bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Popliteal Artery Entrapment or Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome?
Authors: Gaunder Christopher , McKinney Brandon , Rivera Jessica
Published: August 2017

Diagnosis of lower limb pain in an athlete can be a challenging task due to the variety of potential etiologies and ambiguity of presenting symptoms. Five of the most commonly encountered causes of limb pain in athletes are chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS), medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), tibial stress fractures, soleal sling syndrome, and popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES). Of these, the least frequent but potentially most serious of the pathologies is PAES. With an incidence of less than 1% seen in living subject studies, the condition is rare. However, a missed diagnosis will likely lead to progression of the disease and potential for unnecessary invasive procedures (McAree et al. 2008). In this paper, we present a young athlete misdiagnosed and treated for chronic exertional compartment syndrome. In both descriptive and a quick-reference table format, we review current literature and discuss how best to distinguish functional PAES from other causes of activity-related leg pain.
Application of Central Composite Design in the Adsorption of Ca(II) on Metakaolin Zeolite
Authors: Guyo Upenyu , Phiri Lycenter Yard , Chigondo Fidelis
Published: August 2017

Metakaolin zeolite-A was synthesized from thermally activated kaolin clay and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction Spectroscopy. The effects of pH (2–10), contact time (10–180 min), initial concentration (5–120 mgL−1), and dosage (0.1–2 g) and their interactions were investigated using response surface methodology following a central composite design. Optimum removal (87.70%) was obtained at pH 6, contact time 180 min, initial concentration 40.0 mgL−1, and adsorbent dosage 1.0 g by Excel Solver using the GRG solving method. The adsorption data fitted best to the Langmuir model with correlation coefficient R2=0.993 and Chi-square value χ2=4.76. The Freundlich isotherm gave a correlation coefficient R2=0.933 and χ2=37.91. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order model. The calculated thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption process was endothermic and not thermodynamically spontaneous. The studied zeolite-A can therefore be used as a promising adsorbent for the removal of Ca(II) ions from aqueous solutions.
Solutions of Navier-Stokes Equation with Coriolis Force
Authors: Lee Sunggeun , Ryi Shin-Kun , Lim Hankwon
Published: August 2017

We investigate the Navier-Stokes equation in the presence of Coriolis force in this article. First, the vortex equation with the Coriolis effect is discussed. It turns out that the vorticity can be generated due to a rotation coming from the Coriolis effect, Ω. In both steady state and two-dimensional flow, the vorticity vector ω gets shifted by the amount of -2Ω. Second, we consider the specific expression of the velocity vector of the Navier-Stokes equation in two dimensions. For the two-dimensional potential flow v→=∇→ϕ, the equation satisfied by ϕ is independent of Ω. The remaining Navier-Stokes equation reduces to the nonlinear partial differential equations with respect to the velocity and the corresponding exact solution is obtained. Finally, the steady convective diffusion equation is considered for the concentration c and can be solved with the help of Navier-Stokes equation for two-dimensional potential flow. The convective diffusion equation can be solved in three dimensions with a simple choice of c.
A Simple Incorporation Route of Tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum(III) into Transparent Mesoporous Silica Films and Their Photofunctions
Authors: Tagaya Motohiro , Shinozaki Kenji , Maruko Yuri
Published: August 2017

The molecular aggregation states of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum(III) (Alq) adsorbed in the transparent mesoporous silica (MPS) films with the different pore sizes (3.0 and 5.4 nm) were successfully clarified. The Alq molecules were easily incorporated into the films from the solution without the segregation on the surfaces. The adsorbed amount of Alq was controlled by changing the added amount in the initial solution to resultantly give the transparent and yellow-color films. The photoluminescence spectra significantly revealed that the state of Alq molecules in the mesopore varied depending on the adsorbed amount of Alq as well as the pore size, suggesting the characteristic mobility of the adsorbed Alq molecules in the mesopores as compared with that at the bulk or solution state. Therefore, the guest-guest interactions between Alq molecules as well as the host-guest interactions between Alq and mesopore were elucidated. This finding by the use of the mesoporous film hosts will be utilized for including luminescence species and be applicable for optical devices.
Joint Extraction of Entities and Relations Using Reinforcement Learning and Deep Learning
Authors: Feng Yuntian , Zhang Hongjun , Hao Wenning , Chen Gang
Published: August 2017

We use both reinforcement learning and deep learning to simultaneously extract entities and relations from unstructured texts. For reinforcement learning, we model the task as a two-step decision process. Deep learning is used to automatically capture the most important information from unstructured texts, which represent the state in the decision process. By designing the reward function per step, our proposed method can pass the information of entity extraction to relation extraction and obtain feedback in order to extract entities and relations simultaneously. Firstly, we use bidirectional LSTM to model the context information, which realizes preliminary entity extraction. On the basis of the extraction results, attention based method can represent the sentences that include target entity pair to generate the initial state in the decision process. Then we use Tree-LSTM to represent relation mentions to generate the transition state in the decision process. Finally, we employ Q-Learning algorithm to get control policy π in the two-step decision process. Experiments on ACE2005 demonstrate that our method attains better performance than the state-of-the-art method and gets a 2.4% increase in recall-score.
Mode Choice Model for Public Transport with Categorized Latent Variables
Authors: Chen Jian , Li Shoujie
Published: August 2017

