bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Approximate Emergent Synchrony in Spatially Coupled Spiking Neurons with Discrete Interaction
Authors: Supèr Hans , Romeo August
Published: August 2014

Models for perceptual grouping and contour integration are presented. Connection weights depend on distances and angle differences, while neurons evolve following a spiking dynamics (Izhikevich’s model in most of the considered cases). Although the studied synapses depend on discrete three-valued functions, simulations display the emergence of approximate synchrony, making these cognitive tasks possible. Noise effects are examined, and the possibility of achieving similar results with a different neuron model is discussed.
Coenzyme Q10 Benefits Symptoms in Gulf War Veterans: Results of a Randomized Double-Blind Study
Authors: Golomb Beatrice A. , Allison Matthew , Koperski Sabrina , Koslik Hayley J. , Devaraj Sridevi , Ritchie Janis B.
Published: August 2014

We sought to assess whether coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) benefits the chronic multisymptom problems that affect one-quarter to one-third of 1990–1 Gulf War veterans, using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Participants were 46 veterans meeting Kansas and Centers for Disease Control criteria for Gulf War illness. Intervention was PharmaNord (Denmark) CoQ10 100 mg per day (Q100), 300 mg per day (Q300), or an identical-appearing placebo for 3.5 [Formula: see text] 0.5 months. General self-rated health (GSRH), the primary outcome, differed across randomization arms at baseline, and sex significantly predicted GSRH change, compelling adjustment for baseline GSRH and prompting sex-stratified analysis. GSRH showed no significant benefit in the combined-sex sample. Among males (85% of participants), Q100 significantly benefited GSRH versus placebo and versus Q300, providing emphasis on Q100. Physical function (summary performance score, SPS) improved on Q100 versus placebo. A rise in CoQ10 approached significance as a predictor of improvement in GSRH and significantly predicted SPS improvement. Among 20 symptoms each present in half or more of the enrolled veterans, direction-of-difference on Q100 versus placebo was favorable for all except sleep problems; sign test 19:1, [Formula: see text]) with several symptoms individually significant. Significance for these symptoms despite the small sample underscores large effect sizes, and an apparent relation of key outcomes to CoQ10 change increases prospects for causality. In conclusion, Q100 conferred benefit to physical function and symptoms in veterans with Gulf War illness. Examination in a larger sample is warranted, and findings from this study can inform the conduct of a larger trial.
Facilitation of Neuronal Responses by Intrinsic Default Mode Network Activity
Authors: Matsui Hiroakira , Zheng Meihong , Hoshino Osamu
Published: August 2014

Default mode network (DMN) shows intrinsic, high-level activity at rest. We tested a hypothesis proposed for its role in sensory information processing: Intrinsic DMN activity facilitates neural responses to sensory input. A neural network model, consisting of a sensory network (Nsen) and a DMN, was simulated. The Nsen contained cell assemblies. Each cell assembly comprised principal cells, GABAergic interneurons (Ia, Ib), and glial cells. We let the Nsen carry out a perceptual task: detection of sensory stimuli. During DMN activation, glial cells were hyperpolarized by Ia-to-glia circuitry, by which glial membrane transporters imported GABA molecules from the extracellular space and decreased ambient GABA concentration. Acting on extrasynaptic GABA receptors, the decrease in ambient GABA concentration reduced inhibitory current in a tonic manner. This depolarized principal cells below their firing threshold during the ongoing spontaneous time period and accelerated their reaction speed to a sensory stimulus. During the stimulus presentation period, the Nsen inhibited the DMN and caused DMN deactivation. The DMN deactivation made Nsen Ia cells cease firing, thereby stopping the glial membrane hyperpolarization, quitting the GABA import, returning to the basal ambient GABA level, and thus enhancing global inhibition. Notably, the stimulus-relevant P cell firing could be maintained when GABAergic gliotransmission via Ia-glia signaling worked, decreasing ambient GABA concentration around the stimulus-relevant P cells. This enabled the Nsen to reliably detect the stimulus. We suggest that intrinsic default model network activity may accelerate the reaction speed of the sensory network by modulating its ongoing-spontaneous activity in a subthreshold manner. Ambient GABA contributes to achieve an optimal ongoing spontaneous subthreshold neuronal state, in which GABAergic gliotransmission triggered by the intrinsic default model network activity may play an important role.
High-Dimensional Cluster Analysis with the Masked EM
Algorithm
Authors: Kadir Shabnam N. , Goodman Dan F. M. , Harris Kenneth D.
Published: August 2014

