bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Climate Change Effects on Spatiotemporal Patterns of Hydroclimatological Summer Droughts in Norway
Authors: Wong Wai Kwok , Beldring Stein , Engen-Skaugen Torill , Haddeland Ingjerd , Hisdal Hege
Published: May 2011

This study examines the impact of climate change on droughts in Norway. A spatially distributed (1 × 1 km2) version of the Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV) precipitation-runoff model was used to provide hydrological data for the analyses. Downscaled daily temperature and precipitation derived from two atmosphere–ocean general circulation models with two future emission scenarios were applied as input to the HBV model. The differences in hydroclimatological drought characteristics in the summer season between the periods 1961–90 and 2071–2100 were studied. The threshold level method was adopted to select drought events for both present and future climates. Changes in both the duration and spatial extent of precipitation, soil moisture, runoff, and groundwater droughts were identified. Despite small changes in future meteorological drought characteristics, substantial increases in hydrological drought duration and drought affected areas are expected, especially in the southern and northernmost parts of the country. Reduced summer precipitation is a major factor that affects changes in drought characteristics in the south while temperature increases play a more dominant role for the rest of the country.
Downscaling Ensemble Weather Predictions for Improved Week-2 Hydrologic Forecasting
Authors: Liu Xiaoli , Coulibaly Paulin
Published: May 2011

This study investigates the use of large-scale ensemble weather predictions provided by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System [GFS; formerly known as Medium-Range Forecast (MRF)] for improving week-2 hydrologic forecasting. The ensemble weather predictor variables are used to downscale daily precipitation and temperature series at two meteorological stations in the Saguenay watershed in northeastern Canada. Three data-driven methods—namely, the statistical downscaling model (SDSM), the time-lagged feed-forward neural network (TLFN), and evolutionary polynomial regression (EPR)—are used as comparative downscaling models. The downscaled results of the best models are used as additional inputs in two hydrological models, namely Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV2005) and a Bayesian neural network (BNN)-based hydrologic model, for up to 14-day-ahead reservoir inflow and river flow forecasting. The performance of the two hydrologic models is compared, the ultimate objective being to improve week-2 (7–14-day ahead) forecasts. To identify a suitable approach for using the ensemble weather data in the downscaling experiments, six scenarios are evaluated. It is found that the best approach to downscaling the ensemble weather predictions is to use the means of the predictor members derived from the two grid points closest to the local meteorological station of interest. The downscaling results show that all three models have a relatively good performance in downscaling daily temperature series, but the results are in general less accurate for daily precipitation. The TLFN and EPR models have quite close performance in most cases, and they both perform better than SDSM. The hydrologic forecasting results show that for both reservoir inflow and river flow, the HBV model has better performance when downscaled meteorological predictions are included, while there is no significant improvement for the BNN model. For the week-2 forecast, an improvement of about 18% on average is obtained for both streamflow and reservoir inflow forecasts. However, for the spring season where accurate peak flow forecast is of main concern, an improvement of about 26% on average is achieved. It is also shown that using only downscaled temperature in spring reservoir inflow forecasting, the improvements for week 2 range from 16% to 24%. Overall, the forecast results show that large-scale ensemble weather predictions can be effectively exploited through statistical downscaling tools for improved week-2 hydrologic forecasts. The forecast results also indicate that even imperfect medium-range (week 2) weather predictions can be very useful for producing significantly improved week-2 hydrologic forecasts.
Lateral Friction in Reduced-Gravity Models: Parameterizations Consistent with Energy Dissipation and Conservation of Angular Momentum
Authors: Ochoa José , Sheinbaum Julio , Jiménez Aleph
Published: May 2011

The f-plane reduced-gravity model has been extended with the parameterization of lateral friction in the momentum equations. The parameterization should preferably fulfill some requisites. One of them is that in the absence of external torques the change in angular momentum should be determined by boundary conditions alone. Internal torques should balance in the angular momentum budget. This requirement is fulfilled when the parameterization in the vertically integrated momentum equations is the divergence of a symmetric stress tensor. These equations solve for the mean transport, which includes implicitly the eddy-induced contribution. Another requirement on the parameterization of lateral stress follows from considering that it should imply kinetic energy dissipation. Both requirements fail with a commonly used parameterization and are fulfilled with the one proposed by C. Schär and R. B. Smith, which also is in near agreement with derivations of the shallow-water equations via vertical integrations of the Navier–Stokes equations. Here, the authors show two other parameterizations that are consistent with the angular momentum and energy requirements. One of the parameterizations follows from the symmetric component of a stress tensor in agreement with the parameterization shown by P. R. Gent to be energetically consistent. The other parameterization is related to the so-called biharmonic dissipation. In general, the difficulty for friction parameterizations is on the energy dissipation requirement, because the one on angular momentum is easily fulfilled.
Impact of Environmental Variations on Simulated Squall Lines Interacting with Terrain
Authors: Letkewicz Casey E. , Parker Matthew D.
Published: May 2011