Mode choice model for public transport, which integrates structural equation model (SEM) and discrete choice model (DCM) with categorized latent variables, was presented in this paper. Apart from identifying those important latent variables that affect mode choice for public transport, the objective of this study was also to develop an improved disaggregative model that better explains travel behavior of those decision‐makers in choosing public transport. After extensive observations, selective latent variable sets which consist of latent variable components were chosen together with explicit variables in formulating the utility functions. Data collected in Chengdu city, China, were used to calibrate and validate the model. Results showed that the impact of fare on mode choice of public transport escalated in the SEM‐DCM integrated model compared with the traditional logit model. The goodness of fit for the integrated model with latent variable sets is 0.201 higher than that of the traditional logit model, which proves that latent variables have an obvious impact on mode choice behavior, and the SEM‐DCM integrated model has higher accuracy and stronger explanatory ability. The results are especially helpful for public transport operators to achieve higher mode share split by improving the service quality of public transport in terms of providing more convenience and better service environment for public transport users.
Drinking Water Quality Status and Contamination in Pakistan
Authors: Daud M. K. , Nafees Muhammad , Ali Shafaqat , Rizwan Muhammad , Bajwa Raees Ahmad , Shakoor Muhammad Bilal , Arshad Muhammad Umair , Chatha Shahzad Ali Shahid , Deeba Farah , Murad Waheed , Malook Ijaz , Zhu Shui Jin
Published: August 2017

Due to alarming increase in population and rapid industrialization, drinking water quality is being deteriorated day by day in Pakistan. This review sums up the outcomes of various research studies conducted for drinking water quality status of different areas of Pakistan by taking into account the physicochemical properties of drinking water as well as the presence of various pathogenic microorganisms. About 20% of the whole population of Pakistan has access to safe drinking water. The remaining 80% of population is forced to use unsafe drinking water due to the scarcity of safe and healthy drinking water sources. The primary source of contamination is sewerage (fecal) which is extensively discharged into drinking water system supplies. Secondary source of pollution is the disposal of toxic chemicals from industrial effluents, pesticides, and fertilizers from agriculture sources into the water bodies. Anthropogenic activities cause waterborne diseases that constitute about 80% of all diseases and are responsible for 33% of deaths. This review highlights the drinking water quality, contamination sources, sanitation situation, and effects of unsafe drinking water on humans. There is immediate need to take protective measures and treatment technologies to overcome unhygienic condition of drinking water supplies in different areas of Pakistan.
Antifatigue Functions and Mechanisms of Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms
Authors: Geng Ping , Siu Ka-Chai , Wang Zhaomei , Wu Jian-Yong
Published: August 2017

Fatigue is the symptom of tiredness caused by physical and/or psychological stresses. As fatigue is becoming a serious problem in the modern society affecting human health, work efficiency, and quality of life, effective antifatigue remedies other than pharmacological drugs or therapies are highly needed. Mushrooms have been widely used as health foods, because of their various bioactive constituents such as polysaccharides, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. This paper reviews the major findings from previous studies on the antifatigue effects, the active components of mushrooms, and the possible mechanisms. Many studies have demonstrated the antifatigue effects of edible and medicinal mushrooms. These mushrooms probably mitigate human fatigue through effects on the functional systems, including the muscular, cardiovascular, hormone, and immune system. The bioactive constituents that contribute to the antifatigue effects of mushrooms may include polysaccharides, peptides, nucleosides, phenolic compounds, and triterpenoids. Further research is still needed to identify the active ingredients and to investigate their mechanism of action on the antifatigue effects. Since most previous studies have been carried out in animal models, more human trials should be performed to verify the antifatigue function of edible and medicinal mushrooms.
A NOTE ON INNOVATION AND JUSTIFICATION
Authors: Hendricks Vincent Fella , Pedersen Stig Andur
Published: August 2017

Within epistemology and the philosophy of science there is, in a number of cases, an a-symmetrical relation or even complementarity between innovation and justification. Innovations are not always justifiable, within the currently accepted body of scientific knowledge and readily justifiable innovations are seldom too interesting. This paper describes some such cases drawn from the history of science and attempts to classify different types of innovations.
WHY MIXED EQUILIBRIA MAY NOT BE CONVENTIONS
Authors: Hansen Pelle G.
Published: August 2017

In his Convention (1969) David Lewis defined conventions as behavioural regularities instantiating proper coordination equilibria made salient by precedent and operational by this being common knowledge. While later proponents of game theoretical approaches in the study of convention have agreed on dropping Lewis’ eccentric ‘coordination’ requirement as well as that of common knowledge, they are confused as to whether conventions should be regarded as proper thereby precluding mixed equilibria. In this paper I argue that mixed equilibria may not be conventions, but also suggest that the reason for this reveals that though common knowledge is not necessary for a convention to operate, it may be utilized to identify the conventional aspect of a given practice.
INTROSPECTION, THEORY AND INTROSPECTIONISM
Authors: Beenfeldt Christian
Published: August 2017

