bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Elicitation of the Acoustic Change Complex to Long-Duration Speech Stimuli in Four-Month-Old Infants
Authors: Chen Ke Heng , Small Susan A.
Published: December 2015

The acoustic change complex (ACC) is an auditory-evoked potential elicited to changes within an ongoing stimulus that indicates discrimination at the level of the auditory cortex. Only a few studies to date have attempted to record ACCs in young infants. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the elicitation of ACCs to long-duration speech stimuli in English-learning 4-month-old infants. ACCs were elicited to consonant contrasts made up of two concatenated speech tokens. The stimuli included native dental-dental /dada/ and dental-labial /daba/ contrasts and a nonnative Hindi dental-retroflex /daDa/ contrast. Each consonant-vowel speech token was 410 ms in duration. Slow cortical responses were recorded to the onset of the stimulus and to the acoustic change from /da/ to either /ba/ or /Da/ within the stimulus with significantly prolonged latencies compared with adults. ACCs were reliably elicited for all stimulus conditions with more robust morphology compared with our previous findings using stimuli that were shorter in duration. The P1 amplitudes elicited to the acoustic change in /daba/ and /daDa/ were significantly larger compared to /dada/ supporting that the brain discriminated between the speech tokens. These findings provide further evidence for the use of ACCs as an index of discrimination ability.
Distribution of Atmospheric Aerosol over the South China Sea
Authors: Huang Shih-Jen , Lin Chen-Chih
Published: December 2015

The satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) data is used to investigate the distribution of aerosol over the South China Sea (SCS). High correlation coefficients are found between in situ AERONET data and satellite AOD measurements around the SCS with the highest coefficient of 0.9 on the Dongsha Island (i.e., Pratas Island). The empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of AOD over the SCS shows that high AOD is always found around offshore areas of China, Indochina, Sumatra, and Borneo. Besides, spring is the major season of occurring coarse aerosol particles (AOT_C) but fine aerosol particles (AOT_F) occur yearly. The biomass burning is found in Indochina during March and April, and so it is in Sumatra and Borneo from August to October. The results also show that the AOT_F are higher during El Niño events, but higher AOT_C are found in La Niña years.
Study on Differential Assist Steering System with Double In-Wheel Motors with Intelligent Controller
Authors: Li Qiang , Yu Xiao-li , Zhang Hua , Huang Rui
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel controller of differential assist steering system. Firstly, the integrated controller module in electric vehicle is investigated, in which the front axle is refitted for two in-wheel motors. Secondly, genetic algorithm is used to optimize the control decision-making rules of fuzzy controller. Thereafter, the built model is embedded in veDYNA development environment with an offline simulation test of driver/vehicle/road closed-loop system. At last, control strategy, which has been compiled and downloaded to Mirco AutoBox controller prototype, is used for the real vehicle experimental analysis and validation of the proposed controller. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the controller can improve the yaw motion and reduce the slip angle of vehicle. Here, the vehicle is equipped with the in-wheel motors on both sides. At the same time, the controller cannot only track the steering torque indication of driving current, but also preferably maintain the steering assist handle. Furthermore, it can bring about a good road feeling to the driver because of the reduced torque fluctuation.
Assessment of bleeding risk in patients with coronary artery disease on dual antiplatelet therapy
Authors: van der Meijden Paola E. J. , Henskens Yvonne M. C. , ten Cate-Hoek Arina J. , Cate Hugo ten , Vries Minka J. A.
Published: December 2015

Patients with coronary artery disease are usually treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients on DAPT are at risk of both ischaemic and bleeding events. Although side-lined for a long time, real-life studies have shown that both the incidence and the associated morbidity and mortality of outof-hospital bleeding are high. This indicates that prevention of (postinterventional) bleeding is as important as prevention of ischaemia. For this purpose it is crucial to reliably identify patients with a high bleeding risk. In order to postulate an algorithm, which could help identifying these patients, we performed a systematic review to determine the value of previously proposed prognostic modalities for bleeding. We searched and appraised the following tools: platelet function tests, genetic tests, bleeding scores and questionnaires and haemostatic tests. Most studies indicated that low on-treatment platelet reactivity (LTPR), as measured by several platelet function tests, and the carriage of CYP2C19*17 allele were independent risk factors for bleeding. A bleeding score also proved to be helpful in identifying patients at risk. No studies on haemostatic tests were retrieved. Several patient characteristics were also identified as independent predictors of bleeding, such as older age, female sex and renal failure. Combining these risk factors we propose an algorithm that would hypothetically facilitate identification of those patients at highest risk, warranting prevention measures for bleeding. This could be a starting point for further research concerning the topic.
Early Visual Cortex Dynamics during Top–Down Modulated Shifts of Feature-Selective Attention
Authors: Müller Matthias M. , Trautmann Mireille , Keitel Christian
Published: December 2015

