bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of an axial mean temperature gradient on communication between one-dimensional acoustic and entropy waves
Authors: Li Jingxuan , Yang Dong , Morgans Aimee S
Published: November 2017

This work performs a theoretical and numerical analysis of the communication between one-dimensional acoustic and entropy waves in a duct with a mean temperature gradient. Such a situation is highly relevant to combustor flows where the mean temperature drops axially due to heat losses. A duct containing a compact heating element followed by an axial temperature gradient and choked end is considered. The proposed jump conditions linking acoustic and entropy waves on either side of the flame show that the generated entropy wave is generally proportional to the mean temperature ratio across the flame and the ratio [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the flame transfer function. It is inversely proportional to the Mach number immediately downstream of the flame M2. The acoustic and entropy fields in the region of axial mean temperature gradient are calculated using four approaches: (1) using the full three linearised Euler equations as the reference; (2) using two linearised Euler equations in which the acoustic and entropy waves are assumed independent (thus allowing the extent of communication between the acoustic and entropy wave to be evaluated); (3) using a Helmholtz solver which neglects mean flow effects and (4) using a recently developed analytical solution. It is found that the communication between the acoustic and entropy waves is small at low Mach numbers; it rises with increasing Mach number and cannot be neglected when the mean Mach number downstream of the heating element exceeds 0.1. Predictions from the analytical method generally match those from the full three linearised Euler equations, and the Helmholtz solver accurately determines the acoustic field when [Formula: see text].
Health information is central to changes in healthcare: A clinician’s view
Authors: Hoyle Philip
Published: November 2017

Changes in healthcare, such as integrated care, the use of big data, electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine, decision support systems and consumer empowerment, are impacting on the management of health information. Integrated care requires linked data; activity-based funding requires valid coding; EHRs require standards for documentation, retrieval and analysis; and decision support systems require standardised nomenclatures. The ethical oversight of how health-related information is used, as opposed to governance of its content, storage and communication, remains ill-defined. More fundamentally, the conceptual foundations of health information in terms of “diagnostic” constructs are creating limitations: Why should a medical diagnosis be privileged as the key descriptor of care, over disability or other aspects of the human experience? Who gets to say what matters, and how and by whom is that translated into meaningful information? These are important questions on which the health information management profession is well placed to lead. In this changing environment, threats and opportunities for the profession are presented and discussed. Highlighted is the need for leadership from the profession on the ethical use of health information.
“You Little Creep”: Evidence of Blatant Dehumanization of Short Groups
Authors: Kunst Jonas R. , Kteily Nour , Thomsen Lotte
Published: November 2017

Physical cues influence social judgments of others. For example, shorter individuals are evaluated less positively than taller individuals. Here, we demonstrate that height also impacts one of the most consequential intergroup judgments—attributions of humanity—and explore whether this effect is modulated by the tendency to value hierarchy maintenance. In Study 1, the shorter participants perceived a range of out-groups to be, the more they dehumanized them, and this tended to be particularly pronounced among those scoring high on social dominance orientation (SDO). In Study 2, participants dehumanized an out-group more when they were led to believe that it was relatively short. Finally, Study 3 applied a reverse correlation approach, demonstrating that participants in general, and especially those scoring high on SDO, represented shorter groups in ways less consistent with full humanity than they represented taller groups. Together, this research demonstrates that basic physical height cues shape the perceived humanity of out-groups.
Editor’s Choice-Effects of targeted temperature management on mortality and neurological outcome: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Stanger Dylan , Mihajlovic Vesna , Singer Joel , Desai Sameer , El-Sayegh Rami , Wong Graham C
Published: November 2017

Aims:

The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review, and where applicable meta-analyses, examining the evidence underpinning the use of targeted temperature management following resuscitation from cardiac arrest.

Methods and results:

Multiple databases were searched for publications between January 2000–February 2016. Nine Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome questions were developed and meta-analyses were performed when appropriate. Reviewers extracted study data and performed quality assessments using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology, the Cochrane Risk Bias Tool, and the National Institute of Health Study Quality Assessment Tool. The primary outcomes for each Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome question were mortality and poor neurological outcome. Overall, low quality evidence demonstrated that targeted temperature management at 32–36°C, compared to no targeted temperature management, decreased mortality (risk ratio 0.76, 95% confidence interval 0.61–0.92) and poor neurological outcome (risk ratio 0.73, 95% confidence interval 0.60–0.88) amongst adult survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with an initial shockable rhythm. Targeted temperature management use did not benefit survivors of in-hospital cardiac arrest nor out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors with a non-shockable rhythm. Moderate quality evidence demonstrated no benefit of pre-hospital targeted temperature management initiation. Low quality evidence showed no difference between endovascular versus surface cooling targeted temperature management systems, nor any benefit of adding feedback control to targeted temperature management systems. Low quality evidence suggested that targeted temperature management be maintained for 18–24 h.