The complex evolution of convective systems crossing (or attempting to cross) mountainous terrain represents a substantial forecasting challenge. This study examines the processes associated with environments of “crossing” squall lines (which were able to redevelop strong convection in the lee of a mountain barrier) and “noncrossing” squall lines (which were not able to redevelop strong convection downstream of the barrier). In particular, numerical simulations of mature convective systems crossing idealized terrain roughly approximating the Appalachian Mountains were used to test the first-order impact of variations in the vertical wind profile upon system maintenance.

By itself, the wind profile showed no ability to uniquely discriminate between simulated crossing and noncrossing squall lines; each test revealed a similar pattern of orographic enhancement, suppression, and lee reinvigoration in which a hydraulic jump deepened the system’s cold pool and renewed the low-level lifting. Increasing the mean wind led to greater enhancement of vertical velocities on the windward side of the barrier and greater suppression on the lee side. Variations in the low-level shear influenced the temperature and depth of the outflow, which in turn altered the lifting along the system’s gust front. However, in all of the wind profile tests, convection redeveloped in the lee. Additional simulations explored more marginal environments in which idealized low-level cooling or drying stabilized the downstream environment. In most such tests, the systems weakened but the presence of CAPE aloft still enabled the systems to survive in the lee. However, the combination of a stronger mean wind with diminished CAPE and increased convective inhibition (CIN) was ultimately found to eliminate downstream redevelopment and produce a noncrossing mesoscale convective system (MCS). Within these experiments, the ability of a squall line to cross a barrier similar to the Appalachians is primarily tied to the characteristics of the downstream thermodynamic environment; however, as the lee thermodynamic environment becomes less favorable, the mean wind exerts a greater influence on system intensity and redevelopment.
The Association of Liver Transaminase Activity With Presence and Severity of Premature Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Masoudkabir Farzad , Karbalai Shahrokh , Vasheghani-Farahani Ali , Aliabadi Leila Lak , Boroumand Mohammad Ali , Aiatollahzade-Esfahani Farah , Pashing Mina , Hakki Elham , Goodarzynejad Hamidreza , Saadat Soheil
Published: May 2011

There is growing clinical interest in liver transaminases as novel biomarkers of cardiovascular risk. We investigated the possible association of serum liver transaminase activity with the presence and angiographic severity of premature coronary artery disease (CAD). A cross-sectional study was conducted on 187 younger patients (females <55 years and males <45 years) who underwent coronary angiography and had serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) measured. Evaluation of coronary stenosis was by Gensini score. Both ALT and AST were significantly correlated with the presence of CAD in univariate and multivariate analyses. Both ALT and AST were also significantly correlated with Gensini score even after adjustment for potential confounders. Serum ALT and AST levels are independently positively associated with the risk and severity of premature CAD, suggesting that these enzymes could serve as surrogate markers for cardiovascular risk in this specific group of patients.
Impact of Season and Diet on Vitamin D Status of African American and Caucasian Children
Authors: Rajakumar Kumaravel , Holick Michael F. , Jeong Kwonho , Moore Charity G. , Chen Tai C. , Olabopo Flora , Haralam Mary Ann , Nucci Anita , Thomas Stephen B. , Greenspan Susan L.
Published: May 2011

Seasonal variation of vitamin D status and adequacy of dietary vitamin D and impact of race on maintaining vitamin D sufficiency was assessed in 140 healthy 6- to 12-year-old African American (AA) and Caucasian (C) children residing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during summer and winter. Vitamin D insufficiency was not rare in either group (AA vs C, summer, 17.2% vs 14.3%, nonsignificant; winter, 34.1% vs 32.5%, nonsignificant) despite a mean dietary intake of vitamin D above the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended intake (400 IU/d; AA vs C, summer, 421 vs 456 IU/d, nonsignificant; winter, 507 vs 432 IU/d, nonsignificant). Race/season and dietary vitamin D were predictors of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations. However, dietary vitamin D influenced 25(OH)D only in Caucasians during winter. Current AAP recommended daily intake for vitamin D is inadequate for maintaining vitamin D sufficiency in children.
The Clinical Epidemiology of Pediatric Patients With Measles From 2000 to 2009 in Shanghai, China
Authors: Ye Yingzi , Wang Wenjie , Wang Xiaohong , Yu Hui
Published: May 2011