Cluster analysis faces two problems in high dimensions: the “curse of dimensionality” that can lead to overfitting and poor generalization performance and the sheer time taken for conventional algorithms to process large amounts of high-dimensional data. We describe a solution to these problems, designed for the application of spike sorting for next-generation, high-channel-count neural probes. In this problem, only a small subset of features provides information about the cluster membership of any one data vector, but this informative feature subset is not the same for all data points, rendering classical feature selection ineffective. We introduce a “masked EM” algorithm that allows accurate and time-efficient clustering of up to millions of points in thousands of dimensions. We demonstrate its applicability to synthetic data and to real-world high-channel-count spike sorting data.
Sequence Memory Based on Coherent Spin-Interaction Neural Networks
Authors: Xia Min , Wong W. K. , Wang Zhijie
Published: August 2014

Sequence information processing, for instance, the sequence memory, plays an important role on many functions of brain. In the workings of the human brain, the steady-state period is alterable. However, in the existing sequence memory models using heteroassociations, the steady-state period cannot be changed in the sequence recall. In this work, a novel neural network model for sequence memory with controllable steady-state period based on coherent spininteraction is proposed. In the proposed model, neurons fire collectively in a phase-coherent manner, which lets a neuron group respond differently to different patterns and also lets different neuron groups respond differently to one pattern. The simulation results demonstrating the performance of the sequence memory are presented. By introducing a new coherent spin-interaction sequence memory model, the steady-state period can be controlled by dimension parameters and the overlap between the input pattern and the stored patterns. The sequence storage capacity is enlarged by coherent spin interaction compared with the existing sequence memory models. Furthermore, the sequence storage capacity has an exponential relationship to the dimension of the neural network.
A Neural Framework for Organization and Flexible Utilization of Episodic
Memory in Cumulatively Learning Baby Humanoids
Authors: Mohan Vishwanathan , Sandini Giulio , Morasso Pietro
Published: August 2014

Cumulatively developing robots offer a unique opportunity to reenact the constant interplay between neural mechanisms related to learning, memory, prospection, and abstraction from the perspective of an integrated system that acts, learns, remembers, reasons, and makes mistakes. Situated within such interplay lie some of the computationally elusive and fundamental aspects of cognitive behavior: the ability to recall and flexibly exploit diverse experiences of one’s past in the context of the present to realize goals, simulate the future, and keep learning further. This article is an adventurous exploration in this direction using a simple engaging scenario of how the humanoid iCub learns to construct the tallest possible stack given an arbitrary set of objects to play with. The learning takes place cumulatively, with the robot interacting with different objects (some previously experienced, some novel) in an open-ended fashion. Since the solution itself depends on what objects are available in the “now,” multiple episodes of past experiences have to be remembered and creatively integrated in the context of the present to be successful. Starting from zero, where the robot knows nothing, we explore the computational basis of organization episodic memory in a cumulatively learning humanoid and address (1) how relevant past experiences can be reconstructed based on the present context, (2) how multiple stored episodic memories compete to survive in the neural space and not be forgotten, (3) how remembered past experiences can be combined with explorative actions to learn something new, and (4) how multiple remembered experiences can be recombined to generate novel behaviors (without exploration). Through the resulting behaviors of the robot as it builds, breaks, learns, and remembers, we emphasize that mechanisms of episodic memory are fundamental design features necessary to enable the survival of autonomous robots in a real world where neither everything can be known nor can everything be experienced.
Spiking Neural P Systems with a Generalized Use of Rules
Authors: Zhang Xingyi , Wang Bangju , Pan Linqiang
Published: August 2014

Spiking neural P systems (SN P systems) are a class of distributed parallel computing devices inspired by spiking neurons, where the spiking rules are usually used in a sequential way (an applicable rule is applied one time at a step) or an exhaustive way (an applicable rule is applied as many times as possible at a step). In this letter, we consider a generalized way of using spiking rules by “combining” the sequential way and the exhaustive way: if a rule is used at some step, then at that step, it can be applied any possible number of times, nondeterministically chosen. The computational power of SN P systems with a generalized use of rules is investigated. Specifically, we prove that SN P systems with a generalized use of rules consisting of one neuron can characterize finite sets of numbers. If the systems consist of two neurons, then the computational power of such systems can be greatly improved, but not beyond generating semilinear sets of numbers. SN P systems with a generalized use of rules consisting of three neurons are proved to generate at least a non-semilinear set of numbers. In the case of allowing enough neurons, SN P systems with a generalized use of rules are computationally complete. These results show that the number of neurons is crucial for SN P systems with a generalized use of rules to achieve a desired computational power.
Patronage and Other Logics of Social Organization in Ancient Egypt during the IIIrd Millennium bce
Authors: Campagno Marcelo
Published: August 2014

Several years ago, an insightful analysis by Jan Assmann demonstrated the existence of patronage practices in Ancient Egypt during the First Intermediate Period. Does this indicate a change in social structure, as the author suggested, or does it instead denote a change in the way such practices are referred to in the available sources? In order to consider this question, this article examines the evidence of patronage during that period, and then tries to analyze possible precedents, reflecting on the role that patronage could have had from the earliest moments of state structuration in the Nile Valley.
The Year 16 graffito of Akhenaten in Dayr Abū Ḥinnis. A Contribution to the Study of the Later Years of Nefertiti
Authors: Van der Perre Athena
Published: August 2014

