bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Authenticity, Social Context, and Well-Being in the United States, England, and Russia
Authors: Robinson Oliver C. , Lopez Frederick G. , Ramos Katherine , Nartova-Bochaver Sofya
Published: November 2012

The study investigated interrelationships among trait authenticity, context-specific authenticity, and well-being in three samples drawn from England, the United States, and Russia. Six hundred and twenty-eight adults participated: 196 from the United States, 240 from England, and 192 from Russia. The overall sample consisted of 151 men and 477 women with a mean age of 27 years (range = 18 to 56). Authenticity was rated both as a general trait and specific to four contexts: with partner, parents, friends, and work colleagues. Well-being was measured using a measure of positive mental health. English and American samples showed higher mean authenticity levels than the Russian sample. In all three subsamples, within-subjects differences in the context-specific ratings were in the same ordinal series; authenticity was rated highest with partner, followed by friends and parents, and lowest with work colleagues. Context and country showed an interaction in their effect on authenticity; United States and England were higher than Russia in partner, friend, and parent contexts but not in the work context. Trait and context-specific authenticity measures contributed unique and significant variance to a prediction of well-being in all three subsamples.
Effects of Etch-and-Rinse and Self-etch Adhesives on Dentin MMP-2 and MMP-9
Authors: Mazzoni A. , Scaffa P. , Carrilho M. , Tjäderhane L. , Di Lenarda R. , Polimeni A. , Tezvergil-Mutluay A. , Tay F.R. , Pashley D.H. , Breschi L.
Published: November 2012

Auto-degradation of collagen matrices occurs within hybrid layers created by contemporary dentin bonding systems, by the slow action of host-derived matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). This study tested the null hypothesis that there are no differences in the activities of MMP-2 and -9 after treatment with different etch-and-rinse or self-etch adhesives. Tested adhesives were: Adper Scotchbond 1XT (3M ESPE), PQ1 (Ultradent), Peak LC (Ultradent), Optibond Solo Plus (Kerr), Prime&Bond NT (Dentsply) (all 2-step etch-and-rinse adhesives), and Adper Easy Bond (3M ESPE), Tri-S (Kuraray), and Xeno-V (Dentsply) (1-step self-etch adhesives). MMP-2 and -9 activities were quantified in adhesive-treated dentin powder by means of an activity assay and gelatin zymography. MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities were found after treatment with all of the simplified etch-and-rinse and self-etch adhesives; however, the activation was adhesive-dependent. It is concluded that all two-step etch-and-rinse and the one-step self-etch adhesives tested can activate endogenous MMP-2 and MMP-9 in human dentin. These results support the role of endogenous MMPs in the degradation of hybrid layers created by these adhesives.
Disability in the Labour Market: An Exploration of Concepts of the Ideal Worker and Organisational Fit that Disadvantage Employees with Impairments
Authors: Foster Deborah , Wass Victoria
Published: November 2012

The adverse employment effects that attach to disability are empirically well established. They are large and persistent. This is a conceptual article that investigates the source of this deep and enduring employment disadvantage. Debate begins by examining the origins of ideas that have shaped approaches to work study and have influenced concepts of what constitutes an ideal worker. Drawing on feminist critiques of organisational analysis that have highlighted the gendered character of processes, practices and values, it explores the relatively neglected position of disabled employees. With reference to transcripts from four Employment Appeal Tribunals brought under the Disability Discrimination Act, it illustrates how standard jobs, designed around ideal (non-disabled) employees, create a mismatch between a formal job description and someone with an impairment. We suggest this mismatch is central to the organisation’s resistance to implementing adjustments and also to any radical approaches to include impaired employees in the workplace.
Living with the ‘Enemy’: HIV and Inter-species Relating
Authors: Langdridge Darren , Flowers Paul
Published: November 2012

