bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bayesian Active Learning of Neural Firing Rate Maps with Transformed Gaussian Process Priors
Authors: Park Mijung , Weller J. Patrick , Horwitz Gregory D. , Pillow Jonathan W.
Published: May 2014

A firing rate map, also known as a tuning curve, describes the nonlinear relationship between a neuron's spike rate and a low-dimensional stimulus (e.g., orientation, head direction, contrast, color). Here we investigate Bayesian active learning methods for estimating firing rate maps in closed-loop neurophysiology experiments. These methods can accelerate the characterization of such maps through the intelligent, adaptive selection of stimuli. Specifically, we explore the manner in which the prior and utility function used in Bayesian active learning affect stimulus selection and performance. Our approach relies on a flexible model that involves a nonlinearly transformed gaussian process (GP) prior over maps and conditionally Poisson spiking. We show that infomax learning, which selects stimuli to maximize the information gain about the firing rate map, exhibits strong dependence on the seemingly innocuous choice of nonlinear transformation function. We derive an alternate utility function that selects stimuli to minimize the average posterior variance of the firing rate map and analyze the surprising relationship between prior parameterization, stimulus selection, and active learning performance in GP-Poisson models. We apply these methods to color tuning measurements of neurons in macaque primary visual cortex.
The Competing Benefits of Noise and Heterogeneity in Neural Coding
Authors: Hunsberger Eric , Scott Matthew , Eliasmith Chris
Published: May 2014

Noise and heterogeneity are both known to benefit neural coding. Stochastic resonance describes how noise, in the form of random fluctuations in a neuron's membrane voltage, can improve neural representations of an input signal. Neuronal heterogeneity refers to variation in any one of a number of neuron parameters and is also known to increase the information content of a population. We explore the interaction between noise and heterogeneity and find that their benefits to neural coding are not independent. Specifically, a neuronal population better represents an input signal when either noise or heterogeneity is added, but adding both does not always improve representation further. To explain this phenomenon, we propose that noise and heterogeneity operate using two shared mechanisms: (1) temporally desynchronizing the firing of neurons in the population and (2) linearizing the response of a population to a stimulus. We first characterize the effects of noise and heterogeneity on the information content of populations of either leaky integrate-and-fire or FitzHugh-Nagumo neurons. We then examine how the mechanisms of desynchronization and linearization produce these effects, and find that they work to distribute information equally across all neurons in the population in terms of both signal timing (desynchronization) and signal amplitude (linearization). Without noise or heterogeneity, all neurons encode the same aspects of the input signal; adding noise or heterogeneity allows neurons to encode complementary aspects of the input signal, thereby increasing information content. The simulations detailed in this letter highlight the importance of heterogeneity and noise in population coding, demonstrate their complex interactions in terms of the information content of neurons, and explain these effects in terms of underlying mechanisms.
Memory Nearly on a Spring: A Mean First Passage Time Approach to Memory Lifetimes
Authors: Elliott Terry
Published: May 2014

We study memory lifetimes in a perceptron-based framework with binary synapses, using the mean first passage time for the perceptron's total input to fall below firing threshold to define memory lifetimes. Working with the simplest memory-related model of synaptic plasticity, we may obtain exact results for memory lifetimes or, working in the continuum limit, good analytical approximations that afford either much qualitative insight or extremely good quantitative agreement. In one particular limit, we find that memory dynamics reduce to the well-understood Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. We show that asymptotically, the lifetimes of memories grow logarithmically in the number of synapses when the perceptron's firing threshold is zero, reproducing standard results from signal-to-noise ratio analyses. However, this is only an asymptotically valid result, and we show that extending its application outside the range of its validity leads to a massive overestimate of the minimum number of synapses required for successful memory encoding. In the case that the perceptron's firing threshold is positive, we find the remarkable result that memory lifetimes are strictly bounded from above. Asymptotically, the dependence of memory lifetimes on the number of synapses drops out entirely, and this asymptotic result provides a strict upper bound on memory lifetimes away from this asymptotic regime. The classic logarithmic growth of memory lifetimes in the simplest, palimpsest memories is therefore untypical and nongeneric: memory lifetimes are typically strictly bounded from above.
The Role of Physiological Cues during Remote Collaboration
Authors: Tan Chiew Seng Sean , Luyten Kris , Van Den Bergh Jan , Schöning Johannes , Coninx Karin
Published: May 2014

