bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Corporate Innovation and Sustainable Community Development in Developing Countries
Authors: Muthuri Judy N. , Moon Jeremy , Idemudia Uwafiokun
Published: June 2012

The role of multinational corporations (MNCs) in fostering or undermining development within poor communities in developing countries has been a subject of intensive debate within academic and practitioner circles. MNCs are not only considered an obstacle to development but also as sources of solutions to some of the pressing social and environmental problems facing these communities. This article reviews the way in which companies frame (a) sustainable community development, and (b) their engagements in the community. It then considers the implications of both for sustainable community development and poverty alleviation in developing countries. The article then proposes an agenda for future research centering on how corporations innovate in their governance roles and the conditions in which community development innovations are created, take shape, and are put into practice. The article concludes with an introduction to the other articles presented in this special issue highlighting also their main contributions.
Indigenous Resource and Institutional Capital
Authors: Valente Mike
Published: June 2012

Although scholars agree that local context is critical in a firm’s commitment to sustainable development, questions remain about how this context plays a role in achieving simultaneous goals of sustainable community development and firm strategic success. By sampling two groups of firms differentiated according to their adoption of a weak or strong orientation to sustainable development, this author searched for relevant explanations from the local context that help to answer this very question. Results point to indigenous resource and institutional capital, the combination of which assists the firm in its ability to embed sustainable development. Whereas more tangible forms of capital assist in the strategy implementation process, less tangible forms of capital influence the strategy formulation process. What is more, firms tended to progress sequentially in the appropriation of these forms of capital as a result of the strengthening of the relationship with contextual stakeholders.
“Hired Guns” and “Legitimate Voices”
Authors: Ingle William Kyle , Johnson Paul Andrew , Petroff Ruth Ann
Published: June 2012

Background: In Ohio, levy campaigns are a burdensome task for district administrators and stakeholders alike. To date, there is little research on the districts’ role in crafting school budget referenda campaigns. Purpose: This study asked three research questions: How did the macropolitical contexts shape stakeholders’ decision making in terms of campaign strategizing and participation? How did the micropolitical contexts shape stakeholder decision making in terms of campaign strategizing and participation? How did successful districts differ in political strategies from districts that were not successful? Research Design: Qualitative case studies. Data Collection: Twenty-three informants from five Ohio school districts with levies on the November 2008 ballot. Using a snowball sampling technique, initial informants (i.e., superintendent, treasurer) were asked to identify additional stakeholders who participated in the campaigns. Data Analysis: Coding was initially guided by multiple theoretical frameworks, including macro/micropolitics, Johnson’s 21 campaign strategies and Anderson’s framework of “authentic” participation. After coding, an iterative team memo-writing process was used. Findings: This study offers important insight into the complexities of the environments and strategies used in levy campaigns. Four macropolitical themes were identified—state campaign policies, state education finance policy, the high-profile nature of the Presidential election, and the state of the economy. Despite a small sample, districts varied greatly in strategies used and community involvement. Districts that heavily engaged community members and created a sense of urgency yielded greater success at the polls than “central office campaigns.” Adequate message training for campaign participants was also integral to success.
“As some of your own poets have said”: Secular and non-canonical literature in the New Testament and some (post)modern parallels
Authors: Billings Bradly S.
Published: June 2012

The force of culture can be, at times, unbearable for Christian leaders, preachers, and practitioners, often manifesting itself in problematic ways at the interface between the church and society in the conduct of liturgical services, such as the pastoral offices (funerals, weddings) and also Sunday worship. An issue of some consternation and concern is very frequently the manner in which, and the extent to which, cultural elements, such as those drawn from the worlds of literature, music, the arts, cinema and television, may have a role in Christian liturgy and preaching. It is helpful then, to look to the New Testament for guidance and example, especially in the light of the return of Christianity to something akin to the margins of its cultural world, reflecting more accurately than has been the case for many centuries, the actual socio-cultural context of the New Testament. To this end, helpful examples are to be found in the use of a common underlying, yet ‘non-canonical’ tradition, shared by both the writer and recipients in the short epistle of Jude, together with the citation of secular poets and philosophers by Paul in the context of both reported speech (in the Acts) and the epistles.
Stress analysis of the Outwater-Murphy fiber/matrix debond specimen
Authors: Farooq MU , Carlsson LA , Acha BA , Tsai CT
Published: June 2012