Measles remains a leading vaccine-preventable cause of child mortality worldwide. The incidence has increased recently in some areas. The authors retrospectively analyzed the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 2473 measles patients in Shanghai from 2000 to 2009. There were 1909 measles cases during 2005-2009 (group II), whereas only 564 cases were reported during 2000-2004 (group I). In total, 60.87% patients in group II were younger than 9 months, which was significantly higher than that in group I (35.28%; P < .001). More complications, death cases, and less atypical rashes were found in recent years. In addition, 2181 of all the 2473 patients (88.19%) and 1112 of 1328 hospitalized children (83.73%) had not been vaccinated; most of them were immigrants. The results indicated that the rising number of immigrants accounted for the increased measles morbidity in Shanghai. The tendency of more young patients and increased complications suggest that some adjustments might be needed in vaccination administration and therapeutic strategy.
Homeschooling Education
Authors: Hanna Linda G.
Published: May 2011

In a comprehensive study of two-hundred fifty homeschooling families in urban, rural and suburban areas of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the researcher examined all aspects of the instruction, materials and curricula employed by the families in a ten-year longitudinal study from 1998 through 2008. The researcher conducted interviews and gathered questionnaire data from: 1) all of the families in the sample in 1998, and 2) those families still residing within the same designated district in 2008. Significant changes occurred in the demographical data and the families’ instructional programs. Within the methods/materials/curriculum data, increases occurred in the: 1) use of prepared curricula (religious and non-religious), 2) the acquisition of more textbooks from local school districts, 3) use of the public library, 4) technology applications, 5) consultation with instructional specialists/teachers, and 6) greater networking with other homeschooling families. In their pooling of resources, sharing of expertise, and communicating with other homeschooling families, the homeschoolers had upgraded and diversified their choices of pedagogy and their modalities for delivering instruction.
Embracing or embattled by converged mobile devices? Users’ experiences with a contemporary connectivity technology
Authors: Matusik Sharon F , Mickel Amy E
Published: May 2011

In this qualitative study, we examine how converged mobile devices (e.g. BlackBerries, Treos, and iPhones) are experienced by users of this contemporary connectivity technology. Perhaps not surprisingly, users experience similar pressures to be accessible and responsive; however, the sources of these expectations extend beyond those internal to organizations to include sources external to organizations (e.g. family, friends, industry, CMD-user community, and society in general). Users’ reactions to responsiveness-accessibility pressures differ in this study, clustering into three different categories — ‘enthusiastic,’ ‘balanced,’ and ‘trade-offs.’ Further analyses reveal three emergent factors influencing users’ reactions: the number of expectation sources; specificity of the sources; and adoption motives. Our research builds on technology and work studies to include factors that are related to heterogeneity in interpretations and enactments. Moreover, findings suggest that in the context of this connectivity technology, the role of the organization may not be as central as it has been in many other studies of technology and work.
Transcribing and Transcending the Ego
Authors: Wolsko Christopher
Published: May 2011

A humanistic and transpersonal approach to personal growth necessitates careful inquiry into the often pathological world of egoistic functioning—where the psyche is engaged in a continual, defensive, and ruminative effort to assert the uniqueness, power, and positivity of an independent symbolic self. This article describes narrative research, conducted at the beginning of several undergraduate courses in personality theory, in which students ( n = 229) were encouraged to introspect into the process of objectifying and evaluating the self. After undergoing brief mindfulness training, individuals spent 1 week journaling about salient upward and downward social comparisons, with particular attention to those experiences that triggered strong feelings of inferiority and superiority. Prototypic journal passages are quoted to illustrate central findings. Participants expressed a remarkably intense array of self-evaluative episodes, particularly along the dimensions of physical appearance and intellect. Discussion focuses on the very high frequency of social comparisons reported, the cyclical nature of self-evaluation and its implications for persistent suffering, and the spontaneous experiences of insight into ego transcendence and deeper levels of self-awareness. This work advances the humanistic project by detailing a novel mechanism for facilitating self-realization in an educational context.
Humanistic Psychology as the Quest for the Identity of Human Being
Authors: Muramoto Shoji
Published: May 2011

The philosophical foundation of humanistic psychology must be examined. In explicitly stating its postulates it may remain in the Kantian spell, but, in trying to overcome the dichotomy of phenomena and noumena, belong to the Romantic tradition. Further, it is also conscious of its humanistic tradition in historical diversity. The inquiry into the distinction of humans from other beings, especially computers, will lead to a more fundamental anthropological and ontological question. Needed is also the sensitivity to differences within and exclusions from the unitary concept of human being. While not necessary to change the basic postulates, it may be worthwhile to make them more dynamic and less one-sided by integrating their opposites or negative aspects. The uniqueness of humanistic psychology consists in the quest for the identity of human being.
An improved algorithm for simulating wax-printing patterns
Authors: Ying Tang  , Kuanjun Fang  , Shaohai Fu  , Lianbing Zhang
Published: May 2011