Conclusions:

Low quality evidence supports the in-hospital initiation and maintenance of targeted temperature management at 32–36°C amongst adult survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with an initial shockable rhythm for 18–24 h. The effects of targeted temperature management on other populations, the optimal rate and method of cooling and rewarming, and effects of fever require further study.
The conditional effect of conspiracy thinking on attitudes toward climate change
Authors: Uscinski Joseph E. , Olivella Santiago
Published: November 2017

Even though climate scientists are nearly unanimous that climate change is real and manmade, about 40% of Americans reject the scientific consensus. Why? The largest contributing factor is partisanship; however, recent studies argue that underlying conspiracy thinking exerts a positive, linear effect on climate change denial. In this article, we reexamine the effect of conspiracy thinking on climate change attitudes by accounting for the various pathways that conspiracy thinking could drive denialism in a politically polarized environment. We find the effects of conspiracy thinking on climate change denial are not only larger than previously suggested, but also non-monotonic and conditional on individuals’ party identification. Moreover, we find evidence suggesting conspiracy thinking affects independents’ positions, and even their partisan leanings. These findings further explain why people reject the scientific consensus on climate change, and suggest that climate change denial is not merely the product of partisan polarization.
A global nursing framework in the Swedish Red Cross undergraduate nursing program
Authors: Holmgren Jessica , Kraft Mia
Published: November 2017

Alongside a globalized world and a demographic shift in Sweden, future nurses must provide globally significant nursing care based on relevant knowledges and skills. To contribute to the global nursing discourse, this article aims to describe the process undertaken in developing and implementing a global nursing approach and curriculum in the Swedish Red Cross undergraduate nursing program. A comprehensive process of educational change was carried out, targeting both faculty and students with various academic activities. The new global-oriented curriculum was evaluated positively by nursing students, and a definition of global nursing was disseminated among educators. Nursing students at the Swedish Red Cross University College are now encouraged to advocate for vulnerable persons in need of healthcare services and to counteract inequalities and social injustice in sustainable ways. It is suggested that a global nursing framework is what is required when educating nurses to meet tomorrow’s nursing care needs.
Predictors of pneumonia in lower respiratory tract infections: 3C prospective cough complication cohort study
Authors: Moore Michael , Stuart Beth , Little Paul , Smith Sue , Thompson Matthew J. , Knox Kyle , van den Bruel Anne , Lown Mark , Mant David
Published: November 2017

The aim was to aid diagnosis of pneumonia in those presenting with lower respiratory tract symptoms in routine primary care.

A cohort of 28 883 adult patients with acute cough attributed to lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) was recruited from 5222 UK practices in 2009–13. Symptoms, signs and treatment were recorded at presentation and subsequent events followed-up for 30 days by chart review. The predictive value of patient characteristics, presenting symptoms and clinical findings for the diagnosis of pneumonia in the first 7 days was established.

Of the 720 out of 28 883 (2.5.%) radiographed within 1 week of the index consultation, 115 (16.0%; 0.40% of 28 883) were assigned a definite or probable pneumonia diagnosis. The significant independent predictors of radiograph-confirmed pneumonia were temperature >37.8°C (RR 2.6; 95% CI 1.5–4.8), crackles on auscultation (RR 1.8; 1.1–3.0), oxygen saturation <95% (RR 1.7; 1.0–3.1) and pulse >100·min–1(RR 1.9; 1.1–3.2). Most patients with pneumonia (99/115, 86.1%) exhibited at least one of these four clinical signs; the positive predictive value of having at least one of these signs was 20.2% (95% CI 17.3–23.1).

In routine practice, radiograph-confirmed pneumonia as a short-term complication of LRTI is very uncommon (one in 270). Pulse oximetry may aid the diagnosis of pneumonia in this setting.
Correlates and assessment of excess cardiovascular risk in bronchiectasis
Authors: Saleh Aarash D. , Kwok Bessie , Brown Jeremy S. , Hurst John R.
Published: November 2017

Patients with bronchiectasis are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We aimed to identify factors associated with elevated cardiovascular risk in bronchiectasis, measured using aortic stiffness and cardiac biomarkers. In addition, we sought to compare these direct measures against calculated QRISK2 scores.

Aortic stiffness, cardiac biomarkers and systemic inflammation were measured in 101 adults with stable bronchiectasis. In addition, clinical and demographic data were collected to allow calculation of QRISK2 score and the bronchiectasis severity index (BSI) for each patient.

The BSI score correlated with measured cardiovascular risk assessments, partly due to greater exacerbation frequency and lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s. Pulse-wave velocity was significantly higher in frequent exacerbators (≥3 events·year-1) than infrequent exacerbators (<3 events·year-1; 10.5versus9.2 m·s−1, p=0.01). In addition, frequent exacerbators had elevated serum C-reactive protein concentration, suggesting increased systemic inflammation (4.8versus2.2 mg·L−1, p=0.005). QRISK2 systematically underestimated cardiovascular risk in this population (median change in relative risk 1.29). Underestimation was associated with frequent exacerbations and male sex.

