bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contestation and the local trajectories of neoliberal urban governance in Chicago’s Bronzeville and Pilsen
Authors: Sternberg Carolina , Anderson Matthew
Published: May 2014

Neoliberal urban governances are now widely recognised as contingently manifest and constantly evolving social and institutional formations. Yet, there remains comparatively little empirical work on the place-specific complexities of urban neoliberalisation, and as variegated formations within the same city. Drawing on Chicago’s Bronzeville and Pilsen neighbourhoods, we reveal the intra-urban contingency character of neoliberal urban governance. Both ‘neighbourhood governances’ in Bronzeville and Pilsen, we suggest, are constituted by similar yet different ensembles of developers, local officials and politically oriented community organisations, and redevelopment strategies. Second, we illuminate one dimension of this intra-urban contingency: the mutually constitutive and differentially unfolding relation between contestation and neoliberal governance. Finally, four inter-related variables are revealed as mediating factors within this relationship that account for why Bronzeville and Pilsen’s governances have evolved in different ways: historical legacy, the dynamics between activist groups and pro-growth agents, economic circumstances and political orientation of contestation.
Online Networking in the Tourism Industry
Authors: Ying Tianyu , Norman William C. , Zhou Yongguang
Published: May 2014

Despite the abundance of research in information technology and tourism, limited is known about online communication and networking in the tourism industry. Researchers have examined the overall structure of online destination network, but further investigation is needed to understand the networking patterns of different tourism stakeholders in cyberspace. This study constructed and analyzed a hyperlink network of 745 tourism stakeholders in Charleston, South Carolina. Link impact analysis, hyperlink network analysis, and statistical methods were employed for exploring the structural characteristics of the online networks among tourism stakeholders and their networking behaviors on the Web. The results revealed a sparse online network within the tourism industry of a destination, and suggested that tourism stakeholders’ online networking behaviors vary across sectors. The findings also confirmed destination marketing organizations’ central position in online tourism network, and validated the use of hyperlink network as an alternative and promising data source for destination network research.
The Tourism Development–Quality of Life Nexus in a Small Island Destination
Authors: Ridderstaat Jorge , Croes Robertico , Nijkamp Peter
Published: May 2014

Tourism development (TD) and quality of life (QoL) have been studied mostly from the perspective of how TD affects QoL, but the inverse relationship is less widely researched. Understanding this interrelationship will broaden the definition and goals of development, and will help shifting the debate from an income perspective to a QoL standpoint. This study assesses the linkages between TD, QoL, and economic growth for the island of Aruba. The study contributes to the literature by improving the understanding of the nature of the relationship between TD and QoL, by advancing the theory-building process. The methodology involves multivariate cointegration analyses and Granger causality testing. The results confirm the two-way direct relationship between TD and QoL, with proactive roles for both direct and indirect relationships. The findings highlight the need for recognizing the importance of QoL in determining TD, and understanding the workings of TD and economic growth on QoL dimensions.
The Influence of Interest Groups on Government
Authors: Cherny Nicolás
Published: May 2014

Interest groups’ influence on government affects economic policy making and has an impact on economic crises. Under Argentina’s convertibility exchange-rate regime until its collapse in 2001, tradable-goods entrepreneurs’ preferences depended on the degree to which the government offered them trade-offs either to offset the loss of competitiveness stemming from the currency peg or to exempt them from the costs of devaluation. For the nontradable sector and investors the costs of maintaining the peg to the dollar were always less than those entailed in abandoning the regime. While the fiscal and external inconsistencies of convertibility reduced the preference of the International Monetary Fund for maintaining convertibility, the cost of changing it induced the Fund to continue financing the Argentine government. Moreover, the influence exerted on the IMF by the governments of countries whose businesses had been affected by the distribution of the cost of abandoning the convertibility discouraged financial collaboration by the foreign assistance organizations during the collapse.

La influencia de los grupos de interés sobre el gobierno afecta la orientación de la política económica y tiene su impacto en las crisis económicas. Durante el régimen de convertibilidad en Argentina hasta su colapso en 2001, las preferencias de los empresarios de bienes transables dependían del grado en que el gobierno les ofrecía compensaciones, sea para moderar la pérdida de competitividad derivada de la fijación o para sustraerlos de los costos de la devaluación. Para los empresarios del sector no transable y los inversores financieros los costos de mantener la fijación con el dólar resultaron siempre inferiores que los de salir del régimen. Si las inconsistencias fiscales y externas de la convertibilidad desalentaban la preferencia del FMI por mantener la convertibilidad, los costos de cambiarla indujeron al Fondo a sostener el financiamiento al gobierno argentino. Asimismo, la influencia que ejercieron sobre el FMI los gobiernos de los países cuyas empresas habían sido afectadas en la distribución de los costos del cambio de régimen cambiario desalentó la colaboración financiera de los organismos proveedores de ayuda externa durante el colapso.
Noncompaction cardiomyopathy: Manifestation as a surgical pitfall – rare but real
Authors: Marathe Supreet P , Vaideeswar Pradeep , Parikh Roneil , Mishra Prashant , Aironi Balaji , Agrawal Nandkishor B , Karunamurthy Arivarsan
Published: May 2014

Objectives

Noncompaction cardiomyopathy is characterized by hyper-trabeculation of the myocardium. The patients present with heart failure and variable combination of arrhythmias and thromboembolism. Although several articles have shed light on the medical aspect of this disease, none have highlighted its surgical relevance. A death following ligation of a patent ductus arteriosus prompted us to evaluate the surgical aspects of this disease.

