bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Long-Term Calibrations of the AVHRR Visible Radiances
Authors: Rossow William B. , Ferrier Joseph
Published: February 2015

Two systematic calibrations have been compiled for the visible radiances measured by the series of AVHRR instruments flown on the NOAA operational polar weather satellites: one by the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP), anchored on NASA ER-2 underflights in the 1980s and early 1990s and covering the period 1981–2009, and one by the PATMOS-x project, anchored on comparisons to the MODIS instruments on the Aqua and Terra satellites in the 2000s and covering the period 1979–2010 (this result also includes calibration for the near-IR channels). Both methods have had to extend their anchor calibrations over a long series of instruments using different vicarious approaches, so a comparison provides an opportunity to evaluate how well this extension works by cross-checking the results at the anchor points. The basic result of this comparison is that for the “afternoon” series of AVHRRs, the calibrations agree to within their mutual uncertainties. However, this retrospective evaluation also shows that the representation of the time variations can be simplified. The ISCCP procedure had much more difficulty extending the calibration to the “morning” series of AVHRRs with the calibrations for NOAA-15 and NOAA-17 exceeding the estimated uncertainties. Given the general agreement, a new calibration for all AVHRR visible radiances (except TIROS-N, NOAA-6, NOAA-19, and MetOp-A) is proposed that is based on the average of the best linear fits to the two time records. The estimated uncertainty of these calibrations is ±3% absolute (scaled radiance units).
A Comparison of Near-Surface Buoyancy and Baroclinity across Three VORTEX2 Supercell Intercepts
Authors: Weiss Christopher C. , Dowell David C. , Schroeder John L. , Skinner Patrick S. , Reinhart Anthony E. , Markowski Paul M. , Richardson Yvette P.
Published: February 2015

Observations obtained during the second Verification of the Origin of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX2) are analyzed for three supercell intercepts. These intercepts used a fleet of deployable “StickNet” probes, complemented by mobile radars and a mobile mesonet, to map state quantities over the expanse of target storms.

Two of the deployments occurred for different stages of a supercell storm near and east of Dumas, Texas, on 18 May 2010. A comparison of the thermodynamic and kinematic characteristics of the storm provides a possible explanation for why one phase was weakly tornadic and the other nontornadic. The weakly tornadic phase features a stronger horizontal virtual temperature gradient antiparallel to the forward-flank reflectivity gradient and perpendicular to the near-surface flow direction, suggesting that air parcels could acquire more significant baroclinic vorticity as they approach the low-level mesocyclone.

The strongly tornadic 10 May 2010 case near Seminole, Oklahoma, features comparatively small virtual and equivalent potential temperature deficits, suggesting the strength of baroclinic zones may be less useful than the buoyancy near the mesocyclone for assessing tornado potential. The distribution of positive pressure perturbations and backed ground-relative winds within the forward flank are consistent with the notion of a “starburst” pattern of diverging winds associated with the forward-flank downdraft.

Narrow (~1 km wide) zones of intense baroclinic vorticity generation of O(~10−4) s−2 are shown to exist within precipitation on the forward and left sides of the mesocyclone in the Dumas intercepts, not dissimilar from such zones identified in recent high-resolution numerical studies.
Has education become more positional? Educational expansion and labour market outcomes, 1985–2007
Authors: Bol Thijs
Published: February 2015

Educational expansion has had important effects on society. However, it has not yet been acknowledged that expansion might have changed the way in which education operates in labour markets. We argue that, as a result of educational expansion, a positional model of education becomes more important whereby labour market rewards do not primarily depend on absolute skill levels, but instead on workers’ relative positions in the labour market. Analyzing data from the International Social Survey Programme from 1985 to 2007 for 28 countries, we find support for the claim that education has become increasingly positional with educational expansion.
After State Socialism
Authors: Walder Andrew G. , Isaacson Andrew , Lu Qinglian
Published: February 2015

Transitions from state socialism created a startling range of initial economic outcomes, from renewed growth to deep economic crises. Debates about the causes have largely ignored the political disruptions due to regime change that coincided with sudden initial recessions, and they have defined the problem as relative growth rates over time rather than abrupt short-run collapse. Political disruptions were severe when states broke apart into newly independent units, leading to hyperinflation, armed warfare, or both. Even absent these disruptions, the disintegration of communist parties inherently undermined economic activity by creating uncertainty about the ownership of state assets. The protracted deterioration of the party-state prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union generated widespread conflict over control of assets, which crippled economic activity across the Soviet successor states. A more rapid path to regime change was less disruptive in other post-communist states, and the problem was absent in surviving communist regimes. Comparative accounts of regime change frame an analysis of panel data from 31 countries after 1989 that distinguishes the early 1990s from subsequent years. A wide range of variables associated with alternative explanations have little evident impact in accounting for the onset and severity of the early 1990s recessions.
High Ankle–Brachial Index Indicates Cardiovascular and Peripheral Arterial Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Li Qing , Zeng Hui , Liu Fang , Shen Jing , Li Lianxi , Zhao Jungong , Zhao Jun , Jia Weiping
Published: February 2015