A building inscription in a limestone quarry at Dayr Abū Ḥinnis dated to Year 16 of Akhenaten proves that Akhenaten and Nefertiti were still the royal couple near the end of his reign. It is the highest known date of Queen Nefertiti and the latest dated inscription which can be certainly attributed to Akhenaten himself. The second part of the article evaluates current theories concerning the final years of Nefertiti and the successors of Akhenaten in the light of the new text.
The Collapse of Faience Figurine Production at the End of the Middle Kingdom: Reading the History of an Epoch between Postmodernism and Grand Narrative
Authors: Miniaci Gianluca
Published: August 2014

The aim of the article is to trace the history of faience figurines in late Middle Kingdom Egypt, following a metanarrative level of synthesis. Moving from one of the most visible changes in the course of history, the turn from Modernism to Postmodernism, the article defines a key to read the path of faience figurine production from their appearance in the late Middle Kingdom to their disuse at the end of the Second Intermediate Period: changes in the pattern of society correspond to the production of a different material culture and to the abandonment of previous perceptions. Faience figurines represent a diagnostic category of objects defining a specific epoch. Their value as historical signatures is here used to supply a different interpretation for the history of the Second Intermediate Period Egypt, integrating microhistories with bigger pictures, as a combination of Postmodernism and Grand Narratives approaches.
Strange Bedfellows
Authors: Pergantis Vassilis
Published: August 2014

This essay revisits the relationship between Article 4(h) of the African Union Constitutive Act and the R2P concept with a particular focus on military intervention. After unfolding the narrative of equation between the two norms, we explore their content and highlight their clear differences. We also observe the conceptual glissement concerning Article 4(h) from a right to a duty to intervene, which is not backed up by international practice. Furthermore, we examine the possible impact of the narrative of equation on the use of force architecture and particularly, on the relationship between the African Union and the United Nations. Finally, we analyse the normative implications of the equation for the R2P concept and conclude that the above equation fails to produce tangible legal consequences. What remains are its political motivations that sharply depart from the ‘higher’ ideals permeating the R2P and thus undermine its logic and realization.
Arguing Matters
Authors: Dunne Tim , Gelber Katharine
Published: August 2014

This article analyses international negotiations over the 2011 Libyan crisis during the short weeks between the start of the uprising and the passage and implementation of un Security Council Resolution 1973. We make two arguments: first, following Risse, we demonstrate how and when argumentation around the humanitarian norm of protecting civilians mattered in these debates; second, we show that failure on the part of the supporters of the intervention on humanitarian grounds to maintain consistent and genuine argumentation in relation to that mandate is a key factor in explaining the subsequent lack of agreement about collective action inside the Security Council. We conclude that the lesson that arguing mattered in relation to Libya has been insufficiently appreciated, but needs to be better understood in order to facilitate the future traction of the RtoP norm in international negotiations.
Geleg Noyan Qutuγtu and His Darkhad Subjects from the Khuvsgul-Sayan Region
Authors: Natsagdorj Tsongol B.
Published: August 2014

Russian expansion toward southern Siberia in the seventeenth century faced strong resistance by the peoples living in the forest-steppe zone. Turkic- and Mongolic-speaking nomadic people of the Inner Asian steppe zone, who controlled the area before the Muscovites, were not willing to lose their subjects to the Tsar, for economic reasons. Weakened by internecine strife, Khalkha nobilities of Khuvsgul-Sayan region were not strong enough to oppose the Russian state successfully. In this paper I describe the situation of Geleg Noyan Qutuγtu. This belligerent high-ranking lama from the Qotoγoyid noble family was an active player in the local scene of Russian–Mongolian relations.
Detachable Groups and Kinship Tensions
Authors: Humphrey Caroline
Published: August 2014

This paper concerns the formation of detachable political groups among the Mongols in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the process of their reattachment to larger polities within the Russian and Qing empires. It traces the case of Okin Taisha, who split off from the Abaga Mongols in present-day Inner Mongolia, became a subject of the Russians, then of a Khalkha Mongolian noble, and finally returned to Russia. The paper argues that kinship relations were a crucial means for conceptualising these attachments and detachments. Kinship should not be assumed invariably to imply solidarity, but rather also encodes division, inequality of status, and uncertainty in personal relations. The paper also aims to contribute to understanding of the internal composition of such split-away polities, which were not initially based on kinship, even though their aristocratic leaders expressed their relations with other leaders in kin terms.
Tokhtogo’s Mission Impossible
Authors: Urbansky Sören
Published: August 2014