Shifting attention from one color to another color or from color to another feature dimension such as shape or orientation is imperative when searching for a certain object in a cluttered scene. Most attention models that emphasize feature-based selection implicitly assume that all shifts in feature-selective attention underlie identical temporal dynamics. Here, we recorded time courses of behavioral data and steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), an objective electrophysiological measure of neural dynamics in early visual cortex to investigate temporal dynamics when participants shifted attention from color or orientation toward color or orientation, respectively. SSVEPs were elicited by four random dot kinematograms that flickered at different frequencies. Each random dot kinematogram was composed of dashes that uniquely combined two features from the dimensions color (red or blue) and orientation (slash or backslash). Participants were cued to attend to one feature (such as color or orientation) and respond to coherent motion targets of the to-be-attended feature. We found that shifts toward color occurred earlier after the shifting cue compared with shifts toward orientation, regardless of the original feature (i.e., color or orientation). This was paralleled in SSVEP amplitude modulations as well as in the time course of behavioral data. Overall, our results suggest different neural dynamics during shifts of attention from color and orientation and the respective shifting destinations, namely, either toward color or toward orientation.
An Empirical Overview of the No Free Lunch Theorem and Its Effect on Real-World Machine Learning Classification
Authors: Gómez David , Rojas Alfonso
Published: December 2015

A sizable amount of research has been done to improve the mechanisms for knowledge extraction such as machine learning classification or regression. Quite unintuitively, the no free lunch (NFL) theorem states that all optimization problem strategies perform equally well when averaged over all possible problems. This fact seems to clash with the effort put forth toward better algorithms. This letter explores empirically the effect of the NFL theorem on some popular machine learning classification techniques over real-world data sets.
Sequential Tests for Large-Scale Learning
Authors: Korattikara Anoop , Chen Yutian , Welling Max
Published: December 2015

We argue that when faced with big data sets, learning and inference algorithms should compute updates using only subsets of data items. We introduce algorithms that use sequential hypothesis tests to adaptively select such a subset of data points. The statistical properties of this subsampling process can be used to control the efficiency and accuracy of learning or inference. In the context of learning by optimization, we test for the probability that the update direction is no more than 90 degrees in the wrong direction. In the context of posterior inference using Markov chain Monte Carlo, we test for the probability that our decision to accept or reject a sample is wrong. We experimentally evaluate our algorithms on a number of models and data sets.
Reduction of Trial-to-Trial Perceptual Variability by Intracortical Tonic Inhibition
Authors: Hoshino Osamu , Zheng Meihong , Watanabe Kazuo
Published: December 2015

Variability is a prominent characteristic of cognitive brain function. For instance, different trials of presentation of the same stimulus yield higher variability in its perception: subjects sometimes fail in perceiving the same stimulus. Perceptual variability could be attributable to ongoing-spontaneous fluctuation in neuronal activity prior to sensory stimulation. Simulating a cortical neural network model, we investigated the underlying neuronal mechanism of perceptual variability in relation to variability in ongoing-spontaneous neuronal activity. In the network model, populations of principal cells (cell assemblies) encode information about sensory features. Each cell assembly is sensitive to one particular feature stimulus. Transporters on GABAergic interneurons regulate ambient GABA concentration in a neuronal activity-dependent manner. Ambient GABA molecules activate extrasynaptic GABA[Formula: see text] receptors on principal cells and interneurons, and provide them with tonic inhibitory currents. We controlled the variability of ongoing-spontaneous neuronal activity by manipulating the basal level of ambient GABA and assessed the perceptual performance of the network: detection of a feature stimulus. In an erroneous response, stimulus-irrelevant but not stimulus-relevant principal cells were activated, generating trains of action potentials. Perceptual variability, reflected in error rate in detecting the same stimulus that was presented repeatedly to the network, was increased as the variability in ongoing-spontaneous membrane potential among cell assemblies increased. Frequent, transient membrane depolarization below firing threshold was the major cause of the increased neuronal variability, for which a decrease in basal ambient GABA concentration was responsible. We suggest that ambient GABA in the brain may have a role in reducing the variability in ongoing-spontaneous neuronal activity, leading to a decrease in perceptual variability and therefore to reliable sensory perception.
Paul and the Stoic Theory of οἰκείωσις
Authors: Kim Seon Yong
Published: December 2015

Three points serve as the backbone of Engberg-Pedersen’s interpretation of the social kind of oikeiōsis in Stoicism: (1) rejection of the role of the cosmic nature as a normative premise in oikeiōsis; (2) exclusive stress on the self-reflexive dimension in oikeiōsis; (3) taking the change in one’s view of oneself and other people to be the heart of oikeiōsis. However, none of these is convincing when examined closely. We have also seen that Engberg-Pedersen’s treatment of Paul is insufficient both in its methodological refinement and in exegesis. Engberg-Pedersen’s comparison is dyadic and imbalanced. Moreover, it fails to grasp the complexities and intricacies of Paul’s view of the Jewish customs, the Law, scriptural traditions, and other culturally conditioned social norms.
A Human Rights-Based Emotional and Safety Skills Programme for Children in Finland
Authors: Ala-Luhtala Riitta , Lottes llsa , Valkama Sirpa , Liimatainen Leena
Published: December 2015