We assessed the association between high ankle–brachial index (ABI) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The ABI was measured, and foot inspection was performed in 2080 outpatients with T2DM. The clinical characters in different ABI levels were analyzed, and the diagnostic value of high ABI to CVD and PAD was determined. Compared with the normal ABI group, the high ABI (>1.3) group had a higher prevalence of CVD and PAD but less than the low ABI (≤0.9) group. High ABI was an independent risk factor for the development of CVD and PAD. Receiver–operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the optimal cutoff of high ABI to predict CVD and PAD was 1.43 and 1.45, respectively. The odds ratio of high ABI for CVD and PAD was 2.25 and 6.97, respectively, after adjusting for other confounding risk factors. In conclusion, high ABI indicated the risk of CVD and PAD in Chinese populations with T2DM.
Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio Can be a Predictor of Infarct-Related Artery Patency in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Yayla Çağrı , Akboğa Mehmet Kadri , Canpolat Uğur , Akyel Ahmet , Yayla Kadriye Gayretli , Doğan Mehmet , Yeter Ekrem , Aydoğdu Sinan
Published: February 2015

Patency of infarct-related artery (IRA) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) before primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) is associated with lower mortality and better clinical outcome. However, there were little data regarding the predictors of IRA patency before pPCI in the setting of STEMI. We aimed to assess the association of platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with IRA patency in STEMI. A total of 452 patients were enrolled and categorized as occluded or patent IRA. Patency IRA was assessed by the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade. Blood samples were obtained on admission to calculate PLR. Of all patients, 92 (20.4%) patients revealed pre-pPCI TIMI 3 flow in IRA. The PLR was significantly higher in occluded IRA group (138.4 ± 51.4 vs 95.4 ± 43.5, P < .001). Glucose, troponin I, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) levels were also higher in occluded IRA group ( P < .05). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated the PLR (odds ratio [OR]: 0.987; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.978-0.995, P = .002) and NLR (OR: 0.758; 95% CI: 0.584-0.985, P = .038) on admission as independent predictors of IRA patency. In conclusion, a higher PLR is a powerful and independent predictor of IRA patency in patients with STEMI before pPCI.
Do Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Coronary SYNTAX Score Predict Contrast Volume Use During Cardiac Catheterization?
Authors: Bhatt Hemal , Turkistani Atika , Sanghani Dharmesh , Julliard Kell , Fernaine George
Published: February 2015

The association of cardiovascular risk factors and complexity and severity of coronary artery disease with contrast volume (CV) remains unknown. We assessed the predictive factors of CV use during elective and emergent cardiac catheterization (CC). Electronic medical records from 2010 to 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 708 patients were eligible. On multivariable regression analysis, the presence of obstructed coronary arteries was associated with CV ( P = .01, β = −14.17), with greater CV used in patients with single or double vessel disease compared to those with triple vessel disease. The presence of lesions with >70% stenosis in major epicardial arteries ( P = .019, β = 24.39) and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction ( P = .001, β = 36.14) was associated with increased CV use. Elevated B-type natriuretic peptide ( P = .036, β = −17.23) and increase in Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery score ( P = .024, β = −29.06) were associated with decreased CV use. These aforementioned associations were attenuated after adjusting for percutaneous coronary intervention. Our findings may help predict patient populations who could be exposed to increased CV during CC, thereby possibly increasing their risk of contrast-induced nephropathy.
Academic Benchmarks for Otolaryngology Leaders
Authors: Eloy Jean Anderson , Blake Danielle M. , D’Aguillo Christine , Svider Peter F. , Folbe Adam J. , Baredes Soly
Published: February 2015

Objective:

This study aimed to characterize current benchmarks for academic otolaryngologists serving in positions of leadership and identify factors potentially associated with promotion to these positions.

Methods:

Information regarding chairs (or division chiefs), vice chairs, and residency program directors was obtained from faculty listings and organized by degree(s) obtained, academic rank, fellowship training status, sex, and experience. Research productivity was characterized by (a) successful procurement of active grants from the National Institutes of Health and prior grants from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Centralized Otolaryngology Research Efforts program and (b) scholarly impact, as measured by the h-index.

Results:

Chairs had the greatest amount of experience (32.4 years) and were the least likely to have multiple degrees, with 75.8% having an MD degree only. Program directors were the most likely to be fellowship trained (84.8%). Women represented 16% of program directors, 3% of chairs, and no vice chairs. Chairs had the highest scholarly impact (as measured by the h-index) and the greatest external grant funding.

