bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Automatic Image-Based Plant Disease Severity Estimation Using Deep Learning
Authors: Wang Guan , Sun Yu , Wang Jianxin
Published: July 2017

Automatic and accurate estimation of disease severity is essential for food security, disease management, and yield loss prediction. Deep learning, the latest breakthrough in computer vision, is promising for fine-grained disease severity classification, as the method avoids the labor-intensive feature engineering and threshold-based segmentation. Using the apple black rot images in the PlantVillage dataset, which are further annotated by botanists with four severity stages as ground truth, a series of deep convolutional neural networks are trained to diagnose the severity of the disease. The performances of shallow networks trained from scratch and deep models fine-tuned by transfer learning are evaluated systemically in this paper. The best model is the deep VGG16 model trained with transfer learning, which yields an overall accuracy of 90.4% on the hold-out test set. The proposed deep learning model may have great potential in disease control for modern agriculture.
Genotype-Phenotype Characterization of Novel Variants in Six Italian Patients with Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy
Authors: Iarossi Giancarlo , Bertelli Matteo , Maltese Paolo Enrico , Gusson Elena , Marchini Giorgio , Bruson Alice , Benedetti Sabrina , Volpetti Sabrina , Catena Gino , Buzzonetti Luca , Ziccardi Lucia
Published: July 2017

Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) is a complex disorder characterized by incomplete development of the retinal vasculature. Here, we report the results obtained on the spectrum of genetic variations and correlated phenotypes found in a cohort of Italian FEVR patients. Eight probands (age range 7–19 years) were assessed by genetic analysis and comprehensive age-appropriate ophthalmic examination. Genetic testing investigated the genes most widely associated in literature with FEVR:FZD4,LRP5,TSPAN12, andNDP. Clinical and genetic evaluations were extended to relatives of probands positive to genetic testing. Six out of eight probands (75%) showed a genetic variation probably related to the phenotype. We identified four novel genetic variants, one variant already described in association with Norrie disease and one previously described linked to autosomal dominant FEVR. Pedigree analysis of patients led to the classification of four autosomal dominant cases of FEVR (caused byFZD4andTSPAN12variants) and two X-linked FEVR probands (NDPvariants). None of the patients showed variants in theLRP5gene. This study represents the largest cohort study in Italian FEVR patients. Our findings are in agreement with the previous literature confirming that FEVR is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous retinal disorder, even when it manifests in the same family.
Real-Time Control System for Improved Precision and Throughput in an Ultrafast Carbon Fiber Placement Robot Using a SoC FPGA Extended Processing Platform
Authors: Ochoa-Ruiz Gilberto , Bevan Romain , de Lamotte Florent , Diguet Jean-Philippe , Bao Cheng-Cong
Published: July 2017

We present an architecture for accelerating the processing and execution of control commands in an ultrafast fiber placement robot. The system consists of a robotic arm designed by Coriolis Composites whose purpose is to move along a surface, on which composite fibers are deposed, via an independently controlled head. In first system implementation, the control commands were sent via Profibus by a PLC, limiting the reaction time and thus the precision of the fiber placement and the maximum throughput. Therefore, a custom real-time solution was imperative in order to ameliorate the performance and to meet the stringent requirements of the target industry (avionics, aeronautical systems). The solution presented in this paper is based on the use of a SoC FPGA processing platform running a real-time operating system (FreeRTOS), which has enabled an improved comamnd retrieval mechanism. The system’s placement precision was improved by a factor of 20 (from 1 mm to 0.05 mm), while the maximum achievable throughput was 1 m/s, compared to the average 30 cm/s provided by the original solution, enabling fabricating more complex and larger pieces in a significant fraction of the time.
Experimental Investigation of Delamination Growth in Composite Laminates under a Compressive Load
Authors: Riccio A. , Cristiano R. , Mezzacapo G. , Zarrelli M. , Toscano C.
Published: July 2017

This paper focuses on the use of no-contact experimental techniques for monitoring the interlaminar damage evolution in composite laminates. Indeed, Infrared Thermography and Digital Image Correlation are adopted to investigate, in composite plates with artificial delamination, the influence of the delamination initial position on the delamination growth. The paper also investigates the feasibility of using a no-contact experimental technique for the measurement of displacement and strain during mechanical tests, such as the Digital Image Correlation, to evaluate, by means of indirect measurements, the delamination growth as a function of the applied load.
An Estimation of QoS for Classified Based Approach and Nonclassified Based Approach of Wireless Agriculture Monitoring Network Using a Network Model
Authors: Ahmedy Ismail , Shehadeh Hisham A. , Idris Mohd Yamani Idna
Published: July 2017