Work exploring inter-species relating has offered a critique of the anthropocentrism evident within much social sciences research and also suggested that the coming together of the human and animal- Other may offer up potential for an opening-up of human existence. In this article we explore this theoretical move and push it to the limits by examining the relationship between the human and a very particular animal- Other, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Thus we move the focus from an analysis of companionate human-animal relating (Haraway, 2003, 2008) to what appears to be antagonistic species relating. This is empirically grounded through the story of one man living with this virus and how he has come to find a way to accommodate the animal- Other. This article aims to not only advance theory but also provide insights into how it might be possible to find new ways of living with a viral- Other.
Administrative Research in a Neoinstitutionalist Perspective
Authors: Ahonen Pertti
Published: November 2012

Applying a neoinstitutionalist perspective, the article analyzes administrative research in Finland. The results pinpoint contradictory official microinstitutional regulation influencing the research albeit moderated by flexible implementation, and recent institutional weakening in the status of the research field. Institutional trade-offs obtain between the limited global scholarly contribution of Finland’s administrative research and the domestic legitimation it has enjoyed so far. The characteristic radical institutional changes have comprised measures for the academic upgrading of teaching and research disciplines. Besides invigorating the global contribution of Finland’s administrative research, the results suggest the rehabilitation of public administration as an academic field in the country.
A novel signal detection method of giant magneto-impedance magnetic sensors
Authors: Zhang Lei , Pan Zhongming , Nie Xinhua
Published: November 2012

It is difficult to detect the signal of giant magneto-impedance (GMI) magnetic sensors with the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) less than 0 dB by the conventional detection methods. In this paper, a novel detection circuit of a GMI sensor is presented, which directly samples the conditioned signals from the GMI sensor into a digital signal processing system and then a hybrid method combining wavelet transform with correlation analysis is proposed, which is proved effective for measuring the weak magnetic field even when the SNR of the GMI sensor signals is as weak as −15 dB.
Design and application of an information fusion control system
Authors: Yue Shihong , He Boyang , Wang Jeen-Shing , Zuo Zhiqiang
Published: November 2012

This paper presents an information fusion control system designed based on a reformulation of traditional PID control methods. The purpose of the study was to integrate multiple information resources in order to achieve a better control performance in terms of system dynamics and statistic responses. An information fusion control was developed by turning the original control problem into a ‘fusion estimation’ problem. Specifically, the Choquet fuzzy integral was implemented to fuse different information resources for improving the generalization and efficiency of the PID control. Tracking and adaptation of the information fusion control system were analysed via control of a simulated mechanical system. The simulation results show that the proposed information fusion control was effective.
Call centres’ employment practices in global value networks: A view from Argentina as a receiving economy
Authors: del Bono Andrea , Gorjup María Tatiana , Henry Laura , Valverde Mireia
Published: November 2012

The growth of offshored services has brought about an important flux of jobs from developed towards developing countries. In this context, outsourced call centres, with their complex insertion of services across countries and organisations, demonstrate a high potential to create jobs, thus influencing the labour markets of a particular country. However, there are some doubts about the quality, longevity and working conditions that these jobs afford. This article uses the conceptual background of global value chains and global networks in order to analyse the impact of outsourcing and offshoring call centre activities on the employment practices, organisation, management and quality of jobs in the receiving economy of Argentina.
Competition and conflict: Union growth in the US hospital industry
Authors: Moody Kim
Published: November 2012

The combination of the changes in the US hospital industry and resulting pressures on the workforce with the relative immobility of hospitals has led to the growth of unions in this industry while unions are losing members in most other industries. Drawing on theoretical work that places changing work experience as a major factor in pro-union behaviour, the article examines how the rise of competition among private hospital systems has led hospital managements to adopt ‘lean production’ methods borrowed from manufacturing. The consequent pressures on the workforce have encouraged workers to join unions. These same forces have shaped the content of collective bargaining and divergent styles of unionism. As the transformation of hospitals are a piece of the broader neoliberal era in which they occur, this analysis should be applicable to certain other industries as well.
Wage effects of works councils and opening clauses: The German case
Authors: Ellguth Peter , Gerner Hans-Dieter , Stegmaier Jens
Published: November 2012

