bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Blueprint for Collaborative Lawmaking
Authors: Kashtan Miki
Published: January 2018

Miki Kashtan, a consultant at the Center for Efficient Collaboration, describes how her Convergent Facilitation method of collaborative decision-making brought together contentiously divided stakeholders in an effort to redraft child custody legislation in Minnesota, resulting in a near-unanimous new bill that completely changes the approach to child custody. This breakthrough surprised many. It depended on reframing the goals of the legislative effort to find legislation that all could wholeheartedly embrace, based on what mattered to all parties. A commitment to those goals carried the group through two years of an intensive and yet non-adversarial process.
A Conversation with Brie Mathers: Learning To Value Our Bodies and Our Selves.
Authors: Eisler Riane
Published: January 2018

IJPS Editor-in-Chief Riane Eisler interviews Brie Mathers, director of the organization Love the Skin You're In, about her work to change how girls and women see themselves in the cultural transformation to a healthier, more equitable partnership society.
Rapid City Collective Impact: A City-Wide Effort to Create Quality of Life for All Its Citizens
Authors: Linderman Albert
Published: January 2018

In Rapid City, South Dakota, community, business, nonprofit, and faith communities leaders, along with a number of citizens across all demographics, are collaborating in a unique plan to create quality of life for all its citizens. Named Rapid City Collective Impact (RCCI), this initiative began with the vision of several local philanthropists and has expanded quickly throughout the community. Cultural anthropologist Albert Linderman along with expertise from community based systems dynamics experts Don Greer, Megan Odenthal, and Christine Capra have formed a facilitative “backbone” organization for RCCI. Based on the model for “Collective Impact” made popular by an article by a Stanford Innovation Review article by authors John Kania and Mark Kramer, organizations and programs serving Rapid City citizens are committed to significantly increasing the amount of collaboration occurring within the social service sector, while business and other community leaders work to leverage newly understood leverage points within the intersecting systems of the city which often limits ability to address entrenched social issues.
Media Review: Designing Our Way to a Better World
Authors: O'Day Vicki
Published: January 2018

Vicki O'Day reviews Designing Our Way to a Better World, by Thomas Fisher
The Possibility of a Pluralist Commonwealth Evolutionary Reconstruction Toward a Caring and Just Political Economy
Authors: Alperovitz Gar
Published: January 2018

New developments at various level of the political-economic system suggest possible institutional trajectories supportive of community, and a longer term systemic design more supportive of strong democracy and a caring culture. An integration of institutional elements also offers possibilities more productive of equality and ecologically sustainable outcomes. The “Pluralist Commonwealth” is both pluralist in its institutional characteristics and supportive of such “commonwealth” institutions as co-operatives, neighborhood land trusts and community corporations, municipal utilities and a range of other larger scale ownership forms. An “evolutionary reconstructive” institutional, political, and cultural path is projected as a longer term transformative process different from both traditional reform and traditional ideas of revolution. Such a path inherently seeks to maximize the development of a caring community as it builds.
Artist's Statement: Finestra del Oro
Authors: Schaefer Barbara
Published: January 2018

Artist's Statement for the cover art of IJPS volume4, issue 1: Finestra del Oro, 2017. Acrylic on canvas.
Building a Climate Movement Through Relational Organizing
Authors: Divakaran Bethany M , Nerbonne Julia
Published: January 2018

Community organizing is a process for achieving social change through the mobilization of resources and the formation of collective identity. Relational community organizing is a particular approach to developing new leaders and building organizational capacity for sustaining a powerful movement, and is especially relevant in the climate justice movement because relationships serve to bring actors from isolation and despair toward communal identity and hopeful action. Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light (MNIPL) is a community organization that is using relational organizing to activate faith communities to take action on climate change. This paper describes the design and first phase of evaluation of MNIPL’s Movement Builder Program, a networked distributed leadership model that uses peer mentors to increase the efficacy of new organizers. Can a peer-to-peer network increase the leverage of organizers? Will supportive relationships move people to increased action and to develop the leadership of others? We provide an introduction to this inquiry as well as the foundational frameworks and historical context of this new approach.
Dust, a spoken word poem by Guante
Authors: Tran Myhre Kyle
Published: January 2018

In "Dust," spoken word poet Kyle "Guante" Tran Myhre crafts a multi-vocal exploration of the connections between the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the current struggles against xenophobia in general and Islamophobia specifically. Weaving together personal narrative, quotes from multiple voices, and "verse journalism" (a term coined by Gwendolyn Brooks), the poem seeks to bridge past and present in order to inform a more just future.
A Conversation with Jessica Hellmann: Reducing the Impact of Climate Change
Authors: Eisler Riane
Published: January 2018

IJPS Editor-in-Chief Riane Eisler talks with Jessica Hellmann, Director of the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment, Russell M. and Elizabeth M. Bennett Chair in Excellence in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, and a pioneer in the field of reducing the impact of climate change.
ACAMPA, MONA, QUE ESTE É O CAMINHO: (RE/DES) FAZENDO GÊNERO EM UM ACAMPAMENTO DE “CURA” DE TRAVESTIS / CAMPING, MONA, THIS IS THE PATH: (RE/UN) DOING GENDER IN A CAMP OF " HEALING" OF TRANSVESTITES
Authors: Maranhão F Eduardo Meinberg
Published: January 2018

