bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A chronic and latent lymphatic insufficiency follows recovery from acute lymphedema in the rat foreleg
Authors: Mendez Uziel , Stroup Emily M. , Lynch Laura L. , Waller Anna B. , Goldman Jeremy
Published: September 2012

Secondary lymphedema in humans is a common consequence of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) to treat breast cancer. Remarkably, secondary lymphedema generally first appears following a delay of over a year and can be triggered suddenly by an inflammatory insult. However, it remains unclear why the apparently functional lymphatic system is unable to accommodate an inflammatory trigger. To provide mechanistic insight into the delayed and rapid secondary lymphedema initiation, we compared the ability of the ALND-recovered rat foreleg lymphatic system to prevent edema during an inflammatory challenge with that of the uninjured lymphatic system. At 73 days postsurgery, the forelegs of ALND−- and ALND+-sensitized rats were exposed to the proinflammatory agent oxazolone, which was found to reduce fluid drainage and increase skin thickness in both ALND− and ALND+ forelegs ( P < 0.05). However, drainage in the ALND-recovered forelegs was more severely impaired than ALND− forelegs, as visualized by indocyanine green lymphography and quantified by interstitial transport of fluid marker ( P < 0.05). Although both ALND+ and ALND− forelegs experienced significant inflammation-induced edema with the oxazolone exposure ( P < 0.05), the peak tissue swelling in the ALND+ group was significantly greater than that of the ALND− forelegs (arm area peaked at ∼13.4 vs. ∼5.7% swelling, respectively, P < 0.005; wrist diameter peaked at 9.7 vs. 2.2% swelling, respectively, P < 0.005). The findings demonstrate that outward recovery from ALND in the rat foreleg masks an ensuing chronic and latent lymphatic insufficiency, which reduces the ability of the foreleg lymphatic system to prevent edema during an acute inflammatory process.
Photocatalytic Degradation of Aniline Using TiO2Nanoparticles in a Vertical Circulating Photocatalytic Reactor
Authors: Shahrezaei F. , Mansouri Y. , Zinatizadeh A. A. L. , Akhbari A.
Published: September 2012

Photocatalytic degradation of aniline in the presence of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and ultraviolet (UV) illumination was performed in a vertical circulating photocatalytic reactor. The effects of catalyst concentration (0–80 mg/L), initial pH (2–12), temperature (293–323 K), and irradiation time (0–120 min) on aniline photodegradation were investigated in order to obtain the optimum operational conditions. The results reveal that the aniline degradation efficiency can be effectively improved by increasing pH from 2 to 12 and temperature from 313 to 323 K. Besides, the effect of temperature on aniline photo degradation was found to be unremarkable in the range of 293–313 K. The optimum catalyst concentration was about 60 mg/L. The Langmuir Hinshelwood kinetic model could successfully elucidate the effects of the catalyst concentration, pH, and temperature on the rate of heterogeneous photooxidation of aniline. The data obtained by applying the Langmuir Hinshelwood treatment are consistent with the available kinetic parameters. The activated energy for the photocatalytic degradation of aniline is 20.337 kj/mol. The possibility of the reactor use in the treatment of a real petroleum refinery wastewater was also investigated. The results of the experiments indicated that it can therefore be potentially applied for the treatment of wastewater contaminated by different organic pollutants.
Lymphatic Reprogramming by Kaposi Sarcoma Herpes Virus Promotes the Oncogenic Activity of the Virus-Encoded G-protein–Coupled Receptor
Authors: Aguilar Berenice , Choi Inho , Choi Dongwon , Chung Hee Kyoung , Lee Sunju , Yoo Jaehyuk , Lee Yong Suk , Maeng Yong Sun , Lee Ha Neul , Park Eunkyung , Kim Kyu Eui , Kim Nam Yoon , Baik Jae Myung , Jung Jae U. , Koh Chester J. , Hong Young-Kwon
Published: September 2012

Kaposi sarcoma, the most common cancer in HIV-positive individuals, is caused by endothelial transformation mediated by the Kaposi sarcoma herpes virus (KSHV)-encoded G-protein–coupled receptor (vGPCR). Infection of blood vascular endothelial cells (BEC) by KSHV reactivates an otherwise silenced embryonic program of lymphatic differentiation. Thus, Kaposi sarcoma tumors express numerous lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC) signature genes. A key unanswered question is how lymphatic reprogramming by the virus promotes tumorigenesis leading to Kaposi sarcoma formation. In this study, we present evidence that this process creates an environment needed to license the oncogenic activity of vGPCR. We found that the G-protein regulator RGS4 is an inhibitor of vGPCR that is expressed in BECs, but not in LECs. RGS4 was downregulated by the master regulator of LEC differentiation PROX1, which is upregulated by KSHV and directs KSHV-induced lymphatic reprogramming. Moreover, we found that KSHV upregulates the nuclear receptor LRH1, which physically interacts with PROX1 and synergizes with it to mediate repression of RGS4 expression. Mechanistic investigations revealed that RGS4 reduced vGPCR-enhanced cell proliferation, migration, VEGF expression, and Akt activation and suppressed tumor formation induced by vGPCR. Our findings resolve long-standing questions about the pathologic impact of KSHV-induced reprogramming of host cell identity, and they offer biologic and mechanistic insights supporting the hypothesis that a lymphatic microenvironment is more favorable for Kaposi sarcoma tumorigenesis. Cancer Res; 72(22); 5833–42. ©2012 AACR.
Prevalence and Types of Pitfall in the Assessment of Mitral Isthmus Linear Conduction Block
Authors: Shah Ashok J. , Pascale Patrizio , Miyazaki Shinsuke , Liu Xingpeng , Roten Laurent , Derval Nicolas , Jadidi Amir S. , Scherr Daniel , Wilton Stephen B. , Pedersen Michala , Knecht Sebastien , Sacher Frédéric , Jaïs Pierre , Haïssaguerre Michel , Hocini Mélèze
Published: September 2012