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) can facilitate the process of monitoring the crops through agriculture monitoring network. However, it is challenging to implement the agriculture monitoring network in large scale and large distributed area. Typically, a large and dense network as a form of multihop network is used to establish communication between source and destination. This network continuously monitors the crops without sensitivity classification that can lead to message collision and packets drop. Retransmissions of drop messages can increase the energy consumption and delay. Therefore, to ensure a high quality of service (QoS), we propose an agriculture monitoring network that monitors the crops based on their sensitivity conditions wherein the crops with higher sensitivity are monitored constantly, while less sensitive crops are monitored occasionally. This approach selects a set of nodes rather than utilizing all the nodes in the network which reduces the power consumption in each node and network delay. The QoS of the proposed classified based approach is compared with the nonclassified approach in two scenarios; the backoff periods are changed in the first scenario while the numbers of nodes are changed in the second scenario. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms the nonclassified approach on different test scenarios.
A New Model to Study Fatigue in Dental Implants Based on Probabilistic Finite Elements and Cumulative Damage Model
Authors: Prados-Privado María , Bea José Antonio , Rojo Rosa , Gehrke Sérgio A. , Calvo-Guirado José Luis , Prados-Frutos Juan Carlos
Published: July 2017

The aim of this study was to predict the fatigue life of two different connections of a dental implant as in load transfer to bone. Two three-dimensional models were created and assembled. All models were subjected to a natural masticatory force of 118 N in the angle of 75° to the occlusal plane. All degrees of freedom in the inferior border of the cortical bone were restrained, and the mesial and distal borders of the end of the bone section were constrained. Fatigue material data and loads were assumed as random variables. Maximum principal stresses on bone were evaluated. Then, the probability of failure was obtained by the probabilistic approach. The maximum principal stress distribution predicted in the cortical and trabecular bone is 32 MPa for external connection and 39 MPa for internal connection. A mean life of 103 and 210 million cycles were obtained for external and internal connection, respectively. Probability cumulative function was also evaluated for both connection types. This stochastic model employs a cumulative damage model and probabilistic finite element method. This methodology allows the possibility of measured uncertainties and has a good precision on the results.
Lysosomes as Oxidative Targets for Cancer Therapy
Authors: Dielschneider Rebecca F. , Henson Elizabeth S. , Gibson Spencer B.
Published: July 2017

Lysosomes are membrane‐bound vesicles that contain hydrolases for the degradation and recycling of essential nutrients to maintain homeostasis within cells. Cancer cells have increased lysosomal function to proliferate, metabolize, and adapt to stressful environments. This has made cancer cells susceptible to lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP). There are many factors that mediate LMP such as Bcl‐2 family member, p53; sphingosine; and oxidative stress which are often altered in cancer. Upon lysosomal disruption, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels increase leading to lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial dysfunction, autophagy, and reactive iron. Cathepsins are also released causing degradation of macromolecules and cellular structures. This ultimately kills the cancer cell through different types of cell death (apoptosis, autosis, or ferroptosis). In this review, we will explore the contributions lysosomes play in inducing cell death, how this is regulated by ROS in cancer, and how lysosomotropic agents might be utilized to treat cancers.
Reconstruct the Support Vectors to Improve LSSVM Sparseness for Mill Load Prediction
Authors: Si Gangquan , Shi Jianquan , Guo Zhang , Jia Lixin , Zhang Yanbin
Published: July 2017

The sparse strategy plays a significant role in the application of the least square support vector machine (LSSVM), to alleviate the condition that the solution of LSSVM is lacking sparseness and robustness. In this paper, a sparse method using reconstructed support vectors is proposed, which has also been successfully applied to mill load prediction. Different from other sparse algorithms, it no longer selects the support vectors from training data set according to the ranked contributions for optimization of LSSVM. Instead, the reconstructed data is obtained first based on the initial model with all training data. Then, select support vectors from reconstructed data set according to the location information of density clustering in training data set, and the process of selecting is terminated after traversing the total training data set. Finally, the training model could be built based on the optimal reconstructed support vectors and the hyperparameter tuned subsequently. What is more, the paper puts forward a supplemental algorithm to subtract the redundancy support vectors of previous model. Lots of experiments on synthetic data sets, benchmark data sets, and mill load data sets are carried out, and the results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed sparse method for LSSVM.
Factors Related to Significant Improvement of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rates in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Receiving Telbivudine Therapy
Authors: Lin Te-Fu , Hsu Ping-I , Lin Kung-Hung , Tsay Feng-Woei , Tsai Tzung-Jiun , Chen Yan-Hua , Yu Hsien-Chung
Published: July 2017

Background and Aim. The improvement of estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving telbivudine therapy is well known. The aim of this study was to clarify the kinetics of eGFRs and to identify the significant factors related to the improvement of eGFRs in telbivudine-treated CHB patients in a real-world setting. Methods. Serial eGFRs were calculated every 3 months using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation. The patients were classified as CKD-1, -2, or -3 according to a baseline eGFR of ≥90, 60–89, or <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. A significant improvement of eGFR was defined as a more than 10% increase from the baseline. Results. A total of 129 patients were enrolled, of whom 36% had significantly improved eGFRs. According to a multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus (DM) (p=0.028) and CKD-3 (p=0.043) were both significantly related to such improvement. The rates of significant improvement of eGFR were about 73% and 77% in patients with DM and CKD-3, respectively. Conclusions. Telbivudine is an alternative drug of choice for the treatment of hepatitis B patients for whom renal safety is a concern, especially patients with DM and CKD-3.
Baicalin Ameliorates Experimental Liver Cholestasis in Mice by Modulation of Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and NRF2 Transcription Factor
Authors: Shen Kezhen , Feng Xiaowen , Pan Hao , Zhang Feng , Xie Haiyang , Zheng Shusen
Published: July 2017