ResumoApresento neste texto algumas das formas como o Acampamona, acampamento de “cura e libertação” de travestis, organizado pela missão evangélica Salvação, Amor e Libertação (SAL) em conjunto com seu ministério anônimo de conversão de travestis, opera seu discurso religioso / sexual / generificado, e como tal discurso atua, em conexão com a própria agência de travestis, ex-travestis e ex-ex-travestis, em suas concepções acerca da relação entre corpo e alma.Palavras-chave: “cura e libertação” de travestis, transexuais e homossexuais; gênero, sexualidade e religião; ex-travestis e ex-ex-travestis.AbstractI present in this paper some of the ways the Acampamona, camping of  "healing and deliverance" of transvestites, organized by the evangelical mission Salvation, Love and Deliverance (Salvação, Amor e Libertação / SAL), in conjunction with your anonymous ministry transvestites conversion, operates its religious / sexual / gendered discourse, and as such speech acts in connection with the agency itself transvestites, former transvestites and ex-ex-transvestites in their conceptions of the connection between body and soul.Keywords: "Healing and deliverance" of transvestites, transsexuals and homosexuals; gender, sexuality and religion; former transvestites and ex-ex-transvestite.
RESENHA: GOMES, ÂNGELA DE CASTRO; HANSEN, PATRÍCIA SANTOS. INTELECTUAIS MEDIADORES: PRÁTICAS CULTURAIS E AÇÃO POLÍTICA
Authors: Silva Edjaelson Pedro
Published: January 2018

O estudo dos intelectuais tem ganhado evidência. “Trata-se de um novo interesse acadêmico por questões relacionadas à propriedade e à eficácia do uso de diferentes mídias e linguagens na comunicação de ideais aos mais variados públicos" (p.7). Ao lado de obras já consagradas sobre o tema, como, por exemplo, "Intelectuais à brasileira" (2001), a obra em tela visa contribuir ainda mais para a interpretação desses atores na construção do tecido social. A obra tem como objetivo propor um novo significado do termo "intelectual”, buscando evidenciar um conceito oposto àquele que popularmente se pode ter de intelectual como sendo alguém que cultiva de forma desinteressada a universalidade do espírito. O que busca, então, mostrar, é que o intelectual deve ser visto de forma mais ampla, isto é, como um ator de comunicação de ideias, direta ou indiretamente ligado a construção de uma ação política.
O CRISTIANISMO E SUAS REFORMAS I / IL CRISTIANESIMO E LE SUE RIFORME I
Authors: Marques Luiz Carlos Luz , Burigana Riccardo
Published: January 2018

O ano de 2017 é especialmente significativo para os que labutam, como professores, pesquisadores e estudantes de pós-graduação nas áreas das Ciências da Religião, Teologia e História, pela ocorrência dos 500 anos do início do ciclo de reformas que mudou profundamente a chamada Cristandade medieval, liberando as forças progressistas das sociedades europeias, dando origem ao mundo moderno, laico, em que a razão e o progresso científico passaram a ser mais importantes que a ortodoxia da fé ou da moral. Celebrar o passado, sem fugir de seus desafios, com o olhar voltado para o futuro, é a finalidade do Projeto internacional da pesquisa histórico-religiosa “A Herança da Reforma: ler e reler a Reforma, passados 500 anos de seu início”, que um “pool” de instituições brasileiras e internacionais lançou, no início de 2016 (https://www.reforma500anos.org/). O presente número da Paralellus publica os primeiros artigos surgidos dessa labuta.
LA CORRENTE DELLA RIFORMA NELL’EBRAISMO CONTEMPORANEO. TRADIZIONE, PLURALISMO, ATTUALITÀ / THE CURRENT OF REFORM IN CONTEMPORARY JUDAISM. TRADITION, PLURALISM, ACTUALITY
Authors: Prisco Ada
Published: January 2018

RiassuntoL’autrice ricostruisce la categoria «riforma» nell’ebraismo contemporaneo, sottolineando come questa categoria abbia profondamente modificato la riflessione teologica e la prassi delle comunità ebraiche, soprattutto in rapporto al ruolo della donna nell’ebraismo.Parole chiavi: Riforma. Ebraismo. Donna. Mistica.AbstractThe author describes the category "Reform" in contemporary Judaism, by emphasizing how this category has deeply changed the theological reflection and practice of Jewish communities, especially in relation to the role of women inside the Judaism.Keywords: Reform. Judaism. Woman. Mystic.
PSICANÁLISE E FENÔMENO RELIGIOSO: CONSTRUINDO PONTES PARA UM DIÁLOGO / PSYCHOANALYSIS AND RELIGIOUS: PHENOMENON BUILDING BRIDGES TO DIALOGUE
Authors: Silva Josenildo José , Vasconcelos Sérgio Sezino Douets
Published: January 2018

O presente artigo tem como objetivo analisar a Psicanálise em sua relação histórica, no passado e no momento atual, com o fenômeno religioso. Diante da importância que estas duas áreas representam para o sujeito contemporâneo, encontrado numa condição de fragmentação interna e externa por se perceber imerso num mundo em situação de constantes e profundas transformações, buscaremos indicar possíveis caminhos que favoreçam o intercâmbio de ideias, possibilitando, desta forma uma contribuição ao ser humano na construção de sua subjetividade.Palavras-chave: Subjetividade; Psicanálise; Religião; Diálogo
OLTRE LE BARRIERE CONFESSIONALI: VITA MONASTICA E UNITÀ DELLA CHIESA
Authors: Carpinello Mariella
Published: January 2018

