bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kinship, Property, and Authority
Authors: Sharma Vivek Swaroop
Published: February 2015

This article is a step towards a rethinking of the emergence of the modern state in Europe. Traditionally, war has been viewed as the central mechanism of state formation. This approach claims that war caused the emergence of the modern state in two significant ways: 1) by consolidating the politically fragmented world of the middle ages through conquest; and 2) through the pressure of competition in a Darwinian international system, which forced the polities of Europe to create the bureaucratic structures fundamental to the authority of the modern state. This article seeks to undermine the first of these mechanisms by showing that the territorial consolidation of Europe was a logical result of dynastic lordship. I seek to show that the consolidation of territory and authority into fewer and fewer hands was a direct consequence of dynastic successional practices and therefore that the emphasis on coercion in European political development has been overplayed.
Class vs. Special Interest
Authors: Eidlin Barry
Published: February 2015

Why are US labor unions so weak? Union decline has had important consequences for politics, inequality, and social policy. Common explanations cite employment shifts, public opinion, labor laws, and differences in working class culture and organization. But comparing the United States with Canada challenges those explanations. After following US unionization rates for decades, Canadian rates diverged in the 1960s, and are now nearly three times higher. This divergence was due to different processes of working class political incorporation. In the United States, labor was incorporated as an interest group into a labor regime governed by a pluralist idea. In Canada, labor was incorporated as a class representative into a labor regime governed by a class idea. This led to a relatively stronger Canadian labor regime that better held employers in check and protected workers’ collective bargaining rights. As a result, union density stabilized in Canada while plummeting in the United States.
Labour (im)mobility and monopsonistic exploitation of workers in the urban informal sector: Lessons from a field study
Authors: Gangopadhyay Partha , Shankar Sriram
Published: February 2015

It is well-recognised in labour economics that employers in monopsonistic competition have market power to set wages below the productivity of workers if workers are immobile, which causes monopsonistic exploitation of workers. Monopsonistic exploitation is propelled by employers’ expectations about the degree of (im)mobility of workers and therefore by ex post mobility of workers. It hence begs a question of what determines the relative (im)mobility of informal workers, which has significant implications for monopsonistic exploitation and working poverty in the urban informal sector. From our field study of urban and peri-urban labour markets in Bangladesh, by modifying the method of stochastic frontier analysis, we explain the behavioural foundation to the relative (im)mobility of informal workers. We thereby unravel the effects of individual and household characteristics, sociological, institutional factors and household ties (including worker’s kinship) on the relative immobility of a worker that can, in turn, explain monopsonistic exploitation and working poverty widely prevalent in the urban informal sector of South Asia.
A comparative assessment of the factors associated with station-level streetcar versus light rail transit ridership in the United States
Authors: Ramos-Santiago Luis Enrique , Brown Jeffrey
Published: February 2015

The proliferation of streetcar projects in US cities is one of the most significant transportation developments of recent years, yet little is known about the factors that contribute to streetcar ridership or whether these factors differ from those related to light rail transit use. This study uses multivariate models to examine differences in the factors related to average weekday station boardings on a set of US streetcar and light rail systems. While there are some similarities with respect to population levels and proximity to special generators for ridership on each mode, the results also point to important differences in the role that service characteristics, socioeconomic factors, and land use factors have on station-level ridership. The set of factors associated with light rail boardings suggest light rail’s use by a more utilitarian rider market, while those factors associated with modern streetcars suggest greater use by individuals trying to reach tourism and special activity centre-related destinations. These findings suggest that the modes are not substitutes for one another and that cities should carefully consider the decision to select one mode or the other for implementation.
Homeless people’s leisure practices within and beyond urban socio-scapes
Authors: Hodgetts Darrin , Stolte Ottilie
Published: February 2015

With increased inequity and polarisation in society, access to leisure has become even more crucial for ensuring the humanity and health of people living in urban poverty. Homeless people constitute the hard edge of urban poverty, and literally embody broader inequities in society given that they face increased risk of illness and an early death. Scholars have explored the material and psychosocial hardships experienced by homeless people, but focus less on leisure. This article explores the role of leisure in the everyday lives of 99 homeless people in New Zealand and England. We document various leisure activities across different urban spaces and consider the complexities of leisure in how homeless people make meaning of, cope with and survive street life in the city.
The persistence of power despite the changing meaning of homeownership: An age-period-cohort analysis of urban housing tenure in China, 1989–2011
Authors: Fu Qiang
Published: February 2015