Background—

To identify and understand clinically encountered pitfalls in the assessment of transmitral conduction block using differential coronary sinus and left atrial appendage pacing techniques in patients with left mitral isthmus linear ablation.

Methods and Results—

All the available assessments of mitral isthmus block were thoroughly reviewed in 271 mitral isthmus ablation procedures undertaken among 236 patients from October 2008 to April 2011. Bidirectional block was established in 186 of 271 (69%) procedures. Careful evaluation of electrograms recorded on the multipolar coronary sinus and ablation catheters was undertaken to identify and understand the characteristics of pitfall, if any. Pitfall was encountered in 55 of 271 (20%) procedures among 51 patients and categorized into 6 types (types 1, 3, 4, and 5 led to spurious diagnosis of block; types 2 and 6 led to erroneous diagnosis of absence of block). There were 14, 10, 17, 2, 15, and 3 (total=61) cases of pitfall types 1 through 6, respectively. Operator recognized 42 of 61 (69%) pitfalls intraprocedurally. Recognition of types 1 and 5 was difficult because of indiscernible electrograms at usual amplifier settings or presence of slow conduction mimicking block.

Conclusions—

Every fifth assessment of bidirectional block across mitral isthmus linear lesion using differential coronary sinus and left atrial appendage pacing techniques encounters a pitfall, which can lead to erroneous clinical diagnosis of block or absence of block. Recognition of pitfall during the procedure is feasible and necessitates careful distinction of far-field left atrium from the local coronary sinus electrograms besides appropriate adjustments in catheter position and pacing outputs.
Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Genotype as a Potential Genetic Marker for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Authors: Duellman Tyler , Warren Christopher L. , Peissig Peggy , Wynn Martha , Yang Jay
Published: September 2012

Background—

Degradation of extracellular matrix support in the large abdominal arteries contribute to abnormal dilation of aorta, leading to abdominal aortic aneurysms, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is the predominant enzyme targeting elastin and collagen present in the walls of the abdominal aorta. Previous studies have suggested a potential association between MMP-9 genotype and abdominal aortic aneurysm, but these studies have been limited only to the p-1562 and (CA) dinucleotide repeat microsatellite polymorphisms in the promoter region of the MMP-9 gene. We determined the functional alterations caused by 15 MMP-9 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) reported to be relatively abundant in the human genome through Western blots, gelatinase, and promoter–reporter assays and incorporated this information to perform a logistic-regression analysis of MMP-9 SNPs in 336 human abdominal aortic aneurysm cases and controls.

Methods and Results—

Significant functional alterations were observed for 6 exon SNPs and 4 promoter SNPs. Genotype analysis of frequency-matched (age, sex, history of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking) cases and controls revealed significant genetic heterogeneity exceeding 20% observed for 6 SNPs in our population of mostly white subjects from Northern Wisconsin. A step-wise logistic-regression analysis with 6 functional SNPs, where weakly contributing confounds were eliminated using Akaike information criteria, gave a final 2 SNP (D165N and p-2502) model with an overall odds ratio of 2.45 (95% confidence interval, 1.06–5.70).

Conclusions—

The combined approach of direct experimental confirmation of the functional alterations of MMP-9 SNPs and logistic-regression analysis revealed significant association between MMP-9 genotype and abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Longitudinal Changes in Ejection Fraction in Heart Failure Patients With Preserved and Reduced Ejection Fraction
Authors: Dunlay Shannon M. , Roger Véronique L. , Weston Susan A. , Jiang Ruoxiang , Redfield Margaret M.
Published: September 2012

Background—

Heart failure (HF) can occur in patients with preserved (HFpEF, EF≥50%) or reduced (HFrEF, EF<50%) ejection fraction (EF), but changes in EF after HF diagnosis are not well described.

