bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ANUBIS: Artificial Neuromodulation Using a Bayesian Inference System
Authors: Smith Benjamin J. H. , Saaj Chakravarthini M. , Allouis Elie
Published: September 2012

Gain tuning is a crucial part of controller design and depends not only on an accurate understanding of the system in question, but also on the designer's ability to predict what disturbances and other perturbations the system will encounter throughout its operation. This letter presents ANUBIS (artificial neuromodulation using a Bayesian inference system), a novel biologically inspired technique for automatically tuning controller parameters in real time. ANUBIS is based on the Bayesian brain concept and modifies it by incorporating a model of the neuromodulatory system comprising four artificial neuromodulators. It has been applied to the controller of EchinoBot, a prototype walking rover for Martian exploration. ANUBIS has been implemented at three levels of the controller; gait generation, foot trajectory planning using Bézier curves, and foot trajectory tracking using a terminal sliding mode controller. We compare the results to a similar system that has been tuned using a multilayer perceptron. The use of Bayesian inference means that the system retains mathematical interpretability, unlike other intelligent tuning techniques, which use neural networks, fuzzy logic, or evolutionary algorithms. The simulation results show that ANUBIS provides significant improvements in efficiency and adaptability of the three controller components; it allows the robot to react to obstacles and uncertainties faster than the system tuned with the MLP, while maintaining stability and accuracy. As well as advancing rover autonomy, ANUBIS could also be applied to other situations where operating conditions are likely to change or cannot be accurately modeled in advance, such as process control. In addition, it demonstrates one way in which neuromodulation could fit into the Bayesian brain framework.
Pavlov's Dog Associative Learning Demonstrated on Synaptic-Like Organic Transistors
Authors: Bichler O. , Zhao W. , Alibart F. , Pleutin S. , Lenfant S. , Vuillaume D. , Gamrat C.
Published: September 2012

In this letter, we present an original demonstration of an associative learning neural network inspired by the famous Pavlov's dogs experiment. A single nanoparticle organic memory field effect transistor (NOMFET) is used to implement each synapse. We show how the physical properties of this dynamic memristive device can be used to perform low-power write operations for the learning and implement short-term association using temporal coding and spike-timing-dependent plasticity–based learning. An electronic circuit was built to validate the proposed learning scheme with packaged devices, with good reproducibility despite the complex synaptic-like dynamic of the NOMFET in pulse regime.
Evaluation of Forecast Potential with GCM-Driven Fields for Pollution over an Urban Air Basin
Authors: Goswami Prashant , Baruah J.
Published: September 2012

Species like suspended particulate matter (SPM), respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) not only act as atmospheric pollutants but also affect long-term climate through radiative and chemical forcing. Earlier work has shown that the daily variations in these species over a location could be simulated quite well by considering daily meteorological fields from NCEP–NCAR reanalysis data in combination with models for natural and anthropogenic sources over Delhi, India. In the present work this possibility is explored by simulating the pollutant concentrations by using forecast fields from an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM); this takes the model closer to a forecast model. Because of the coarse resolution, however, the present work considers an air basin rather than a detailed spatiotemporal distribution. Although the GCM has been tested at a resolution below 50 km, one of the objectives of the present work is to also compare and assess the impacts of a GCM-generated field with reference to NCEP–NCAR reanalysis data used in earlier work. In the present work the interaction is one way, and active chemistry for the species is not considered; thus the work should be regarded as a minimal forecast model, especially for SO2and NO2. Similarly, although the present work quantifies forecast skill, the skill estimated is again for a minimal configuration as aspects like data assimilation are not considered here. It is shown that the GCM-driven model has skill comparable to skill obtained when using NCEP–NCAR reanalysis data.
The Tropospheric Land–Sea Warming Contrast as the Driver of Tropical Sea Level Pressure Changes
Authors: Bayr Tobias , Dommenget Dietmar
Published: September 2012

This article addresses the causes of the large-scale tropical sea level pressure (SLP) changes during climate change. The analysis presented here is based on model simulations, observed trends, and the seasonal cycle. In all three cases the regional changes of tropospheric temperature (Ttropos) and SLP are strongly related to each other [considerably more strongly than (sea) surface temperature and SLP]. This relationship basically follows the Bjerknes circulation theorem, with relatively low regional SLP where there is relatively high Ttropos and vice versa. A simple physical model suggests a tropical SLP response to horizontally inhomogeneous warming in the tropical Ttropos, with a sensitivity coefficient of about −1.7 hPa K−1. This relationship explains a large fraction of observed and predicted changes in the tropical SLP.