The distribution of stress at the fiber/matrix interface in the Outwater-Murphy specimen is determined using finite element analysis. Stresses due to mechanical loading as well as residual stresses due to cure shrinkage and water swelling of the matrix are determined and used to predict the fiber/matrix interface stress state at the site where fiber/matrix debonding initiates. Stress analysis of all-resin Outwater-Murphy specimens and Outwater-Murphy specimens with a super element with homogenized fiber and matrix properties point to the dominance of a biaxial tensile stress field at the apex of the hole. A 2D plane stress analysis of the fiber exit element assuming the dominating stresses are tensile indicates that the initiation of fiber/matrix debonding is due to a radial tensile stress acting on the fiber/matrix interface. Experimental test on glass and carbon fiber/vinylester OM specimens were conducted at dry and water-saturated conditions, which provided fiber/matrix interface tensile strengths. It was found that absorbed moisture substantially reduces the strength of the fiber/matrix interface.
Flammability of nano silicon dioxide–wood fiber–polyethylene composites
Authors: Mingzhu Pan , Hailan Lian , Changtong Mei
Published: June 2012

Nano silicon dioxide–wood fiber–high-density polyethylene composites were prepared to investigate the effects of nano silicon dioxide content (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 wt%) on the relationship between flammability and mechanical properties of the wood fiber–high-density polyethylene composites in this study. Cone calorimentry analysis showed that the addition of nano silicon dioxide could decrease the heat release rate, total heat release, and total smoke release of the wood fiber–high-density polyethylene composites. Most of the decrease of the heat release rate occurred with 8 wt% nano silicon dioxide. With addition of nano silicon dioxide, the composites showed an increase in the mechanical properties, and the tensile and flexural strength showed highest value with 8 wt% nano SiO2. The scanning electron microscopy observation on the fracture surface of the composites indicated that nano silicon dioxide had a uniform dispersion in the wood fiber–high-density polyethylene composites with increasing nano SiO2 from 2 to 8 wt%. The better mechanical characteristics had a positive effect on the fire retardancy of the composites.
Welcome Guests, or Inescapable Victims?
Authors: Wallace Geoffrey P. R.
Published: June 2012

The treatment of prisoners varies enormously across wars. Why are some prisoners horribly abused, while others are cared for humanely? The author argues key attributes of the belligerents, alongside the nature of the conflict itself, provides the most convincing explanation for differences in prisoner abuse. Democratic norms and domestic institutional incentives lead democracies to exhibit more restraint when dealing with prisoners. On the other hand, states caught up in drawn-out wars of attrition, or those seeking territorial conquest, are much more likely to resort to prisoner abuse. The author tests this argument against a variety of common alternative explanations using a new data set on prisoner abuse across all interstate wars from 1898 to 2003. The author finds strong support for the role of both the regime type and the nature of the conflict, while the results also suggest several points of difference from existing research on wartime conduct.
Retributive Support for International Punishment and Torture
Authors: Liberman Peter
Published: June 2012

This article tests the hypothesis that ordinary people favor punishing badly behaved foreign actors to make them “pay” for their crimes rather than purely to protect national security interests. In an undergraduate sample, people’s endorsement of the principle of retributive punishment was related to their support for punishing transgressor states and their support for torturing detainees, controlling for partisanship, ideology, humanitarian and security values, and beliefs about the efficacy of force. The interstate transgression scenarios included a state sponsoring terror attacks against a rival, a nuclear proliferator, and a small, unnamed aggressor. Retributive dispositions were also strongly related to support for the death penalty, which helps explain prior findings that American death penalty supporters are unusually bellicose toward foreign wrongdoers.
Electoral Authoritarianism and Credible Signaling in International Crises
Authors: Kinne Brandon J. , Marinov Nikolay
Published: June 2012

How, if at all, do nondemocratic elections affect credible signaling in international crises? While the literature on credible signaling emphasizes the importance of electoral competition, it does not specify the minimal conditions that elections must satisfy in order to enhance the credibility of threats. We address this oversight by focusing on two fundamental properties of electoral institutions: (1) the degree of proincumbent bias and (2) the vulnerability of the incumbent to a de facto loss of power following an opposition victory. Our theory argues that both decreases in electoral bias and increases in incumbent vulnerability introduce greater accountability into the electoral process and thus enhance the credibility of public threats, even when elections fail to meet basic democratic standards. We apply these insights to the case of electoral authoritarianism, that is, regimes in which some form of electoral competition exists but basic principles of democratic governance are commonly violated. Using data on reciprocation rates in militarized crises, We show that, so long as electoral biases are sufficiently low and incumbent vulnerability is sufficiently high, even electoral authoritarian regimes are able to credibly signal resolve.
Les mutations du religieux dans la France contemporaine
Authors: Portier Philippe
Published: June 2012