By the turn of the twentieth century, the Qing court sought to incorporate and homogenise its imperial periphery. This shift towards firmer control of its Mongolian borderlands with neighbouring Russia elicited anti-imperial sentiments among the indigenous population. Complexities arose when the Russian government sought to utilise native separationist movements for the promotion of its own political ends: more precisely, to create a loyal autochthonous buffer at the poorly defended border. The article examines resistance by the nomadic borderlanders against the sovereignty claims of the state, arguing that the rejection of the state provoked a surge of both local and national identity formation along the border. It analyses nomads’ reactions to the Manchu court’s imperial policies, Russian exploitation of indigenous dissatisfaction, and the question of whether the native borderlanders, in the early twentieth century, gained independence or were subjugated by different means.
Liquor and Opium
Authors: Sorokina Tatyana
Published: August 2014

This paper explores legal and illegal forms of trade along the China–Russia border in the Russian Far East in the early twentieth century as a case-study for understanding the relation between the state, regional economies and consumption desires.1 Mass consumption of illegally trafficked liquor and opium by frontier populations put China and Russia border officials into a difficult situation: Chinese authorities blamed the Russians for making opium-poppy planting possible on the Russian side; Russian officials in turn accused the Chinese authorities of provoking mass alcoholism and opium addiction among Russian settlers, which was viewed as a serious threat to Russia’s colonising project in the Far East. The article then shifts attention to the legal aspects of the ‘Liquor and Opium’ conflict resolution, not only on the local level but also involving central authorities. It also discusses the socio-economic context of such illegal forms of frontier economy and the symbiotic activity of border smugglers. Historical ethnography suggests that, despite the various prohibitions and official resolutions imposed, the authorities of both sides were aware of the fact that liquor and opium, which were objects of mass desire for Russians and Chinese respectively, had already made local border economies totally dependent on these products and interdependent on one another. Thus, paradoxically, strict adherence to the mutual official agreements would undermine local frontier economies.
Imprint–environment Fit and Performance
Authors: Tilcsik András
Published: August 2014

Using a longitudinal study of professionals in two information technology services firms, as well as interview data, this paper illuminates how organizational fortunes influence individual performance over time, examining how the economic situation of an organization leaves a lasting imprint on new employees and how that imprint affects subsequent job performance. The core hypothesis, supported by the results, is that the more similar the initially experienced level of organizational munificence is to the level of munificence in a subsequent period, the higher an individual’s job performance. This relationship between what I call “imprint–environment fit” and performance is contingent on the individual’s career stage when entering the organization and the influence of secondhand imprinting resulting from the social transmission of others’ imprints. A possible implication of the core hypothesis may be a “curse of extremes,” whereby both very high and very low levels of initial munificence are associated with lower average performance during a person’s subsequent tenure. One mechanism underlying these patterns is that employees socialized in different resource environments develop distinct approaches to problem solving and client interactions, which then lead to varying levels of imprint–environment fit in subsequent resource environments.
Outpatient Management of Home Oxygen for Bronchiolitis
Authors: Freeman Julia Fuzak , Weng Hsin-Yi Cindy , Sandweiss David
Published: August 2014

Objective. Home O2 has been shown to reduce hospitalizations for bronchiolitis but data on outpatient management of home O2 are lacking. We aim to describe outpatient management and challenges to home O2 for bronchiolitis. Methods. We surveyed Colorado and Utah (where home O2 use is prevalent) chapter members of the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding bronchiolitis home O2 management. Results. A total of 1030 providers were surveyed. The response rate was 21% (n = 214). Ninety percent of practicing primary care providers reported experience with home O2. Of those, 46% see patients on postdischarge day 1. Most providers see patients 1 to 3 times before stopping O2. Eighty percent continue O2 for 3 to 7 days. Weaning procedures vary and 56% practice more than 1 method. Most (41%) do not use continuous pulse oximetry. Challenges include parental noncompliance (51%) and difficulty knowing when to stop the O2 (57%). Conclusions. Management of home O2 in patients with bronchiolitis is a common in UT and CO. Weaning practices vary. Further research is needed.
Human rights for some: Universal human rights, sexual minorities, and the exclusionary impulse
Authors: Ibhawoh Bonny
Published: August 2014

This article explores historical and present-day exclusionary impulses within the human rights movement. It juxtaposes the widely celebrated expansion of universal human rights in the second half of the twentieth century with ideological and institutional counter-movements that have sought to restrict the scope of human rights. Using the exclusionary experience suffered by LGBT people as sexual minorities, the paper argues that we must pay attention to the exclusionary impulses that continually threaten to undermine the full realization of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ vision of human rights protection for all, and not just for some.
Efficacy of a support group intervention on psychopathological characteristics among caregivers of psychotic patients
Authors: Mentis Manolis , Messinis Lambros , Kotrotsiou Evagelia , Angelopoulos Nikiforos V , Marneras Christos , Papathanasopoulos Panagiotis , Dardiotis Euthymios
Published: August 2014

Background:

Families of individuals with psychotic disorders are playing a major role in the care of their relatives, but report poorer physical competence, elevated symptoms of psychological distress and more psychopathological characteristics.