Conclusion:

This analysis characterizes the current picture of leadership in academic otolaryngology. Chairs, when compared to their vice chair and program director counterparts, had more experience and greater research impact. Women were poorly represented among all academic leadership positions.
Modern diversion or colonial hangover? The history and development of suspended sentences in South Australia
Authors: Smith Evan
Published: February 2015

Suspended sentences, although controversial, are used in most jurisdictions across Australia in some form, with most states and territories having introduced this sentencing option in the 1980s and 1990s. However, South Australia's legislation concerning suspended sentences is much older (having been introduced in 1969) and is also based on sentencing legislation that existed in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. This article will argue that because the legislation concerning suspended sentences in South Australia is much older (and based on even older legislation), the way that this sentencing option operates is much different from other Australian jurisdictions. Based on Victorian probation legislation, suspended sentences have a flexibility in South Australia, which has meant that other forms of alternative sentencing (such as community orders and home detention) are not used in the State.
Organized crime and illegal gambling: How do illegal gambling enterprises respond to the challenges posed by their illegality in China?
Authors: Wang Peng , Antonopoulos Georgios A
Published: February 2015

Since China initiated its economic reforms in 1978, illegal gambling has become the primary source of revenue for organized crime groups. However, there remains a startling paucity of literature on the subject. This paper provides the first scholarly account in English of Chinese illegal gambling organizations and examines how three major types of enterprising entities (local gambling dens, trans-regional gambling rings and online gambling networks) mitigate external uncertainties. Using Chinese- and English-language sources, it explores how gambling organizations develop strategies to achieve optimal efficiency in the face of substantial challenges, including finance, marketing, debt collection, and police suppression.
Reporting Biases in Empirical Management Research: The Example of Win-Win Corporate Social Responsibility
Authors: Rost Katja , Ehrmann Thomas
Published: February 2015

Reporting biases refer to a truncated pool of published studies with the resulting suppression or omission of some empirical findings. Such biases can occur in positive research paradigms that try to uncover correlations and causal relationships in the social world by using the empirical methods of (natural) science. Furthermore, reporting biases can come about because of authors who do not write papers that report unfavorable results despite strong efforts made to find previously accepted evidence and because of a higher rejection rate of studies documenting contradictory evidence. Reporting biases are a serious concern because the conclusions of systematic reviews and meta-analyses can be misleading. The authors show that published evidence in win-win corporate social responsibility (CSR) research tends to overestimate efficiency. The research field expects to find a positive association between corporate social performance (CSP) and corporate financial performance (CFP), and findings meet that expectation. The authors explain how this pattern may reflect reporting bias. The empirical results show strong tentative evidence for a positive reporting bias in the CSP–CFP literature but only weak tentative evidence for CSP efficiency. The study also examines which factors, such as time trends, publication outlet, and study characteristics, are associated with higher reporting biases within this literature.
The Fourth ‘Forum on the Development of Tibet’
Authors: Bhutia Tshering Chonzom
Published: February 2015

On 12 and 13 August 2014, China organized a conference titled, ‘Forum on the Development of Tibet’ in Lhasa. Out of the 100 or so participants, about 40 were international participants from about 30 countries. This article materialized out of an interest to probe a few inter-related questions such as what is the point of holding another Forum on development of Tibet when the ‘Tibet work forums’ are already doing that since 1980? Why are there international participants in it? What is the significance of the Forum in the Chinese government’s overall approach to the Tibet question? Interestingly, the conference did not have a dedicated website or it’s like where one could access information about it. On its conclusion, a document ‘Lhasa Consensus’ was brought out, which failed to provide any sense of the conference’s proceedings. Instead, it emphasized Chinese achievements in Tibet and denounced the Dalai Lama and international media for being biased. Outside China, the Forum attracted attention less for its stated agenda but more for its possible objectives. In effect, the organisers lost an opportunity to chart a new discourse on Tibet’s development sans politics. The Forum ultimately seems to be part of Beijing’s attempt at gaining lost ground on international propaganda on Tibet.
Consolidation of the PRC’s Leadership Succession System from Hu Jintao to Xi Jinping
Authors: Ding Yijiang
Published: February 2015

The People’s Republic of China went through a peaceful and orderly transfer of power from November 2012 to March 2013, the second one in its 64-year history. The first one was the 2002–3 change of leadership from Jiang Zemin to Hu Jintao. While largely following the same pattern, the recent leadership change, from Hu Jintao to Xi Jinping, illustrated a few interesting and potentially significant differences even as the succession system was further consolidated. This article compares the recent leadership change with the previous one, analyses the differences and discusses their political implications. The increasingly institutionalised procedure for China’s leadership succession now features the state leaders’ tenure being limited to two consecutive five-year terms, and the choice of successors through a gradually broadening elite consensus. For the Chinese Communist Party, the purpose of the term limit is to prolong its one-party rule by having orderly power transfers and avoiding succession crises. The limited term of office is likely to contribute to China’s political stability while promoting a degree of institutionalised intra-party factional competition.
Reach Out and Eat
Authors: England Jessica L. , Linchey Jennifer , Madsen Kristine A. , Patel Anisha I.
Published: February 2015