According to research reviewed by the World Health Organisation and the Council of Europe, child abuse and maltreatment are both violations of human rights and a major public health problem. In the last couple of decades there has also been a movement to integrate human rights principles into public health programmes and health system analyses. Rights-based approaches put responsibility and accountability components into health promotion for countries whose governments have accepted human rights principles. The purpose of this paper is to describe a human-rights-based emotional and safety skills programme developed in Finland; the goal of this programme is to train health and social work professionals, child care workers and child educators to help children learn and apply emotional and safety skills. The programme integrates the protection, provision and participation characteristics of human rights with active learning techniques. The programme was positively evaluated by its participants. The paper concludes with recommendations for human rights education so others may integrate rights-based approaches for health promotion and public health programmes.
Indigenous Communities and Indigenous Children
Authors: Seow Florence
Published: December 2015

A move away from the traditional child-parent-state model of children’s rights in favour of a four-party model which includes indigenous communities can be identified in international legal discourse. The basis for this phenomenon can be found in arguments for the preservation of indigenous culture. However, whether this argument is adequate for such a fundamental change in the conceptualisation of children’s rights is questionable. This article discusses various legal conceptualisations of children’s rights in academic literature and compares these with sociological theories of children’s development. It identifies an emerging four-party model of children’s rights in international legal discourse, and points to practical problems of implementation and weak philosophical justifications. The article concludes that a four-party model based on sociological theories of children’s development would assist in overcoming these weaknesses, and allow the incorporation of other social groupings into conceptualisations of children’s rights.
New taxa of Impatiens (Balsaminaceae) from Madagascar IX. Impatiens lutzii, a new species from Montagne d’Ambre National Park
Authors: Fischer Eberhard , Rahelivololona Marie Elisette
Published: December 2015

Impatiens lutzii, a new species of Impatiens subg. Trimorphopetalum, is described from Montagne d’Ambre, Madagascar. It is morphologically similar to Impatiens luisae-echterae, I. callmanderi and I. silviana from Masoala, and to I. decaryana from central Madagascar, but differs from these species in the shape and ornamentation of the lower sepal, as well as the shape of the dorsal petal and the lateral united petals. A comparative table to distinguish I. lutzii from similar species of Impatiens is provided.
Revision of the genus Prionotropis Fieber, 1853 (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae: Thrinchinae)
Authors: Massa BRUNO , ünal Mustafa , VERDE GABRIELLA LO
Published: December 2015

The genus Prionotropis Fieber, 1853 is revised. It is distributed in scattered areas of the Mediterranean region from Turkey in the East to Spain in the West. Overall, seven species are listed, namely P. maculinervis (Stål, 1878) (Turkey; P. urfensis Ramme, 1933 is here considered its synonym), P. willemsorum n. sp. (Greece, Epirus; previously considered P. appula), P. appula (O.G. Costa, 1836) (South Italy), P. hystrix (Germar, 1817) (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, North-East Italy; P. hystrix sontiaca is here synonymized), P. rhodanica Uvarov, 1923 resurrected status (France, Crau, Rhone delta; here considered a valid species), P. azami Uvarov, 1923 n. status (France, Var region; here considered a valid species), and P. flexuosa (Serville, 1838) (Spain; the ssp. pereezi Bolívar, 1921 and sulphurans Bolívar, 1921 are here considered its synonyms). A key to species is presented.
Redescription of Nemachilichthys rueppelli, a senior synonym of N. shimogensis (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)
Authors: KESKAR ASHWINI , KUMKAR PRADEEP , KATWATE UNMESH , ALI ANVAR , RAGHAVAN RAJEEV , DAHANUKAR NEELESH
Published: December 2015

The hill-stream loach genus Nemachilichthys, an endemic of the Western Ghats of India, comprises two nominal species, N. rueppelli and N. shimogensis. The validity of the latter has been questioned by several authors. Here we show that there is only a marginal raw mitochondrial genetic distance (0.5% in cytochrome oxidase subunit I and 1.2% in cytochrome b) between topotypic specimens of the two nominal species. Further, although population-level morphometric variations appear in a multivariate morphometric analysis, the two nominal species are morphologically similar, with apparently no significant characters separating them. We therefore consider N. shimogensis to be a junior synonym of N. rueppelli and redescribe the latter, providing further details on population variation and distribution.
Impact of Assimilating Surface Velocity Observations on the Model Sea Surface Height Using the NCOM-4DVAR*
Authors: Carrier Matthew J. , Ngodock Hans E. , Muscarella Philip , Smith Scott
Published: December 2015

The assimilation of surface velocity observations and their impact on the model sea surface height (SSH) is examined using an operational regional ocean model and its four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4DVAR) analysis component. In this work, drifter-derived surface velocity observations are assimilated into the Navy’s Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) 4DVAR in weak-constraint mode for a Gulf of Mexico (GoM) experiment during August–September 2012. During this period the model is trained by assimilating surface velocity observations (in a series of 96-h assimilation windows), which is followed by a 30-day forecast through the month of October 2012. A free-run model and a model that assimilates along-track SSH observations are also run as baseline experiments to which the other experiments are compared. It is shown here that the assimilation of surface velocity measurements has a substantial impact on improving the model representation of the forecast SSH on par with the experiment that assimilates along-track SSH observations directly. Finally, an assimilation experiment is done where both along-track SSH and velocity observations are utilized in an attempt to determine if the observation types are redundant or complementary. It is found that the combination of observations provides the best SSH forecast, in terms of the fit to observations, when compared to the previous experiments.
Pedagogy of wireless fading channels: A MATLAB® demo
Authors: Shankar PM
Published: December 2015

