bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Resisting Transparency: Corruption, Legitimacy, and the Quality of Global Environmental Policies
Authors: Bauhr Monika , Nasiritousi Naghmeh
Published: September 2012

The domestic endorsement and institutionalization of transparency is of central importance to the implementation of global environmental policies. Studies often contend that interaction with international organizations (IOs) promotes domestic support for transparency. This article qualifies this conclusion and suggests that the positive effects of interaction with international organizations depend on the quality of IO decision-making processes, defined as their fairness, predictability, and effectiveness. Unfair, ineffective, and unpredictable decision-making processes in IOs can increase corruption, reduce legitimacy, and make officials blame transparency for unsatisfactory decision-making. The results build on a study of government officials in developing countries responsible for managing funds from the Clean Development Mechanism and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol. Our findings suggest that government officials who perceive IO systems as unfair, ineffective, and unpredictable cultivate an adversarial relationship with media and NGOs and become more critical of the benefits of transparency.
Water Wars by Other Means: Virtual Water and Global Economic Restructuring
Authors: Biro Andrew
Published: September 2012

In the mid-1990s, Tony Allan coined the term “virtual water” to describe international grain shipments, arguing that for purposes of economic efficiency and political legitimacy, governments in water-scarce nations would be better served by importing grain and diverting limited domestic water supplies to higher-value purposes than by producing grain. This concept has gained considerable traction in explaining the absence of “water wars,” particularly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). As a prescriptive policy measure, I argue first that the exemplarity of the MENA serves an ideological function, premised on a market environmentalist approach, and framing “water crisis” as a problem of physical scarcity rather than underdevelopment. Historical trends in virtual water imports, as well as the problem of American primacy in virtual water exports, are then used to develop an account of virtual water trade that situates it within the political and economic restructuring associated with US-led globalization.
Stratospheric Variability in Twentieth-Century CMIP5 Simulations of the Met Office Climate Model: High Top versus Low Top
Authors: Osprey Scott M. , Gray Lesley J. , Hardiman Steven C. , Butchart Neal , Hinton Tim J.
Published: September 2012

An examination is made of stratospheric climate, circulation, and variability in configurations of the Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model version 2 (HadGEM2) differing only in stratospheric resolution and the placement of the model lid. This is made in the context of historical reconstructions of twentieth-century climate. A reduction in the westerly bias in the Northern Hemisphere polar night jet is found in the high-top model. The authors also find significant differences in the expression of tropical stratospheric variability, finding improvements in the high-top model for the presence of the quasi-biennial oscillation, for tropical upwelling consistent with interim European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) data, and for interannual changes in stratospheric water vapor concentration comparable to satellite observations. Further differences are seen at high latitudes during winter in the frequency of occurrence of sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs). The occurrence rate of SSWs in the high-top simulations, (7.2 ± 0.5) decade−1, is statistically consistent with observations, (6.0 ± 1.0) decade−1, whereas they are one-third as frequent in the low-top simulations, (2.5 ± 0.5) decade−1. Furthermore, the structure of the timing of winter final warmings is only captured in the high-top model. A similar characterization for the time evolution of the width of the tropical upper troposphere is found between model configurations. It is concluded that an adequate representation of the stratosphere is required to capture the important modes of tropical and extratropical stratospheric variability in models.
Sensitivity of Lake-Effect Snowfall to Lake Ice Cover and Temperature in the Great Lakes Region
Authors: Wright David M. , Posselt Derek J. , Steiner Allison L.
Published: September 2012

High-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) simulations are used to explore the sensitivity of Great Lakes lake-effect snowfall (LES) to changes in lake ice cover and surface temperature. A control simulation with observed ice cover is compared with three sensitivity tests: complete ice cover, no lake ice, and warmer lake surface temperatures. The spatial pattern of unfrozen lake surfaces determines the placement of LES, and complete ice cover eliminates it. Removal of ice cover and an increase in lake temperatures result in an expansion of the LES area both along and downwind of the lake shore, as well as an increase in snowfall amount. While lake temperatures and phase determine the amount and spatial coverage of LES, the finescale distribution of LES is strongly affected by the interaction between lake surface fluxes, the large-scale flow, and the local lake shore geography and inland topography. As a consequence, the sensitivity of LES to topography and shore geometry differs for lakes with short versus long overwater fetch. These simulations indicate that coarse-resolution models may be able to realistically reproduce the gross features of LES in future climates, but will miss the important local-scale interactions that determine the location and intensity of LES.
Climategate, Public Opinion, and the Loss of Trust
Authors: Leiserowitz Anthony A. , Maibach Edward W. , Roser-Renouf Connie , Smith Nicholas , Dawson Erica
Published: September 2012