Methods

Autopsy records from 2003 to 2012 were reviewed, and cases identified as noncompaction cardiomyopathy were retrieved and analyzed. Cases with obligatory hyper-trabeculation were excluded.

Results

Thirteen patients were found to have noncompaction cardiomyopathy in 9427 autopsies performed. Their ages ranged from 4 months to 55 years; 10 were children, and all 3 adults were over 45 years of age. Only one patient had an antemortem diagnosis of noncompaction cardiomyopathy on echocardiography. There were 7 postoperative deaths.

Conclusions

Although noncompaction cardiomyopathy is rare, missing its diagnosis in a patient operated on for another indication can spell disaster postoperatively. As the clinical picture is nonspecific and the disease is not very well known, it needs vigilance on the part of the echocardiographer and surgeon.
Easy Lies
Authors: Harwood Jake
Published: May 2014

The article discusses a distinction between easy, small lies versus difficult, big lies. It suggests some different processes underlying the production of these different types of lies, suggesting that certain discursive challenges facing liars only manifest for difficult lies that have to be produced unexpectedly. The article also explores the strengths of the two articles at the center of this special issue, focusing on them as examples of theory building in the discipline of communication.
Do mammographic tumor features in breast cancer relate to breast density and invasiveness, tumor size, and axillary lymph node involvement?
Authors: Sartor Hanna , Borgquist Signe , Hartman Linda , Olsson Åsa , Jawdat Faith , Zackrisson Sophia
Published: May 2014

Background

Breast density and mammographic tumor features of breast cancer may carry prognostic information. The potential benefit of using the combined information obtained from breast density, mammographic tumor features, and pathological tumor characteristics has not been extensively studied.

Purpose

To investigate how mammographic tumor features relate to breast density and pathological tumor characteristics.

Material and Methods

This retrospective study was carried out within the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study: a population-based cohort study recruiting 17,035 women during 1991–1996. A total of 826 incident breast cancers were identified during follow-up. Mammography images were collected and analyzed according to breast density and tumor features at diagnosis. Pathological data were retrieved from medical reports. Mammographic tumor features in relation to invasiveness, tumor size, and axillary lymph node involvement were analyzed using logistic regression yielding odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and adjusted for age at diagnosis, mode of detection, and breast density.

Results

Tumors presenting as an ill-defined mass or calcifications were more common in dense breasts than tumors presenting as a distinct mass or with spiculated appearance. Invasive cancer was more common in tumors with spiculated appearance than tumors presenting as a distinct mass (adjusted OR, 5.68 [1.81–17.84]). Among invasive tumors, an ill-defined mass was more often large (>20 mm) compared with a distinct mass, (adjusted OR, 3.16 [1.80–5.55]).

Conclusion

Tumors presenting as an ill-defined mass or calcifications were more common in dense breasts. Spiculated appearance was related to invasiveness, and ill-defined mass to larger tumor size, regardless of mode of detection and breast density. The potential role of mammographic tumor features in clinical decision-making warrants further investigation.
Carbon monoxide may be an important molecule in migraine and other headaches
Authors: Arngrim Nanna , Schytz Henrik W , Hauge Mette K , Ashina Messoud , Olesen Jes
Published: May 2014

Introduction

Carbon monoxide was previously considered to just be a toxic gas. A wealth of recent information has, however, shown that it is also an important endogenously produced signalling molecule involved in multiple biological processes. Endogenously produced carbon monoxide may thus play an important role in nociceptive processing and in regulation of cerebral arterial tone.

Discussion

Carbon monoxide-induced headache shares many characteristics with migraine and other headaches. The mechanisms whereby carbon monoxide causes headache may include hypoxia, nitric oxide signalling and activation of cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathways. Here, we review the literature about carbon monoxide-induced headache and its possible mechanisms.

Conclusion

We suggest, for the first time, that carbon monoxide may play an important role in the mechanisms of migraine and other headaches.
The Effectiveness of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Lower Limb Tendinopathy
Authors: Mani-Babu Sethu , Morrissey Dylan , Waugh Charlotte , Screen Hazel , Barton Christian
Published: May 2014

Background:

There is accumulating evidence for the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) when treating lower limb tendinopathies including greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS), patellar tendinopathy (PT), and Achilles tendinopathy (AT).

