medical services personnel in out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (
OHCA
) has, in some minor cohort studies, been associated with improved survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between
basic life support
plus
advanced life support
response and survival in
OHCA
at a national level.

Methods and Results

This prospective cohort study was conducted from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2014.
People who experienced OHCA
in 9 Swedish counties covered by
basic life support
plus
advanced life support
response were compared with a propensity‐matched contemporary control group of
people who experienced OHCA
in 12 counties where only
emergency medical services
was dispatched, providing
advanced life support
. Primary outcome was survival to 30 days. The analytic sample consisted of 2786 pairs (n=5572) derived from the total cohort of 7308 complete cases. The median time from emergency call to arrival of
emergency medical services
or first responder was 9 minutes in the intervention group versus 10 minutes in the controls (
P
<0.001). The proportion of patients admitted alive to the hospital after resuscitation was 31.4% (875/2786) in the intervention group versus 24.9% (694/2786) in the controls (conditional
odds ratio,
1.40; 95% confidence interval, 1.24–1.57). Thirty‐day survival was 9.5% (266/2786) in the intervention group versus 7.7% (214/2786) in the controls (conditional odds ratio
,
1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–1.54).

Conclusions

In this nationwide interventional trial, using propensity score matching, dispatch of first responders in addition to
emergency medical services
in
OHCA
was associated with a moderate, but significant, increase in 30‐day survival.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier:
NCT
02184468.
Return to Work and Risk of Subsequent Detachment From Employment After Myocardial Infarction: Insights From Danish Nationwide Registries
Authors: Smedegaard Laerke , Numé Anna‐Karin , Charlot Mette , Kragholm Kristian , Gislason Gunnar , Hansen Peter R.
Published: October 2017

Background

Limited data are available on return to work and subsequent detachment from employment after admission for myocardial infarction (
MI
).

Methods and Results

Using individual‐level linkage of data from nationwide registries, we identified patients of working age (30–65 years) discharged after first‐time
MI
in the period 1997 to 2012, who were employed before admission. To assess the cumulative incidence of return to work and detachment from employment, the Aalen Johansen estimator was used. Incidences were compared with population controls matched on age and sex. Logistic regression was applied to estimate odds ratios for associations between detachment from employment and age, sex, comorbidities, income, and education level. Of 39 296 patients of working age discharged after first‐time
MI
, 22 394 (56.9%) were employed before admission. Within 1 year 91.1% (95% confidence interval [
CI
], 90.7%–91.5%) of subjects had returned to work, but 1 year after their return 24.2% (95%
CI
, 23.6%–24.8%) were detached from employment and received social benefits. Detachment rates were highest in patients aged 60 to 65 and 30 to 39 years, and significantly higher in patients with
MI
compared with population controls. Predictors of detachment were heart failure (odds ratio 1.20 [95%
CI
, 1.08–1.34]), diabetes mellitus (odds ratio 1.13 [95%
CI
, 1.01–1.25]), and depression (odds ratio 1.77 [95%
CI
, 1.55–2.01]). High education level and high income favored continued employment.

Conclusions

Despite that most patients returned to work after first‐time
MI
, about 1 in 4 was detached from employment after 1 year. Several factors including age and lower socioeconomic status were associated with risk of detachment from employment.
Morphological and molecular characterisation of Longidorus juglans sp. nov. and a sister species L. fangi Xu & Cheng, 1991 (Nematoda: Longidoridae) from China
Authors: Xu Yumei , Guo Kai , Ye Weimin , Wang Jianming , Zheng Jingwu , Zhao Zengqi
Published: October 2017