It is shown that in climate change model simulations the tropospheric land–sea warming contrast is the most significant structure in the regional Ttropos changes relative to the tropical mean changes. Since the land–sea warming contrast exists in the absence of any atmospheric circulation changes, it can be argued that the large-scale response of tropical SLP changes is to first order a response to the tropical land–sea warming contrast. Furthermore, as the land–sea warming contrast is mostly moisture dependent, the models predict a stronger warming and decreasing SLP in the drier regions from South America to Africa and a weaker warming and increasing SLP over the wetter Indo-Pacific warm pool region. This suggests an increase in the potential for deep convection conditions over the Atlantic sector and a decrease over the Indo-Pacific warm pool region in the future.
GPS Dropwindsonde and WSR-88D Observations of Tropical Cyclone Vertical Wind Profiles and Their Characteristics
Authors: Giammanco Ian M. , Schroeder John L. , Powell Mark D.
Published: September 2012

The characteristics of tropical cyclone vertical wind profiles and their associated wind speed peaks below 1.5 km were examined through the use of a large number of GPS dropwindsondes (GPS sondes) and radar-derived velocity–azimuth display (VAD) profiles. Composite wind profiles were generated to document the mean structure of tropical cyclone vertical wind profiles and their changes with storm-relative position. Composite profiles were observed to change as the radius decreased inward toward the radius of maximum winds. Profiles also varied between three azimuthal sectors. At landfall, wind profiles exhibited changes with radial distance and differences were observed between those within offshore and onshore flow regimes. The observations support a general reduction in boundary layer depth with decreasing radial distance. Wind profiles with peaks at low altitudes were typically confined to radii less than 60 km, near and radially inward from the radius of maximum winds. Wind speed maxima, when scaled by a layer mean wind, decreased in magnitude as the radius decreased. At landfall, composite profiles showed a distinct low-level wind speed maximum in the eyewall region with significant differences between the onshore and offshore flow regimes.
Tactics of Legitimation in the Psychedelic Sciences
Authors: Corbin Michelle
Published: September 2012

I argue that psychedelic substances served as a doorway through which spirituality entered the scientific laboratory to an unprecedented degree by making spirituality more accessible to scientific methodologies. From a feminist sociology of knowledge perspective, these controversial sciences represent a unique opportunity to investigate the politics of knowledge constituting these traditionally demarcated and historically hierarchical systems of knowledge. Using discourse analysis I found that psychedelic scientists utilized a range of what I call tactics of legitimation to justify the scientific study of these peculiar substances and the spirituality associated with them vis-à-vis dominant scientific knowledges. Drawing on feminist theories of science and knowledge, I analyze the attendant epistemological costs of this assimilation in relation to the intersecting politics of race, class and gender. More broadly, this project demonstrates how a feminist theoretical perspective on sociology of knowledge enhances politically essential analyses of the co-constitutive relationships between knowledge, power and consciousness.
Perceived Stress and Vascular Disease
Authors: Katsarou Alexia L. , Triposkiadis Filippos , Panagiotakos Demosthenes
Published: September 2012

Apart from traditional risk factors, psychosocial characteristics are increasingly considered as potential predictors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The concept of stress is relevant when discussing the relationship between psychosocial factors and CVD. Among stress types and definitions (ie, marital stress, work stress), “perceived stress” presents a global and comprehensive stress construct and is based on the concept that individuals actively interact with their environment, appraising potentially threatening or challenging events in the light of available coping resources. However, the role of perceived stress in CVD incidence has not yet been completely elucidated. Thus, we evaluate perceived stress as a CVD risk factor by reviewing the literature. We also discuss the relationship between negative affect and CVD development.
The fading of the state: Corporate–government networks in the Netherlands
Authors: Heemskerk Eelke M , Mokken Robert J , Fennema Meindert
Published: September 2012

This article contributes to an understanding of how business–state relations have evolved over past decades by analyzing elite interlocks between the corporate sector and the state over the period 1969–2006 in the Netherlands. These interlocks create links between the top decision centers of the largest corporations and public administration. A comparative analysis over time of the network of corporate–state interlocks for the years 1969, 1996 and 2006 reveals that ties that were very frequent in 1969 are in decline, reflecting and confirming a rapid disentanglement of the corporate sector from what was until the 1980s an example of neo-corporatist socio-economic arrangement. The disappearance of industrial policy, privatization of state-owned corporations, the emergence of autonomous administrative units, and the ‘hollowing out’ of the state, all contribute to the fading of the state. The network structure that remains in place – albeit thin – is not dominated by either the state or business but rather a partnership between separate forces. At the same time many of the previous state–business relations are now established outside the span of control of the state. The state is left out. Our study suggests that by the time the financial crisis hit in 2007, the social fabric making for fruitful state–business cooperation was gone.
When Does Management’s Support for a Change Translate to Perceptions of Fair Treatment? The Moderating Roles of Change Attributions and Conscientiousness
Authors: Liu Yi , Caldwell Steven D. , Fedor Donald B. , Herold David M.
Published: September 2012

