bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A new species of Caenis Stephens, 1836 (Ephemeroptera: Caenidae) from Southern Brazil
Authors: LIMA LUCAS R. C. , MOLINERI CARLOS , PINHEIRO ULISSES
Published: April 2015

A new species of the genus Caenis Stephens is described based on the male imago, female imago and egg stages from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The male imago of Caenis gaucha sp. nov. is diagnosed as follows: body length of male 2.0–2.5 mm; base of antennal flagellum not dilated; forceps apically rounded, not fused to lateral margins of styliger plate; styliger plate short with posterior margin slightly sub-triangular; ratio of foreleg 1.7–2.2 × the length of hind leg, forceps length 4.4–6.0 × the width ½ from base, and distance between the extreme lateral points of the forceps bases 1.7–1.8 × forceps length.
Implementation of Deterministic Weather Forecasting Systems Based on Ensemble–Variational Data Assimilation at Environment Canada. Part II: The Regional System
Authors: Caron Jean-François , Milewski Thomas , Buehner Mark , Fillion Luc , Reszka Mateusz , Macpherson Stephen , St-James Judy
Published: April 2015

The modifications to the data assimilation component of the Regional Deterministic Prediction System (RDPS) implemented at Environment Canada operations during the fall of 2014 are described. The main change is the replacement of the limited-area four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4DVar) algorithm for the limited-area analysis and the associated three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVar) scheme for the synchronous global driver analysis by the four-dimensional ensemble–variational data assimilation (4DEnVar) scheme presented in the first part of this study. It is shown that a 4DEnVar scheme using global background-error covariances can provide RDPS forecasts that are slightly improved compared to the previous operational approach, particularly during the first 24 h of the forecasts and in the summertime convective regime. Further forecast improvements were also made possible by upgrades in the assimilated observational data and by introducing the improved global analysis presented in the first part of this study in the RDPS intermittent cycling strategy. The computational savings brought by the 4DEnVar approach are also discussed.
Legitimacy Buying
Authors: González-Ocantos Ezequiel , Kiewiet de Jonge Chad , Nickerson David W.
Published: April 2015

Although elections have become the norm not only in democratic regimes but also in autocratic ones, the legitimacy of the electoral process in different countries is often contested. Facing strong international pressures to prove democratic credentials, eventual winners have a strong incentive to ensure high levels of voter turnout. Conversely, leaders of parties likely to lose the election have an incentive to reduce turnout—for example, through boycotts—to delegitimize the election. In such situations, turnout is a major dimension of competition. To overcome the potential delegitimizing effects of low turnout, incumbents will often turn toward clientelistic mobilization, as high turnout can be a powerful rejoinder to those who denounce elections as a sham and can put observers’ concerns about the legitimacy of the electoral process to rest. We develop a theory to explain how such campaigns will target particularistic benefits. We argue that what we term “legitimacy buying” will be primarily aimed at “staunching the bleeding” of supporters who are usually consistent voters but have doubts about the legitimacy of the election. This theoretical prediction departs from theories used to explain vote buying in contexts in which the legitimacy of the elections is largely uncontested by significant groups in society. The theory is supported by data from a list experiment on vote buying conducted after the Honduran 2009 elections, which occurred in the wake of President Zelaya’s ousting and in the midst of a boycott promoted by his supporters.
Development of a low-cost educational liquid-level sensor circuit
Authors: Ibrahim Dogan
Published: April 2015

In this article, the design of a low-cost educational liquid-level sensor circuit is described. The sensor is of capacitive type and is in the form of a parallel plate capacitor made up of two aluminium foil papers stuck on opposite sides of the container whose liquid level is to be measured. The sensor works on the principle that its capacitance changes with the level of liquid in the container as a result of the change in permittivity between the plates. Thus, by calculating the capacitor value, one can calculate the level of the liquid in the vessel. In this article, the capacitor value is calculated using a microcontroller-based circuit where an RC circuit is formed and the rise-time of the voltage across the capacitor is measured and is then related to the level of the liquid. The results are found to have good linearity and repeatability, and it is shown that the liquid level can be measured accurately and with low cost using some readily available basic components.
Conferencing as a Site for the Mobilization of Black Feminist Identities in the Congress of Black Women of Canada, 1973-1983
Authors: Mills Jennifer
Published: April 2015