Patients with bronchiectasis have greater cardiovascular risk than published reference populations. Excess cardiovascular risk is associated with exacerbation frequency and impaired lung function. Cardiovascular risk assessment in bronchiectasis should be individualised, as calculation tools are likely to underestimate the risk in this population.
Prevalence of persistent blood eosinophilia: relation to outcomes in patients with COPD
Authors: Casanova Ciro , Celli Bartolome R. , de-Torres Juan P. , Martínez-Gonzalez Cristina , Cosio Borja G. , Pinto-Plata Victor , de Lucas-Ramos Pilar , Divo Miguel , Fuster Antonia , Peces-Barba Germán , Calle-Rubio Myriam , Solanes Ingrid , Aguero Ramón , Feu-Collado Nuria , Alfageme Inmaculada , De Diego Alfredo , Romero Amparo , Balcells Eva , Llunell Antonia , Galdiz Juan B. , Marin Margarita , Moreno Amalia , Cabrera Carlos , Golpe Rafael , Lacarcel Celia , Soriano Joan B. , López-Campos José Luis , Soler-Cataluña Juan J. , Marin José M.
Published: November 2017

The impact of blood eosinophilia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains controversial.

To evaluate the prevalence and stability of a high level of blood eosinophils (≥300 cells·μL–1) and its relationship to outcomes, we determined blood eosinophils at baseline and over 2 years in 424 COPD patients (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) 60% predicted) and 67 smokers without COPD from the CHAIN cohort, and in 308 COPD patients (FEV160% predicted) in the BODE cohort. We related eosinophil levels to exacerbations and survival using Cox hazard analysis.

In COPD patients, 15.8% in the CHAIN cohort and 12.3% in the BODE cohort had persistently elevated blood eosinophils at all three visits. A significant proportion (43.8%) of patients had counts that oscillated above and below the cut-off points, while the rest had persistent eosinophil levels <300 cells·μL–1. A similar eosinophil blood pattern was observed in controls. Exacerbation rates did not differ in patients with and without eosinophilia. All-cause mortality was lower in patients with high eosinophils compared with those with values <300 cells·μL–1(15.8%versus33.7%; p=0.026).

In patients with COPD, blood eosinophils ≥300 cells·μL–1persisting over 2 years was not a risk factor for COPD exacerbations. High eosinophil count was associated with better survival.
Use of Larynx-Preservation Strategies in the Treatment of Laryngeal Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update
Authors: Forastiere Arlene A. , Ismaila Nofisat , Lewin Jan S. , Nathan Cherie Ann , Adelstein David J. , Eisbruch Avraham , Fass Gail , Fisher Susan G. , Laurie Scott A. , Le Quynh-Thu , O’Malley Bernard , Mendenhall William M. , Patel Snehal , Pfister David G. , Provenzano Anthony F. , Weber Randy , Weinstein Gregory S. , Wolf Gregory T.
Published: November 2017

Purpose

To update the guideline recommendations on the use of larynx-preservation strategies in the treatment of laryngeal cancer.

Methods

An Expert Panel updated the systematic review of the literature for the period from January 2005 to May 2017.

Results

The panel confirmed that the use of a larynx-preservation approach for appropriately selected patients does not compromise survival. No larynx-preservation approach offered a survival advantage compared with total laryngectomy and adjuvant therapy as indicated. Changes were supported for the use of endoscopic surgical resection in patients with limited disease (T1, T2) and for initial total laryngectomy in patients with T4a disease or with severe pretreatment laryngeal dysfunction. New recommendations for positron emission tomography imaging for the evaluation of regional nodes after treatment and best measures for evaluating voice and swallowing function were added.

Recommendations

Patients with T1, T2 laryngeal cancer should be treated initially with intent to preserve the larynx by using endoscopic resection or radiation therapy, with either leading to similar outcomes. For patients with locally advanced (T3, T4) disease, organ-preservation surgery, combined chemotherapy and radiation, or radiation alone offer the potential for larynx preservation without compromising overall survival. For selected patients with extensive T3 or large T4a lesions and/or poor pretreatment laryngeal function, better survival rates and quality of life may be achieved with total laryngectomy. Patients with clinically involved regional cervical nodes (N+) who have a complete clinical and radiologic imaging response after chemoradiation do not require elective neck dissection. All patients should undergo a pretreatment baseline assessment of voice and swallowing function and receive counseling with regard to the potential impact of treatment options on voice, swallowing, and quality of life. Additional information is available at www.asco.org/head-neck-cancer-guidelines and www.asco.org/guidelineswiki .
Polynorbornene-based Template for Polymer Synthesis
Authors: Lai Guoqiao , Luh Tien-Yau
Published: November 2017