Objective. To examine food and beverage depictions in books for preschoolers. Methods. Books for preschoolers from Reach Out and Read (ROR; n = 42), public library (n = 27), and Publisher’s Weekly booklists (n = 31) were examined for nutritive and empty-calorie food and beverage depictions. Results. It was found that 66% of books depicted at least 1 food or beverage. More books depicted nutritive items than empty-calorie items (87.5% vs 54.7%, P < .001). There was a trend toward fewer empty-calorie depictions in ROR books than in other booklists. Yet nearly half of ROR books depicted at least 1 empty-calorie item. ROR books also accounted for 5 of 10 books with the most empty-calorie item depictions and 3 of 4 books with branding. With regard to messaging, approximately a third of books with the most empty-calorie depictions promoted unhealthy foods. Conclusions. When selecting books for ROR, it may be important to consider food and beverage depictions and messages.
Using Web-Based Participatory Mapping to Investigate Children’s Perceptions and the Spatial Distribution of Outdoor Play Places
Authors: Zhou Xiaolu , Li Dongying , Larsen Linda
Published: February 2015

This study examines where children play in a city undergoing rapid urbanization and how they perceive these places. Three hundred twenty-seven children aged 10 to 13 in Yantai, China engaged in web-based participatory mapping to identify play places and bad places and to provide perceptions about these places. Results showed that play places were clustered around existing public places, and children in the periphery of the city traveled longer distances to reach play places. In addition, play places and bad places overlapped, indicating that children had concerns about existing play spaces. Children mentioned destination, social interaction, and proximity to home as reasons for playing in a place, whereas risk of traffic and strangers, low air quality, and unfamiliarity were perceived as barriers. We conclude that the web-based participatory mapping tool we used is a promising approach to empower children as active researchers, and the knowledge about children’s environmental perception can support evidence-based design and planning.
An Experiment Assessing How Different Forms of Utility Inform the Choices of Environmental Activists
Authors: Farrer Benjamin
Published: February 2015

Existing research explains pro-environmental behavior as being motivated by personal values. In this article I extend this framework to examine not just the choice of whether to engage in pro-environmental behavior but also the choice between different pro-environmental behaviors. I argue that if several different pro-environmental behaviors all express the same personal values, and carry the same material costs, then individuals choose between them on the basis of their expected policy consequences. I report the results of a survey experiment showing that priming individuals to consider instrumental utility will cause over-reporting of some forms of environmental activism—those with the greatest expected policy impact. This prime will have no effect on over-reporting of other forms of activism. I conclude that instrumental utility is an important part of how individuals choose between types of pro-environmental political activism.
Obstetric knowledge of nurse-educators in Nigeria: Levels, regional differentials and their implications for maternal health delivery
Authors: Ishaku Mohammed Salisu , Ahonsi Babatunde , Oginni Ayodeji Babatunde , Tukur Jamilu , Adoyi Gloria
Published: February 2015

Objective:

To assess the knowledge of nurse-midwife educators on the major causes of maternal mortality in Nigeria.

Setting:

Schools of nursing and midwifery in Nigeria.

Method:

A total of 292 educators from 171 schools of nursing and midwifery in Nigeria were surveyed for their knowledge of the major causes of maternal mortality as a prelude to the design and implementation of a train-the-trainer intervention geared towards improved maternal health-care delivery.

Results:

There was paucity of knowledge across all major causes. Only 57.2% and 62.7% of educators could diagnose pre-eclampsia and severe pre-eclampsia, respectively. While 86% knew about magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) as the ‘gold standard’ for treating eclampsia, only 16.8% knew of calcium gluconate as an antidote to MgSO4 toxicity. Of the educators, 63.7% could not describe the components of active management of third stage of labour, while 29.5% were not aware of uterine atony as a cause of postpartum haemorrhage. Furthermore, 65.4% believed that misoprostol is the preferred oxytocic for hospital delivery. Other potentially harmful knowledge gaps were also found, such as 47.3% of the participants reporting that they would perform episiotomies on all primigravidae.

Conclusion:

Nurse/midwife educators in Nigeria are not as knowledgeable as previously thought, especially concerning the causes of maternal mortality. In order to scale up the quality of obstetric care, updated pre-service curricula should be implemented fully while in-service appraisal and continuing education should be introduced.
How and why young adults do and do not search for health information: Cognitive and affective factors
Authors: Myrick Jessica Gall , Willoughby Jessica Fitts , Verghese Roshni Susana
Published: February 2015

Objective:

The goal of this study was to take an in-depth look at why college students do (or do not) seek health information, and how they seek information when they do.

Design:

Qualitative content analysis of responses to an open-ended prompt embedded in a survey about health information seeking behaviours.

Setting:

Nearly 700 ( N = 697) college students at a public university in the Southeastern USA responded to an open-ended prompt to discuss health information seeking.

Method:

Two coders used constant-comparative method to identify themes within the data set.