Nationally representative surveys conducted in 2008 and 2010 found significant declines in Americans’ climate change beliefs, risk perceptions, and trust in scientists. Drawing upon the Social Amplification of Risk Framework, this analysis empirically examines the impact of “climategate”—an international scandal resulting from the unauthorized release of emails between climate scientists in England and United States. The results demonstrate that “climategate” had a significant effect on public beliefs in global warming and trust in scientists. The loss of trust in scientists, however, was primarily among individuals with a strongly individualistic worldview or politically conservative ideology. Nonetheless, Americans overall continued to trust scientists more than other sources of information about global warming. Several other explanations for the declines in public understanding are also explored, including the poor state of the economy, a new administration and Congress, diminishing media attention, and abnormal winter weather.
Creating a solid foundation for peace: Writing of the lost life in Michael Ondaatje’s Handwriting
Authors: Shou-Nan Hsu
Published: September 2012

While it invites deep and sustained attention, Michael Ondaatje’s Handwriting has seldom been studied, since its publication in 1998, for the author’s concern with peace, even though this collection of poems highlights peace and war. I will argue that in Handwriting, Ondaatje proposes ways to achieve internal and external peace that are not only relevant to the Sri Lankan civil war but also to the wider contemporary world. In Handwriting, Ondaatje presents a narrator who returns to Sri Lanka because of a sense of dislocation, and who writes to understand the cause of ethnic violence and reconstruct the Sri Lankan past that was lost during the civil war. In doing this, Ondaatje shows a possibility of peace for Sri Lanka and his readers. People in conflict can be united when they are less obsessed with their different identities, recognize their shared desire for peace, respect one another’s differences, and work together to create a shared memory that does not homogenize and is open to new elements from other cultures. As the narrator investigates this situation by writing creatively about Sri Lankan people, his example also demonstrates a way to achieve mutual understanding by artistically constructing a shared memory. Alain Badiou’s views about events constitute the major theoretical framework of the present study.
Gas transport in fibrous media: Application to in-plane permeability measurement using transient flow
Authors: Hou Y , Comas-Cardona S , Binetruy C , Drapier S
Published: September 2012

This article introduces a methodology to measure in-plane permeability of fibrous media using a transient one-dimensional air flow with absolute pressures ranging from 103 to 105 Pa. The method, based on the measurement of gas pressure at the boundaries throughout the transient flow, is convenient, clean and fast, avoids usage of a gas flow meter and offers a way to study the gas transport within fibrous media. The transport of a compressible fluid is described by several models to comply with different flow regimes which can occur during the experimental measurements. A thermal analysis is given to verify the validity of isothermal conditions during the tests. The permeability, only depending on the fibrous structure, is determined by inverse method, fitting the simulation results to the experimental data obtained using raising or dropping pressure methods. The deviation from Darcy's law caused by gas sliding effect is analysed and a relative parameter of fabric material shows a dependence in permeability, with a similar trend as the Klinkenberg sliding parameter in soils and rocks.
The Antimicrobial Peptide, LL-37, Inhibits in vitro Osteoclastogenesis
Authors: Supanchart C. , Thawanaphong S. , Makeudom A. , Bolscher J.G. , Nazmi K. , Kornak U. , Krisanaprakornkit S.
Published: September 2012

Uncoupled bone resorption leads to net alveolar bone loss in periodontitis. The deficiency of LL-37, the only human antimicrobial peptide in the cathelicidin family, in patients with aggressive periodontitis suggests that LL-37 may play a pivotal role in the inhibition of alveolar bone destruction in periodontitis. We aimed to investigate a novel function of LL-37 in osteoimmunity by blocking osteoclastogenesis in vitro. Human osteoclast progenitor cells were isolated from a buffy coat of blood samples. The cells were cultured in the presence of various concentrations of LL-37 during an in vitro induction of osteoclastogenesis. Non-toxic doses of LL-37 could block multinuclear formation of the progenitor cells and significantly diminish the number of tartrate-resistant acid-phosphatase-positive cells and the formation of resorption pits (p < 0.05), whereas these concentrations induced cellular proliferation, as demonstrated by increased expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Expression of several osteoclast genes was down-regulated by LL-37 treatment. It was demonstrated that nuclear translocation of nuclear-factor-activated T-cells 2 (NFAT2) was blocked by LL-37 treatment, consistent with a significant reduction in the calcineurin activity (p < 0.005). Collectively, our findings demonstrate that LL-37 inhibits the in vitro osteoclastogenesis by inhibiting the calcineurin activity, thus preventing nuclear translocation of NFAT2.