La comunità di Taizè ha giocato un ruolo fondamentale nella promozione del  dialogo ecumenico della seconda metà del XX secolo, attraverso una serie di contatti  personali; il saggio presenta, attraverso la citazione di documenti inediti, una parte di questi contatti, prima del Concilio Vaticano II, tra la comunità di Taizè, papa Pio XII e Grottaferrata.
Desorden en el área física en infantes y adolescentes
Authors: Orozco Ramírez Nereida
Published: January 2018

La DSM III, es una herramienta vital de elaboración diagnóstica que permite identificar los desórdenes en infantes y adolescentes en diversas áreas, pese a que este manual diagnóstico y estadístico de los trastornos mentales, presenta aportaciones diversas para el entendimiento, determinación y mejoras evolutivas de cualquier tipo de trastorno, no es muy común y lamentablemente su aplicación se encuentra delimitada, sin embargo, es un referente para la psicología clínica en general. En este entendido, una de las áreas de las que habla, es denominada área física, misma que identifica tres tipos de trastornos básicos, el primero conocido como desorden de la alimentación, en el que identifica al individuo con anorexia, es decir, miedo intenso a volverse obeso, bulimia, ingerir alimentos en forma recurrente o pica, alimentarse con sustancias no nutritivas, el segundo conocido como trastornos estereotipados de movimiento, se presenta cuando las personas tienen movimientos involuntarios como tics, golpearse la cabeza o mecerse sin razón, finalmente el tercero se generaliza como otros trastornos, debido a que el individuo puede presentar diversas acciones como tartamudez, encopresis funcional (Defecación involuntaria), eneurosis (alteraciones de la personalidad), sonambulismo o terrores nocturnos.
La huelga y su procedimiento
Authors: Pérez Hernández Nicolás , Rocha Pérez Juana
Published: January 2018

La huelga se presenta como la suspensión del trabajo realizado por todos o la mayor parte de los trabajadores de una empresa, con el propósito de parar las labores y de esta manera presionar al patrón para que acceda a alguna petición que le han formulado y que los huelguistas consideran justa, o cuando menos conveniente a sus intereses. Por su parte la Ley Federal del trabajo en su artículo 440 define a la huelga como “la suspensión temporal del trabajo llevada cabo por una coalición de trabajadores” considerando al sindicato como una coalición permanente.El procedimiento de huelga: es un conjunto de acciones que llevan a cabo los trabajadores ante una autoridad laboral; cuando desean firmar un contrato que rija su relación laboral o cuando consideran que su relación laboral se ha violentado; lo que significa que los trabajadores no pueden suspender labores en cualquier momento, sino que deben de iniciar el procedimiento tal y como se establece en el emplazar al patrón a través de la autoridad de trabajo correspondiente, este procedimiento encuentra su fundamento legal en el Titulo catorce, capítulo XX de la Ley Federal del trabajo
La investigación formativa como estrategia pedagógica para el fomento de la educación científica y la cultura investigativa en el pregrado en turismo
Authors: Benitez-Leal F. , Gayosso-Mexia S. , Carrizal-Alonso A.
Published: January 2018

El presente ensayo es el resultado de una investigación documental que aborda el análisis de la relación existente entre la didáctica de la investigación en los programas de pregrado en turismo y como estos fomentan la educación científica y la cultura investigativa en los alumnos con la finalidad de generar en ellos el desarrollo de un pensamiento crítico-reflexivo. El posicionamiento del conocimiento turístico en el ámbito científico resulta incipiente; la escasez de posgrados en el área y la falta de investigadores favorecen esta situación, aunado a la formación de los nuevos profesionales del turismo bajo un enfoque económico y orientado a la práctica no permite que se analice el fenómeno turístico desde una perspectiva crítica. La falta de una metodología de la investigación turística clara y determinada propicia que la generación del conocimiento se deje en manos de otras disciplinas que estudian el fenómeno desde su perspectiva y no favorece que los nuevos profesionales se interesen por el estudio turístico. En general la falta de una didáctica de la investigación, propicia que las asignaturas en el pregrado orientadas a la investigación resulten tediosas y no cumplan el propósito de fomentar una educación científica y una cultura investigativa.
La asignatura de ética en la Escuela Superior Tepeji
Authors: Gómez Ortiz María Del Pilar , Vázquez Domínguez Eduardo
Published: January 2018

En el Boletín Científico No. 8 (julio de 2017) de la ESTR (Escuela Superior de Tepeji del Rio) se publicó el protocolo de investigación titulado “La asignatura de Ética en la Escuela Superior Tepeji”, conteniendo un estudio respecto de la problemática que representa para los alumnos de nivel medio superior el acreditar la asignatura de Ética, partiendo del entendido que por ser una signatura muy teórica les representa un alto grado de dificultad, por lo que para determinar las unidades de mayor problema se desarrolló un análisis FODA, mismo que se puede consultar en el citado boletín, de este estudio se desprende que una de las mayores dificultades es la falta de conocimientos previos.Partiendo de lo anterior en el presente documento se presenta el desarrollo de un nuevo diseño instruccional sustentado en un modelo semi-presencial o también denominado B-learning, así como estrategias y materiales que permiten resolver la problemática ya señalada así mismo fortalecer el aprendizaje de la asignatura.
¿Qué son las neurociencias?
Authors: Gómez Ortiz María del Pilar , Vázquez Domínguez Eduardo
Published: January 2018

