bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stuck Inside of Mobile
Authors: Gottschalk Simon , Salvaggio Marko
Published: January 2015

Guided by Augé’s concept of “non-place,” we conduct a mobile ethnography of the Las Vegas Strip to evoke and critically reflect on the characteristics of such environments. Informed by our findings, we contribute to the scholarship of non-places by (1) attending to three components of such environments that are seldom mentioned together (temporal organization, soundscape, and social control) and (2) suggesting a tentative model of non-places that integrates function (entertainment, transportation, hospitality, consumption); design (signage, movement, temporal organization, and soundscape); social control system (their mechanisms, visibility, power, sanctions, types of violation); performances (the roles they prompt users to play and the interactions they direct them to perform), and subjectivities (the sort of self-experiences they induce). In the conclusions, we summarize our findings and revisit the concept of non-place.
A Gender Lens on Religion
Authors: Avishai Orit , Jafar Afshan , Rinaldo Rachel
Published: January 2015

This special issue is the result of concerns about the marginalized status of gender within the sociology of religion. The collection of exciting new research in this special issue advocates for the importance of a gender lens on questions of religion in order to highlight issues, practices, peoples, and theories that would otherwise not be central to the discipline. We encourage sociologists who study religion to engage more in interdisciplinary and intersectional scholarship, acknowledge developments in the global South, and develop more compelling theoretical frameworks that analyze religion from a gendered perspective. Our aim is to bring religion to the attention of gender and feminist scholars and to encourage religion scholars to consider gender not just as a variable but as a social structure. We hope that both groups of scholars will consider gender and religion as mutually constitutive social categories.
Hope in Adolescent Careers
Authors: Valero Domingo , Hirschi Andreas , Strauss Karoline
Published: January 2015

Being hopeful is critical for individuals who are engaged in vocational pursuits. However, the empirical research examining how and why hope is related to work and career outcomes remains sparse. We evaluate a model that proposes that dispositional hope affects job performance and turnover intentions through increased work motivation in terms of autonomous goals ( reason to motivation), positive affective experience at work ( energized to motivation), and occupational self-efficacy beliefs ( can do motivation). The hypotheses were tested among 590 Swiss adolescents in vocational education and training using path analysis and multiple mediation analyses. The results revealed that hope was positively related to all three motivational states and supervisor-rated job performance and negatively related to turnover intentions. Positive affect mediated the effects of hope on turnover intentions and performance. Autonomous goals mediated the effects of hope on turnover intentions. These results support the importance of hope to employee well-being and organizational outcomes.
The Glass Ceiling and Executive Careers
Authors: Ezzedeen Souha R. , Budworth Marie-Hélène , Baker Susan D.
Published: January 2015

With respect to how the enduring challenge of the glass ceiling might be resolved, one position holds that parity in the executive ranks will be achieved, given enough women entering the managerial pipeline. However, there is scant evidence that such a pipeline exists, and pre-career women’s attitudes toward executive work remain to be better understood. Guided by theories of social role and stereotype threat, and research on work–life balance and culture, the study uses thematic discourse analysis to explore executive attitudes in an ethnically diverse sample of 69 Canadian undergraduate women in business. We find that they perceive the glass ceiling in stereotype threatening ways, blame their personal limitations and work–family choices for its existence, and sense a range of obstacles to their advancement. Although some expressed a desire for work–family balance, participants predominantly restricted career choices to favor one over the other. Implications, recommendations, and limitations are also discussed.
Black (and Brown) Bodies Out of Place: Towards a Theoretical Understanding of Systematic Voter Suppression in the United States
Authors: Combs Barbara Harris
Published: January 2015

The construct of place has largely been under-utilized, and, therefore, under-theorized, in social science discussions regarding systematic racial oppression, but we need to consider physical space or symbolic (i.e. social/political) place in our ideas about both racial identity formation and racial relations. During the Jim Crow era, blacks were expected to ‘stay in their place’, and that place was always subservient to the position of whites. Despite advances by racial/ethnic minorities and other disadvantaged groups, vestiges of this American Jim Crow belief system still operate in society. The author contends that recent widespread voter suppression efforts commencing en masse since 2010 are not a rejection of black bodies per se but a response to perceived black (and brown) bodies out of place. The article provides a framework to help illuminate the presence of continued systematic pushback against the advances of minorities amidst a growing discourse of colorblindness.
Generational Precarity, Education, and the Crisis of Capitalism: Conventional, Neo-Keynesian, and Marxian Perspectives
Authors: Means Alexander J.
Published: January 2015