The author champions the idea that the evolution of religion in contemporary France cannot be regarded as a scoreless draw in which the advance of modernity is accompanied by a parallel decline in religion. There is no doubt that ‘Catholic civilization’, underpinned by the massive support of the system of practices and standards established by the Roman institutions, has collapsed during the half last century, mainly due to the effect of the process of individualization, itself linked to an emphasis on the process of social differentiation. Nevertheless, this process of diminution of the parochial world has not led to an extinction of belief : ‘republican civilization’, whose theorists announced, at the end of the 19th century, that it would soon be reliant solely on the power of reason, has opened itself up, in recent years, to a renewed expansion of religion, often in the guise of a proliferating ‘spirituality’, as much in the field of private existence as in that of public debate.
Place Branding and the Imaginary: The Politics of Re-imagining a Garden City
Authors: Johansson Marjana
Published: June 2012

This article discusses contemporary practices of place branding through the concept of the imaginary. Specifically, the aim is to interrogate place branding as a politically constituted process which unfolds in relation to dominant discourses and symbols that are in circulation; how existing material structures inform the process; and what material consequences occur as a result. The process is empirically illustrated by drawing on a qualitative study conducted within a municipal project organisation charged with organising the 50th anniversary of Tapiola Garden City in Finland. The anniversary provided the decision-makers with an opportunity for re-imagining the Garden City, which in the course of time was seen to have become outdated and in need of symbolic and material rejuvenation. In the light of the study, the article examines how place branding contributes to producing discursive privileging and marginalisation of particular values and social groups.
Airfreight Transport and Economic Development: An Examination of Causality
Authors: Button Kenneth , Yuan Junyang
Published: June 2012

The paper examines the potential role that airfreight transport in the US can play in stimulating local and regional economic development. The analysis examines trends in employment and income for metropolitan statistical areas that make use of airfreight services. The focus is on causality, and not on simple correlation, and uses econometric analysis rather than simpler economic multiplier approaches. Granger causality testing based on panel data covering 35 airport and 32 metropolitan statistical areas in the US from 1990 to 2009 indicates that airfreight transport was a positive driver for local economic development. The conclusions focus on the strengths but also the weaknesses of the methodology for assessing causality.
Functional Polycentricity: Examining Metropolitan Spatial Structure through the Connectivity of Urban Sub-centres
Authors: Vasanen Antti
Published: June 2012

A shift from monocentric cities to increasingly polycentric urban regions has been widely recognised in recent research literature. Although polycentricity in general refers to the existence of several adjacent centres within the same area, many studies have emphasised that functional linkages between the centres of an urban system are also an essential part of polycentricity. Despite the increasing number of studies concerning functional polycentricity, research on the subject is still in a development phase. In this paper, a new approach to measure functional polycentricity is presented, in which functional polycentricity is approached through the connectivity of individual centres to the whole urban system. The paper illustrates the potential of the method with empirical case studies addressing the urban spatial structures of three functional urban regions in Finland. In the case studies, detailed commuting data are used in order to measure the degree of functional polycentricity.
On the Hard Work of Domesticating a Public Space
Authors: Koch Regan , Latham Alan
Published: June 2012

This paper explores the concept of domestication as a way of attending to urban public spaces and the ways in which they come to be inhabited. It argues against the tendency in urban scholarship to use the term pejoratively and interchangeably with words like pacification or taming to express concerns relating to the corrosion of public life. Rather, the aim here is to develop domestication as a concept attentive to the processes by which people go about making a home in the city. Given the tremendous investment, enthusiasm and amount of policy directed towards urban development and regeneration over the past decade, it is argued that it is vital that urban scholarship continues to develop tools and concepts for offering fine-grained attention to the spaces that get produced by these interventions and to the social dynamics within them. These arguments are developed through a case study of the Prince of Wales Junction in London.
The Female Educational Advantage Among Adolescent Children of Immigrants
Authors: Feliciano Cynthia
Published: June 2012

The female advantage in educational achievement is especially puzzling in the case of children of immigrants because it departs from the pattern in most immigrants’ home countries. Using data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS), this study explores the female advantage in grades and expectations among adolescents and finds that the advantage is limited to youth from lower socioeconomic status immigrant families. In addition, gender disparities stem from educational trajectories in place earlier than eighth grade and are shaped by factors both at home and at school. Compared with girls, boys spend less time on homework and more time watching television, have more negative perceptions of school personnel and more negative peer experiences at school, and are more focused on family relationships, perhaps to the detriment of school relationships. These gendered experiences in families and schools early in life contribute to later educational disparities among children of immigrants.
The Nongovernmental Organizations–Military Security Collaboration Mechanism
Authors: Yalçınkaya Haldun
Published: June 2012