Aim:

To compare psychopathological characteristics demonstrated by caregivers of psychotic patients in Greece who participated in support groups organized by non-governmental mental health organizations (NGOMH) compared to caregivers who did not.

Methods:

Participants were caregivers of a psychotic patient assigned to either the intervention group ( n = 165) or the non-intervention group ( n = 345) according to specific criteria. Participants were assessed for psychopathological characteristics through clinical interviews and with the Symptom Checklist 90–Revised (SCL-90-R).

Results:

Participants who did not take part in the support groups had higher levels of psychopathological characteristics on the dimensions of interpersonal sensitivity ( t = −2.065, p = .003), depression ( t = 1.043, p = .007), anxiety ( t = 1.001, p = .010), hostility ( t = −4.345, p < .001), phobic anxiety ( t = −2.845, p < .001) and paranoid ideation ( t = −1.091, p < .001). Psychotic relatives of participating caregivers show higher compliance rates in taking their medications, and female caregivers tend to be more involved in the support groups.

Conclusion:

Participation in support groups and sharing of emotional expression, thoughts and ideas help the caregivers deal with their physical and psychological demands related to the caregiver load. As such, intervention strategies offered to caregivers in the support groups appear to positively contribute to the family with a psychotic patient and improve the quality of life of both patients and their main caregivers.
Exclusionary Practices in Secondary Schools in the Netherlands
Authors: Coşkun Begüm , van Geel Mitch , Vedder Paul
Published: August 2014

The present study investigated differences between students sent to out-of-school facilities ( N = 148), also called rebound facilities, and non-referred students ( N = 411), in junior vocational high schools. Self-reports on externalizing and antisocial behaviors were used to compare the two samples. Referred students scored significantly higher on externalizing and antisocial behaviors than non-referred students. After controlling for age, gender, and socio-economic status (SES), an interaction effect between ethnicity and referral status was found, in which differences between referred and non-referred students on externalizing behavior were larger for national students than for immigrant students. No interaction effects were found for antisocial behaviors. In short, immigrant youths were more likely to be referred while reporting less externalizing behavior than their national peers. Practical implications in terms of possible intervention models are discussed.
Predictors of Recidivism Over 3 Years Among Substance-Using Women Released From Jail
Authors: Scott Christy K , Grella Christine E. , Dennis Michael L. , Funk Rodney R.
Published: August 2014

This study examines predictors of recidivism over 3 years for 624 women released from a county jail using a comprehensive range of standardized measures derived from gender-responsive and gender-neutral criminogenic recidivism models. Although more than a dozen factors were related to recidivism in the univariate analysis, the multivariate analysis shows that recidivism can be reliably predicted (area under the curve = 0.90) with just four factors: age, no custody of children, substance use frequency, and number of substance problems. Exploratory analysis of women who recidivated in post-release months 1 to 3, 4 to 12, and 13 to 36 revealed that the effects of several variables (age, super optimism, and number of weeks in the jail treatment program) were dependent on the time elapsed since release from jail, whereas others (substance use and custody) had persistent effects over time. These findings support the development of re-entry services tailored for female offenders who address both gender-responsive and gender-neutral criminogenic risk factors.
The Quality of Management Forecasts of Capital Expenditures and Store Openings in MD&A
Authors: Cole Cathy J. , Jones Christopher L.
Published: August 2014

We study the quality of retailers’ forecasts of planned capital expenditure and store openings provided in Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A). These are important examples of forward-looking information included in MD&A. To examine the quality of these forecasts, we evaluate whether they possess five desirable attributes of management forecasts, namely, unbiasedness, efficiency, high explanatory power, incremental informativeness, and sufficient-statistic efficiency (meaning that the forecasts incorporate all available information). We find no evidence of bias in the forecasts. We find that the forecasts have high explanatory power and substantial incremental informativeness relative to historical information. In our in-sample tests, we find evidence of inefficiency and sufficient-statistic inefficiency, but our out-of-sample tests find no significant evidence of either, which suggests that it is difficult to improve on these management forecasts. Overall, the evidence indicates that the forecasts are of high quality. These findings contribute to our understanding of the general quality of MD&A information and our results help explain findings that MD&A disclosures are associated with future accounting results and reduced cost of capital.
The Effect of Institutional Factors on Discontinuities in Earnings Distribution
Authors: Shuto Akinobu , Iwasaki Takuya
Published: August 2014

