bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Of wildcats and wild cats: Troubling species-based conservation in the Anthropocene
Authors: Fredriksen Aurora
Published: December 2015

This article takes the case of Scottish wildcats, threatened with extinction through hybridisation with feral domestic cats, as a site for exploring what it means to conserve a species as such. To this end, the article looks at the practices associated with conserving Scottish wildcats as defined by a definite phenotypical, morphological and/or genetic type, abstracted from indefinite, fleshy organisms emplaced and entangled within changing ecologies. The article describes the biopolitical work of taxonomically distinguishing wildcats ( Felis silvestris) from domestic cats ( Felis catus) and their hybrids, exploring the challenges presented to this work by the disorderly agencies of wild-living cats. It then outlines and reflects on the proposed captive breeding programme aimed at preserving the ‘pure’ Scottish wildcat sub-species type. This case highlights the ways in which species-based conservation can conflict with care for individual animals as well as with life’s immanent, generative tendencies.
Physical and psychological health, social trust, and financial situation for persons with Usher syndrome type 1
Authors: Wahlqvist Moa , Möller Kerstin , Möller Claes , Danermark Berth
Published: December 2015

The article describes physical health, psychological health, social trust, and financial situation in persons with deafblindness due to Usher syndrome type 1 (USH1) in comparison with a cross-section of the Swedish population. Persons with USH1 were recruited through the Swedish Usher database. Totally, 87 adults received the Health on Equal Terms (HET) questionnaire. The HET was adjusted, thus the questions were translated into Swedish sign language, and a large font size, better contrast, and a structure compatible with the Braille script reader were also provided. The questionnaire comprises a wide range of domains related to health and wellbeing. In all, 60 persons responded (60% women, mean age: 49 years, range: 21–79 years). The persons with USH1 were compared to a cross section of the Swedish population that included 5738 individuals (56% women, mean age: 49 years, range: 16–84  years). Significant differences in physical health, psychological health, social trust, and financial situation as well as the odds ratio adjusted for sex and age, and its 95% confidence interval are reported. The psychological health, social trust, and financial situation of persons with USH1 were significantly poorer compared to the reference group although this was not the case for physical health. Persons with USH1 only expressed significantly more problems with headache compared to the cross section of the Swedish population. The respondents revealed major problems with fatigue, loss of confidence, and suicide thoughts and attempts. Major social trust and financial problems were reported in terms of refraining going out alone, not receiving help, having no one with whom to share thoughts, and confide in and being unable to obtain 15.000 SEK (approximately US$1.724 or €1.544) in the case of an unforeseen situation. To identify factors associated with physical health, psychological health, social trust, and financial situation is important in the design of future rehabilitation strategies for persons with USH1. The high level of psychological distress and lack of social trust reported could be related to ontological insecurity, as well as lack of recognition from others. Special attention must be devoted to suicide behavior.
A comparison of three materials used for tactile symbols to communicate colour to children and young people with visual impairments
Authors: Ramsamy-Iranah Sabrina , Maguire Martin , Gardner James , Rosunee Satyadev , Kistamah Naraindra
Published: December 2015

A series of 14 tactile symbols were developed to represent different colours and shades for children and young people who are blind or have visual impairment. A study compared three different methods for representing the symbols: (1) embroidered thread, (2) heated ‘swell’ paper, and (3) representation in plastic using Additive Manufacturing (AM; three-dimensional printing). The results show that for all three materials, the recognition of particular symbols varied between 2.40 and 3.95 s. The average times for the three materials across all colours were 2.26 s for AM material, 3.20 s for swell paper, and 4.03 s for embroidered symbols. These findings can be explained by the fact that the AM material (polylactide) is firmer and more easily perceived tactually than the other two materials. While AM plastic offers a potentially useful means to communicate colours for appropriate objects, traditional media are still important in certain contexts.
A novel Tactile Braille-Stroop test (TBSt)
Authors: Jarjoura Waleed , Karni Avi
Published: December 2015

Stroop interference effects occur when word reading and the target words’ print color naming are incongruent. This interference reflects reading proficiency while naming print color instead of reading color’s names. We devised a tactile version of the Stroop test in which the congruity between three target materials (paper, Braillon, and plastic) and the embossed materials’ names, in braille, was manipulated. The participants’ task was to palpate and name the target materials. The baseline condition was a board with 63 cells each containing one of the target materials. Three similarly constructed boards had (a) a single non-sensical triplet of braille letters embossed on all stimuli, and (b) the first three consonants of the material’s name, embossed in braille, congruently, or (c) incongruently. A total of 45 blind participants were tested: young adults, high school, and elementary school students (16, 10, and 3 mean years of braille reading, respectively). Older, more experienced braille readers showed the largest Stroop interference costs, in speed and accuracy, not only in the incongruent condition but also in the non-sense (non-word) condition compared to the congruent condition. Also, the adults committed more errors compared to high school students in the incongruent condition. However, the more experienced braille readers were faster in the congruent condition compared to the non-word condition. Elementary school children showed no relative gains in the congruent versus non-word condition, and only small incongruence (interference) costs in speed or accuracy. These findings indicate that braille reading competes with tactile material naming, as a function of reading proficiency, even for non-sensical letter strings, a Stroop effect.
A study of collaboration via a digital space accessible to adolescents with visual impairment
Authors: Vallée Aurélie , Rovira Katia , Deschamps Loïc
Published: December 2015