En la actualidad la neurociencia al ser una disciplina conformada por un sin número de ciencias, está aportando investigación muy valiosa, principalmente porque todas están enfocadas a estudiar desde sus distintos enfoques la estructura y organización funcional del sistema nervioso, particularmente el cerebro. Uno de los principales aportes que están desarrollando es en el proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje, ya que al entender cómo funciona el cerebro, como guarda información y como aprende, permite establece los mecanismos para fortalecer el aprendizaje, esto implica la sugerencia de nuevas estrategias y herramientas para el fortalecimiento de este proceso, lo que necesariamente traerá consigo la modificación de paradigmas convencionales de aprendizaje.Sustentado en lo anterior, en el siguiente mapa se presentan las ciencias que más aportan a la neurociencia así como cuál es la característica de su aporte.
Estudio de tiempos, movimientos y documentación en el proceso de decapado de metal
Authors: Jimenéz Uribe Alan
Published: January 2018

El presente trabajo de tiempos y movimientos, se realizó con la finalidad de identificar los factores asociados a los estándares de operación que afectan el proceso de decapado en la oxidación del producto terminado y la calidad con la finalidad de disminuir progresivamente las problemáticas que pudieran presentar las empresas que ejecutan este tipo de proceso.
El fenómeno del clima organizacional y su relación con la contratación colectiva
Authors: Flores Ariza Guadalupe Israel , González Hernández Alicia , Reyes Cruz Juan Luis
Published: January 2018

El presente trabajo aborda el tema del clima organizacional y su relación con la contratación colectiva. Para ello se realiza un análisis de diferentes teoría respecto del clima de las organizaciones, para después adentrarse en un estudio de la contratación colectiva en México, así como de sus elementos que puedan incidir en el ambiente de las organizaciones.Tomando como base las consideraciones anteriores, es importante destacar que un factor fundamental en el desempeño de un empleado lo es el clima organizacional, de éste, depende en gran medida la percepción que tiene respecto de su trabajo, y con ello el grado de satisfacción laboral y personal que repercute de forma directa en el rendimiento dentro de las actividades que le han sido encomendadas.
Entrevista con la Dra. María Teresa Paulín, Fundadora de la compañía franco mexicana Naranja-Escena, por la Dra. Karoliina Sandström
Authors: Paulín Ríos María Teresa , Maria Sandström Karoliina Elina
Published: January 2018

En 2009 se formó la compañía franco mexicana Naranja-Escena en la ciudad de París. En 2012 la directora artística María Teresa Paulín, regresó a México para continuar su desarrollo sobre diferentes líneas de investigación: la dirección y puesta en escena de Margules, la exacerbación del gesto y Displazement como recurso escénico. Actualmente Investigador-docente del Instituto de Artes, la Dra. Paulín nos platica sobre la trayectoria de su compañía y su experiencia como creadora escénica.
El lado químico de los cúmulos moleculares
Authors: Rojo Gómez Erik Gerardo , Tapia Benavides Antonio Rafael , Sánchez Cabrera Gloria , Zuno Cruz Francisco Javier
Published: January 2018

La química de los cúmulos metálicos ha sido estudiada a lo largo de los últimos años, debido al gran impacto que estos compuestos han tenido; principalmente por sus aplicaciones en diversas áreas de la ciencia y la tecnología. Aprovechando las propiedades y características con las que cuentan, los cúmulos metálicos han servido como catalizadores en diversos procesos químicos, aumentado el interés en el estudio de estos compuestos.
Nuevo Método de Poda Aplicado a Problemas Multi-Objetivo de Planeación de la Producción
Authors: Quezada Aguilar Victor , Seck Tuoh Mora Juan Carlos , Barragán Vite Irving , Quezada Quezada José Carlos , Medina Marín Joselito , Hernández Gress Eva Selene
Published: January 2018

Para problemas multi-objetivo, los métodos de poda actuales son útiles para reducir de forma considerable la cantidad de soluciones que son obtenidas en un frente de Pareto, además de satisfacer la mayoría de las características que el decisor requiere para tomar una decisión correcta en la elección de una solución. Sin embargo, estos métodos pueden llegar a ser muy complejos y carecer de algunas propiedades relevantes para calcular la solución óptima. Basándonos en las necesidades que el decisor tiene para seleccionar la mejor solución en un problema de planeación de la producción, este trabajo presenta un nuevo método de poda que obtiene mejores valores en las funciones objetivo, un número no mayor a 10 soluciones para que el decisor sea capaz de hacer una elección rápida y precisa, y está basado en operaciones simples que facilitan su implementación.
Diseño de tabicón hueco usando mezcla polimérica como sustituto de agregados pétreos para construcción en muros divisorios
Authors: Ortiz Quiroga Carlos Humberto , Volpi León Valeria , Camacho Mendoza Rosa Luz , Olguín Coca Francisco Javier , Seck Tuoh Mora Juan Carlos
Published: January 2018