The Congress of Black Women of Canada (CBWC) is a social movement organization that has represented the interests of Black women in this country for more than four decades at the national and local levels. While Black Canadian feminist scholars have started to explore women’s organizations, the CBWC’s organizing efforts is missing from the feminist record. This article seeks to redress this gap by using a Black feminist synthetic perspective to document the CBWC’s conference themes and issues between 1973 and 1983. Focusing on the organization’s conferences, this article uses organizational documents to analyze their workshop topics concerning youth and education, triple oppression, women’s movement, pay equity, immigration, racial profiling, institutionalized racism, health, multiculturalism, and sexuality. Given the CBWC’s focus on Black women and their families, understanding how members used their identities, ideologies, and institutions as critical categories to interpret their experiences is a particular concern. This article argues that these conferences were more than an empirical space for Black women’s gatherings. The conferences served as a time for the recovery, affirmation, and mobilization of Black feminist identities, that is, a time for connecting consciousness.
Psychometric Racial and Ethnic Predictive Inequities
Authors: Henderson Howard , Tanana Michael , Bourgeois Jennifer Wyatt , Adams Anthony T.
Published: April 2015

Recent findings have held that offender behavioral assessments unfairly predict the probation outcomes of racial/ethnic minorities. To that end, this study examines the extent and degree to which a commonly used offender risk needs assessment instrument equitably predicts probationer success and distributes predictive error. Findings suggest that the risk needs instrument predicts most equitably for “higher risked” probationers and that error is more likely for under-classified Blacks and over-classified Whites. The discussion presents issues for consideration by policy makers, practitioners, and future researchers motivated by the minimization of predictive bias.
Cultural Beliefs About Societal Change
Authors: Bain Paul G. , Kroonenberg Pieter M. , Kashima Yoshihisa
Published: April 2015

People’s beliefs about where society has come from and where it is going have personal and political consequences. Here, we conduct a detailed investigation of these beliefs through re-analyzing Kashima, Shi, et al.’s (Study 2, n = 320) data from China, Australia, and Japan. Kashima, Shi, et al. identified a “folk theory of social change” (FTSC) belief that people in society become more competent over time, but less warm and moral. Using three-mode principal component analysis, an under-utilized analytical method in psychology, we identified two additional narratives: Utopianism/Dystopianism (people becoming generally better or worse over time) and Expansion/Contraction (an increase/decrease in both positive and negative aspects of character over time). Countries differed in endorsement of these three narratives of societal change. Chinese endorsed the FTSC and Utopian narratives more than other countries, Japanese held Dystopian and Contraction narratives more than other countries, and Australians’ narratives of societal change fell between Chinese and Japanese. Those who believed in greater economic/technological development held stronger FTSC and Expansion/Contraction narratives, but not Utopianism/Dystopianism. By identifying multiple cultural narratives about societal change, this research provides insights into how people across cultures perceive their social world and their visions of the future.
Diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced carcinogenic liver injury in mice
Authors: Tolba R , Kraus T , Liedtke C , Schwarz M , Weiskirchen R
Published: April 2015

The toxic properties of various nitrosamines in animals and humans are well established. The parenteral or oral administration of the smallest quantities of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) or dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) results in severe liver damage. Most prominent are intense neutrophilic infiltration, extensive centrilobular haemorrhagic necrosis, bile duct proliferation, fibrosis, and bridging necrosis that ends in hepatocarcinogenesis. Due to the robustness of the induced hepatic alterations, the application of DEN in rodents has become an attractive experimental model for studies aimed at understanding the pathogenetic alterations underlying the formation of liver cancer, which represents one of the most common malignancies in humans worldwide. However, several studies have shown that the hepatocarcinogenic effects of nitrosamines might vary with the genetic background of the animals, their sex, their age, and other factors that might impact the outcome of experimentation. We present general guidelines for working with DEN, and a detailed protocol that allows the establishment of highly reproducible liver cancer in mice. The outcome of liver injury after the application of DEN in mice, as estimated by the formation of cirrhosis and cancer, appears to be a suitable animal model for the analysis of some aspects and processes that promote the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma in humans.
Lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory liver injury in mice
Authors: Hamesch K , Borkham-Kamphorst E , Strnad P , Weiskirchen R
Published: April 2015

The intraperitoneal application of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) alone or in combination with other hepatotoxins is an experimental model for inducing systemic and hepatic inflammation in rodents applied worldwide. The endotoxin is recognized by the LPS-binding protein. This complex binds together with the lymphocyte antigen 96 (MD2) and the pattern-recognition receptor CD14 to members of the toll-like receptor family. The activated receptor complex in turn transduces signals to well characterized intracellular cascades that result in a multifaceted network of intracellular responses ending in inflammation. The most prominent among these is the activation of the NF-κB pathway and the production of a multitude of inflammatory cytokines. Although the application of LPS is in general easy to perform, unintended variations in preparation of the injection solution or in handling of the animals might affect the reproducibility or the outcome of a specific experiment. Here, we present a well-standardized protocol that allows for an induction of highly reproducible acute hepatic inflammation in mice. Furthermore, examples of appropriate readouts for the resulting inflammatory response are given.
Acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury in mice
Authors: Mossanen JC , Tacke F
Published: April 2015