Experimental cholestatic liver fibrosis was performed by bile duct ligation (BDL) in mice, and significant liver injury was observed in 15 days. Administration of baicalin in mice significantly ameliorates liver fibrosis. Experimental cholestatic liver fibrosis was associated with induced gene expression of fibrotic markers such as collagen I, fibronectin, alpha smooth muscle actin (SMA), and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF); increased inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, MIP1α, IL1β, and MIP2); increased oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species‐ (ROS‐) inducing enzymes (NOX2 and iNOS); dysfunctional mitochondrial electron chain complexes; and apoptotic/necrotic cell death markers (DNA fragmentation, caspase 3 activity, and PARP activity). Baicalin administration on alternate day reduced fibrosis along with profibrotic gene expression, proinflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, and cell death whereas improving the function of mitochondrial electron transport chain. We observed baicalin enhanced NRF2 activation by nuclear translocation and induced its target genes HO‐1 and GCLM, thus enhancing antioxidant defense. Interplay of oxidative stress/inflammation and NRF2 were key players for baicalin‐mediated protection. Stellate cell activation is crucial for initiation of fibrosis. Baicalin alleviated stellate cell activation and modulated TIMP1, SMA, collagen 1, and fibronectin in vitro. This study indicates that baicalin might be beneficial for reducing inflammation and fibrosis in liver injury models.
Performance Evaluation of Plain Weave and Honeycomb Weave Electrodes for Human ECG Monitoring
Authors: Xiao Xueliang , Pirbhulal Sandeep , Dong Ke , Wu Wanqing , Mei Xi
Published: July 2017

Long-time monitoring of physiological parameters can scrutinize human health conditions so as to use electrocardiogram (ECG) for diagnosis of some human’s chronic cardiovascular diseases. The continuous monitoring requires the wearable electrodes to be breathable, flexible, biocompatible, and skin-affinity friendly. Weave electrodes are innovative materials to supply these potential performances. In this paper, four conductive weave electrodes in plain and honeycomb weave patterns were developed to monitor human ECG signals. A wearable belt platform was developed to mount such electrodes for acquisition of ECG signals using a back-end electronic circuit and a signal transfer unit. The performance of weave ECG electrodes was evaluated in terms of skin-electrode contacting impedance, comfortability, ECG electrical characteristics, and signal fidelity. Such performances were then compared with the values from Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The test results showed that lower skin-electrode impedance, higher R-peak amplitude, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) value were obtained with the increased density of conductive filaments in weave and honeycomb weave electrode presented higher comfort but poorer signal quality of ECG. This study inspires an acceptable way of weave electrodes in long- and real-time of human biosignal monitoring.
Cryptanalysis and Improvement of Chaos‐Based Image Encryption Scheme with Circular Inter‐Intra‐Pixels Bit‐Level Permutation
Authors: Fan Haiju , Li Ming
Published: July 2017

A novel chaos‐based image encryption scheme has been proposed recently. In this scheme, redundancies of the Fridrich’s structure were reduced significantly via a new circular inter‐intra‐pixels bit‐level permutation strategy. However, we proved that the original encryption scheme is vulnerable to the known/chosen‐plaintext attacks. Both the permutation and diffusion phases have been improved to enhance the security of the original scheme. By shifting each row of the plain image randomly, known‐plaintext attacks could be resisted. Furthermore, by appending double crossover diffusion to the end of the original scheme, chosen‐plaintext attacks lost their efficacies. Simulation results demonstrated that the improved encryption scheme outperforms the original one.
O Campo como Laboratório: Relevância das Viagens Didáticas na Formação do Profissional em Lazer e Turismo – Estudo de Meio em Curitiba/PR
Authors: Ulian Flavia
Published: July 2017

O relato apresenta as vantagens de se utilizar o trabalho de campo como prática pedagógica nos cursos de graduação, especialmente no curso de Lazer e Turismo da EACH-USP. Faz breve revisão bibliográfica que ressalta os benefícios do estudo de meio como atividade motivadora na relação ensino-aprendizagem, e também como prática de observação direcionada por conceitos previamente apresentados em sala de aula. O texto ainda discorre sobre alguns requisitos importantes na elaboração de uma viagem didática, como, por exemplo, a realizada a Curitiba/PR durante a disciplina Turismos e Transportes. Por fim, mostra ainda depoimentos de alguns dos participantes.
Projeto Inovação na Produção do Cuidado em Saúde Bucal
Authors: Junqueira Simone Rennó , Fonsêca Graciela Soares , Silveira Fernando , Watanabe Marlívia Gonçalves de Carvalho , Botazzo Carlos
Published: July 2017