Methods and Results—

Among a community cohort of incident HF patients diagnosed from 1984 to 2009 in Olmsted County, Minnesota, we obtained all EFs assessed by echocardiography from initial HF diagnosis until death or last follow-up through March 2010. Mixed effects models fit a unique linear regression line for each person using serial EF data. Compiled results allowed estimates of the change in EF over time in HFpEF and HFrEF. Among 1233 HF patients (48.3% male, mean age 75.0 years, mean follow-up 5.1 years), 559 (45.3%) had HFpEF at diagnosis. In HFpEF, on average, EF decreased by 5.8% over 5 years (
P
<0.001) with greater declines in older individuals and those with coronary disease. Conversely, EF increased in HFrEF (average increase 6.9% over 5 years,
P
<0.001). Greater increases were noted in women, younger patients, individuals without coronary disease, and those treated with evidence-based medications. Overall, 39% of HFpEF patients had an EF<50% and 39% of HFrEF patients had an EF≥50% at some point after diagnosis. Decreases in EF over time were associated with reduced survival whereas increases in EF were associated with improved survival.

Conclusions—

These data suggest that progressive contractile dysfunction may contribute to the pathophysiology of HFpEF. Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these observations and establish the mechanism and clinical relevance of decline in EF over time in HFpEF.
An Enhanced Hypercube-Based Encoding for Evolving the Placement, Density, and Connectivity of Neurons
Authors: Risi Sebastian , Stanley Kenneth O.
Published: September 2012

Intelligence in nature is the product of living brains, which are themselves the product of natural evolution. Although researchers in the field of neuroevolution (NE) attempt to recapitulate this process, artificial neural networks (ANNs) so far evolved through NE algorithms do not match the distinctive capabilities of biological brains. The recently introduced hypercube-based neuroevolution of augmenting topologies (HyperNEAT) approach narrowed this gap by demonstrating that the pattern of weights across the connectivity of an ANN can be generated as a function of its geometry, thereby allowing large ANNs to be evolved for high-dimensional problems. Yet the positions and number of the neurons connected through this approach must be decided a priori by the user and, unlike in living brains, cannot change during evolution. Evolvable-substrate HyperNEAT (ES-HyperNEAT), introduced in this article, addresses this limitation by automatically deducing the node geometry from implicit information in the pattern of weights encoded by HyperNEAT, thereby avoiding the need to evolve explicit placement. This approach not only can evolve the location of every neuron in the network, but also can represent regions of varying density, which means resolution can increase holistically over evolution. ES-HyperNEAT is demonstrated through multi-task, maze navigation, and modular retina domains, revealing that the ANNs generated by this new approach assume natural properties such as neural topography and geometric regularity. Also importantly, ES-HyperNEAT's compact indirect encoding can be seeded to begin with a bias toward a desired class of ANN topographies, which facilitates the evolutionary search. The main conclusion is that ES-HyperNEAT significantly expands the scope of neural structures that evolution can discover.
Corpus-Based Intention Recognition in Cooperation Dilemmas
Authors: Han The Anh , Pereira Luís Moniz , Santos Francisco C.
Published: September 2012

Intention recognition is ubiquitous in most social interactions among humans and other primates. Despite this, the role of intention recognition in the emergence of cooperative actions remains elusive. Resorting to the tools of evolutionary game theory, herein we describe a computational model showing how intention recognition coevolves with cooperation in populations of self-regarding individuals. By equipping some individuals with the capacity of assessing the intentions of others in the course of a prototypical dilemma of cooperation—the repeated prisoner's dilemma—we show how intention recognition is favored by natural selection, opening a window of opportunity for cooperation to thrive. We introduce a new strategy (IR) that is able to assign an intention to the actions of opponents, on the basis of an acquired corpus consisting of possible plans achieving that intention, as well as to then make decisions on the basis of such recognized intentions. The success of IR is grounded on the free exploitation of unconditional cooperators while remaining robust against unconditional defectors. In addition, we show how intention recognizers do indeed prevail against the best-known successful strategies of iterated dilemmas of cooperation, even in the presence of errors and reduction of fitness associated with a small cognitive cost for performing intention recognition.
Evolving Boolean Networks with Structural Dynamism
Authors: Bull Larry
Published: September 2012

This short article presents an abstract, tunable model of genomic structural change within the cell life cycle and explores its use with simulated evolution. A well-known Boolean model of genetic regulatory networks is extended to include changes in node connectivity based upon the current cell state to begin to capture some of the effects of transposable elements. The evolvability of such networks is explored using a version of the NK model of fitness landscapes with both synchronous and asynchronous updating. Structural dynamism is found to be selected for in nonstationary environments with both update schemes and subsequently shown capable of providing a mechanism for evolutionary innovation when such reorganizations are inherited. This is also found to be the case in stationary environments with asynchronous updating.
Changes in the Risk of Extratropical Cyclones in Eastern Australia
Authors: Dowdy Andrew J. , Mills Graham A. , Timbal Bertrand , Wang Yang
Published: September 2012