Previous studies have shown that, compared with earnings distributions in other countries, there are clear discontinuities at zero in the distribution of earnings levels in Japanese firms. We predict that two unique institutional factors in Japan—(a) the alignment between financial and tax accounting and (b) the tight relationship between firms and their banks—cause the discontinuities in earnings distribution. Consistent with this prediction, we find that firms with high marginal tax rates and tight relationships with their banks are more likely to manage earnings to report slightly positive earnings. We also find that this relationship is more pervasive for private firms than public firms. We contribute to the literature by examining a significant research setting that has features of both institutional factors and loss-avoidance behaviors to enable deeper consideration during hypothesis development.
Early Benefit Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in Germany
Authors: Fischer Katharina E. , Stargardt Tom
Published: August 2014

Background. Since 2011, when the German Pharmaceutical Market Restructuring Act (AMNOG) came into effect, newly licensed pharmaceuticals must demonstrate an added benefit over a comparator treatment to be reimbursed at a value greater than the reference price. Evidence submitted by manufacturers is assessed by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) and subsequently appraised by the German Federal Joint Committee (FJC) as part of so-called early benefit assessments (EBA). This study aims to explain the decisions made, clarify the roles of the parties (manufacturers, IQWiG, FJC) involved, and guide manufacturers in developing future submissions by analyzing 42 EBAs concluded since January 2011. Methods. We developed a variable list representing the essential components of the EBA: the rating decisions of manufacturers, IQWiG, and the FJC regarding each pharmaceutical’s added benefit; the characteristics of the pharmaceutical; the characteristics of the EBA process; the types of evidence submitted; the methods used to generate evidence; and the pharmaceutical’s maximum possible budget impact. We used Cohen’s kappa to analyze agreement between the rating decisions of the different parties. The chi-square test and bivariate regression were used to identify associations between components of the EBA process and the rating decisions of the FJC. Results. We observed a low level of agreement between manufacturers and the FJC (kappa = 0.21; 95% CI 0.107–0.31) and a substantial level of agreement between IQWiG and the FJC (kappa = 0.64; 95% CI 0.451–0.827) in their rating decisions. The characteristics of the EBA process—for example, duration of the process ( P = 0.357), participation in the official hearing ( P = 0.227), and the pharmaceutical’s budget impact ( P = 0.725)—did not have a significant effect on the rating decisions of the FJC. There was, however, an association between the type of evidence submitted and the FJC’s rating decision when the manufacturer’s dossier reported outcomes related to morbidity ( P = 0.009) or adverse events ( P < 0.001) but not mortality ( P = 0.718) or quality of life ( P = 0.783). Conclusions. While the FJC tends to disagree with the rating of benefit by manufacturers, it softens IQWiG’s decisions, potentially to make the final outcome more acceptable. Concerns voiced that the FJC might be exceeding its statutory authority by taking cost or procedural considerations into account appear to be unfounded. Choosing appropriate evidence to submit for each endpoint remains a challenge, as submission of health outcomes evidently influences decisions.
Identification and active exploration of deformable object boundary constraints through robotic manipulation
Authors: Boonvisut Pasu , Çavuşoğlu M. Cenk
Published: August 2014

Robotic motion planning algorithms for manipulation of deformable objects, such as in medical robotics applications, rely on accurate estimations of object deformations that occur during manipulation. An estimation of the tissue response (for off-line planning or real-time on-line re-planning), in turn, requires knowledge of both object constitutive parameters and boundary constraints. In this paper, a novel algorithm for estimating boundary constraints of deformable objects from robotic manipulation data is presented. The proposed algorithm uses tissue deformation data collected with a vision system, and employs a multi-stage hill climbing procedure to estimate the boundary constraints of the object. An active exploration technique, which uses an information maximization approach, is also proposed to extend the identification algorithm. The effects of uncertainties on the proposed methods are analyzed in simulation. The results of experimental evaluation of the methods are also presented.
Outdoor natural weathering of bamboo flour/polypropylene foamed composites
Authors: Zhou Xia-xing , Huang Shu-sheng , Yu Yan , Li Ji-qing , Chen Li-hui
Published: August 2014

Color and physico-mechanical properties change from 10 months of natural outdoor weathering for injection molded bamboo flour (BF)/polypropylene (PP) foamed composites were investigated. The composite surface morphology, before and after exposure, was observed by using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the chemical structures. Natural weathering was shown to cause more discoloration and surface deterioration, while the physico-mechanical properties, rheological behavior, and thermal stability were less negatively affected for composites with higher BF amount ranging from 0 to 35 wt%. The rheological behavior results indicated decreases in the storage and loss moduli and the complex viscosity of weathered composites. Crossover frequency was found to increase and the average molecular weight decreased. The initial thermal decomposition temperature declined in foamed PP by 25℃ and in 35% BF/PP foamed composite by 6℃, indicating a slight decline in thermal stability, as shown by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. Photodegradation, photooxidation, and matrices chain scission in the composites were confirmed by FTIR and XPS analyses.
Effect of soft segment and clay volume fraction on rate dependent damping of polyurethane and polyurethane-clay nanocomposites
Authors: Sain Trisha , Yeom Bongjun , Waas Anthony M , Arruda Ellen M
Published: August 2014