Abbreviations: CALCR, calcitonin receptor; ClC-7, chloride-proton exchanger; CTSK, cathepsin K; DAPI, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; EGTA, ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid; GAPDH, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; M-CSF/CSF1, macrophage-colony- stimulating factor; MMP-9, matrix metalloproteinase-9; MTT, [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide]; NFAT2, nuclear factor of activated T-cells 2; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; PCNA, proliferating cell nuclear antigen; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; RANK, receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B; RANKL, receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand; RT-PCR, reverse-transcription polymerase chain-reaction; TBS, Tris-buffered saline; TCIRG1, T-cell, immune regulator 1, ATPase, H+ transporting, lysosomal V0 subunit A3; TRAcP, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase.
After ethnic civil war
Authors: Dyrstad Karin
Published: September 2012

While the study of the causes of civil war is a well-established subdiscipline in international relations, the effects of civil war on society remain less understood. Yet, such effects could have crucial implications for long-term stability and democracy in a country after the reaching of a peace agreement. This article contributes to the understanding of the effects of warfare on interethnic relations, notably attitudes of ethno-nationalism. Two hypotheses are tested: first, that the prevalence of ethno-nationalism is higher after than before the war, and second, that individuals who have been directly affected by the war are more nationalist than others. The variation in ethno-nationalism is examined over time, between countries, and between ethnic groups. Three countries that did not experience conflict on their own territory serve as a control group. The effect of individual war exposure is also tested in the analysis. Sources include survey data from the former Yugoslavia in 1989, shortly before the outbreak of war in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in 2003, some years after the violence in the region ended. Contrary to common beliefs, the study shows that ethno-nationalism does not necessarily increase with ethnic civil war. The individual war experiences are less important than expected.
An Observational Study of Intermediate Band Students’ Self-Regulated Practice Behaviors
Authors: Miksza Peter , Prichard Stephanie , Sorbo Diana
Published: September 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate intermediate musicians’ self-regulated practice behaviors. Thirty sixth- through eighth-grade students were observed practicing band repertoire individually for 20 min. Practice sessions were coded according to practice frame frequency and duration, length of musical passage selected, most prominent musical objective, and practice behaviors. The 600 min of video were parsed into 234 practice frames for analysis. Practice sessions also were rated for overall degree of self-regulation. Reliability of the observational procedures (three observers, 95% to 100% agreement) and self-regulation ratings (two raters, coefficients of .89 to .96) was excellent. Analyses revealed an average of 7.8 practice frames with a mean duration of 2 min 45 s across sessions. Participants most frequently addressed the musical objective pitch accuracy and most commonly selected passages of nine measures in length or greater. The most common practice behaviors were varying tempo, repeating fewer than four measures, repeating more than four measures, and irrelevant playing. Significant relationships were found between self-regulation ratings and frequencies of the behaviors writing on music ( r = .55), varying tempo ( r = .42), repeating four or more measures ( r = .41), and irrelevant playing ( r = −.59). Implications for future research and practical applications are discussed.
Knowledge-based Development in Leading Regions across the Globe: An Exploratory Analysis of the co-Evolution of Resources, Capabilities and Outputs
Authors: Huggins Robert , Izushi Hiro
Published: September 2012

It is widely observed that the global geography of innovation is rapidly evolving. This paper presents evidence concerning the contemporary evolution of the globe’s most productive regions. The paper uncovers the underlying structure and co-evolution of knowledge-based resources, capabilities and outputs across these regions. The analysis identifies two key trends by which the economic evolution and growth patterns of these regions are differentiated—namely, knowledge-based growth and labour market growth. The knowledge-based growth factor represents the underlying commonality found between the growth of economic output, earnings and a range of knowledge-based resources. The labour market growth factor represents the capability of regions to draw on their human capital. Overall, spectacular knowledge-based growth of leading Chinese regions is evident, highlighting a continued shift of knowledge-based resources to Asia. It is concluded that regional growth in knowledge production investment and the capacity to draw on regional human capital reserves are neither necessarily traded-off nor complementary to each other.
A Comparison of Tourists’ Valuation of Climate Change Policy Using Different Pricing Frames
Authors: Araña Jorge E. , León Carmelo J. , Moreno-Gil Sergio , Zubiaurre Ana R.
Published: September 2012

Tourism destinations are increasingly concerned about global climate change and considering to become involved in the adoption of mitigation policies that reduce global emissions. On the other hand, behavioral sciences have shown that consumers’ choices may be significantly influenced by the way that they are framed. In this article, we test the impact of alternative ways to frame the pricing of climate change policies on the values and preferences of tourists. The evidence comes from three different experiments on a proposal to mitigate climate change through a carbon offset program using both an opt-out pricing frame and in an opt-in pricing frame. The results show that the opt-out frame led to a larger probability of accepting to pay the price for a carbon offset policy proposal. The main implication is that destinations’ climate change policies should take into account the designs of the frame in which policies are posed.
Models in Economics Are Not (Always) Nomological Machines
Authors: Hédoin Cyril
Published: September 2012