The east coast of Australia is a region of the world where a particular type of extratropical cyclone, known locally as an east coast low, frequently occurs with severe consequences such as extreme rainfall, winds, and waves. The likelihood of formation of these storms is examined using an upper-tropospheric diagnostic applied to three reanalyses and three global climate models (GCMs). Strong similarities exist among the results derived from the individual reanalyses in terms of their seasonal variability (e.g., winter maxima and summer minima) and interannual variability. Results from reanalyses indicate that the threshold value used in the diagnostic method is dependent on the spatial resolution. Results obtained when applying the diagnostic to two of the three GCMs are similar to expectations given their spatial resolutions, and produce seasonal cycles similar to those from the reanalyses. Applying the methodology to simulations from these two GCMs for both current and future climate in response to increases in greenhouse gases indicates a reduction in extratropical cyclone occurrence of about 30% from the late twentieth century to the late twenty-first century for eastern Australia. In addition to the absolute risk of formation of these extratropical cyclones, spatial climatologies of occurrence are examined for the broader region surrounding eastern Australia. The influence of large-scale modes of atmospheric and oceanic variability on the occurrence of these storms in this region is also discussed.
Crosswinds from a Single-Aperture Scintillometer Using Spectral Techniques
Authors: van Dinther Daniëlle , Hartogensis Oscar K. , Moene Arnold F.
Published: September 2012

In this study, spectral techniques to obtain crosswinds from a single large-aperture scintillometer (SLAS) time series are investigated. The crosswind is defined as the wind component perpendicular to a path. A scintillometer obtains a path-averaged estimate of the crosswind. For certain applications this can be advantageous (e.g., monitoring crosswinds along airport runways). The essence of the spectral techniques lies in the fact that the scintillation power spectrum shifts linearly along the frequency domain as a function of the crosswind. Three different algorithms are used, which are called herein the corner frequency (CF), maximum frequency (MF), and cumulative spectrum (CS) techniques. The algorithms track the frequency shift of a characteristic point in different representations of the scintillation power spectrum. The spectrally derived crosswinds compare well with sonic anemometer estimates. The CS algorithm obtained the best results for the crosswind when compared with the sonic anemometer. However, the MF algorithm was most robust in obtaining the crosswind. Over short time intervals (<1 min) the crosswind can be obtained with the CS algorithm using wavelet instead of fast Fourier transformation to calculate the power scintillation spectra.
Impact of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases on Outcomes and Hospital Days After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Zhang Jian Wei , Zhou Yu Jie , Yang Qing , Yang Shi Wei , Nie Bin , Xu Xiao Han
Published: September 2012

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is common in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but the impact of COPD on outcomes after PCI has received limited attention. Consecutive patients with coronary heart disease (n = 5155) undergoing PCI were enrolled in this study; 645 patients (73% men) aged 68.4 ± 13.2 years had COPD and 4510 patients (71% men) aged 64.7 ± 12.1 years did not. During the in-hospital period after PCI, the patients with COPD experienced a significantly higher incidence of angina ( P < .001), arrhythmias ( P < .001), and composite major adverse cardiac events (MACEs; P < .001) and longer hospital stay ( P < .001) than those without COPD. Additionally, severity of COPD (measured by pulmonary function tests) was associated with increased composite MACE ( P < .001) and hospital stay ( P < .001) after PCI. In conclusion, COPD is associated with significantly increased composite MACE and hospital stay in patients after PCI. Increasing severity of COPD is associated with increased composite MACE and hospital stay after PCI.
Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Al-Lawati Jawad A. , Barakat Mohammed N. , Al-Lawati Najla A. , Al-Maskari Masoud Y. , Elsayed Medhat K. , Mikhailidis Dimitri P. , Al-Zakwani Ibrahim S.
Published: September 2012

We estimated the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and its clinical implications among 1 110 Omani patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) using 2 different CVD risk tools: the general Framingham risk profile (GFRP) and the joint World Health Organization/International Society of Hypertension (WHO/ISH) risk prediction charts. The GFRP tool identified higher proportion of patients compared with joint WHO/ISH tool at 10-year CVD risk 10% to <20% and at 20% to <30%. At CVD risk ≥30%, both assessment tools identified similar proportions of patients (22% vs 24%; P=.120). Compared with WHO/ISH charts, the GFRP identified almost double the number of men eligible for aspirin treatment at CVD risk thresholds of ≥10% (86% vs 43%). In women, the proportions were, 66% and 45%, respectively. For statins, the figures were, 60% and 37%, for men and 28% and 36%, for women. In conclusion, the GFRP overestimates the number of patients eligible for primary prevention of CVD compared with the joint WHO/ISH method.
Principles in Practice
Authors: Walker Sarah Cusworth , Muno Ann , Sullivan-Colglazier Cheryl
Published: September 2012

There is currently widespread interest in gender-responsive programming within the juvenile justice system. The research literature currently provides critical information about the needs of girls and pathways into the justice system through epidemiology or program evaluation studies; however, the experience of practitioners implementing reforms is less represented. This perspective is essential given the nascent stage of research on gender-specific best practices and the widespread adoption of gender-specific principles. In this article, the authors review the policy and research literature relevant to the gender-responsive movement and present the results of their multistate study of how principles are being translated into practice, including how reforms are being initiated and sustained. They discuss these findings in light of their implications for practice and research.
The elephant in the room: Human nature and the sociology textbooks
Authors: Leahy Terry
Published: September 2012