The aim of this study is to observe whether the improvement of tactile digital space allows the visually impaired adolescents to interact and collaborate. A total of 12 participants (average age: 14 years 9 months) have to interact in pairs through a tactile device and have to solve a common task in a shared digital space. Contextualization of the environment and two sorts of tactile stimulation are proposed to the participants. The results and a semi-structured interview show that the subjects were able to set up an effective collaboration (strategies for following each other), which were facilitated by tactile feedback incorporating a degree of “parallelism” which makes it possible to perceive the direction of the movement of the other subject.
Equating in small-scale language testing programs
Authors: LaFlair Geoffrey T. , Isbell Daniel , May L. D. Nicolas , Gutierrez Arvizu Maria Nelly , Jamieson Joan
Published: December 2015

Language programs need multiple test forms for secure administrations and effective placement decisions, but can they have confidence that scores on alternate test forms have the same meaning? In large-scale testing programs, various equating methods are available to ensure the comparability of forms. The choice of equating method is informed by estimates of quality, namely the method with the least error as defined by random error, systematic error, and total error. This study compared seven different equating methods to no equating – mean, linear Levine, linear Tucker, chained equipercentile, circle-arc, nominal weights mean, and synthetic. A non-equivalent groups anchor test (NEAT) design was used to compare two listening and reading test forms based on small samples (one with 173 test takers the other, 88) at a university’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program. The equating methods were evaluated based on the amount of error they introduced and their practical effects on placement decisions. It was found that two types of error (systematic and total) could not be reliably computed owing to the lack of an adequate criterion; consequently, only random error was compared. Among the seven methods, the circle-arc method introduced the least random error as estimated by the standard error of equating (SEE). Classification decisions made using the seven methods differed from no equating; all methods indicated that fewer students were ready for university placement. Although interpretations regarding the best equating method could not be made, circle-arc equating reduced the amount of random error in scores, had reportedly low bias in other studies, accounted for form and person differences, and was relatively easy to compute. It was chosen as the method to pilot in an operational setting.
The effects of manual therapy or exercise therapy or both in people with hip osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Sampath Kesava Kovanur , Mani Ramakrishnan , Miyamori Takayuki , Tumilty Steve
Published: December 2015

Objective:

To determine whether manual therapy or exercise therapy or both is beneficial for people with hip osteoarthritis in terms of reduced pain, improved physical function and improved quality of life.

Methods:

Databases such as Medline, AMED, EMBASE, CINAHL, SPORTSDiscus, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and SCOPUS were searched from their inception till September 2015. Two authors independently extracted and assessed the risk of bias in included studies. Standardised mean differences for outcome measures (pain, physical function and quality of life) were used to calculate effect sizes. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used for assessing the quality of the body of evidence for each outcome of interest.

Results:

Seven trials (886 participants) that met the inclusion criteria were included in the meta-analysis. There was high quality evidence that exercise therapy was beneficial at post-treatment (pain-SMD-0.27,95%CI-0.5to-0.04;physical function-SMD-0.29,95%CI-0.47to-0.11) and follow-up (pain-SMD-0.24,95%CI- 0.41to-0.06; physical function-SMD-0.33,95%CI-0.5to-0.15). There was low quality evidence that manual therapy was beneficial at post-treatment (pain-SMD-0.71,95%CI-1.08to-0.33; physical function-SMD-0.71,95%CI-1.08to-0.33) and follow-up (pain-SMD-0.43,95%CI-0.8to-0.06; physical function-SMD-0.47,95%CI-0.84to-0.1). Low quality evidence indicated that combined treatment was beneficial at post-treatment (pain-SMD-0.43,95%CI-0.78to-0.08; physical function-SMD-0.38,95%CI-0.73to-0.04) but not at follow-up (pain-SMD0.25,95%CI-0.35to0.84; physical function-SMD0.09,95%CI-0.5to0.68). There was no effect of any interventions on quality of life.