The recent advances in the use of rigid polynorbornene or polycyclobutene as template for the synthesis of different polymers with well-defined degree of polymerization and narrow polydispersity are reviewed. Polynorbornene and polycyclobutene templates containing fused N-arylpyrrolidene pendants are synthesized by ruthenium or molybdenum-catalyzed ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of the corresponding monomers. Since these polymerizations are living, the templates thus have well-defined degree of polymerization and narrow polydispersity. Monomers are linked to the template polymer via ester linkage. After polymerization and hydrolysis, the poly-carboxylic acid template can easily be separated from the neutral polyalcohol daughter polymer.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: recent developments
Authors: Mackenzie Graeme , Will Robert
Published: November 2017

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare prion disorder that has been the subject of both professional and public interest following the identification of variant CJD as a zoonotic disorder. There have been recent advances in diagnostic techniques, including real-time quaking-induced conversion and magnetic resonance imaging brain scan, that have allowed more accurate case recognition in all forms of CJD. Although the epidemic of variant CJD is clearly in decline, prevalence studies suggest that it may be premature to be complacent about concerns for public health.
Information Educational Environment As a Predictive Model of the Development of the Learning Theory in IT-Education
Authors: Монахов В. , Monakhov V. , Сильченко А. , Sil'chenko A.
Published: November 2017

The article deals with conceptual approaches to the design of IEE, describes the tasks of mastering the richest information and methodological potential of the future IEE by the teacher. The author provides a list of problems of designing and mastering the IEE teaching staff , describes in detail the nature of innovative tasks that the emerging “Digital didactics” will be able to solve under the conditions of the correct functioning of the IEE. On the basis of a multifactor analysis of the current situation with the design and creation of IEE, the author formulated a number of didactic.
Parallel Scenario Decomposition of Risk-Averse 0-1 Stochastic Programs
Authors: Deng Yan , Ahmed Shabbir , Shen Siqian
Published: November 2017

In this paper, we extend a recently proposed scenario decomposition algorithm for risk-neutral 0-1 stochastic programs to the risk-averse setting. Specifically, we consider two-stage risk-averse 0-1 stochastic programs with objective functions based on coherent risk measures. Using a dual representation of a coherent risk measure, we first derive an equivalent minimax reformulation of the considered problem. We then develop three variants of the scenario decomposition algorithm for this minimax formulation based on different relaxations of the nonanticipaticity constraints. The algorithms proceed by solving scenario subproblems to obtain candidate solutions and bounds and subsequently cutting off the candidate solutions from the search space to achieve convergence to an optimal solution. We design three parallelization schemes for implementing the algorithms with different tradeoffs between overhead time and computation time. Our computational results with risk-averse extensions of two standard stochastic 0-1 programming test instances demonstrate the scalability of the proposed decomposition and parallelization framework.
Controle de qualidade físico-químico e caracterização fitoquímica das principais plantas medicinais comercializadas na feira-livre de Lagarto-SE
Authors: Souza Carlos Adriano Santos , Almeida Laysa Nunes de , Cruz Erica dos Santos , Silva Carla Maria Lima , Nascimento Júnior José Adão Carvalho , Silva Francilene Amaral da , Serafini Mairim Russo
Published: November 2017

Segundo a Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS), as plantas medicinais contribuem para a promoção da saúde, prevenção de doenças reabilitação e cura. Neste contexto, o presente estudo buscou realizar a caracterização físico – químico e fitoquímico das plantas medicinais mais comercializadas na feira – livre de Lagarto, munícipio do estado de Sergipe. As plantas medicinais mais comercializadas foram Plectranthus barbatus Andrews (boldo) 40%, Lippia alba (Mill.) N. E. Brown (erva cidreira) 25% e Pimpinella anisum L. (erva doce) 20%. Foi possível constatar os grupos dos compostos químicos provenientes do metabolismo secundário das plantas de cada espécie estudada com a ausência de alguns compostos descritos na literatura. Com relação a caracterização fitoquímica a espécie vegetal do boldo estava em sua maior parte dentro dos padrões estabelecidos pela farmacopeia, contudo as outras plantas medicinais ainda não estão incluídas na farmacopeia. Os testes realizados são vitais para o controle de qualidade, proporcionando segurança para os usuários, além de fornecer dados para futuros estudos para a padronização e desenvolvimento de novos fármacos.
Análise de paclobrutrazol em solos de áreas cultivadas com diferentes variedades de mangueira no Vale do São Francisco empregando QuEcHers e CLAE
Authors: Silva Paula Tereza de Souza e , Souza Layanny Samara da Silva , Neta Carolina Rodrigues , Mouco Maria Aparecida , Simoes Welson , Ferraz Andrea
Published: November 2017