In the wake of the global financial crisis, societies across the world are attempting to manage potentially destabilizing levels of youth unemployment and underemployment. New terms have entered the popular lexicon such as ‘generation jobless’, ‘the new underclass’, and ‘the precariat’ in order to describe a generation of young people struggling to acquire secure livelihoods in the most dismal labor market since the Great Depression. This article draws on analytical resources from critical sociology of education and heterodox political economy in order to critique orthodox economic diagnoses of generational precarity as a human capital problem. It argues that while neo-Keynesian accounts provide an important corrective to certain aspects of conventional (neoclassical/neoliberal) viewpoints, they ultimately fall short of the explanatory power of Marxian analysis, particularly concerning the primacy of class relations and the contradictory role of employment within an increasingly crisis-ridden global capitalism.
Psychiatric Services
Authors: Lynum Karimah S. Bell , Hill Angela M.
Published: January 2015

Deinstitutionalization in the 1960s shifted the care of the mentally ill from state-funded institutions to community settings. Unfortunately, funding to support the treatment needs of this population has continued to be minimized, and countless individuals have not received much needed care. This has resulted in a large increase in mentally ill patients surfacing in jails, homeless shelters, and emergency departments. Subsequently, the federal government has begun to prioritize funding to address the mental health needs of our communities. Pharmacists are in a unique position to influence treatment outcomes for patients with mental illnesses, and the current state of health reform provides avenues for the pharmacist to become an essential part of the health care delivery team in numerous ambulatory care clinical settings. The challenges with adherence, medical and psychiatric comorbidities, polypharmacy with psychotropics, potential for life-threatening adverse effects, and the ever-present need for patient education are but a few reasons why pharmacists can be utilized to provide Medication Therapy Management services for these patients.
Chemoprophylaxis Use and Risk of Venous Thromboembolism and Death in Adult Patients following Orthotopic Liver Transplantation
Authors: Alexander Brianna R. , Antigua Abigail D. , Rosenberg Amy F. , Caruso Lawrence J. , Voils Stacy A. , LeClaire Aimée C.
Published: January 2015

Background:

Coagulation abnormalities in end-stage liver disease may preclude patients from receiving venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis immediately following orthotopic liver transplantation.

Methods:

To identify risk factors for VTE and death following liver transplantation, a retrospective chart review was conducted in adult liver transplant recipients from January 1, 2001, to October 1, 2011.

Results:

In 716 transplantations in 701 patients, the overall incidence of VTE was 2.1%. The incidence was 3.6% in patients who received chemoprophylaxis compared to 1.4% in those without chemoprophylaxis ( P = .06). Most patients (69.5%) did not receive chemoprophylaxis postsurgery during their hospitalization. Multivariate logistic regression modeling revealed no association between the use of chemoprophylaxis (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.5 [0.45-4.7], P = .53) and VTE. A significant positive association was observed between the use of chemoprophylaxis (adjusted OR 3.2 [1.3-8.0], P = .01) and death.

Conclusion:

Use of chemoprophylaxis and increasing amounts of blood products following orthotopic liver transplant was associated with increased mortality. A significant positive association was observed between blood product administration and VTE, while chemoprophylaxis use was not significantly associated with VTE. Larger prospective studies are necessary to further examine the significance of this finding.
Towards Critical Human Resource Management Education (CHRME): a sociological imagination approach
Authors: Bratton John , Gold Jeff
Published: January 2015

This article explores the professional standing of the discipline of human resource management (HRM) in business schools in the post-financial crisis period. Using the prism of the sociological imagination, it explains the learning to be gained from teaching HRM that is sensitive to context, power and inequality. The context of crisis provides ideal circumstances for critical reflexivity and for integrating wider societal issues into the HRM curriculum. It argues for Critical Human Resource Management Education or CHRME, which, if adopted, would be an antidote to prescriptive practitioner-oriented approaches. It proceeds to set out five principles for CHRME: using the ‘sociological imagination’ prism; emphasizing the social nature of the employment relationship; investigating paradox within HRM; designing learning outcomes that encourage students to appraise HRM outcomes critically; and reflexive critique. Crucially, CHRME offers a teaching strategy that does not neglect or marginalize the reality of structural power, inequality and employee work experiences.
Gender, work orientations and job satisfaction
Authors: Zou Min
Published: January 2015

This article studies the gender gap in job satisfaction and argues that the observed gender difference is a consequence of the heterogeneity in work orientations between men and women. Using data from the 2006 Skills Survey, the analysis yields three major findings. The first shows that women, either in full-time or part-time employment, report significantly higher levels of job satisfaction than men. Secondly, work orientations are closely associated with one’s job satisfaction and their relationships vary significantly across men, women full-time and part-time workers. Finally and most importantly, the observed gender satisfaction differential is eliminated once work orientations are taken into consideration.
Performance evaluation of fructose-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes/biodegradable poly(amide–imide) based on N,N′-(pyromellitoyl)-bis-S-valine bionanocomposite
Authors: Abdolmaleki A. , Mallakpour S. , Rostami M.
Published: January 2015