This paper evaluates Nancy Cartwright’s critique of economic models. Cartwright argues that economics fails to build relevant “nomological machines” able to isolate capacities. In this paper, I contend that many economic models are not used as nomological machines. I give some evidence for this claim and build on an inferential and pragmatic approach to economic modeling. Modeling in economics responds to peculiar inferential norms where a “good” model is essentially a model that enhances our knowledge about possible worlds. As a consequence, models and experiments are very different knowledge-producing devices, at least in economics.
The Manchester Polish STRUT
Authors: Drummond Rob
Published: September 2012

This study investigates the acquisition of a local variant of the STRUT vowel in the speech of Polish migrants living in Manchester, United Kingdom. While the local accent has no distinction between STRUT and FOOT, the incoming Polish speakers arrive using something close to the standard pedagogical model of British English pronunciation, which clearly separates the two. Measuring the change in production toward the local variant along with corresponding social factors suggests that, in addition to the experiential factors of length of residence and having a native-speaker partner, attitude toward Manchester also affects the degree of vowel change, with a more positive attitude encouraging a greater degree of acquisition. The results are discussed in the context of individuals’ attitudes and use of the STRUT vowel as part of the process by which they position themselves in relation to the target community.
Graduated Exposure and Positive Reinforcement to Overcome Setting and Activity Avoidance in an Adolescent With Autism
Authors: Schmidt Jonathan D. , Luiselli James K. , Rue Hanna , Whalley Katherine
Published: September 2012

Some students who have developmental disabilities avoid settings and activities that can improve their learning and quality of life. This two-phase study concerned an adolescent boy with autism who avoided the gross-motor exercise room, gymnasium, and music room at his school; he demonstrated distress, agitation, and problem behaviors when prompted to enter these areas. Using graduated exposure combined with positive reinforcement, he learned to enter these settings without resisting and eventually to participate in activities within the settings. This article discusses this intervention approach for reducing and eliminating avoidant behavior.
Gendered discourses of entrepreneurship in UK higher education: The fictive entrepreneur and the fictive student
Authors: Jones Sally
Published: September 2012

This article posits the idea of the ‘fictive entrepreneur’ and the ‘fictive student’ to explore how the historical masculinisation of entrepreneurship has informed UK policy and higher education (HE) approaches to entrepreneurship education, and the implications of this for female students. Using a Bourdieuian perspective, discourse analysis is employed to critically analyse policy and research documents and identify entrepreneurship discourses that construct both a ‘fictive entrepreneur’ that students should aspire to become, and a ‘fictive student’ who will benefit from HE entrepreneurship education. It argues that rather than being gender neutral or meritocratic, these discourses of entrepreneurship are saturated with gendered meanings which position HE students and entrepreneurs in potentially damaging ways.
Eyeless in America, the Sequel
Authors: Blackmore Tim
Published: September 2012

This article builds on conclusions drawn in the article “Eyeless in America,” by the same author and considers how 50 American films about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan intended to function as what Jacques Ellul called “integration propaganda,” fared. This article considers and rejects a number of theories about why most feature war films failed between 2002 and 2012 and proposes what war films might look like in the near future.
Modeling Good Research Practices—Overview
Authors: Caro J. Jaime , Briggs Andrew H. , Siebert Uwe , Kuntz Karen M.
Published: September 2012

Models—mathematical frameworks that facilitate estimation of the consequences of health care decisions—have become essential tools for health technology assessment. Evolution of the methods since the first ISPOR modeling task force reported in 2003 has led to a new task force, jointly convened with the Society for Medical Decision Making, and this series of seven papers presents the updated recommendations for best practices in conceptualizing models; implementing state–transition approaches, discrete event simulations, or dynamic transmission models; dealing with uncertainty; and validating and reporting models transparently. This overview introduces the work of the task force, provides all the recommendations, and discusses some quandaries that require further elucidation. The audience for these papers includes those who build models, stakeholders who utilize their results, and, indeed, anyone concerned with the use of models to support decision making.
Behavioral and emotional symptoms and primary headaches in children: A population-based study
Authors: Arruda Marco A , Bigal Marcelo E
Published: September 2012

Objective:

To investigate behavioral and emotional symptoms in a community-based sample of children as a function of headache status and of headache frequency.

Methods:

Our sample consisted of 1,856 children (5–11 years). Primary headaches were assessed using a validated headache questionnaire. Emotional symptoms were assessed by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). CBCL scores were modeled as a function of headache status after adjustments for demographics and headache frequency.

Results:

Relative to controls, children with migraine were significantly more likely to have abnormalities in the following CBCL domains: somatic, anxiety-depressive, social, attention, internalizing and total score. Children with tension-type headache (TTH) were significantly different from controls in the same domains but at a lower rate than migraine. In children with migraine, impairments significantly varied as a function of headache frequency, race, and income. In children with TTH, gender, age, and headache frequency were significantly associated with abnormal scores.