Courses in wireless communication systems are offered at undergraduate level electrical engineering programs. One of the topics of study in this course is the signal strength fluctuations in wireless channels referred to as fading arising from the existence of multiple paths between the transmitter and receiver. MATLAB® which is extensively used in engineering courses is an ideal tool to significantly enhance the pedagogy of fading. A demo based on MATLAB® has been developed offering a comprehensive tutorial view of fading. It takes into account several models frequently used to describe fading, such as the Rayleigh, Rician, Nakagami and Gaussian ones. Distributing the p-coded MATLAB® script to the students and allowing them to explore the various aspects of fading and refining the script to include additional elements based on their responses, the demo was simplified, expanded and thus, made more demonstrative of the concepts. The final version of MATLAB® demo allows the users to understand and appreciate the relationship of the number of paths and the strength of the line of sight component (LOS) to the various models based on the statistical validation providing a holistic picture of the short-term fading seen in wireless systems.
Multidetector computed tomographic assessment of the normal diameters for the thoracic aorta and pulmonary arteries in infants and children
Authors: Bayindir Petek , Bayraktaroglu Selen , Ceylan Naim , Savas Recep , Alper H Hudaver
Published: December 2015

Background

Knowledge of the normal size of the thoracic aorta and pulmonary arteries is important regarding the detection of the abnormal and valuable in the treatment of patients with congenital and acquired cardiovascular diseases.

Purpose

To determine the normal diameters of the thoracic vascular structures of pediatric participants on contrast-enhanced multidetector computer tomography (MDCT) scans.

Material and Methods

Between July 2010 and July 2014, the MDCT examinations obtained from 520 participants (age range, 0–18 years; mean age, 8.49 years ± 5.54 [standard deviation]; male:female ratio, 1.6:1) with normal cardiovascular examinations were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were divided into six groups according to their age. Diameters of the ascending aorta (AA), descending aorta (DA), main pulmonary artery (MPA), right pulmonary artery (RPA), and left pulmonary artery (LPA) were measured.

Results

The diameters of the thoracic vascular structures increased with age and the statistical difference among the age groups and genders were significant. The vascular structures in male patients tended to have higher dimensions than female patients. The LPA demonstrated higher mean values than the RPA in each age group. The mean ratio PA (MPA/AA) is 0.93 ± 0.08 for pediatric participants and it is slightly higher in girls compared to boys (0.93 ± 0.07 and 0.92 ± 0.07, respectively). The level of pulmonary artery bifurcation moves caudally with increasing age with thoracal 6 vertebra being the most common for all age groups (53.3%).

Conclusion

We believe that the results of our study can serve as a potential reference in differentiating the normal from the abnormal size of the aorta and pulmonary arteries on chest MDCT studies in the pediatric population.
Comparative effectiveness of onabotulinumtoxinA versus oral migraine prophylactic medications on headache-related resource utilization in the management of chronic migraine: Retrospective analysis of a US-based insurance claims database
Authors: Hepp Zsolt , Rosen Noah L , Gillard Patrick G , Varon Sepideh F , Mathew Nitya , Dodick David W
Published: December 2015

Background

Migraine, especially chronic migraine (CM), causes substantial disability; however, health care utilization has not been well characterized among patients receiving different migraine prophylactic treatments.

Methods

Using a large, US-based, health care claims database, headache-related health care utilization was evaluated among adults with CM treated with onabotulinumtoxinA or oral migraine prophylactic medications (OMPMs). Headache-related health care utilization was assessed at six, nine, and 12 months pre- and post-treatment. The primary endpoint was the difference between pre- and post-index headache-related health care utilization. A logistic regression model was created to test the difference between onabotulinumtoxinA and OMPM-treated groups for headache-related emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations.

Results

Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. The proportion of patients with ED visits or hospitalizations for a headache-related event decreased after starting onabotulinumtoxinA, but increased after starting an OMPM, for all three cohorts. Regression analyses showed that the odds of having a headache-related ED visit were 21%, 20%, and 19% lower and hospitalization were 47%, 48%, and 56% lower for the onabotulinumtoxinA group compared to the OMPM group for the six-month, nine-month, and 12-month post-index periods, respectively.