Carboxyl-modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were functionalized with fructose as a biological active molecule in a green method. Then a simple ultrasonication-assisted solution blending process was used to disperse the fructose-functionalized MWCNTs (f-MWCNTs) into a biodegradable poly(amide–imide) (PAI) efficiently to obtain PAI/f-MWCNT bionanocomposites. The effect of f-MWCNT on thermal and structural properties of PAI was investigated by several techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The FESEM and TEM results showed that the f-MWCNT wholly separated and uniformly dispersed in the PAI matrix. TGA results showed that thermal stability of the composites was significantly increased with the addition of f-MWCNT compared with the pure PAI.
Cure kinetics of exfoliated bio-based epoxy/clay nanocomposites developed from acrylated epoxidized castor oil and diglycidyl ether bisphenol A networks
Authors: Paluvai Nagarjuna Reddy , Mohanty S. , Nayak S. K.
Published: January 2015

A bio-based epoxy monomer was synthesized by acrylation of epoxidized castor oil (ECO). Subsequently, acrylated ECO (AECO)-toughened diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) nanocomposites were prepared via sol–gel process with the addition of organically treated montmorillonite nanoclays. In this study, the curing kinetics of anhydride-cured DGEBA/AECO monomer with and without clays was studied by non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry analysis. The apparent activation energy obtained by Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method was reduced from 63 to 59 kJ mol−1 and 69 to 61 kJ mol−1, respectively, with the addition of 1 wt% clay to the DGEBA/10 wt% AECO and DGEBA/20 wt% AECO systems, respectively. The two-parameter Šesták–Berggren autocatalytic model was used to obtain the reaction orders m and n, respectively. The curves obtained by the Málek method show good agreement with the experimental data for bio-based epoxy systems.
Electrospun carboxylic-functionalized poly(arylene ether ketone) ultrafine fibers
Authors: Liu Mengzhu , Wang Yongpeng , Cheng Zhiqiang , Zhang Mingyue , Hu Meijuan , Li Junfeng
Published: January 2015

As a high-performance polymer, carboxylic-functionalized poly(arylene ether ketone)s (PCA-PAEK) was electrospun into ultrafine fibers and characterized. To optimize the process, a set of experiments were designed. As a result, the optimum condition was obtained and the polymer concentration was determined as the most important factor. Incidentally, the PCA-PAEK fibers were found to exhibit superabsorbent behavior. In order to investigate processing characteristics, PCA-PAEK fibers fabricated from different solution concentrations were employed and characterized. The results showed that porosity and changes in water contact angle and water absorbency decreased with an increase in concentration. In addition to a high water absorption capacity, the fibers exhibited good water retention and repeated water absorbency as well. The study on kinetics of water absorption and swelling behavior showed that the mechanism was dependent on the polymer concentration from which the fibers were electrospun. Moreover, both dry and wet PCA-PAEK fibers showed high mechanical properties. Due to these properties, the PCA-PAEK ultrafine fibers are potentially useful as a water-absorbent material.
A new automatic motion planning algorithm for a 4-degree-of-freedom parallel kinematic manipulator based on the centre sphere method
Authors: Nan Wenhu , Tang Xiaoqi , Song Bao
Published: January 2015

This study investigates a new automatic motion planning algorithm for industrial robots performing a pick-and-place task in an obstacle-free workspace. The new technique finds an optimal trajectory for a parallel kinematic manipulator. The centre sphere method and multi-objective optimisation are used to solve this problem. To obtain an optimal path, an objective function that includes a hypothetical jerk fitness value, a path length function and a virtual obstacle avoidance function is defined, and the path planning problem is solved using particle swarm optimisation. For greater efficiency, the planning problem is modified to include physical constraints on the robot. The method is tested on a 4-degree-of-freedom parallel kinematic manipulator through simulations, where the optimum virtual sphere radius is obtained. Experiments are performed with an actual parallel kinematic manipulator, and a comparison of the performance of the robot executing the same tasks with trajectories obtained using the new method and two existing methods is made. The results show the efficiency and the effectiveness of the proposed approach in determining the optimal trajectory for a 4-degree-of-freedom parallel kinematic manipulator in an obstacle-free workspace.
Material characterization, constitutive modeling and validation in hot stretch bending of Ti–6Al–4V profile
Authors: Deng Tongsheng , Li Dongsheng , Li Xiaoqiang , Ding Pan , Zhao Kai
Published: January 2015