Empathic communication allows individuals to perceive and understand the feeling and emotion of the person with whom they are interacting. This could be particularly important during remote collaboration (such as remote assistance or distance learning) to enhance the social and emotional understanding of geographically distributed partners. However, supporting awareness in remote collaboration is very challenging especially when the interaction with the remote parties results in less information that can be communicated than in a physical interaction. We explore the effect of visualization using physiological cues that allow users to interpret emotional behaviors of remote parties with whom they are interacting in real time. The proposed visual representation allows users to infer emotional patterns from physiological cues that can potentially influence their communication approach toward a more aggressive style or maintain passive and peaceful interaction. We conducted a study involving participants who were paired up for a collaborative assessment task, interacting via voice only, videoconference, or a visual representation of the physiological measurements. Participants perceived the usage of our visual representation with higher group cohesiveness than using voice-only interaction. Further analysis shows that the visual representation significantly increases the positive affect score (i.e., participants are perceived to be more alert and demonstrate less distress) during remote collaboration. We discuss the possibilities of the proposed visual representation to support empathic communication during remote collaboration, and the benefits to the remote partners of having positive affect and group cohesiveness.
Anger Effects on Driver Situation Awareness and Driving Performance
Authors: Jeon Myounghoon , Walker Bruce N. , Gable Thomas M.
Published: May 2014

Research has suggested that emotional states have critical effects on various cognitive processes, which are important components of situation awareness (Endsley, 1995b). Evidence from driving studies has also emphasized the importance of driver situation awareness for performance and safety. However, to date, little research has investigated the relationship between emotional effects and driver situation awareness. In our experiment, 30 undergraduates drove in a simulator after induction of either anger or neutral affect. Results showed that an induced angry state can degrade driver situation awareness as well as driving performance as compared to a neutral state. However, the angry state did not have an impact on participants' subjective judgment or perceived workload, which might imply that the effects of anger occurred below their level of conscious awareness. One of the reasons participants showed a lack of compensation for their deficits in performance might be that they were not aware of severe impacts of emotional effects on driving performance.
Checklist of Vietnamese Orthoptera (Saltatoria)
Authors: KIM TAEWOO , PHAM HONG THAI
Published: May 2014

This study presents all known Vietnamese Orthoptera (Saltatoria) from 1887 to 2013 as a summarized checklist that includes currently valid names and synonyms for the fauna with their type localities. The sources are compared with reliable references and Orthoptera species file online. A total of 656 species and 12 families were estimated to occur in Vietnam through present.
Concurrent 3-D Sonifications Enable the Head-Up Monitoring of Two Interrelated Aircraft Navigation Instruments
Authors: Towers John , Burgess-Limerick Robin , Riek Stephan
Published: May 2014

Objective:

The aim of this study was to enable the head-up monitoring of two interrelated aircraft navigation instruments by developing a 3-D auditory display that encodes this navigation information within two spatially discrete sonifications.

Background:

Head-up monitoring of aircraft navigation information utilizing 3-D audio displays, particularly involving concurrently presented sonifications, requires additional research.

Method:

A flight simulator’s head-down waypoint bearing and course deviation instrument readouts were conveyed to participants via a 3-D auditory display. Both readouts were separately represented by a colocated pair of continuous sounds, one fixed and the other varying in pitch, which together encoded the instrument value’s deviation from the norm. Each sound pair’s position in the listening space indicated the left/right parameter of its instrument’s readout. Participants’ accuracy in navigating a predetermined flight plan was evaluated while performing a head-up task involving the detection of visual flares in the out-of-cockpit scene.

Results:

The auditory display significantly improved aircraft heading and course deviation accuracy, head-up time, and flare detections. Head tracking did not improve performance by providing participants with the ability to orient potentially conflicting sounds, suggesting that the use of integrated localizing cues was successful.

Conclusion:

A supplementary 3-D auditory display enabled effective head-up monitoring of interrelated navigation information normally attended to through a head-down display.

Application:

Pilots operating aircraft, such as helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, may benefit from a supplementary auditory display because they navigate in two dimensions while performing head-up, out-of-aircraft, visual tasks.
Polyurethane molded foams with high content of hyperbranched polyols from soybean oil
Authors: Zlatanić Alisa , Javni Ivan , Ionescu Mihail , Bilić Nikola , Petrović Zoran S
Published: May 2014

This paper examines the feasibility of using polyols from vegetable oils as base polyols (i.e. with 50% or more in a blend with petrochemical polyols) for flexible molded polyurethane foams. A series of hyperbranched (HB) polyols were synthesized by transesterification of hydroxy fatty acid methyl esters and different modifiers to control viscosity, hydrophilicity, molecular weight, and functionality. All HB polyols had hydroxyl numbers around 85 mg KOH/g, with the exception of one which was 105 mg KOH/g. When mixed with petrochemical polyols with OH numbers 35 and 28 mg KOH/g, the HB polyols acted primarily as high molecular weight crosslinkers that increased the stiffness of the polymeric network and the load-bearing properties but decreased the tensile strength, elongation, and tear strength. However, most of the foams met the targeted tensile and tear strength values while some of the foam formulations provided satisfactory elongation. The best mechanical properties were obtained from foams with phthalic anhydride-modified HB polyols. It was demonstrated that flexible molded foams with satisfactory properties can be obtained with 50% and 65% of HB soy polyols in a blend with PPO polyols.
The case against irony
Authors: Brennan Timothy
Published: May 2014