Organizational change creates uncertainty and stimulates fairness judgments of employees, which are important determinants of employee attitudes and behaviors. This study investigated the antecedents of employees’ change-related fairness perceptions. Drawing on change implementation literature, attribution theory, and personality research, the authors examined how the effect of management’s change support on individuals’ change fairness perceptions is moderated by change attributions and employees’ conscientiousness level. Using multilevel data from 693 employees in 29 organizations engaged in a variety of changes, hierarchical linear modeling analysis indicated that the relationships between managements’ change support and individual employees’ change fairness perceptions were positive in most conditions. The exception was when the change was externally attributed to conditions not controllable by the management and when the affected employees had lower levels of conscientiousness.
Evolutionary Analysis Suggests That AMTN is Enamel-specific and a Candidate for AI
Authors: Gasse B. , Silvent J. , Sire J.-Y.
Published: September 2012

Molecular evolutionary analysis is an efficient method to predict and/or validate amino acid substitutions that could lead to a genetic disease and to highlight residues and motifs that could play an important role in the protein structure and/or function. We have applied such analysis to amelotin (AMTN), a recently identified enamel protein in the rat, mouse, and humans. An in silico search for AMTN provided 42 new mammalian sequences that were added to the 3 published sequences with which we performed the analysis using a dataset representative of all lineages ( circa 220 million years of evolution), including 2 enamel-less species, sloth and armadillo. During evolution, of the 209 residues of human AMTN, 17 were unchanged and 34 had conserved their chemical properties. Substituting these important residues could lead to amelogenesis imperfecta (AI). Also, AMTN possesses a well-conserved signal peptide, 2 conserved motifs whose function is certainly important but unknown, and a putative phosphorylation site (SXE). In addition, the sequences of the 2 enamel-less species display mutations revealing that AMTN underwent pseudogenization, which suggests that AMTN is an enamel-specific protein.
Hispanic Acculturation, Psychosocial Functioning, and Routine Support for Diabetes Self-Management
Authors: Scollan-Koliopoulos Melissa , Schechter Clyde B. , Caban Arlene , Walker Elizabeth A.
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between Spanish language-based acculturation, psychosocial coping with diabetes, and perceptions of social support obtainment for the daily management of diabetes.

Methods

Adults (N = 209) were surveyed by telephone about Hispanic ethnicity, depressed mood (PHQ-8), anxiety and worry over diabetes, social burden due to diabetes, diabetes control, and physical function (Diabetes-39), and Spanish language-based acculturation (n = 101, Hispanic only).

Results

Significant associations revealed a relationship between less language-based acculturation with other contextual factors (gender, family demands, disease severity), and depressed mood and social burden of disease. Acculturation alone explained little about psychosocial coping. Individuals with poor psychosocial coping were more likely to have routine daily help with diabetes self- management, with acculturation explaining little about who obtains help.

Conclusions

Hispanic values such as placing a priority on providing help to friends and family likely have more to do with psychosocial coping with diabetes than does language preference or proficiency. Individuals with poor psychosocial functioning may benefit from external social support when family support is not present to help with the routine management of diabetes.
En Balance
Authors: Wheeler Gina , Montgomery Susanne B. , Beeson Larry , Bahjri Khaled , Shulz Eloy , Firek Anthony , De Leon Marino , Cordero-MacIntyre Zaida
Published: September 2012

Purpose

This study was designed to assess the feasibility of culturally and language-sensitive diabetes education as a way to increase physical activity and to improve health/diabetes management in a group of Spanish-speaking Hispanics in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.

Methods

En Balance is a culturally sensitive diabetes education program designed for Spanish-speaking Hispanic adults. The 3-month educational intervention assessed 16 males and 23 females living in Riverside and San Bernardino counties of Southern California. Baseline and 3-month evaluations of physical activity were assessed using the validated Arizona Activity Frequency Questionnaire.

Results

After 3 months on the En Balance program, there was a significant increase in moderate intensity physical activity energy expenditure (M = 368 ± 894 kcal/day, P < 0.01) and high intensity physical activity energy expenditure (M = 405 ± 2569 kcal/day, P = 0.05) compared to baseline and significant reductions in A1C (−0.90%, P = 0.01), total cholesterol (−13.44 mg/dl, P = 0.01), LDL cholesterol (−10.28 mg/dl, P = 0.03), and waist circumference (−1.52 cm, P = 0.04).