Using nine successive waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data set, this study employs hierarchical age-period-cohort logistic models (HAPC) to analyse temporal patterns of urban homeownership from 1989 to 2011. With the changing meaning of homeownership due to housing reforms, the strong period increases in homeownership track policy changes and the most dramatic increase occurs mainly in the era of housing privatisation rather than housing commodification. The temporal analyses also offer insights into housing stratification from redistribution to markets. The positive effect of education on homeownership is explained by period increases in homeownership, whereas working in state sectors has persistently attached to preferred housing-tenure choice before and after the housing reforms. Moreover, the significant cohort effect lends support to strengthened temporal inequalities in the reform era. These findings not only provide a dynamic understanding of housing stratification in (post)socialist societies, but call for the need to incorporate temporal dimensions into urban studies, especially those on a society experiencing rapid social and institutional changes.
Struggles over identity in diplomacy: ‘Commie terrorists’ contra ‘imperialists’ in Western Sahara
Authors: de Orellana Pablo
Published: February 2015

How does diplomacy recognise the political identity of international actors? Drawing on critical approaches, this article analyses the development of identities in diplomatic communications concerning the Western Sahara conflict from the early 2000s to the present. It argues that a failure to question relationships between identities as projected in diplomatic sources and those of global threats like Islamic terrorism is a crucial driver behind the stalemate. The analysis demonstrates that Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro (POLISARIO) and Morocco became subsumed into the binary identities of the War on Terror due to the dominance of concerns about terrorism pervading diplomatic communication. Morocco played a significant role in this identification through textual interventions that linked POLISARIO identity to concerns about terrorism, gaining significant agency in the articulation of US and French policy on the conflict. This case illustrates how representations of identity in diplomatic communication in relation to dominant policy concerns grant actors agency for policy outcomes.
“Everywhere Is Taksim”
Authors: Batuman Bülent
Published: February 2015

This article discusses the politics of public space through the particular example of Taksim Square in Istanbul. Tracing Taksim’s history since the early twentieth century, the article analyzes the instrumentalization of public space in nation-building, the socialization of politics within the context of postwar rapid urbanization, and the (re)politicization of public space under neoliberal Islamism. Finally it arrives at an assessment of the nation-wide antigovernment protests that centered on Taksim Square in May–June 2013. Throughout this historical examination, the politics of public space is discussed with reference to the work of Henri Lefebvre, in order to scrutinize the spatial aspects of the relation between state and society. Accordingly, the rise of democratic public space is defined as a result of the mutual interaction between two bottom-up impetuses; the immanent politics of the social (the political character of everyday life) and the socialization of the political (civil political action).
Distriktssköterskors beskrivningar av sjukdomsförebyggande arbete i daglig verksamhet och strukturella förutsättningar för detta arbete
Authors: Eriksson Annelie , Engström Maria
Published: February 2015

Background

There is much research about district nurses’ preventive work, effects of it and their perceptions of the preventive work. Less is known about how district nurses perceive their preventive work in relation to structural conditions for this work.

Aim

The aim was to describe district nurses’ perceptions of their preventive work in daily practice; and structural conditions for this using Kanter’s theory of structural empowerment.

Methods

Interviews were conducted 2012 with nine Swedish district nurses. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Findings

The analysis resulted in one theme; ‘To experience stimulation versus frustration; a consistency versus a discrepancy between will and structural conditions’. District nurses who worked with specialized tasks felt that they mostly had the structural conditions required to work in a preventive manner and that they could prioritize which unhealthy living habits to discuss with their patients. District nurses without specialized tasks described that their structural conditions for preventive work was limited in the present streamlined organization. This in turn led to a feeling of frustration.

Conclusion

Preventive work is described as stimulating when district nurses have the conditions required, yet the conditions required are sometimes lacking and especially for district nurses without specialized tasks. There is a will to work in a preventive manner but structural conditions need to be improved.
Arbitrary and uniform time controllability of affine control systems
Authors: Kule Memet
Published: March 2015

In this paper, we deal with uniform- and arbitrary-time controllability problem of affine control systems on several Lie group. For this class of control systems, we establish uniform-time controllability properties on simply connected semisimple Lie groups. We also show that if the system is controllable, then an affine control system on compact Lie groups is controllable at uniform time. Finally, we show that arbitrary-time controllability of affine control systems on Carnot groups is established by relating to their associated bilinear part.
A Multimediation Model of Learning by Exporting: Analysis of Export-Induced Productivity Gains
Authors: Tse Caleb H. , Yu Linhui , Zhu Jianjun
Published: February 2015

This paper “opens a black box” in examining how and under what conditions do firms achieve productivity gains by exporting, conventionally known as the learning-by-exporting (LBE) effect. We extend the current theoretical paradigm by proposing that exporters utilize strategic decisions pertinent to innovativeness, production capability, and human capital so as to leverage knowledge and resources obtained from exporting in order to achieve productivity gains. We test and validate our hypotheses with panelized data of roughly 250,000 Chinese firms over a 7-year period (2001-2007). We also show that the salience of these mediation mechanisms is contingent upon ownership structure and industry characteristics: Non-state-owned enterprises and firms in industries with medium export intensity or medium and high new product development intensity effectuate more learning through these conduits than their counterparts. The multimediation mechanism LBE model offers useful implications for academia, practitioners, and policy makers.
Wonderful When It Works …
Authors: Pennell Greta Eleen , Thakore Bhoomi K. , West Rebecca J.
Published: February 2015