The induction of acute hepatic damage by acetaminophen (N-acetyl- p-aminophenol [APAP]), also termed paracetamol, is one of the most commonly used experimental models of acute liver injury in mice. The specific values of this model are the highly reproducible, dose-dependent hepatotoxicity of APAP and its outstanding translational importance, because acetaminophen overdose is one of the most frequent reasons for acute liver failure (ALF) in humans. However, preparation of concentrated APAP working solutions, application routes, fasting period and variability due to sex, genetic background or barrier environment represent important considerations to be taken into account before implementing this model. This standard operating procedure (SOP) provides a detailed protocol for APAP preparation and application in mice, aimed at facilitating comparability between research groups as well as minimizing animal numbers and distress. The mouse model of acetaminophen poisoning therefore helps to unravel the pathogenesis of APAP-induced toxicity or subsequent immune responses in order to explore new therapeutic interventions for improving the prognosis of ALF in patients.
The Impact of Store-Unit–Community Racial Diversity Congruence on Store-Unit Sales Performance
Authors: Richard Orlando Curtae’ , Stewart Marcus M. , McKay Patrick F. , Sackett Timothy W.
Published: April 2015

We introduce the racial diversity congruence concept to examine how matching levels of racial diversity between store-unit employees and community members relate to store-unit sales performance. In a field study of 220 retail store units, we found evidence supporting social identity theory and information-based perspectives on the racial diversity congruence–sales performance relationship. Specifically, results show that a match between store-unit racial diversity and community racial diversity positively related to store-unit sales performance. In addition, superior store-unit performance emerged when store units and communities had congruent levels of diversity at high (i.e., high-high racial diversity congruence) rather than low (i.e., low-low racial diversity congruence) levels. Moreover, we found asymmetrical incongruence effects whereby racially diverse store units in less-diverse communities outperformed store units with lower levels of racial diversity operating in diverse communities. The implications of our results are discussed in light of study limitations and future research needs.
Interreligious Contact, Perceived Group Threat, and Perceived Discrimination
Authors: Kanas Agnieszka , Scheepers Peer , Sterkens Carl
Published: April 2015

This study examines the relationship between interreligious contact and negative attitudes toward the religious outgroup among minority Christians and majority Muslims in Indonesia. It answers two research questions: Does interreligious contact reduce negative outgroup attitudes equally for minority Christians and majority Muslims? Are mediation by perceived group threat and moderation by perceived discrimination equally important for religious minorities and majorities? The analysis is based on unique survey data collected from among Christian and Muslim students in Ambon (the Moluccas) and Yogyakarta (central Java). Results show that a higher quantity of interreligious contact reduces negative outgroup attitudes among majority Muslims but not among minority Christians. However, the quality of contact reduces negative attitudes regardless of relative group size. Perceived group threat is an important mediator of the contact-attitude relationship and is equally so for Christians and Muslims. Findings suggest that perceived discrimination does not affect the relationship between interreligious contact and negative attitudes.
Carson Lake Punctated
Authors: McNutt Charles H , Terry Childs H , Dye David H
Published: April 2015

A distinctive ceramic motif, a series of punctations within a pendant triangular field, has a limited distribution within the central portion of the Nodena phase region of northeastern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. Based on the presence of key horizon markers, the ceramic crafting took place within a generation or two during the protohistoric period. The motif’s distribution is suggestive of a localized group of potters engaged in some type of religious or social interaction. In this article, we briefly outline a model to interpret this distinctive cluster of a ceramic motif.
Dealing with a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm during assist device implant
Authors: Ha Richard V , Chiu Peter , Banerjee Dipanjan , Sheikh Ahmad Y
Published: April 2015

Despite increasing use of left ventricular devices for the surgical treatment of heart failure, there is limited experience with implantation of devices in the setting of challenging left apical anatomy. We report the case of a 68-year-old man with a chronic post-infarction calcified apical pseudoaneurysm, who underwent pseudoaneurysmectomy, ventricular myoplasty, and left ventricular assist device implantation. A review of the literature and operative strategies are presented.
Performativity or Discourse? An Interview with John Searle
Authors: Lash Scott
Published: April 2015

Scott Lash interviews John Searle, one of the foremost contemporary philosophers. Over the course of the conversation, Searle discusses his research into performativity, language and intentionality, the question of information and his account of social ontology. The conversation initially deals with the early influence of John Austin and Ludwig Wittgenstein as well as Searle's relationship to phenomenology and the rest of the philosophical tradition. This offers a conceptual reconstruction of Searle’s work from multiple perspectives. Crucial concepts are highlighted such as performativity, speech acts, intentionality and natural language. The discussion also touches on Searle’s recent debates around the questions of information and consciousness. The conversation ends with an overview of Searle’s social ontology, his theory of institutions and his relationship with post-structuralism.
Reinforced performances of polymethyl methacrylate/silica fume composite spherical particles used as ultra-lightweight proppants
Authors: Wang Yixia , Chen Tao , Yan Chunjie
Published: April 2015