Taken to be the essential feature of all literature, irony is actually quite problematic. Inseparable from the invention of the West by way of the Oriental society of Greece (above all, in Plato), irony enters the modern literary scene at the confluence of forms of labour, vestigial notions of medieval craft, an ethics of dissimulation, and an attack on dialectical thought. Indeed, there is a largely neglected tradition of hostility towards irony within dialectical thought, which leads to an aesthetic outlook on the world that, for a variety of historical reasons, has been most prominent in the global periphery. Irony is understood here as much more than a literary figure — as being, rather, a “standpoint” or position. It is impossible to decouple our largely uncritical reception of irony from the triumph of literary modernism, and so any attempt (as in this article) to question forms of “peripheral modernism” requires a critical revision of our welcome to irony itself, which is not essential to literature, and has in fact colonized it.
Hoisted on their own petard? Business and human rights
Authors: Bellace Janice R
Published: May 2014

Although there is a voluminous literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR), there has been a conspicuous silence on what constitutes a socially responsible corporate stance regarding workers in situations that fall within the boundaries of internationally accepted human rights standards. Corporate statements typically avoid any discussion of what a given human right might mean in practice or whether there is some generally accepted statement of what the right means. To highlight the tension between traditional notions of CSR and emerging soft law on the human rights responsibilities of business, this paper reviews the employers' position at the 2012 International Labour Conference challenging the meaning of one International Labour Organization (ILO) core convention. This paper reviews company codes of conduct and how company reporting mechanisms relate to the ILO fundamental principles that embody human rights in the work context. In light of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact and the UN Human Rights Council's Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (Ruggie framework), the paper will critique the view that ILO supervisory bodies cannot authoritatively say what a core convention means.
MEJ Covers from the First 100 Years
Authors: Freer Patrick K.
Published: May 2014

Each of the covers designed for the 638 issues of Music Educators Journal and her predecessors conveys a bit of our history. These covers are analogous to single frames from a motion picture in that they each tell a piece of the story about how NAfME grew as an association and how we developed as a profession. But many of the individual covers are unique artistic statements in their own right. This article chronicles the various design features of MEJ covers from 1914 to 2014.
The Slogan of the Century
Authors: Heidingsfelder Lauren
Published: May 2014

This article is a review of literature detailing the 1923 origin of the phrase “Music for Every Child; Every Child for Music” and tracing its use in music education periodicals through the next nine decades. By delving into the now century-old archives for Music Educators Journal to research the historic declaration of Karl W. Gehrkens (1882–1975), one finds that a simple statement became a mantra that has spanned generations and continues to represent the field of music education today.
Sexual Orientation and Music Education
Authors: Bergonzi Louis
Published: May 2014

This article offers an overview of sexual orientation and music education, in particular how sexual orientation—specifically, heterosexuality—has been dominant in the teaching of music in the United States. Scenarios of heterosexual privilege related to music students, music teachers, and instructional content are presented. After acknowledging heterosexuality’s position of privilege in music education, the author asks the question of whether people are willing to remove it as they have done with other privileges, in the interest of meeting students’ needs and as the profession has matured.
Change in the social life of urban public spaces: The rise of mobile phones and women, and the decline of aloneness over 30 years
Authors: Hampton Keith N , Goulet Lauren Sessions , Albanesius Garrett
Published: May 2014

This study illustrates that over the past 30 years, Americans have become less socially isolated while using public spaces. Based on content analysis of films from four public spaces over a 30-year period, the behaviour and characteristics of 143,593 people were coded. The most dramatic changes in the social life of urban public spaces have been an increase in the proportion of women and a corresponding increase in the tendency for men and women to spend time together in public. Despite the ubiquity of mobile phones, their rate of use in public is relatively small. Mobile phone users appear less often in spaces where there are more groups, and most often in spaces where people might otherwise be walking alone. This suggests that, when framed as a communication tool, mobile phone use is associated with reduced public isolation, although it is associated with an increased likelihood to linger and with time spent lingering in public. We argue that public spaces are an important component of the communication system that provides exposure to diverse messages, brings people into contact to discuss their needs and interests, and helps people recognise their commonalities and accept their differences. The increased tendency to spend time in groups while in public contrasts with evidence from other research that suggests a decline in American public life, and that mobile phones have increased social isolation in public spaces. The increase in group behaviour, women and lingering in public may have positive implications for engagement within the public sphere.
Comparative study of fiber-reinforced elastomer composites subjected to accelerated aging in water
Authors: Favre Audrey , Fotsing Edith Roland , Levesque Martin , Ruiz Edu
Published: May 2014