Modern psychology, it is widely held, was born as a “science of mental life” based almost exclusively on the method of introspection. The most salient example is E.B. Titchener’s influential system of psychology known as “introspectionism.” Early in the twentieth century, this approach fell into disfavor—and, in turn, introspection as such also came to be seen as a dead end in psychology. As this paper argues, Titchener’s psychology was based on the key notions of elementism, reductionism and sensationism. His philosophical commitment to these suppositions was deep and the general aim was to deliver a comprehensive scientific account of human mental life in accordance with that pre-experimental, theoretical agenda. The scientific goal of introspectionism was thus not to describe mental phenomena as they naturally and plainly form part of the subject’s experience. Here, Titchener’s approach contrasts rather starkly with contemporary introspective approaches, such as Descriptive Experience Sampling, that aim to bracket assumptions and theory. In sum, this paper calls into question the assumption that introspectionism in psychology should be regarded as an archetypal instantiation in the history of science, of a psychological system built on a fundamental commitment to introspection.
CONTRADICTIONS ARE THEORETICAL, NEITHER MATERIAL NOR PRACTICAL. ON DIALECTICS IN TONG, MAO AND HEGEL
Authors: Sørensen Asger
Published: August 2017

Tong Shijun holds a concept of dialectics which can also be found in Mao’s writings and in classical Chinese philosophy. Tong, however, is ambivalent in his attitude to dialectics in this sense, and for this reason he recommends Chinese philosophy to focus more on formal logic. My point will be that with another concept of dialectics Tong can have dialectics without giving up on logic and epistemology. This argument is given substance by an analysis of texts by Mao, Tong and Hegel.
A Simple Daily Cycle Temperature Boundary Condition for Ground Surfaces in CFD Predictions of Urban Wind Flows
Authors: Wang Xiaoxue , Li Yuguo , Wang Kai , Yang Xinyan , Chan Pak Wai
Published: August 2017

The atmospheric boundary exhibits an obvious diurnal cycle. The daily cycle of climate variation has a significant effect on urban airflow, and an understanding of it is very important for city-scale environmental control. A new and simple daily cycle temperature boundary condition for simulations of urban airflows with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is described herein. An analytical surface temperature formula was obtained after simplifying longwave radiation and sensible heat flux terms. The formula provides a reasonably good prediction of ground surface temperatures on sunny days without adding much complexity. The accuracy of the prediction of daily surface temperature variations in homogeneous soils was evaluated with a benchmark experiment and with weather station data. The new boundary condition was implemented in the commercial CFD software Fluent for a city-scale model. The implementation demonstrates the importance of including diurnal temperature profiles and atmospheric boundary conditions in CFD simulations of urban plumes in which an ideal urban heat island circulation occurs.
Linking the Tropical Northern Hemisphere Pattern to the Pacific Warm Blob and Atlantic Cold Blob
Authors: Liang Yu-Chiao , Yu Jin-Yi , Saltzman Eric S. , Wang Fan
Published: August 2017

During 2013–15, prolonged near-surface warming in the northeastern Pacific was observed and has been referred to as the Pacific warm blob. Here, statistical analyses are conducted to show that the generation of the Pacific blob is closely related to the tropical Northern Hemisphere (TNH) pattern in the atmosphere. When the TNH pattern stays in its positive phase for extended periods of time, it generates prolonged blob events primarily through anomalies in surface heat fluxes and secondarily through anomalies in wind-induced ocean advection. Five prolonged (≥24 months) blob events are identified during the past six decades (1948–2015), and the TNH–blob relationship can be recognized in all of them. Although the Pacific decadal oscillation and El Niño can also induce an arc-shaped warming pattern near the Pacific blob region, they are not responsible for the generation of Pacific blob events. The essential feature of Pacific blob generation is the TNH-forced Gulf of Alaska warming pattern. This study also finds that the atmospheric circulation anomalies associated with the TNH pattern in the North Atlantic can induce SST variability akin to the so-called Atlantic cold blob, also through anomalies in surface heat fluxes and wind-induced ocean advection. As a result, the TNH pattern serves as an atmospheric conducting pattern that connects some of the Pacific warm blob and Atlantic cold blob events. This conducting mechanism has not previously been explored.
Dynamics of a Turbulent Buoyant Plume in a Stratified Fluid: An Idealized Model of Subglacial Discharge in Greenland Fjords
Authors: Ezhova Ekaterina , Cenedese Claudia , Brandt Luca
Published: August 2017