Polymethyl methacrylate/silica fume composite particles with different silica fume contents were prepared via in situ suspension polymerization. Morphological, mechanical, acid resisting, and thermal performances of the synthesized material were investigated. The results revealed that the polymethyl methacrylate/silica fume composite particles presented 0.6–0.9 mm sphericity in diameter. When the contents of silica fume were about between 20 and 50 wt%, the measurements of apparent density (1.072–1.156 g/cm3) were obviously lower than its theoretical values (1.163–1.278 g/cm3) due to abundant micron-sized macropores (>50 nm) existing inside the composite particles. Furthermore, the crushing rate and acid solubility of composite particles were all less than 5%, which reached the requirements of the standard of SY/T 5108-2006. With increasing the silica fume content from 0 to 60 wt%, the T g of the composite particles increased from 105.21 to 223.50℃, and the mass loss decreased from 24.46 to 4.25% as the temperature increased to 400℃. The reinforced performances including of spherical millimetric size, light weight, high strength, good acid resistance, and excellent thermal stability confirmed that the polymethyl methacrylate/silica fume composite particles have a great potential application as proppants in petroleum and gas exploration.
Phase Response of the Arabidopsis thaliana Circadian Clock to Light Pulses of Different Wavelengths
Authors: Ohara Takayuki , Fukuda Hirokazu , Tokuda Isao T.
Published: April 2015

Light is known as one of the most powerful environmental time cues for the circadian system. The quality of light is characterized by its intensity and wavelength. We examined how the phase response of Arabidopsis thaliana depends on the wavelength of the stimulus light and the type of light perturbation. Using transgenic A. thaliana expressing a luciferase gene, we monitored the rhythm of the bioluminescence signal. We stimulated the plants under constant red light using 3 light perturbation treatments: (1) increasing the red light intensity, (2) turning on a blue light while turning off the red light, and (3) turning on a blue light while keeping the red light on. To examine the phase response properties, we generated a phase transition curve (PTC), which plots the phase after the perturbation as a function of the phase before the perturbation. To evaluate the effect of the 3 light perturbation treatments, we simulated PTCs using a mathematical model of the plant circadian clock and fitted the simulated PTCs to the experimentally measured PTCs. Among the 3 treatments, perturbation (3) provided the strongest stimulus. The results indicate that the color of the stimulus light and the type of pulse administration affect the phase response in a complex manner. Moreover, the results suggest the involvement of interaction between red and blue light signaling pathways in resetting of the plant circadian clock.
What’s all the buzz about change management?
Authors: Davidson Janet
Published: April 2015

Change management is more important than ever in healthcare. It is an essential part of the management tool box and to downplay its importance is to risk serious challenges, including failure, in implementing and even more importantly, sustaining change. All too often, change management is something that is handed off to a special department or even contracted out, without due consideration of the need to develop the knowledge and skills in and across the organization. Some basics for successful change management are identified and discussed.
Fabrication and characterization of carboxymethyl chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels containing alginate microspheres for protein delivery
Authors: Liu Quan , Zuo Qinhua , Guo Rui , Hong An , Li Chenghua , Zhang Yi , He Liumin , Xue Wei
Published: April 2015

In this research, a novel drug delivery system consisting of alginate microspheres and carboxymethyl chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel was developed for prolonged and sustained controlled drug release. The alginate microspheres and various volume ratios of carboxymethyl chitosan were incorporated physically into poly(vinyl alcohol) to form the composite system. Scanning electron microscope, rheometer, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis were used to investigate the morphological, rheological, and thermal properties. The adsorptivity and hydrogel content were evaluated by swelling ratio and gel fraction, respectively. Incorporation of alginate microspheres improved the swelling ratio and thermal stability of carboxymethyl chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel. Carboxymethyl chitosan decreased gel fraction and elasticity while increased swelling and porosity of hydrogel. In vitro, the release profiles of bovine serum albumin from the composite gels were sustained for 2 weeks in phosphate buffered saline.
Design and performance analysis of a nonlinear energy sink attached to a beam with different support conditions
Authors: Kani Majid , Khadem Siamak E , Pashaei Mohammad H , Dardel Morteza
Published: April 2015

In this work, design and performance analysis of a nonlinear energy sink, attached to a beam (the primary system) with different support conditions, will be investigated. Here, the effects of both beam properties and external shock excitation are studied. For this purpose, equations of motion are derived by the Lagrange method. Then, parameters of the nonlinear energy sink are optimized by both sensitivity analysis and particle swarm optimization method. The results show that, increasing the first natural frequency of the primary system, on which an external impulse is imposed, will postpone the nonlinear energy sink activation. Also, increasing the amplitude of the shock excitation will tend to decrease the optimum value of the nonlinear energy sink stiffness. Using the particle swarm optimization method to obtain the optimized parameters of the nonlinear energy sink and its interaction with the primary system, which is a continuous one, is a new research area presented in this work.
A comparative review of methods for comparing means using partially paired data
Authors: Guo Beibei , Yuan Ying
Published: April 2015