This work focuses on the study of the hydrothermal aging of fiber-reinforced rubber composites. Physical and mechanical properties of different rubber composites as well as their influence with aging conditions were studied. Four rubber matrices were used (ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), silicone, EPDM/silicone, and neoprene) to make composite samples reinforced with glass fibers. Accelerated aging in water was performed using a hot tub under controlled temperature for few months. The decrement in mechanical properties was linked to water infiltration and degradation of the fiber–matrix interface. After 6 months of accelerated aging, some samples showed an important deviation from original properties, while others retained nearly homogeneous properties with time.
Stress and Anxiety in Women With Gestational Diabetes During Dietary Management
Authors: Hui Amy Leung , Sevenhuysen Gustaaf , Harvey Dexter , Salamon Elizabeth
Published: May 2014

Purpose

To explore the stress and anxiety experiences during dietary management in women with gestational diabetes (GDM).

Methods

Thirty women with GDM from the Winnipeg area participated in the mixed methods study. Each participant completed a Food Choice Map semistructured interview, a Perceived Stress Scale, a Pregnancy Anxiety Scale, a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory–Trait questionnaire, and a demographic questionnaire. Stress and anxiety experiences were identified from interview transcripts and categorized into themes based on the constant comparative method. Questionnaire scores aided in interpreting the stress and anxiety experience in the qualitative data.

Results

Three major themes were generated from the interviews: (1) stress related to GDM diagnosis and the perception of a high risk pregnancy; (2) stress over losing control of GDM during the process of dietary management; and (3) anxiety related to the fear of maternal and infant complications. Women on insulin experienced significantly higher levels of perceived stress ( P < .01), and the dietary management stress was more prevalent in women using insulin compared to the ones on diet treatment only (Fisher exact test, P < .01). Unhealthy diet coping strategies occurred with the stress and anxiety.

Conclusions

Stress and anxiety were associated with different contexts in this study sample. Women who were on insulin experienced significantly higher levels of perceived stress related to dietary management.
Trust in Government and Support for Municipal Services
Authors: Herian Mitchel N.
Published: May 2014

This article examines the relationship between trust in government and support for local governmental services. It is hypothesized that trust in government will predict support for local government services, but that trust will differentially predict support across policy areas. The results demonstrate that trust predicts support for human services and infrastructure but is not related to support for emergency services. The findings of this article contribute to the broader literature on attitudes toward local governmental services and may hold potential clues for policy makers interested in understanding the factors that shape public preferences for governmental service delivery.
Regime type, international migration, and the politics of dual citizenship toleration
Authors: Mirilovic Nikola
Published: May 2014

Why do some countries tolerate dual citizenship while others do not? The answer concerns the interaction between regime type variation and international migration. Democracies with a relatively large migrant stock are more likely to tolerate dual citizenship than democracies with a low migrant stock. Meanwhile, democracies with relatively high emigration rates for the highly educated population are more likely to tolerate dual citizenship than democracies with low emigration rates of the highly educated. In authoritarian states, the opposite is the case: emigration of the highly educated and immigration both reduce the likelihood of dual citizenship toleration. These claims are supported by the evidence from a large n examination of contemporary cross-national data. Understanding dual citizenship helps us address larger questions about the significance of democracy and the nature and scope of nation states.
Circle of Care
Authors: Margolis Kathryn L. , Fosco Gregory M. , Stormshak Elizabeth A.
Published: May 2014

In the contemporary family, which is increasingly shaped by multicultural influences, parents rarely are the sole caretakers of their children. To improve understanding of family dynamics, researchers must redefine caregiving networks to include multiple caregivers, such as extended family members. This study explored the influences of caregiving networks on youth depression by examining who youths perceived as caretakers, how many caretakers were in their networks, the youths’ connectedness with adults in their network, and harmony of relationships among adults within the network. Data from an ethnically diverse, urban sample of 180 middle school youths revealed participation of multiple caregivers for all groups, but ethnic differences existed in network composition. These differences in network composition are discussed within a sociocultural context, considering how positive relationships with specific caregivers may buffer future depression. Longitudinal analyses confirmed the importance of positive relationships with caregiving networks for youth of color when predicting future depression.
Rapid Systematic Review of Repeated Application of the Epley Maneuver for Treating Posterior BPPV
Authors: Reinink Hendrik , Wegner Inge , Stegeman Inge , Grolman Wilko
Published: May 2014

Objective

To evaluate the effect of repeated application of the Epley maneuver on patient‐reported symptom relief and resolution of nystagmus in patients with posterior benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (p‐BPPV).