Purpose:

To evaluate the effectiveness of ESWT for lower limb tendinopathies.

Study Design:

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods:

PubMed (Medline), Embase, Web of Knowledge, Cochrane, and CINAHL were searched from inception to February 2013 for studies of any design investigating the effectiveness of ESWT in GTPS, PT, and AT. Citation tracking was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar. Animal and non–English language studies were excluded. A quality assessment was performed by 2 independent reviewers, and effect size calculations were computed when sufficient data were provided.

Results:

A total of 20 studies were identified, with 13 providing sufficient data to compute effect size calculations. The energy level, number of impulses, number of sessions, and use of a local anesthetic varied between studies. Additionally, current evidence is limited by low participant numbers and a number of methodological weaknesses including inadequate randomization. Moderate evidence indicates that ESWT is more effective than home training and corticosteroid injection in the short (<12 months) and long (>12 months) term for GTPS. Limited evidence indicates that ESWT is more effective than alternative nonoperative treatments including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy, and an exercise program and equal to patellar tenotomy surgery in the long term for PT. Moderate evidence indicates that ESWT is more effective than eccentric loading for insertional AT and equal to eccentric loading for midportion AT in the short term. Additionally, there is moderate evidence that combining ESWT and eccentric loading in midportion AT may produce superior outcomes to eccentric loading alone.

Conclusion:

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy is an effective intervention and should be considered for GTPS, PT, and AT particularly when other nonoperative treatments have failed.
Results 2 Years After Matrix-Associated Autologous Chondrocyte Transplantation Using the Novocart 3D Scaffold
Authors: Zak Lukas , Albrecht Christian , Wondrasch Barbara , Widhalm Harald , Vekszler György , Trattnig Siegfried , Marlovits Stefan , Aldrian Silke
Published: May 2014

Background:

A range of scaffolds is available from various manufacturers for cartilage repair through matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT), with good medium- to long-term results.

Purpose:

To evaluate clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes 2 years after MACT on the knee joint using the Novocart 3D scaffold based on a bilayered collagen type I sponge.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Of 28 initial patients, 23 were clinically and radiologically evaluated 24 months after transplantation. Indications for MACT were chondral or osteochondral lesions on the knee joint with a defect size >2 cm2, no instability, and no malalignment (axis deviation <5°). Then, MRI was performed on a 3-T scanner to assess the magnetic resonance observation of cartilage repair tissue (MOCART) and 3-dimensional (3D) MOCART scores. A variety of subjective scores (International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC], Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [KOOS], Noyes sports activity rating scale, Tegner activity scale, and visual analog scale [VAS] for pain) were used for clinical evaluation.

Results:

Two years after MACT, the MRI evaluation showed a mean MOCART score of 73.2 ± 12.4 and a 3D MOCART score of 73.4 ± 9.7. Clinical results showed mean values of 69.8 ± 15.2 for the IKDC; 51.6 ± 21.2, 86.5 ± 13.9, 54.5 ± 23.6, 65.0 ± 8.0, and 91.5 ± 10.6 for the KOOS subscales (Quality of Life, Pain, Sports and Recreation, Symptoms, and Activities of Daily Living, respectively); 77.5 ± 12.7 for the Noyes scale; 4.4 ± 1.6 for the Tegner activity scale; and 1.8 ± 1.7 for the VAS, with statistically significant improvement in all scores other than KOOS-Symptoms.

Conclusion:

Undergoing MACT using the Novocart 3D scaffold is an applicable method to treat large focal chondral and osteochondral defects, with good short-term clinical and radiological results.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Staging to Evaluate the Stability of Capitellar Osteochondritis Dissecans Lesions
Authors: Itsubo Toshiro , Murakami Narumichi , Uemura Kazutaka , Nakamura Koichi , Hayashi Masanori , Uchiyama Shigeharu , Kato Hiroyuki
Published: May 2014

Background:

Treatment for capitellar osteochondritis dissecans (COCD) lesions is usually based on their stability from the bony floor after arthroscopic or open direct observation. Thus, a noninvasive means of lesion stability assessment by use of imaging is desirable to preoperatively determine treatment strategy.

Purpose:

To evaluate our modified MRI staging system for COCD, we compared the results of MRI staging with the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) classification for lesion stability. Intra- and interrater reliability for MRI staging was examined as well.