Conclusion

En Balance program resulted in significant mean increases in both moderate and high intensity physical activity energy expenditure among this group of Hispanic diabetic participants, indicating that despite a general pattern of low physical activity in this group, an intervention that stresses both nutrition and exercise in culturally sensitive ways can positively impact participant’s physical activity levels as well as impact nutritional changes.
No Need to Wait for Superman
Authors: Ratcliff N. J. , Jones C. R. , Costner R. H. , Knight C. , Disney G. , Savage-Davis E. , Sheehan H. , Hunt G. H.
Published: September 2012

Based on a theoretical model developed by Schlechty, this case study focuses on a small high school, located on a college campus and designed to address the educational needs of gifted 9th- through 12th-grade students. Eight teachers who taught 9th- and 12th-grade classes and their 60 students were observed. Each teacher was observed during six unannounced observational visits focusing on the characteristics of the learning environments in these unique classroom settings. The authors share insights gained from this case study that can help teachers as they develop learning environments in more traditional classroom settings.
Use of Animal Models of Human Disease for Nonclinical Safety Assessment of Novel Pharmaceuticals
Authors: Morgan Sherry J. , Elangbam Chandikumar S. , Berens Shawn , Janovitz Evan , Vitsky Allison , Zabka Tanja , Conour Laura
Published: September 2012

Animal models of human disease are commonly utilized to gain insight into the potential efficacy and mode of action of novel pharmaceuticals. However, conventional (healthy) rodent and nonrodent models are generally utilized in nonclinical safety testing. Animal models of human disease may be helpful in understanding safety risks of compounds in nonclinical or clinical development, with their greatest value being in targeted or hypothesis-driven studies to help understand the mechanism of a particular toxicity. Limitations of animal models of disease in nonclinical safety testing include a lack of historical control, heterogeneity in disease expression, a limited life span, and confounding effects of the disease. In most instances, animal models of human disease should not be utilized to supplant testing in conventional animal models. While of potential benefit, testing in an animal model of human disease should only be taken after adequate consideration of relevance along with benefits and limitations of the proposed model.
Illicit drug use in cluster headache patients and in the general population: A comparative cross-sectional survey
Authors: Rossi Paolo , Allena Marta , Tassorelli Cristina , Sances Grazia , Lorenzo Cherubino Di , Faroni Jessica V , Nappi Giuseppe
Published: September 2012

Background: The rate of illicit drug use in cluster headache (CH) patients is unknown.

Methods: Two hundred and ten CH patients (162 males and 48 females) attending two headache clinics provided information about their lifetime use (once or more in their lifetime, LTU), recent use (once or more in the past year, RU), and current use (once or more in the past 30 days, CU) of illicit drugs. General population data (IPSAD®Italia2007–2008) served as the control group.

Results: LTU of each illicit drug but hallucinogens, RU of cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy, and CU of cannabis and cocaine were significantly higher in the male CH patients than in the general population, whereas no difference was found between the CH women and the controls. In the CH group, 28.5% of patients reported having used illicit drugs for the first time after CH onset and 71.5% before CH onset. Compared with the controls, the male CH group showed a greater prevalence both of lifetime sustained intensive use of any illicit drug and of current intensive use of cannabis.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that male CH patients are prone to overindulge in illicit drug use. This finding possibly reflects a common biological susceptibility that predisposes these subjects to CH and to addictive behaviour.
Kinematics Analysis of Ankle Inversion Ligamentous Sprain Injuries in Sports
Authors: Fong Daniel Tik-Pui , Ha Sophia Chui-Wai , Mok Kam-Ming , Chan Christie Wing-Long , Chan Kai-Ming
Published: September 2012

Background:

Ankle ligamentous sprain is common in sports. The most direct way to study the mechanism quantitatively is to study real injury cases; however, it is unethical and impractical to produce an injury in the laboratory. A recently developed, model-based image-matching motion analysis technique allows quantitative analysis of real injury incidents captured in televised events and gives important knowledge for the development of injury prevention protocols and equipment. To date, there have been only 4 reported cases, and there is a need to conduct more studies for a better understanding of the mechanism of ankle ligamentous sprain injury.

Purpose:

This study presents 5 cases in tennis and a comparison with 4 previous cases for a better understanding of the mechanism of ankle ligamentous sprain injury.

Study Design:

Case series; level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Five sets of videos showing ankle sprain injuries in televised tennis competition with 2 camera views were collected. The videos were transformed, synchronized, and rendered to a 3-dimensional animation software. The dimensions of the tennis court in each case were obtained to build a virtual environment, and a skeleton model scaled to the injured athlete’s height was used for the skeleton matching. Foot strike was determined visually, and the profiles of the ankle joint kinematics were individually presented.

Results:

There was a pattern of sudden inversion and internal rotation at the ankle joint, with the peak values ranging from 48°-126° and 35°-99°, respectively. In the sagittal plane, the ankle joint fluctuated between plantar flexion and dorsiflexion within the first 0.50 seconds after foot strike. The peak inversion velocity ranged from 509 to 1488 deg/sec.