Conclusion:

An Exercise therapy intervention provides short-term as well as long-term benefits in terms of reduction in pain, and improvement in physical function among people with hip osteoarthritis. The observed magnitude of the treatment effect would be considered small to moderate.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Research Methodologies for Macromarketing
Authors: Wooliscroft Ben
Published: December 2015

This special issue on “Research Methodologies for Macromarketing” focuses on how we investigate macromarketing phenomena, the ways we “know” about macromarketing. This introduction considers the difficulty of macromarketing research and introduces the seven papers in the special issue. I would like to thank the authors and reviewers for this special issue. They have worked together in a constructive manner to produce seven strong articles related to the special issue topic.
Are spatial inequalities growing? The scale of population concentrations in England and Wales
Authors: Lloyd Christopher D
Published: December 2015

This paper explores how the population of England and Wales in 2001 and in 2011 was spatially concentrated by a range of demographic, social and economic characteristics. Where members of population sub-groups tend to live apart from members of other sub-groups then the population may be regarded as geographically unequal. In the UK, debates about the north–south divide have reflected the principal geographical division in public perception, with wealth and health inequalities at the forefront. This analysis uses variograms to characterise the differences between areas over multiple spatial scales. There is evidence for stronger spatial structure (more distinct spatial patterning) in variables including car and van availability and ethnicity than in age, self-reported illness, and qualifications, and these relate to urban–rural differences in the former variables. The key contribution of the paper is in using directional variograms and variogram maps to show marked differences in population concentrations by direction with, for example, north–south differences in qualifications being (on average) greater than those in the east–west direction. However, for most variables which show increased variation (and thus suggest increased geographical inequalities) between 2001 and 2011, increases are proportionally similar in all directions. Only in the case of self-reported ill-health does the north–south (or, in this case, north west–south east) divide appear to have increased.
Flaws in Flynn Effect Research With the Wechsler Scales
Authors: Weiss Lawrence G. , Gregoire Jacques , Zhu Jianjun
Published: December 2015

Many Flynn effect (FE) studies compare scores across different editions of Wechsler’s IQ tests. When construct changes are introduced by the test developers in the new edition, however, the presumed generational effects are difficult to untangle from changes due to test content. To remove this confound, we use the same edition of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) across an 11-year period. Whereas previous research has reported the FE to be less than half the theoretical rate when comparing WISC-IV with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fifth Edition (WISC-V), we find the rate of gain to be nearly identical to Flynn’s prediction when comparing only WISC-IV scores over the same time period. The FE is shown to vary significantly across the domains of cognitive ability, and thus changes to the construct coverage of the WISC-V Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) composite between editions significantly affect FE findings. Implications for future FE research are discussed.
Validation of the Self-Regulation Scale in Chinese Children
Authors: Zhou Ying , Bullock Amanda , Liu Junsheng , Fu Rui , Coplan Robert J. , Cheah Charissa S. L.
Published: December 2015

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Self-Regulation Scale (C-SRS) were examined in a sample of 1,458 third- to eighth-grade students in China. Children completed self-reports of self-regulation, loneliness, depression, and self-esteem, and teachers rated children’s school adjustment. Results showed a stable three-factor model that demonstrated a reasonable fit to the C-SRS items, and the scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency, reliability, and convergent validity. Results of measurement invariance tests indicated metric and scalar invariance across gender and grade. Findings from this study suggest that the C-SRS can be used with Chinese primary and junior high school students.
The protective role of alpha-lipoic acid on long-term exposure of rats to the combination of chlorpyrifos and deltamethrin pesticides
Authors: Uchendu Chidiebere , Ambali Suleiman F , Ayo Joseph O , Esievo King AN
Published: December 2015

The study was aimed at evaluating the protective role of α-lipoic acid (ALA) on long-term exposure of rats to the combination of chlorpyrifos (CPF) and deltamethrin (DLT). Forty-two (42) male Wistar rats were divided into 6 exposure groups with 7 animals in each group: (I) soya oil (2 ml kg−1), (II) ALA (60 mg kg−1), (III) DLT (6.25 mg kg−1), (IV) CPF (4.75 mg kg−1), (V) (CPF + DLT) DLT (6.25 mg kg−1) and CPF (4.75 mg kg−1; 1/20th of the previously determined median lethal dose) and (VI) (ALA + CPF + DLT) pretreated with ALA (60 mg kg−1) and then co-exposed to CPF and DLT, 45 min later. The regimens were administered by gavage once daily for a period of 16 weeks. Sera obtained from blood collected at the end of the experimental period were used for the evaluation of serum glucose, total protein, albumin, urea, creatinine and the activities of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase and acetylcholinesterase. The liver homogenate was used to assay for the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and the concentrations of malondialdehyde, cytokine and tumour necrotic factor α. The result showed that the combination of CPF and DLT resulted in marked alterations of these biochemical parameters in most cases compared to either of the pesticides singly, supplementation with ALA ameliorated these alterations.
Optimizing Campaigns for Changing Routine Behaviors by Using an Empirically Calibrated Microsimulation Model
Authors: Tobias Robert , Mosler Hans-Joachim
Published: December 2015