Study Design:

Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

Fifty-two COCD lesions were preoperatively evaluated by T2-weighted MRI and classified into 5 stages: stage 1 = normally shaped capitellum with several spotted areas of high signal intensity that is lower than that of cartilage; stage 2 = as with stage 1 but with several spotted areas of higher intensity than that of cartilage; stage 3 = as with stage 2 but with both discontinuity and noncircularity of the chondral surface signal of the capitellum and no high signal interface apparent between the lesion and the floor; stage 4 = lesion separated by a high intensity line in comparison with cartilage; and stage 5 = capitellar lesion displaced from the floor or defect of the capitellar lesion noted. The MRI staging results were compared with the intraoperative ICRS classification for lesion stability of each patient. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were all determined for fragment instability. Intra- and interrater correlations for our MRI staging were calculated among 3 examiners.

Results:

Preoperative MRI grading correctly matched ICRS classification in 49 of 52 patients (94%), with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 80%. The PPV and NPV were 93% and 100%, respectively, for diagnosing lesion instability. Intrarater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]) for MRI staging was high at ICC(1, 1) = 0.86 and ICC(1, 2) = 0.90, as was interrater reliability at ICC(2, 1) = 0.82 and ICC(2, 3) = 0.88.

Conclusion:

The MRI staging system provides accurate and reliable evidence for estimating ICRS classification and instability of COCD and is useful to decide appropriate treatment.
Des héritiers aux initiés? Note sur les nouvelles modalités de la reproduction sociale par l’école
Authors: Draelants Hugues
Published: May 2014

In the French-language literature on education, the notion of the inheritor, popularized by Bourdieu and Passeron’s 1964 book, is still commonly used to evoke the ideal-typical student from the most socially advantaged backgrounds. But does it truly capture what is at stake today in the reproduction of social inequalities at school? Several societal and educational changes prompt us to take a new look at the theories and concepts used to explain and interpret the modes in which social inequalities reproduce themselves. To condense and evoke what characterizes today’s privileged student, we have extended the metaphor of the ‘insider’, asking ourselves what are the adjustments this new language would suggest for the theory of social reproduction. The issue of access to elite institutions in France is an empirical illustration of the heuristic potential of such an approach.
Testing the inter-relations of factors that may support continued use intention: The case of Facebook
Authors: Bonsón Enrique , Escobar Tomás , Ratkai Melinda
Published: May 2014

Information systems (IS) may not improve organizational and/or companies’ performance if they are not used by stakeholders. Understanding why people continue or discontinue use of IS is crucial in increasing users’ acceptance. This article aims to analyze what is needed to perpetuate use of Facebook as a social media channel. Factors such as confirmation, perceived usefulness, social influence, satisfaction and attitude were tested for their impact on continued use intention in relation to Facebook. The inter-relations between the aforementioned constructs are tested with empirical data collected from 732 European university students. We found that social influence essentially had no effect within the model, so it seems that intention to continue using Facebook is affected mainly by stakeholders’/users’ attitude toward using this platform. Although we based the research on the IS Continuance Model, this article has extended its dimensions by incorporating (1) social influence and (2) attitude, offering the first investigation of continued use intention in relation to Facebook by testing the inter-relations between the aforementioned factors.
Phyllanthin inhibits CCl4-mediated oxidative stress and hepatic fibrosis by down-regulating TNF-α/NF-κB, and pro-fibrotic factor TGF-β1 mediating inflammatory signaling
Authors: Krithika Rajesh , Jyothilakshmi Vasavan , Verma Ramtej Jayaram
Published: May 2014

Hepatic fibrosis is an important outcome of chronic liver injury and results in excess synthesis and accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Phyllanthin (PLN) isolated from Phyllanthus amarus exhibits strong antioxidative property and protects HepG2 cells from carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced experimental toxicity. The present study reports the antifibrotic potential of PLN. The in vivo inhibitory effect of PLN on CCl4-mediated lipid peroxidation and important profibrotic mediator transforming growth factor β1 and on predominant ECM components collagen and fibronectin were also studied. The results show that PLN acts by suppressing the expression of inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α and prevents activation of nuclear factor-κB in hepatic tissue. Our study highlights the molecular mechanism responsible for the antifibrotic efficacy of PLN.
Cervicomedullary Spinal Stenosis and Ventriculomegaly in a Child With Developmental Delay due to Chromosome 16p12.1 Microdeletion Syndrome
Authors: Rai Birendra , Sharif Farhana
Published: May 2014

We present a case of a 1-year-old female child who was referred to the Early Intervention Clinic for evaluation of developmental delay and progressively enlarging head size. Developmental assessment revealed significant motor delay with borderline cognitive impairment. MRI of the brain revealed generalized ventriculomegaly secondary to narrowing of the spinal canal at the cervicomedullary junction. Targeted array-based comparative genomic hybridization showed deletion of approximately 602 kbp from band p12.2 region of the short arm of chromosome 16, which encompasses 16p12.1 microdeletion syndrome. The 16p12.1 microdeletion syndrome has been recently recognized as an important contributor of developmental delay and other neuropsychiatric phenotypes in the child. To date, no case of cervicomedullary spinal canal stenosis with hydrocephalus has been reported with 16p12.1 microdeletion syndrome.
Interdisciplinary Team Conflicts Among Forensic Nurses and Rape Victim Advocates
Authors: Patterson Debra , Pennefather Megan
Published: May 2014