A inovação na promoção do cuidado em saúde bucal se pautou pela implementação da clínica ampliada de saúde bucal voltada à atenção primária à saúde (APS), na perspectiva da integralidade. Trata-se de um projeto multicêntrico, desenvolvido em Unidades de Saúde (US), com o objetivo de compreender o espaço dessa clínica como locus pedagógico, tendo como referência as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais e a Política Nacional de Saúde Bucal. Este trabalho traz a experiência em São Paulo e em Ribeirão Preto, onde foram inseridos estudantes da Universidade de São Paulo que percorreram as duas fases do projeto: a observação participante do trabalho nas US e a atividade experimental de clínica ampliada. Para investigar o sentido que alunos e preceptores atribuíram a essa vivência, optou-se por um estudo qualitativo, com entrevistas, diários de campo e portfólio que subsidiaram a interpretação dos resultados, à luz do saber da experiência. Os relatos tratam do acontecimento “a experiência da clínica ampliada no processo formativo com sua consequente produção do cuidado”. Buscaram-se os elementos pedagógicos constituintes do processo de ensino-aprendizagem concernentes aos fatos narrados, já que os estudantes por si demonstraram sensibilidade para a seleção destes e sua pertinência quanto à intencionalidade pedagógica para a produção de conhecimento e a prática reflexiva, autônoma e responsável. Os alunos se familiarizaram com rotinas, propiciando a constituição de novas possibilidades práticas, outras percepções, linguagens, interesses e formas de organização (principalmente em relação à estrutura acadêmica). Reconheceram que os serviços da APS estão abertos aos conflitos e às contradições da vida em sociedade, sentindo a complexidade de que a própria APS e a instituição de ensino são dotadas.
Experiências Obtidas com o Programa Ensinar com Pesquisa da Pró-Reitoria de Graduação da USP na Área de Eficiência Energética
Authors: Caneppele Fernando De Lima , Rabi José Antonio
Published: July 2017

Na universidade a docência e a aprendizagem só serão significativas se forem sustentadas por uma permanente atividade de construção do conhecimento. O aluno consegue aprender significativamente se tal processo se der como construção do conhecimento. Incorporar temas relacionados à eficiência energética nos currículos dos cursos de graduação é importante por fatores como as necessidades do mercado de trabalho e também pela criação de uma cultura de combate ao desperdício dos recursos energéticos. O presente relato mostra alguns dos resultados do projeto Aplicação dos Conceitos de Auditoria Energética no Campus da USP de Pirassununga, apoiado pelo Programa Ensinar com Pesquisa nos editais 2014 e 2015. A participação do aluno nesse projeto (e nessa área temática) teve como objetivo vivenciar na prática, bem como aprofundar em campo, conceitos desenvolvidos nas disciplinas relacionadas à energia elétrica e à eficiência energética dos cursos de Engenharia de Biossistemas e de Engenharia de Alimentos oferecidos na FZEA-USP. A meta supracitada foi atingida, visto que os discentes bolsistas aprofundaram seus conhecimentos na área de eficiência energética, ao passo que os alunos de graduação desfrutaram de aulas mais atrativas sobre esse tema, uma vez que os conceitos desenvolvidos faziam parte do seu cotidiano.
From Stitch to Society: A Multi-Level and Participatory Approach to Design Research
Authors: Holroyd Amy Twigger
Published: July 2017

This paper describes a doctoral research project that investigated the theme of openness in fashion, generating insights related to reworking, open design, and the lived experience of homemade clothes. A distinctive, practice-based approach to design research emerged from the project, which uses generative and participatory processes of designing and making to investigate research questions at multiple levels: from micro-scale practical challenges to much broader social issues. This multi-level structure emphasizes the theoretical contribution of the research and the methods used, and could be used to support future design-led research projects.
Planting and Tending Digital-Nature Hybrids in a Walled Kitchen Garden
Authors: Edwards Elizabeth , Coulton Paul , Darby Andy , Chiasson Mike
Published: July 2017

This paper presents various digital-nature artifacts designed to support visitor engagement in a National Trust garden environment. While selected critical theory guided the initial design of interpretation artifacts, we discuss how a research through design approach (RtD) and our attendance at the Research through Design (RTD) 2015 conference informed our subsequent design practice, notably in relation to iterations of the artifacts. In particular, we reflect on how each design iteration within the RtD process revealed knowledge about materials, values, engagement and place.
A phylogenetic analysis of the aquatic weevil tribe Bagoini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) based on morphological characters of adults
Authors: CALDARA ROBERTO , O’BRIEN CHARLES W. , MEREGALLI MASSIMO
Published: July 2017