Handmade wax printing is typically time consuming and environmentally disastrous. Simulation of wax printing patterns by computers and production of the simulated patterns by inkjet printing are the goal of designers and industry. Crack simulation of wax-printed patterns is one of the difficulties that designers might encounter in the process of making digitalized wax printing pattern. This paper proposed an improved Voronoi diagram to simulate the cracks in wax-printed patterns based on Distance Transformation (DT). The results indicate that this algorithm can generate authentic crack effects comparable with the handmade wax printing pattern. Compared with patterns generated by the DT alone, this improved algorithm has better simulation effects with features of real wax cracks. The inkjet-printed result shows that the simulated patterns have a more vivid effect, which exhibits an industrial prospect using inkjet printing technology to produce simulated crack patterns.
Humanist and Political Perspectives on Human Rights
Authors: Gilabert Pablo
Published: May 2011

This essay explores the relation between two perspectives on the nature of human rights. According to the “political” or “practical” perspective, human rights are claims that individuals have against certain institutional structures, in particular modern states, in virtue of interests they have in contexts that include them. According to the more traditional “humanist” or “naturalistic” perspective, human rights are pre-institutional claims that individuals have against all other individuals in virtue of interests characteristic of their common humanity. This essay argues that once we identify the two perspectives in their best light, we can see that they are complementary and that in fact we need both to make good normative sense of the contemporary practice of human rights. It explains how humanist and political considerations can and should work in tandem to account for the concept, content, and justification of human rights.
The Pollyanna Myth
Authors: Kammrath Lara K. , Scholer Abigail A.
Published: May 2011

Although people high in agreeableness have often been shown to be positively biased toward others, four studies provide evidence that agreeableness is associated with extremity effects, not simple positivity effects, in social judgment. Across studies, agreeable participants judged prosocial behaviors more favorably, but antisocial behaviors more unfavorably, than did disagreeable participants. In support of a goal-congruence mechanism, Study 1 showed that communal goals, rather than perceived similarity, mediated the effects, and Studies 2-4 demonstrated that agreeable perceivers were particularly sensitive to communal (vs. agentic) violations. A longitudinal study of real-life impressions supported the laboratory evidence that agreeable people are highly sensitive to both the prosocial and antisocial behavior of others (Study 4). We discuss how the current account complements and extends existing theories of agreeableness.
The dual impact of gender and the influence of timing of parenthood on men’s and women’s career development: Longitudinal findings
Authors: Abele Andrea E. , Spurk Daniel
Published: May 2011

This study investigated the impact of gender, the gender-related self-concept (agency and communion), and the timing of parenthood on objective career success of 1,015 highly educated professionals. Hypotheses derived from a dual-impact model of gender and career-related processes were tested in a 5-wave longitudinal study over a time span of 10 years starting with participants’ career entry. In line with our hypotheses we found that the communal component of the gender self-concept had an impact on parenthood, and the agentic component influenced work hours and objective career success (salary, status) of both women and men. Parenthood had a negative direct influence on women’s work hours and a negative indirect influence on women’s objective career success. Women who had their first child around career entry were relatively least successful over the observation period. Men’s career success was independent of parenthood. Sixty-five percent of variance in women’s career success and 33% of variance in men’s career success was explained by the factors analyzed here. Mothers with partners working full time reduced their work hours more than mothers with partners not working full time. A test for a possible reverse influence of career success on the decision to become a parent revealed no effect for men and equivocal effects for women. We conclude that the transition to parenthood still is a crucial factor for women’s career development both from an external gender perspective (expectations, gender roles) and from an internal perspective (gender-related self-concept).
Parents as role models: Parental behavior affects adolescents’ plans for work involvement
Authors: Wiese Bettina S. , Freund Alexandra M.
Published: May 2011

This study (N = 520 high-school students) investigates the influence of parental work involvement on adolescents’ own plans regarding their future work involvement. As expected, adolescents’ perceptions of parental work behavior affected their plans for own work involvement. Same-sex parents served as main role models for the adolescents’ own plans, whereas opposite-sex parents served as models for the preferred degree of work participation for the adolescents’ future life partners. Interestingly, ideals of how much one’s own parents should have worked were substantially more important than the actual parental work involvement during their childhood. Adolescents, then, are influenced by their parents as role models but they reflect and modify these models according to their beliefs regarding an ideal balance of work and family.
Teenage career aspirations and adult career attainment: The role of gender, social background and general cognitive ability
Authors: Schoon Ingrid , Polek Elzbieta
Published: May 2011