Ti–6Al–4V, as one of the most frequently used titanium alloy in aerospace applications, is characterized by its excellent mechanical and corrosion properties. However, it is well known that Ti–6Al–4V is difficult to be formed at room temperature. Therefore, hot stretch bending has been used to improve formability and reduce springback in forming Ti–6Al–4V profile. In the virtual development of designing suitable hot stretch bending processes for Ti–6Al–4V, numerical simulations are considered desirable. However, the reliability of numerical simulations depends on the models and methods used as well as the accuracy of material data. In this work, a set of uniaxial tension tests was performed on Ti–6Al–4V at the temperatures ranging from 923 to 1023 K and strain rate from 0.005 to 0.05 s−1. Moreover, a set of stress relaxation tests was conducted on Ti–6Al–4V at the temperature range between 773 and 973 K and pre-stretch elongation ranging from 0.7% to 10%. The Johnson–Cook and Arrhenius models were used to characterize the uniaxial tension and the stress relaxation behavior, respectively. Finite element model of hot stretch bending was created according to the laboratorial experiment setup in ABAQUS based on the constitutive models calculated above. The finite element simulation indicates that the residual stress in the profile decreases greatly in the secondary stage of hot stretch bending due to the stress relaxation behavior. The predicted springback shows promising agreement with the corresponding experimental observations.
Modeling and analyzing of an enterprise relationship network in the context of social manufacturing
Authors: Ding Kai , Jiang Pingyu , Leng Jiewu , Cao Wei
Published: January 2015

Under the circumstance of servitization in industry, the increasing service demands of manufacturing processes promote more service-oriented collaborations. Many small and medium enterprises start to provide professional manufacturing services for the product manufacturers, but the disorganization of these distributed enterprises has obstructed the collaboration decision making and led them to inferior positions when bargaining with the core product manufacturers. In this article, a new networked manufacturing mode called social manufacturing is proposed to solve this problem. Its concept and implementary architecture are discussed. Furthermore, a social manufacturing-oriented enterprise relationship network is built to well organize plenty of distributed enterprises. The topology model of the proposed social manufacturing-oriented enterprise relationship network is discussed, and an improved clustering algorithm is proposed to implement the clustering of enterprises based on the enterprise similarity, which would aggregate enterprises into horizontal manufacturing communities for improving their bargaining power, collaborating efficiently and analyzing the manufacturing service industry from a macro view. The core product manufacturers negotiate to select proper enterprises from different horizontal manufacturing communities to form an e-production chain where all the enterprises collaborate to complete the product manufacturing tasks with higher efficiency and minor cost. Moreover, the topological and physical characteristics of social manufacturing-oriented enterprise relationship network are discussed to analyze the enterprise collaborations from a micro view. Finally, an exemplary case is studied to verify the proposed model. It is expected that our work would be beneficial to the research of enterprise organizing and socialized manufacturing resources configuration under social manufacturing environment.
Feasible pressure and axial feed path determination for fuel filler tube hydroforming by genetic algorithm
Authors: Intarakumthornchai Thanasan , Aue-U-Lan Yingyot , Kesvarakul Ramil , Jirathearanat Suwat
Published: January 2015

Successful fuel filler tube hydroforming largely depends on proper loading paths, that is, application of internal pressure and axial feeding during the forming time duration. Generally, two part quality criteria are considered in selecting the feasible loading paths: (a) minimum part wall thinning and (b) part wrinkle free. Due to the highly nonlinear nature of the tube hydroforming process, iterative finite element analyses with adjustments based on forming experience are typically conducted to design the loading paths. In this research, genetic algorithm was integrated into the finite element analysis–based optimization, resulting in enhanced determination of the feasible loading paths. Genetic algorithm is a heuristic search based on mechanics of natural selection. A pair of pressure and axial feeding profiles was represented by connecting genes making up to be a chromosome. In each search, mutation and crossover operations generated a new generation of chromosomes. Fitness functions were formulated to assess performance of the chromosomes reflecting the part quality. Generations after generations, the optimal chromosomes are found only when the evaluated fitness function value falls within a user-defined tolerance. Unlike the typical iterative finite element analysis approach, it was shown that the iterative finite element analysis augmented with genetic algorithm was able to determine feasible pressure and axial feeding paths autonomously. The current approach still requires a lot of simulation runs, which must be offset by high-performance computing resources.
Development of double-side friction stir welding to improve post-welding formability of joints in AA6082 aluminium alloy
Authors: Simoncini Michela , Cabibbo Marcello , Forcellese Archimede
Published: January 2015

An innovative welding methodology, defined as double-side friction stir welding, was developed in order to obtain joints in 2-mm-thick sheets in AA6082 aluminium alloy. Such approach consists in performing the friction stir welding process on both sheet surfaces: the first welding operation is followed by a second one performed by putting the rotating tool in contact with the sheet surface opposite to the one welded by the first pass. The effect of the welding parameters, tool configuration and sheet positioning on the mechanical properties, microstructure and post-welding formability was analysed and discussed in detail. In order to evaluate the advantages offered by the new welding methodology, the experimental results obtained using the double-side friction stir welding were compared with those given by the conventional process.
From computer-aided to intelligent machining: Recent advances in computer numerical control machining research
Authors: Li Yingguang , Lee Chen-Han , Gao James
Published: January 2015