Ubiquitous technology theoretically allows for the creation of a global classroom with students engaging scholars, activists, and other professionals from around the world. Technical and pedagogical issues, however, can result in less-than-effective presentations that in turn result in negative learning outcomes. Using a case study approach, we discuss the key considerations, common pitfalls, and outcomes of using Skype to facilitate a guest lecture with three presenters in three different locations.
Extended Family Support Networks of Caribbean Black Adults in the United States
Authors: Taylor Robert Joseph , Forsythe-Brown Ivy , Lincoln Karen D. , Chatters Linda M.
Published: February 2015

This article investigates the extended family social support networks of Caribbean Black adults (Afro-Caribbeans). Although there are several ethnographic accounts of familial ties and support exchanges among Black Caribbean immigrants, only a handful of studies use quantitative data. This article uses data from the National Survey of American Life, which contains the first national probability sample of Caribbean Blacks in the United States. Age, gender, income, material hardship, and immigration status were all associated with at least one of the four indicators of family support networks. Subjective family closeness and frequency of family contact were significantly associated with both giving and receiving informal support. A significant age and parental status interaction for receiving support indicated that older adults without children received assistance from their extended families less frequently than older adults with children. Overall, study findings affirm the importance of extended family networks for Caribbean Black adults.
Transcriptional Activity of HPV in Inverted Papilloma Demonstrated by In Situ Hybridization for E6/E7 mRNA
Authors: Stoddard David G. , Keeney Michael G. , Gao Ge , Smith David I. , García Joaquín J. , O’Brien Erin K.
Published: February 2015

Objective

Assess human papilloma virus (HPV) transcriptional activity in inverted Schneiderian papillomas (IPs).

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Academic tertiary care center.

Subjects and Methods

Retrospective clinicopathologic review of 19 cases of IP in patients undergoing surgical excision from 1995 to 2013 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Surgical pathology archival material was histopathologically reviewed using hematoxylin and eosin–stained slides. Formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded material from each case was evaluated for p16 expression using immunohistochemistry as well as HPV DNA and E6/E7 messenger RNA (mRNA) transcription using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization (via RNAscope technology), respectively.

Results

Eight patients were female (42%), with an average age of 53 years (range, 23‐82 years). Three demonstrated malignancy, and 5 subsequently recurred. Average follow‐up was 49 months (range, 0‐200 months), and 1 patient died from squamous cell carcinoma arising from the IP. RNAscope detected HPV mRNA transcripts exclusively within IP in 100% of cases; however, in 11 patients (58%), less than 1% of cells exhibited transcriptional activity. Only 2 of 19 cases (11%) demonstrated mRNA activity in 50% or more cells. HPV DNA was detected in only 2 specimens by PCR.

Conclusions

This study reveals wide prevalence but limited transcriptional activity of HPV in IP. No correlation between HPV transcriptional activity and progression, recurrence, or malignant transformation was identified. These data suggest that transcription of HPV may contribute to the pathogenesis of IP, but prospective data are needed to definitively demonstrate this connection. These results also suggest that RNAscope may be more sensitive than PCR in detecting HPV activity in IP.
Reconstruction of the Naso‐orbital‐ethmoid (NOE) Complex Using the Osteocutaneous Radial Forearm Flap (OCRFF)
Authors: Cannady Steven B. , Friedman Oren , Chalian Ara A. , Newman Jason G. , Cook Ted , Wax Mark K.
Published: February 2015

Objectives

Describe the utility of osteocutaneous forearm flaps in reconstruction of naso‐orbito‐ethmoid (NOE) defects.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Tertiary medical centers.

Subjects and Methods

The study was conducted on patients treated between the years 2000 and 2014 undergoing NOE resection with reconstruction using the radial forearm flap. Decision making, technical feasibility, need for revisions, and patient disease outcomes were included to assess the durability of reconstruction over remaining survival period.

Results

Fifteen patients underwent NOE reconstruction in the timeframe studied. Five recent patients reported poor nasal airway but no diplopia or immediately clinically evident enopthalmus after NOE reconstruction in mean follow‐up of 17.3 months. One‐third of patients succumbed to disease in the study period, 3 without revision, and all but 2 surviving patients required revisions.