This article considers the approach to human nature implicit in four textbooks often used to introduce sociology. Human nature is seen as a set of drives and capacities, which play a key role in people’s actions in any social context. In the textbooks, a variety of arguments suggest the irrelevance of a concept of human nature to the discipline. Partly, this message is conveyed by opposing social to biological explanations. In addition, the discipline is framed to exclude the concept of human nature. Society, on the one hand, and the culturally unique individual, on the other, exhaust the sociological arena. Accounts of socialization imply the transcendence of biology and with that, human nature. Refutations of sociobiology and evolutionary psychology are supported with broad ranging rejections of biological explanation, with a similar implication that human nature is not a necessary concept in sociological accounts. Nevertheless, human nature is the elephant in the room. The concept is required and assumed in the detail of these textbooks as they explain current sociological research and analysis. One impact of the denial of human nature is to misunderstand current disputes between sociology and evolutionary psychology.
Working Memory in Children With Reading Disabilities and/or Mathematical Disabilities
Authors: De Weerdt Frauke , Desoete Annemie , Roeyers Herbert
Published: September 2012

Elementary school children with reading disabilities (RD; n = 17), mathematical disabilities (MD; n = 22), or combined reading and mathematical disabilities (RD+MD; n = 28) were compared to average achieving (AA; n = 45) peers on working memory measures. On all working memory components, 2 (RD vs. no RD) × 2 (MD vs. no MD) factorial ANCOVAs revealed clear differences between children with and without RD. Children with MD had lower span scores than the AA children on measures of the phonological loop and the central executive. A significant interaction effect between RD and MD was found only for listening recall and had a small, partial effect size. In addition, analyses showed that the best logistic regression model consisted of a visuospatial and a central executive task. The model significantly distinguished between the AA and clinical groups and between the MD and RD+MD groups. Evidence was found for domain-general working memory problems in children with learning disabilities. Management of working memory loads in structured learning activities in the classroom, at home, or during therapy may help these children to cope with their problems in a more profound manner.
Terminological paraphrase extraction from scientific literature based on predicate argument tuples
Authors: Choi Sung-Pil , Myaeng Sung-Hyon
Published: September 2012

Terminological paraphrases (TPs) are sentences or phrases that express the concepts of terminologies in a different form. Here we propose an effective way to identify and extract TPs from large-scale scientific literature databases. We propose a novel method for effectively retrieving sentences that contain a given terminological concept based on semantic units called predicate-argument tuples. This method enables effective textual similarity computations and minimized errors based on six TP ranking models. For evaluation, we constructed an evaluation collection for the TP recognition task by extracting TPs from a target literature database using the proposed method. Through the two experiments, we learned that scientific literature contain many TPs that could not have been identified so far. Also, the experimental results showed the potential and extensibility of our proposed methods to extract the TPs.
Managing Impressions and Relationships on Facebook
Authors: Bazarova Natalya N. , Taft Jessie G. , Choi Yoon Hyung , Cosley Dan
Published: September 2012

The merging of audiences in social media and the variety of participation structures they present, including different audience sizes and interaction targets, pose questions about how people respond to these new communication situations. This research examined self-presentational and relational concerns through the analysis of language styles on Facebook. The authors collected a corpus of status updates, wall posts, and private messages from 79 participants. These messages varied in certain characteristics of language style, revealing differences in underlying self-presentational and relational concerns based on the publicness and directedness of the interaction. Positive emotion words correlated with self-reported self-presentational concerns in status updates, suggesting a strategic use of sharing positive emotions in public and nondirected communication via status updates. Verbal immediacy correlated with partner familiarity in wall posts but not in private messages, suggesting that verbal immediacy cues serve as markers to differentiate between more and less familiar partners in public wall posts.
The Value of Ellul’s Analysis in Understanding Propaganda in the Helping Professions
Authors: Gambrill Eileen
Published: September 2012

This article draws on Ellul’s analysis of propaganda in understanding propaganda in the helping professions. Key in such an analysis is the interweaving of the psychological and sociological. Contrary to the discourse in mission statements of professional organizations and their codes of ethics calling for informed consent, competence of professionals and taking advantage of research findings, in everyday practice we find a variety of avoidable lapses, including decontextualized problem framing, bogus claims concerning risks, accuracy of assessment measures, and effectiveness of interventions. Perhaps most troubling is obscuring the causes of human problems, for example, framing problems-in-living such as anxiety, alienation, and loneliness that result from living in a technological society as brain disorders, so mystifying the causes of distress.
Rescuing Imagined Slaves: Colonial State, Missionary and Slavery Debate in North East India (1908–1920)
Authors: Nag Sajal
Published: September 2012