In this paper we examine the associations between gender, family background, general cognitive ability (g), teenage career aspirations, and career attainment in mid adulthood drawing on two large representative samples of the British population born in 1958 (N = 6,474) and in 1970 (N = 5,081). A developmental-contextual model of career development is tested, using Structural Equation Modelling to map the pathways linking early experiences to adult outcomes. Results show that in both cohorts career aspirations measured at age 16 predict career attainment of cohort members in their mid 30s, even after controlling for family social background and general cognitive ability. Compared to their less ambitious peers, those with aspirations for a professional job are more likely to participate in further education, and are more likely to achieve a professional career in their adult years. Regarding gender differences in career pathways, the findings suggest that women are more ambitious in their occupational aspirations than men and more likely to participate in further education. However, despite reducing gender inequalities in attainment, social inequalities in educational and occupational opportunities remain.
Gendered educational and occupational choices: Applying the Eccles et al. model of achievement-related choices
Authors: Eccles Jacquelynne
Published: May 2011

I summarize a theoretical model of the social, cultural, and psychological influences on achievement-related choices and outline how this model can help us understand gendered educational and occupational choices. I argue that both gender differences and individual differences within each gender in educational and occupational choices are linked to differences in individuals’ expectations for success and subjective task value. With regard to the gender difference in the occupations linked to math and physical science in particular, females are less likely to enter these fields than males both because they have less confidence in their math and physical science abilities and because they place less subjective value on these fields than they place on other possible occupational niches. Furthermore, gendered socialization practices at home, in the schools, and among peers play a major role in shaping these individual differences in self-perceptions and subjective task values. I relate these theoretical and empirical conclusions to the other four papers in this special section.
Relational schemas, hostile romantic relationships, and beliefs about marriage among young African American adults
Authors: Simons Ronald L. , Simons Leslie G. , Lei Man K. , Landor Antoinette M.
Published: May 2011

The present study tests a developmental model designed to explain the romantic relationship difficulties and reluctance to marry often reported for African Americans. Using longitudinal data from a sample of approximately 400 African American young adults, we examine the manner in which race-related adverse experiences during late childhood and early adolescence give rise to the cynical view of romantic partners and marriage held by many young African Americans. Our results indicate that adverse circumstances disproportionately suffered by African American youth (viz., harsh parenting, family instability, discrimination, criminal victimization, and financial hardship) promote distrustful relational schemas that lead to troubled dating relationships, and that these negative relationship experiences, in turn, encourage a less positive view of marriage.
Bargaining, Networks, and Management of Municipal Development Subsidies
Authors: Ha Hyunsang , Feiock Richard C.
Published: May 2011

This article investigates why cities use fiscal analyses such as cost–benefit analysis and/or fiscal impact analysis to manage offers of economic development incentives to business. We advance an approach to understanding economic development subsidies and control mechanisms that integrate political bargaining and network theories. Municipal bargaining power, institutional incentives, and organizational networks are hypothesized to influence development subsidy decisions. The results confirm that local governments’ bargaining power and political institutions influence the degree to which cities use fiscal analyses. In addition, public/private organizational networks that bridge public and private sectors by linking quasigovernmental organizations and local governments increase information and credibility thus leading to greater use of fiscal analyses.
Governmentality at the Base-of-the-Pyramid
Authors: Bonsu Samuel K. , Polsa Pia
Published: May 2011

The Base-of-the-pyramid (BoP) corporate strategy perceives market-based solutions to the problem of global poverty. The strategy is premised on the view that people in BoP markets live in fundamental lack, which can be overcome with business intervention. The merits of this idea seem obvious, but its ideological premise within contemporary capitalism is often lost on many. The purpose of the authors in this paper is to explore the ideological premise of the BoP strategy. The authors employ Foucault’s notion of “governmentality” to suggest that corporate adoption of the BoP strategy mimics a neocolonial incursion into heretofore inaccessible markets, by constituting the poor as free, self-governing individuals—modern citizens in the Western liberal sense—toward facilitating market control and exploitation for corporate ends.
Nano-hydroxyapatite/chitosan sponge-like biocomposite for repairing of rat calvarial critical-sized bone defect
Authors: Xing Ma  , Yang Wang  , Hun Guo  , Jintang Wang
Published: May 2011