We used the model of prospective memory and habit development to derive recommendations for designing behavior-change campaigns that used prompts or household visits as reminders. We followed an exemplary procedure comprising the calibration of the model, based on 48 time series gathered during a campaign promoting recycling habits and a systematic exploration of the solution space. For the parameter estimation, an algorithm was developed that worked at two levels. A higher level algorithm optimized parameters that were set to equal values for all agents, whereas a lower level algorithm estimated the values of agent-specific parameters for each agent separately, using the parameter values of the higher level algorithm for the other parameters. This procedure resulted in an excellent fit of the model to the data ( R2 = 75%) For the systematic exploration, an indicator expressing campaign effects in one value was defined and the following findings could be derived. Activities should focus on the first week of a campaign. Follow-up visits or refreshing of prompts should be done within 4 days after the initial visit. Later activities, such as additional visits or refreshing of prompts, bring little further effects. Investing heavily in the design of the prompts for improving their salience is only worthwhile in populations with a low commitment to perform the behavior. Furthermore, covering more than 10% of the places where the target behavior should be performed with prompts mostly does not lead to additional effects to make it worthwhile.
Evaluating the Impact of Medication Safety Alerts on Prescribing of Potentially Inappropriate Medications for Older Veterans in an Ambulatory Care Setting
Authors: Vanderman Adam J. , Moss Jason M. , Bryan William E. , Sloane Richard , Jackson George L. , Hastings S. Nicole
Published: December 2015

Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) have been associated with poor outcomes in older adults. Electronic health record (EHR)-based interventions may be an effective way to reduce PIM prescribing. The main objective of this study was to evaluate changes in PIM prescribing to older adult veterans ≥65 years old in the ambulatory care setting preimplementation and postimplementation of medication alert messages at the point of computerized provider order entry (CPOE). Additional exploratory objectives included evaluating provider type and patient–provider relationship as a factor for change in PIM prescribing. A total of 1539 patients prealert and 1490 patients postalert were prescribed 1952 and 1897 PIMs, respectively. End points were reported as the proportion of new PIM orders of total new prescriptions. There was no significant difference in the rate of new PIMs prealert and postalert overall, 12.6% to 12.0% ( P = .13). However, there was a significant reduction in the rate of the top 10 most common newly prescribed PIMs, 9.0% to 8.3% ( P = .016), and resident providers prescribed fewer PIMs during both time periods. A simple, age-specific medication alert message during CPOE decreased the incidence of the most frequently prescribed PIMs in older adults receiving care in an ambulatory care setting.
Desirable Skills in New Pharmacists
Authors: O’Brien Catherine E. , Flowers Schwanda K. , Stowe Cindy D.
Published: December 2015

Objective:

To compare survey responses between licensed pharmacists who work with or employ new graduates and graduating senior pharmacy students at a college of pharmacy.

Design:

This was a retrospective analysis of surveys given to 2 groups of pharmacists and students. Responses to items regarding importance of desirable qualities in new pharmacists and level of preparation of new graduates were analyzed. Qualities included drug information, pharmacology, therapeutics, communication with patients/customers or health care professionals, professionalism, ethics, management, and conflict resolution.

Results:

There was consensus between pharmacists and students regarding the importance of all items ( P > .05 for all comparisons). However, the percentage of pharmacists versus students who agreed that new graduates communicate effectively differed (86.7% vs 100%, respectively, P < .05). Of pharmacists surveyed at a career fair, 64.1% chose communication as the 1 skill that would distinguish an applicant, and retail and hospital pharmacists displayed a statistically significant ( P < .05) difference in the audience (patients/customers vs other health care professionals).

Conclusion:

Pharmacists and students agree on the knowledge and skills essential for pharmacy practice but disagree on the level of preparation for effective communication. These results support ongoing efforts to improve the development of communication skills in the professional pharmacy curriculum.
Political celebrities and elite politics in contemporary China
Authors: Jeffreys Elaine
Published: December 2015

This article examines the rise of celebrity politics in mainland China. It outlines some typologies of Western celebrity politics and considers whether equivalent forms exist in China. It then examines the rise of Chinese politician celebrities and celebrity involvement in the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. An examination of celebrity participation in these forums shows that celebrity politics in China chiefly functions to support government policies, but also reveals a broadening of elite networks and the capacity of those networks to generate public discussion of alternative policies and politics. Rather than supporting claims that celebrity politics is spectacular or theatrical, it demonstrates instead the connections between celebrity and mundane aspects of Chinese governance.
Authority Deferred: A Christian Comment
Authors: Williams Rowan
Published: December 2015