Relationships of almost all known Bagoini from the world (Holarctic, Afrotropical and Oriental Regions, and Australia) were analyzed using morphological characters. To define relationships with other Curculionidae and among the species within the tribe, 119 characters were used: 64 of these are genital structures, mainly from the males, where the penis and endophallus are endowed with many complex structures that are apparently unique in Curculionidae. In general, the genital characters appear conservative and tend to resolve relationship at more terminal levels of phylogeny. On the contrary, many external characters are strongly homoplastic, probably secondary modifications associated with their aquatic lifestyle, but which tended to resolve relationships among the lower nodes of the tree. On the basis of this analysis, we confirmed the monophyly of the tribe. Our phylogenetic reconstruction suggests a new taxonomic ordering of the tribe in genera and subgenera. The following taxa, previously considered as synonyms of Bagous Germar, 1817, are resurrected as valid taxa: Hydronomus Schoenherr, 1825 and Memptorrhynchus Iablokoff-Khnzorian, 1960 as genera; Parabagous Schilsky, 1907, Hydronoplus Fairmaire, 1898 (= Pseudobagous Sharp, 1917 syn. n.) (stat. n.) and Macropelmus Dejean, 1821 (= Pnigodes LeConte, 1876 syn. n.) (stat. n.) as subgenera. Azollaebagous gen. n. and Hydrillaebagous subgen. n. of Bagous are created. Among some genera, especially Bagous and its subgenera, we recognize a somewhat large number of species groups, distinguishable mainly by unique character states of the male genitalia. Monophyly of most of these appears well supported. Some of these groups are presently monotypic, but we ascertained that many of them have other representatives not yet described.
Revision of world Ooderella Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eupelmidae), with description of the first males for the genus
Authors: GIBSON GARY A. P.
Published: July 2017

The world species of Ooderella Ashmead, 1896 are revised. Characterization of the genus is based primarily on females, but for the first time males are associated with females through collecting events and described for four species. Putative generic features of males as well as morphological limits of both sexes are discussed, as are possible infrageneric relationships. Previously consisting of a single species from South America, Ooderella smithii Ashmead (♀, ♂), 18 new species are described from the Neotropical, Nearctic and Afrotropical regions, including one from the Nearctic region [O. americana n. sp. (♀)], 5 from the Afrotropical region [O. botswanae n. sp. (♀), O. capensis n. sp. (♀), O. gymnosoma n. sp. (♀), O. kenyaensis n. sp. (♀), and O. platyscapus n. sp. (♀, ♂)], and 12 from the Neotropical region [(O. ambigua n. sp. (♀), O. flavida n. sp. (♀), O. hansoni n. sp. (♀), O. hyalipleura n. sp. (♀), O. melanosceles n. sp. (♀), O. microptera n. sp. (♀), O. reticulifrons n. sp. (♀), O. setosa n. sp. (♀, ♂), O. speculifrons n. sp. (♀), O. spinositegula n. sp. (♀, ♂), O. stenoptera n. sp. (♀), and O. thegalea n. sp. (♀)]. The species are keyed, described, illustrated through macrophotography, and their distributions mapped.
The Changing Politics of Urban Education
Authors: Iannaccone Laurence , Wiles David K.
Published: July 2017

Urban politics is shifting from the politics of ethnics to the politics of dispersed inequalities. The two patterns differ in their base of political support, form of social power structure emerging from the base, type of leadership, and economic rewards.
The Plight of the Cities and Citizen Commitment
Authors: Broadbelt Samuel
Published: July 2017

Presently, public education is undergoing its greatest challenge in the city. The public schools have been among the victims of the metropolitan problems of segregation, socioeconomic separation, and unequal economic opportunities. City problems have become a nucleus for dissatisfaction with the public schools. For example, the larger cities are racially segregated by residence; in specific areas where Negroes, Spanish-Americans, and Indians reside, the average income is less than two-thirds that of the average white family.
“Sense of Fate Control” and Community Control of the Schools
Authors: Kleinfeld Judith
Published: July 2017

This study suggests that the sense of fate-control findings of the Coleman Report are irrelevant to the debate over community control of the schools. The sense of fate-control findings appear to be based on an erroneous conceptualization of beliefs about fate-control and on a partly invalid measure. The attitude positively related to school achievement among black students appears to be academic self-concept, not beliefs about fate-control.

Let me make an important limitation of this study clear. The students in this study were eleventh and twelfth graders, while the Coleman Report found the strongest relationship between a sense of fate-control and school achievement among black ninth graders. It may be that black ninth graders hold the type of internal-external attitude that the Coleman Report suggests, that the Sense of Fate-Control Scale validly measures it, and that it indeed depresses school effort and achievement. Such students may tend to drop out of school before the later grades, so these processes would not be evident in this study.

It is customary to call for more research to explore such a possibility, but I cannot recommend what I believe would be wasted effort. My studies of sense of fate-control and school achievement among white ninth and tenth graders have led to similar conclusions (Kleinfeld, 1970), and the Coleman Report suggested that a low sense of fate-control might depress achievement efforts among disadvantaged white students through similar processes.