The aim of this article is to provide an introduction and overview of recent advances in the key technologies and the supporting computerized systems and to indicate the trend of research and development in the area of computational numerical control machining. Three main themes of recent research in computer numerical control machining are simulation, optimization and automation, which form the key aspects of intelligent manufacturing in the digital- and knowledge-based manufacturing era. As the information and knowledge carrier, feature is the efficacious way to achieve intelligent manufacturing. From the regular-shaped feature to freeform surface feature (FSF), the feature technology has been used in manufacturing of complex parts, such as aircraft structural parts. The authors’ latest research in intelligent machining is presented through a new concept of multi-perspective dynamic feature, for future discussion and communication with readers of this special issue. The multi-perspective dynamic feature concept has been implemented and tested in real examples from the aerospace industry and has the potential to make promising impact on the future research in the new paradigm of intelligent machining. The authors of this article are the guest editors of this special issue on computational numerical control machining. The guest editors have extensive and complementary experiences in both academia and industry, gained in China, United States, and United Kingdom.
Recent applications of microwaves in materials joining and surface coatings
Authors: Singh Satnam , Gupta Dheeraj , Jain Vivek
Published: January 2015

The conventional methods of manufacturing and materials processing are getting obsolete owing to the higher energy consumptions, large processing times and poor characteristics of processed components. The limitations of conventional processing techniques for processing of large varieties of advanced materials which includes metal matrix composites, ceramics, cermets, metallic alloys, functionally graded materials and fiber-reinforced plastics forced researchers to find alternative and novel methods of manufacturing and material processing, which can overcome the limitations of conventional methods. Hence, it is mandatory to develop a new concept for processing advanced materials, which can provide better mechanical properties, reduced defects and economic advantages in terms of power and time savings. Microwave material processing emerged as one of the novel methods of material processing which can satisfy the present requirements and can yield a better product at reduced costs and processing time. This article discusses some of the novel recent applications of microwaves in the area of manufacturing.
Design and development of a vision-based micro-assembly system
Authors: Jayaram Kaushik , Joshi Suhas S
Published: January 2015

Cost- and time-effective automated assembly of micro-sized objects within small tolerances is still a challenge to the present-day manufacturing industry. In this article, the details of the development of a low-cost, two-dimensional system capable of rapid micro-assembly are presented. The use of a basic webcamera without any external optics makes the system light and compact. In addition, an innovative thresholding technique for binarization and a novel algorithm for fast autofocusing with defocused images have also been discussed. Peg-in-hole insertion tasks using micro-objects of 100 μm have been successfully demonstrated using the system. The system has an accuracy of about 20 μm along the X- and Y-axes and a repeatability of less than 4 μm in performing peg-in-hole tasks.
Automatic load relief numerical predictor-corrector guidance for low L/D vehicles return from low Earth orbit
Authors: Zhang Bo , Tang Shuo , Pan Binfeng
Published: January 2015

The poor maneuverability of low lift-to-drag ratio (L/D) vehicles results in low precision of reference-trajectory guidance and difficulty in meeting load constraints. This paper presents an automatic load relief numerical predictor-corrector method for the guidance of low L/D vehicles return from low Erath orbit. By elaborately designing a bank-angle profile in each guidance circle and selecting appropriate iteration parameters, the goal of automatic load relief is achieved, which greatly reduces the maximum peak load. With the use of coupled guidance and landing error feedback algorithms, the guidance precision is improved. Aerodynamic coefficients of the vehicle and landing errors are filtered to further increase the robustness of the algorithm. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to evaluate and verify the design features of the algorithm. The test results show that the algorithm consistently offers very satisfactory performance even in highly dispersed cases. Such an algorithm holds distinct potential for onboard applications.
A failed platform: The Citizen Consensus Conference travels to Chile
Authors: Ureta Sebastián
Published: January 2015

This article starts by reviewing the setbacks that the recent Science and Technology Studies literature has identified in the functioning of technologies of democracy, the different arrangements that look to enact deliberation on technoscientific issues. Putting a focus on the Citizen Consensus Conference, it then proposes that several of these setbacks are related to the kind of “work” that these technologies are expected to do, identifying two kinds of it: performing a laboratory-based experiment and constituting a platform for the dissemination of facts. It then applies this framework to study a Citizen Consensus Conference carried out in Chile in 2003. After a detailed genealogy of the planning, implementation and afterlife of this exercise, the article concludes that several of the limitations experienced are derived from a “successful outcome” conceived as solely running a neat lab-based experiment, arguing for the need to incorporate its functioning as a platform with all the associated transformations and messiness.
Mainstreaming Gender: Shift from Advocacy to Policy
Authors: Mahapatro Meerambika
Published: January 2015