Conclusions:

Migraine and TTH are significantly associated with behavioral symptoms in several domains, and headache frequency affects the association. Internalizing symptoms are common in children with headaches, while externalizing symptoms (e.g. rule-breaking and aggressivity) are not significantly more common than in controls.
Subpectoral Biceps Tenodesis
Authors: Dickens Jonathan F. , Kilcoyne Kelly G. , Tintle Scott M. , Giuliani Jeffrey , Schaefer Richard A. , Rue John-Paul
Published: September 2012

Background:

The neurovascular structures of the proximal arm may be at risk for iatrogenic injury during open subpectoral biceps tenodesis (OSPBT).

Purpose:

To define the anatomic relationships and at-risk structures during OSPBT and to quantify the effect of arm rotation on the position of the musculocutaneous nerve.

Study Design:

Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods:

The OSPBT approach was performed in 17 unembalmed cadaveric upper extremities. The tenodesis site was inferior to the bicipital groove and positioned so the musculotendinous portion of the long head of the biceps rested at the inferior border of the pectoralis major. A meticulous dissection identified the brachial artery, deep brachial artery, cephalic vein, brachial vein, medial brachial cutaneous nerve, medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve, intercostal brachial cutaneous nerve, musculocutaneous nerve, axillary nerve, median nerve, and radial nerve. Superficial structures were measured from the superior and inferior aspects of the incision, and deep structures were measured from the tenodesis site and nearest retractor. The musculocutaneous nerve was measured with the arm in neutral, internal, and external rotation.

Results:

The musculocutaneous nerve was 10.1 mm (range, 6-18 mm) medial to the tenodesis location and 2.9 mm (range, 1-6 mm) medial to the medially placed retractor in neutral arm position. The radial nerve and deep brachial artery were 7.4 mm (range, 2-12 mm) and 5.7 mm (range, 1-10 mm) deep to the medially placed retractor, respectively. With the arm internally rotated to 45°, the musculocutaneous nerve was 8.1 mm from the tenodesis site, compared with 19.4 mm with the arm 45° externally rotated ( P = .009). The median nerve, brachial artery, and brachial vein were >2.5 cm from the tenodesis site and nearest retractor during deep dissection.

Conclusion:

The musculocutaneous nerve, radial nerve, and deep brachial artery are within 1 cm of the standard medial retractor. External rotation of the arm moves the musculocutaneous nerve 11.3 mm further away from the tenodesis site compared with the internally rotated position.

Clinical Relevance:

The musculocutaneous nerve, radial nerve, and deep brachial artery course in close proximity to the operative field and are therefore at risk during OSPBT. Limiting the use of medial retraction and placement of the arm in an externally rotated position will minimize neurovascular injury.
Volunteerism
Authors: Forbes Kevin F. , Zampelli Ernest M.
Published: September 2012

This article uses data from the 2006 Social Capital Community Survey to examine the impact of social capital, religious capital, human capital, and attitudes on volunteerism. Five alternative structural models are estimated. Tests reveal unambiguously the inferiority of the Tobit model and point to a double-hurdle model with independent errors as the best alternative. Major findings are that more diversity in friendships and more education increase the likelihood of volunteering, greater intensity of religious belief increases the level of volunteerism, and more informal social networking and formal group involvement along with greater religious participation increase both the likelihood and level of volunteering. Study results suggest strongly that the nonprofit voluntary sector has a vested interest in promoting policies that expand educational opportunities and foster civil engagement, social interaction, and religious participation.
Kinematic model calibration of a 7-DOF capstan-driven haptic device for pose and force control accuracy improvement
Authors: Baser Ozgur , Konukseven E Ilhan
Published: September 2012

The literature on kinematic calibration of industrial robots and haptic devices suggests that proper model calibration is indispensable for accurate pose estimation and precise force control. Despite the variety of studies in the literature, the effects of transmission errors on positioning accuracy or the enhancement of force control by kinematic calibration is not fully studied. In this article, an easy to implement kinematic calibration method is proposed for the systems having transmission errors. The presented method is assessed on a 7-DOF Phantom-like haptic device where transmission errors are inherently present due to the use of capstan drives. Simulation results on pose estimation accuracy and force control precision are backed up by experiments.
A new boundary interpolation technique for parameterisation of planar surfaces with four arbitrary boundary curves
Authors: Sarkar Subhajit , Dey Partha Pratim
Published: September 2012