En este trabajo de investigación se estudia la reutilización de materiales de desecho industrial, específicamente polímero, como alternativa para la sustitución de agregados pétreos en la elaboración de tabicón hueco. El objetivo es determinar parámetros experimentales de resistencia a la compresión, absorción y carbonatación en los sistemas modificados, a fin de realizar un análisis comparativo entre el tabicón a base de mezcla polimérica y los ejemplares convencionales. Las pruebas de resistencia a la compresión en los prototipos muestran una mejora respecto a la norma mexicana. Asimismo, se identifica en ellos una disminución importante de la absorción de agua con respecto a lo establecido en la normatividad. La prueba de fenolftaleína para los distintos sistemas muestra que la interacción de la mezcla polimérica con el cemento Portland disminuye el proceso de carbonatación en comparación con el tabicón comercial. Los resultados obtenidos indican que los prototipos son elementos ligeros, pero de alta resistencia a la compresión y a los factores agresivos en el medio ambiente.
Algoritmo genético aplicado a la sintonización de un controlador PID para un sistema acoplado de tanques
Authors: Colorado Arellano Othon , Hernández Romero Norberto , Seck Tuoh Mora Juan Carlos , Medina Marín Joselito
Published: January 2018

Este trabajo presenta un algoritmo diseñado para encontrar los parámetros de modo tal que mejore el funcionamiento de un controlador Proporcional Integral y Derivativo (PID) en un sistema acoplado de tanques ya que es uno de los controladoresindustriales utilizados comúnmente; el método propuesto para determinar el valor de los parámetros del controlador PID, se basaen un Algoritmo Genético (AG), para obtener los valores de las constantes Kp, Ki y Kd,del controlador en un sistema lineal de trestanques de nivel de líquido; para ello primeramente se realizó la sintonización con el método de Ziegler-Nichols e integrándose a laplanta; posteriormente se utiliza un AG para sintonizar el mismo controlador de modo tal que se comparan las respuestas conambas metodologías, lográndose mejores resultados con el AG en cuanto al tiempo de establecimiento del sistema así como en elsobre impulso del sistema; por lo tanto podemos decir que para el sistema estudiado el método de sintonización de los parámetrosdel controlador PID con un AG mejora la respuesta del controlador en comparación con el método de Ziegler-Nichols.
Impact of In-Service Professional Development Programs for Early Childhood Teachers on Quality Ratings and Child Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Egert Franziska , Fukkink Ruben G. , Eckhardt Andrea G.
Published: January 2018

High pedagogical quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is related to developmental outcomes in young children. This review summarizes findings from (quasi)-experimental studies that evaluated in-service training effects for ECEC professionals on external quality ratings and child development. The aggregation of findings at teacher level (including 36 studies with 2,891 teachers) revealed a medium in-service training effect on process quality (effect size [ES] = 0.68, SE = 0.07, p < .001). Furthermore, a subset of nine studies (including 486 teachers and 4,504 children) that provided data on both quality ratings and child development were analyzed, and they showed a small effect at child level (ES = 0.14; SE = 0.02, p < .001) and a medium effect at the corresponding classroom level (ES = 0.45, SE = 0.11, p < .001). Variance in effect sizes at child level was significantly related to in-service effects on quality ratings (53% explained variance). The results show that quality improvement is a key mechanism to accelerate the development of young children.
The Sensation of Language in Jane Austen’s Persuasion
Authors: Quinn Megan
Published: January 2018

Contrary to an influential critical tradition that detaches Jane Austen and her style from the body, I argue that Persuasion (1817) represents the culmination of a style in which language is a physical agent, with force that comes from or acts on the body. Embodied language was always part of Austen’s aesthetics, appearing in the juvenilia, when the movement of narrative creates the sensation of bodily motion, and in Emma (1815) through physical word games with children’s alphabet blocks. In Persuasion, Austen advances the sense of embodied language from her earlier work to language as sensory immersion, particularly through the sensation of words as sounds. With the sense of physical presence and voice that Captain Wentworth’s letter imparts, the novel finally reveals a language based on the restoration of the body and its sounds to writing. For Austen, language always gets physical, and her style centres on an emphatic enjoyment of embodied life.
Effect of Cr content on microstructure and mechanical properties of carbidic austempered ductile iron
Authors: Cheng Haiqiang , Fu Hanguang , Lin Jian , Lei Yongping
Published: January 2018

The effect of Cr content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of carbidic austempered ductile iron (CADI) was studied by means of optical microscopy (OM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Rockwell hardness testing, pendulum impact testing machine and ring-on-block wear tester. The results show that with the increase of Cr content the volume fraction of graphite and nodularity rate of as-cast ductile iron decrease gradually, but carbide content increases, and the diameter of graphite reaches the maximum followed by decrease. Then, the specimens were austenitized at 900 °C for 100 min and austempered at 300 °C for 100 min. The hardness and wear resistance of CADI reach maximum when Cr content is 1.42 wt.-% and then decrease with the increase of Cr content, and the impact toughness decreases gradually. Taking the impact toughness into consideration, the comprehensive mechanical property is best when Cr content is 0.96 wt.-%.
Deterioration mechanisms of materials – Influences on performance and reliability
Authors: Czichos Horst
Published: January 2018

This paper considers the mechanisms which can detrimentally affect the performance and reliability of materials in their technical applications. The basic deterioration mechanisms – electromigration, aging, biodeterioration, corrosion, wear, fracture – are reviewed and the methods of structural health monitoring and performance control are outlined.
Different learning curves between stent retrieval and a direct aspiration first-pass technique for acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Nishi Hidehisa , Ishii Akira , Nakahara Ichiro , Matsumoto Shoji , Sadamasa Nobutake , Kai Yasutoshi , Ishibashi Ryota , Yamamoto Michio , Morita Satoshi , Nagata Izumi
Published: January 2018

OBJECTIVE

The clinical outcomes of a direct aspiration first-pass technique (ADAPT) and stent retriever (SR) have been reported to be similar in several observational studies. In this study, procedural and clinical outcomes with ADAPT and SR for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke with large artery occlusion were compared in different time periods.