The sense of fate-control and school achievement issue appears to be a blind alley. This study suggests that research effort could be more profitably directed toward exploring Katz' (1969) provocative finding that black students hold unrealistically low estimates of their ability and also toward experiments designed to increase academic self-concept in black students and determine effects on achievement. One of the unfortunate results of the Coleman Report's highly publicized sense of fate-control findings is that they have diverted research attention from such problems.
Capital Embodiment: A New View of Compensatory Education
Authors: Levin Henry M. , Guthrie James W. , Kleindorfer George B. , Stout Robert T.
Published: July 2017

It is generally conceded by knowledgeable educators that compensatory education programs have exhibited dramatic success in only rare instances. The reasons for this condition are varied, and we do not wish to offer either a definitive analysis or a complete remedial prescription. However, it appears that this failure is due in substantial measure to an unwillingness to acknowledge the depth of deprivation to which the individual child has been subjected and an inability to focus upon him the massive resources necessary to make up the difference.
Children's Perception of Socially Significant Speech Variants
Authors: Fleming James T.
Published: July 2017

To assess children's perception of socially significant speech variants, taped speech samples from lower-urban white, lower-urban Negro, upper-urban white, and upper-urban Negro nine-year-old boys were presented to Ss with characteristics similar to speakers. The Ss' task was to identify the speaker by pointing to one of four pictures depicting the speaker types. Although findings were in the predicted direction, analysis of variance yielded no significant effects. Despite the clearly apparent lower mean scores observed for the LUN Ss, the size of the within variance precluded rejection of the hypotheses. The consistency of responses to certain speaker types merits further exploration.
Dissemination, Communication, and Utilization
Authors: Ball Samuel , Anderson Scarvia B.
Published: July 2017

Behold a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But others fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

–St. Matthew [ch. 13, verses 3-8]
ASEAN as A Regional Bloc
Authors: Sarma Atul , Mehta Pradeep Kumar
Published: July 2017

Last decade has witnessed two significant developments in the international trading environment, namely Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations and issue of rising regionalism. While Multilateral Trade Negotiations aimed at integrating national markets and resulting in larger world trade though the process of globalisation, rising negotiations helped and enhanced the role of trading blocs in it.

This implies that prominent trading blocs and their member states, particularly developed countries (DCs) and newly industrialised countries (NICs), would play an increasingly important role in the emerging global economic order. This would pose many challenges to the developing countries (DCs), particularly those which are outside the major blocs, and would necessitate changes in their policies and perceptions.

It is in the context that the paper makes an attempt to understand the phenomenon of growing regionalism in Asia-Pacific region with special reference to ASEAN in terms of their contour, directions and implications.
The Quest for Looking East
Authors: Ambatkar Sanjay
Published: July 2017

The announcement of "look-east policy" in 1992 initiated the process of revitalising India's economic partnership with ASEAN countries. During the "look-east policy" period, the country attempted to enhance trade and investment linkages with some of the ASEAN countries. It succeeded compared to much less of its potentials in enhancing trade penetration in some of the ASEAN markets. For ASEAN countries, USA, Japan and China are vital trade partners and, therefore, for increasing trade with ASEAN countries India needs to adopt strategic planning on individual country basis by taking into consideration their changing economic characteristics. Unlike trade, investment cooperation between India and ASEAN could not prosper much over the period for various reasons. Much of ASEAN foreign investment goes to China and other developing countries of East Asia. For ASEAN countries, liberalised trade regime of the host country is most important factor in outsourcing their FDl India needs to open trade regime as foreign investment is now increasingly more related with trading opportunities than with local market exploitation.
Export Potential of Indian Mint Oil Industry
Authors: Ali Jabir
Published: July 2017

Cultivation of mint crop has recently been introduced in India. India has adequate agricultural resources for production of mint oil but it is still confined to only some parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, due to lack of education about the crop and extension work for propagation of this highly commerial and valuable commodity. Its use in the form of flavour and fragrance shows its importance both in the domestic market as well as in the international market. The primary market for mint oil includes soft drink companies, food companies, perfumery companies, cosmetics and pharmaceutical, which are growing at a rate of 18.23 per cent in terms of sales value and 17.93 per cent in terms of market size.

Major international markets for mint oil include USA, Japan and Western Europe. India exported to only J2 countries in J988-89 and has explored 25 export markets in 1995-96, which further increased to 36 in 1997-98. The export of mint oil was amounted to Rs 342.83 lakh in 1988-89, which has increased to Rs 9,693.12 lakh in 1997-98, and is expected to be doubled by the year 2009-2010. Contribution of menthol in mint oil export shows that there are bright opportunities for mint oil processing units for value addition on one hand and linkage gains on the other.

The annual compound growth rate of mint oil export is 35.33 per cent in terms of quantity and 46.31 per cent in terms of value during 1988-89 - 1997-98. The highest growth rate is recorded in case of Spearmint oil followed by Peppermint and Menthol. India is the net exporter of mint oil and menthol but export trend is highly fluctuating, mainly because of unorganised sector and absence of any export promotion body/board, specially for essential oils.