To address the acute needs of rape survivors, forensic nurses and victim advocates provide integrated holistic care. Research suggests that conflicts between nurses and advocates can be common, but the nature and causes of these conflicts are largely unknown. Utilizing a qualitative case study approach, this study examined how and why an advocate–nurse team experiences conflict. The advocates reported experiences of subordination and disruption of their services, while nurses indicated that the advocates portrayed them negatively and distrusted their professional judgment. Role ambiguity contributed to these conflicts, whereas trust mitigated these conflicts but only existed among experienced nurses and advocates. The findings will be discussed from a feminist organizational lens.
Societal and Social Service Experiences of Unwed Korean Mothers Who Rear Their Children
Authors: Noh Helen , Yang Min Ok , Han Boon Young
Published: May 2014

The purpose of this study was to reposition the field’s understanding of unwed Korean mothers through narratives told by seven women about their experiences with social services and support during pregnancy and child rearing. Using a qualitative research framework combined with a phenomenological method, this study conveys their voices. The interviews indicate a discrepancy between the women’s needs and the services available, a discrepancy largely caused by the traditional social exclusion of unwed mothers. The interviews highlight the need to transform the current system from one that discriminates against unwed mothers to one that supports them in their child-rearing efforts.
A Qualitative Study of Black Women’s Experiences in Drug Abuse and Mental Health Services
Authors: Jones Lani V. , Hopson Laura , Warner Lynn , Hardiman Eric R. , James Tana
Published: May 2014

Little is known about black women’s perceptions of service barriers in mental health and substance treatment. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study that explored the perceptions of 29 black women who received treatment in a small urban Northeastern city. Findings of the focus group data revealed participants’ experiences of services as discussed through the themes of bias and stigma; incompatible perspectives of wellness versus illness between consumer and provider; consumer mistrust; and holistic wellness. Participants endorsed counseling as a treatment strategy but were adverse to the use of medication. Practice and research implications are discussed.
Subordination in Home Service Jobs
Authors: Avril Christelle , Cartier Marie
Published: May 2014

Home-based service jobs have developed considerably across Western societies. In fact, chances are high that a working-class woman in France today will, at some point in her life, be a house cleaner, home-based child care provider, or home aide for the elderly. Going against political, scholarly, and everyday discourses that, saturated with the double prejudices of gender and class, treat all these home service occupations, which require little prior training, the same, this article illuminates the variability of the forms of subordination experienced by women practicing these occupations in France. Comparing these jobs with the ensemble of low-skill jobs and with each other exposes what is specific to the particular form of subordination each job type entails, in terms of the extent of job supervision and the nature of the home where it is practiced, the presence or absence of relations with coworkers and/or a “public,” and the nature of this “public.” It mobilizes nationwide statistical data in a new way to shift attention to these numerous ordinary work situations, which are much less studied than those of the domestic workers of the wealthiest cities of the Western world.
Neoliberal Mothering and Vaccine Refusal
Authors: Reich Jennifer A.
Published: May 2014

Neoliberal cultural frames of individual choice inform mothers’ accounts of why they refuse state-mandated vaccines for their children. Using interviews with 25 mothers who reject recommended vaccines, this article examines the gendered discourse of vaccine refusal. First, I show how mothers, seeing themselves as experts on their children, weigh perceived risks of infection against those of vaccines and dismiss claims that vaccines are necessary. Second, I explicate how mothers see their own intensive mothering practices—particularly around feeding, nutrition, and natural living—as an alternate and superior means of supporting their children’s immunity. Third, I show how they attempt to control risk through management of social exposure, as they envision disease risk to lie in “foreign” bodies outside their networks, and, therefore, individually manageable. Finally, I examine how these mothers focus solely on their own children by evaluating—and often rejecting—assertions that their choices undermine community health, while ignoring how their children benefit from the immunity of others. By analyzing the gendered discourse of vaccines, this article identifies how women’s insistence on individual maternal choice as evidence of commitment to their children draws on and replicates structural inequality in ways that remain invisible, but affect others.
The Black Pacific: Music and Racialization in Papua New Guinea and Australia
Authors: Solis Gabriel
Published: May 2014

Music has been critical to the alliances and affiliations that have connected black-identified artists and activists from North America and the Caribbean with indigenous artists and activists from Australia and Papua New Guinea since as late as the end of the 19th century. This article sketches out those connections, asking what kinds of social formation this ‘Black Pacific’ has represented. Following Howard Winant, I argue that though affecting a relatively small number of people in places that are generally remote from western metropoles, nevertheless, this story of transcultural identification is crucial to understanding the trajectory of racialization as a component of modernity.1
Conservative Consciousness and the Press: The Institutional Contribution to the Idea of the ‘Liberal Media’ in Right-Wing Discourse
Authors: Major Mark
Published: May 2014