In medical experiments with the objective of testing the equality of two means, data are often partially paired by design or because of missing data. The partially paired data represent a combination of paired and unpaired observations. In this article, we review and compare nine methods for analyzing partially paired data, including the two-sample t-test, paired t-test, corrected z-test, weighted t-test, pooled t-test, optimal pooled t-test, multiple imputation method, mixed model approach, and the test based on a modified maximum likelihood estimate. We compare the performance of these methods through extensive simulation studies that cover a wide range of scenarios with different effect sizes, sample sizes, and correlations between the paired variables, as well as true underlying distributions. The simulation results suggest that when the sample size is moderate, the test based on the modified maximum likelihood estimator is generally superior to the other approaches when the data is normally distributed and the optimal pooled t-test performs the best when the data is not normally distributed, with well-controlled type I error rates and high statistical power; when the sample size is small, the optimal pooled t-test is to be recommended when both variables have missing data and the paired t-test is to be recommended when only one variable has missing data.
Validation of Measures of Cyberbullying Perpetration and Victimization in Emerging Adulthood
Authors: Lee Jungup , Abell Neil , Holmes Jennifer L.
Published: April 2015

Objective:

Cyber bullying represents a new and alarming form of bullying that potentially leads to serious and long-lasting consequences for young people; yet, there is a dearth of research on the assessment of cyberbullying behaviors among emerging adults. Thus, this study aims to close this gap by assessing the development and validation of the cyberbullying behavior scales for application in social work research and practice settings.

Methods:

Two scales, cyberbullying perpetration (CBP) and cyberbullying victimization (CBV), were validated using a purposive sample of 286 undergraduate students aged 18 to 25.

Results:

Both CBP and CBV scales showed excellent reliability (α = .93 for CBP and α = .95 for CBV), good fit, and strong convergent validity.

Conclusions:

The cyberbullying behavior scales provide valid and reliable measures of emerging adults’ bullying behaviors. Implications for further social work research and practice are discussed.
Stochastic micromechanical damage modeling of progressive fiber breakage for longitudinal fiber-reinforced composites
Authors: Ju JW , Wu Y
Published: April 2015

A computational stochastic micromechanics-based framework is proposed to investigate the overall mechanical behavior of longitudinal continuous fiber-reinforced composites considering progressive fiber breaking evolution. An effective eigenstrain is newly introduced to quantify the effect of multiple breaks in a single fiber based on linear elastic fracture mechanics and the ensemble-volume averaging technique. In particular, the cumulative nature of fiber breaking evolution is characterized by a two-parameter Weibull distribution function. Taking advantage of the newly proposed eigenstrain, a damage evolution model is developed to simulate the material behavior of multiple fiber-reinforced composite materials. Further, two stochastic risk-competing models are proposed to simulate the fiber breaking evolution in an inhomogeneous fashion considering the local load sharing mechanisms. The first risk-competing model states that the neighboring fiber of the damaged fiber with dominant weakness fractures with some probability, while the second model assumes that all surrounding fibers associated with the damaged ones have an equal chance to fracture with certain probability. Finally, the overall stress–strain responses and the fiber breaking evolution are satisfactorily predicted, and validations are performed and compared with available experimental data.
Impacts of fairness, engineers’ evaluations, and penalty of product failure in multi-equilibria non-cooperative design
Authors: Takai Shun
Published: April 2015

This article compares Nash equilibrium and fairness equilibrium of a non-cooperative design problem in which multiple equilibria exist. Nash equilibrium is widely used to study design decisions in non-cooperative design; however, when multiple equilibria exist, behavioral research has found that actual human decisions are not always consistent with Nash equilibrium. Fairness equilibrium has been proposed as a modification to Nash equilibrium by incorporating assessments of fairness in utility functions and has successfully explained why decisions that are not Nash equilibrium may occur. This article studies how engineers’ decisions and design outcomes in fairness equilibrium differ from those in Nash equilibrium. This article illustrates how fairness equilibrium changes with fairness, engineers’ evaluations, and penalty of product failure.
DNA Methylation in Memory Formation
Authors: Heyward Frankie D. , Sweatt J. David
Published: April 2015

The establishment of synaptic plasticity and long-term memory requires lasting cellular and molecular modifications that, as a whole, must endure despite the rapid turnover of their constituent parts. Such a molecular feat must be mediated by a stable, self-perpetuating, cellular information storage mechanism. DNA methylation, being the archetypal cellular information storage mechanism, has been heavily implicated as being necessary for stable activity-dependent transcriptional alterations within the CNS. This review details the foundational discoveries from both gene-targeted and whole-genome sequencing studies that have brought DNA methylation to our attention as a chief regulator of activity- and experience-dependent transcriptional alterations within the CNS. We present a hypothetical framework to resolve disparate experimental findings regarding distinct manipulations of DNA methylation and their effect on memory, taking into account the unique impact activity-dependent alterations in DNA methylation potentially have on both memory-promoting and memory-suppressing gene expression. And last, we discuss potential avenues for future inquiry into the role of DNA methylation during remote memory formation.
Employee-referral schemes and discrimination law
Authors: Connolly Michael
Published: April 2015