The question this article addresses is how and to what extent international military forces can support nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in armed conflicts and postconflict arenas. As non-state actors, NGOs have serious security problems and their current protection is not sufficient to secure humanitarian operations. The Afghanistan NGO Safety Office (ANSO) was established in 2002 to solve this problem. The ANSO innovation resulted in a new NGO–military security collaboration mechanism. In particular, the article examines whether the NGO–military security collaboration mechanism established between NATO International Security Assistance Force, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, and the ANSO could be a fourth way in narrowing NGOs’ security gap in addition to the existing three ways (judicial, theoretical, and practical). I would argue international military forces need to take into account ANSO model organizations for fulfilling their responsibility to secure NGOs in armed conflicts and postconflict arenas.
Key variables come first! How best to design a correlation table when there is one key variable
Authors: Kozak Marcin , Wnuk Agnieszka , Tartanus Małgorzata , Hartley James
Published: June 2012

In many sciences, the relationships among the variables in multivariate data sets are often explored by means of correlation tables. In such studies there is often only one key variable of interest, for example, grain yield for cereals in agriculture, and class-size and academic performance in education. However, in such instances, there are no particular rules concerning how best to present the order of the variables in the resulting correlation matrices, even though it might be sensible to order them so that the focus is on the key variable. In this note, we show how this can be done.
The constant mediation of resentment and retaliation
Authors: An-Naͨim Abdullahi Ahmed
Published: June 2012

This article calls for moral choices and political action to escape the trap of the duality of aggression and resistance, of domination and liberation. Conflict is a permanent feature of human relationships, but violence is not only unproductive in resolving conflict, but can be rendered unnecessary by developing normative resources and institutional mechanisms for mediating conflict. Taking self-determination as a core human value and political reality in today’s globalized world, this article argues that we should reconceive realpolitik to escape the trap by acknowledging the moral choices of others, and striving to be persuasive about our moral choices and political actions. Persuasion, and not violence, provides sustainable mediation of conflict. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the possibilities of mediation of the trap of resentment and retaliation in Dar Fur, Sudan, through multilayered strategies from immediate and short- to long-term action by local, regional and global actors.
The emerging domain of the political
Authors: Rasmussen David M.
Published: June 2012

This essay deals with two conceptions of the political, one that entails a clash of civilizations associated with a Schmittian critique of liberalism and a second which envisions the political as an emerging domain. The latter idea can be associated with the later work of John Rawls which separates the comprehensive from the political. I argue that it is this idea, when reconstructed in relationship to a theory of multiple modernities, that can be appropriated for an emerging notion of global justice. Hence, it is in the domain of the political that we should look for a global concept of justice.
Reducing Disposable Equipment Waste for Tonsillectomy and Adenotonsillectomy Cases
Authors: Penn Eddie , Yasso Sabrina F. , Wei Julie L.
Published: June 2012

Large amounts of waste in hospitals are generated in the operating rooms from disposable surgical supplies. Tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy (T&A) cases use many disposable supplies that are not recyclable. It is critical to reduce disposable waste, as such waste directly affects the environment and increases health care costs. The authors noticed a difference between the number of disposable items prepared, available, but almost never used, for each tonsillectomy case between a children’s hospital setting and a university ambulatory surgery center setting. The aims were the following: (1) identify what disposable medical supplies were unnecessarily opened for each case, (2) eliminate all disposable medical waste that was not critical to the case in both settings, and (3) determine the cost reduction at both hospital and surgery center facilities by revising the current disposable instruments/supplies pulled for tonsillectomy cases. The authors report projected cost savings and reduction in waste for one children’s hospital and nationally based on their waste reduction.
Cosmopolitanism and Working-through the Past
Authors: Jackson Jeffrey Martin
Published: June 2012

Certain of Kant’s political essays suggest that the project of socio-political emancipation should be seen as a process of working ourselves out of affective attachments to pathological social relations. This aspect of Kant’s thinking is read through Marx’s materialist notion of commodity fetishism, which provides a paradigmatic approach to understanding the ways in which concrete forms of sociality either thwart or facilitate the process of emancipation. It is then suggested that Freud’s notion of the work of mourning can help to clarify the possibility of breaking with the fixated attachments that contribute to our own domination. In this light, the author considers the respective accounts of the relationship between Freudian theory and Kantian cosmopolitanism given by Julia Kristeva and Judith Butler in light of Theodor Adorno’s materialist account of working-through the past. Reading Freud with Adorno offers a more coherent clarification of the concrete conditions of possibility of cosmopolitanism.
Pierre Bourdieu, Social Transformation and 1960s British Drama
Authors: Fowler Bridget
Published: June 2012