This article is concerned with construction of planar parametric surfaces enclosed by four arbitrary boundary curves. The available conventional methods for this purpose are algebraic interpolation method (like the Coons method) and partial differential equation method. These methods usually yield some problems. This article proposes a new method namely boundary interpolation method where the geometric properties of the boundary curves have been taken into account. A technique of simultaneous displacement of the interpolated curves from the opposite boundaries has been adopted. The geometric properties considered for displacement include weighted combination of geometric and linear displacement vectors of the two opposite generating curves. The algorithm has two adjustable parameters that control the characteristics of interpolation of one set of curves from their parents. Case studies show that this algorithm gives reasonably smooth boundary-fitted planar parametric surface compared with the other two conventional methods.
Human bone hardness seems to depend on tissue type but not on anatomical site in the long bones of an old subject
Authors: Öhman Caroline , Zwierzak Iwona , Baleani Massimiliano , Viceconti Marco
Published: September 2012

It has been hypothesised that among different human subjects, the bone tissue quality varies as a function of the bone segment morphology. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the quality, evaluated in terms of hardness of packages of lamellae, of cortical and trabecular bones, at different anatomical sites within the human skeleton. The contralateral six long bones of an old human subject were indented at different levels along the diaphysis and at both epiphyses of each bone. Hardness value, which is correlated to the degree of mineralisation, of both cortical and trabecular bone tissues was calculated for each indentation location. It was found that the cortical bone tissue was harder (+18%) than the trabecular one. In general, the bone hardness was found to be locally highly heterogeneous. In fact, considering one single slice obtained for a bone segment, the coefficient of variation of the hardness values was up to 12% for cortical bone and up to 17% for trabecular bone. However, the tissue hardness was on average quite homogeneous within and among the long bones of the studied donor, although differences up to 9% among levels and up to 7% among bone segments were found. These findings seem not to support the mentioned hypothesis, at least not for the long bones of an old subject.
Rotordynamic performance prediction for surface-roughened seal using transient computational fluid dynamics and elliptical orbit model
Authors: Yan Xin , He Kun , Li Jun , Feng Zhenping
Published: September 2012

This article presents a transient computational fluid dynamics method based on the elliptical orbit model to solve the rotordynamic coefficients of the non-axisymmetric rotating turbomachinery. To validate the numerical approach, an arbitrary stator roughened seal, named hole-pattern seal, is taken as an object to investigate the rotordynamic performance at different excitation frequencies. For each case, the transient fluid force is computed by integrating the unsteady pressure on the off-centered rotor surface. The rotordynamic coefficients are obtained by solving the frequency dependent reaction force/seal motion equations. The transient pressure distributions on the rotor and stator are plotted to analyze the influence of the rotor precession on the pressure fluctuation during a period. It shows that the computed leakage rate and rotordynamic coefficients for the hole-pattern seal agree well with the experimental data. Compared to the previous circular orbit model, the present numerical approach for the elliptical orbit model has equivalently high accuracy, but the consumed transient solution time is reduced by 50%.
Finite-state machine control of mechatronic systems
Authors: Hanžič Franc , Jezernik Karel
Published: September 2012

This paper describes the design of control concepts and algorithms for complex processes that are characterized more by the occurrence of discrete events than by differential equations representing the laws of physics. Such design is intended for process description in a symbolic, rather than numeric form. The goal is to combine concepts from both computer science and control, in order to develop a meaningful theory for controlling power electronics, process controllers, embedded systems and motion drive systems. Such design improves the firmware quality in a short development time. A designer would have only to specify the actions, events and transitions in terms of simple functions and tables. Generally, such design is highly structured and efficient, programming tasks are readily comprehended and fault diagnostics are easily included into the program structure. An application to the automatic sliding door illustrates the feasibility of this approach. The paper presents the modular finite-state machine, event–condition–action system, motion generation, motion control with load estimation and an example of a digital signal processor system. The limitations and attributes of each technique are discussed, and a state table format is presented with the capability of representing parallel asynchronous sequential processes.
Robust adaptive integral-sliding-mode fault-tolerant control for airbreathing hypersonic vehicles
Authors: Sun Haibin , Li Shihua , Sun Changyin
Published: September 2012

In this article, the problem of robust fault-tolerant tracking control is investigated for the longitudinal model of airbreathing hypersonic vehicle in the presence of actuator faults and external disturbances. First, a fault-tolerant control strategy based on finite time integral sliding mode is presented for the longitudinal model of airbreathing hypersonic vehicle, which guarantees that velocity and altitude track their reference signals in finite time. However, this method needs to know the minimum value of actuator efficiency factor and the upper bound of external disturbances. Then, an improved adaptive fault-tolerant control scheme is developed, where two adaptive laws are used to estimate the upper bound of external disturbances and the minimum value of actuator efficiency factor. Finally, simulation results show that the proposed control strategy is effective in rejecting external disturbances and handling actuator faults.
Lateglacial and early-Holocene palaeohydrological changes in the upper reaches of the Ūla River: An example from southeastern Lithuania
Authors: Balakauskas Lauras , Taminskas Julius , Mažeika Jonas , Stančikaitė Miglė
Published: September 2012