Longidorus juglanssp. nov. is a new needle nematode detected from the rhizosphere of a walnut tree in Shanxi Province, P.R. China. It was distinguished by female body length of 3.9-5.2 mm; lip region 14-18 μm wide, rounded and continuous, amphidial fovea pocket-shaped without distinct basal lobes; moderately long odontostyle (125-140 μm); guide ring at mid-odontostyle and situated 69-78 μm from anterior end; short and blunt conoid tail (30-41 μm long, c = 118-147, c′ = 0.6-0.9), bearing 2-3 caudal pores on each side. The male ofL. juglanssp. nov. is 5.1 mm long, with 13 ventro-median supplements, a short and blunt conoid tail bearing 3-4 caudal pores on each side, and spicules 73 μm long. Three developmental juvenile stages were recognised. This new species is very similar to another Chinese speciesL. fangiin general morphology, but can be distinguished by the number of juvenile stages and DNA sequences of SSU, ITS1, ITS2 and D2-D3 of LSU rDNA. Morphological and molecular characterisation was provided forL. fangirepresenting two new geographical records. The phylogenetic relationships among these species were analysed using data from SSU, D2-D3 of LSU, ITS1 and ITS2 rDNA, which revealed thatL. juglanssp. nov. andL. fangiwere clustered together withL. diadecturus,L. litchiiandL. jonesiwhose guide ring is located at mid-odontostyle level.
Decadal Change of the Western North Pacific Summer Monsoon Break around 2002/03
Authors: Xu Ke , Lu Riyu
Published: October 2017

A significant decadal change is detected in the break of the western North Pacific summer monsoon (WNPSM) around 2002/03. For the period 1979–2002, the monsoon break occurs in early August, accompanied by noticeable convection suppression over the ocean to the east of the Mariana Islands (10°–20°N, 140°–160°E). However, for the period 2003–11, the monsoon break there is delayed until mid-August. This decadal change is attributable to the differences in the evolution of the WNPSM. Over this break region, convection becomes weaker after its peak in late July for the former period, and the monsoon break appears in early August. In contrast, for the latter period, convection continues strengthening in late July and reaches its peak in early August, and the monsoon break is delayed until mid-August. The differences in the evolution of sea surface temperature (SST) in the western Pacific warm pool region are responsible for the decadal change in the evolution of the WNPSM. In contrast to the former period, for the latter period the southern extent of the warm pool is remarkably warmed, and tends to be higher than the northern extent in mid- and late July, which enhances atmospheric convection nearby but inhibits the development of convection over the northern extent through a local meridional circulation. As the SST in the northern extent continues warming and becomes higher than that in the southern extent, the convection over the northern extent reaches its maximum intensification in early August. The presented results highlight that the spatial pattern of SST changes can modulate the subseasonal evolution of the WNPSM.
Statistical Deterministic and Ensemble Seasonal Prediction of Tropical Cyclones in the Northwest Australian Region
Authors: Goebbert Kevin H.
Published: October 2017

Statistical seasonal prediction of tropical cyclones (TCs) has been ongoing for quite some time in many different ocean basins across the world. While a few basins (e.g., North Atlantic and western North Pacific) have been extensively studied and forecasted for many years, Southern Hemispheric TCs have been less frequently studied and generally grouped as a whole or into two primary basins: southern Indian Ocean and Australian. This paper investigates the predictability of TCs in the northwest Australian (NWAUS) basin of the southeast Indian Ocean (105°–135°E) and describes two statistical approaches to the seasonal prediction of TC frequency, TC days, and accumulated cyclone energy (ACE). The first approach is a traditional deterministic seasonal prediction using predictors identified from NCEP–NCAR reanalysis fields using multiple linear regression. The second is a 100-member statistical ensemble approach with the same predictors as the deterministic model but with a resampling of the dataset with replacement and smearing input values to generate slightly different coefficients in the multiple linear regression prediction equations. Both the deterministic and ensemble schemes provide valuable forecasts that are better than climatological forecasts. The ensemble approach outperforms the deterministic model as well as adding quantitative uncertainty that reflects the predictability of a given TC season.
Allocating Attention to Detect Motorcycles: The Role of Inattentional Blindness
Authors: Pammer Kristen , Sabadas Stephanie , Lentern Stephanie
Published: October 2017

Objective:

To determine whether inattentional blindness (IB) can be used to understand the psychological mechanisms around looked-but-failed-to-see (LBFTS) crashes involving motorcycles

Background:

IB occurs when an observer looks directly at an object yet fails to see it, thus LBFTS crashes may be a real-world example of IB. The study tests a perceptual cycle model in which motorcycles are detected less frequently because they fall lower on the attentional hierarchy for driving.

Method:

A driving-related IB task with photographs of driving situations investigated whether an additional stimulus, a taxi or motorcycle, would be more likely to be missed by participants. In Experiments 2 and 3, the “threat value” of objects in the scene were varied to determine the degree to which this influences participants’ tendency to notice motorcycles.