German employment relations are characterized by a distinct dual system. First, working conditions and wages are determined by industry-level collective bargaining agreements. Second, on the establishment-level, the works council is responsible for employer–employee negotiations. However, since the mid-1980s, an increasing number of areas of regulation have been transferred from the industry- to the establishment-level using so-called opening clauses. The analysis in this article relies on rich German establishment data and reveals new insights into the institutional machinery of wage bargaining. While the existence of such clauses is related to higher wages, their application results in wage cuts of roughly the same size. The results also suggest that works councils, on average, are able to prevent the negative wage effects of opening clauses.
Rapid Repeat Pregnancy Among Unmarried, African American Adolescent Parent Couples
Authors: Dallas Constance Miles
Published: November 2012

This article describes rapid repeat pregnancy (RRP), getting pregnant or giving birth again within 24 months of giving birth, in a group of unmarried, low-income, African American first-time, adolescent parent couples from the perspectives of their kinship systems, that is, the adolescent parents and their parents or parental figures. RRP has been associated with prematurity, low birth weight, inadequate prenatal care, school dropout, increased potential for poverty, and prolonged welfare dependence. There were 21 RRPs among 24 kinship systems: 9 adolescent males who fathered RRPs with new partners and also reported having been denied access to their study babies; 6 adolescent mothers with new partners, who also reported intimate partner violence with the study adolescent father; and 6 study adolescent parent couples, whose paternal family reported doubts about the paternity of the study babies. Adolescent fathers should be offered the same child care and contraceptive information routinely offered to adolescent mothers.
Simmel’s Law of the Individual and the Ethics of the Relational Self
Authors: Lee Monica , Silver Daniel
Published: November 2012

Georg Simmel’s final work, The View of Life, concludes his lifelong engagement with Immanuel Kant by ‘inverting’ Kant’s Categorical Imperative to produce an ethics of authentic individuality. While Kant’s moral imperative is universal to all individuals but particular to their discrete acts, Simmel’s Law of the Individual is particular to each individual but universal to all the individual’s acts. We assess the significance of Simmel’s formulation of the Law of the Individual in three steps: First, as an articulation of an ethical moment consonant with his relational approach to formal sociology, hinted at earlier in Sociology but not developed as such. Second, as a completion of the framework for Simmel’s formal sociology: the Law of the Individual conceptualizes a decisive but under-theorized relationship in Simmel’s vision of ‘society’ that is a woven fabric of social relationships, namely one’s relationship with oneself. We follow with a third proposal about how Simmel might have continued the line of thought he opens in The View of Life, suggesting that we can take the Law of the Individual as an invitation to fold the self-relation back into analysis of social relations, and to theorize how forms of association are shaped by forms of self-relation. We thus narrow the theoretical gulf between Simmel’s vitalism and his sociology, which commentators usually hold apart. And in so doing, we sketch a distinctively Simmelian approach to an ethics of individuality in sociological inquiry.
Silence as Resistance before the Subject, or Could the Subaltern Remain Silent?
Authors: Wagner Roi
Published: November 2012

This text considers several case studies of subaltern silence as micro political resistance. Around these examples I thread a theoretical model (using ideas of such thinkers as Spivak, Bataille, Foucault and Baudrillard) to explain how performing silences could resist oppression without assuming an underlying well-articulated subjectivity. The article deals with the force of silence, its conditions of possibility, and its position with respect to representation.
Soul and Culture
Authors: Mannheim Karl
Published: November 2012

This programmatic statement of a lecture series presented by intellectuals close to Georg Lukács in 1917 concerns the paradoxical stress, influentially expounded by Georg Simmel, between the subjective culture of the self and its growing alienation from the overwhelming mass of the objectified culture that surrounds it. The theme is the reflection and analytic grasp of that division and of the insights it yields into the nature of culture.
Why do we want the right to die? A systematic review of the international literature on the views of patients, carers and the public on assisted dying
Authors: Hendry Maggie , Pasterfield Diana , Lewis Ruth , Carter Ben , Hodgson Daniel , Wilkinson Clare
Published: November 2012

Background:

Assisted dying is legal in four European countries and three American states. Elsewhere, particularly in more affluent or mainly Protestant countries, it remains controversial. Dominant headlines feature professional (medical, legal, religious) arguments versus celebrity campaigners; ordinary people are less clearly represented.