Conclusions

When compared with similar patients who initiated treatment with OMPM, onabotulinumtoxinA was associated with a significantly lower likelihood of headache-related ED visits and hospitalizations.
Numerical analysis and experimental research of triangle induction heating of the rolled plate
Authors: Zhang Xuebiao , Chen Cheng , Liu Yujun
Published: December 2015

In shipyard, triangle heating technology with irregular multi-heating paths and highly concentrated heat input is used to form a curved plate, especially a concave type plate. Compared with line heating process with simple line segment path, its main purpose is to get a bigger contraction deformation at the plate edge. Hence, triangle heating technology is important for most shipyards to increase hull-forming productivity and study the automation. This paper focuses on the moveable triangle induction heating technology. An electromagnetic coupling finite element model is built to simulate the moveable triangle induction heating process and reveal the temperature characteristics and deformation behavior. The results of the simulation are compared with those obtained from experiments and show good agreement. It demonstrates that the numerical model used in this study is effective for simulating triangle heating for the steel plate forming process in shipbuilding. With the numerical model, the paper further investigates the effect of heating parameters on temperature and shrinkage deformation. These are traced here with a modified mechanical model whose results are in accord with the numerical results. This modified model can be applied to predict the edge shrinkage and explain the effect of heating parameters on transverse shrinkage.
The doctor as an artist
Authors: Weiner Marie-France , Russell Silver John
Published: December 2015

Charles Bell, Francis Seymour Haden, Jean-Martin Charcot, Paul Richer, Henry Tonks and Harry Lamb were gifted draughtsmen. Some used their skills to illustrate their work, a few abandoned medicine altogether to become artists in their own right. With the exception of Haden few were able to combine an artistic and a medical career. Their medical training and their wartime experiences influenced their artistic portrayal of the wounded. Their significant contribution, however, resides in the way in which they influenced other greater artists through their teaching.
A modeling study of augmenting coarse-grid 3D controlled-source electromagnetics with data from a towed receiver array
Authors: Morten Jan Petter , Poudroux Jean-Michael , Mittet Rune
Published: December 2015

We have considered the simultaneous 3D inversion of controlled-source electromagnetic data from a towed receiver array and a coarse grid of stationary seabed receivers. Our 3D synthetic model demonstrated the sensitivity and effect on imaging of towed and seabed receiver data. The short-offset data from the towed receivers at 1–3 km offset are effective at resolving a shallow resistor at a 400-m burial depth. On the other hand, the data from the stationary seabed receivers have less noise and will resolve the 3D geometry of resistive structures buried at the 1–2 km depths typical of a hydrocarbon reservoir. We have determined how the complementary sensitivity of data from the two receiver types can be used in simultaneous inversion to recover the shallow and deep resistors.
α-Cell Dysfunctions and Molecular Alterations in Male Insulinopenic Diabetic Mice Are Not Completely Corrected by Insulin
Authors: Dusaulcy Rodolphe , Handgraaf Sandra , Heddad-Masson Mounia , Visentin Florian , Vesin Christian , Reimann Franck , Gribble Fiona , Philippe Jacques , Gosmain Yvan
Published: December 2015

Glucagon and α-cell dysfunction are critical in the development of hyperglycemia during diabetes both in humans and rodents. We hypothesized that α-cell dysfunction leading to dysregulated glucagon secretion in diabetes is due to both a lack of insulin and intrinsic defects. To characterize α-cell dysfunction in diabetes, we used glucagon-Venus transgenic male mice and induced insulinopenic hyperglycemia by streptozotocin administration leading to alterations of glucagon secretion. We investigated the in vivo impact of insulinopenic hyperglycemia on glucagon-producing cells using FACS-sorted α-cells from control and diabetic mice. We demonstrate that increased glucagonemia in diabetic mice is mainly due to increases of glucagon release and biosynthesis per cell compared with controls without changes in α-cell mass. We identified genes coding for proteins involved in glucagon biosynthesis and secretion, α-cell differentiation, and potential stress markers such as the glucagon, Arx, MafB, cMaf, Brain4, Foxa1, Foxa3, HNF4α, TCF7L2, Glut1, Sglt2, Cav2.1, Cav2.2, Nav1.7, Kir6.2/Sur1, Pten, IR, NeuroD1, GPR40, and Sumo1 genes, which were abnormally regulated in diabetic mice. Importantly, insulin treatment partially corrected α-cell function and expression of genes coding for proglucagon, or involved in glucagon secretion, glucose transport and insulin signaling but not those coding for cMAF, FOXA1, and α-cell differentiation markers as well as GPR40, NEUROD1, CAV2.1, and SUMO1. Our results indicate that insulinopenic diabetes induce marked α-cell dysfunction and molecular alteration, which are only partially corrected by in vivo insulin treatment.
Insulin Knockout Mice Have Extended Survival but Volatile Blood Glucose Levels on Leptin Therapy
Authors: Neumann Ursula H. , Denroche Heather C. , Mojibian Majid , Covey Scott D. , Kieffer Timothy J.
Published: December 2015