Employee-referral schemes (‘introduce a friend’) are in common usage in recruitment. They carry a potential to discriminate by perpetuating an already unbalanced workforce (say, by gender and ethnicity). With this, or course, comes the risk of litigation and bad publicity as well as any inherent inefficiencies associated with discrimination. This article is threefold. First, it examines the present state of the law. Second, it is based on a survey of employers who use these schemes. Third, it analyses the range of schemes (and any safeguards) found to be in use. The scrutiny showed that, where the business is small and/or the recruitment rate via the scheme is low, there is little risk of unlawful discrimination. But there is a risk. As the numbers involved increased, seemingly small disparities can become significant and thus vulnerable to litigation. It also found that, although a range of safeguards against discrimination were employed, none monitored the existing racial/gender profiles involved, thus exposing the schemes to potential litigation. The key safeguard is relatively inexpensive monitoring of the protected characteristics (gender, ethnicity etc.) of the workforce, the relevant labour market, the pool of applicants, and the recruitment rate (via the scheme). This will highlight any patterns and suggestions of discrimination and will help identify the cause(s).
The mobile internet in the wild and every day: Digital leisure in the slums of urban India
Authors: Rangaswamy Nimmi , Arora Payal
Published: April 2015

The wild and the everyday point at once to twinned aspects of life and, in this article, to a technological imaginary drawing upon the use of the mobile internet in urban slums of India. The article responds to the rather untethered way, from the point of view of state regulation, in which the telecom market in India has devolved to include poor populations, stoking a repertoire of unconventional daily use of the internet by youth living in slums. This article serves to locate the ‘wild and everyday’ as a specific sociocultural space in relation to use of mobile Facebook among young populations invisible to mainstream research on internet and culture. While development, as conventionally understood, is not focused on purposive outcomes of digital leisure practice (romance, play, entertainment), we argue that online engagements such as these are powerful precursors to ecologies of learning, reconstituting our understandings of global and mobile internet practice.
12-year trends in occupational class differences in short sickness absence among young women
Authors: Hilla Sumanen , Jouni Lahti , Eero Lahelma , Olli Pietiläinen , Ossi Rahkonen
Published: April 2015

Aims: Socioeconomic differences in sickness absence are well established among middle-aged employees but poorly known among younger employees, in particular for shorter spells. We examined trends in occupational class differences in short sickness absence among young women. Methods: The data were obtained from the registers of the City of Helsinki, Finland, and included female employees aged 18–34 years from 2002 to 2013. Self-certified (1–3 days) sickness absence spells were examined. Occupational class was classified into four hierarchical categories. Joinpoint regression models were used to identify major changes in sickness absence trends. Results: Short sickness absence increased until 2008, after which it decreased in all occupational classes except manual workers. Differences in sickness absence between occupational classes remained over time. Routine non-manuals had the highest amount of short sickness absence, while managers and professionals had the smallest amount. Manual workers had somewhat less short sickness absence than routine non-manuals and semi-professionals. Conclusions: The socioeconomic differences in short sickness absence were clear among young women but not fully consistent as routine non-manuals tended to have more sickness absence than manual workers. Preventive measures are needed to narrow socioeconomic differences in young women’s sickness absence especially among routine non-manuals.
The impact of LED lighting parameters on viewing fine art paintings
Authors: Zhai QY , Luo M Ronnier , Liu XY
Published: April 2015

This study investigated the main visual perceptions and the optimal LED lighting parameters for viewing museum paintings. Oil and gouache paintings seen under different LED illuminants were assessed using the categorical judgement method. It was found that ‘visibility’ and ‘warmth’ are the main perceptions for viewing paintings. The results showed that a correlated colour temperature around 3500 K, a negative deviation of the target from the blackbody locus and a high colour rendering index can achieve satisfactory results. The difference between colour fidelity-based colour rendering indices and colour preference-based colour rendering indices for a museum application was also explored.
Assessing the Validity of Enns and Koch's Measure of State Policy Mood
Authors: Berry William D. , Ringquist Evan J. , Fording Richard C. , Hanson Russell L.
Published: April 2015