Aim:

To synthesise the international evidence of people’s views and attitudes towards assisted dying in order to inform current debate about this controversial issue.

Design:

Systematic review and mixed method synthesis of qualitative and survey data

Data sources:

Eleven electronic databases from inception to October 2011; bibliographies of included studies

Review Methods:

Two reviewers independently screened papers and appraised quality. Qualitative results were extracted verbatim; survey results were summarised in a table. Qualitative data were synthesised using framework methods and survey results integrated where they supported, contrasted or added to the themes identified.

Results:

Sixteen qualitative studies and 94 surveys were included; many participants considered the immediate relevance of assisted dying for them. Themes related to poor quality of life, a good quality of death, potential abuse of assisted dying and the importance of individual stance. People valued autonomy in death as much as in life. Attitudes were diverse, complex and related to definitions of unbearable suffering including physical, psycho-social and existential factors and were consistent regardless of social, economic, legal and health-care contexts.

Conclusion:

Our review sheds light on ordinary people’s perspectives about assisted dying, when they are ill or disabled. Unbearable suffering is a key construct, and common factors are revealed that lead people to ask for help to die. The consistency of international views indicates a mandate for legislative and medical systems worldwide to listen and understand this.
Off-label prescribing in palliative care – a cross-sectional national survey of Palliative Medicine doctors
Authors: To Timothy HM , Agar Meera , Shelby-James Tania , Abernethy Amy P , Doogue Matthew , Rowett Debra , Ko Danielle , Currow David C
Published: November 2012

Background:

Regulatory bodies including the European Medicines Agency register medications (formulation, route of administration) for specific clinical indications. Once registered, prescription is at clinicians’ discretion. Off-label use is beyond the registered use. While off-label prescribing may, at times, be appropriate, efficacy and toxicity data are often lacking.

Aim:

The aim of this study was to document off-label use policies (including disclosure and consent) in Australian palliative care units and current practices by palliative care clinicians.

Design:

A national, cross-sectional survey was conducted online following an invitation letter. The survey asked clinicians their most frequent off-label medication/indication dyads and unit policies. Dyads were classified into unregistered, off-label and on-label, and for the latter, whether medications were nationally subsidised.

Setting/participants:

All Australian palliative medicine Fellows and advanced trainees.

Results:

Overall, 105 clinicians responded (53% response rate). The majority did not have policies on off-label medications, and documented consent rarely. In all, 236 medication/indication dyads for 36 medications were noted: 45 dyads (19%) were for two unregistered medications, 118 dyads (50%) were for 26 off-label medications and 73 dyads (31%) were for 12 on-label medications.

Conclusions:

Off-label prescribing with its clinical, legal and ethical implications is common yet poorly recognised by clinicians. A distinction needs to be made between where quality evidence exists but registration has not been updated by the pharmaceutical sponsor and the evidence has not been generated. Further research is required to quantify any iatrogenic harm from off-label prescribing in palliative care.
On Averages and Peaks
Authors: Shiloh Shoshana , Wade Christopher H. , Roberts J. Scott , Hensley Alford Sharon , Biesecker Barbara B.
Published: November 2012

Background. The aim of the current study was to learn how people integrate attitudes about multiple health conditions to make a decision about genetic testing uptake. Methods. This study recruited 294 healthy young adults from a parent research project, the Multiplex Initiative, conducted in a large health care system in Detroit, Michigan. All participants were offered a multiplex genetic test that assessed risk for 8 common health conditions (e.g., type 2 diabetes). Data were collected from a baseline survey, a web-based survey, and at the time of testing. Results. Averaging attitudes across diseases predicted test uptake but did not contribute beyond peak attitudes, the highest attitude toward testing for a single disease in the set. Peak attitudes were found sufficient to predict test uptake. Limitations. The effects of set size and mode of presentation could not be examined because these factors were constant in the multiplex test offered. Conclusions. These findings support theories suggesting that people use representative evaluations in attitude formation. The implication of these findings for further developments in genetic testing is that the communication and impact of multiplex testing may need to be considered in the light of a bias toward peak attitudes.
Self-oriented Masculinity
Authors: Branchik Blaine J. , Chowdhury Tilottama Ghosh
Published: November 2012