Leptin can reverse hyperglycemia in rodent models of type 1 diabetes. However, these models have used chemical or immune mediated β-cell destruction where insulin depletion is incomplete. Thus it is unknown which actions of leptin are entirely insulin independent, versus those which require insulin. To directly assess this we maximized blockage of insulin action using an insulin receptor antagonist in combination with streptozotocin-diabetic mice; leptin treatment was still able to reduce blood glucose. Next, we leptin-treated adult insulin knockout (InsKO) mice. Remarkably, leptin-treated InsKO mice were viable for up to 3 weeks without insulin therapy. Leptin treatment reduced plasma corticosterone, glucagon, β-hydroxybutyrate, triglycerides, cholesterol, fatty acids and glycerol. However, leptin-treated InsKO mice exhibited overt fed hyperglycemia and severe fasting hypoglycemia. Therefore, leptin can normalize many metabolic parameters in the complete absence of insulin, but blood glucose levels are volatile and the length of survival finite.
Extension of the past lifetime and its connection to the cumulative entropy
Authors: Di Crescenzo Antonio , Toomaj Abdolsaeed
Published: December 2015

Given two absolutely continuous nonnegative independent random variables, we define the reversed relevation transform as dual to the relevation transform. We first apply such transforms to the lifetimes of the components of parallel and series systems under suitably proportionality assumptions on the hazard rates. Furthermore, we prove that the (reversed) relevation transform is commutative if and only if the proportional (reversed) hazard rate model holds. By repeated application of the reversed relevation transform we construct a decreasing sequence of random variables which leads to new weighted probability densities. We obtain various relations involving ageing notions and stochastic orders. We also exploit the connection of such a sequence to the cumulative entropy and to an operator that is dual to the Dickson-Hipp operator. Iterative formulae for computing the mean and the cumulative entropy of the random variables of the sequence are finally investigated.
Optimal Contracts, Aggregate Risk, and the Financial Accelerator
Authors: Carlstrom Charles T. , Fuerst Timothy S. , Paustian Matthias
Published: December 2015

This paper derives the optimal lending contract in the financial accelerator model of Bernanke, Gertler, and Gilchrist (1999), henceforth, BGG. The optimal contract includes indexation to the aggregate return on capital, household consumption, and the return to internal funds. This triple indexation results in a dampening of fluctuations in leverage and the risk premium. Hence, compared with the contract originally imposed by BGG, the privately optimal contract implies essentially no financial accelerator. (JEL D11, D81, D86, D92, E13, G31, L26)
Gestão de orçamento nas compras de supermercado da nova classe média
Authors: Costa Filho Murilo Carrazedo Marques da , Motta Paulo Cesar De Mendonça
Published: December 2015

A última década presenciou um aumento significativo do poder de compras das classes de rendas mais baixas do Brasil. Esses consumidores, que durante muito tempo permaneceram negligenciados, passaram a ter relevância crescente para os pesquisadores e profissionais de marketing. Os estudos realizados na última década no Brasil mostram que esses consumidores estão dispostos a pagar um prêmio por marcas que satisfaçam seus anseios de inclusão social e diferenciação junto a seus pares. O orçamento familiar limitado, porém, os obriga a fazer um verdadeiro malabarismo para otimizar os recursos da família. A presença desses dois vetores em sentidos opostos sugere que o processo decisório desses consumidores assume contornos específicos e complexos. O presente estudo, de caráter exploratório, buscou identificar as táticas utilizadas por consumidores emergentes, da chamada “nova classe média”, na busca de um equilíbrio entre suas aspirações por marcas de valor e as restrições impostos por seus orçamentos limitados. Por meio de entrevistas em profundidade com dezesseis consumidores, identificou-se que as principais táticas de gestão do orçamento familiar são: (1) frequência de gastos com compras, (2) seleção meticulosa de loja, (3) controle de gastos durante a compra, (4) busca de informações, e (5) alternância de marcas e uso situacional.
Remuneração variável incentiva a criação de folga orçamentária?
Authors: Beuren Ilse Maria , Verhagem José Ari
Published: December 2015

O estudo verifica em que medida a remuneração variável é um incentivo para os gestores criarem folga no processo orçamentário. Uma pesquisa foi realizada em empresa que possui remuneração variável atrelada às metas orçamentárias. O questionário foi encaminhado para os 48 gestores, sendo que a amostra constituiu-se dos 32 respondentes. O instrumento de coleta de dados consistiu de um questionário traduzido da pesquisa de Onsi (1973). Para delimitar a existência ou não dos elementos de folga organizacional utilizou-se de estatística descritiva. Em seguida, compararam-se as médias das notas das respostas de dois grupos de respondentes: os com maior e os com menor alcance das metas orçamentárias. Os resultados indicaram que os gestores que tiveram desempenho inferior no alcance das metas têm maior propensão para criar folga em seus orçamentos. Assim, conclui-se que a remuneração variável atrelada às metas orçamentárias pode contribuir para a prática de criar folga no processo orçamentário.
Institutional work: uma ponte entre estudos críticos e institucionais?
Authors: Bruning Camila , Marra do Amorim Andre Luis , Godri Luciana
Published: December 2015