A reconstructed pattern of Lateglacial and Holocene hydrological changes in the area of the former lakes Dūbas, Pelesa and Matara is presented. The investigated basin is situated in southeastern Lithuania, beyond the marginal ridge of the Weichselian Glaciation, on the margin of the sandy plain that is the watershed between the Ūla and Katra rivers. Pollen analysis, radiocarbon dating, loss-on-ignition measurements and GIS-based simulation of water level fluctuations have been applied in order to obtain new information on the development of the Ūla–Katra watershed area. The results of multiproxy investigations revealed the history of the development and extinction of Dūbas, Pelesa and Matara lakes. A single basin, covering a large part of the study area, had formed after the retreat of the continental ice sheet from southeastern Lithuania. This basin was divided into three separate lakes during the Allerød Interstadial as a result of a drop in water level. Blocking of the drainage by aeolian sediments around the early Boreal caused another rise in the water-table and the successive merging of the separate lakes. Probably as a result of river capture, the single lake was drained abruptly after c. 2000 years. Another river-capture event in the 19th century caused abrupt drainage of the study area, which led to the final extinction of the three lakes.
Diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome in routine clinical practice
Authors: Gardiner C , Hills J , Machin SJ , Cohen H
Published: September 2012

The updated international consensus criteria for definite antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) are useful for scientific clinical studies. However, there remains a need for diagnostic criteria for routine clinical use. We audited the results of routine antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) in a cohort of 193 consecutive patients with aPL positivity-based testing for lupus anticoagulant (LA), IgG and IgM anticardiolipin (aCL) and anti-ß2glycoprotein-1 antibodies (aß2GPI). Medium/high-titre aCL/aβ2GPI was defined as >99th percentile. Low-titre aCL/aβ2GPI positivity (>95th < 99th percentile) was considered positive for obstetric but not for thrombotic APS. One hundred of the 145 patients fulfilled both clinical and laboratory criteria for definite APS. Twenty-six women with purely obstetric APS had persistent low-titre aCL and/or aβ2GPI. With the inclusion of these patients, 126 of the 145 patients were considered to have APS. Sixty-seven out of 126 patients were LA-negative, of whom 12 had aCL only, 37 had aβ2GPI only and 18 positive were for both. The omission of aCL or aβ2GPI testing from investigation of APS would have led to a failure to diagnose APS in 9.5% and 29.4% of patients, respectively. Our data suggest that LA, aCL and aβ2GPI testing are all required for the accurate diagnosis of APS and that low-titre antibodies should be included in the diagnosis of obstetric APS.
Pseudo-pseudo Meigs’ syndrome in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Dalvi SR , Yildirim R , Santoriello D , Belmont HM
Published: September 2012

Pseudo-pseudo Meigs’ syndrome (PPMS) is a rare manifestation of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), defined by the presence of ascites, pleural effusions and an elevated CA-125 level. We describe a patient with longstanding lupus who presented with localized lymphadenopathy and subsequently developed massive chylous ascites with marked hypoalbuminemia. A brief historical overview of Meigs’ syndrome and related entities is presented, along with a discussion of the differential diagnosis of hypoalbuminemia and ascites in an SLE patient. In addition, we speculate on the optimal therapeutic intervention in such a patient.
Research-Informed Curriculum Design for a Master’s-Level Program in Project Management
Authors: Bentley Yongmei , Richardson Diane , Duan Yanqing , Philpott Elly , Ong Vincent , Owen David
Published: September 2012

This article reports on the application of Research-Informed Curriculum Design (RICD) for the development and implementation of an MSc Program in Project Management. The research focused on contemporary issues in project management and provided an analysis of project management approaches, tools, and techniques currently used in organizations. Research methods included a literature review, questionnaire survey, focus group studies, and in-depth interviews with project managers. The research findings led to better understanding of current practice from project managers’ perspectives and informed the curriculum design of the program. Feedback was obtained from external examiners, project managers, alumni, and current students. Evaluation indicates that the RICD approach has produced a successful program and ensured it is relevant to industry and vocationally attractive to students.
Reconciling Competing Tensions in Ethical Systems
Authors: Offstein Evan H. , Dufresne Ronald L. , Childers J. Stephen
Published: September 2012

Ethical codes and the systems in which they are situated are complex and intricate, making them difficult for both academicians and practitioners to research and understand. Through a qualitative research lens we examine the honor and ethics system at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Our findings suggest that the complexity of ethical systems can be better understood by examining the competing tensions that simultaneously work for and against ethical systems. We find that organizational members at West Point engage in counterintuitive thinking along with reframing and repositioning to negotiate some of these tensions. This approach provides feedback loops that steer the organization away from future ethical failures and long-term ethical declines. Our findings build on and extend several organizational and ethical theories to include environmental scanning, moral awareness, peer justice, the stages of moral development, and hyper-resiliency. We discuss implications for both theory and practice.
Heightening Uncertainty Around Certain Science
Authors: Dixon Graham N. , Clarke Christopher E.
Published: September 2012