Conclusion:

Internal rotation at the ankle joint could be one of the causes of ankle inversion sprain injury, with a slightly inverted ankle joint orientation at landing as the inciting event. To prevent the foot from rolling over the edge to cause a sprain injury, tennis players who do lots of sideward cutting motions should try to land with a neutral ankle orientation and keep the center of pressure from shifting laterally.
International Mediation, Selection Effects, and the Question of Bias
Authors: Beber Bernd
Published: September 2012

International mediation of violent conflicts is commonplace in today’s world, and so is academic research on its features and effectiveness. But research that speaks to both the initiation and implementation of mediation remains relatively rare. This article outlines a theoretical and empirical argument that contributes to filling this gap and suggests a counterintuitive selection effect: potential mediators that are likely to resolve a dispute are unlikely to select into mediation. The argument hinges on the claim that mediation by biased third parties is relatively ineffective, and I provide qualitative evidence to suggest that this claim is plausible.
Proximity, Maps and Conflict: New Measures, New Maps and New Findings
Authors: Pickering Steve
Published: September 2012

This article introduces two new datasets. The first is a new interstate distance dataset. It is recognized that different theories regarding distance and conflict will call for different understandings of “distance” and accordingly, ten different types of distance measurement are presented. Moreover, it is argued that in order for a distance dataset to contain accurate distances, it is necessary for it to be based on maps reflecting state border changes over time. As such, a new map dataset is presented, including annualized maps for all states, stored in KML format. It will be shown that the frequent border changes experienced by states can have large impacts on distance calculations. The significance of the relationship between distance and conflict will be tested for the ten different types of distance measurement, not with the aim of finding a “best measure” but in order to demonstrate that distance remains an important variable and that each different form of distance measure can be significant.
An Introduction to African-Centered Sociology: Worldview, Epistemology, and Social Theory
Authors: Carroll Karanja Keita
Published: September 2012

Current advances in Africana (Black) Studies utilize an African-centered conceptual framework in the study of Africana life, history, and culture. This conceptual framework has been utilized and expanded on by those developing scholarship in the sub-discipline areas of Africana Studies, including African-centered psychology, history, and literature. However, to date the articulation of an African-centered sociology, grounded in an African-centered conceptual framework, has not developed; neither has it occurred for African-centered sociology as a sub-discipline of Africana Studies, a sub-discipline of traditional sociology, or as a stand-alone discipline, itself. After a review of the worldview concept and framework and an analysis of the intellectual history of Black Sociology, this article then discusses the possibility of an African-centered sociology contingent upon the usage of an African worldview as the conceptual framework. Finally, the impacts of an African-centered epistemology and African-centered social theory are considered for the future of African-centered sociology.
Governing the injecting drug user
Authors: Walmsley Ian
Published: September 2012

This article offers a critical contribution to the debate on a problematic ‘type’ of injecting drug use referred to as needle fixation. At the heart of this debate, is a questioning of the existence, prevalence and usefulness of the needle fixation concept for academics and drug treatment practitioners working with injecting drug users. The aim of this article is to extend and develop this discussion by examining the historical conditions of the needle fixation discourse. Drawing upon Michel Foucault’s concept of governmentality, it uses primary and secondary sources from the 19th century to the present to trace the historical trajectory of the problematic relationship between the injecting drug user, the syringe and truth. By reconceptualizing needle fixation as a technology of government, this article will argue that needle fixation can be seen to be incompatible with contemporary rationalities found in treatment policy and practice, suggesting that we have moved beyond needle fixation as a way of governing injecting drug use and into the domain of risk management. Beyond revealing this tension, the article highlights new lines that are currently being drawn between the injecting drug user, the syringe and truth from the field of neuroscience and the risk-management potential of psychopharmacology.
Application of self-learning evolutionary algorithm for optimal design of a porous polymethylmethacrylate scaffold fabricated by laser drilling process
Authors: Rahmani-Monfared Keyvan , Fathi Alireza , Mozaffari Ahmad , Rabiee Sayed Mahmood
Published: September 2012

Fabrication of scaffolds that closely mimic the biomechanical properties of the surrounding bone is one of the main issues in designing an orthopedic implant. This study is aimed to develop an optimal predefined three-dimensional polymethylmethacrylate scaffold as a potential bone substitute via laser drilling technique, which is a novel method of fabricating bone scaffold. To achieve this goal, using the obtained experimental data, the authors have tuned an adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system, which predicts the hole diameter and its depth as two process outputs for any given values of laser power and laser irradiation time. In addition to this adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system model, some experimental models were also proposed to estimate the scaffold porosity and the mechanical strength regarding the drilled hole geometry. To design an optimal scaffold with the highest amount of strength and porosity, a Pareto-based self-learning evolutionary algorithm called SOPEA was proposed. To enhance its ability in finding the optimal Pareto front, it was equipped with the adaptive self-organizing map. Based on the obtained Pareto front, a trade-off has been made in order to find a solution that yields deliberate operational properties. The scaffold morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy images and its mechanical property was determined using a compressive test. The versatility provided by this technique allows the fabrication of scaffolds with controllable amount of porosity, pore size, and mechanical properties while providing fully interconnected channel network. The results also indicate that the proposed model predicts the process outputs with acceptable accuracy and the proposed optimization algorithm is able to find the optimal solution effectively.
Numerical simulation of a relaxation test designed to fit a quasi-linear viscoelastic model for temporomandibular joint discs
Authors: Commisso Maria S , Martínez-Reina Javier , Mayo Juana , Domínguez Jaime
Published: September 2012