Conclusion

Osteocutaneous radial forearm flap (OCRFF) is a cosmetically acceptable method of reconstructing NOE defects. Though a 1‐step reconstruction can be serviceable without multiple additional procedures, longer surviving patients frequently receive revision surgery as with more traditional planned staged procedures.
Tottenham after the riots: The chimera of community and the property-led regeneration of ‘broken Britain’
Authors: Dillon Denis , Fanning Bryan
Published: February 2015

David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ agenda is best understood in terms of ideological and policy continuities with earlier Conservative and New Labour governments. But where previous post-1979 governments have sought to renegotiate the role of the state mostly through privatisations and marketisations of public services, the ‘Big Society’ agenda also proposed the replacement of the state by individual voluntarism and community enterprise. The accompanying political narrative portrays an atomised ‘broken Britain’ but at the same time insists that untapped community spirit can take the place of the state. This article examines the disjuncture between Big Society narratives and urban policy responses to the 2011 Tottenham riots. By comparison with previous local regeneration initiatives in Tottenham there was very little emphasis on community development. Instead explicit goals of gentrification in the Plan for Tottenham echo Thatcher-era approaches to ‘place shaping’ and exemplify a wider re-emphasis on property-led regeneration.
Computer Algorithms, Market Manipulation and the Institutionalization of High Frequency Trading
Authors: Arnoldi Jakob
Published: February 2015

The article discusses the use of algorithmic models in finance (algo or high frequency trading). Algo trading is widespread but also somewhat controversial in modern financial markets. It is a form of automated trading technology, which critics claim can, among other things, lead to market manipulation. Drawing on three cases, this article shows that manipulation also can happen in the reverse way, meaning that human traders attempt to make algorithms ‘make mistakes’ by ‘misleading’ them. These attempts to manipulate are very simple and immediately transparent to humans. Nevertheless, financial regulators increasingly penalize such attempts to manipulate algos. The article explains this as an institutionalization of algo trading, a trading practice which is vulnerable enough to need regulatory protection.
Privacy concerns and benefits in SaaS adoption by individual users
Authors: Gashami Jean Pierre Guy , Chang Younghoon , Rho Jae Jeung , Park Myeong-Cheol
Published: February 2015

Software-as-a-Service, a new model of accessing software, presents individual users with tremendous opportunities to work and live conveniently and efficiently. Existing research has put much focus on understanding SaaS potential and risks for organizations and not much effort has been invested in understanding individual users, despite their market significance. This study aims at closing this gap by analyzing the cognitive mechanism through which individual users trade off privacy against the benefits that SaaS offers and identify salient benefits that trigger such trade-off. Based on the Theory of Reasoned Action, the Privacy-Trust-Intention model and cost-benefit theories, we developed a research framework that capture the trade-off between benefits and privacy and further analyzed data collected from an online survey of SaaS users in Korea with 290 respondents. Our findings indicate that individual users’ intention to use SaaS is negatively affected by privacy concerns and positively affected by overall perceived benefits in a relationship that is mediated by trust towards SaaS providers. Surprisingly, no direct, significant effect of privacy concerns on intention to use SaaS was found, whereas overall perceived benefits were found to have a direct effect on users’ intention to adopt SaaS. We found convenience to be the most salient benefit that users expect from adopting SaaS. Our study contributes to existing research by developing and empirically verifying a benefits-versus-privacy framework in a rather neglected segment of SaaS consumers in previous research. The findings also guide SaaS providers in mitigating privacy concerns; while efforts to minimize privacy will enhance users’ trust, it is of paramount importance to maximize salient benefits such as convenience that outweigh privacy concerns during users’ decision making to adopt SaaS.
Pushing the agenda of the information society
Authors: Mbatha Blessing
Published: February 2015

This article sheds some light on the usage and types of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) accessible to community members in four selected multipurpose community centers (telecentres) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study was informed by the Diffusion of Innovations Theory. Through a survey, four telecentres were purposively selected. Questionnaires were used to collect data. The data was tabulated and presented using tables, frequencies, and percentiles. The results indicate that a variety of ICTs have been adopted in the telecentres to provide local communities with much-needed access to information and improved communication. The most popular recommendations from users included the need for sufficient and coherent government policies regulating the training of the local community to effectively use these ICTs. Government should ensure that adequate varieties and levels of ICT competence are offered to all citizens, and needs to find ways to gradually include ICT training in curricula at all levels, including primary education.
The social and economic impact of improving a town centre: The case of Rotherham
Authors: Thompson John , Benson Martyn , McDonagh Peter
Published: February 2015