Data Sources

PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted. Studies reporting original study data were included. Relevance and risk of bias (RoB) of the selected articles were assessed. Studies with low relevance, high RoB, or both were excluded. Success percentages and mean values were extracted.

Results

A total of 955 unique studies were retrieved. Fourteen of these satisfied the eligibility criteria. All of the included studies carried a high relevance and a moderate RoB. The majority of studies were 1‐armed trials, in which the Epley was repeated only in case previous attempt(s) had failed. The maneuver was not repeated if it was successful. In 32% to 90% of patients, the first treatment session was successful. Reported cumulative success percentages ranged from 40% to 100% after the second session, 67% to 98% after the third session, 87% to 100% after the fourth session, and 100% in the studies in which patients received 5 sessions. One study evaluating the effect of multiple maneuvers in a single session showed a rise in success percentages from 84% for 1 maneuver to 90% after 2 maneuvers and 92% after 3 maneuvers.

Conclusion

Multiple studies with moderate RoB show a beneficial effect of multiple sessions of the Epley maneuver in p‐BPPV patients who are not fully cleared of symptoms after the first session.
When quantity is not enough: Disentangling the roles of practice time, self-regulation and deliberate practice in musical achievement
Authors: Bonneville-Roussy Arielle , Bouffard Thérèse
Published: May 2014

Past research has referred to either the concepts of self-regulation or deliberate practice to explain the relationships between learning strategies and musical achievement and performance. In addition, even though most scholars agree that formal practice time plays an important role in musical achievement, empirical investigations have failed to show consistent associations between practice time and achievement. The aim of this article is to suggest an integrative framework in which self-regulation, deliberate practice strategies and practice time are simultaneously taken into account in the prediction of musical achievement. In this framework, we propose that formal practice should be defined as a goal-directed and focused period of practice that includes both self-regulation and deliberate practice strategies. We further posit that practice time will predict musical achievement only if associated with formal practice. This integrative framework was tested in a 4-month prospective study using structural equation modelling. Results revealed that this integrative model was a better predictor of musical achievement than traditional methods of measurement. The suggested integration of self-regulation and deliberate practice within a single framework provides a more complete picture of the associations between learning strategies, practice time and musical achievement.
Canadian Headache Society systematic review and recommendations on the treatment of migraine pain in emergency settings
Authors: Orr Serena L , Aubé Michel , Becker Werner J , Davenport W Jeptha , Dilli Esma , Dodick David , Giammarco Rose , Gladstone Jonathan , Leroux Elizabeth , Pim Heather , Dickinson Garth , Christie Suzanne N
Published: May 2014

Background

There is a considerable amount of practice variation in managing migraines in emergency settings, and evidence-based therapies are often not used first line.

Methods

A peer-reviewed search of databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL) was carried out to identify randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials of interventions for acute pain relief in adults presenting with migraine to emergency settings. Where possible, data were pooled into meta-analyses.

Results

Two independent reviewers screened 831 titles and abstracts for eligibility. Three independent reviewers subsequently evaluated 120 full text articles for inclusion, of which 44 were included. Individual studies were then assigned a US Preventive Services Task Force quality rating. The GRADE scheme was used to assign a level of evidence and recommendation strength for each intervention.

Interpretation

We strongly recommend the use of prochlorperazine based on a high level of evidence, lysine acetylsalicylic acid, metoclopramide and sumatriptan, based on a moderate level of evidence, and ketorolac, based on a low level of evidence. We weakly recommend the use of chlorpromazine based on a moderate level of evidence, and ergotamine, dihydroergotamine, lidocaine intranasal and meperidine, based on a low level of evidence. We found evidence to recommend strongly against the use of dexamethasone, based on a moderate level of evidence, and granisetron, haloperidol and trimethobenzamide based on a low level of evidence. Based on moderate-quality evidence, we recommend weakly against the use of acetaminophen and magnesium sulfate. Based on low-quality evidence, we recommend weakly against the use of diclofenac, droperidol, lidocaine intravenous, lysine clonixinate, morphine, propofol, sodium valproate and tramadol.
Space headache on Earth: Head-down-tilted bed rest studies simulating outer-space microgravity
Authors: van Oosterhout WPJ , Terwindt GM , Vein AA , Ferrari MD
Published: May 2014

Background

Headache is a common symptom during space travel, both isolated and as part of space motion syndrome. Head-down-tilted bed rest (HDTBR) studies are used to simulate outer space microgravity on Earth, and allow countermeasure interventions such as artificial gravity and training protocols, aimed at restoring microgravity-induced physiological changes.

Objectives

The objectives of this article are to assess headache incidence and characteristics during HDTBR, and to evaluate the effects of countermeasures.