A three-dimensional porous nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA)/chitosan (CS) biocomposite was synthesized. The rod-like nHA grains of 15—30 × 5—10 nm in size were observed by TEM and confirmed by characteristic XRD patterns. The diameters of the interconnecting pores of the nHA/CS biocomposite, determined by SEM, were 120—300 μm. Standard critical-sized calvarial bone defect ( = 6.5 mm) was created in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. In group 1, nHA/CS was implanted and in group 2, no implant was made in the defect. After 1 week, the histological assessment of group 1 clearly showed that a large number of living cells were anchored in the pores of the nHA/CS implants. New bone formation, both at the edge and in the center of implants, was found as early as 2 weeks. Histological assays confirmed that the newly formed bone tissue was bioactive and neovascularized. After 5 weeks, the mineral content and volume of the newly formed bone tissue in the defects were significantly greater in group 1 than in group 2 (p < 0.01). These results indicate that implantation of the nHA/CS enhanced the repair of bone defect and confirm the potential of this biocomposite as a bioactive bone grafting substitute.
Slatan Dudow’s Christine (1963/1974) and the Social Comedy of Character
Authors: Martin Bill
Published: May 2011

Comedy provided the Bulgarian-born East German film director Slatan Dudow with an approach to realism that was distinct from, and ran counter to, simplistic versions of socialist realism of the time and was central to his unorthodox, practical understanding of socialist political aesthetics. It is this thinking that I propose to reconstruct in this article, discussing its emergence in the montage technique of Dudow’s first film, Kuhle Wampe (1931/1932), its development in published and unpublished writings in terms of what he called the “social comedy of character” (soziale Charakterkomödie), and its enactment in his final, unfinished film, Christine (1963/1974).
Policy Versus Place Luck: Achieving Local Economic Prosperity
Authors: Reese Laura A. , Minting Ye
Published: May 2011

This research focuses on the relative impact of place luck and economic development policy in contributing to long-term economic growth. Using a unique national data set composed of surveys of public officials, three decades of census data, and a variety of other data covering climate, health, amenities, and so on, the following research questions are addressed: (a) Is economic prosperity better explained by local development policy or simple place luck? (b) Are particular economic development policies more strongly related to prosperity than others? (c) Are there other attributes of cities such as school quality, service quality, and safety, for example, that appear to enhance economic health?
Concealing or Revealing the Family?
Authors: Micelotta Evelyn R. , Raynard Mia
Published: May 2011

Although scholars contend that family and corporate heritage can be strategically deployed to gain a competitive advantage, few studies have examined the specific ways in which family firms leverage on these distinctive attributes in their marketing activities. The authors’ examination of a sample of official corporate websites reveals that family firms adopt different branding strategies to communicate the familial component of their businesses. The authors labeled these strategic variations as family preservation, family enrichment, and family subordination. This study advances extant research by exploring the various family-based branding strategies that family firms can draw on to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
When David Met Victoria
Authors: Parmentier Marie-Agnès
Published: May 2011

This article seeks to understand how distinctive family brands are created. Recent studies in family business have focused on the benefits for a firm to be known as family owned or family controlled. Few studies have paid attention to the distinct meanings stakeholders associate with a given family or to how that family comes to have those associations in the eyes of external stakeholders. Based on a case study of one of the entertainment industry’s most successful family brands—The Beckhams—four practices conducive to building brand distinctiveness and brand visibility are identified.
Agency Relationships in a Brazilian Multifamily Firm
Authors: Pagliarussi Marcelo S. , Rapozo Flávia O.
Published: May 2011

This work shows how tenets of agency theory can be linked with institutional analysis to improve their explanatory power in the context of an emerging country such as Brazil. This study assessed the authors’ propositions in a single-case analysis of a Brazilian multiple family firm. The results show that in the initial phase, characterized by less severe agency problems, the firm’s competitive advantage matured, supported by the strong presence of trust derived from an extended family structure. As the company grew in complexity, the informal monitoring mechanisms that characterize collectivist societies allowed agency problems to escalate.
Determination of rotary cutting depth on steel pipes with the abrasive water jet technique
Authors: Li H , Wang R , Yang D , Zhou W , Li L
Published: May 2011

Abrasive water jet (AWJ) cutting is a green machining and processing technology that has found extensive applications. In this study, a well-designed cutting tool with multiple AWJ nozzles has been developed to determine the rotary multi-pass cutting depth on steel pipes that are used in petroleum industries. Experimentally, the multi-pass AWJ cutting depth is found to increase with pump pressure, nozzle diameter, and number of nozzles, but decrease with standoff distance. Also, the multi-pass cutting depth initially increases with rotation speed of the AWJ cutting tool or volumetric concentration of abrasive, and then begins to decline when rotation speed or volumetric concentration reaches a certain value. Mathematically, an empirical model is formulated to determine the rotary cutting depth initiated by multiple cutting passes based on the energy conservation theory. There exists a good agreement between the experimentally measured and theoretically calculated cutting depths with a percentage average absolute deviation of 7.0 per cent.
Numerical modelling of unsteady turbulent flow in tubes, including the effects of roughness and large changes in Reynolds number
Authors: Johnston D N
Published: May 2011