The main objectives of this work are: (a) to introduce an algorithm for adjusting the quasi-linear viscoelastic model to fit a material using a stress relaxation test and (b) to validate a protocol for performing such tests in temporomandibular joint discs. This algorithm is intended for fitting the Prony series coefficients and the hyperelastic constants of the quasi-linear viscoelastic model by considering that the relaxation test is performed with an initial ramp loading at a certain rate. This algorithm was validated before being applied to achieve the second objective. Generally, the complete three-dimensional formulation of the quasi-linear viscoelastic model is very complex. Therefore, it is necessary to design an experimental test to ensure a simple stress state, such as uniaxial compression to facilitate obtaining the viscoelastic properties. This work provides some recommendations about the experimental setup, which are important to follow, as an inadequate setup could produce a stress state far from uniaxial, thus, distorting the material constants determined from the experiment. The test considered is a stress relaxation test using unconfined compression performed in cylindrical specimens extracted from temporomandibular joint discs. To validate the experimental protocol, the test was numerically simulated using finite-element modelling. The disc was arbitrarily assigned a set of quasi-linear viscoelastic constants (c1) in the finite-element model. Another set of constants (c2) was obtained by fitting the results of the simulated test with the proposed algorithm. The deviation of constants c2 from constants c1 measures how far the stresses are from the uniaxial state. The effects of the following features of the experimental setup on this deviation have been analysed: (a) the friction coefficient between the compression plates and the specimen (which should be as low as possible); (b) the portion of the specimen glued to the compression plates (smaller areas glued are better); and (c) the variation in the thickness of the specimen. The specimen’s faces should be parallel to ensure a uniaxial stress state. However, this is not possible in real specimens, and a criterion must be defined to accept the specimen in terms of the specimen’s thickness variation and the deviation of the fitted constants arising from such a variation.
A Bayesian path analysis to estimate causal effects of bazedoxifene acetate on incidence of vertebral fractures, either directly or through non-linear changes in bone mass density
Authors: Detilleux J , Reginster J-Y , Chines A , Bruyère O
Published: September 2012

Background/Aims

Bone mass density values have been related with risk of vertebral fractures in post-menopausal women. However, bone mass density is not perfectly accurate in predicting risk of fracture, which decreases its usefulness as a surrogate in clinical trials. We propose a modeling framework with three interconnected parts to improve the evaluation of bone mass density accuracy in forecasting fractures after treatment.

Methods

The modeling framework includes: (1) a piecewise regression to describe non-linear temporal BMD changes more accurately than crude percent changes, (2) a structural equation model to analyze interdependencies among vertebral fractures and their potential risk factors in preference to regression techniques that consider only directional associations, and (3) a counterfactual causal interpretation of the direct and indirect relationships between treatment and occurrence of vertebral fractures. We apply the methods to BMD repeated measurements from a study of the effect of bazedoxifene acetate on incident vertebral fractures in three different geographical regions.

Results

We made four observations: (1) bone mass density changes varied largely across participants, (2) baseline age and body mass index influenced baseline bone mass density that, in turn, had an effect on prevalent fractures, (3) direct and/or indirect effects of bazedoxifene acetate on incident fractures were different across regions, and (4) estimates of indirect effects were sensible to the presence of post-treatment unmeasured confounders. In one region, around 40% of the bazedoxifene acetate effect on the occurrence of fracture is explained by its effect on bone mass density. Under the counterfactual approach, these 40% represent the average difference in the occurrence of fracture observed for untreated individuals when their bone mass density values are set at the value under bazedoxifene acetate versus under placebo.