Although the colonial State and the Christian missionaries shared the same colonial space pursuing their modernist respective projects, they did not really share similar ideas on modernity and civilization. The result often was open conflict. One such event occurred in war-time (1908–14) Lushai hills (Mizoram) when a radical Welsh missionary demanded that the colonial administration abolish an institution which he saw as ‘slavery’. The administration denied the existence of any such institution and in turn expelled the missionary for interfering in tribal life. This article examines the construction of ‘slavery’ and larger implication of understanding of indigenous socio-cultural institutions by westerners, but also intervenes on the larger debate of using enlightenment-rationalist paradigms in disrupting indigenous traditions and institutions.
Consideration of Forgiveness to Enhance the Health Status of Older Male Prisoners Confronting Spiritual, Social, or Emotional Vulnerability
Authors: Bishop Alex J. , Randall G. Kevin , Merten Michael J.
Published: September 2012

Participants in this study included 261 men, aged 45 and older, residing within state-managed correctional facilities in Oklahoma. Path analysis was used to examine an integrated mediation model. Spiritual ambivalence, loneliness, and depressive affect had direct negative associations with forgiveness, controlling for age, race, education, and type of crime. Forgiveness also maintained a direct positive association with perceived health status, whereas depressive affect maintained a direct negative association with perceived health status. In addition, a significant indirect effect of depressive affect on perceived health through forgiveness emerged. Overall, the model explained 38% of the variance in forgiveness and 23% in perceived health. Greater spiritual ambivalence, loneliness, and depressive affect diminish forgiveness among older male prisoners, yet higher levels of forgiveness, are associated with greater perceived health.
Experiential Learning and the Co-creation of Design Artifacts
Authors: Senbel Maged
Published: September 2012

This article examines the experience of a hybrid design studio tailored for beginning students in urban planning. The course combined elements of architectural design studio and planning workshop to advance design literacy, spatial awareness, procedural knowledge, and phenomenological experience. Teams of students undertook staggered weekly sequences of reading, critique, and design assignments focused on physical models of study neighborhoods. Through content analysis of student work, documentary film footage, and postgraduation surveys, I examine the merits of the hybrid studio. The co-creation of a model, which was an iterative and dialogically tested design artifact, heightened experiential learning of urban design.
Voting Rights, Electoral Systems, and Political Representation of Diaspora in Croatia
Authors: Kasapović Mirjana
Published: September 2012

Croatia represents in many respects a unique case in the world in the way it standardized the right to vote, the electoral model, and the pattern of political representation of the diaspora in the national parliament. Besides standard theoretical arguments that explain the right of diaspora members to vote in parliamentary and presidential elections in the country, the authorities made use of a number of contextually specific political, economic, military, and moral reasons for that. It was shown that principled reasons which were used to justify legalizing diaspora voting rights and institutionalization of special electoral models as well as the patterns of political representation in the Croatian parliament were subordinated to the interests to symbolically integrate the Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the political system of Croatia, who would then, as a sort of generic voters, secure safe votes and bonus seats for the Croatian Democratic Union.
Explaining Post-Communist Founding Elections Results through Initial State Capacity
Authors: Fortin-Rittberger Jessica
Published: September 2012

While a consensus is emerging about the importance of state building and state capacity for democratization in both post-communist and developing countries, comparatively few explicit attempts have been made to provide empirical support for the relationship between the two concepts. Even more problematic is to find an explicit causal mechanism linking high state capacity with democracy. State capacity can be understood as the capability of the state to penetrate society, regulate social relations, extract resources, and appropriate or use resources in determined ways. In other words, strong states have high capabilities to complete these tasks, while weak states struggle to compete with private actors over extraction and appropriation of resources. But what makes strong states more likely to be democratic and, in turn, weak states less likely to be democratic? This article explores whether or not state capacity correlates with the outcomes of founding elections, that is, the first open elections in post-communist countries. In other words, do voters in states with higher initial capacity also tend to “throw the communist rascals out” in the founding elections?
The Paradoxes of Citizenship Removal
Authors: Herzog Ben
Published: September 2012

The Soviet Union and post-communist states are outstanding case studies of the changing meaning of expatriation and citizenship. The historical shifts in voluntary and forced expatriation and the relationship between the two signify the changing perceptions of citizenship. Although there appears to be a disjunction between the two periods, I argue that this difference is mainly in scale and is symbolic rather than a transformation of the philosophical principle that allows free movement and free emigration. Both philosophically and legally, the right to exit one’s country and emigrate is considered a basic democratic human right. However, like all philosophical and actual manifestations of this right, during both the communist and post-communist periods the right to leave was conditional. Similarly, most post-communist countries adhere to the traditional conception of citizenship that sees dual citizenship as a violation of the exclusiveness of national political membership.
Effect of organomodified montmorillonite on acoustic properties of wood–plastic nanocomposites
Authors: Kord Behzad , Tajik Milad
Published: September 2012