The objective of this research is to take a single-case approach to evaluate the role of entrepreneurs and enablers in the effective regeneration of a town centre, and the consequent social and economic impacts. The study is in Rotherham in South Yorkshire, which was selected to receive national funding as part of the Mary Portas initiative. Secondary research was based on relevant bid documents prepared by Rotherham Investment and Development Office. Primary research included semi-structured interviews with several retailers in the regenerated Rotherham high street, local enablers who had a direct impact on the entrepreneurship and external stakeholders with a relevant perspective and interest in the events. In addition, visitors to the high street in Rotherham were sampled and questioned on their feelings and experiences. This paper will help those interested in the regeneration of our town centres and high streets to understand better both the challenges and possibilities for creating sustainable social and economic value and improvement. The basic premise is that initiatives such as the Portas project need the engagement and intervention of local entrepreneurs and enablers if they are to result in valuable outcomes. It is what actually happens and the execution of the ideas proposed in bid documents more than the creativity and persuasiveness of the bid itself that matter. By taking a people-centred approach to the investigation and analysis, valuable insights into town centre regeneration can be provided.
Between illegality and recognition: Exploring sacrificial violence in a Manila brotherhood
Authors: Jensen Steffen
Published: March 2015

This article explores how poor, young men in a Manila relocation site enter into a brotherhood as a means to claim recognition from dominant society. It argues that by joining the brotherhood, which emanates out of a Greekletter fraternity tradition in US and Philippine universities, the young men establish a link to people and networks in power. Drawing on ritual and religious sacrifice theory, the article illustrates how sacrificial violence in initiation rites becomes a performance of worth. This performance of valour and worth do indeed reach dominant society. After exploring the initiation ritual of the young men the article then turns to explore the nature of the Philippine elite. This analysis suggests that while there are several, often competing strands within elite politics (legalistic, moralistic and clientelist), the efforts of the young men end up confirming and reproducing the elite and their own marginalization as unruly, uncouth goons of political machines.
Sensitization of the trigeminovascular system following environmental irritant exposure
Authors: Kunkler Phillip Edward , Zhang LuJuan , Pellman Jessica Joan , Oxford Gerry Stephen , Hurley Joyce Harts
Published: February 2015

Background

Air pollution is linked to increased emergency room visits for headache, and migraine patients frequently cite chemicals or odors as headache triggers, but the association between air pollutants and headache is not well understood. We previously reported that nasal administration of environmental irritants acutely increases meningeal blood flow via a TRPA1-dependent mechanism involving the trigeminovascular system. Here, we examine whether chronic environmental irritant exposure sensitizes the trigeminovascular system.

Methods

Male rats were exposed to acrolein, a TRPA1 agonist, or room air by inhalation for four days prior to meningeal blood flow measurements. Some animals were injected daily with a TRPA1 antagonist, AP-18, or vehicle prior to inhalation exposure. Trigeminal ganglia were isolated following blood flow measurements for immunocytochemistry and/or qPCR determination of TRPV1, TRPA1 and CGRP levels.

Results

Acrolein inhalation exposure potentiated blood flow responses both to TRPA1 and TRPV1 agonists compared to room air. Acrolein exposure did not alter TRPV1 or TRPA1 mRNA levels or TRPV1 or CGRP immunoreactive cell counts in the trigeminal ganglion. Acrolein sensitization of trigeminovascular responses to a TRPA1 agonist was attenuated by pre-treatment with AP-18.

Interpretation

These results suggest trigeminovascular sensitization as a mechanism for enhanced headache susceptibility after chemical exposure.
Mechanisms of glyceryl trinitrate provoked mast cell degranulation
Authors: Pedersen Sara Hougaard , Ramachandran Roshni , Amrutkar Dipak Vasantrao , Petersen Steffen , Olesen Jes , Jansen-Olesen Inger
Published: February 2015

Background

Migraine patients develop attacks several hours after intravenous infusion of glyceryl trinitrate. Due to the short half-life of nitric oxide, this delayed migraine cannot be caused by a direct action of nitric oxide derived from glyceryl trinitrate. The involvement of meningeal inflammation and dural mast cell degranulation is supported by the effectiveness of prednisolone on glyceryl trinitrate-induced delayed headache.

Methods

Using a newly developed rat model mimicking the human glyceryl trinitrate headache model, we have investigated the occurrence of dural mast cell degranulation after a clinically relevant dose of glyceryl trinitrate.

Results

A 6-fold increase in degranulation was observed starting at 2 hours after glyceryl trinitrate infusion. Interestingly, pre-treatment with the effective anti-migraine substances L-nitro-arginine methyl ester and sumatriptan prevented glyceryl trinitrate-induced mast cell degranulation whereas the calcitonin gene-related peptide-receptor antagonist olcegepant and the substance P receptor antagonist L-733,060 did not affect mast cell degranulation. However, topical application of two different nitric oxide donors did not cause mast cell degranulation ex vivo.