Results:

Students in the sample were motivated to seek health information by personal relevance, emotions, identity and media coverage. When they did seek such information, they relied heavily on the Internet. Many respondents reported not seeking health information due to perceptions of low personal risk, third person perceptions that they knew more than others and/or a fatalistic view of their future health.

Conclusion:

College students seek health information largely based on perceptions of relevance. Health professionals wanting to motivate this population to educate themselves about health issues may wish to focus on making relevance salient as well as understanding both cognitive and affective motivations to seek or avoid seeking.
The Impact of Sleep Disruption on Complex Cognitive Tasks
Authors: Wickens Christopher D. , Hutchins Shaun D. , Laux Lila , Sebok Angelia
Published: February 2015

Objective:

We aimed to build upon the state of knowledge about the impacts of sleep disruption into the domain of complex cognitive task performance for three types of sleep disruption: total sleep deprivation, sleep restriction, and circadian cycle.

Background:

Sleep disruption affects human performance by increasing the likelihood of errors or the time it takes to complete tasks, such as the Psychomotor Vigilance Task. It is not clear whether complex tasks are affected in the same way. Understanding the impact of sleep disruption on complex cognitive tasks is important for, and in some instances more relevant to, professional workers confronted with unexpected, catastrophic failures following a period of disrupted sleep.

Method:

Meta-analytic review methods were applied to each of the three different areas of sleep disruption research.

Results:

Complex cognitive task performance declines over consecutive hours of continuous wakefulness as well as consecutive days of restricted sleep, is worse for severely restricted sleep (4 or fewer hours in bed), is worse during the circadian nadir than apex, and appears less degraded than simple task performance.

Conclusion:

The reviews suggest that complex cognitive task performance may not be impacted by disrupted sleep as severely as simple cognitive task performance.

Application:

Findings apply to predicting effects of sleep disruption on workers in safety-critical environments, such as health care, aviation, the military, process control, and in particular, safety-critical environments involving shiftwork or long-duration missions.
NORAD does not need saving
Authors: Jockel Joseph T , Sokolsky Joel J
Published: February 2015

In the current Canadian discussion of missile defence, it is often claimed that the future of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is under threat and that it will be saved only if Canada opts in. The command does not need saving, however. Any such claim draws attention away from the real North American defence challenges that Canadians need to face in a debate about continental strategic defence: whether or not Canada needs to be protected by a missile defence system (a point that a Senate committee strongly emphasized in 2014) and what Ottawa needs to do about its own air defences that fall under NORAD.
Teaching the root locus technique with plots categorization in an automatic control course
Authors: Lin Pei-Chun
Published: February 2015

The root locus is one of the major topics covered in an undergraduate-level automatic control course. It usually involves a nontrivial number of constructing steps, which on many occasions is hard for students to follow. Here, a short summary lecture taught after the normal root locus lecture is proposed. This method treats the root locus as a variation of the one or multi coefficients of the polynomials, and it categorizes various root locus plots into groups by utilizing complementary root loci and analytic or breakaway analysis. Through the combined lecture, the student learning process can be executed more smoothly and effectively.
A web-based educational tool using programmable logic controller-connected MATLAB-OPC server
Authors: Aydogmus Omur
Published: February 2015

Many technological developments contribute to the progress of the education system. Especially, engineering education is affected by the latest developments in internet technology. Therefore, the engineering education system has to keep up with developing technology by using web-based systems. This work provides a convenient method to improve students’ learning outcomes, their skills and their real-time experiences in multidisciplinary engineering education such as electrical, electronics, mechatronics and control engineering. In this study, a web-based real-time laboratory system was developed by using a programmable logic controller-connected MATLAB server via object linking and embedding for process control. The developed educational tool can be accessed on internet by the currently registered students. This remote accessible real-time mechatronic system consists of a programmable logic controller-connected MATLAB server, a water level tank, a servo pneumatic actuator, a pressure transmitter and two real-time cameras. The established system provides a real-time experience for students by using real instruments accessible on internet. This developed educational tool can be used as a complementary practice for some engineering courses such as sensors and actuators, control systems and industrial automation systems.
Governance in public procurement: the reform of Turkey’s public procurement system
Authors: Ayhan Berkay , Üstüner Yılmaz
Published: February 2015

Regulation and control of public procurement constitute a crucial field for the application of governance ideals and practices. This study explores the public procurement reform process in Turkey with reference to the implementation of governance as part of an ongoing neoliberal discourse and practice. Turkey’s public procurement system was reformed in 2002 in line with governance principles of transparency, anti-corruption, securing competition and by establishing an independent regulatory institution. A decade after this reform, our analysis shows that political will, economic forces in the procurement market and problems in the institutional-organizational setting are factors that play a role in the relapses from governance ideals and practices.