This essay responds to Sajjad Rizvi’s analysis of Shi‘a political theology in terms of the risks of over-emphasising the achieved clarity of a religious/political ethic in society. It notes the comparable reserve in Christian political thought, especially in the Augustinian tradition, in respect of a single sacral authority in society, and briefly discusses the various ways in which this has been articulated in mediaeval and modern contexts.
Poly(4,4′-oxydiphenylene-pyromellitimide) loaded by NH2-functionalized silica
Authors: Behniafar Hossein , Yazdi Mojtaba , Farshad Saeede , Malekshahinezhad Khaledeh
Published: December 2015

In this research, silica nanopowder is surface modified via a facile urethanation reaction to obtain silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanoparticles possessing amine (NH2)-functionalized organic moieties. Poly(4,4′-oxydiphenylene-pyromellitimide) as one of the most widely used polyimides (PIs) is then uniformly loaded by these organically modified nanoparticles (approximately 5% by weight) during its synthesis process at the thermal cyclodehydration stage of the corresponding poly(amic acid) precursor. Amine-functionalized SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2∼NH2) and the resulting PI-based nanocomposites (PI/SiO2 and PI/SiO2∼NH2) are thoroughly characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance ultraviolet–visible, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Thermogravimetric analyses/derivative thermogravimetry thermograms obviously show that about 22% (by weight) of the nano-SiO2 particles is formed by organic moieties. Moreover, the thermostability order is found to be PI/SiO2 > PI/SiO2∼NH2 > neat PI. The nanocomposite PI/SiO2∼NH2 shows a two-step thermal decomposition pattern; the first step is due to the scission of the organic part from the nanoparticles loaded. According to the slope changes of the differential thermal analyses curves, the first-order phase transition could be found at the thermal range of 300–400°C. This transition, however, is not so clear for PI/SiO2 and PI/SiO2∼NH2 nanocomposites due to the interaction of nano-SiO2 particles with PI matrix.
Enhanced fault diagnosis of roller bearing elements using a combination of empirical mode decomposition and minimum entropy deconvolution
Authors: Zhang Z , Entezami M , Stewart E , Roberts C
Published: December 2015

This paper introduces a new signal processing algorithm for vibration-based fault detection and diagnosis of roller bearings. The methodology proposed in this paper is based on the combination of two data-adaptive techniques which are further enhanced through the use of an automatic feature identification mechanism. The new technique, introduced as empirical mode envelope with minimum entropy, combines elements from the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and minimum entropy deconvolution (MED) approaches with an energy moment technique to improve the feature selection stage of the EMD algorithm. This improvement allows the processing chain to identify early stage roller bearing faults in noisier signals. The energy moment technique is used to automatically identify the most appropriate intrinsic mode function from the EMD process prior to the MED algorithm being applied. This is in contrast to conventional approaches which tend to use the first mode or make selections based on traditional energy techniques. The combination of the adaptive techniques of EMD and MED allows the development of an improved technique for fault detection and diagnosis of signals. Combining these techniques with the energy moment approach allows further improved fault detection in complex non-stationary conditions. The processing chain has been tested using data obtained during laboratory testing. From the experimental results, it is shown that the new technique is capable of the detection of early stage (minor) roller and outer race defects found in tapered-roller-bearings rotating at a variety of speeds and noise scenarios.
Experimental and numerical investigation on dynamic parameters of broaching machine
Authors: Ying Shenshun , Ji Shiming , Wang Yangyu , Li Zhixin , Lin Lvgao , Xiong Sichang
Published: December 2015

Dynamic properties of the whole broaching machine structure greatly contribute to the broaching quality and efficiency. However, it is hard to measure the dynamic parameters because they will change during operation compared with the static results from classic experimental modal analysis. This study is to examine the dynamic parameters of broaching machine LG7120KT using both the numerical finite element (FE) method and the experimental operational modal analysis (OMA). Firstly, FE analysis model of the broaching machine with the real dimension is constructed and calculated. Second, experimental results are obtained from OMA in practical broaching process, which can be used to identify steady-state modes. Modal parameters including mode shapes, damping ratio, and natural frequencies are examined, using both LMS SCADAS III-305 system and PolyMAX method in OMA. The numerical and experimental results show high agreement in their calculated natural frequencies. From the modal analysis results, it is also found the vibration normal to cutting direction can be greatly reduced by adjusting broaching speed. From the topology optimization result based on the already correlated FE model, we redesigned a lightweight machine structure with a better dynamic performance, due to its lower displacement of broaching machine at force point and its higher first-order natural frequency. The experimental and numerical results in this paper help to design the structural parameters of broaching machine and propose a better broaching process.
Adaptive multi-point sequential sampling methodology for high-dimensional and highly nonlinear crashworthiness optimization problems
Authors: Zhang Siliang , Song Zhengchao , Shi Guohong , Qiu Rongying
Published: December 2015