In this study, the effect of organomodified montmorillonite (OMMT) on the acoustic properties and clay dispersion of polypropylene (PP)/wood flour (WF) composites was investigated. To meet this objective, the blend composites were prepared through the melt mixing of PP/WF at 50% weight ratios, with various amounts of OMMT (0, 3, and 6 per hundred compounds (phc)) in hake internal mixer then the samples made by injection molding. The amount of coupling agent was fixed at 2 phc for all formulations. The acoustic properties such as speed of sound propagation, time of sound propagation, and sound energy absorbance were evaluated. Results indicated that the time of sound propagation and sound energy absorbance of composites increased with increase in OMMT. However, the speed of sound propagation decreased with the increase in OMMT loading. Also, the biggest improvement of the tensile modulus can be achieved for the nanoclay loading at 3 phc. X-Ray diffraction patterns and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the nanocomposites formed were intercalated. Also, morphological findings showed that samples containing 3 phc of OMMT had higher order of intercalation.
Use of Hansen solubility parameters to predict dispersion and strain transfer of functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes in poly(vinylidene fluoride) composites
Authors: Ma Jing , Larsen Raino Mikael
Published: September 2012

In this article, Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) have been used to evaluate the dispersion state and interfacial strain transfer ability of purified, nitric acid-functionalized and octadecylamine-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as the reinforcing materials in a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) matrix. Composites were prepared by solution blending of PVDF and SWNTs and injection molding. The observations of the dispersion were obtained by dynamic light scattering and light optical microscopy and compared with the HSP results. The interfacial strain transfer between the polymer matrix and the carbon nanotubes in SWNTs/PVDF composite was studied by measuring the shift of the Raman two-dimensional peak position under tension. It was found that the strain transfer is affected by the degree of homogeneity of the fillers in the composites, the carbon nanotube bundle size and the affinities between two materials.
Conceptual design of a habitation module for a deep space exploration mission
Authors: Viscio Maria Antonietta , Viola Nicole , Gargioli Eugenio , Vallerani Ernesto
Published: September 2012

The article deals with the conceptual design of a habitable module conceived for long-duration space exploration missions. The pressurized habitation module was specifically sized for a near-Earth asteroid mission, named ‘humAn Exploration mission to a Near Earth Asteroid’. This mission is conceived as an intermediate step before going to further destinations and aims at testing technologies necessary for reaching more challenging targets. In accordance to the mission objectives, the habitation module was devised as a reusable space infrastructure, suitable for different exploration scenarios with only minor changes in the architecture/design. This article describes the design process that, starting from the mission statement, was followed to define the objectives, the requirements and the architecture of the module in terms of system and subsystem configuration. In particular, the habitation module was designed to safely sustain the life of four astronauts, for a mission to a near-Earth asteroid lasting about 6 months. The main subsystems of the habitation module were sized in order to provide the astronauts with the needed resources, support the activities during all operational phases, including the extra-vehicular activities on the asteroid’s surface and protect them against the external environment, with particular attention to space radiation, one of the most critical aspects of this kind of mission. In this regard, appropriate analyses were carried out for selecting the best shielding strategy. For the execution of the extra-vehicular activities on the asteroid surface, a dedicated airlock and specific extra-vehicular activity support tools were included. This article reports a detailed description of the subsystems and their innovative aspects. Starting from the mission phases and the related scenarios, different modes of operations were identified. System budgets were evaluated for the envisaged operational modes. This article illustrates both the applied methodologies and the results, highlighting the major criticalities to be faced (long exposure to space radiations, extra-vehicular activity operations on the asteroid surface) and the key technologies (radiation shielding, inflatable technology, extra-vehicular activity support tools).
Inspired by Distraction
Authors: Baird Benjamin , Smallwood Jonathan , Mrazek Michael D. , Kam Julia W. Y. , Franklin Michael S. , Schooler Jonathan W.
Published: September 2012

Although anecdotes that creative thoughts often arise when one is engaged in an unrelated train of thought date back thousands of years, empirical research has not yet investigated this potentially critical source of inspiration. We used an incubation paradigm to assess whether performance on validated creativity problems (the Unusual Uses Task, or UUT) can be facilitated by engaging in either a demanding task or an undemanding task that maximizes mind wandering. Compared with engaging in a demanding task, rest, or no break, engaging in an undemanding task during an incubation period led to substantial improvements in performance on previously encountered problems. Critically, the context that improved performance after the incubation period was associated with higher levels of mind wandering but not with a greater number of explicitly directed thoughts about the UUT. These data suggest that engaging in simple external tasks that allow the mind to wander may facilitate creative problem solving.
Land Policies for Climate Change Adaptation in West Africa
Authors: d’Aquino Patrick , Bah Alassane
Published: September 2012