Conclusions

Computational methods are available to evaluate and interpret the surrogacytic capability of a biomarker of a primary outcome.
Asymmetric Price Transmission of Palm Oil: Comparison between Malaysia and Indonesia
Authors: Nakajima Toru
Published: September 2012

This paper econometrically analyses the profi tability of Malaysia and Indonesia in exporting crude palm oil (CPO) and refi ned palm oil (RPO) by estimating asymmetric price transmission using a cointegration threshold autoregressive (TAR) model. The empirical results show that Malaysia’s profi t was larger than that of Indonesia from 1989 to 2009, that Malaysia enjoyed excess profi t over Indonesia in the food system where Malaysia imports CPO from Indonesia and exports RPO to Indonesia and that exporters may not be able to extract excess profi ts over the emerging and developing countries such as China, India, Pakistan and the ASEAN, due to the existence of a variety of substitutes for cooking oil.
Democracy, Government Spending and Economic Growth: The Case of Ghana, 1960–2008
Authors: Sakyi Daniel , Adams Samuel
Published: September 2012

Economic theory predicts a growth enhancing activities of various core functions of government. Nonetheless, government spending in non-democratic countries often goes beyond these core functions, namely into rent-seeking and non-productive activities. This paper employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag bounds testing approach to cointegration to investigate the extent to which democracy and government spending have had an impact on economic growth in Ghana over the period 1960–2008. The empirical results obtained are encouraging, revealing support for the high effi ciency of government spending in democracies’ hypothesis. The paper demonstrates that democracy and government spending go hand in hand to have a positive impact on economic growth in Ghana in both the long and short run. The fi ndings and policy recommendations of the paper provide vital information relevant for developing countries involved in the democratisation process.

JEL Classification: C22, H50, O40
A Multivariate Analysis of the Nexus between Savings and Economic Growth in the ASEAN-5 Economies
Authors: Tang Chor Foon , Ch’ng Kean Siang
Published: September 2012

The savings–growth nexus is an age-old empirical problem, but the causal relationship between savings and economic growth remains controversial. Establishing a clear causal relationship has signifi cant policymaking implications for economic growth and development. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to re-visit empirically the savings–growth nexus for the fi ve ASEAN founding economies—ASEAN-5—via a multivariate framework. This study covered the annual data from 1970 to 2010. The Bartlett-corrected trace test for cointegration was adopted to examine the presence of a long-run relationship between savings and its determinants. The estimation results suggest that savings and its determinants are cointegrated in the fi ve ASEAN founding countries. urthermore, the bootstrapping approach was used to ascertain the causality direction between savings and economic growth. We found that savings Granger cause economic growth in all ASEAN-5 economies. Therefore, we believe that savings is a prominent source of economic

JEL Classifications: C22, E21, O16
Identification of electromechanical parameters in piezoelectric shunt damping and loss factor prediction
Authors: Delpero Tommaso , Bergamini Andrea E , Ermanni Paolo
Published: September 2012

Shunted piezoelectric elements have been studied for several years as promising devices for vibration damping. Different shunting techniques have been developed to deal with the vibration energy in the appropriate way. The energy dissipated by all these techniques, expressed in terms of loss factor or damping ratio, mainly depends on two different contributions: the electromechanical coupling and the shunt design. Therefore, an accurate prediction of the damping is based on a reliable identification of the generalized coupling coefficient that completely describes the electromechanical coupling. In this study, a robust method for the measurement of this coefficient is proposed, where the influence of the inherent damping of the structure is also considered. This method is based on the analysis of the dynamic response of the structure when the piezoelectric patch is connected to a resonant shunt. The proposed method is applied to different sample structures, and the measured generalized coupling coefficients are used for predicting the values of damping attainable with different shunting techniques (such as the resonant shunt or the synchronized switching damping). Vibration tests are then carried out on the same shunted structures, and the analytical prediction of the damping is compared with the experimental results.
Challenges in Teaching Crisis Management
Authors: Lalonde Carole , Roux-Dufort Christophe
Published: September 2012

Teaching crisis management is both fascinating and frustrating. It is fascinating because crises, by their very nature, are spectacular, dramatic, and intense; immediately arouse the individual and collective imagination; and because everyone seeks explanations for what, at first glance, appears inexplicable. It is also fascinating because educators are exposed to a transdisciplinary and transborder field of studies with wide-ranging ramifications. Yet it is frustrating because educators must often deconstruct the popular perception that crises are rare, improbable, and unpredictable phenomena, often leading individuals to feel powerless and fatalistic. It is also frustrating because of the lack of knowledge in the field itself, at three levels: conceptual/theoretical, practical, and reflective. This article highlights the teaching challenges in this rich and diversified field at each of these three levels and examines three teaching tools to address them: case studies, crisis simulations, and the reflexive journal. The authors also consider that a crisis cannot be viewed as a homogeneous concept. With the help of Gundel’s crisis typology (conventional, unpredictable, intractable, and fundamental crises), the authors present promising teaching approaches to deal with each of the three aforementioned teaching challenges, explaining how each approach can be seen as a function of the four types of crises.
Experiential Acceptance and Psychological Well-Being in Korean-Born Adoptees
Authors: Sarubbi Alix P. , Block-Lerner Jennifer , Moon Simon M. , Williams Dahra Jackson
Published: September 2012