Results:

Participants were twice as likely to miss a motorcycle compared with a taxi. Moreover, participants reported that they would expect to miss a motorcycle on the road. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants modulated their attention to accommodate motorcycles when necessary, suggesting that motorcycles are afforded the lowest level of attentional bandwidth.

Conclusion:

Inattentional blindness forms a good psychological framework for understanding LBFTS crashes, particularly in the context of attentional set, such that LBFTS crashes occur because motorcycles do not feature strongly in a typical driver’s attentional set for driving.

Application:

The findings here are important because LBFTS crashes can be reduced if we can change the expectations of road users around the presence of motorcycles on the road.
Effects of aramid fibers and colloidal particle fillers in composite ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber thermal insulators for rocket motor insulation
Authors: El-Dakhakhny AM , Ahmed AF , Rutkevičius M , El-Marsafy S , Abadeer E
Published: October 2017

In this study, we develop and characterize an asbestos-free rubber composite for potential use as a rocket motor insulator. The insulator is based on ethylene propylene diene monomer blended with aramid fiber (Kevlar) in the pulp form (KP), together with alumina and/or silica as reinforcement. Different formulations based on these fillers were prepared. The fillers were dispersed in the ethylene propylene diene monomer polymeric matrix to obtain a homogenous master batch for curing. We analyzed and compared physical, mechanical and thermal properties of different compositions (density, hardness, tensile strength, elongation, ablation resistance and mass loss on heating). Reinforcement of ethylene propylene diene monomer with Kevlar improves the performance of the material with respect to mechanical and thermal properties, while not improving well the performance with respect to ablation resistance. Using hybrid reinforcement (KP + alumina + silica) within ethylene propylene diene monomer improves the performance of ethylene propylene diene monomer with respect to mechanical properties, thermal properties, ablation resistance and thermal decomposition resistance. The optimum performance of the insulation material was achieved when the formulation consisted of 10 part per hundred ratio KP with even amounts of alumina and silica. A novel composite engineered for improved insulation of solid rocket motors using the hybrid reinforcements was developed for the first time, which can be applied in future space missions.
Religiosity, Cultural Values, and Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Services in Turkey
Authors: Rogers-Sirin Lauren , Yanar Ceyda , Yüksekbaş Dilara , Senturk Merve Ipek , Sirin Selcuk
Published: October 2017

Most research with Muslim populations has been conducted with samples of immigrants living in the West as minority populations. This study investigates how the culture-related variables of family values and self-construal relate to religiosity and attitudes toward psychological services among Muslims living in Turkey, a country where over 99% of the population identifies as Muslim. To examine how these cultural variables may relate to attitudes toward psychological services, Muslim Turks completed a survey which included measures of religiosity, hierarchical and harmonious family values, cultural self-construal, and attitudes toward psychological services. Religiosity was associated with negative attitudes toward psychological services. The relationship between religiosity and attitudes toward psychological services was fully mediated by hierarchical family values such that when the variable hierarchical family values was added to the model, the relation between religiosity and attitudes toward psychological services was no longer significant. The mediation of hierarchical family values on the relation between religiosity and attitudes toward psychological services was moderated by independent self-construal, so that independent self-construal weakened the mediation while interdependent self-construal had no effect. The results of this study indicate that among Muslim Turks, the relation between religiosity and attitudes toward psychological services is more fully explained when culture-related variables are considered.
Female Muslim subjectivity in the secular public sphere: Hijab and ritual prayer as ‘technologies of the self’
Authors: Topal Semiha
Published: October 2017

This article analyses the formation of multiple subjectivities during the self-cultivation process of Muslim women living in the secular public sphere of Turkey. Through interviews with highly educated, professional Muslim women who aim to build and maintain piety (a deep connection with the divine), it asks to what extent the practices of hijab (i.e. wearing the headscarf) and ritual prayer (salat, or namaz) can be considered as technologies of self-cultivation rather than mere markers and symbols of identity. The article aims to offer new ways to think about the religious-secular divide by providing an empirically grounded contribution to the complex interactions between religious identity and women’s agency in a Muslim-majority country with a secularist state establishment.
Religion et politique, un aller-retour entre appartenance et croyance. Gauche radicale et un groupe de « femmes monastiques » en Italie
Authors: Giorda Maria Chiara
Published: October 2017