Conclusions

Direct application of an exogenous nitric oxide donor on dural mast cells does not cause mast cell degranulation ex vivo. In vivo application of the nitric oxide donor glyceryl trinitrate leads to a prominent level of degranulation via a yet unknown mechanism. This effect can be completely blocked by inhibition of the endogenous nitric oxide production and by 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonists but is unaffected by calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P receptor antagonists.
DriveSafe and DriveAware Assessment Tools Are a Measure of Driving-Related Function and Predicts Self-Reported Restriction for Older Drivers
Authors: Allan Claire , Coxon Kristy , Bundy Anita , Peattie Laura , Keay Lisa
Published: February 2015

Safety concerns together with aging of the driving population has prompted research into clinic-based driving assessments. This study investigates the relationship between the DriveSafe and DriveAware assessments and restriction of driving. Community-dwelling adults aged more than 75 ( n = 380) were recruited in New South Wales, Australia. Questionnaires were administered to assess driving habits and functional assessments to assess driving-related function. Self-reported restriction was prevalent in this cross-sectional sample (62%) and was related to DriveSafe scores and personal circumstances but not DriveAware scores. DriveSafe scores were correlated with better performance on the Trail-Making Test (TMT; β = −2.94, p < .0001) and better contrast sensitivity (β = 48.70, p < .0001). Awareness was associated with better performance on the TMT (β = 0.08, p < .0001). Our data suggest that DriveSafe and DriveAware are sensitive to deficits in vision and cognition, and drivers with worse DriveSafe scores self-report restricting their driving.
The Effect of Dining Room Physical Environmental Renovations on Person-Centered Care Practice and Residents’ Dining Experiences in Long-Term Care Facilities
Authors: Hung Lillian , Chaudhury Habib , Rust Tiana
Published: February 2015

This qualitative study evaluated the effect of dining room physical environmental changes on staff practices and residents’ mealtime experiences in two units of a long-term care facility in Edmonton, Canada. Focus groups with staff ( n = 12) and individual interviews with unit managers ( n = 2) were conducted. We also developed and used the Dining Environment Assessment Protocol (DEAP) to conduct a systematic physical environmental evaluation of the dining rooms. Four themes emerged on the key influences of the renovations: (a) supporting independence and autonomy, (b) creating familiarity and enjoyment, (c) providing a place for social experience, and (d) challenges in supporting change. Feedback from the staff and managers provided evidence on the importance of physical environmental features, as well as the integral nature of the role of the physical environment and organizational support to provide person-centered care for residents.
Circadian Rhythmicity of Active GSK3 Isoforms Modulates Molecular Clock Gene Rhythms in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus
Authors: Besing Rachel C. , Paul Jodi R. , Hablitz Lauren M. , Rogers Courtney O. , Johnson Russell L. , Young Martin E. , Gamble Karen L.
Published: February 2015

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) drives and synchronizes daily rhythms at the cellular level via transcriptional-translational feedback loops comprising clock genes such as Bmal1 and Period ( Per). Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3), a serine/threonine kinase, phosphorylates at least 5 core clock proteins and shows diurnal variation in phosphorylation state (inactivation) of the GSK3β isoform. Whether phosphorylation of the other primary isoform (GSK3α) varies across the subjective day-night cycle is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine if the endogenous rhythm of GSK3 (α and β) phosphorylation is critical for rhythmic BMAL1 expression and normal amplitude and periodicity of the molecular clock in the SCN. Significant circadian rhythmicity of phosphorylated GSK3 (α and β) was observed in the SCN from wild-type mice housed in constant darkness for 2 weeks. Importantly, chronic activation of both GSK3 isoforms impaired rhythmicity of the GSK3 target BMAL1. Furthermore, chronic pharmacological inhibition of GSK3 with 20 µM CHIR-99021 enhanced the amplitude and shortened the period of PER2::luciferase rhythms in organotypic SCN slice cultures. These results support the model that GSK3 activity status is regulated by the circadian clock and that GSK3 feeds back to regulate the molecular clock amplitude in the SCN.
An Evaluation of Cerebral and Systemic Predictors of 18-Month Outcomes for Neonates With Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
Authors: Shellhaas Renée A. , Kushwaha Juhi S. , Plegue Melissa A. , Selewski David T. , Barks John D. E.
Published: February 2015

Amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) is a commonly used predictor of outcome after hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Cerebral and systemic near-infrared spectroscopy and acute kidney injury might also have prognostic value. The authors monitored neonates with aEEG, cerebral and systemic near-infrared spectroscopy during therapeutic hypothermia, assigned an acute kidney injury stage, and measured neurodevelopmental outcome. For 18 infants, cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy variables did not differentiate between those with favorable (n = 13) versus adverse (death or moderate-severe disability; n = 5) 18-month outcomes. However, systemic rSO2 variability was higher during hours 48-72 of cooling among those with favorable outcomes (.02 < P < .03). Mean aEEG amplitude during hours 24 to 48 of cooling was higher among those with good outcomes (.027 < P < .032). The aEEG lower margin was also higher during hours 12 to 48 for those with good outcomes (.014 < P < .035). Acute kidney injury did not predict outcome ( P > .05). aEEG is a useful prognostic tool for outcomes after neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, but the role of near-infrared spectroscopy in the hypothermia-treated population remains uncertain.
Understanding Community Resilience Through the Accounts of Women Living in West Bank Refugee Camps
Authors: Darychuk Anthea , Jackson Suzanne
Published: February 2015