O paclobutrazol (PBZ) é um composto do grupo dos triazois, muito usado na agricultura como regulador de crescimento. É aplicado geralmente no solo, onde pode permanecer ativo por alguns anos. No Vale do submédio do São Francisco, esse composto vem sendo aplicado para garantir a produção de manga durante todo o ano. O objetivo desse estudo foi validar um método para quantificar o paclobutrazol no solo, avaliando áreas cultivadas com  mangueira no Vale do São Francisco. A importância desse estudo é devido a frequencia do uso do PBZ aplicado no solo, que poderá acarretar risco de contaminação ambiental e também da possibilidade da redução da dosagem aplicada, para melhorar a eficiência da produção da mangueira. Para isso, foram coletadas amostras de solo em fazendas localizadas no município de Petrolina-PE e Juazeiro-BA. O PBZ foi extraído por QuEchers e analisado por cromatografia liquida de alta eficiência (CLAE). Resíduos do PBZ foram encontrados em amostras de solo sob diferentes variedades de mangueira (0,18-6,86 mg kg-1).  Os resultados encontrados demonstraram que a extração por QuEchErs e a determinação por CLAE foi eficiente para determinação do PBZ no solo.
A Novel Kinetics Study on H2O2 Decomposition inthe Propylene Epoxidation System in a Fixed-Bed Reactor
Authors: Wang Lina , Wang Yaquan , Wu Guoqiang , Feng Wenping , Zhang Teng , Yang Rumin , Jin Xing , Shi Hainan
Published: November 2017

H2O2 decomposition in the propylene epoxidation system in a fixed-bed reactor was studied herein for the first time. The decomposition rate of H2O2 increased with increasing reaction temperature. The decomposition reaction followed the first-order kinetics equation at 30–50°C, whereas it did not follow the equation any longer at higher than 50°C. A kinetics equation for the H2O2 decomposition catalyzed by TS-1/SiO2 at 30–50°C was obtained, and the reaction activation energy Ea was calculated as 69.26 kJ/mol.
Induced Voltage Behavior on Pipelines Due to HV AC Interference: Effective Length Concept
Authors: Nassereddine Mohamad , Rizk Jamal , Nagrial Mahmood , Hellany Ali
Published: November 2017

High-voltage infrastructure upgrade is expending due to the growth in populations. To save on easement cost and to reduce the environmental impact of these projects, HV transmission lines occupy the same easement as pipelines in many cases. This joint easement introduces the AC interference between transmission lines and pipelines. The induced voltage can reach a limit which will jeopardize the human safety. The cited research studies the induced voltage under the presence of the overhead earth wire (OHEW) using the shielding factor. The work in this paper studies the induced voltage using the OHEW section current along with the superposition theorem. The simulations are compared to the existing research methods. The case study along with the theoretical study discusses the advance accuracy of the proposed method over the existing shield factor used in the presence research. Furthermore, they introduce the effective length along with the effective shielding factor, which aids in computing the additional effect that the OHEW has on the induced voltage.
An Examination of the Good Governance Legal Framework of Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Act 2007
Authors: Ihugba Bethel Uzoma
Published: November 2017

Transparency and accountability are key concepts of good governance that are repeatedly demonstrated to have the capacity to translate natural resources wealth to sustainable development of economies. These concepts are particularly important to countries rich in natural resources and Nigeria is one of such countries. Evidence however suggests that Nigeria is not benefiting from the gains expected from its natural resources despite policies and legislations like the NEITI Act 2007 which are aimed at promoting sustainable development through transparency and accountability. Various attempts at theorizing the reasons behind these apparent failures have tended to blame external factors. These external factors are sometimes disguised under the omnibus descriptions of resource curse phenomenon and corruption. This paper argues that although these factors may be contributing to the continued failures of several development initiatives, there may be need to ensure that the legal frameworks and instruments developed to achieve these objectives are not in themselves faulty. The article posits that the internal normative incoherence in some of these laws creates the room for continued failures despite the best of intentions and interests. To demonstrate this argument, the paper through normative analysis, examines the NEITI Act 2007 in relation to its key transparency and accountability provisions.
Economic Explanation: From Sharecropping to the Sharing Economy
Authors: Tsui Kevin K.
Published: November 2017

I examine the sharing economy using a contractual approach pioneered by Cheung (1969, The Theory of Share Tenancy: With Special Application to Asian Agriculture and the First Phase of Taiwan Land Reform. Chicago: Chicago University Press). Progress in information technology that reduces transactions costs leads to the emergence of rental contract to supersede outright ownership, especially among goods and services in which search and monitoring costs had been major trade barriers. I present evidence that ridesharing indeed significantly lowers wait times. Trust cannot explain the economic success of some sharing economy companies (e. g., Airbnb, Uber) but not others (e. g., SnapGoods). Sharing power drill, the poster child of the sharing economy, is an economic failure because the major trade barrier is transportation rather than transaction costs. Changes in transaction costs lead to changes in contractual arrangements. In the case of contractual choice between ridesharing platform and drivers, findings about drivers’ characteristics and contract details are consistent with the theory of share tenancy. My analysis also sheds light on the current debate on the employment status of driver-partners.
Contract Matters: An Explanation of China’s Recent Economic History
Authors: Sheng Hong
Published: November 2017