This article analyses the double conversion of a group of Italian women, first to communism then to Catholicism. Offspring of the bourgeois catholic families of Turin, these women became extreme-left activists in the 1960s and 1970s. Today they are active members in traditional catholic milieus: more specifically, they live close to a catholic monastery, carrying out services for the male community. The specific aim of the contribution is to understand whether and to what extent religion influenced the political choice (and vice versa). From a micro-history perspective, the study focuses on the categories of believing, belonging and behaving in both the political and religious communities.
“No former travellers having attained such a height on the Earth’s surface”: Instruments, inscriptions, and bodies in the Himalaya, 1800–1830
Authors: Fleetwood Lachlan
Published: October 2017

East India Company surveyors began gaining access to the high Himalaya in the 1810s, at a time when the mountains were taking on increasing political significance as the northern borderlands of British India. Though never as idiosyncratic as surveyors insisted, these were spaces in which instruments, fieldbook inscriptions, and bodies were all highly prone to failure. The ways surveyors managed these failures (both rhetorically and in practice) demonstrate the social performances required to establish credible knowledge in a world in which the senses were scrambled. The resulting tensions reveal an ongoing disconnect in understanding between those displaced not only from London, but also from Calcutta, something insufficiently emphasized in previous histories of colonial science. By focusing on the early nineteenth century, often overlooked in favor of the later period, this article shows the extent to which the scientific, imaginative, and political constitution of the Himalaya was haphazard and contested.
Critical Sociological Thinking and Higher-level Thinking: A Study of Sociologists’ Teaching Goals and Assignments
Authors: Kane Danielle , Otto Kristin
Published: October 2017

We argue that the literature on critical thinking in sociology has conflated two different skill sets: critical sociological thinking and higher-level thinking. To begin to examine how sociologists weigh and cultivate these skill sets, we interviewed 20 sociology instructors and conducted a content analysis of 26 assignments. We found that while multiple interviewees considered critical thinking to be too obvious a goal to warrant discussion, it did emerge as a criterion for evaluating assignments. In addition, we created a spectrum of writing tasks and found that only a minority of assignments (5 of 26) could be classified as eliciting higher-level thinking. These were found exclusively in advanced courses, where they were still outnumbered by assignments eliciting lower-level thinking by nearly 2 to 1.
Investor Response to Workforce Downsizing: The Influence of Industry Waves, Macroeconomic Outlook, and Firm Performance
Authors: Brauer Matthias , Zimmermann Martin
Published: October 2017

Building on behavioral decision-making theory, we study the extent to which current industry downsizing intensity, changes in future macroeconomic outlook, and a firm’s past performance trend influence the relationship between downsizing magnitude and investor response. Based on the analysis of a large-scale sample of downsizing announcements in the United States over a period of 12 years, our results indicate that negative investor responses to downsizings are amplified in periods of industry downsizing waves, in the face of changes in macroeconomic outlook, and subsequent to deteriorating firm financial performance. Additionally, our empirical results suggest that investors’ cross-level aggregation of these cues has a significant, negative compound effect on downsizing firms’ market valuations.
Democracy versus deterrence: Nuclear weapons and political integrity
Authors: Cooke Steve , Futter Andrew
Published: October 2017

This article argues that the practice and performance of nuclear deterrence can never be fully representative or democratic due to the particular pressures placed on leaders by the nuclear condition. For nuclear deterrence to be effective – and for nuclear weapons to have any political value – a leader must always convince both their electorate as well as any possible foe, that they are willing to use nuclear weapons in extremis, irrespective of whether this is their true position. In any nuclear-armed state, where politicians privately believe that using nuclear weapons is always wrong, but publicly stress that possessing nuclear weapons to use as a deterrent is right, they are forced to act dishonestly. These tensions are particularly acute in the UK context given the reliance on just one form of nuclear weapons system for deterrence and the concurrent requirement to pre-delegate secret orders through a ‘letter of last resort’. The consequences for democratic nuclear-armed states are troubling; for public morality, the personal integrity of democratic leaders, and for true democratic accountability. This article concludes that public criticism of political leaders, and citizen voting choices, ought to take account of the problem of transparency posed by policies of nuclear deterrence.
Buddhism Co. Ltd? Epistemology of religiosity, and the re-invention of a Buddhist monastery in Hong Kong
Authors: Qian Junxi , Kong Lily
Published: October 2017