A method has been developed for predicting unsteady turbulent friction in smooth, transitional, and rough pipe flows. For transitional and rough pipe flows the effective viscosity at the wall is varied depending on Reynolds number and roughness. An approximation has been made for the transition region using a cubic spline for the friction factor between the smooth and rough regions. This turbulence model can be implemented readily in several types of numerical model for pipe flow, including simple lumped parameter models, finite difference/finite element methods, and the method of characteristics. An approximate method for representing changes in turbulence energy is discussed. Using this, the method is suitable for small and large changes in flow, and for short and long time scales, but further validation is needed.
Numerical investigation of the effect of geometry on the performance of a jet pump
Authors: Mallela R , Chatterjee D
Published: May 2011

Jet pump plays a major role in transporting materials. The efficiency of jet pump is poor and it usually has a sharp peak in the efficiency–discharge ratio curve. These are undesirable. In the past, experiments were conducted to understand the functioning of each component of the jet pump. The experimental method is reliable but performing parametric studies through experiments is problematic as it is difficult to systematically vary one parameter while keeping other parameters unchanged. In this study, numerical simulations were carried out to determine the effects of area ratio, setback distance, mixing tube length, and shape of the driving nozzle on the performance of the jet pump. It was seen that major losses arise in the jet pump primarily due to an improper mixing of primary and secondary fluids and because of the formation of recirculation near the mixing tube entrance. Based on these studies, a normalized mixing tube length ( Lm/ Dm) of 7–9, area ratio of 0.28, setback ratio of 1.54–2.02, and a modified shape of the outer wall of driving nozzle are recommended. Such geometry offers maximum efficiency of 40 per cent, a relatively flat efficiency curve, and a lower total pressure drop. This last effect is important from the energy requirement to drive the centrifugal pump.
An efficient GDQ model for vibration analysis of a multiwall carbon nanotube on Pasternak foundation with general boundary conditions
Authors: Soltani P , Bahar P , Farshidianfar A
Published: May 2011

In this article, the free transverse vibrational behaviour of a multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT) surrounded by a Pasternak-type elastic medium has been determined using a very generalized model. The model has been made on the basis of Timoshenko elastic beam theory which allows the effects of shear deformation and rotary inertia and supports non-coaxial vibration of the adjacent layers of MWNT using interlayer van der Waals forces. The boundary conditions used in this simulation are such that not only standard and conventional kinds, but also all possible forms, of end conditions are applicable. A generalized differential quadrature method is utilized to solve the governing equations with assorted aspect ratios, various boundary conditions, and different foundation stiffnesses. This study shows that the resonant frequencies of MWNTs are strongly dependent on the stiffness of the elastic medium, aspect ratios, and number of walls in carbon nanotubes and, for short nanotubes, the boundary stiffness plays a significant role on the natural frequencies.
Dewey’s neglected psychology: Rediscovering his transactional approach
Authors: Brinkmann Svend
Published: May 2011

Unlike his ideas about education and philosophy, John Dewey’s psychology has been largely neglected. This article begins the rediscovery of his transactional psychology by seeking a synthesizing reading of those of his works that pertain to psychology. The article first outlines his transactional approach and also his metapsychology, which conceived of psychology as involved in the constitution of its own subject matter. Then some central psychological concepts such as habit, thinking, self, mind, meaning, and consciousness are explained within the transactional framework, and some similarities are highlighted between Dewey’s psychology and ecological psychology. It is argued that Dewey’s psychology is still very relevant in the 21st century.
Interpretative phenomenological analysis and embodied, active, situated cognition
Authors: Larkin Michael , Eatough Virginia , Osborn Mike
Published: May 2011

We describe here some of the developing conversations between “third phase” cognitive science and phenomenological philosophy. Contributors to these conversations treat cognition as an embodied, active, and situated phenomenon. We argue that, despite much promise, proper engagement with the foundational phenomenological concept of a situated, meaning-making person has yet to be fully reflected in these conversations. We note that the outcomes of this dialogue have important implications for the field of phenomenological psychology. In particular, we demonstrate that one qualitative method, interpretative phenomenological analysis, can make a useful contribution to the ongoing developments in this field. We suggest that it can provide a valuable hermeneutic counterpoint to the primacy of empiricist methods. Through reference to sustained examples from research participants’ accounts of chronic pain, we show how qualitative phenomenological approaches, such as interpretative phenomenological analysis, can illuminate the importance of situating embodied personal experience in the context of meaning, relationships, and the lived world.
Possibilities as limitations: A study of the scientific uptake and moulding of G.A. Miller’s metaphor of chunk
Authors: Pramling Niklas
Published: May 2011