METHODS

In each specific time period, SR and ADAPT were used as the first-line treatment approach for acute ischemic stroke patients with large artery occlusion at the authors’ institution. Baseline characteristics, procedural variables, and functional outcome at 90 days were compared between patients treated with SR and those treated with ADAPT. These 2 groups were divided into 3 sequential subgroups to assess the learning curve effects of the endovascular team and individual operators on the procedural variables of each treatment strategy.

RESULTS

Overall, 89 patients were treated. In the SR group, the recanalization rate was higher (84% vs 65%; p = 0.01) and the procedure time was shorter than in the ADAPT group (median 42 minutes vs 76 minutes, p = 0.04). On the subgroup analysis of the learning curve, the SR group showed more rapid improvement in procedure time than the ADAPT group (p = 0.01 for the team; p < 0.01 for individual operators).

CONCLUSIONS

In this initial experience, a higher recanalization rate and shorter procedure time were achieved with SR than with ADAPT. A high recanalization rate with SR was possible with relatively less clinical experience, whereas procedure time dramatically decreased with experience. These observed effects on the learning curve might be useful when choosing the method for initial endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke at relatively small stroke centers.
Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy compared with microendoscopic discectomy for lumbar disc herniation: 1-year results of an ongoing randomized controlled trial
Authors: Chen Zihao , Zhang Liangming , Dong Jianwen , Xie Peigen , Liu Bin , Wang Qiyou , Chen Ruiqiang , Feng Feng , Yang Bu , Shu Tao , Li Shangfu , Yang Yang , He Lei , Pang Mao , Rong Limin
Published: January 2018

OBJECTIVE

A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted to clarify whether percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) results in better clinical outcomes and less surgical trauma than microendoscopic discectomy (MED).

METHODS

In this single-center, open-label, randomized controlled trial, patients were included if they had persistent signs and symptoms of radiculopathy with corresponding imaging-confirmed lumbar disc herniation. Patients were randomly allocated to the PTED or the MED group by computer-generated randomization codes. The primary outcome was the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score 1 year after surgery. Secondary outcomes included scores of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey bodily pain and physical function scales, EuroQol Group’s EQ-5D , and the visual analog scales for back pain and leg pain. Data including duration of operation, in-bed time, length of hospital stay, surgical cost and total hospital cost, complications, and reoperations were recorded.

RESULTS

A total of 153 participants were randomly assigned to 2 treatment groups (PTED vs MED), and 89.5% (137 patients) completed 1 year of follow-up. Primary and secondary outcomes did not differ significantly between the treatment groups at each prespecified follow-up point (p > 0.05). For PTED, there was less postoperative improvement in ODI score in the median herniation subgroup at 1 week (p = 0.027), 3 months (p = 0.013), 6 months (p = 0.027), and 1 year (p = 0.028) compared with the paramedian subgroup. For MED, there was significantly less improvement in ODI score at 3 months (p = 0.008), 6 months (p = 0.028), and 1 year (p = 0.028) in the far-lateral herniation subgroup compared with the paramedian subgroup. The total complication rate over the course of 1 year was 13.75% in the PTED group and 16.44% in the MED group (p = 0.642). Five patients (6.25%) in the PTED group and 3 patients (4.11%) in the MED group suffered from residue/recurrence of herniation, for which reoperation was required.

CONCLUSIONS

Over the 1-year follow-up period, PTED did not show superior clinical outcomes and did not seem to be a safer procedure for patients with lumbar disc herniation compared with MED. PTED had inferior results for median disc herniation, whereas MED did not seem to be the best treatment option for far-lateral disc herniation.

Clinical trial registration no.: NCT01997086 (clinicaltrials.gov).
Validation of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) computerized adaptive tests in cervical spine surgery
Authors: Boody Barrett S. , Bhatt Surabhi , Mazmudar Aditya S. , Hsu Wellington K. , Rothrock Nan E. , Patel Alpesh A.
Published: January 2018

OBJECTIVE

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), which is funded by the National Institutes of Health, is a set of adaptive, responsive assessment tools that measures patient-reported health status. PROMIS measures have not been validated for surgical patients with cervical spine disorders. The objective of this project is to evaluate the validity (e.g., convergent validity, known-groups validity, responsiveness to change) of PROMIS computer adaptive tests (CATs) for pain behavior, pain interference, and physical function in patients undergoing cervical spine surgery.