Gender mainstreaming as a holistic strategy proposes to introduce the gender sensitivity and equality perspective to all policies at all levels and at all stages by changing the norms and practices that stand at the roots of gender inequality. Although Beijing platform prioritized gender mainstreaming to achieve gender equality and efforts by the women’s movements to mainstream a gender perspective in public policy brought a change. However, implementation of gender mainstreaming strategy remains a challenging process because of different social and economic circumstances, policy cultures, different gender equality approaches of the state and countries. The article intends to discuss the process of development of gender issue resulted in shifting of policy particularly in India and the problematic process of implementation and putting into practice of the gender mainstreaming strategy. The key to placing gender values firmly at all levels and in all sectors, a change in philosophy requires conceptualization of gender within the culturally defined roles, constraints and potentialities. The article suggests that gender mainstreaming is underdeveloped as a concept and identifies a need to elaborate further on the areas of women’s need, rights and the relationship between gender mainstreaming, policy and societal change.
‘Bureaucratic Attitudes’—an Intermediary Variable of Policy Performance
Authors: Goel Sangeeta
Published: January 2015

Traditionally, a policy-making exercise is regarded to be a mechanical process comprising well-defined steps and it is presumed that if those are taken care of, a sound policy is put in place. These key steps normally include—(a) problem identification, (b) selection of the policy options from the given basket of choices, (c) implementation by the available public agency, (d) monitoring and feedback and (e) review and rectification. Of late, policy makers have started focusing on the stakeholders, the deadlines and the media management too. However, in this ‘linear rational’ view of policy making, ‘the element’ which though involved from beginning to the end yet normally given a miss is the ‘human factor’. Interestingly, this ‘human factor’ or ‘the agency’ does not happen to be a mere ‘complex grouping of cells’ or ‘an automated robot’. According to psychologists, this ‘mammalian agency’ might carry an endless emotional, intellectual and psychological baggage which according to my research insight is capable of impacting the entire policy process often in unintended and unforeseen ways. This, in Indian context, has significant dimensions since it is a pluralistic society and every individual carries a plethora of social identities, namely, caste, sub-caste, class, ethnicity, creed, language, religion, gender, rural–urban and constitutional status, etc. These multiple identities often supersede or come in clash with the national identity and in turn might come in the way of ‘public interest’. This article, therefore, takes a look at how in real world, this psychological baggage or attitudes of human agency might interfere with the policy process at implementation level, distorting the entire policy outcome. The methodology adopted is that of an ethnographic case based analysis located in an Indian public organization. Taking a cue from existing literature and prominent policy frameworks and adopting select qualitative research tools, an inferential analysis is done to inform the research question —‘How bureaucratic attitudes can mess up with policy implementation to defeat the very purpose of an otherwise well-intended policy?’
Think Tanks, Research Influence and Public Policy in India
Authors: Singh Rahul , Sharma N.N. , Jha Uday
Published: January 2015

Think tanks have been considered the educated voice on behalf of citizens in practices of government. They are key agencies for discussion on contemporary issues of national and international policy making. Think tanks as powerful agents in the policy making process, sometimes are considered institutions of lobbying. This article is an outcome of focused group (FG) discussions conducted at four locations in India to comprehend the presence and position of think tanks, their research authority and their role and influence in the public policy making process as a stakeholder. The FG discussions with 80 experts captured national perspective on think tanks. The findings of the study suggest that institutional think tanks in India are relatively new phenomena in comparison to the west. In this backdrop, the article analyzes issues of definition and ideology, credibility in research, governance, funding and interaction on policy.
National Food Security Act, 2013 and Food Security Outcomes in India
Authors: Sandhu Amrita
Published: January 2015

The National Food Security Act (NFSA) of India aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two-thirds of India’s 1.25 billion population. The introduction of this Act in 2013, marks a major paradigm shift from a welfare based to a rights based approach to address food insecurity. This article attempts to understand the effect of NFSA on food security outcomes in India. It attempts to analyze the origin of right to food discourse and factors behind perpetual failure in food security outcomes by applying food security measurement framework. The article then focuses on the persistent failure in redressing childhood undernutrition. The article elaborates the impact of NFSA on food security outcome indicators for India. The article concludes that the policy needs to look beyond subsidized food grain assistance for ensuring the nutritional security of people of India.
Revisiting Sustainable Livelihoods: Insights from Implementation Studies in India
Authors: Patnaik Srilata , Prasad C. Shambu
Published: January 2015

Amongst public policies for poverty reduction there has been a renewed thrust on enhancing rural livelihoods in recent times. This article situates current mission based livelihood programmes in India within the larger context of livelihoods discourse in the last two decades in development studies. This article revisits the literature on livelihoods and the Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA). A critical review of SLA suggests a welcome focus in public policies on perspectives and institutions of the poor. However, operationalizing, implementing and evaluating SLAs present several challenges. A review of implementation of livelihood schemes in India is presented with suggestions for a dialogue between SLA frameworks and implementation studies literature in public policies. India presents an interesting opportunity for academics to shift the discourse from poverty and employment as key themes to an engagement on livelihoods as a frame that hitherto has largely remained a practitioner led discourse.
Urbanization, Common Property Resources and Gender Relations in a Peri-urban Context
Authors: Vij Sumit
Published: January 2015