This article makes the controversial argument that Bourdieu’s theory of practice offers both a model of transformation and social reproduction. However, it also claims that his account of cultural production is marred by two blind-spots. First, it contends that Bourdieu has neglected key forms of material support, notably, that offered, post-war, from the ‘left hand of the state’. The subsequent New Wave of 1950s and 1960s British drama had authors who possessed neither economic capital nor certified cultural capital. Secondly, it interrogates Bourdieu’s conclusion that popular culture can never be source of canonized art. Adopting the view that Bourdieu focused too exclusively on legitimate culture, it seeks to contrast his theories on this point with the approach developed by Raymond Williams. The last section sketches a Bourdieusian analysis of Bourdieu. It reads his writings in the light of the different origins of the British and French fields of cultural studies.
MAPPA Level 3 offenders: Reconviction as a measure of effectiveness
Authors: Wood Joanne
Published: June 2012

Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) provide a legislative framework for managing sexual and violent offenders in the community. Previous studies have examined this process; however, little is known about the offending behaviour of MAPPA cases during the first year of registration. This article explores this area and provides a detailed examination of reconviction amongst a cohort of MAPPA Level 3 cases. The implications of reconviction during MAPPA registration are also explored.
Asset: An assessment tool that safeguards or stigmatizes young offenders?
Authors: Almond Tracy
Published: June 2012

This article explores the practice implications of Asset, the Youth Justice Board assessment tool. Consideration is given to its origin, the wider political and organizational culture in which it exists, how the tool shapes the provision of services and the treatment of children and families. The article makes comparisons with the Assessment Framework and Every Child Matters agenda to reflect upon safeguarding and anti-oppressive practice issues. Alternative approaches to youth offending are explored to consider what can be learnt from their implementation into the youth justice system in England and Wales.
“Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who your friends will be”: Consistency and change in social competence in adolescent friendships across school transitions
Authors: Güroğlu Berna , Cillessen Antonius H. N. , Haselager Gerbert J. T. , Lieshout Cornelis F. M. van
Published: June 2012

This study examined selection effects in behavioral similarity between adolescents and their new best friends after a school transition. Participants were 322 adolescents with a best friend in elementary school (Time 1, age 11) and a new best friend three years later in secondary school (Time 2, age 14). Three aspects of participants’ and their two best friends’ social competence were measured (antisocial behavior, prosocial behavior, low sociability). Structural equation modeling was used to predict the competence profiles of the adolescents’ new friends from their own and their previous friends’ social competence. There was evidence for the consistency across friendships in sociability and antisocial behavior. Findings indicate consistency and opportunities for change in friendship patterns across developmental transitions in adolescence.
Information Analysis: A Lean and Six Sigma case study
Authors: Goodman Elisabeth
Published: June 2012

Lean and Six Sigma are powerful principles and methodologies applicable to any area of work. They enable individuals and teams to focus on what constitutes value to their customers, and on how to deliver that as effectively and efficiently as possible. Applied in a continuous way, Lean and Six Sigma can become a way of working and a philosophy for any organization. This case study shows how Lean and Six Sigma were used to identify and streamline the priorities for a global Information Management Service within Pharmaceutical Research and Development so that it could deliver real and consistent value to its customers.
A new perspective on the ICT Development Index
Authors: Dobrota Marina , Jeremic Veljko , Markovic Aleksandar
Published: June 2012

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) represents an important structural part of modern society; this is why countries strive for constant progress in ICT and why it draws such significant attention. Bearing this in mind, the main goal of this paper is to present an I-distance methodology that holds a new perspective on the measurement of information development, to compare it to the ICT development index (IDI), and to point out improvements that such methodology provides. IDI combines 11 indicators related to three ICT categories: Access, Use and Skills (by weighting the first two by 40 percent and the third by 20 percent). The approach presented in this study uses the same indicators, synthesizing them into one value. Subsequently, which variables are the most relevant for measuring ICT development level of countries are able to be determined. Consequently, the I-distance method provides useful insight into developing countries and ways that enhance their ranking. The results show that the correlation between the I-distance values and IDI values is very strong, r = 0.961, p < 0.01, which makes I-distance an acceptable measurement method for evaluating countries’ ICT development levels.
Constructing ‘suspect’ communities and Britishness: Mapping British press coverage of Irish and Muslim communities, 1974–2007
Authors: Nickels Henri C , Thomas Lyn , Hickman Mary J , Silvestri Sara
Published: June 2012

There exist many parallels between the experiences of Irish communities in Britain in the past and those of Muslim communities today. However, although they have both been the subject of negative stereotyping, intelligence profiling, wrongful arrest and prejudice, little research has been carried out comparing how these communities are represented in the media. This article addresses this gap by mapping British press coverage of events involving Irish and Muslim communities that occurred between 1974 and 2007. The analysis shows that both sets of communities have been represented as ‘suspect’ to different degrees, which the article attributes to varying perceptions within the press as to the nature of the threat Irish and Muslim communities are thought to pose to Britain. The article concludes that a central concern of the press lies with defending its own constructions of Britishness against perceived extremists, and against abuses of power and authority by the state security apparatus.
It’s a New Era for Expatriates
Authors: Vilet Jacque
Published: June 2012