METHODS

The legacy outcome measures Neck Disability Index (NDI) and SF-12 were used as comparisons with PROMIS measures. PROMIS CATs, NDI-10, and SF-12 measures were administered prospectively to 59 consecutive tertiary hospital patients who were treated surgically for degenerative cervical spine disorders. A subscore of NDI-5 was calculated from NDI-10 by eliminating the lifting, headaches, pain intensity, reading, and driving sections and multiplying the final score by 4. Assessments were administered preoperatively (baseline) and postoperatively at 6 weeks and 3 months. Patients presenting for revision surgery, tumor, infection, or trauma were excluded. Participants completed the measures in Assessment Center, an online data collection tool accessed by using a secure login and password on a tablet computer. Subgroup analysis was also performed based on a primary diagnosis of either cervical radiculopathy or cervical myelopathy.

RESULTS

Convergent validity for PROMIS CATs was supported with multiple statistically significant correlations with the existing legacy measures, NDI and SF-12, at baseline. Furthermore, PROMIS CATs demonstrated known-group validity and identified clinically significant improvements in all measures after surgical intervention. In the cervical radiculopathy and myelopathic cohorts, the PROMIS measures demonstrated similar responsiveness to the SF-12 and NDI scores in the patients who self-identified as having postoperative clinical improvement. PROMIS CATs required a mean total of 3.2 minutes for PROMIS pain behavior (mean ± SD 0.9 ± 0.5 minutes), pain interference (1.2 ± 1.9 minutes), and physical function (1.1 ± 1.4 minutes) and compared favorably with 3.4 minutes for NDI and 4.1 minutes for SF-12.

CONCLUSIONS

This study verifies that PROMIS CATs demonstrate convergent and known-groups validity and comparable responsiveness to change as existing legacy measures. The PROMIS measures required less time for completion than legacy measures. The validity and efficiency of the PROMIS measures in surgical patients with cervical spine disorders suggest an improvement over legacy measures and an opportunity for incorporation into clinical practice.
Improving Conservation Outcomes: Understanding Scientific, Historical and Cultural Dimensions of the Illicit Trade in Rhinoceros Horn
Authors: Bending Zara Jean
Published: January 2018

This article aims to illuminate the pervasive allure of the rhinoceros to better comprehend the historical and cultural drivers for the illicit global trade in its most coveted part: rhinoceros horn. The market for rhino horn remains dominated by customary and cultural purposes, most notably in traditional medicine. Developing conservation strategies and responding to the criminological implications of the market requires cross-cultural understanding, drawing upon multidisciplinary sources from evolutionary biology, species ecology, cultural anthropology, biomedicine, biomaterial engineering as well as ancient and modern history. Analysis will be carried out in three parts: (1) a synopsis of evolution and ecology; (2) an examination of the cultural significance of the rhinoceros as informed by historical and contemporary sources; and (3) an investigation into the morphology and established uses of rhinoceros horn. This analysis demonstrates the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to developing optimal conservation strategies addressing the multifaceted problem of illicit trade in wildlife.
Industry and Forests: Alternative Raw Materials in the Soviet Forestry Industry from the mid-1950s to the 1960s
Authors: Kochetkova Elena
Published: January 2018

The article examines the history of using wood and timber waste and annual plants in the Soviet Union from the 1950s to the1960s. In the middle of the twentieth century, Soviet leadership, producers and scientists expressed their anxiety about the lack of forests near pulp and paper plants, and started looking for alternative raw materials. Modernisation during the same period witnessed a number of initiatives to use different sources for pulp production, ranging from wood and timber waste to reed and annual plants. It included attempts to develop low-waste and non-waste industrial technologies. In most cases, however, this search did not transform the supply of raw materials. Instead, most factories continued manufacturing pulp and pulp-based products using wood, and thus kept cutting and exploring undisturbed forests, in particular those in Siberia. In this article, I investigate the attempted use of alternative resources in industrial operations and examine why employing these materials was not successful in the Soviet Union in the 1950s-1960s. I am interested in the organisational and technological aspects of how forestry developed and used resources in the Soviet Union. I illustrate how technologies circulated not only within the country, but also between the USSR and Western countries. The article contends that new practices did not change wasteful wood-use practices, in large part because the industry continued to contend with infrastructural and organisational obstacles while attempting to introduce alternative resources.
Pattern of skin fungi in palmar arsenical keratosis
Authors: Moitra Priyanka , Misbahuddin Mir , Sattar Abu Naser Ibne
Published: January 2018

The aim of this study was to examine the pattern of fungi in palmar arsenical keratosis. The skin swab was taken from the five different sites (palm, dorsum, axilla, front and back of the chest) of arsenicosis patients (n=37), arsenic exposed volunteers (n=20) and healthy volunteers (n=20) of an arsenic endemic area. Fungi were cultured in the Sabouraud dextrose agar media. The skin of the healthy volunteers contained only four species of fungi: Aspergillus, Dermatophytes, Mucor and Fusarium. The incidence of each fungus was low (0-4 out of 20 cases). The chronic exposure to arsenic did not alter the pattern of fungi. However, the patient of arsenicosis showed increased inci-dence of Aspergillus and Dermatophytes species and decreased incidence of Mucor species. The supplementation of iron and folic acid to the patient for 12 weeks reduced the incidence of Aspergillus (only in axilla), Dermatophytes (only in palm) and increased the incidence of Mucor (all the sites except palm). In conclusion, skin fungi are altered in arsenicosis irrespective of intake of high concentration of arsenic.
Emodin Inhibits Colon Cancer Cell Invasion and Migration by Suppressing Epithelial‐Mesenchymal Transition via the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway
Authors: Gu Juan , Cui Chang-fu , Yang Li , Wang Ling , Jiang Xue-hua
Published: January 2018