Contracts, as a form of institutions, have an influence on efficiency. Other conditions being the same, different contracts lead to different efficiency. Unlike property rights which require compulsory implementation by law, contracts rely mainly on the contracting parties’ voluntary implementation due to the fact that they are reached by two or more contracting parties in unanimity. Therefore, in cases where property institutions cannot be altered fast enough due to political or ideological reasons, reforms can be achieved by the modification of contracts, which result in similar effects at a lower cost. This is the case for China’s reforms, especially in agriculture: the land ownership in rural areas— collective land property rights have not changed in name, but the contracts between farmers and the state, or the collectives, have changed tremendously to bring about remarkable economic growth. In a more general sense, it has happened once and again in human history when property institutions—judicial institutions—cannot be changed due to political or other reasons, or due to brutal bloodshed or war in prospect. Therefore, as an option, the change of contract exists as a more common, and unconscious but effective form of institutional change.
Organizing: Should the Employer Have a Say?
Authors: Alon-Shenker Pnina , Davidov Guy
Published: November 2017

Israeli courts were recently faced with the question whether an employer is allowed to voice objections to unionization during an organizing drive. Since the legislation fails to provide an answer to this question, it was up to the courts to come up with a solution. The National Labor Court in Histadrut v. Pelephone held that employers have no say and must refrain from any communications whatsoever with the workers regarding the decision whether or not to join the union. The Supreme Court later affirmed this decision. This Article explores this legal question and examines whether this decision was justified, and whether it should be adopted in other countries as well. It first discusses the justifications for the conflicting freedoms in this scenario — the workers’ freedom of association and the employer’s freedom of speech — to appreciate their relative strength in the circumstances. It then examines whether it is possible to achieve a certain balance. To this end, the Article critically reviews the legal mechanisms adopted by other legal jurisdictions (the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom) in this regard, shedding light on their effectiveness and the difficulties of organizing in practice in each jurisdiction. The main argument advanced in this Article is that the solution has to be purposive — to advance the goals of labor law, specifically freedom of association — and that the purposive analysis must be contextual. A rule prohibiting the employer from voicing opinions is surely an infringement of freedom of speech, and strong reasons are needed to justify it. Whether strong enough reasons exist depends on several contextual factors. Essentially, the question is whether it is possible, given the current context, to secure real freedom of association without such a rule. By context we mean two main things: first, the real-life current experience concerning the struggles of organizing; and second, the existence of alternative legal mechanisms that might address this problem.
Organizing in the Shadows: Domestic Workers in the Netherlands
Authors: Kraamwinkel Margriet
Published: November 2017

In 2009, a small group of domestic workers joined FNV Bondgenoten, the largest Dutch trade union in the private sector and affiliated with the Dutch trade union confederation FNV. The group that joined consisted mainly of women immigrant workers, many of whom did not have a residence permit. FNV’s policy is that we organize workers and do not ask for passports. Still, a group like this brought to light several problems for FNV, both practical and fundamental. The Article identifies three types of problems. The first set of problems concerns the invisibility of domestic workers. Domestic workers work in private houses and are leery of talking to strangers if they don’t have residence permits. This demanded new organizing tactics from the sector, like asking women to bring a friend to a meeting and joining churches. A cash payment of membership fees system was devised, its administration done by handwriting. At the same time, the public debate on immigration toughened; immigrants without residence permits (“illegal aliens”) in particular were depicted as somewhere between a profiteer and the devil. This debate also took place within FNV. The second set of problems is defined by the traditional views in Dutch society on domestic work. The group chose to become union members, since they wanted to better their position in the labor market. Dutch law on domestic work excludes them from full protection of labor and social security law. The inclusion of domestic work in labor and social security law is contrary to cultural and historical traditions and views and therefore contentious. The third set of problems is caused by the connectedness of labor and social security law and immigration law. Domestic workers in the Netherlands work in the shadows in two ways: by not having a residence permit, and by not being protected by labor and social security law. The result of our campaign is that a group of publicly financed care workers will be better protected, but the group of domestic workers that fought for ILO Convention 189 will still be excluded from our labor and social security law and not be able to qualify for a residence permit.
Functional Organization and Dynamic Activity in the Superior Colliculus of the Echolocating Bat,Eptesicus fuscus
Authors: Wohlgemuth Melville J. , Kothari Ninad B. , Moss Cynthia F.
Published: November 2017