Globalization is causing companies to rethink their business strategy. In support, global talent management strategies are changing as well. Companies are focused on emerging markets to provide a growing percentage of their revenues. They are learning that they need to hire local talent that understands all the nuances of local business instead of using traditional long-term expatriates. This article looks at the history of talent management globally, the global “war for talent” in the “new normal” and a number of talent alternatives for companies to choose from based on each operation’s specific need.
Performance analysis of a 500 MWe coal-fired power plant with a post-combustion CO2 capture process
Authors: Lee Ji Hyun , Kwak No Sang , Lee In-Young , Jang Kyung-Ryoung , Shim Jae-Goo
Published: June 2012

In this study, a performance analysis of a 500 MWe coal-fired power plant with a post-combustion CO2 capture system was performed. The amine-based chemical absorption process was considered as a base CO2 capture system. Based on the design conditions of the flue gas from the supercritical coal-fired power plant operating in the Republic of Korea, the energy consumption of the CO2 capture system was simulated using a process simulator. The simulation of the CO2 capture system was undertaken using Aspen Plus software with ELECNRTL property packages; based on these results, the energy requirement of the CO2 capture system and the overall efficiency of a power plant with the CO2 capture system was estimated. It was observed that the thermal energy required to regenerate the solvent reduces the efficiency of the power plant by 8.36%, the energy required to compress the CO2 from 0.1 to 11 MPa is the next largest factor, reducing the efficiency by 3.59%, and the other energy requirement amounts to 0.45%.
Fault root cause tracing of complicated equipment based on fault graph
Authors: Huang Xinlin , Gao Jianmin , Jiang Hongquan , Gao Zhiyong , Chen Fumin
Published: June 2012

Fault root causes tracing of complicated equipment in modern process industry is very important for accident and economic loss prevention. Due to the structure complexity of complicated equipment, failures happen from small parts and propagate through complex pathways often leading to serious system faults. These kind of faults caused by non-critical parts account for a large part of all the faults of complicated equipment and often cannot get enough attention in fault diagnosis. In order to trace the root causes of this kind of fault, the failure dependent relationship and fault propagation mode must be modeled accurately and effectively. Fault graph proposed by H. P. Alesso is a useful tool to represent complex structure and fault propagation pathway of complicated equipment with a special kind of fault-oriented directed graph expanded from fault tree. Fault graph takes advantage of graph rather than tree to describe complex relation between failure modes of components, and uses logic connectives to connect failure modes with logical relationship. Based on the basic concept of fault graph introduced by H. P. Alesso, this article focuses on the issues of fault graph constructing and fault graph fault root causes deducing. A fault graph constructing method was firstly discussed which uses the results of failure mode and effects analysis and the mathematical tool of polychromatic matrix and can be easily performed with the least manual work. Then the fault root causes deducing method of fault graph was investigated which focuses on fault graph reachability calculation and fault propagation pathway searching. The fault graph reachability calculation is put forward from doubletons to multiple root causes so that the reachabiltiy of any steps of fault graph pathway can be calculated. The fault propagation pathway searching method can be performed to reveal the detailed fault propagation pathway. A case study of fault graph modeling and fault root causes analysis based on fault graph of a certain type of centrifugal compressor which has complex internal structure is introduced. The case study shows that the proposed method is effective for fault root cause tracing of complicated equipment.
Am I a genuine Mapuche? Tensions and contradictions in the construction of ethnic identity in Mapuche adolescents from Temuco and Santiago
Authors: Oteíza Teresa , Merino María E.
Published: June 2012

This article examines the particular ways in which Mapuche adolescents from Santiago and Temuco dynamically express and give value to their Mapuche identity. We analyze the means by which they value themselves and others and how they represent their accounts of experiences in their communities to adjust concepts of identity and express degrees of affiliation. We investigate using an appraisal framework which provides analytical tools to explore interpersonal meanings instantiated in discursive choices of attitude and graduation. Among the linguistics resources to express graduation, we postulate that the subsystem of focus constitutes a key evaluative resource that Mapuche youths use to manifest their contradictions and tensions regarding the construction of their identity in a country that historically has discriminate indigenous people. We attempt to demonstrate that Mapuche adolescents negotiate naturalized ideological positions about their identity and what is considered ‘normal’ in their urban communities of Santiago and Temuco.
A comparative discourse analysis of the construction of ‘in-groups’ in the 2005 and 2010 manifestos of the British National Party
Authors: Edwards Geraint O.
Published: June 2012