Colon cancer (CC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. Emodin is an anthraquinone-active substance that has the ability to affect tumor progression. Our study aims to explore the effects and the relevant mechanism of emodin on the invasion and migration of CC in vitro and in vivo. In our study, we found that emodin inhibited the invasion and migration abilities of RKO cells and decreased the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), MMP-9, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in a dose-dependent manner. Further research suggested that emodin inhibited EMT by increasing the mRNA level of E-cadherin and decreasing the expression of N-cadherin, Snail, and β-catenin. Emodin also significantly inhibited the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by downregulating the expression of related downstream target genes, including TCF4, cyclin D1, and c-Myc. A Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway agonist abolished the effect of emodin on EMT and cell mobility, suggesting that emodin exerted its regulating role through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The CC xenograft model was established to study the antitumor efficiency of emodin in vivo. The in vivo study further demonstrated that emodin (40 mg/kg) suppressed tumor growth by inhibiting EMT via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in vivo. Taken together, we suggest that emodin inhibits the invasion and migration of CC cells in vitro and in vivo by blocking EMT, which is related with the inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.An erratum for this article has been published in Oncology Research, Volume 28, Number 6, pp.681-682 (https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/cog/or/2021/00000028/00000006/art00010). Note that an updated article PDF will be delivered from this page further to the issuing of the erratum.
Disentangling the Galactic Halo with APOGEE. I. Chemical and Kinematical Investigation of Distinct Metal-poor Populations
Authors: Hayes Christian R. , Majewski Steven R. , Shetrone Matthew , Fernández-Alvar Emma , Prieto Carlos Allende , Schuster William J. , Carigi Leticia , Cunha Katia , Smith Verne V. , Sobeck Jennifer , Almeida Andres , Beers Timothy C. , Carrera Ricardo , Fernández-Trincado J. G. , García-Hernández D. A. , Geisler Doug , Lane Richard R. , Lucatello Sara , Matthews Allison M. , Minniti Dante , Nitschelm Christian , Tang Baitian , Tissera Patricia B. , Zamora Olga
Published: January 2018

We find two chemically distinct populations separated relatively cleanly in the [Fe/H]–[Mg/Fe] plane, but also distinguished in other chemical planes, among metal-poor stars (primarily with metallicities

) observed by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) and analyzed for Data Release 13 (DR13) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. These two stellar populations show the most significant differences in their [X/Fe] ratios for the α-elements, C+N, Al, and Ni. In addition to these populations having differing chemistry, the low metallicity high-Mg population (which we denote “the HMg population”) exhibits a significant net Galactic rotation, whereas the low-Mg population (or “the LMg population”) has halo-like kinematics with little to no net rotation. Based on its properties, the origin of the LMg population is likely an accreted population of stars. The HMg population shows chemistry (and to an extent kinematics) similar to the thick disk, and is likely associated with in situ formation. The distinction between the LMg and HMg populations mimics the differences between the populations of low- and high-α halo stars found in previous studies, suggesting that these are samples of the same two populations.
Solar Coronal Lines in the Visible and Infrared: A Rough Guide
Authors: Del Zanna Giulio , DeLuca Edward E.
Published: January 2018

We review the coronal visible and infrared lines, collecting previous observations and comparing, whenever available, observed radiances to those predicted by various models: the quiet Sun (QS), a moderately active Sun, and an active region as observed near the limb, around 1.1 R
⊙. We also model the off-limb radiances for the QS case. We used the most up-to-date atomic data in CHIANTI version 8. The comparison is satisfactory, in that all of the strong visible lines now have a firm identification. We revise several previous identifications and suggest some new ones. We also list the large number of observed lines for which we do not currently have atomic data, and therefore still await firm identifications. We also show that a significant number of coronal lines should be observable in the near-infrared region of the spectrum by the upcoming Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) and the AIR-Spec instrument, which observed the corona during the 2017 August 21 solar eclipse. We also briefly discuss the many potential spectroscopic diagnostics available to the visible and infrared, with particular emphasis on measurements of electron densities and chemical abundances. We briefly point out some of the potential diagnostics that could be available with the future infrared instrumentation that is being built for DKIST and planned for the Coronal Solar Magnetism Observatory. Finally, we highlight the need for further improvements in the atomic data.
Steeper Stellar Cusps in Galactic Centers from Binary Disruption
Authors: Fragione Giacomo , Sari Re’em
Published: January 2018

The relaxed distribution of stars around a massive black hole is known to follow a cusp profile,

, with a characteristic slope

. This follows from energy conservation and a scattering rate given by two-body encounters. However, we show that the injection of stars close to the black hole, i.e., a source term in the standard cusp picture, modifies this profile. In the steady-state configuration, the cusp develops a central region with a typical slope

in which stars diffuse outward. Binary disruption by the intense tidal field of the massive black hole is among the phenomena that take place in the Galactic Center (GC). In such a disruption, one of the binary members remains bound to the black hole, thus providing a source term of stars close to the black hole. Assuming a binary fraction of 0.1 and an orbital circularization efficiency of 0.35, we show that this source is strong enough to modify the cusp profile within

pc of the GC. If the binary fraction at the influence radius is of order unity and the orbits of all captured stars are efficiently circularized, the steeper cusp extends almost as far as the radius of influence of the black hole.