Enns and Koch (hereafter E&K) use multilevel regression and poststratification (MRP) along with survey aggregation to measure state policy mood. As E&K rely on direct information about public opinion, it would be preferable to Berry et al.‘s widely used indirect measure relying on data about the issue positions and vote shares of members of Congress, if E&K's measure were valid. Assessing the validity of E&K's measure takes on special importance because the measure proves to be nearly uncorrelated with Berry et al.‘s measure, implying that at least one is invalid. Because the “true” policy mood of states is unknown, it is impossible to definitively assess the validity of E&K's measure. Instead, we raise some concerns about E&K's measurement methodology and present evidence pertaining to the indicator's face validity, convergent validity, and construct validity. Our analyses leave us doubtful that the E&K measure is valid because its characterization of state moods departs significantly from conventional wisdom and current scholarship.
Numerical analysis of solid–liquidtwo-phase turbulent flow in Francis turbine runner with splitter bladesin sandy water
Authors: Hong Hua , Yong-Zhong Zeng , Hui-Yan Wang , Shun-Bing Ou , Zhi-Zhong Zhang , Xiao-Bing Liu
Published: April 2015

As the key component of a hydroelectric power generation system, hydraulic turbine plays a decisive role in the overall performance of the system. There are many sandy rivers in the world, and turbines working in these rivers are seriously damaged. Therefore, the research of flow in sandy water has great theoretical significance and practical value. Based on the specific hydrological conditions of a hydropower station, the solid–liquid two-phase flow in the whole flow passage of a Francis turbine with splitter blades in sandy water was numerically studied. A geometric model of the whole flow passage of the Francis turbine was established on the basis of given design parameters. The solid–liquid two-phase turbulent flows in Francis turbine runner under three different loads were numerically analyzed by using this model. The three different loads are as follows: Condition 1: single unit with 1/4 load, Condition 2: single unit with 1/2 load, and Condition 3: single unit with full load. The distributions of pressure and sand concentration on the leading side and the suction side of the runner blades, as well as the velocity vector distribution of water and sand on the horizontal section of the runner, were obtained under different load conditions. Therefore, the damages to various flow passage components by sand can be qualitatively predicated under various conditions. To guarantee the safety and stability of the unit, the adverse conditions shall be avoided, which can provide certain reference for plant operation.
Dynamic modeling and analysis of load sharing characteristics of wind turbine gearbox
Authors: Yi Pengxing , Zhang Cheng , Guo Lijun , Shi Tielin
Published: April 2015

A coupled dynamic model, which contains helical gears-shafts-bearings for a wind turbine gearbox transmission system, was built considering nonlinear factors of the time-varying mesh stiffness, the external varying load, and the dynamic transmission error at first. The model is confirmed to be right after comparing the theoretical data with the experimental load sharing values, and also it is found that the static load sharing is conservative to evaluate the non-equilibrium effect of a planetary gear system. Besides, the analyzing results of the influence of average error and amplitude error on the load sharing show that the load sharing could be decreased if the error goes up a little. Then, by means of treating the static tracing point as the dynamic initial values, we analyzed the initial position’s influence on the load sharing of transmission system to provide a theoretical basis of load sharing control. Furthermore, we explored the influence of high-speed shaft position angle on the load sharing and the dynamic load factor of gears fixed on the parallel shafts. The results provide useful theoretical guidelines for the design of parallel shaft gear system in the wind turbines.
Identification of motion trend of lower limbs based on near-infrared spectroscopic technology
Authors: Li Chunguang , Chen Tao , Qu Wei , Sun Lining
Published: April 2015

To increase intelligence of walking-assisted devices, it is important to identify motion mode of the subject who wears a walking-assisted device. In this paper, cerebral hemoglobin information was used for recognizing motion mode. Spontaneous upstairs, downstairs, sit-down, and standup movements were performed on seven subjects. During the movement, cerebral hemoglobin information was recorded by applying near-infrared spectroscopic technology. Analyses of variance were performed to compare the rate of change of oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin (oxyHb_rate and deoxyHb_rate) in different motion modes and in different motor-related regions. In PMCR region, oxyHb_rate and deoxyHb_rate were significantly different in the upstairs and downstairs modes( p = 0.001 and p = 0.000); however, they were not obviously different in the sit-down and standup modes ( p = 0.914 and p = 0.836). In PMCL region, oxyHb_rate and deoxyHb_rate were significantly different in the downstairs mode ( p = 0.008), whereas they were not distinctly different in the upstairs mode ( p = 0.601). Results demonstrated that the motion trend of two lower limbs could be identified based on the statistical difference between oxyHb_rate and deoxyHb_rate in the PMCR region. As for cycle-repetitive movement of two lower limbs, upward and downward motion direction could be further recognized based on the difference between oxyHb_rate and deoxyHb_rate in the PMCL region. Since the data using for analyses was those collected before the start of movement, the results will be preferable to provide appropriate reference movements for a walking-assisted device. This is helpful to enhance intelligence of walking-assisted devices.
Study on the influence of the rotational speed of polishing disk on material removal in aspheric surface compliant polishing
Authors: Hu Liyong , Zhan Jianming , Zheng Di
Published: April 2015