This study reports the results of large-eddy simulations of an axisymmetric turbulent buoyant plume in a stratified fluid. The configuration used is an idealized model of the plume generated by a subglacial discharge at the base of a tidewater glacier with an ambient stratification typical of Greenland fjords. The plume is discharged from a round source of various diameters and characteristic stratifications for summer and winter are considered. The classical theory for the integral parameters of a turbulent plume in a homogeneous fluid gives accurate predictions in the weakly stratified lower layer up to the pycnocline, and the plume dynamics are not sensitive to changes in the source diameter. In winter, when the stratification is similar to an idealized two-layer case, turbulent entrainment and generation of internal waves by the plume top are in agreement with the theoretical and numerical results obtained for turbulent jets in a two-layer stratification. In summer, instead, the stratification is more complex and turbulent entrainment by the plume top is significantly reduced. The subsurface layer in summer is characterized by a strong density gradient and the oscillating plume generates internal waves that might serve as an indicator of submerged plumes not penetrating to the surface.
Application of IVAP-Based Observation Operator in Radar Radial Velocity Assimilation: The Case of Typhoon Fitow
Authors: Chen Feng , Liang Xudong , Ma Hao
Published: August 2017

An improved Doppler radar radial velocity assimilation observation operator is proposed based on the integrating velocity–azimuth process (IVAP) method. This improved operator can ingest both radial wind and its spatial distribution characteristics to deduce the two components of the mean wind within a given area. With this operator, the system can be used to assimilate information from tangential wind and radial wind. On the other hand, because the improved observation operator is defined within a given area, which can be uniformly chosen in both the observation and analysis coordinate systems, it has a thinning function. The traditional observation operator and the improved observation operator, along with their corresponding data processing modules, were implemented in the community Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation analysis system (GSI) to demonstrate the superiority of the improved operator. The results of single analysis unit experiments revealed that the two operators are comparable when the analysis unit is small. When the analysis unit becomes larger, the analysis results of the improved operator are better than those of the traditional operator because the former can ingest more wind information than the latter. The results of a typhoon case study indicated that both operators effectively ingested radial wind information and produced more reasonable typhoon structures than those in the background fields. The tangential velocity relative to the radar was retrieved by the improved operator through ingesting tangential wind information from the spatial distribution characteristics of radial wind. Because of the improved vortex intensity and structure, obvious improvements were seen in both track and intensity predictions when the improved operator was used.
Social workers’ attitudes toward human rights in a sample from Taiwan
Authors: Chen Hsin-Yi , Tang I-Chen
Published: August 2017

The human rights concept is that everyone is entitled to enjoy those rights inherent to being human, without distinction. However, should human rights be considered a self-evident value for the social work profession? This study was to explore how social workers in Taiwan perceive the human rights concept. Responses from 276 social worker participants were analyzed by using a self-administered questionnaire. This study showed that social workers had a general knowledge of human rights. Receiving human rights educational training and engaging in social protests were important variables in increasing human rights awareness for social work practitioners.
Finite element analysis of dynamic progressive failure properties of GLARE hybrid laminates under low-velocity impact
Authors: Liao BB , Liu PF
Published: August 2017

This paper aims to study dynamic progressive failure properties of glass fiber composite/aluminium hybrid laminates under low-velocity impact. Intralaminar damage models using Puck failure criteria and strain-based damage evolution laws for composite layers are implemented by developing finite element codes using ABAQUS-VUMAT (user dynamic material subroutine), the interface delamination is simulated by bilinear cohesive model in ABAQUS and the mechanical properties of aluminium layers are described using the Johnson-Cook model. Effects of different layer thickness and impact energy on the impact force–time/displacement curves of glass fiber composite/aluminium laminates under low-velocity impact are discussed. Besides, damage evolution behaviors of matrix and delamination interface are explored. Finally, energy dissipation mechanisms due to intralaminar dynamic progressive failure, interlaminar delamination of composite layers and plastic deformation of aluminium layers are studied. Relatively good agreement is obtained between experimental and numerical results.
Queer exceptionalism and exclusion: Cosmopolitanism and inequalities in ‘gay-friendly’ Beirut
Authors: Moussawi Ghassan
Published: August 2017

This article examines how LGBTQ individuals in Beirut articulate discourses of progress, modernity, and exceptionalism in light of the regional geopolitical situation. While transnational discourses portray Beirut as an open and cosmopolitan city in the Arab World, the study focuses on how LGBTQ individuals engage with and negotiate these discourses in their everyday lives. The author examines the gap between discourses of Beiruti openness and exceptionalism, and the realities of exclusion experienced by LGBTQ individuals in Beirut. Focusing on unequal access to space, the author asks, for whom is Beirut cosmopolitan and gay-friendly? Drawing on ethnographic observations and 20 life-history interviews with LGBTQ individuals in Beirut, the author finds that LGBTQ individuals in Beirut create relational understandings of modernity and cosmopolitanism that situate Beirut in relation to other Arab cities, rather than just Euro-American cities. In addition, gender normativity and class shape LGBTQ individuals’ access to several types of spaces. Finally, it is suggested that scholars must be attentive to celebratory discourses of exceptionalism and cosmopolitanism of places, and conceptualize them as relational and contextual designations which obscure inequalities that characterize those places.
Facile dip-coating process towards multifunctional nonwovens: Robust noise reduction, abrasion resistance and antistatic electricity
Authors: Tang Xiaoning , Zhang Xiansheng , Zhang Huiping , Zhuang Xingmin , Yan Xiong
Published: August 2017