This article examines the construction of conservative consciousness toward the establishment press, namely the articulation of the idea of the liberal media. Using discursive institutionalism and Nancy Fraser’s critique of Habermas’s conception of the public sphere as a theoretical lens, it is argued that the liberal media bias critique was developed and solidified in what the author calls the ‘conservative counter-sphere’, a sub-public sphere for right-wing activists and thinkers. A content analysis of the conservative publication Human Events empirically demonstrates that right-wing news outlets provided a public space for the emerging modern conservative movement to articulate a hegemonic discourse and mode of thought about the seeming liberal bias of the mainstream media.
Inclusion in Vietnam: An intersectionality perspective on girls with disabilities and education
Authors: Nguyen Xuan-Thuy , Mitchell Claudia
Published: May 2014

This article explores the challenges related to the inclusion of girls with disabilities in Vietnamese schools. Building on fieldwork which interrogates the institutional treatment of girls with disabilities in the Vietnamese context, we suggest that there is a need to think more critically about the inclusion and exclusion of girls with disabilities within social and educational policies. The issues that we will discuss are taken from a theoretical and methodological standpoint. First, there is a need for rethinking the intersection between disability and gender in educational policies and practices; second, we emphasize the need for understanding the implications of inclusion and exclusion in global/national/local contexts in relation to girls with disabilities; and finally, we suggest that using innovative methodological approaches is important to foster inclusion and social change.
Ask us too! Doing participatory research with disabled children in the global south
Authors: Wickenden Mary , Kembhavi-Tam Gayatri
Published: May 2014

This article considers how disabled children and young people living in the global south can be included actively in research that explores their lives. While acknowledging the complex, theoretical dilemmas in the overlapping arenas of childhood, disability and international development, the focus here is on methodology. Many researchers argue that children in diverse contexts can be active participants in research and this is increasingly occurring globally. However, this trend towards consulting children themselves is rarely extended to those with disabilities. Arguably, they are accidentally forgotten, assumed to have nothing to say or perceived to be methodologically difficult to include. Thus, disabled children and young people’s perspectives are overlooked, particularly in the global south. We describe two participatory research projects with disabled children and young people in India and Sri Lanka, and focus particularly on practical issues that arose including recruitment, information and consent processes and data collection methods. We argue that considering these issues and making the necessary adaptations to enable children with a variety of impairments to participate meaningfully contributes to enacting both the relevant United Nations conventions, the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Advocating their participation without making appropriate provisions is potentially tokenistic and unethical. It is necessary and possible to include them both in ‘mainstream’ child-focussed research, and specific disability-orientated projects. Involving disabled children in research has dual purposes: inclusion of their perspectives alongside those of other children and highlighting their disability-specific views where relevant. What they say may be surprising to some and challenge assumptions about them. Importantly, this will contribute to reducing their marginalisation from mainstream society.
Troubling power dynamics: Youth with disabilities as co-researchers in sexuality research in South Africa
Authors: Chappell Paul , Rule Peter , Dlamini Mfana , Nkala Nompilo
Published: May 2014

Although a proliferation of participatory studies has explored youth sexuality in the African context, very few studies have included youth with disabilities. This is inevitably a result of the misconceptions surrounding disabled sexualities and youth with disabilities’ competence in undertaking research. This article argues against these misconceptions by outlining a participatory sexuality study that worked with youth with disabilities as co-researchers in South Africa. In discussing the experiences of the young disabled co-researchers, the article troubles the constructs of power and empowerment in youth participatory research.
Families, well-being, and inclusion: Rethinking priorities for children with cognitive disabilities in Ladakh, India
Authors: Richard Bonnie O.
Published: May 2014

Current policies aimed at children with disabilities in Ladakh, India, focus on the delivery of educational services to the individual child. Ethnographic research conducted with children with cognitive disabilities and their families in this rural Himalayan region reveals why this approach is problematic, given the local cultural context. Critique centers on the mismatch between inclusive education’s emphasis on the individual child and the cultural context in which the family is crucial to a child’s well-being and inclusion. In Ladakh, families – not children alone – experience and navigate the social, biological, and financial repercussions of disability and should thus be the focus of “inclusive” interventions.
Effect of the hard segment structure on properties of resorcinol derivatives-based polyurethane elastomers
Authors: Oprea Stefan , Joga Aurora , Zorlescu Bica , Oprea Veronica
Published: May 2014