Points for practitioners

Reforms aimed at achieving good governance in public procurements are hard to sustain. The specific institutional traditions of local contexts, interventions of political authorities and powerful economic interests play an important role in the success of reforms. Persistent ad hoc modifications of public procurement laws erode the regulatory scope, change the composition and political autonomy of board membership, and undermine the principles of transparency, accountability and competitiveness. There is a need to actively ensure sustainability of governance principles through strong defense mechanisms which should be institutionalized within local social dynamics.
Mechanical enhancement of graphite nanoplatelet composites: Effect of matrix material on the atmospheric plasma-treated GnP reinforcement
Authors: Zaldivar RJ , Adams P , Kim HI , Nokes JP
Published: February 2015

Graphite nanoplatelets (GnPs) are currently employed to manufacture a new class of carbon nanomaterial composites with unique electrical and thermal as well as mechanical properties. However, due to their unreactive graphitic structure, surface activation of GnPs is critical to promote bonding to the matrix material. In a previous study, the effect of atmospheric plasma treatment (APT) on the mechanical performance of GnP epoxy composites was evaluated where the GnP surface activation resulted in a significant increase in composite strength. The current investigation evaluates the effect of GnP plasma activation when using a polycyanurate (PCN) resin as the matrix material. GnPs (5, 25 microns in particle size) were surface treated as a function of plasma exposure durations and then used to manufacture composites. Flexural strengths of these plasma-treated PCN composites increased by 25%, for both the 0.5 wt.% loaded M25 and M5 composite systems. The higher loaded systems (1.0 wt.%) exhibited smaller increases in strength (11%) with APT, due to increased particle-to-particle interactions. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of surface-treated GnP PCN composites exhibited little variation with APT, which was in sharp contrast to APT-treated GnP epoxy composites that exhibited Tg increase up to 20℃. This suggests that the oxygen functional groups formed on the surface of GnPs are less chemically reactive toward the PCN than epoxy resins, translating to relatively limited composite strength improvements when utilizing oxygen APT-treated GnPs in PCN matrices.
Compressive failure analysis of quasi-isotropic composite laminates fabricated with quasi-unidirectional woven fabric
Authors: Wang Bo , Maekawa Kento , Uda Nobuhide , Ono Kousei , Nagai Hiroto
Published: February 2015

The effect of configuration of quasi-unidirectional woven fabric on the compressive failure modes of quasi-isotropic composite laminates was investigated in this study. Two kinds of out-of-plane fiber waviness were formed in the composite laminates due to different quasi-unidirectional woven fabrics and measured using a fast Fourier transform method. The compressive failure modes of the composite laminates were identified using experimental and numerical methods. It was found that the compressive strength of a composite laminate fabricated using long-pitch weft fabrics was greater than that fabricated using standard-pitch weft fabrics. The relationship between the compressive strength and the configuration of quasi-unidirectional woven fabrics was investigated in a parametrical study, and four compressive failure modes were found: the axial compressive, normal, bending, and shear failure modes.
Alliances as a Necessary Condition of Multiparty Wars
Authors: Vasquez John A. , Rundlett Ashlea
Published: February 2015

The scientific study of war has largely ignored necessary conditions for war onset. Conflict scholars have previously identified alliances as a mechanism that brings about the initial expansion of war but have not examined whether it is a prerequisite for large wars. We argue that wars diffuse into multiparty wars only in the presence of alliances. In other words, in the absence of any alliance ties, war would not include more than two parties. We put forth a theoretical rationale for this relationship and conduct a series of tests on both dyadic and multiparty wars between 1816 and 2007. These tests provide support for our hypothesis, suggesting that alliances are a virtual necessary condition for multiparty wars: the larger the war, the more likely alliances are a necessary condition.
Architecture and Urban Planning as Social Engineering: Selective Transfers between Germany and Sweden in the 1930s and 1940s
Authors: Kuchenbuch David
Published: February 2015

This article considers selective transfers of knowledge between Swedish and German architects and urban planners from the early 1930s to the mid-1940s. It contextualizes such transfers with regard to transnational practices of social engineering in this period. By analysing mutual observations by protagonists working in institutions such as the DAF Reichsheimstättenamt or the Swedish state commission on housing, Bostadssociala utredningen, it argues that transfers were motivated by a shared conviction that architecture and city planning could contribute to an ‘ordering’ of society. Experts in both countries were committed to the ideal of an organic community, which, to them, appeared to be threatened by modern mass society, but could be restored by spatial interventions based on objective, scientific knowledge. Due to this overarching frame of reference, architectural concepts could easily be cleared of their respective ideological context, allowing for cross-border communication. Transnational planning paradigms such as the ‘neighbourhood unit’ could be made to conform with political projects as different as the ‘Volksgemeinschaft’ in Nazi Germany and the ‘People's Home’ (folkhemmet) in Social Democratic Sweden.
An Investigation of Positive and Negative Contact As Predictors of Intergroup Attitudes in the United States, Hong Kong, and Thailand
Authors: Techakesari Pirathat , Barlow Fiona Kate , Hornsey Matthew J. , Sung Billy , Thai Michael , Chak Jocelyn L. Y.
Published: February 2015