In this study, a multifunctional hybrid coating consisting of waterborne polyurethane (WPU), graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was deposited onto the surface of nonwoven fabrics via a dip-coating approach. The results of noise reduction indicated that the acoustic transmission loss of control nonwoven fabrics increased from 3.87 dB to higher than 18 dB after WPU and graphite modification. Moreover, the prepared nonwoven fabrics could withstand more than 2000 times the abrasion against grinding wheels, which significantly improved in comparison with control nonwoven fabrics. The surface resistance of modified nonwoven fabrics decreased approximately seven orders of magnitudes, which exhibited robust antistatic properties. Therefore, it can be concluded that the facile dip-coating method has potential for noise reduction simultaneously with abrasion resistance and antistatic electricity applications.
Making Boundaries Great Again: Essentialism and Support for Boundary-Enhancing Initiatives
Authors: Roberts Steven O. , Ho Arnold K. , Rhodes Marjorie , Gelman Susan A.
Published: August 2017

Psychological essentialism entails a focus on category boundaries (e.g., categorizing people as men or women) and an increase in the conceptual distance between those boundaries (e.g., accentuating the differences between men and women). Across eight studies, we demonstrate that essentialism additionally entails an increase in support for boundary-enhancing legislation, policies, and social services, and that it does so under conditions that disadvantage social groups, as well as conditions that benefit them. First, individual differences in essentialism were associated with support for legislation mandating that transgender people use restrooms corresponding with their biological sex, and with support for the boundary-enhancing policies of the 2016 then-presumptive Republican presidential nominee (i.e., Donald Trump). Second, essentialism was associated with support for same-gender classrooms designed to promote student learning, as well as support for services designed to benefit LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) individuals. These findings demonstrate the boundary-enhancing implications of essentialism and their social significance.
Whose Preferences Matter? A Patient-Centered Approach for Eliciting Treatment Goals
Authors: Col Nananda F. , Solomon Andrew J. , Springmann Vicky , Garbin Calvin P. , Ionete Carolina , Pbert Lori , Alvarez Enrique , Tierman Brenda , Hopson Ashli , Kutz Christen , Berrios Morales Idanis , Griffin Carolyn , Phillips Glenn , Ngo Long H.
Published: August 2017

Background. Patients facing a high-stakes clinical decision are often confronted with an overwhelming array of options. High-quality decisions about treatment should reflect patients’ preferences as well as their clinical characteristics. Preference-assessment instruments typically focus on pre-selected clinical outcomes and attributes chosen by the investigator. Objective. We sought to develop a patient-centered approach to elicit and compare the treatment goals of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthcare providers (HCPs). Methods. We conducted five nominal group technique (NGT) meetings to elicit and prioritize treatment goals from patients and HCPs. Five to nine participants in each group responded silently to one question about their treatment goals. Responses were shared, consolidated, and ranked to develop a prioritized list for each group. The ranked lists were combined. Goals were rated and sorted into categories. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to derive a visual representation, or cognitive map, of the data and to identify conceptual clusters, reflecting how frequently items were sorted into the same category. Results. Five NGT groups yielded 34 unique patient-generated treatment goals and 31 unique HCP-generated goals. There were differences between patients and HCPs in the goals generated and how they were clustered. Patients’ goals tended to focus on the impact of specific symptoms on their day-to-day lives, whereas providers’ goals focused on slowing down the course of disease progression. Conclusions. Differences between the treatment goals of patients and HCPs underscore the limitations of using HCP- or investigator-identified goals. This new adaptation of cognitive mapping is a patient-centered approach that can be used to generate and organize the outcomes and attributes for values clarification exercises while minimizing investigator bias and maximizing relevance to patients.
Multi-robot formation control and object transport in dynamic environments via constrained optimization
Authors: Alonso-Mora Javier , Baker Stuart , Rus Daniela
Published: August 2017

We present a constrained optimization method for multi-robot formation control in dynamic environments, where the robots adjust the parameters of the formation, such as size and three-dimensional orientation, to avoid collisions with static and moving obstacles, and to make progress towards their goal. We describe two variants of the algorithm, one for local motion planning and one for global path planning. The local planner first computes a large obstacle-free convex region in a neighborhood of the robots, embedded in position-time space. Then, the parameters of the formation are optimized therein by solving a constrained optimization, via sequential convex programming. The robots navigate towards the optimized formation with individual controllers that account for their dynamics. The idea is extended to global path planning by sampling convex regions in free position space and connecting them if a transition in formation is possible - computed via the constrained optimization. The path of lowest cost to the goal is then found via graph search. The method applies to ground and aerial vehicles navigating in two- and three-dimensional environments among static and dynamic obstacles, allows for reconfiguration, and is efficient and scalable with the number of robots. In particular, we consider two applications, a team of aerial vehicles navigating in formation, and a small team of mobile manipulators that collaboratively carry an object. The approach is verified in experiments with a team of three mobile manipulators and in simulations with a team of up to sixteen Micro Air Vehicles (quadrotors).
Interactive robogami: An end-to-end system for design of robots with ground locomotion
Authors: Schulz Adriana , Sung Cynthia , Spielberg Andrew , Zhao Wei , Cheng Robin , Grinspun Eitan , Rus Daniela , Matusik Wojciech
Published: August 2017