Methods

In a randomized cross-over design by the European Space Agency (ESA), 22 healthy male subjects, without primary headache history, underwent three periods of –6-degree HDTBR. In two of these episodes countermeasure protocols were added, with either centrifugation or aerobic exercise training protocols. Headache occurrence and characteristics were daily assessed using a specially designed questionnaire.

Results

In total 14/22 (63.6%) subjects reported a headache during ≥1 of the three HDTBR periods, in 12/14 (85.7%) non-specific, and two of 14 (14.4%) migraine. The occurrence of headache did not differ between HDTBR with and without countermeasures: 12/22 (54.5%) subjects vs. eight of 22 (36.4%) subjects; p = 0.20; 13/109 (11.9%) headache days vs. 36/213 (16.9%) headache days; p = 0.24). During countermeasures headaches were, however, more often mild ( p = 0.03) and had fewer associated symptoms ( p = 0.008).

Conclusions

Simulated microgravity during HDTBR induces headache episodes, mostly on the first day. Countermeasures are useful in reducing headache severity and associated symptoms. Reversible, microgravity-induced cephalic fluid shift may cause headache, also on Earth. HDTBR can be used to study space headache on Earth.
Self-enforcing clientelism
Authors: Gallego Jorge
Published: May 2014

Political clientelism is a dyadic relation in which a politician (the patron) gives material goods and services to a citizen (the client), in exchange for political support. If, at different stages of this relationship, both the patron and the client have incentives to defect and not honor informal agreements, what makes clientelism self-enforcing? The following paper presents a game-theoretical model of political clientelism in which a candidate disciplines a majority of voters through the promise of a future flow of benefits. A mixed strategy involving a randomized allocation of resources among constituencies makes clientelism feasible when the politician’s action is contingent on the result of the election. Higher campaign budgets and lower voter aversion towards clientelistic parties, as well as higher patience and higher heterogeneity across groups of voters, make clientelism more likely. Swing voters tend to be gifted more frequently than core supporters with this frequency increasing as group heterogeneity increases, presenting a positive association.
Sulfonated aromatic copoly(ether–amide) membranes: preparation and characterization for possible application in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells
Authors: Sosa-González Wadi-Elim , del Jesús Palí-Casanova Ramón , de Jesús Aguilar-Vega Manuel
Published: May 2014

Sulfonated membranes from highly aromatic copoly(ether–amide)s with sulfonation degrees (SDs) between 20 mol% and 55 mol% were prepared from the combination of diamines, 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)-bis-( p-phenyleneoxy)dianiline (HFD), and different molar concentrations of 2,4-diaminobenzenesulfonic acid (DABS) that were reacted with equimolar amounts of isophthalic acid (ISO). The ionic membranes show–SO3H groups in the expected concentrations as assessed by Fourier transform infrared and proton nuclear magnetic resonance. Sulfonated copoly(ether–amide) membranes show the first thermal decomposition at 281°C for the sulfonic moieties and a second thermal loss at 439°C for the rigid nonsulfonated backbone which imparts them their high thermal stability. The ion-exchange capacity and water absorption in the sulfonated copoly(ether–amide)s increase steadily with SD. The copoly(ether–amide) with the larger SD, 55 mol% of DABS, HFD- co-ISO/DABS-55, shows the highest proton conductivity (91 mS cm−1) at 75°C. These results situate HFD- co-ISO/DABS-55 as a possible electrolyte membrane for use in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell with high thermal and mechanical stability.
Unsteady hydromagnetic slip flow and heat transfer of nanofluid over a moving surface with prescribed heat and mass fluxes
Authors: Muthtamilselvan M , Prakash D
Published: May 2014

An unsteady two-dimensional laminar boundary layer flow of viscous, incompressible nanofluid over a vertical stretching surface with hydromagnetic field has been investigated numerically. The model used for the nanofluid incorporates the effects of Brownian motion and thermophoresis in the presence of partial slip on the velocity field. Two types of general heating processes namely, the prescribed surface temperature and concentration and the prescribed wall heat and nanoparticle flux are imposed on the stretching surface. By applying similarity analysis, the governing partial differential equations are transformed into a set of time-dependent nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations and they are solved by Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg method along with shooting technique. The effects of governing parameters on the dimensionless velocity, temperature and concentration distributions are discussed. Moreover, the numerical results obtained in this study is compared with the existing literature and found that they are in good agreement.
A coupled free-wake/panel method for rotor/fuselage/empennage aerodynamic interaction and helicopter trims
Authors: Cao Yihua , Lv Shaojie , Li Guozhi
Published: May 2014