Since Nick Griffin’s appointment as chairman of the far-right British National Party (BNP) in 1999, the party has undergone a drastic makeover in terms of the language it employs in the public domain, adopting a moderate discourse of unobjectionable ‘motherhood and apple pie’ concepts, whilst privately maintaining its core ideology of racial prejudice. This article continues the work previously done examining BNP literature in order to ascertain what discursive techniques the BNP is adopting and how their language is changing to appeal to a wider electoral base. Using Corpus Analysis as a base, and drawing upon aspects of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this study compares the 2005 and 2010 BNP manifestos. Its focus is the way in which ‘in-group’ categories such as nationhood are invoked to imply inclusivity, yet on closer inspection are racially defined. The project of disguising BNP racism in seemingly moderate discourse is continuing apace.
The guidance system design of the semi-strapdown homing guided missile
Authors: Song Jianmei , Cai Gaohua , Kong Lixia , Fan Jianhua
Published: June 2012

The present paper focuses mainly on the semi-strapdown homing guided system design, which includes control system design of the two-degree-of-freedom semi-strapdown homing seeker and estimation of the guidance information. According to Euler dynamics theory and momentum moment theorem, the two-degree-of-freedom nonlinear dynamic model of the semi-strapdown homing seeker is built in common coordinate frames. Then the control-oriented state-space model of the semi-strapdown homing seeker system is proposed innovatively, and a nonlinear controller is designed by integrating the feedback linearization and linear lead controller. Next, the estimation and construction method of the guidance information based on the unscented Kalman filter is presented for the semi-strapdown homing guided missile. Finally, a three-dimensional interception flight simulation is made using the six-degree-of-freedom axial-symmetry nonlinear aerodynamic model of the semi-strapdown homing guided missile. Simulation results show that guidance information of the semi-strapdown homing guided missile can be estimated via the unscented Kalman filter, and can be used in shaping seeker control command. The seeker nonlinear controller based on feedback linearization can improve the disturbance rejection effect of the semi-strapdown homing seeker effectively with good target tracking ability.
Robust discrete-time sliding mode control for multi-input uncertain time-delay systems
Authors: Pai Ming-Chang
Published: June 2012

A robust discrete-time sliding mode control scheme is proposed for a class of linear multi-input uncertain systems with state delays. Systems are assumed to have structured mismatched time-varying parameter uncertainties and unknown bounded nonlinear function. A novel integral sliding surface is introduced to eliminate the reaching phase and a sliding mode controller is derived to ensure existence of the quasi-sliding mode. Based on an improved Lyapunov function and the linear matrix inequality technique, a sufficient condition for existence of a stable sliding surface is given and stability of the overall closed-loop system is guaranteed. The chattering phenomenon is eliminated and knowledge of the upper bound of external disturbances is not required. Both theoretical analysis and illustrative examples demonstrate the validity of the proposed scheme.
Are Gay Rights Islamophobic? A Critique of Some Uses of the Concept of Homonationalism in Activism and Academia
Authors: Zanghellini Aleardo
Published: June 2012

The concept of ‘homonationalism’ refers to deployments of gay rights for racist and Islamophobic ends, resulting in the consolidation of more sexually inclusive, but racially exclusionary, ideas of citizenship. This article critiques some of the analyses that the concept has inspired in both activist and academic contexts. The critique concentrates on two texts, showing that they make inappropriate rhetorical moves and inaccurate or unsubstantiated claims, and that rather than unearthing structural undercurrents of racism from certain texts or events, they project such structures onto them. While the validity of ‘homonationalism’ as an analytical category is not disputed, some of its propounders assume its explanatory power to be greater than it appears to be. The implications of this critique for gay rights activism and reform are explored.
Participants’ Experiences of Being Debriefed to Placebo Allocation in a Clinical Trial
Authors: Bishop Felicity L. , Jacobson Eric E. , Shaw Jessica , Kaptchuk Ted J.
Published: June 2012

Participants in placebo-controlled clinical trials give informed consent to be randomized to verum or placebo. However, researchers rarely tell participants which treatment they actually received. We interviewed 4 participants in a trial of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome before, during, and after they received a course of placebo treatments over 6 weeks. During the final interview, we informed participants that they had received a course of placebo treatments. We used an idiographic phenomenological approach based on the Sheffield School to describe each participant’s experiences of being blinded to and then debriefed to placebo allocation. The participants’ experiences of blinding and debriefing were embodied, related to their goals in undertaking the study, and social (e.g., embedded in trusting and valued relationships with acupuncturists). We suggest ways in which debriefing to placebo allocation can be managed sensitively to facilitate positive outcomes for participants.
Fatigue behavior of surface-notched composite pipes repaired by composite patches
Authors: Günaydın Berrin , Dağhan Behcet , Avcı Ahmet
Published: June 2012