This paper aims to democratize the design and fabrication of robots, enabling people of all skill levels to make robots without needing expert domain knowledge. Existing work in computational design and rapid fabrication has explored this question of customization for physical objects but so far has not been able to conquer the complexity of robot designs. We have developed Interactive Robogami, a tool for composition-based design of ground robots that can be fabricated as flat sheets and then folded into 3D structures. This rapid prototyping process enables users to create lightweight, affordable, and materially versatile robots with short turnaround time. Using Interactive Robogami, designers can compose new robot designs from a database of print-and-fold parts. The designs are tested for the users’ functional specifications via simulation and fabricated on user satisfaction. We present six robots designed and fabricated using a 3D printing based approach, as well as a larger robot cut from sheet metal. We have also conducted a user study that demonstrates that our tool is intuitive for novice designers and expressive enough to create a wide variety of ground robot designs.
The politics of community: Togetherness, transition and post-politics
Authors: Aiken Gerald Taylor
Published: August 2017

This article excavates the role, function and practices of community within Transition, a grassroots environmentalist movement. It does so to pursue a quest for understanding if, how, and in what ways, community-based environmental movements are ‘political’. When community-based low carbon initiatives are discussed academically, they can be critiqued; this critique is in turn often based on the perception that the crucial community aspect tends to be a settled, static and reified condition of (human) togetherness. However community—both in theory and practice—is not destined to be so. This article collects and evaluates data from two large research projects on the Transition movement. It takes this ethnographic evidence together with lessons from post-political theory, to outline the capacious, diverse and progressive forms of community that exists within the movement. Doing so, it argues against a blanket post-political diagnosis of community transitions, and opens up, yet again, the consequences of the perceptions and prejudices one has about community are more than mere theoretical posturing.
The Kenite Origin of the Sotah Prescription (Numbers 5.11–31)
Authors: Amzallag Nissim , Yona Shamir
Published: August 2017

The prescription administered to the woman suspected of adultery (Num. 5.11–31) remains an enigma as long as ‭רפע‬, the essential component of the potion, is understood as dust or earth. The whole procedure is clarified, however, once ‭רפע‬ is identified as copper ore, given that the symptoms of copper intoxication fit the main and side effects of the potion precisely as evoked in this text. The Sotah prescription therefore has nothing to do with ordeal, magic practices or psychosomatic effects. It is a set of instructions administered during the early stages of pregnancy when doubts arise around paternity. The presence of copper ore in the sanctuary, together with the discrepancy between this practice and the Israelite laws and ethics addressing adultery, suggests that the Sotah prescription was borrowed from the Kenite metalworking religious context. Furthermore, its incongruence with the Israelite way of life reveals that this prescription was inserted ‘as is' in the book of Numbers.
Acropolis now
Authors: Josephy Svea
Published: August 2017

Ponte City is a project by Mikhael Subotzky and Patrick Waterhouse that uses photographs, architectural diagrams, text, interviews, fiction, found objects, oral history, and archival material to critically explore a particular urban landscape in Johannesburg. The exhibition and book, which comprise this project, manifest in different ways, but both work together to cut across disciplines and incorporate the languages of fine art, photography, architecture, urban planning, history, economics, popular culture, and literature. The publication comprises a book of photographs and pamphlets in which the artists have collaborated with former and current residents, gathered personal stories, delved into the archive, invited authors to contribute essays on a variety of topics, and worked with material found at the site. This article examines the notion of a ‘portrait of a city’ in relation to the Ponte City project, and asks the questions: What is a portrait of a city? Is it possible to take a ‘portrait of a city’, and what techniques are used when a photographer portrays places and people, or attempts to take, or make, a ‘portrait’ – of a city, a place or even a building such as Ponte? Can a building come to stand in for a city? And how have these strategies been put into play by Subotzky and Waterhouse in the Ponte City project?
Satellite cities
Authors: Josephy Svea
Published: August 2017

This photographic essay is about places that have the same names but are often worlds apart. Satellite Cities (2016) looks at the naming of settlements and suburbs primarily in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and their parallels in other parts of the world. It examines the possibility of relationships or connections between these disparate places, and their realities as sites of conflict and struggle, and of war, liberation, and reconciliation.
Combined estimation of the state of charge of a lithium battery based on a back-propagation– adaptive Kalman filter algorithm
Authors: Zhao Wanzhong , Kong Xiangchuang , Wang Chunyan
Published: August 2017