Sensory-guided behaviors require the transformation of sensory information into task-specific motor commands. Prior research on sensorimotor integration has emphasized visuomotor processes in the context of simplified orienting movements in controlled laboratory tasks rather than an animal's more complete, natural behavioral repertoire. Here, we conducted a series of neural recording experiments in the midbrain superior colliculus (SC) of echolocating bats engaged in a sonar target-tracking task that invoked dynamic active sensing behaviors. We hypothesized that SC activity in freely behaving animals would reveal dynamic shifts in neural firing patterns within and across sensory, sensorimotor, and premotor layers. We recorded neural activity in the SC of freely echolocating bats (three females and one male) and replicated the general trends reported in other species with sensory responses in the dorsal divisions and premotor activity in ventral divisions of the SC. However, within this coarse functional organization, we discovered that sensory and motor neurons are comingled within layers throughout the volume of the bat SC. In addition, as the bat increased pulse rate adaptively to increase resolution of the target location with closing distance, the activity of sensory and vocal premotor neurons changed such that auditory response times decreased, and vocal premotor lead times shortened. This finding demonstrates that SC activity can be modified dynamically in concert with adaptive behaviors and suggests that an integrated functional organization within SC laminae supports rapid and local integration of sensory and motor signals for natural, adaptive behaviors.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTNatural sensory-guided behaviors involve the rapid integration of information from the environment to direct flexible motor actions. The vast majority of research on sensorimotor integration has used artificial stimuli and simplified behaviors, leaving open questions about nervous system function in the context of natural tasks. Our work investigated mechanisms of dynamic sensorimotor feedback control by analyzing patterns of neural activity in the midbrain superior colliculus (SC) of an echolocating bat tracking and intercepting moving prey. Recordings revealed that sensory and motor neurons comingle within laminae of the SC to support rapid sensorimotor integration. Further, we discovered that neural activity in the bat SC changes with dynamic adaptations in the animal's echolocation behavior.
To the Past and Beyond: African American History Films in Dialogue with the Present
Authors: Massood Paula J.
Published: November 2017

Over the last decade a number of historical dramas, including Selma (Ava DuVernay, 2014), Twelve Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013), and The Birth of a Nation (Nate Parker, 2016), have been the recipients of numerous accolades, screening at festivals and winning prestigious awards. The films are linked by a focus on the past, particularly the antebellum and Civil Rights eras, and a shared commitment to providing historical narratives from African American perspectives. In many ways, they continue in the tradition of the slave narrative/abolitionist melodrama, with Twelve Years a Slave perhaps the closest embodiment of the genre and Selma, despite its more contemporary setting, a close second.

At first glance, the green-lighting of such historical films, particularly those that capitalize on the genre's melodramatic aspects, can be interpreted as signaling the industry's belief that antiblack racism is a thing of the past, or perhaps a conviction that American society is ready to face its “original sin” of slavery. A more generous interpretation might suggest a genuine media interest in African American history. Regardless, the continuing engagement with such narratives raises important questions about the longstanding relationship between cinema and history, and the former's capacity to relate African American stories within a medium that has its own troubled representational past as a birthright, one memorialized in D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915). Films such as Nate Parker's The Birth of a Nation and Selma reflect upon and refract many pasts and presents, prompting considerations of what's changed, and, more importantly, what hasn't. They also raise questions about the feasibility of the historical genre's ability to convey black history, especially when the form is overdetermined by contemporary expectations of historical accuracy. If Hollywood's plantation/Civil Rights formula no longer works, then productive alternatives can be created, either in fiction or nonfiction film, that cannot only relate the past but also link that past to the ongoing effects of antiblack racism in the twenty-first century.
Vestiges of Motherhood: The Maternal Function in Recent Black Cinema
Authors: Bradley Rizvana
Published: November 2017

While the lack of black femme presence is theorized explicitly with respect to film genres and the canon of American cinema in the work of Kara Keeling, the ontological position of the black femme (whom Keeling understands to be both visually impossible and interdicted yet full of cinematic possibility) has long been a point of interrogation in Black Studies with an extensive critical genealogy. In Saidiya Hartman's book Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route, the loss of the black mother animates the historical imagination of transatlantic slavery, just as her loss is irreducibly felt in relation to its afterlife. In the work of Frank B. Wilderson III, there is an explicit rejection of the potential of the black woman within film, specifically the viability of her maternal function, insofar as the black mother remains categorically essential to the construction of black (masculine) subjectivity.

In light of the contradictory arc of this genealogy, the current task is not only to theorize the black maternal as an extension of the black femme, but to bring that position into view as the unthought. The black mother tends to be dramatized as the singular figure through which the cinema cultivates a distinctly black visual historiography. Even when placed under narrative erasure or withheld from view, the mother crystallizes a cinematic black aesthetic that fashions and envisions diasporic culture and forms of black collectivity as tied to a speculative and fraught filial genealogy.