The article reflects on the urbanization process and the social interactions that have played a role in diminishing access to common property resources (CPRs) for the vulnerable residents of the peri-urban Gurgaon. It emphasizes on the factors responsible for changing access and usage. Coupled with uncertain rainfall, these factors have reduced the dependence on and changed the usage of the CPRs in the two peri-urban villages—Budheda and Sadhrana. The article shares the field evidence of how social and political institutions shape access to resources affecting the livelihoods of the vulnerable groups, especially agriculture and animal husbandry. Lastly, it provides evidence of changing gender relations around the tasks of natural resource collection and use with increasing urbanization. These nuances raises the questions on the policy gaps based on the community perceptions and evidences in the field.
Understanding Diversity Issues vis-à-vis Caste-based Quota System: A Solution or a Source of Discrimination
Authors: Jain Suparna , Bhardwaj Gopa
Published: January 2015

Diversity dilutes lopsidedness that is inherent in a homogenous environment, and hence allows achievement of equilibrium. However, if heterogeneous groups comprising a diverse environment are incompatible with each other and unable to harness strengths and overcome weaknesses, it may lead to greater disequilibrium. The present research focuses on the diversity created in the organizations as a result of caste-based reservation system (affirmative action). The aim was to analyze the perception of the employees, belonging to both the general and the reserved category groups towards the diversity climate of their organizations. Three hundred participants, incorporating 123 general category men (GCM), 90 general category women (GCW), 66 reserved category males (RCM) and 21 reserved category women (RCW) participated in the study. They were all working in public/government sector organizations and were having firsthand experience of quota system at their workplace. A mixed methodology was adopted: Perceived diversity climate questionnaire (Surendra Kumar Sia, 2008); semi-structured open-ended question based on their views towards the overall quota system; and interview comprising of semi-structured situational questions was also taken with the 30 per cent of the sample. The analysis revealed that the perception of both reserved and general category employees towards the diversity climate of the organizations is poor. Based on the comparison between the four groups under study, the worst perception towards the diversity climate is being held by GCW and the best perception is held by RCW. The present research work also provides implications for improving the situation in terms of managing diversity created by the quota system.
Structural damage detection using principal component analysis and damage indices
Authors: Tibaduiza Diego A , Mujica Luis E , Rodellar José , Güemes Alfredo
Published: January 2015

One of the most important tasks in structural health monitoring corresponds to damage detection. In this task, the existence of damage should be determined. In the literature, several potentially useful techniques for damage detection can be found, and their applicability to a particular situation depends on the size of the critical damages that are admissible in the structure. Almost all of these techniques follow the same general procedure: the structure is excited using actuators, and the dynamical response is sensed at different locations throughout the structure. Any damage will change this vibrational response. The state of the structure is diagnosed by means of the processing of these data. Several studies have shown that the detection of changes in a structure depends on the distance from the damage to the actuator as well as the configuration of the sensor network. In this article, the authors considered the advantage of using an active piezoelectric system, where the lead zirconate titanate transducers are used as actuator and sensors in different actuation phases. In each actuation phase of the diagnosis procedure, one lead zirconate titanate transducer is used as actuator (a known electrical signal is applied), and the others are used as sensors (collecting the wave propagated through the structure at different points). An initial baseline model for undamaged structure is built applying principal component analysis to the data collected by several experiments and after the current structure (damaged or not) is subjected to the same experiments, and the collected data are projected into the principal component analysis models. Two of these projections and four damage indices ( T2-statistic, Q-statistic, combined index, and I2 index) by each actuation phase are used to determine the presence of damages and to distinguish between them. These indices are calculated based on the analysis of the residual data matrix to represent the variability of the data projected within the residual subspace and the new space of the principal components. To validate the approach, data from two aeronautical structures—an aircraft skin panel and an aircraft turbine blade—are used.
Pullout resistance of deformed shape memory alloy fibers embedded in cement mortar
Authors: Kim Dong Joo , Kim Hee Ae , Chung Young-Soo , Choi Eunsoo
Published: January 2015

In this study, the pullout resistance of deformed shape memory alloy fibers embedded in a mortar matrix is investigated to develop self crack-closing capacity. Three types of deformed shape memory alloy fibers (dog bone–shaped, end-deformed, and crimped) and one type of smooth shape memory alloy fiber, fabricated from two different alloys, NiTi and NiTiNb, were embedded in a mortar matrix with a compressive strength of 55 MPa. The pullout resistance differed considerably depending on the geometry of the fiber and composition of the alloy. The pullout resistance was generally higher for deformed shape memory alloy fibers than for the smooth shape memory alloy fiber. Among the deformed shape memory alloy fibers, dog bone–shaped fibers showed the highest enhancement in bond strength after heat treatment. The pullout resistance was higher for the NiTiNb alloy than the NiTi alloy when the shape memory alloy fiber was deformed, whereas the relationship was reversed when the shape memory alloy fiber was smooth.
Radium-223 Dichloride
Authors: McGann Shane , Horton Evan R.
Published: January 2015