Metamodel-based crashworthiness optimization is an expensive and highly nonlinear design problem. Due to the lack of finite element simulations, the responses fitted by different metamodeling methods are not fully equivalent to the real responses. The metamodel error may induce to find a local or an infeasible design solution. Compared to the traditional one-step sampling DOE method, the objective-oriented sequential sampling strategies have been demonstrated as a higher efficient way to find the true optimum design. However, existing infilling criteria of the sequential sampling methods are restricted to specify the number of the sequential samples obtained in each iteration. It is not practical for the real engineering optimization applications. In this paper, a new adaptive multi-point sequential sampling method is developed. The sequential samples obtained in each iteration are determined by the prediction states of the fitting metamodels. To demonstrate the benefits, the new proposed method is applied to a high-dimensional and highly nonlinear frontal crashworthiness optimization problem. Results show that the proposed method can mitigate the effect of the metamodel prediction error and more efficiently find the global design solution compared to the conventional approach.
Constraints and CFD simulation-based parametric reconstruction for 2D blade profile in reverse engineering
Authors: Zhang Yun , Chen Zhi-Tong
Published: December 2015

Blade profile plays an extremely important role in the aerodynamic performance of turbomachinary. However, in the process of secondary machining for near-net shape blade and serviced blade, the deviation between nominal profile and measured data can raise serious problems for NC tool path generation. It is even worse that unreasonable reconstruction may be responsible for the deteriorated aerodynamic performance and subsequent high in-service cost. This paper presents a parametric reconstruction strategy for 2D blade profile in reverse engineering. The reconstruction profile approaches to the nominal model and its performance is proved to be more acceptable. This consists in the optimization of parametric geometry (modeling and modification) based on parameter constraints and computational fluid dynamics simulation rather than measured data itself. Some practical examples are used to demonstrate the usefulness and superiority of the strategy.
Characteristics of time-varying intracranial pressure on blood flow through cerebral artery: A fluid–structure interaction approach
Authors: Syed Hasson , Unnikrishnan Vinu U , Olcmen Semih
Published: December 2015

Elevated intracranial pressure is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in severe head injuries. Wall shear stresses in the artery can be affected by increased intracranial pressures and may lead to the formation of cerebral aneurysms. Earlier research on cerebral arteries and aneurysms involves using constant mean intracranial pressure values. Recent advancements in intracranial pressure monitoring techniques have led to measurement of the intracranial pressure waveform. By incorporating a time-varying intracranial pressure waveform in place of constant intracranial pressures in the analysis of cerebral arteries helps in understanding their effects on arterial deformation and wall shear stress. To date, such a robust computational study on the effect of increasing intracranial pressures on the cerebral arterial wall has not been attempted to the best of our knowledge. In this work, fully coupled fluid–structure interaction simulations are carried out to investigate the effect of the variation in intracranial pressure waveforms on the cerebral arterial wall. Three different time-varying intracranial pressure waveforms and three constant intracranial pressure profiles acting on the cerebral arterial wall are analyzed and compared with specified inlet velocity and outlet pressure conditions. It has been found that the arterial wall experiences deformation depending on the time-varying intracranial pressure waveforms, while the wall shear stress changes at peak systole for all the intracranial pressure profiles.
“We beat the path by walking”
Authors: Patel Sheela , Arputham Jockin , Bartlett Sheridan
Published: December 2015

This paper considers the collective knowledge about housing design and construction that was developed over 30 years by the Indian Alliance of the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC), Mahila Milan and the National Slum Dwellers’ Federation (NSDF) in its pursuit of secure shelter for the pavement dwellers in Mumbai, the most vulnerable people in the city. It traces the learning and innovations developed by these women pavement dwellers, mostly illiterate, in this one specific aspect of their much larger joint journey towards a safe, secure home in the city, something that seemed almost inconceivable when they began. The deeply political aspects of this larger journey are only briefly touched on here, allowing space to describe the hands-on learning about planning, design and building that was also essential in this process. The paper is one of an ongoing series tracing the work of this Indian partnership since 1986, examining the critical milestones that have emerged from discussion, reflections and collective exploration.
An urban health worthy of the post-2015 era
Authors: Herrick Clare
Published: December 2015

This paper explores the intersections between the newly agreed urban and health Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 3 and 11). It argues that while burgeoning studies theorizing cities of the global South have thus far largely failed to engage with the formative role of health in the experience of urban life and politics, concern with “global” health (health in the global South) has been slow to engage with the specific importance of urban issues. As these two interlinked domains skirt past each other, the potentially unifying field of urban health remains arguably marginal and under-theorized within both biomedicine and social science. The paper therefore asserts that a reinvigorated urban heath is crucial not only to realize the urban and health SDGs, but also to capitalize on new, emergent research and opportunities that may emerge as global health work shifts to better reflect the contours of the SDGs.
Developing and testing the Urban Sustainable Development Goal’s targets and indicators – a five-city study
Authors: Simon David , Arfvidsson Helen , Anand Geetika , Bazaz Amir , Fenna Gill , Foster Kevin , Jain Garima , Hansson Stina , Evans Louise Marix , Moodley Nishendra , Nyambuga Charles , Oloko Michael , Ombara Doris Chandi , Patel Zarina , Perry Beth , Primo Natasha , Revi Aromar , Van Niekerk Brendon , Wharton Alex , Wright Carol
Published: December 2015