Contact researchers have overlooked (a) the mechanisms that explain the association between negative contact and prejudice, (b) the effects of positive and negative contact on outcomes beyond prejudice, and (c) the importance of testing contact effects cross-culturally. In the present article, we addressed these gaps in the literature by drawing on data from White Americans ( N = 207; Study 1), Hong Kong Chinese ( N = 145; Study 2), and Buddhist Thais ( N = 161; Study 3). Specifically, we examined positive and negative contact as predictors of old-fashioned and modern prejudice toward, and negative metaperceptions about, Black Americans, Mainland Chinese, and Muslim Thais, respectively. We also tested intergroup anxiety as a mediator of the associations between positive and negative contact, and all intergroup outcomes. Across three studies, positive contact predicted reduced intergroup anxiety, prejudice, and negative metaperceptions, while negative contact predicted increased intergroup anxiety, prejudice, and negative metaperceptions. Negative contact, however, was the more consistent predictor of intergroup attitudes. Intergroup anxiety emerged as a robust mediator of the relationships between both types of contact and all intergroup outcomes. We thus present the first test of a model of positive and negative contact that holds across both Western and non-Western contexts.
Number Processing in Arabic and Hebrew Bilinguals
Authors: Ganayim Deia , Ibrahim Raphiq
Published: February 2015

In the current study, a direct assessment of the effect of presentation language and format on the compatibility effect of two-digit numbers was made by contrasting performance of Arabic/Hebrew bilinguals in a digital (Hindi digits/Arabic digits) and verbal numerical comparison task (Arabic an inverted language: units-decades and Hebrew a non-inverted language: decades-units). Our data revealed in digital presentation format a regular compatibility effect in Hindi digits and Arabic digits characterized by lower reaction-time (RT) means for compatible number pairs than incompatible ones with no difference in the RT means of participants in the two languages, Arabic language–Hindi digits as a mother tongue and Hebrew language–Arabic digits as a second language. However, in verbal presentation format, different patterns of compatibility effect were found in Arabic and Hebrew verbal numbers. In Arabic number words, a regular compatibility effect was found, while in Hebrew number words, no compatibility effect was found. This reflects the influence and modulation of the lexical-syntactic structure of the language in two-digit numbers comparison. Evidently, these differences in the compatibility effect advocate and strengthen the claim that two-digit numbers comparison is influenced by the numbers presentation format. Different modes of presentation of two-digit numbers (digital vs. verbal) can lead to different number comparison styles. The parallel model accounts for the numerical comparison in digital presentation, while for the verbal numbers presentation, a revised sequential-syntactic model is preferable.
Clinical and Radiographic Assessment of the Efficacy of Calcium Silicate Indirect Pulp Capping
Authors: Hashem D. , Mannocci F. , Patel S. , Manoharan A. , Brown J.E. , Watson T.F. , Banerjee A.
Published: February 2015

The aims of this study were to assess the effectiveness of calcium silicate cement (Biodentine) versus glass ionomer cement (GIC; control group) as indirect pulp capping materials in patients with reversible pulpitis and to compare the effectiveness of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) versus periapical (PA) radiographs in detecting PA changes at baseline (T0) and at 12 mo (T12) postoperatively. Seventy-two restorations (36 Biodentine, 36 Fuji IX) were placed randomly in 53 patients. CBCT/PA radiographs were taken at T0 and T12. Two calibrated examiners assessed the presence/absence and increase/decrease in the size of existing PA radiolucencies under standardized conditions. The Kappa coefficient evaluated statistically the effectiveness of CBCT versus PA radiographs in detecting PA changes. Chi-square/Mann-Whitney tests were used to evaluate the association between PA changes in CBCT with various clinical measures. Significance was predetermined at α = 0.05. Clinical success rates for Biodentine and Fuji IX GIC were 83.3%. CBCT was significantly more effective in detecting PA radiolucencies compared with radiographs ( P = 0.0069). Of the teeth, 65.4% and 90.4% were deemed healthy using CBCT and PA radiographs, respectively, at T12. Healing/healed rates were 17.3%/0%, while new/progressed radiolucency were 30.8%/9.6% with CBCT/PA radiographs, respectively. Seventy-one percent of healed lesions had received Biodentine; 88% of new/progressed lesions received Fuji IX GIC. Teeth presenting with an initial CBCT PA lesion had a failure rate of 63%, whereas teeth with no initial lesion had a failure rate of 16%. Although no statistically significant difference was detected in the clinical efficacy of Biodentine/Fuji IX when used as indirect pulp capping materials in patients with reversible pulpitis, CBCT showed a significant difference in that most healed CBCT lesions had received Biodentine while most that did not heal received Fuji IX. Longer-term follow-up is needed to establish their effect on the healing dynamics of PA tissues (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02201641).
Infection and Medication-related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw
Authors: Katsarelis H. , Shah N.P. , Dhariwal D.K. , Pazianas M.
Published: February 2015