To investigate how balanced presentations of the autism-vaccine controversy influence judgments of vaccine risk, we randomly assigned 327 participants to news articles that presented balanced claims both for and against an autism-vaccine link, antilink claims only, prolink claims only, or unrelated information. Readers in the balanced condition were less certain that vaccines did not cause autism and more likely to believe experts were divided on the issue. The relationship between exposure to balanced coverage and certainty was mediated by the belief that medical experts are divided about a potential autism-vaccine link. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of these findings.
Elastodynamics in micropolar fractal solids
Authors: Joumaa Hady , Ostoja-Starzewski Martin , Demmie Paul
Published: September 2012

This research explores elastodynamics and wave propagation in fractal micropolar solid media. Such media incorporate a fractal geometry while being modelled constitutively by the Cosserat elasticity. The formulation of the balance laws which govern the mechanics of fractal micropolar solid media is presented. Four eigenvalue-type elastodynamic problems admitting closed-form analytical solutions are introduced and discussed. A numerical procedure to solve general initial boundary value wave propagation problems in three-dimensional micropolar bodies exhibiting geometric fractality is then applied. Verification of the numerical procedure is discussed using the analytical solutions.
Analytical solution of the thermoelasticity problem in a pressurized thick-walled sphere subjected to transient thermal loading
Authors: Shahani Amir Reza , Momeni Bashusqeh Saeed
Published: September 2012

The thermoelasticity problem in a thick-walled sphere is solved analytically using finite Hankel transform. Time-dependent boundary conditions are prescribed on the inner surface of the sphere, where for the mechanical boundary conditions the tractions are prescribed on both the inner and the outer surfaces of the hollow sphere. Obtaining the distribution of the temperature throughout the sphere, the quasi-static and the dynamical structural problem is solved and closed-form relations are derived for stress components. On solving the dynamical thermoelasticity problem, a thermal shock was observed after plotting the results. Using the obtained plots, the velocity of the spherical dilatation wave is computed and compared with the one from the classical formula and the results are compared with those in the literature, where possible.
Prevalence of viral infections in Norwegian cats with and without feline lower urinary tract disease
Authors: Lund Heidi Sjetne , Rimstad Espen , Eggertsdóttir Anna Vigdís
Published: September 2012

The prevalence of various viral infections was examined in primary accession cases of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) and healthy control cats in Norway. Urine samples from 102 cats with clinical signs of FLUTD and 73 healthy control cats were tested for the presence of feline calicivirus (FCV), feline coronavirus (FCoV) and feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) by polymerase chain reaction. All urinary samples were negative for FCV and FCoV. One (1%) of the FLUTD cats was found to be positive for FHV-1. The results did not indicate an association between the viral infections examined and signs of FLUTD in the study sample.
Teaching spirituality and work: A praxis-based pedagogy
Authors: Trott David C
Published: September 2012

The purpose of this article is to present a praxis-based pedagogy in the classroom teaching of spirituality and work to working adult students. The article provides an overview of classroom scholarship that illuminates activities for transformational learning and emphasizes the importance of four key dialogues: self-dialogue, dialogue with co-workers, dialogue with classmates, and dialogue with the teacher. Such dialogues provide a pathway through the challenges of teaching/learning about spirituality and work by making available an open space for meaning-making and critique around spiritual experiences of work. The author’s metalogue throughout provides a parallel dialectical structure relating to the core content; a faithful demonstration to walk the talk of praxis.
Referral pattern and special interests in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome: a Turkish referred sample
Authors: Tanidir Canan , Mukaddes Nahit M
Published: September 2012

Objectives:

To investigate the most frequent reasons for referral, the most common special interests, age at first referral to a mental health service, and the age of diagnosis in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome living in Turkey.

Methods:

This study includes 61 children and adolescents diagnosed with Asperger syndrome using strict DSM-IV criteria.

Results:

The mean age at first referral was 7.9 whereas the mean age when Asperger syndrome was diagnosed was 9.9, which is compatible with other studies. The most frequent reasons for the first referral were attention deficits, hyperactivity, and academic failure, and the most common special interest area was “electronic devicess, computer, and technical interests.”

Conclusions:

The types of special interests and referral reasons in our Asperger syndrome sample are very similar to the interest areas and referral reasons of individuals with Asperger syndrome from developed western countries indicating the universality of symptoms. It could be concluded that children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome may refer to mental health services with a variety of symptoms; therefore, it is important to make a detailed assessment of social difficulties especially in school-age children and adolescents for the differential diagnosis of Asperger syndrome.