The campaign for the inclusion of a specifically urban goal within the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was challenging. Numerous divergent interests were involved, while urban areas worldwide are also extremely heterogeneous. It was essential to minimize the number of targets and indicators while still capturing critical urban dimensions relevant to human development. It was also essential to test the targets and indicators. This paper reports the findings of a unique comparative pilot project involving co-production between researchers and local authority officials in five diverse secondary and intermediate cities: Bangalore (Bengaluru), India; Cape Town, South Africa; Gothenburg, Sweden; Greater Manchester, United Kingdom; and Kisumu, Kenya. Each city faced problems in providing all the data required, and each also proposed various changes to maximize the local relevance of particular targets and indicators. This reality check provided invaluable inputs to the process of finalizing the urban SDG prior to the formal announcement of the entire SDG set by the UN Secretary-General in late September 2015.
An agenda for Habitat III: urban perestroika
Authors: Buckley Robert M , Simet Lena
Published: December 2015

In order to develop a constructive new urban agenda (NUA), the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) must move beyond sterile proclamations, and acknowledge what we have learned since previous Habitat meetings – that urban policy significantly influences inclusive economic growth. A new urban agenda that takes new research and understandings into account could be like investments in health in terms of the high rate of return. More than that, changes in urban regulations and in the way subsidies are targeted could allow most of the desired gains to be realized without additional resources. An NUA, in other words, could be like perestroika for cities. Indeed, it could support a “restructuring” that is both more manageable and more fundamental than other, more popular, growth strategies. By examining a number of case studies, the paper demonstrates that a central message of Habitat III should be that better urban policy is much more than just a claim on public resources, it can be an important way to achieve inclusive growth.
Hybrid bond graph model based for robust fault detection and isolation
Authors: Rahal Mohamed Ilyas , Ould Bouamama Belkacem , Meghebbar Abdelmajid
Published: December 2015

The article deals with the robust fault detection and isolation based on linear fractional transformation hybrid bond graph. The main objective is to improve the robustness of fault detection step in the presence of parametric uncertainties in hybrid models in order to minimize the false alarms. The scientific interest of the proposed method is the use of only one tool – the bond graph not only for dynamic modelling of uncertain hybrid system but also for generation of adaptive thresholds needed in residual evaluation step. For this task, hybrid bond graph uncertain model approach with controlled junctions in linear fractional transformation form (allowing to represent graphically the parametric uncertainties) is first proposed to represent all the modes of the hybrid system. Second, based on causal and structural properties of the hybrid bond graph, analytical redundancy relations (with nominal and uncertain part) valid for all the modes are then derived systematically from the diagnostic hybrid bond graph. An application to a hydraulic system is used to illustrate this method.
Evaluation of gamma ray-induced gastrointestinal tract morphological and proliferative activity changes in rhesus monkeys
Authors: Chen T , Wang L , Chen K , Qiu S , Cen X , Li H , Hu C
Published: December 2015

To provide support for future pharmacology and preclinical studies, we have established a stable nonhuman primate animal model to demonstrate the histopathological changes in the gastrointestinal tract following gamma ray irradiation. In this study, 12 healthy rhesus monkeys were divided into 2 groups (control and radiation groups). Animals in the radiation group were exposed to gamma rays (cobalt 60 source) at a dose level of 6.5 Gy total body irradiation bilaterally (i.e. 3.25 Gy on each side). Control animals were sham exposed using identical procedures. After a 5-day in-life observation period, gastrointestinal tract tissues (esophagus, stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, colon, and rectum) were collected and fixed in 10% neutral-buffered formalin for subsequent hematoxylin and eosin and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) immunohistochemistry processing. The results showed that the esophagus was undergoing degeneration without obvious inflammatory changes, while the stomach and duodenum exhibited both degeneration and inflammation. From the jejunum to the rectum, late-stage inflammation with glandular regeneration, as well as a high-level BrdU labeling index, was present.
Prevalence, distribution and clinical correlates of myocardial fibrosis in systemic lupus erythematosus: a cardiac magnetic resonance study
Authors: Seneviratne M G , Grieve S M , Figtree G A , Garsia R , Celermajer D S , Adelstein S , Puranik R
Published: December 2015

Objectives

To assess the prevalence, distribution and clinical correlates of myocardial fibrosis, as detected by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

Forty-one subjects (average age 39 ± 12 years and 80% female) with SLE underwent CMR imaging at 1.5T, using late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) to quantify the area of myocardial fibrosis in the left ventricle (LV). Subjects also underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and exercise testing.