Throughout the West Bank, 19 camps are home to more than 200,000 Palestinians, more than half of whom are female. The Israeli occupation and attendant poverty cause communities inside West Bank camps to live under stress and violence particularly limiting to women. Although often portrayed as “helpless victims of war,” little research has been done to explore how women understand their contributions to the resilience of refugee communities. Female refugees were interviewed about their household roles and community participation. This inquiry shows how female refugees navigate the impacts of gender on community resilience.
Why Definitions Matter
Authors: Owens Jennifer Gatewood
Published: March 2015

Although there is a growing understanding of stalking victimization, it remains difficult to define, and characterizations of the phenomenon vary within the literature. As such, research is needed to understand how variations in the definition of stalking may change who is defined as a victim and thereby limit the generalizability of findings across previous studies. The focus of this study is the inclusion or exclusion of subjective and reasonable measures of fear for 1,430 victims identified by the 2006 Supplemental Victimization Survey. Results suggest that the definition of stalking is important, and prior research has potentially excluded stalking victims due to restrictive operationalizations. Victims who report different types of fear appear to be similar to each other in some respects but differ in others, particularly with regard for gender representation, suggesting some definitions of stalking may be gendered and under-represent male stalking victims. Finally, using complex stratified survey weights, the impact of these varying operationalizations is examined. Using the same data but different definitions resulted in estimates of just over 1 to 5.3 million persons who are stalked in the United States each year.
Time constraints and the opportunity costs of oversight
Authors: Strayhorn Joshua A , Carrubba Clifford J , Giles Micheal W
Published: February 2015

In a principal–agent relationship, how should principals budget time for oversight when oversight activity is not instantaneous? We develop a formal model of resource allocation by a principal monitoring multiple agents, where the principal faces a dynamic budgeting problem. Our model reveals a tension between the value of holding resources in reserve to maintain the threat of an audit and the direct policy gains of monitoring activity. We show that as the frequency of principal–agent conflict increases, there are some conditions under which the most effective strategy for a principal is to allocate less and less of their total time to monitoring. The model has important implications for the empirical analysis of a monitoring setting where a principal oversees multiple agents.
Subcontracting dimensions in the small and medium enterprises: Study of auto components’ manufacturing industry in India
Authors: Kotturu Chandramouli VV , Mahanty Biswajit
Published: February 2015

Small and medium enterprises occupy a place of strategic importance in the economic development of India. Growth of these enterprises depends on the large enterprises or the original equipment manufacturers as significant proportions of the small and medium enterprises are linked with the large enterprises through industrial subcontracting. Although the large enterprises have registered rapid growth with the advent of globalization and flow of foreign direct investment, a similar growth is not observed in the small and medium enterprises. Most of the small and medium enterprises are unable to perform as per the expectation of the partner large enterprises and are finding it difficult to maintain healthy subcontracting relationship with the large enterprises as the small and medium enterprises are constrained in their infrastructural resources such as technology, finance, marketing and human resources. In order to improve their subcontracting relationships, the small and medium enterprises need to develop their capabilities in line with the needs and the requirements of the large enterprises. In this article, a resource-based view of strategy is adopted to identify the key factors for the small and medium enterprises that would improve their sustenance. A survey on Indian automotive component manufacturing industry reveals that technological and financial dimensions are more important and “fostering new components development,” “customized investments” and “market-oriented pricing” are the key variables for the small and medium enterprises to develop healthy subcontracting relationships with the original equipment manufacturer.
Optimal trajectory planning for increased stability of mobile flexible manipulators undergoing large deflection
Authors: Heidari Hamidreza , Korayem Moharam Habibnejad , Haghpanahi Mohammad
Published: February 2015

In this article, a path planning algorithm for nonholonomic mobile flexible manipulators is presented that computes the robot trajectory by maximizing pose stability measures. Zero moment point criterion is used as a performance index for the system stability, which regards the mass moment of inertia of the mobile base. In dynamic analysis, an efficient model is employed to describe the treatment of flexible structure, in which both the geometric elastic nonlinearity and the foreshortening effects are considered. The optimization strategy is based on the indirect solution of the open-loop optimal control problem. Necessary optimality conditions in the form of Pontryagin’s minimum principle are established, which leads to a standard form of a two-point boundary value problem. A new objective function is proposed to improve stability for mobile flexible robot. In order to initially check the validity of the dynamic equations, the proposed model has been implemented and tested on a fixed-base flexible arm undergoing large deflection. A simulation study has been carried out to investigate further the validity and effectiveness of the mobile flexible manipulators on finding the optimal path between two points with stability consideration. The results clearly show the effect of flexibility and tip over stability on the mobile manipulators.
Optimization of machining parameters during micro-milling of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy and Inconel 718 materials using Taguchi method
Authors: Kuram Emel , Ozcelik Babur
Published: February 2015