This study investigated the effects of composite repair patches and number of patch layers on the fatigue behavior of surface-notched composite pipes. The pipes were repaired using glass/epoxy composite patches of two to seven layers. Failure modes were examined and S-N curves were plotted. Fatigue tests showed that the fatigue life of the repaired pipes was improved by increasing the number of patch layers. The seven-layer composite patch was most effective in preventing fatigue failure and increasing the fatigue life of the surface-notched pipes.
Characteristics of Pelvic Lymph Node Metastases in Prostatic Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Yoon Ji Yoon , Kryvenko Oleksandr N. , Ghani Khurshid R. , Bertucci Chad , Menon Mani , Gupta Nilesh S.
Published: June 2012

Pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) is currently the most accurate staging modality for lymph node metastases in prostate adenocarcinoma. There is no consensus on the optimal sampling method of PLND specimens among pathologists. This study analyzed the effectiveness of the submission of entire adipose tissue in 451 cases and its impact on total lymph node yield and detection of positive lymph nodes. The sizes of metastatic foci and positive lymph nodes in 83 cases were also studied. Submission of entire adipose tissue increased the lymph node yield and positive lymph node detection by 36.7 % and 1.99 %, respectively. Three cases had positive lymph nodes exclusively in adipose tissue. Of the patients examined, 68% had the largest positive lymph node, <1 cm. In conclusion, it was noted that metastases from prostate cancer were frequently small and seen within small lymph nodes. Submission of entire adipose tissue substantially increased the lymph node yield, but its impact on the detection of additional positive lymph nodes was low. Submission of the entire adipose tissue may be considered as an option in patients with high-risk factors for lymph node metastases.
Significance of Incidentally Detected Thyroid Tissue in Lymph Nodes of Neck Dissections in Patients With Head and Neck Carcinoma
Authors: KR Anila , Sebastian Paul , Somanathan Thara , George Nebu A , Jayasree K.
Published: June 2012

Background. The incidental discovery of thyroid tissue in lymph nodes of neck dissections performed for a separate primary head and neck cancer is an unusual clinical entity. Careful screening of large number of lymph nodes in the neck dissection specimens by the pathologist is critical in picking up such cases. There is controversy regarding clinical significance of such incidentally detected thyroid tissue in cervical nodes as to whether these represent benign inclusions or whether they represent metastatic focus of an underlying thyroid cancer. The appropriate clinical approach in such cases is less clear because it occurs in the context of another malignancy, usually squamous cell carcinomas with a more aggressive potential. Materials and methods. On reviewing the records of 1602 neck dissections done in patients with head and neck cancers over the years 2007-2011, this study identified 5 patients with incidentally detected thyroid tissue with features of malignancy in cervical lymph nodes. Subsequent thyroidectomies done in 4 cases showed primary thyroid cancer. Conclusion. The study’s results emphasize the need for the clinician to do an accurate reevaluation and follow-up of patients with incidental occult metastasis for detection of primary thyroid tumor. A thorough sampling and screening of lymph nodes in neck dissection specimens by the pathologist is also essential. Incidentally discovered thyroid tissue in cervical lymph nodes need not always be benign inclusions. Aggressive therapy, however, may not be needed in all cases.
Controlling the internet in China
Authors: Dong Fan
Published: June 2012

This article examines the complexity of the internet control mechanisms in China by breaking it down to five layers, ranging from the government, service and content providers to webmasters and individual users. It inquires into the logic of the control mechanisms and how such logic is naturalized into organizations and individuals’ everyday practices. It shows the dynamic between proactive, synchronized and reactive strategies and how the relationship between these components evolves in different phases. Through comparative online ethnography of the two most prominent Chinese forums located in China and the USA, QQ and MIT BBS, data analyses and interviews with regulators and content providers, this article aims at locating internet control in the historical trajectory and the socio-cultural specificity of China. More importantly, it reveals the effectiveness of these control mechanisms and the implications for the average internet user’s everyday life.
Europe in Africa and Africa in Europe
Authors: Nafafé José Lingna
Published: June 2012

European encounters fostered in the early modern period with West Africa have provided us with interesting frameworks from which to engage in the construction of difference, race within Western European space and with terms for rethinking European identity that transcend the cosmopolitan and colonial pretensions. Drawing on early historical records, especically the Portuguese experience in West Africa, this article seeks to contest standard historical sociological tropes of European identity. First, creolization and hybridity are to challenge the essentialism which has been deployed by Hegel to defend colonial interests. Second, it engages with the critiques levelled at Hegel’s eurocentrism, universalism and teleology. Particular use is made of Susan Buck-Morss’s work on Hegel, Sybelle Fischer’s critique of Buck-Morss’ work. Third, it interrogates the principle of the dialectic with Hegel’s Europe engagement with its Others; using Levinas’ work as a critique of Hegel’s dialectic, which represents alternative, that is less violent and non-dominant.