Results

LGE was detected in 15/41 subjects, 11 with localized LGE (<15% LV mass) and four with extensive LGE (>15% LV mass). The commonest site of LGE was the interventricular septum, with all but one case demonstrating an intramural or inflammatory pattern. The mean age of the >15% LGE group (55 ± 15 years) was significantly higher than the <15% or absent LGE subgroups. Based on both CMR and TTE measurements, subjects with LGE > 15% demonstrated a reduced E/A ratio of 0.9 ± 0.4 relative to the <15% and absent LGE subgroups. LV end-systolic volume (ESVi), end-diastolic volume (EDVi) and maximum exercise capacity were also reduced in the >15% LGE group.

Conclusions

Mid-wall myocardial fibrosis occurs frequently in SLE and is strongly associated with advancing subject age, but not with SLE duration or severity. Extensive LGE may be associated with diastolic dysfunction and impaired exercise capacity, although this may be an epiphenomenon of age. Cardiac magnetic resonance with quantitative assessment of LGE may provide a basis for cardiac risk stratification in SLE.
Conflicting notions of time in Antony and Cleopatra
Authors: Valentini Maria
Published: December 2015

The question of time is part of a general psychological reorientation which takes place in the Renaissance and appears in many of Shakespeare’s plays as a theme upon which to reflect. Time, no longer beneficial, becomes a source of anxiety: feudal time, linked to land and cultivation, providing comfort because the eternal repetition of natural cycles gives the illusion of reversibility, and therefore of a time which is redeemable, gives way to the notion of linear time, irreversible, unredeemable, the time of History (cf. Le Goff, Panofsky, Deleuze).

In Antony and Cleopatra, we find these different concepts of time battling against each other; Rome’s opposition to Alexandria, and Caesar’s opposition to Antony represent also two contrasting notions of time. Caesar’s time, and indeed Rome’s time, is very close to this new, modern concept, whose roots lie also in the springs and coils of renaissance machinery, time linked to power and money; wasting time means ‘being similar to beasts, he who wastes his time does not deserve to be called a man’ (cf. Le Goff). This is the kind of time Antony cannot face. Antony is tied to the past, but also to time as Aion, Cleopatra and Egypt’s time, associated with the ever-present, (cf. Heraclitus, Augustine), a time which is outside of history, a time which does not seem to lead inexorably to death and which is opposed to time as Chronos, linear and irreversible, time of history, the time of Rome. But Chronos is not simply ‘time the destroyer’; it opposes itself to chaos, it also means order, it means law. Roman time and Egyptian time can be seen as belonging to these two categories as does Caesar’s time when confronted with Antony’s time.
Problematizing Prostitution in Law and Policy in the Republic of Ireland
Authors: FitzGerald Sharron , McGarry Kathryn
Published: December 2015

This article attempts to uncover the discursive practices that have framed recent debates on prostitution in the Republic of Ireland. As Ireland prepares to introduce Swedish-style laws, which criminalize the purchase of sexual services, we are particularly interested in interrogating the dominant construction of prostitution in recent policy debates and consultations. Taking these spaces as sites for the reproduction of discursive and material practices, we employ methods of critical discourse analysis through Carole Bacchi’s (1999) ‘What’s the problem represented to be’ approach to question: How is prostitution problematized in Irish law and policy? We argue the representation of prostitution in neo-abolitionist discourse in Ireland operates through gendered and racialized assumptions about sex workers and migrant women. The material consequences of this have implications not only for current prostitution law and policy proposals but also for wider feminist spaces in Ireland.
Exercising emergencies: Resilience, affect and acting out security
Authors: Kaufmann Mareile
Published: December 2015

The idea of the complex emergency has given rise to the notion of resilience as a form of acting out security. While security policies largely embrace the concept of resilience, critical scholarship points to the ‘responsibilization’ of the threatened subject, who is ‘programmed’ to act out security in a fashion that internalizes neoliberal values. This behaviour is trained through disciplinary practices, such as exercises, that seek to conduct the conduct of disaster populations. However, is the resilient subject only ever an instance of programmes and disciplinary power? This article takes a look at how self-organization comes about and how this process can be conceptualized through affect. It uses the setting of a cyber-security exercise to describe the dynamic interplay between affect and re/action. Building on Spinoza’s understanding of affect as the onset for action, the article discusses what affect theory contributes to resilience theory. It concludes that, as a form of acting out security, resilience incorporates both ‘programmed’ and ‘self-determined’ actions. Both forms of acting, however, imply that the resilient subject has no choice but to act out security. Given this fundamental restraint, powerlessness as the incapacity to act appears as one of the few instances that escape the governmental logic of resilience.