The import of mint oil generally shows stable trend but wide disparity between quantity imported and amount paid can be seen, resulting in higher import prices. The import is about three times costlier than export price realisation. The export price for mint oil was Rs 1.48 lakh per tonne in 1988-89, which has increased to Rs 3.20 lakh in 1997-98, whereas import price for it was Rs 2.72 lakh per tonne in 1988-89, which has increased to Rs 10.01 lakh per tonne in 1997-98. Hence, proper policy framework in this regard is required to check the unnecessary outflow of foreign exchange. Net foreign exchange earning from mint trade was Rs 232.10 lakh in 1988-89 which has increased to Rs 13,566.72 lakh in 1996-97, i.e. an increase of 98.29 per cent and further came down to Rs 9,346.57 lakh in 1997-98. So its contribution is quite significant for the country.

This is a new area which needs supportive policy framework for enhancing its production and diversifying its markets by organising this industry in a scientific manner.
Applying Market Assessment Models for Strategic Advantage
Authors: Anwar Syed Aziz , Llanes Violeta A.
Published: July 2017

Five market assessment models are presented in an integrated manner to systematically analyse the international business environment of the Philippines. The paper also highlights a comparison of management styles of the Philippines with those of USA and Japan. Multinational corporations (MNCs) and other foreign investors may need to rethink what they will take into account when assessing their strategies in entering a developing country. in other words, they need to gain insights not only into the country's economy and growth but also its unique historical, political and behavioural (socio-cultural) dimensions.
Foreign Trade and Economic Development in Travancore from 1894 to 1947
Authors: Pillai C. Rajasekharan
Published: July 2017

This study concentrates on the foreign trade surplus of the princely state of erstwhile Travancore and its impact on the economy of Travancore during 1894-1947. Further, an attempt has been made to analyze the trade surplus in the light of classical and neo-classical theories and with the theory of export pessimism.
International Trade in Textiles and Clothing
Authors: Rangarajan K.
Published: July 2017

The Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA) and other earlier agreements through quantitative restrictions governed the international trade in textiles and clothing for more than three decades now. One of the major milestones of the Uruguay Round was the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) which provided for the dismantling of these restrictions. Under the ATC, the MFA restrictions were to be phased out over a “ten-year” period and were scheduled to end by 2005. The world trade in textiles and clothing has assumed alarming proportions in 2005. This paper examines the post-MFA challenges for the textiles and clothing industry in general and India in particular. As textiles and clothing industry has been an important source of economic growth in South Asia, this paper focuses on the strategies for India in facing the challenges due to full MFA phase-out from 1st January 2005.
Foreign Institutional Investor (Fii) Flows
Authors: Pattnaik R.K. , Kumar S.N.V. Siva
Published: July 2017

Worldwide there has been a long debate both in academic and policy circles with regard to the Foreign Institutional Investor (FII) flows, mainly due to their volatility and pro-cyclicality, and consequent adverse impact on the monetary and macro-economic management. Contemporaneous with the global debate, the issue has surfaced and resurfaced in India also in tune with the magnitude of the flows both in upswing and downswing. India has seen massive flows and sudden stops and reversals. The present article is an attempt to analyze the underlying issues and put forth some policy options. Indian approach to capital flows, especially, FII flows, has stood the test of time. The Indian authorities, with a combination of sound macroeconomic policies, prudent debt management, exchange rate flexibility, effective management of the capital account, accumulation of appropriate levels of reserves as self-insurance and development of resilient domestic financial markets, have provided a sustainable response to the large and volatile capital flows.
Competitiveness of Leather and Leather Product Exports
Authors: Sharma Anuj , Varma Anupam
Published: July 2017

Kanpur Cluster, despite being one of the oldest leather clusters of India with availability of all factors of production, is behind Chennai and Kolkata clusters in terms of revenue earned from export of leather and leather products as well as per unit realization in most of the leather products category. The current study focuses on studying export competitiveness of Kanpur cluster vis-a-vis Chennai and Kolkata. The paper has analyzed former cluster on Porter's framework and has brought forward the factors that result in low export performance of the cluster and the steps required by state policy-makers and exporters to improve the export competitiveness.

The research design of present study is exploratory followed by descriptive in nature. The sampling technique used is judgmental based on opinion of experts and researchers of the field. The data are collected from exporters of Kanpur through structured questionnaires. The exporters covered by the study account for 80 per cent of export revenue in leather sector from Kanpur. In- depth interviews with government officials and office bearers of organizations like FIEO, Council for Leather Exports were conducted to collect the data.