O artigo debate a proposta de Lawrence, Suddaby, e Leca (2011) de construção de uma ponte entre as abordagens crítica e institucional em estudos organizacionais por meio do conceito de institutional work. São analisadas as teorias de institutional work (Lawrence; Suddaby; Leca, 2011), e, dentro da perspectiva crítica, da teoria da Economia Política do Poder (FARIA, 2008). São identificados quatro pontos que mostram problemática esta aproximação teórica: o conceito de instituição; o conceito de mudança institucional; o conceito de agência; e o foco sobre intencionalidade, interesse e poder. Conclui-se que a proposta de aproximação teórica das distintas abordagens demanda que se analisem, debatam e esclareçam as bases epistemológicas e o corpo teórico em que os conceitos de ambas são utilizados, para que não se caia na falácia de fazer comparação direta de conceitos que, embora tenham a mesma terminologia, são utilizados com significados diferentes em cada tradição teórica. Palavras-chave: Institutional Work; Economia Política do Poder em Estudos Organizacionais; Interdisciplinariedade.
Congestion Games with Variable Demands
Authors: Harks Tobias , Klimm Max
Published: December 2015

We initiate the study of congestion games with variable demands in which the players strategically choose both a nonnegative demand and a subset of resources. The players’ incentives to use higher demands are stimulated by nondecreasing and concave utility functions. The payoff for a player is defined as the difference between the utility of the demand and the associated cost on the used resources. Although this class of noncooperative games captures many elements of real-world applications, it has not been studied in this generality in the past. Specifically, we study the fundamental problem of the existence of pure Nash equilibria, PNE for short. We call a set of cost functions consistent if every congestion game with variable demands and cost functions from the set possesses a PNE. We show that only affine and homogeneous exponential functions are consistent. En route, we obtain novel characterizations of consistency for congestion games with fixed but resource-dependent demands.
Concepts of Plants Held by Young Brazilian Children: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Bartoszeck Amauri Betini , Cosmo Claudete Rosa , Silva Bernadete Rocha da , Tunnicliffe Sue Dale
Published: December 2015

Children from southern and northern Brazil have a basic knowledge of plants, which they observe during their everyday life. Children ages between 3 to 10 years old (kindergarten & primary school), but the majority of them in the age group of 4-5 (total 145) were asked to draw what they think is a plant (total sample=332). Afterwards, a equal number of boys and girls randomly chosen were interviewed individually (mix ability) to list plants they said they knew and where they had seen them. Then they were asked to give exemplars of the local plants which they had seen. These data from the exploratory study show that pupils are in touch with their environment and recognize plants that are part of it. The everyday experiences of these children in school and out of school, at home and in leisure activities with family and friends, contribute to their knowledge about plants and such knowledge is complemented in the preschool and primary school classes by appropriate teaching. Educational implications of these findings are discussed.
Teaching to Intellectual Disability Individuals The Shopping Skill Through Ipad
Authors: Cakmak Salih , Cakmak Sibel
Published: December 2015

Because of the importance of intellectual disability teenagers fulfilling the daily life skills by themselves, an animation that shows the intellectual disability and autistic high school students an interactive shopping skill by means of iPad was played and its effect on providing them with the independent shopping skill was analyzed. 3 intellectual disability and autistic students attending The Umit Kaplan Vocational Education Center that offers a High School- Level Training in Ankara have participated in the research in 2013-2014 School Year. The ages of the students range between 17-19 years. The dependent variable of the research is the participants’ levels of performing the shopping skills from a supermarket. The independent variable is, however, the animation practices that indicate the interactional shopping skills presented through iPad. The design of the research is the “multiple probe design across subjects” which is one of the single-subject designs.
INFORMS 2015 Highlights
Authors: Ferretti Valentina
Published: December 2015

INFORMS 2015 Highlights
Time in care: the very first months
Authors: Pösö Tarja , Helavirta Susanna , Laakso Riitta
Published: December 2015

This article addresses the ‘temporal black box’ of care by exploring how children and social workers view the first months in care. Although practice and policy are built on time in different ways (for example, long- and short-term care), very little attention has so far been given to the different temporalities included in care. The focus here is on interpretative practices of addressing time instead of describing the use of time or measuring its use. The data consists of interviews with children in care as well as surveys and workshops with social workers in two Finnish municipalities. The analysis highlights children’s temporal agency, and how they navigate between the present, past and future when in care for the first months. Social workers’ view on time is described in particular in terms of organisational and professional time and their clash. In both views, time is deeply interwoven with social relations and systems, so it is argued that the complexity and multidimensionality of time should be recognised in child welfare research, practice and policy.
What about my dad? Black fathers and the child protection system
Authors: Gupta Anna , Featherstone Brid
Published: December 2015

This article explores social work practice with black fathers within the child protection and family court systems through the analysis of case studies involving black fathers whose children ‘nearly missed’ the chance to live with them. Drawing upon theories of social justice, this article explores the construction of black men as fathers and contextualises the discussion in relation to gender, race, poverty and immigration issues, as well as the current policy and legal context of child protection work in England. The article examines how beliefs and assumptions about black men can influence how they are constructed, and subsequent decision-making processes. The article concludes with some suggestions for critical social work practice within a human rights and social justice framework.
Palestine in the British press: A Postcolonial Critical Discourse Analysis
Authors: Sanz Sabido Ruth
Published: December 2015