A coupled free-wake/panel method to predict the rotor downwash aerodynamic interaction and helicopter trims is presented. Free-wake method was developed to analyze aerodynamics interference of rotor wake, based on lifting-surface theory and vortex method, which relates the core radius, span station, and circulation of initial tip vortex with the blade-bound circulation distribution, and eliminates the empirical parameters during rotor free wake analysis. Helicopter fuselage with empennage was discretized into source panels. The vortex line mirror method was adopted to account for wake acceleration phenomenon that resulted from the close interaction between rotor wake and fuselage surface. The rotor wake geometry and downwash simulations were investigated including comparisons with the available measured data. Combined with the helicopter flight dynamics model and embedded in the trim procedure, the free-wake/panel coupled method was applied to calculate the rotor wake and its interference on other components of a full-scale UH-60A rotorcraft in level flight. Comparisons among predictions, referenced results, and experimental results are made for rotor wake geometries, blade-bound vortex, blade tip vortex, rotor downwash velocity, and control stick positions, and encouraging results were obtained. To validate the present method, this paper discusses the fundamental formulation, the numerical algorithms, and the simulation results.
Influence of aeroelastic control reversal problem in the airplane lateral stability modes
Authors: Rose J Bruce Ralphin , Jinu GR
Published: May 2014

At high-cruising speeds, airplane wing structures shall experience air loads of significant magnitudes from different directions. The flexible wing structure with an elevated aspect ratio produces the bend-twist coupling that often exceeds the control limits. The popular aeroelastic control reversal issue occurs because of the unsystematic changes in the aerodynamic quantities. This article presents a detailed investigation on the airplane lateral stability that is subjected to a variety of aerodynamic forces at cruising flight. A novel idea is proposed to find the dynamic stability characteristics of an airplane against the aeroelastic reversal problem. Initially, the pitching moment relating to the change in lift at various angles of attack with longitudinal static stability condition is verified by using computer simulation. Then the slope of wing lift curve, aileron lift curve and the moment coefficient concerning to aileron deflection are computed using computational as well as experimental methods. The changes in pressure distributions about the aileron deflection revealed several facts to enhance the reversal speed. The wind tunnel testing results are perfectly concur with the computational fluid dynamics plots. The outcome of experimental analysis is confirming that aeroelastic control reversal speed enhancement without any major structural optimization is possible. The aeroelastic behaviour of large commercial airplanes and subsonic bombers are the primary interest in the view of application about this analysis.
Fundamental methodologies for control of nonlinear nonminimum-phase systems: An overview
Authors: Rajput Jahanzeb , Weiguo Zhang
Published: May 2014

In this article, an overview of principle research works regarding control of nonlinear nonminimum-phase systems is presented. Key concepts of some research of fundamental importance that has been done in this area are discussed. The research is categorized into the five fundamental methodologies, and further work based on particular methodology is also discussed. Limitations of each concept are also highlighted at the end.
Social Media Conceptualization and Taxonomy
Authors: Ouirdi Mariam El , El Ouirdi Asma , Segers Jesse , Henderickx Erik
Published: May 2014

‘Social media’ has become a widely used term, and the subject of a growing body of academic research, but with little definitional consensus. The purpose of this article is to answer the question: what are social media? We examined existing scholarly definitions of the term ‘social media’ through a Lasswellian lens, by applying directed content analysis to a sample of 23 academic definitions retrieved from the top 179 cited papers on social media in the Web of Knowledge database. The present study makes two main contributions to the theorization of social media. First, we build on previous academic efforts to suggest an inclusive definition of social media based on Lasswell’s act of communication. Second, using the suggested definition, we categorize social media channels based on three dimensions, that is, user, content format and function. This taxonomy is illustrated by presenting a social media cube that aims to help practitioners, managers, researchers and developers to both classify existing social media platforms, and identify prospective ones.
Crowdsourcing from the Ground Up: How a New Generation of Nepali Nonprofits Uses Social Media to Successfully Promote its Initiatives
Authors: Amtzis Rachel
Published: May 2014

Social media have swiftly become an invaluable tool for small-scale nonprofits in Nepal to obtain publicity and funding, frequently via crowd voting contests and crowdfunding drives. Social media have also enabled ideas and methods overlooked by traditional development grantors and institutions to be directly promoted to individual and institutional donors previously out of reach. Crowd voting and crowdfunding have made it possible for people to have a greater share and say in development projects they heretofore were rarely consulted on. Social media driven crowdsourcing campaigns for initiatives such as urban vegetable parks, rural hospitals, cooperative schools and children’s art museums allow a broader swathe of the public to participate in development and its communication. In addition, on the ground efforts are revealed to be extremely important in obtaining votes and when carried out alongside online social media based campaigning activities have netted nonprofits grant awards ranging from $ 2,500 to 300,000. Despite geographic, economic, technical and linguistic barriers faced by residents of Nepal to widespread participation in crowd voting and crowdfunding, a significant number of recently established small-scale nonprofits have altered the way development projects in the country are promoted, funded and participated in.
Shakespeare on Leadership, Communication and Management
Authors: Bharadwaj Apoorva
Published: May 2014