Previous research on Korean-born adoptees suggests that exploring one’s ethnic identity may increase one’s psychological well-being. Existing research also suggests that some adoptees may not engage in ethnic identity exploration because they wish to avoid feeling different because of their adopted status. The current study sought to integrate these findings and investigate associations between experiential acceptance of adoption-related thoughts and feelings, ethnic identity, and psychological well-being in a Korean-born adoptee population ( N = 91). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that experiential acceptance significantly contributed to both psychological well-being and development of a positive ethnic identity. Clinical implications for therapists and families are discussed.
Helping Parents and Adoptees Through the Adoption Process Using Group Work
Authors: Watson Matthew T. , Stern Nelsie M. , Foster Thomas W.
Published: September 2012

While adoption can build strong family ties, many challenges can also develop both during and after the adoption process. Parent/Parents and adopted children face a variety of challenges within the newly formed family unit. Parents struggle with the adoption process, while adoptees from various backgrounds often wrestle with identity development and feelings of loss and grief throughout their life resulting from relinquishment. Our purpose here is to offer a solution in the form of two group interventions: a prevention-based group to help parent/parents navigate effectively through the adoption process and a counseling group aimed at helping adopted adolescents develop a positive identity.
Counseling at the Crossroads
Authors: Southern Stephen
Published: September 2012

This article presents an interview with Dr. Robert L. Smith, Executive Director of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. Smith discusses the development of his interest in marriage and family therapy, his integration of career development with a family systems approach, recent trends in Marriage and Family Therapy, and his personal experiences as an adoptive parent.
Neural Hijacking
Authors: Cheney P. D. , Griffin D. M. , Van Acker G. M.
Published: September 2012

Electrical stimulation of the brain was one of the first experimental methods applied to understanding brain organization and function and it continues as a highly useful method both in research and clinical applications. Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) involves applying electrical stimuli through a microelectrode suitable for recording the action potentials of single neurons. ICMS can be categorized into single-pulse stimulation; high-frequency, short-duration stimulation; and high-frequency, long-duration stimulation. For clinical and experimental reasons, considerable interest focuses on the mechanism of neural activation by electrical stimuli. In this article, we discuss recent results suggesting that action potentials evoked in cortical neurons by high-frequency electrical stimulation do not sum with the natural, behaviorally related background activity; rather, high-frequency stimulation eliminates and replaces natural activity. We refer to this as neural hijacking. We propose that a major component of the mechanism underlying neural hijacking is excitation of axons by ICMS and elimination of natural spikes by antidromic collision with stimulus-driven spikes evoked at high frequency. Evidence also supports neural hijacking as an important mechanism underlying the action of deep brain stimulation in the subthalamic nucleus and its therapeutic effect in treating Parkinson’s disease.
Wandering the Tactical
Authors: Kuntz Aaron M. , Presnall Marni M.
Published: September 2012

In this article, we address the simplistic use of the interview as a methodological technique that abstracts the humanist subject as an object for analysis. Rather than simply a tool of inquiry, we present the interview as a wholly engaged encounter, a means for making accessible the multiple intersections of material context that collude in productive formations of meaning. In this process, we hope to indicate the possibility for the interview to function as intervention at the level of what Michel de Certeau terms the tactical. As such, the research process may include, adjacent to and alongside the proper artifact of the transcript, the material basis of its metaphors, affecting and affected by the meanings made possible in the design, encounter, and interpretation of the interview. We suggest that the embodied act of walking mobilizes the tactical and makes possible thoughts that would not find expression in the seated interview. Drawing upon theorizations of Deleuze, de Certeau, and Barad, we point to the possibilities inherent in embodied metaphor and indirect logic formations as a means to better understand daily practices and expressions of tactical resistance. In this intra-action, and through the newly framed intraview, diffractive seeing is made possible, an integrative becoming with knowing.
Supporting a Psychiatric Hospital Culture of Safety
Authors: Mahoney Jane S. , Ellis Thomas E. , Garland Gayle , Palyo Nancy , Greene Pamela K.
Published: September 2012

Background:

Concerns for patient safety have risen to the forefront of health care, including mental health care. Safe patient care depends, to a large extent, on high functioning teams, yet team training is lacking in basic professional training programs. To address the need for team training, one psychiatric hospital adopted the Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety program (TeamSTEPPS).

Objectives:

To describe the implementation of TeamSTEPPS throughout the organization and to describe the differences in team attributes prior to and following implementation of TeamSTEPPS.

Design:

Quality improvement project using a pre–post survey design.

Results:

TeamSTEPPS was successfully implemented, and changes in all team attributes trended in a positive direction with 5 of 7 subscales reaching significance ( p ≤ .01).

Conclusions:

TeamSTEPPS provided a practical approach for our hospital to systematically weave safety throughout the culture and improve team functioning and other attributes of highly effective teams.