This article examines the representations of the Israeli Palestinian conflict in the British press, starting from the premise that media representations in Britain should be analysed in relation to Britain’s role as a postcolonial power. Focusing on Britain’s colonial and postcolonial connection to this conflict, this study is based on the findings of a Postcolonial Critical Discourse Analysis of four British national newspapers (the Guardian, or Manchester Guardian; The Times; the Daily Herald, or the Sun; and the Daily Mirror) at four different points during the history of the conflict. The findings indicate that the classification of Palestine, Palestinians, Israel, Israelis, Jews, Zionists and Arabs as agents of political violence evolved over time, as violent acts and agents were perceived differently according to the dominant political discourse during each period. The contextualization of the conflict also provides insights into how the British press constructed its various ideological positions in relation to the clashes, and the extent to which the British Mandate remained visible in the later coverage of the armed confrontations. The postcolonial approach adopted in this study indicates that the generalized lack of references to the historical facts that underpin Britain’s role in the development of the conflict represents an attempt to move away from the historical responsibilities derived from colonial encounters. This framework therefore helps to restore the largely neglected historical connection of the British Mandate to its proper place in the analysis of these mediated events.
Representing Islam in the age of neo-orientalism: Media, politics and identity
Authors: Al-Zo’by Mazhar
Published: December 2015

The aim of this article is to examine the persistent charterer of orientalist discourse in western mass media narratives by analysing the function of the ‘native subject’ and ‘native attitude’ in the constitution of neo-orientalism. While the classical orientalist representational vision has dominated the western media and popular narratives of Islam and Arabs throughout the twentieth century, it is the contention of this article that new forms and formations of orientalist discourse have emerged corresponding with the West’s new imperial designs in the post-Cold War era and especially during the so-called ‘War on Terror’. The rise of these neo-orientalist strategies in the western media finds its elaborate articulation in the deployment of ‘native subjects’ as specialists who provide a crucial function in facilitating oriental discourse for the service of hegemonic (military and cultural) ideology. Relying on interpretive discourse analysis, this article will illustrate how a serious engagement with current orientalist media ideology warrants a critical examination of the ways its new strategies have mutated to include the native as a source for its ideological narratives. Whereas in classical orientalist narratives the ‘oriental native’ had indispensably occupied central status as the ‘object’ of ‘authentic’ oriental knowledge, in the neo-orientalist discourse the ‘native’ becomes the ‘voice/authority’ of the reorientalized native cultures.
Una revisión del constructo consumo simbólico desde la perspectiva de la experiencia turística
Authors: Luna Cortés Gonzalo
Published: December 2015

En la presente investigación se realiza una revisión de la literatura del constructo “consumo simbólico” y se aplica al área del turismo. De la revisión se desprenden dos grandes perspectivas de análisis: desde el prisma de qué se consumo (materialismo), y desde el prisma de quién lo consume (congruencia objeto de consumo - identidad del consumidor); se ahonda en las mencionadas perspectivas, analizando las distintas temáticas de estudio en cada una. Posteriormente, se presenta una revisión sobre el constructo “consumo de experiencias”, y nos preguntamos, ¿cómo pueden en la actualidad converger la proyección de símbolos a través del consumo y el consumo de experiencias turísticas? Analizando los diferentes planteamientos, se concluye que las redes sociales son una herramienta básica para el consumo simbólico de experiencias y su proyección en sociedad. Finalmente, se presenta un modelo teórico que incluyen tanto las perspectivas como las conclusiones del análisis.
Efectos del crecimiento urbano en una ciudad turística de montaña, San Carlos de Bariloche, Patagonia Argentina
Authors: Rodríguez Norberto Javier
Published: December 2015

Los procesos de crecimiento en las ciudades turísticas pueden variar según sus características; algunos estudios han demostrado que las ciudades intermedias están recibiendo más migrantes proporcionalmente que otras de mayor tamaño. Además, por efecto de la globalización Latinoamérica está recibiendo una mayor demanda de bienes y servicios urbanos, siendo esta una de las razones por las que esta tesis se ha enfocado en la ciudad patagónica de mayor crecimiento en las últimas décadas, San Carlos de Bariloche. A lo largo de la tesis han sido analizados los condicionantes que han llevado a conformar esta ciudad. En tal sentido, se espera brindar aportes para una mejor planificación en este tipo de ciudades con un entorno natural atractivo, que permita su posible sostenibilidad a futuro, evaluando los relevamiento (cualitativo y cuantitativo) en forma sistematizada, y comparativa en distintas escalas, considerando en particular algunos de los espacios más demandados y que se encuentran actualmente en procesos de expansión, pero con distintas particularidades en la ocupación del suelo.
Reinventando alojamientos turísticos. Casos de éxito y soluciones innovadoras
Authors: Temes Cordovez Rafael Ramón
Published: December 2015

Reseña BibliográficaReinventando alojamientos turísticos.  Casos de éxito y soluciones innovadorasMoisés R.Simancas Cruz y Raúl Hernández Martín (Eds.)Cátedra de Turismo de Cajacanarias - ASAHOTEL - Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife1ª Edición abril 2015, ISBN: 978-84-606-5816-0, 271 páginas