This article concerns the workings of metaphors in knowledge formation within psychology. Specifically, the review is focused on George Miller’s (1956) “chunk” metaphor. After considering the introduction and use of the metaphor in his text, the article examines papers in leading psychological research journals to analyse the reception and transformation of the metaphor. How do the researchers take up chunk as a question and organizing principle in their analyses? The results show (a) a tension in conceptualizing the metaphor between seeing chunk as a limitation (in the memory system) and as a means of expanding human abilities, and (b) a reification process of the metaphor, whereby dynamic and expansive actions are transformed into things or objects. It is argued that by emphasizing the static and limited conception of chunk, the premise for Miller’s text of the dynamics of how humans develop and learn is left undeveloped.
Interferon-gamma release assay for diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Takeda N , Nojima T , Terao C , Yukawa N , Kawabata D , Ohmura K , Usui T , Fujii T , Ito Y , Iinuma Y , Mimori T
Published: May 2011

Our aim was to analyze the performance of an interferon-gamma release assay, QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-2G), for diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We performed the QFT-2G and tuberculin skin test (TST) in 71 SLE patients. The QFT-2G results of 279 patients with other connective tissue diseases (CTD) and 35 healthy controls were analyzed. Of the 71 SLE patients, two (2.8%) were positive and 46 (64.8%) were negative by QFT-2G. All SLE patients had no evidence of active MTB infection, apart from one. QFT-2G produced a significantly higher number of indeterminate results in patients with SLE (23/71, 32.4%) compared with those with other CTD (5.7%) or healthy controls (0%) ( p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001). Decreased lymphocyte counts and high SLEDAI scores in SLE patients were shown to be risk factors for indeterminate results by multivariate analysis ( p = 0.02 and p = 0.04). Among all patients with CTD, SLE itself and lymphocytopenia were found to be independent risks for indeterminate results ( p = 0.00000625 and p = 0.000107). In conclusion, QFT-2G may have more potential to assist in the diagnosis of active and latent MTB infection than TST in SLE patients. However, because of the high frequency of indeterminate results, caution must be used when interpreting the results of QFT-2G among SLE patients, especially those who have parallel or subsequent flares.
Oral administration of different forms of a tolerogenic peptide to define the preparations and doses that delay anti-DNA antibody production and nephritis and prolong survival in SLE-prone mice
Authors: Skaggs BJ , Lourenço EV , Hahn BH
Published: May 2011

Therapeutic agents currently in use to treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are predominantly immunosuppressive agents with limited specificities. Multiple groups, including ours, have illustrated that inducing tolerance in SLE animal models ameliorates disease symptoms and increases survival. We examined if oral administration of a tolerogenic peptide could affect SLE disease progression. The pConsensus (pCons) peptide, based on protein sequences of anti-double stranded (anti-ds)DNA antibodies, induces tolerance through upregulation of regulatory T cells when administered intravenously. Six different forms of pCons, including multiple antigenic peptides (MAP) and cyclic peptides made up of L- and D-amino acids, at three different concentrations, were fed to BWF1 SLE-susceptible mice for 30 weeks. Mice fed 100 µg of L-MAP or D-MAP had less cumulative proteinuria and serum anti-dsDNA antibody levels than controls. In addition, animals in these groups also survived significantly longer than controls with a corresponding increase in serum transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ, implying a protective role for pCons-induced regulatory T cells. Oral administration of a tolerogenic peptide is a safe, effective method for ameliorating SLE disease manifestations and prolonging survival in SLE-prone mice. Induction of oral tolerance using modified pCons peptides could lead to a novel targeted therapy for human SLE.
LL-37 expression in the skin in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Sun C-L , Zhang F-Z , Li P , Bi L-Q
Published: May 2011

The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and relationship of LL-37, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and interferon-alpha (IFN-α) in skin in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and their role in SLE pathogenesis. Skin biopsies were taken from nine SLE patients and six healthy volunteers. Expression of LL-37, pDCs and IFN-α in skin specimens and consecutive sections of skin was detected with an immunohistochemical technique (IH); the expression of LL-37 and pDCs in the samples was detected with in situ hybridization (ISH). The expression levels of LL-37, pDCs and IFN-α were significantly higher in SLE skin than in that of healthy controls ( p < 0.001) with either the IH or the ISH technique, and the location of positive expression in consecutive sections was similar. Correlation analysis showed that the expression levels of LL-37, pDCs and IFN-α correlated positively with each other. In conclusion, the expression of LL-37, pDCs and IFN-α was increased in the skin of patients with active SLE. It is necessary to study further the role of LL-37 in the pathogenesis of SLE, and the exact relationship among LL-37, pDCs and IFN-α.