Shakespeare has been widely recognized as a dramaturgist who through his intriguing pageantry of kings presents an effective text of leadership, communication and management that has inspired hosts of modern day business practitioners. Yet it is interesting to note that the management perspective which Shakespeare seems to espouse has emanated from the cultural ethos of his native country, Great Britain. Britain has been portrayed by prominent interculturists such as Geert Hofstede, Fons Trompenaars, Edward T. Hall as a low power distance, weak uncertainty avoidance, low-context culture with high masculinity and individualism index, demonstrating achievement and inner-directed value orientations. Even Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness (GLOBE) study in its cultural taxonomy identifies a ramification of Anglo-cluster leadership model with a distinct skill set which includes Great Britain. The character lineaments of Shakespeare’s king leaders present congruence with the leadership profiles defined for diverse cultural demarcations by these seminal works on cross-cultural management with remarkable fidelity thereby endorsing the view that culture and leadership are inextricably woven together in a symbiotic engagement. The article applies theories of intercultural management to the leadership, communication and management inferences that can be drawn from the literature of this bard of Avon to reach the conclusion that this master craftsman evinces a strong cultural affiliation to his native country in offering his sagacious exhortations which are designed for an English audience and hence, cannot be transplanted in the Oriental part of the world without indigenizing them in the process of transposition to fit into foreign cultural constructs. Thus, in order to be globally relevant an intercultural reading of Shakespeare has to be practised with systemic mutations in his scripts in order to offer an effective transnational discourse to management practitioners keeping in view the plurality of disparate socio-cultural business contexts.
Industrial conflict in paradise: Making the Bougainville copper project construction agreement 1970
Authors: Hess Michael , Maidment Ewan
Published: May 2014

In 1969, construction began on Conzinc Riotinto Australia’s huge copper and gold mine at Panguna on the island of Bougainville in what was then the Australian-administered Territory of Papua New Guinea. The mining project was unlike any Australians had previously undertaken, and its construction created complexities which Australian managers and industrial relations systems had not previously encountered. The complexity of employment relations on this project was increased by the political environment of colonial rule and the responses of Australian workers and unions. This article looks at the development of the first industrial agreement during the mine’s construction phase and places it in the context of the creation of a sustainable bargaining structure, which succeeded in mitigating industrial conflict for two decades before the outbreak of a wider armed conflict.
Comparison of monolithic and composite piezoelectric material–based energy harvesting devices
Authors: Song Hyun J , Choi Young-Tai , Wereley Norman M , Purekar Ashish
Published: May 2014

This study presents a comparison of the energy harvesting capacity of monolithic and composite piezoelectric materials, especially in the same energy harvesting configuration. The energy harvesting device was composed of a cantilever beam with active piezoelectric materials, a full-bridge rectifier circuit and an electrical load (resistance). Two energy harvesting devices were fabricated, both of which had piezoelectric patches mounted on top and bottom of the cantilever vibrating element. The first energy harvesting device utilized PZT-5H patches as a monolithic piezoelectric material, and the second energy harvesting device used macro-fiber composite patches as a composite piezoelectric material. The vibrating element used in this study was a stainless steel cantilevered beam with the same dimension as the patch. Characteristics of the energy harvesting devices, including generated power, current, and voltage, were compared in frequency domain and evaluated with respect to the electrical load under different excitation levels. In addition, the effects of the natural frequencies of the energy harvesting devices to the harvesting performance were evaluated. The power density (i.e. power over volume) and specific power (i.e. power over mass) of the energy harvesting devices were compared. In addition, the current density (i.e. current over volume) and specific current (i.e. current over mass) were also presented. Finally, the charging and discharging performances of the energy harvesting devices were also evaluated using a polymer Li-ion battery as the electrical load.
Formative Instructional Practices
Authors: Graham-Day Kristall J. , Fishley Katelyn M. , Konrad Moira , Peters Mary T. , Ressa Virginia A.
Published: May 2014

With many states moving toward increased accountability for all teachers, special educators, who have long been held accountable through the implementation of individualized education programs and the use of evidence-based practices, have much to offer. Formative instructional practices are evidence-based techniques that are familiar to special educators and can be implemented in classrooms filled with students of all skill and ability levels. Formative instructional practices are the way that teachers and students document evidence of student learning and make instructional decisions based on that evidence. These effective and versatile practices help teachers continuously assess their students, make data-based decisions, and ensure optimal learning. This article suggests that special educators are well positioned to make an important contribution as schools adopt more rigorous standards and the formative instructional practices necessary to guide students to mastery of these standards. An overview of these practices is provided.