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ), although initially believed to be exclusively associated with bisphosphonates, has been implicated in recent reports with additional drugs, especially the bone antiresorptive denosumab. The pathophysiology has not been fully elucidated, and no causal association between bone antiresorptive regimens and MRONJ has yet been established. However, reduced bone turnover and infection, an almost universal finding, are thought to be central to the pathogenesis of MRONJ. Both bisphosphonates and denosumab, through different pathways of action, significantly reduce the rate of bone turnover and potentially reduce the efficacy of the host defense against infection. Recent evidence questions the simplified etiology of low bone turnover causing MRONJ and offers evidence on the prominent role of infection instead. The management of MRONJ remains a significant clinical challenge, with little progress having been made on treatment. The aim of this article is to explore the current theories on the etiology of MRONJ and to emphasize the importance of infection in the development of this devastating pathology.
Mechanobiological Bone Reaction Quantified by Positron Emission Tomography
Authors: Suenaga H. , Chen J. , Yamaguchi K. , Li W. , Sasaki K. , Swain M. , Li Q.
Published: February 2015

While nuclear medicine has been proven clinically effective for examination of the change in bone turnover as a result of stress injury, quantitative correlation between tracer uptake and mechanical stimulation in the human jawbone remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between bone metabolism observed by 18F-fluoride positron emission tomography (PET) images and mechanical stimuli obtained by finite element analysis (FEA) in the residual ridge induced by the insertion of a removable partial denture (RPD). An 18F-fluoride PET/CT (computerized tomography) scan was performed to assess the change of bone metabolism in the residual ridge under the denture before and after RPD treatment. Corresponding patient-specific 3D finite element (FE) models were created from CT images. Boundary conditions were prescribed by the modeling of condylar contacts, and muscular forces were derived from the occlusal forces measured in vivo to generate mechanobiological reactions. Different mechanobiological stimuli, e.g., equivalent von Mises stress (VMS), equivalent strain (EQV), and strain energy density (SED), determined from nonlinear FEA, were quantified and compared with the standardized uptake values (SUVs) of PET. Application of increased occlusal force after RPD insertion induced higher mechanical stimuli in the residual bone. Accordingly, SUV increased in the region of residual ridge with higher mechanical stimuli. Thus, with SUV, a clear correlation was observed with VMS and SED in the cancellous bone, especially after RPD insertion (R2 > 0.8, P < 0.001). This study revealed a good correlation between bone metabolism and mechanical stimuli induced by RPD insertion. From this patient-specific study, it was shown that metabolic change detected by PET in the loaded bone, in a much shorter duration than conventional x-ray assessment, is associated with mechanical stimuli. The nondestructive nature of PET/CT scans and FEA could potentially provide a new method for clinical examination and monitoring of prosthetically driven bone remodeling.
Periodontal Defects in the A116T Knock-in Murine Model of Odontohypophosphatasia
Authors: Foster B.L. , Sheen C.R. , Hatch N.E. , Liu J. , Cory E. , Narisawa S. , Kiffer-Moreira T. , Sah R.L. , Whyte M.P. , Somerman M.J. , Millán J.L.
Published: February 2015

Mutations in ALPL result in hypophosphatasia (HPP), a disease causing defective skeletal mineralization. ALPL encodes tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (ALP), an enzyme that promotes mineralization by reducing inorganic pyrophosphate, a mineralization inhibitor. In addition to skeletal defects, HPP causes dental defects, and a mild clinical form of HPP, odontohypophosphatasia, features only a dental phenotype. The Alpl knockout ( Alpl-/-) mouse phenocopies severe infantile HPP, including profound skeletal and dental defects. However, the severity of disease in Alpl-/- mice prevents analysis at advanced ages, including studies to target rescue of dental tissues. We aimed to generate a knock-in mouse model of odontohypophosphatasia with a primarily dental phenotype, based on a mutation (c.346G>A) identified in a human kindred with autosomal dominant odontohypophosphatasia. Biochemical, skeletal, and dental analyses were performed on the resulting Alpl+/A116T mice to validate this model. Alpl+/A116T mice featured 50% reduction in plasma ALP activity compared with wild-type controls. No differences in litter size, survival, or body weight were observed in Alpl+/A116T versus wild-type mice. The postcranial skeleton of Alpl+/A116T mice was normal by radiography, with no differences in femur length, cortical/trabecular structure or mineral density, or mechanical properties. Parietal bone trabecular compartment was mildly altered. Alpl+/A116T mice featured alterations in the alveolar bone, including radiolucencies and resorptive lesions, osteoid accumulation on the alveolar bone crest, and significant differences in several bone properties measured by micro–computed tomography. Nonsignificant changes in acellular cementum did not appear to affect periodontal attachment or function, although circulating ALP activity was correlated significantly with incisor cementum thickness. The Alpl+/A116T mouse is the first model of odontohypophosphatasia, providing insights on dentoalveolar development and function under reduced ALP, bringing attention to direct effects of HPP on alveolar bone, and offering a new model for testing potential dental-targeted therapies in future studies.