Objective: To review and evaluate the clinical trial efficacy and safety of radium 223 (223Ra) along with its place in therapy in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Data Sources: A literature search in PubMed/MEDLINE (up to October 2014) was performed using various combinations of the terms radium, hormone-refractory prostate cancer, and castration-resistant prostate cancer. The New Drug Application Medical, Pharmacology, and Clinical Pharmacology and Biopharmaceutics Reviews for radium 223Ra dichloride were also utilized. The bibliographies of articles were reviewed to identify additional references. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Phase 1, 2, and 3 studies that assessed the safety and/or efficacy of 223Ra in patients with CRPC were reviewed. Peer-reviewed articles with clinically relevant information were reviewed for background information. Data Synthesis: In May 2013, the Food and Drug Administration approved intravenous use of 223Ra for the treatment of patients with CRPC, symptomatic bone metastases, and no known visceral metastatic disease. In a phase 3 study comparing 223Ra and the best standard of care (SOC) versus the best SOC plus placebo, 223Ra was shown to increase survival. The most commonly seen adverse drug reactions and hematological laboratory abnormalities with 223Ra include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, peripheral edema, anemia, lymphocytopenia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia. Conclusions:223Ra is a first-in-class α-particle-emitting radioactive agent that is first-line therapy, providing an extra option for men suffering from CRPC with symptomatic bone metastases and no known visceral metastases. 223Ra has also been shown to be relatively well tolerated when up to 6 injections are given. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether 223Ra is safe and effective for more than 6 doses and if it can be used concomitantly with chemotherapy.
Child Behavior Questionnaire–Short Form for Teachers
Authors: Teglasi Hedwig , Schussler Laura , Gifford Kathleen , Annotti Lee Ann , Sanders Catherine , Liu Huili
Published: January 2015

Discrepancies among independent sources of information about presumably identical constructs argue against reliance on a single perspective. To fill the need for temperament questionnaires for teacher and parent informants, we adapted the popular parent/caregiver Child Behavior Questionnaire–Short Form for preschool and kindergarten teachers. Informant correspondences were low as expected, but patterns were consistent with hypotheses drawn from person perception models. Internal consistencies of the teacher scales were adequate, comparing favorably with those of parent-rated scales. Anticipated relations of temperament scales emerged with social competence and tasks of executive attention for both parent and teacher informants. Confirmatory factor analyses conducted separately for parent and teacher scales supported the familiar three-factor model when allowances were made for cross-loadings and correlated errors. A multigroup confirmatory factor analyses with parent and teacher data indicated that the factor structures of the two questionnaires are similar but not equivalent.
Preliminary investigation of the thermal antinociceptive effects of codeine in cats
Authors: Steagall Paulo VM , Monteiro Beatriz P , Lavoie Anne-Marie , Troncy Eric
Published: January 2015

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential thermal antinociceptive effects of oral administration of a single dose of codeine in cats compared with positive (buprenorphine) and negative (saline 0.9%) controls.

Methods

Six adult healthy cats weighing 5.14 ± 0.6 kg were used. Skin temperature and thermal thresholds (TTs) were evaluated using a wireless device (Topcat Metrology) at baseline, 0.5, 1, 3, 6 and 10 h after treatment. In period 1, TTs were evaluated after subcutaneous administration of saline 0.9%. In period 2, cats were administered either oral codeine (10 mg total, 2.0 ± 0.2 mg/kg) or buccal buprenorphine (0.04 mg/kg) in a cross-over, blinded study design. Half of the volume of buprenorphine was administered into each cheek pouch. Δ TT (difference between TTs after and before treatment) was used for data comparison. Mean ± SD data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s or Tukey’s test when appropriate ( P <0.05).

Results

Adverse effects did not occur in any group. Skin temperature was not different between groups nor over time. Temporal changes in TTs were not observed after saline or codeine. Buprenorphine increased Δ TT at 3 h (2.7 ± 3.3°C) when compared with baseline or saline ( P <0.05). For buprenorphine, TTs were not >47.6°C at any time point in four cats. The mean highest temperature recorded in the two other cats in that group was 54.5 and 52.8°C at 3 h.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

At the dose administered, codeine did not produce thermal antinociception. Mild increases in TT after buccal buprenorphine might be related to the first-pass effect after drug swallowing, drug spillage during administration and/or individual variability. These factors should be taken in to consideration when administering buprenorphine by this route in the clinical setting.