Two series of polyurethane elastomers were obtained from poly(1,4-butylene adipate) diol and 1,6-diisocyanatohexane, which were then chain extended with resorcinol derivatives such as benzene-1,3-diol, 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, or 1-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl) hexan-1-one. This article investigates the effects induced in polyurethane elastomer properties by varying the hard segment composition through changing the amount of aliphatic diisocyanate and through the influence of the chemical structure of the resorcinol derivatives’ chain extenders. The different chemical composition and the presence of different dangling chains on the chain extender structure influenced hard segment cohesion, resulting in important effects on the polyurethane elastomer properties. The incorporation of aliphatic diisocyanate alongside the aromatic chain extender leads to changes in the physical and mechanical properties of the polyurethane elastomers compared with aromatic rigid diisocyanates. These polyurethane elastomers were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and mechanical measurements. We synthesized resorcinol-based polyurethane elastomers with aliphatic–aromatic hard segment structures, with the resorcinol addition making it unnecessary to transform phenolic OH groups into aliphatic OH groups.
Solvation effects on the ground and excited states of p–n diblock-conjugated polymers
Authors: Zheng Chao , Wang Yang , Chen Runfeng , Ji Yimu , Huang Wei
Published: May 2014

A semiempirical study was carried out to give theoretical insights of the solvation effects on the absorption and emission wavelength of oxadiazole-containing p–n diblock-conjugated polymers at both ground and excited states on the basis of experimental results. The Conductor-like Screening Model was used to calculate the absorption and emission wavelengths of the carefully designed model molecules in solvents with different dielectric constants (approximately ∊ = 1–35) from the optimized ground states and the lowest excited states by coupling AM1 formalism to the new configuration interaction scheme. The calculated results agree well with the experimental observations of the corresponding polymers. The geometrical modifications, charge changes upon photoexcitation, frontier orbital distributions, and dipoles of the two model molecules were investigated and discussed to explain the different solvation behavior of the corresponding diblock copolymers. The different charge-transfer behavior was suggested to be the major factor that causes the varied solvation effects of the p–n diblock molecular systems at excited states upon photoluminescence. These findings may provide important insights at the molecular level for selectively tuning the solvatochromic properties of p–n diblock-conjugated polymers for practical applications.
Toughness reinforcement of bismaleimide resin using functionalized carbon nanotubes
Authors: Han Yue , Zhou Heng , Ge Kaikai , Guo Ying , Liu Feng , Zhao Tong
Published: May 2014

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with various functionalization states were used to toughen bismaleimide resin. Differential scanning calorimeter and rheometric measurements were conducted to monitor the processability of the hybrid systems. The toughness of the corresponding composites was investigated by Charpy impact and flexural tests, while the thermal properties were obtained from dynamic mechanical and thermogravimetric analyses. The results showed that the loading and functionalization state of the CNTs in the resin matrix had a great influence on the mechanical performance and glass transition temperature, but less influence on thermal decomposition temperature of the composites. These phenomena could be attributed to the differences in dispersion state, interfacial adhesion, and interfacial compatibility of CNTs in the resin matrix. Compared with the pure resin, composites containing 0.50 wt% diaminodiphenylmethane-treated CNTs showed 60% improvement in impact strength and 100% improvement in flexural toughness while preserving their thermal properties.
Frequency and damping identification in flutter flight testing using singular value decomposition and QR factorization
Authors: Barros-Rodríguez José , Roux Roberto Flores Le , López-Díez Jesús , Martinez-Val Rodrigo
Published: May 2014

A new method, based on singular value decomposition and QR factorization, has been developed and applied to the analysis of F-18 flutter flight test data. The method is capable of identifying the frequency and damping of the critical aircraft modes, those responsible for the flutter phenomenon. The procedure relies on the capability of singular value decomposition for the analysis, modeling, and prediction of data series with periodic features and also on its power to identify matrix rank. The analysis of simulated and real flutter flight test data demonstrates the effectiveness, robustness, noise-immunity, and the capability for automation of the method proposed under specific conditions.
Input–output linearization minimum sliding-mode error feedback control for spacecraft formation with large perturbations
Authors: Cao Lu , Chen Xiaoqian
Published: May 2014

To improve the control precision of nonlinear spacecraft formation flying, the input–output linearization minimum sliding-mode error feedback controller is presented based on the linear-decoupled spacecraft formation model by input–output linearization method incorporating the sliding-mode control. This paper proposes a new strategy to estimate and offset the system-control errors, which include various kinds of uncertainties and disturbances. To facilitate the analysis, the linear-decoupled spacecraft formation model is first given; on which basis, the concept of equivalent control error is introduced to define the entire model error. Based on the minimum sliding-mode covariance constraint, a cost function is formulated to estimate the equivalent control error and fed back to the conventional sliding-mode control. It is shown that the sliding mode after the input–output linearization minimum sliding-mode error feedback controller will approximate to the ideal sliding mode with high-control precision. In addition, the new methodology is applied to spacecraft formation flying. It guarantees global asymptotic convergence of the relative-tracking error in the presence of the large perturbations. More exactly, the two input–output linearization minimum sliding-mode error feedback controller laws (continuous sliding-mode control and nonsingular terminal sliding-mode control) are developed for this spacecraft formation flying system. Several fault-tolerant scenarios are considered to verify that the input–output linearization minimum sliding-mode error feedback controller is still effective in the presence of faults in spacecraft thrusters. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed methodology to maintain and reconfigure the spacecraft formation with existence of initial offsets and large perturbations effects.
High performance direct torque control of electrical aerodynamics load simulator using adaptive fuzzy backstepping control
Authors: Ullah Nasim , Shaoping Wang
Published: May 2014