Amorphous polymers have been extensively used for energy dissipative applications due to their relatively low density and controllable rate dependent damping. In general, molecular mobility depends on the rate of applied loading and the ambient temperature, and results in a wide variety of mechanical properties. The variation in the macromolecular chain dynamics can be obtained by altering the chemical architecture and morphology of the constituent monomers. The present study is focused on finding a correlation between the chemical structure of the constituent monomer and the rate dependent viscous damping of the macromolecules. Polyurethane (PU) made up of isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and polycaprolactone diol (PCL) is considered to estimate the effect of soft segments (diol content) on damping property of PU. A linear viscoelastic mathematical model (based on standard-linear solid (SLS) model) is used to extract the rate dependent relaxation time constants for the materials. It is found that increasing the soft segment content in the PU does not improve damping limitlessly. Beyond a critical percentage of soft segment content, characteristic relaxation times have a significant drop. Further, the analysis is extended for PU-clay nanocomposites and a correlation between the clay volume fraction and relaxation constants is established. The study will help to choose and design PU and volume percentage of clay nanoparticle for manufacturing PU-clay nanocomposites with desired damping property.
Trickle-Down Accountability
Authors: Marsh Julie A. , Farrell Caitlin C. , Bertrand Melanie
Published: August 2014

Despite a growing body of research on data use in education, there has been relatively little focus on the role of students. This article begins to fill this gap by exploring teacher and administrator reports on engaging students in data use at six middle schools. Even though teachers expressed a belief that involving students in data use would motivate students, they often enacted potentially demotivating, performance-oriented classroom structures: sharing data publically, comparing results with others, focusing on status, and providing limited feedback/support on how to close gaps in knowledge. School and district conditions and accountability policies shaped these classroom practices. In some cases, these contextual factors pressed teachers to focus on performance; in others, it buffered them, allowing for a greater emphasis on individual student learning. The authors contribute a theoretically driven, motivational perspective on data use and a cautionary tale of the “trickle-down” effects of accountability policy on students.
Research Trends in Nonprofit Graduate Studies
Authors: Shier Micheal L. , Handy Femida
Published: August 2014

This study examines the growth of the academic study of the formal nonprofit sector by focusing on dissertations and theses written between 1986 through 2010. Using a keyword search, we find and examine 3,790 abstracts available in the ProQuest Dissertation and Theses database. There has been a growing number of theses and dissertations since 1986; the majority (80.2%) were completed at schools in the United States. Thematic analysis found five main themes: (a) Resources (human and financial); (b) Organizational effectiveness and performance; (c) Organization development (context, processes, and culture); (d) Intra-organizational context (leadership, structure, etc.); and (e) Interaction and collaboration (with other organizations, government, etc.). Findings demonstrate an emerging interdisciplinary field in the study of the formal nonprofit sector. Trends across the 25-year time span relating to country of origin, theme, and subject are explored and discussed.
Interventions to reduce bullying in health care organizations: A scoping review
Authors: Quinlan Elizabeth , Robertson Susan , Miller Natasha , Robertson-Boersma Danielle
Published: August 2014

The problem of staff-to-staff bullying and its consequences in the health care sector has given rise to urgent knowledge needs among health care employers, union representatives, and professional associations. The purpose of this scoping review is to increase the uptake and application of synthesized research results of interventions designed to address bullying among coworkers within health care workplaces. The scoping review’s methodology uses an adapted version of the Arksey and O’Malley framework to locate and review empirical studies involving interventions designed to address bullying in health care workplaces. The findings of the review reveal eight articles from three countries discussing interventions that included educative programming, bullying champions/advocates, and zero-tolerance policies. The reported evaluations extend beyond bullying to include organizational culture, trust in management, retention rates, and psychosocial health. The most promising reported outcomes are from participatory interventions. The results of the review make a compelling case for bullying interventions based on participatory principles.
Environmental impact, personnel health and operational safety aspects of electric discharge machining: A review
Authors: Valaki Janak B , Rathod Pravin P , Khatri Bharat C
Published: August 2014

Electrical discharge machining has emerged as the most popular non-conventional material removal process due to its novel variants, inherent process capability, and suitability for hybridization with other conventional and non-conventional material removal processes. However, high specific energy consumption, self-sacrificial electrode, hazardous emissions, toxic dielectric waste and sludge generation make this process one of the most unsustainable machining processes. Increased market competitiveness and requirement to comply with ISO 14000 standards demanded to implement sustainable manufacturing practices for short- and long-term business growth. In this article, the authors have reviewed the research work done in three of the sustainability indicators for the electrical discharge machining process, such as environmental impact, personnel health and operational safety. Modes of dielectric supply such as wet, dry and near dry have a paramount influence on the said sustainability indicators. Research works related to each indicator have been reviewed for the three modes of dielectric supply. This review provides a basis for understanding the current status of research activities for electrical discharge machining in the context of sustainability indicators. Future research needs have been discussed to make electrical discharge machining a more sustainable metal removal process.
Look-ahead interpolation of short line segments using B-spline curve fitting of dominant points
Authors: Zhao Huan , Lu YaoAn , Zhu LiMin , Ding Han
Published: August 2014