This study focused on the optimization of micro-milling parameters for two extensively used aerospace materials (titanium and nickel-based superalloy). The experiments were planned using Taguchi experimental design method, and the influences of spindle speed, feed rate and depth of cut on machining outputs, namely, tool wear, surface roughness and cutting forces, were determined. Tool wear, surface roughness and cutting forces measured in micro-milling of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy and Inconel 718 workpiece materials were optimized by employing Taguchi’s signal-to-noise ratio. The percentage contribution of micro-milling parameters, namely, spindle speed, feed rate and depth of cut, on tool wear, surface roughness and cutting forces was indicated by analysis of variance. The regression models identifying the relationship between the input variables and the output responses were also fitted using experimental data to predict output responses without conducting the experiments. Efficiency of regression models was determined using correlation coefficients, and the predicted values were compared with experimental results. From results, it was concluded that the established regression models could be employed for predicting tool wear, surface roughness and cutting forces in micro-milling of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy and Inconel 718 workpiece materials.
The influence of cornering on the vortical wake structures of an inverted wing
Authors: Keogh James , Doig Graham , Diasinos Sammy , Barber Tracie
Published: February 2015

The aerodynamic performance of inverted wings on racing-car configurations is most critical when cornering; however, current wind tunnel techniques are generally limited to the straight-line condition. The true cornering condition introduces complexity because of the curvature of the freestream flow. This results in an increase in the tangential velocity with increasing distance from the instantaneous centre of rotation and causes the front wing to be placed at a yaw angle. Numerical simulations were used to consider an 80% scale front wing when steady-state cornering with radii ranging from 60 m to 7.5 m, and yaw angles ranging from 1.25° to 10°. The changes to the pressure distribution near the endplates caused the wake structure to become highly asymmetric. Both the primary longitudinal vortices and the secondary longitudinal vortices differed in strength, and the vortex core positions shifted in the vertical direction and the spanwise direction. The change in the position became more substantial further downstream as the structures tended toward the freestream direction. The effects on the wing surface pressure distribution resulted in the introduction of yawing and rolling moments, as well as a side force and an increase in drag. The results demonstrate the importance of evaluating the cornering condition if that is where a good performance is most sought after.
Computational fluid dynamics assessment of subcooled flow boiling in internal-combustion engine-like conditions at low flow velocities with a volume-of-fluid model and a two-fluid model
Authors: Torregrosa Antonio J , Olmeda Pablo , Gil Antonio , Cornejo Omar
Published: February 2015

The use of subcooled flow boiling is a convenient option for the thermal management of downsized engines, but proper control of the phenomenon requires the accurate prediction of heat transfer at the coolant side, for which the use of computational fluid dynamics is a suitable alternative. While in most of the applications to engine cooling a single-fluid equivalent method is used, in this paper the performance of a two-fluid method is evaluated in engine-like conditions with special interest in the low-velocity range. The results indicate that the description of the process at low velocities provided by the two-fluid method is better than that given by a single-fluid model, while model calibration is simpler and more robust and the computational cost is substantially reduced.
Minimum sliding mode error feedback control and observer for satellite attitude control and determination
Authors: Cao Lu , Chen Xiaoqian
Published: February 2015

This paper proposes a new controller and observer (minimum sliding model error feedback control/observer, MSMEFC/O) for the attitude control and determination systems (ACDS) of satellite. It is known that the ACDS plays a significant role in the overall performance of a satellite system, especially under the influence of uncertain disturbances from the space. It is clear that any controller and observer with the capacity to deal with uncertain disturbances will improve the performance of ACDS. It is shown that the proposed MSMEFC, based on the new concept of “equivalent control error”, can compensate for various kinds of uncertain disturbances. In addition, the relationship between the equivalent control error and the uncertain disturbances is described. The robustness and steady-state error corresponding to MSMEFC are investigated to show its theoretical advantages over the traditional sliding mode control. Furthermore, the minimum sliding mode error feedback observer is also proposed based on the theory of MSMEFC. Finally, the new MSMEFC/O concept is applied to satellite ACDS, which guarantees global asymptotic convergence of attitude control and determination with high accuracy. Numerical simulations are performed to show the efficacy of the proposed MSMEFC/O in the presence of severe uncertain disturbances.