The critical arc in black narrative cinema over the last ten years from Get Out to Pariah, to Mother of George, and finally to Moonlight insists upon black motherhood as integral to the aesthetics of form and the genre-making capacities of film. One could go so far as to claim that the elements of cinematic form that drive these narratives reflect aesthetic choices that have to do with coloration, shot position, and narrative flashbacks that are themselves bound up with and inflected through the haunting and cipher-like construction of black maternal figures. Furthermore, these films insist upon simultaneously marking and excluding the mother from the emotional drama of black subjective life and its complex and contradictory expressions of intimacy, which have as much to do with the breaking and splintering of familial bonds as bridging gaps. It is clear that the mother sutures these bonds; she is a scar, a visible reminder and remainder of a terrible historicity that cannot be assimilated into the idealization of the American family.
Screenings
Authors: Smith Paul Julian
Published: November 2017

The seventh edition of the Statistical Yearbook of Mexican Cinema, which covers 2016, was launched at the Guadalajara International Film Festival by IMCINE (Instituto Méxicano de Cinematografía), the national film institute. Some months later the eleventh edition of the Ibero-American Observatory of Television Fiction, also devoted to 2016, was presented by international research group OBITEL (Ibero-American Observatory of Television Fiction) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Both surveys compile exhaustive quantitative data and track qualitative trends in their respective media. This year, the pair offer invaluable evidence for evolution and convergence in the Mexican (and Spanish American) audiovisual field, thereby providing an account of the most important trends. Sometimes the findings can be counterintuitive, proving for example that (contrary to industry complaints) the Mexican government does indeed strongly support cinema and that (contrary to journalistic rumors of its demise) broadcast television is by no means dead in the region. But the handbooks also provide essential context for Netflix's first production in Mexico — and one of the most important and innovative series of recent years — the soccer comedy, Club de Cuervos ([Crows Club], 2015–).

In keeping with this changing scene, OBITEL focused its case study of transmedia on Netflix's limited series Club de Cuervos. As noted in the handbook, the producers' aim was to avoid “telenovelizing” its content. Club de Cuervos exemplifies the trends seen in current Mexican film and television production, even as it blurs the distinction between the two in typical Netflix fashion. Mexican industry insiders still resent the U.S. domination of film distribution in theaters, and Club de Cuervos raises those stakes.
Methods of intensifying the tuberization process of potato seeds in vitro culture
Authors: Balashova H. , Lavrynenko Yu. , Vozhehova R. , Kotov B.
Published: November 2017

Aim. To determine optimal factors of impacting the tuberization intensity of the plants of mid-early potato variety Nevska in vitro. Methods. Complex application of the laboratory, mathematical-statistical, calculative- comparative methods and systemic analysis. Results. The experimental data on the impact of photoperiod and acidity of the culture medium (pH) on the tuberization induction in culture in vitro were presented. The dependence of tuberization intensity on pH of the culture medium was demonstrated. Conclusions. Optimal indices of tuberization intensity and economic effi ciency were obtained during in vitro cultivation of the plants of mid-early Nevska variety at the photoperiod of 16 hours and pH of the culture medium of 5.3: tuberization intensity was 83.0 %, the mass of the average microtuber was 612.5 mg, the mass of microtubers per one plant was 514.4 mg, the number of microtubers with the mass over 350 mg – 75.4 % with the production profi tability of 100 % and microtuber cost price of UAH
8.08 (USD 0.3).
Mathematical modelling of the movements of tractor working tools in controlled traffic farming
Authors: Adamchuk V. , Bulgakov V. , Holovach I. , Kuvachov V.
Published: November 2017

The main index of quality work of wide-span tractors for controlled traffi c farming is the scale of damaging the plants with the working tools. Damaging the plants is considerably dependent on the scope of transversal deviations of the working tools which is conditioned by the movement stability of the wide-span tractor and some deviation from the trajectory of the established controlled traffi c farming and working tools in the fi eld dimension. Therefore, the study of the transversal movement of the working tools of a wide-span tractor and the impact of their deviations on the quality of implementing the technological process requires in-depth re- search and substantiation of constructive and kinematic parameters, which would ensure high quality of their work within the controlled traffi c farming system. Aim. To enhance the work quality of the wide-span tractors using the elaborated mathematical model of transversal deviations of the working tools, which would allow substantiating the constructive and
kinematic parameters as well as the scope of the protection zone, based on condition of avoiding damage to the plants. Methods. The methods of building estimated mathematical models for the functioning of agricultural machines and equipment, based on theoretical mechanics, advanced mathematics, and the probability theory were used. Results. The article offers the methods of determining kinematic parameters of wide-span tractors and the probability of damaging plants in a row, which provide for substantiated selection of distances between the kinematic center of the tractor and the center of resistance of the device, used to lay the controlled traffi c farming, and the working tools as well as for selection of the scope of the protection zone with the consideration of their constructive parameters, stability and movement controllability. New mathematical dependences were elaborated, the application of which allows determining permissible thresholds of transversal deviations of the working tools, remarkable
for standard deviation in agrotechnical conditions regarding the damage to plants in a row, which takes place while estimating the work- ing indices of wide-span tractors in the controlled traffi c farming. Conclusions. The optimal zone of placing the devices for controlled traffi c and working tools is concentrated on minimally possible longitudinal distance from the kinematic center of the tractor. The factor of deviation difference should be taken into consideration while placing the working tools for wide-span tractors.