In this study, a real-time look-ahead interpolation methodology with B-spline curve fitting technique using the selected dominant points is proposed. First, an improved scheme for selecting the dominant points is proposed to reduce the numbers of control points and iterations. Second, a point-to-curve distance function is defined, and its Taylor’s expansion is investigated for curve fitting. Finally, a real-time look-ahead interpolation function, which consists of spline fitting, feedrate scheduling and parametric interpolation modules, is developed to obtain smooth tool path and feedrate profile simultaneously. Experiments on an X-Y-Z platform are conducted with a three-dimensional tool path, and the results demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of the present algorithms.
Dynamic analysis of a pressure prestressed in vacuo torus with follower load stiffness
Authors: Rajan Akash , Kochupillai Jayaraj
Published: August 2014

A finite element analysis based on Reissner–Mindlin theory using four-noded degenerate curved shell elements is employed to investigate the dynamic behavior of a pressure prestressed in vacuo toroidal structure. The present investigation incorporates the follower load stiffness and stress stiffening effects by validating the model against experimental and analytical data from literature. Inclusion of follower load stiffness yielded all the rigid body modes correctly. The natural frequencies, mode shapes, and mode order of the torus were found to be closer to the experimental results than the published numerical results.
A study of the nonlinear primary resonances of a micro-system under electrostatic and piezoelectric excitations
Authors: Hoshiar Ali K , Raeisifard Hamed
Published: August 2014

In this article, a nonlinear analysis for a micro-system under electrostatic and piezoelectric excitations is presented. The micro-system beam is assumed as an elastic Euler-Bernoulli beam with clamped-free end conditions. The dynamic equations of this model have been derived by using the Hamilton method and considering the nonlinear inertia, curvature, piezoelectric and electrostatic terms. The static and dynamic solutions have been achieved by using the Galerkin method and the multiple-scales perturbation approach, respectively. The results are compared with numerical and other existing experimental results. By studying the primary resonance excitation, the effects of different parameters such as geometry, material, and excitations voltage on the system’s softening and hardening behaviors are evaluated. In an electrostatically actuated micro-system, it was showed that the nonlinear behavior occurs in frequency response as softening effect. In this paper, it is demonstrated that by applying a suitable piezoelectric DC voltage, this nonlinear effects can be controlled and altered to a linear domain. This model can be used to design a nano- or micro-scale smart device.
Evidentiality, subjectivity and ideology in the Japanese history textbook
Authors: Gu Xiang
Published: August 2014

This article aims to explore the relationship of evidentiality, subjectivity and ideology in Japanese history discourse. It probes into some evidentials and discursive practices present in the Japanese history textbook by drawing on systemic functional linguistics (SFL) and concepts of Japanese evidentiality. Through the quantitative and qualitative analyses of a corpus based on three Japanese history textbooks, namely NHT, HSWH and EWH, the article finds that NHT has a higher distribution of evidential categories per clause, which implies a more subjective stance. Such evidential categories as modal auxiliary verbs and modal nouns indicate a strong authorial voice, and other categories like the projecting clauses of verbal and mental processes and the discursive practice of historical document citation contribute to the construal of a linguistic ideology. The discursive practice of brackets is not only the expression of authorial voice, but also the reconstrual of a historical event.
A study of Thai patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in the medical intensive care unit: epidemiology and predictors of mortality
Authors: Siripaitoon B , Lertwises S , Uea-areewongsa P , Khwannimit B
Published: August 2014

In this retrospective study, we described demographic information, reasons for admission, APACHE II severity scores, complications, mortality rate, causes of death and prognostic factors in 61 Thai patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who were admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) over a six-year period. The overall mortality rate during ICU hospitalization was 57% and the most common cause of death was infection, especially in the lower respiratory tract. The mean (SD) APACHE II score was 24.8 (10.8). SLE patients who had an APACHE II score of 20 or more were up to 65% of the patient population and had a significantly lower probability of survival based on Kaplan-Meier results ( p = 0.004). The need for vasopressor therapy was significantly higher in patients who did not survive (OR = 6.98, 95% CI = 1.91–25.49). The patients who developed ventilator-associated pneumonia had a numerically higher mortality, which was not statistically significant (OR = 4.17, 95% CI = 0.91–19.03). The use of azathioprine as a steroid-sparing agent for SLE was associated with lower mortality rates (OR = 0.08, 95% CI = 0.01–0.58). Our findings emphasize that Thai SLE patients admitted to the medical ICU has a high mortality rate and early aggressive treatments are warranted.