Based on 10 years of participatory modeling experience, the authors developed a multilevel participatory modeling process that links national policy makers, local councils, and grassroots stakeholders using a combination of games and computerized simulations. The challenge was to allow the target groups to design and evaluate collective adaptations to climate change that combine new collective rules for local, regional, and national regulations. This article details and highlights the novelty of the methodological process, which allows stakeholders to codesign frameworks for their own behaviors and rules. The experiment uses games and models with soft rules and the stakeholders themselves incorporate their own perceptions both in the board and computerized games. This was shown to be an efficient way to reach assessments and proposals that are shared between local stakeholders and policy makers, and should thus help improve the design of policies to face up to climate changes.
Through a Critical Lens
Authors: West Roianne , Stewart Lee , Foster Kim , Usher Kim
Published: September 2012

Indigenous scholars have addressed the problematic nature of research by adopting methodologies that fit well with their communities and that relate effectively and culturally with how knowledge is shared to give indigenous people a voice. In this article we discuss Dadirri, an indigenous research method and way of life, as a vital research framework, connecting it to other relevant political and critical methodologies such as Freire’s transformative education process and Habermas’ theory of communicative action. In doing so, we illustrate how this methodology provides a significant framework for indigenous researchers undertaking liberatory studies that promote change.
The Political Economy of Publication
Authors: Lincoln Yvonna S.
Published: September 2012

The globalized economy, fueled by late capitalism, has pressed forward its necessity for accumulation and expanding growth into the information and knowledge economy. One result has been the privatization of essentially public knowledge, knowledge produced at public universities, often with public, federal dollars. Both the “mania for ranking academic institutions,” where universities compete for students, tuition dollars, and external funding, and the incessant creep of the managerial “audit culture” contribute to this situation. Although there is little individual scholars can do to resist globalization and capitalist forces, understanding the context into which their research is circulated can suggest opportunities for sharing research results between the “center” and “periphery” that counter some of the privatization trends.
Linear reactive control of three-dimensional bipedal walking in the presence of noise and uncertainty
Authors: Locascio Mark A , Solomon Joseph H , Hartmann Mitra JZ
Published: September 2012

Walking control of biped robots is a challenging problem, and improving robustness to noise and uncertainty remains difficult. We recently developed a novel control framework for 3D bipedal walking that we call “linear reactive control.” It is linear because control torques are computed as simple weighted sums of sensor states. It is reactive because it depends only on the model’s current state. The present simulation study shows that this controller performs reliably in the presence of realistic models of joint actuation, sensor noise, and uncertainty in model and contact parameters. The controller is able to maintain a stable gait in the presence of noisy sensor inputs and low-impedance actuation. It also performs reliably on models with high uncertainty (up to 20%) in measurements of their dynamic parameters and widely varying ground contact parameters. The robustness of this controller to realistic conditions validates this method as a promising avenue for bipedal control.
An artificial ants model for fast construction and approximation of proximity graphs
Authors: Azzag Hanane , Guinot Christiane , Venturini Gilles
Published: September 2012

In this paper we present a summary of our work which has led to the conception of a new model for the fast construction of proximity graphs. We present the state of the art in graph self-assembly, and then we detail the self-assembly behavior observed in real ants from which our model is derived. We describe our main algorithm, called AntGraph, where each ant represents one datum and where the proximity graph is built in an incremental way. Ants perform two steps: following the path of maximum local similarity, and then connecting to other ants. We present a hierarchical extension, called H-AntGraph, which can build large graphs (with up to 1 million data items). We study the properties of the constructed graphs, and compare our results with those obtained by other methods. We use force-directed graph layout algorithms to display the graphs and to allow the domain expert to perform an interactive clustering task. We validate this approach with a comparative user-study.
Adaptive cerebellar model articulation controller–nonlinear control system for flexible link manipulator
Authors: Maouche Amin Riad , Attari Mokhtar
Published: September 2012

This paper deals with the problem of controlling flexible link manipulators on the dynamic phase of the trajectory. A flexible beam/arm is an appealing option for civil and military applications, such as space-based robot manipulators. However, flexibility brings with it unwanted oscillations and severe chattering which may even lead to an unstable system. To tackle these challenges, a novel control architecture scheme is presented. First, a nonlinear controller based on the equation of motion of the robot is elaborated. Its aim is to produce a stable tracking control and dump the vibration of the links. Then, an adaptive cerebellar model articulation controller is implemented to compensate for structured and unstructured uncertainties. Efficiency of the new controller obtained is tested facing an important variation of the dynamic parameters of the manipulator. Simulation results on a dynamic trajectory with a high acceleration/deceleration ratio show the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
Code-switching, swearing and slang: The colloquial register of Basque in Greater Bilbao
Authors: Lantto Hanna
Published: September 2012

This paper discusses the relationship of swearing and slang to code-switching based on data obtained in a Basque–Spanish language contact situation. The study is based on 22 hours of recorded material of 22 Basque bilinguals, both L1 and L2 Basque speakers. In Greater Bilbao, even the bilinguals who do not frequently code-switch shift to Spanish to introduce slang or swear words to otherwise Basque discourse. The susceptibility of these elements to switching is examined from structural, discursive and sociolinguistic points of view. The phenomena are understood to strengthen one another: when different stylistic and stance-taking devices co-occur, they become even more salient, thus underlining the effect for which they were introduced to the conversation.