The precise estimation of the battery’s state of charge is one of the most significant and difficult techniques for battery management systems. In order to improve the accuracy of estimation of the state of charge, the forgetting-factor recursive least-squares method is used to achieve online identification of the model parameters based on the first-order RC battery model, and a back-propagation neural-network-assisted adaptive Kalman filter algorithm is proposed. A back-propagation neural network is established by using the MATLAB neural network toolbox and is trained offline on the basis of the battery test data; then the trained back-propagation neural network is used to realize the online optimized results of an adaptive Kalman filter algorithm for estimation of the state of charge. The proposed methodology for estimation of the state of charge is demonstrated using experimental lithium-ion battery module data in dynamic stress tests. The results indicate that, in comparison with the common adaptive Kalman filter algorithm, the back-propagation–adaptive Kalman filter algorithm significantly improved precise estimation of the state of charge.
Women’s constructions of heterosex and sexual embodiment after cancer
Authors: Parton Chloe , Ussher Jane M. , Perz Janette
Published: August 2017

The significant impact of cancer on women’s sexual well-being has been acknowledged increasingly within research. However, the role of cultural discourse in shaping women’s construction and embodied experience of sexuality has received less attention. In this study, we examined heterosexual women’s constructions of sexual embodiment in the context of cancer. Sixteen women across a range of ages (20–71 years), cancer types and stages took part in in-depth semi-structured interviews. A thematic decomposition analysis was conducted on the interview transcripts, drawing on feminist poststructuralist theory. A main theme was identified in which the women took up subject positions of “Embodying sexuality” and “Embodying the absence of sexuality”. Accounts of “Embodying sexuality” included “Experiencing bodily ease during sex” and “Managing a dysfunctional body during sex”. The women’s positioning of “Embodying the absence of sexuality” included “Asexuality and the absence of desire” and “Unsuccessful attempts to renegotiate sex”. Women’s intrapsychic negotiation of sexual and gendered discourse, the materiality of embodied change and relationship context influenced their constructions of sexual subjectivity. These findings indicate a need for researchers and clinicians to acknowledge cultural discourses of sex and gender that shape the possibilities and constraints for women’s sexual well-being after cancer.
European Works Councils after two decades
Authors: Hann Deborah , Hauptmeier Marco , Waddington Jeremy
Published: August 2017

The European Works Council Directive was adopted over 20 years ago, and a voluminous body of research has developed on this relatively new institution. This article reviews the most cited literature in order to consider our state of understanding of this research field and to identify gaps in our knowledge. Most research has focused on a limited number of European Works Councils, mainly in manufacturing, and on labour actors. We still know little about the interplay between European Works Councils and other levels of employment relations, the role of management in their working and their effects on substantive employment relations outcomes. By taking stock of current knowledge, we aim to advance future directions and possibilities for research on this theme.
Educating the Hindu Child Citizen
Authors: Sinha Ritu
Published: August 2017

A large amount of literature in this regard was produced by new institutional spaces like religious printing presses, caste associations and religious organizations that mushroomed significantly by early decades of twentieth century. The proliferation of Hindu religious printing and publishing in Hindi by presses like Gita Press of north India disseminated literature that targeted revival of religion in the region. Such institutional spaces were educational in nature mostly to inculcate the sense of belonging to golden past to construct nationalist identities based on religious ones. Consequently they championed the cause of education ‘to develop self reflexivity about their own tradition’ and revival of the cultural past. The discourses generated by them brought modern concepts like childhood, citizenship and nation-state in the realm of religion. These religious publishing as new constituents of revivalist Hindu religion developed nationalist religious pedagogy to craft disciplined Hindu citizens with overwhelming devotion for the country and its dominant religion.
Bovine viral diarrhea virus 1b fetal infection with extensive hemorrhage
Authors: Fulton Robert W. , Confer Anthony W. , Sorensen Nicholas J. , Ridpath Julia F. , Burge Lurinda J.
Published: August 2017

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) 1b was isolated from tissues of a term bovine fetus with petechial hemorrhages noted throughout the body and placenta at autopsy. Fresh lung, kidney, thymus, and liver tissues were examined by direct fluorescent antibody testing and were positive for BVDV antigen and negative for bovine herpesvirus 1 antigen. An organ pool of fresh tissues was positive for noncytopathic (NCP) BVDV-1 by virus isolation. BVDV-1b was identified by sequencing of the 5’-UTR region of the genome. Fixed brain, placenta, thymus, lymph node, lung, kidney, skeletal muscle, liver, and bone marrow were positive for BVDV antigen by immunohistochemistry. Although BVDV hemorrhage and/or thrombocytopenia has been associated historically with NCP strains of BVDV-2, this case adds to more recent reports of BVDV-1 infections and hemorrhage in cattle. This BVDV-1b isolate should be investigated for its potential to cause hemorrhage in postnatal cattle.
Using Visual Activity Schedules for Young Children With Challenging Behavior
Authors: Zimmerman Kathleen N. , Ledford Jennifer R. , Barton Erin E.
Published: August 2017