Researchers in consultation with industry experts and literature review determined the factors that have impact on export competitiveness. This study found that lack of external factors like transport infrastructure, power supply, image of State, recession in world market and insufficient State Government support in terms of policy and internal factors like high per unit manufacturing cost, lack of coordination among industry players, low use of technology (Modern Machines) and insufficient marketing activities, are the major reasons for low export performance of the cluster.
China and India: Economic Performance, Competition and Cooperation
Authors: Raghuramapatruni Radha
Published: July 2017

In the recent years China and India have experienced unprecedented growth in terms of economic development, which have attracted the world economy. From the global perspective, China and India today represent two unique new players in the international market, presenting a combination of high GDP, significant level of poverty, a lower per capita income and living standards. This raises several questions about their becoming the major drivers of international economic growth. It is only in the recent past that political initiatives of confidence building measures began to shape their areas of mutual cooperation. Now the bilateral trade among these economies has been recognized as the most reliable and the agreeable instrument of China-India rapprochement which will tend to influence the world economy and its growth pace. Their long-term potential as trade partners, however, remains to be fully explored and exploited.

It is in this context of their fast changing equations, the current paper makes an attempt to hypothesize how this bilateral trade promises to become one of the most potential instruments to intensify their political relations and facilitate progress in actualizing their strategic partnership for their mutual benefit in the future.
Import Demand for Forest-Based Products
Authors: Chatterjee N.
Published: July 2017

Forest-based exports, particular~y the non-coniferous primary and semi-manufactured products from the tropical countries, have grown rapidly during the past two decades or so. Exports from India have not, however, kept pace. Among other causes, this has also been due to a lack of proper market and product identification. Detailed market studies being an expensive proposition, there is merit in a preliminary selection of countries and commodities on some broad-based and analtytically inexpensive criteria, to be followed by further research work. Since price and income eiasticities are good indicators of import market demand, these are determined here for several advanced countries and various forest-based products. A hypothesised behavioural relationship is first developed and the results are discussed. The potential of Japan as a possible market for forest-based exports from India is confirmed, and France and Italy also emerge as possessing much promise. Despite past ties, neither UK nor USA appears to be the ideal choice for the purpose.
Policy Dialogue between IMF, World Bank and Developing Countries
Authors: Mayer Otto G.
Published: July 2017

The lending criteria applied by the IMF and the World Bank have been converging for some time. Considering also that since the floating of exchange rates in the early ’seventies the IMF seems to have lost in importance as a monetary institution, debate is growing on the question of whether the Fund needs to correct its policy course, to be assigned new tasks by its member countries or even to be amalgamated with the World Bank into one efficient development aid institution.
A Comparison of Three Flight Attitude Displays
Authors: Bernberg Raymond E.
Published: July 2017

Requirements for presenting to the human operator the information needed to pilot air vehicles change as the performance characteristics of aircraft change. The most modern concepts of high altitude, supersonic air vehicles demand a more rigorous system for refined and accurate information for operator control with minimal error in performance than has previously been required. This study attempts to define the problem in a specific area of an optimal flight attitude display with which to fly a constant pitch attitude climb.
Speech Interference Level and Aircraft Acoustical Environment
Authors: Dreher John J. , Evans William E.
Published: July 2017

Basic concepts and formulation of the speech interference level (SIL) measure are discussed and the implications of the use of SIL to measure aircraft cabin environment are analyzed. Intelligibility tests with both words and phrases indicate that serious interference with speech can be demonstrated by adding supposedly unimportant frequencies to the SIL criterion masking band. Innocuous effects are also demonstrated by masking with low frequencies alone. Conclusions are drawn that because of the complex nature of a propeller-driven aircraft acoustic environment, SIL criteria, without qualification, are unacceptable for measuring either intelligibility or comfort.
Operator Trends in Marking a Moving Scale Indicator
Authors: Willis Harold R.
Published: July 2017

Although the moving scale, fixed pointer, type of indicator is undesirable for normal use, occasions sometimes arise when it is appropriate, or its use is unavoidable. In one situation of this nature a dial required markings that would designate a quadrant on one side of 0 as North, and the other side as South. Another dial required markings on one side of 0 as Plus, and the other side as Minus. In the absence of specific information covering this problem, an experiment was designed which would supply the necessary information. A naive population of 40 randomly selected, male, senior high school students was used. Results showed that the right side of the moving scale should be marked N or + and the left side S or —. Peripheral information disclosed correlation between score obtained and scholastic performance.
A Re-Evaluation of Machine-Generated Abstracts
Authors: Resnick Albert , Savage Terry R.
Published: July 2017

Twenty-five subjects were divided into five matched groups and each group was given a different type of lexical indicator of content. The purpose was to determine their ability to answer a 72-question criterion test and determine the relevance of the documents furnished relative to that task.

The results indicated that there were no major differences between the five groups in their ability to select relevant documents. The group utilizing complete text material, however, obtained a significantly higher score on the examination.
Dynamic Anthropometry of Working Positions
Authors: Hertzberg H. T. E.
Published: July 2017

This paper provides a review of the principles and procedures of workspace design for engineers. It emphasizes that human body size, anthropometry, and muscle force capability, biomechanics, are both essential for the efficient sizing of equipment. The proper method of workspace design, the “design limits concept”, is described, and the fallacy of the “average man” concept is demonstrated. General methods of gathering body size and strength data are outlined, and major information sources noted. The author's ideas on human muscle strength in the weightless state are included.