This article re-theorises the relationships between secularity and religiosity in modernity. While geographers have recognised that the secular and the religious are mutually constituted, this article pushes this theorisation further, arguing that the religious and the secular are in fact hybrid constructs that embrace simultaneously the sacred and profane, the transcendent and the immanent. Albeit the significant advancement in disrupting enclosed epistemologies of secular modernity, relatively less work has sought to theorise the possibility of religion as a hybrid operating at the secular–religious interface. Focusing on the ways in which a non-Western religion, Buddhism, performs entangled relationships between religiosity and secularity, this article argues that religious organisations and actors may refashion and re-invent themselves by appropriating rationalities, values and logics normatively defined as ‘secular’. It presents a study of Po-Lin Monastery, a Buddhist monastery in Hong Kong that has adopted highly entrepreneurial, growth-oriented approaches in organisation and production of space.
The possible benefits of freedom of information laws to the records management landscape in the ESARBICA region
Authors: Khumalo Njabulo Bruce , Baloyi Charity
Published: October 2017

This paper seeks to demonstrate how records and archives management in the Eastern and Southern African Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) can benefit from the enactment of freedom of information legislation if backed by political will, trained records and information management personnel and infrastructure. Examples of how properly crafted FOI legislation have or have not benefited records and archives management in other countries have been presented. The findings of this study show that freedom of information legislation could benefit records and archives management in the region by increasing employment opportunities for records and archives professionals, promoting the development of records management systems, formalization and standardization of records management practices and further training of practitioners, among other things.
Medical and health sciences academics’ behaviours and attitudes towards open access publishing in scholarly journals: a perspective from South Korea
Authors: Joung Kyoung Hee , Rowley Jennifer , Sbaffi Laura
Published: October 2017

This article seeks to extend the knowledge of the behaviour and attitudes towards open access publishing through a survey that focusses on the attitudes and behaviours of academic researchers in Korea working in medicine and healthcare. Issues covered include: use of and intentions regarding OAP, and perceptions regarding advantages and disadvantages of OAP, journal article publication services, peer review, and re-use. A significant proportion of the articles (mean 58%) published by this group are published gold open access, consistent with the push in Korea towards international impact for their research. Researchers were more positive about the benefits of OAP than they were negative about its disadvantages. Analysis of responses on the basis of gender, and experience in publishing, showed some significant differences in attitudes to some statements.
Breastfeeding Duration and Adolescent Educational Outcomes: Longitudinal Evidence From India
Authors: Nandi Arindam , Lutter Randall , Laxminarayan Ramanan
Published: October 2017

Objective:

There is a significant evidence gap on the long-term educational benefits of longer breastfeeding in low- and middle-income countries. We estimated the association between duration of (any) breastfeeding and educational outcomes of Indian children.

Methods:

We used regression analysis to examine the association between the length of breastfeeding (in months) and future education outcomes on the basis of 2 data sets: (1) data from a follow-up survey known as the Andhra Pradesh Children and Parents Study (APCAPS, 2003-2005) of 1165 children aged 13 to 18 years from a controlled nutrition trial originally conducted in South India during the period of 1987 to 1990; and (2) nationally representative data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS-2, 2011-2012) of 6121 children aged 6 to 12 years.

Results:

In APCAPS, children with >36 months of breastfeeding scored 0.28 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.00-0.56; P < .05) higher on tests than those with up to 12 months of breastfeeding. In the nationally representative IHDS-2 data, above-median breastfeeding duration was associated with 0.1 year (95% CI: 0.04-0.16; P < .01) higher educational attainment. In IHDS-2, >12 to 24 months and >24 months of breastfeeding were associated with 0.12 (95% CI: 0.01-0.23; P < .05) and 0.19 years of (95% CI: 0.05-0.34; P < .05) higher educational attainment, respectively, than for those with up to 6 months of breastfeeding. In additional analyses by sex, we found that the benefits of breastfeeding accrued primarily to boys.

Conclusion:

Breastfeeding duration was associated with small gains in educational outcomes for boys but not for girls in India.