Electrical load simulator is hardware in the loop simulator used to exert real-time aerodynamics loads on the servo actuation system of a flight vehicle under test according to flight conditions. This article investigates direct torque control of electrical load simulator system using adaptive fuzzy backstepping method. To analyze the effect of extra torque disturbance on electrical load simulator system, detailed mathematical formulations are derived. Considering practical aspects of the proposed method, state vector is estimated using a state predictor, and parameters of the system are estimated using algebraic method. Fuzzy logic system is used to estimate extra torque disturbance acting on electrical load simulator system, but the approximation error may not converge to zero, which may affect control performance. Similarly, the parameters of the system may vary with time; thus the lumped disturbance due to time variation of parameters and fuzzy approximation error is compensated using adaptive control law derived based on estimated error dynamics between actual plant and state predictor. Moreover, to improve transient response, a novel saturation function-based transient performance controller is introduced. The performance of the proposed control is verified using extensive numerical simulations.
Research on the method of suppressing sun and moon's interference on infrared conical earth sensor
Authors: Xianbin Hu , Jianhui Zhao , Zhijun Tu
Published: May 2014

To measure the attitude of a satellite, conical earth sensor is usually used on the low- and medium Earth orbit satellite. By detecting the infrared radiation at the horizon using infrared detectors, the conical earth sensor gives a measure of the attitude of a satellite. However, when light from the moon or sun comes into the field of view of the conical earth sensor, it will capture unexpected pulse signals that will induce measurement errors and finally bring about attitude fluctuation of the satellite. In this article, the mechanism of such an interference has been analyzed in depth. By detecting and discriminating the pulse widths of the sun, the moon, and the Earth, a novel method was presented and new software was developed to eliminate the interference. Furthermore, a special ground test platform was set up to verify the proposed method and software. Some real on-orbit flight data were applied as well. Both results showed that the sun and moon’s interference was identified and rejected without corrupting the horizon crossing.
Three-axis L1 adaptive attitude control of spacecraft using solar radiation pressure
Authors: Lee Keum W , Singh Sahjendra N
Published: May 2014

Based on the [Formula: see text] adaptive control theory, a novel three-axis attitude control system for an axisymmetric spacecraft with uncertain dynamics moving in elliptic orbits, using solar radiation pressure, is derived. The nonaffine-in-control nonlinear spacecraft model includes the gravity gradient torque, the control torque produced by four solar flaps, and external time-varying disturbance moments. For the three-axis attitude control, an [Formula: see text] adaptive control system is designed, which includes a state predictor. A smooth projection algorithm is used to confine the estimated parameters within a desirable set. In the closed-loop system, the designed adaptive law accomplishes three-dimensional attitude control. A special feature of the attitude control system is that it is possible to select large adaptation gains for fast adaptation and to obtain quantifiable performance bounds. Simulation results show that in the closed-loop system, precise roll, yaw, and pitch angle control is accomplished, despite unmodeled nonlinearities, parameter uncertainty, and external disturbance inputs in the model.
A global nonprobabilistic reliability sensitivity analysis in the mixed aleatory–epistemic uncertain structures
Authors: Zhang Yishang , Liu Yongshou , Yang Xufeng , Yue Zhufeng
Published: May 2014

The aim of this paper is to account for the effect of the epistemic uncertainty of the input variables’ uncertainty in the nonprobabilistic reliability analysis on the safety of the structure system. Based on the idea of moment-independent sensitivity analysis, a modified sensitivity measure of the nonprobabilistic reliability is constructed to identify the most influential epistemic parameters of interval variables. For calculating the nonprobabilistic reliability sensitivity measures of the epistemic variables, a computational model is established. And a solution method with the advantages of the state-dependent parameter model is employed to improve the computational efficiency and avoid the complex sampling procedure. The numerical examples and engineering examples show that the proposed method of solving the sensitivity measure is reasonable and effective. The sensitivity measure of nonprobabilistic reliability proposed in this paper can give an essential importance sequence of all the epistemic uncertainties and identify key contributing epistemic uncertainties. When the sensitivity measure is larger, the epistemic uncertainty variable will become more important and should collect the data to increase knowledge of parameters. The sensitivity measures can provide the availability guidance to reduce the number of epistemic variables.