When a soft polishing tool is compressed on a stiff workpiece of curved surface, the contact area is a piece of the curved surface. In the process of aspheric surface polishing, the machining speed is always provided by the rotational speed of the spindle of a computer numerical control lathe. Yet, the polishing tool is usually made rotating to remove cutting scraps and broken abrasives from the contact area. The rotational speed of the polishing tool would change the distribution state of the relative speed in the whole contact area, and it would definitely change the volume of material removal in the surface of the workpiece. This article studies how the rotational speed of the polishing tool changes the distribution state of the relative speed in the whole contact area and material removal in the volume of the surface of the workpiece. The computing results show that the volume of material removal increases with the increase in both the rotational speed of polishing disk and the rotational speed of lathe spindle, but the polishing quality is totally not in this case.
Evaluation d’impact sur la santé et évaluation d’impact sur l’équité en santé : éventail de pratiques et questions de recherche
Authors: Villeval Mélanie , Bidault Elsa , Lang Thierry ,   pour le groupe AAPRISS, Alias F. , Almudever B. , Birelichie L. , Basson J. C. , Breton E. , Bulle A. , Cayla F. , Delpierre C. , Ducournau P. , Gaborit E. , Gandouet B. , Génolini J. P. , Ginsbourger T. , Godeau E. , Grosclaude P. , Guichard A. , Haschar-Noé N. , Kelly-Irving M. , Lacouture A. , Martin C. , Mayère A. , Manuello P. , Poirot-Mazère I. , Salaméro E. , Servat M. , Sicot F. , Sordes-Ader F. , Theis I.
Published: April 2015

L’Evaluation d’Impact sur la Santé (EIS) se développe au niveau international et est encore au stade émergent en France. Elle vise à évaluer les effets positifs et négatifs potentiels d’un projet, d’un programme ou d’une politique sur la santé. L’objectif est de produire des recommandations en direction des décideurs, afin d’en maximiser les effets positifs et d’en diminuer les effets négatifs. L’EIS est un moyen particulièrement intéressant d’action sur les déterminants de la santé au-delà des comportements individuels et du système de santé. Les politiques de logement, de transport, de solidarité, économiques, etc. ont, en effet, des impacts souvent non prévus sur la santé. Au-delà des effets sur la santé, l’EIS doit aussi permettre d’apprécier la distribution de ces effets dans la population.

Si la préoccupation pour l’équité en santé est centrale dans l’EIS, elle reste cependant difficilement traduite en pratique. Face à cette difficulté, des démarches d’évaluation d’impact ont été développées pour renforcer la prise en compte de l’équité à chaque étape de l’EIS ou « Equity Focused Health Impact Assessment », ou prendre en compte les impacts sur les inégalités de santé de façon spécifique. Ainsi, l’Evaluation de l’Impact sur l’Equité en Santé (EIES) semble, par exemple, particulièrement intéressante pour évaluer l’impact sur les inégalités de projets dans le champ sanitaire.

L’EIS et l’EIES posent de nombreuses questions de recherche, notamment autour de la réunion, dans une même démarche, du politique, du citoyen et de l’expert. La participation des populations vulnérables potentiellement affectées par la politique évaluée est une valeur centrale de l’EIS, mais pose des questions d’acceptabilité sociale. La collaboration avec les décideurs politiques est également un enjeu majeur. Les difficultés méthodologiques, notamment de quantification des impacts, peuvent constituer des freins à la promotion de la démarche auprès des décideurs.
Motivational Interviewing
Authors: Sypniewski Rebekah
Published: April 2015

This article provides an overview of motivational interviewing (MI) as an effective intervention for trauma informed care. It offers a description of trauma and its most commonly associated negative side effects in the school setting. Within this context, basic theoretical concepts of MI are discussed. The article closes by examining the need for future research regarding MI as an effective, school-based intervention for adolescents.
Haematological considerations in urology: A systematic review
Authors: Abusanad OZ , Floyd MS , Johnson EU , McHugh J , McCabe JE
Published: April 2015

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) remains a serious and common complication of surgical procedures and is therefore an issue of importance for all urologists. In the UK, pulmonary embolism (PE) following DVT in hospitalised patients causes 32,000 deaths each year. DVT and PE represent the outcome of venous thromboembolism (VTE). The total cost for management of VTE in 2005 was approximately ₤640 million. Early risk assessment and optimising modifiable risks are paramount in order to reduce the incidence of VTE. In this article we review common risk factors for VTE and emphasise specific risk factors for urological procedures. The perioperative management of urological patients who are chronically anticoagulated is discussed. We review the literature regarding anticoagulation and its relevance to all urological procedures and mention the problems associated with new anticoagulant agents. All urologists should be familiar with the new range of anticoagulant agents due to the increasing number of patients taking them.