Young children with challenging behavior may require individualized interventions to facilitate improved outcomes. Visual activity schedules (VAS) have been well documented for improving engagement, transition, and recreation behaviors with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID). However, children exhibiting challenging behavior in inclusive preschool settings do not necessarily have an ASD or ID diagnosis. This study evaluated the use of constant time delay (CTD) to teach three children without ASD or ID to use VAS. Engagement and challenging behavior were measured in the context of A-B-A-B withdrawal designs. Children learned to use the VAS and levels of engagement and challenging behavior matched levels similar to typical peers. However, children did not generalize schedule use to novel contexts. Results suggested that CTD+VAS may be a feasible individualized intervention to increase engagement in young children with challenging behavior who do not have ASD or ID.
A Clinicopathological Study of Small Lung Adenocarcinoma 1 cm or Less in Size: Emphasis on Histological Subtypes Associated With Lymph Node Metastasis and Recurrence
Authors: Zhao Wei , Wang Hui , Xie Jun , Tian Bo
Published: August 2017

Background. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic significance of the newly proposed 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) lung adenocarcinoma classification for patients undergoing resection for small (≤1 cm) lung adenocarcinoma. We also investigated whether lobectomy offers prognostic advantage over limited resection for this category of tumors. Methods. A retrospective study of resected pulmonary adenocarcinomas (n = 83) in sizes 1 cm or less was carried out in which comprehensive histologic subtyping was assessed according to the 2015 WHO classification on all consecutive patients who underwent lobectomy or limited resection between 1998 and 2012. Correlation between clinicopathologic parameters and the difference in recurrence between lobectomy and limited resection group was evaluated. Results. Our data show that the proposed 2015 WHO classification identifies histological subsets of small lung adenocarcinomas with significant differences in prognosis. No recurrence was noted for patients with adenocarcinoma in situ and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma. Invasive adenocarcinomas displayed high heterogeneity and the presence of micropapillary component of 5% or greater in adenocarcinomas was significantly related to lymph node involvement and recurrence ( P < .001). Stage IA patients who underwent limited resection had a higher risk of recurrence than did those treated by lobectomy ( P < .05). Conclusions. Application of the 2015 WHO classification identifies patients with adenocarcinoma in situ and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma had excellent prognosis. Micropapillary pattern was associated with high risk of lymph node metastasis and recurrence.
Dual Therapy Deflazacort/Doxycyclyne Is Better Than Deflazacort Monotherapy to Alleviate Cardiomyopathy in Dystrophin-Deficient mdx Mice
Authors: Pereira Juliano Alves , Mauricio Adriana Fogagnolo , Marques Maria Julia , Neto Humberto Santo
Published: August 2017

Cardiomyopathy related to the absence of dystrophin is an important feature in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and in the mdx mouse. Doxycycline (DOX) could be a potential therapy for mdx skeletal muscles dystrophy. We investigated whether the corticoid deflazacort (DFZ) plus DOX could improve cardiac mdx dystrophy better than DFZ alone, later (17 months) in dystrophy. Mdx mice (8 months old) received DFZ/DOX or DFZ for 9 months. The combined therapy was greater than DFZ in reducing fibrosis (60% decrease with DFZ/DOX and 40% with DFZ alone) in the right ventricle and transforming growth factor β levels (6.8 ± 3.2 in untreated mdx mice, 2.8 ± 1.4 in combined therapy, and 4.6 ± 1.7 in DFZ; P < .05). Combined therapy more effectively ameliorated cardiac dysfunction (electrocardiogram [ECG]) than DFZ. Improvements were seen in the cardiomyopathy index (0.8 ± 0.1 in combined therapy and 1.0 ± 0.2 in DFZ), heart rate (418 ± 46 bpm in combined therapy and 457 ± 29 bpm in DFZ), QRS interval (11.3 ± 2 in combined therapy and 13.6 ± 1 in DFZ), and Q wave amplitude (−40.7 ± 21 in combined therapy and −90.9 ± 36 in DFZ). Both therapies decreased markers of inflammation (tumor necrosis factor α, nuclear factor κB, and metalloproteinase 9). DFZ/DOX improved mdx cardiomyopathy at this stage of the disease, supporting further clinical investigations.
An experimental investigation of a microturbine simulated rotor supported on multileaf gas foil bearings with backing bump foils
Authors: Zhang Bo , Qi Shemiao , Feng Sheng , Geng Haipeng , Sun Yanhua , Yu Lie
Published: August 2017

Two multileaf gas foil journal bearings with backing bump foils and one set of gas foil thrust bearings were designed, fabricated, and used in a 100 kW class microturbine simulated rotor system to ensure stability of the system. Meanwhile, a preliminary test rig had been built to verify the simulated system stability. The rotor synchronous and subsynchronous responses were well controlled by using of the gas foil bearings. It is on the multileaf gas foil bearings with backing bump foils that the test was conducted and verified for the first time in open literatures. The success in the experiments shows that the design and fabrication of the rotor and the gas foil bearings can provide a useful guide to the development of the advanced high speed rotating machinery.