This research chronicles the changes in the understudied and rapidly evolving male market segment using two related studies: (1) a content analysis of advertisements in fifty-one years of Sports Illustrated magazine and (2) an experiment involving age-based differences in consumer ad perceptions. Both investigate changing ad values and the ethnic diversity of ad models. Results indicate that the male market is becoming increasingly self-oriented in its values orientation as a result of broad societal changes and changing gender roles. Increasing use of black or African American models in key positions indicates a growing acceptance of minorities as representations of the ideal self among younger men, who express a preference for black or African American models. This finding speaks to the increasingly multicultural nature of society and the impact of minority celebrities on American culture. The results are indicative of the power of advertising in both reflecting and facilitating societal change.
Memory stabilization and enhancement following music practice
Authors: Allen Sarah E.
Published: November 2012

Procedural memory consolidation has been shown to enhance a variety of perceptual and motor skills during sleep, but only recently has this effect been investigated in trained musicians performing music. I tested the extent to which expected music performance skill improves over a night of sleep and to what extent the new skill memory may be fragile following initial learning. Musicians ( N = 60) learned a 13-note piano melody in individual evening training sessions under one of four practice conditions. Performance of the target melody was tested the next morning following a night of sleep. In line with previous research findings, subjects showed evidence of overnight gains in performance speed and accuracy. However, these results reveal, for the first time with musicians, that additional practice on a second, similar melody seems to inhibit these overnight gains, perhaps indicating that the overnight consolidation of new skill memories is susceptible to interference from similar tasks.
Municipal solid waste management for total resource recycling: a case study on Haulien County in Taiwan
Authors: Chang Yu-Min , Liu Chien-Chung , Dai Wen-Chien , Hu Allen , Tseng Chao-Heng , Chou Chieh-Mei
Published: November 2012

This work presents the enforcement performance of recent Haulien County, Taiwan municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling management programs. These programs include: Mandatory Refuse Sorting and Recycling, Diverse Bulk Waste Reuse, Pay-as-you-Discharge, Total Food Waste Recycling, Restricted Use on Plastic Shopping Bags & Plastic Tableware, Recycling Fund Management, and Ash Reuse. These programs provide incentives to reduce the MSW quantity growth rate. It was found that the recycled material fraction of MSW generated in 2001 was from 6.8%, but was 32.4% in 2010 and will increase stably by 2–5% yearly in the near future. Survey data for the last few years show that only 2.68% (based on total MSW generated) of food waste was collected in 2001. However, food waste was up to 9.7 % in 2010 after the Total Food Waste Recycling program was implemented. The reutilization rate of bottom ash was 20% in 2005 and up to 65% in 2010 owing to Ash Reuse Program enforcement. A quantified index, the Total Recycle Index, was proposed to evaluate MSW management program performance. The demonstrated county will move toward a zero waste society in 2015 if the Total Recycle Index approaches 1.00. Exact management with available programs can lead to slow-growing waste volume and recovery of all MSW.
A case study of the characteristics of municipal solid waste in Asturias (Spain): influence of season and source
Authors: Castrillón Leonor , Fernández-Nava Yolanda , González Angela , Marañón E
Published: November 2012

In the present research study, the weight composition, physical–chemical composition and net calorific values of unsorted municipal solid waste (MSW) generated by a population of around 1,080,000 inhabitants in a region of northern Spain were determined. The unsorted MSW was composed of 38.1% organic fraction and 42.3% combustible fraction, with paper/cardboard constituting the most important part of the latter fraction (20.6%). The high content of textiles (10.9%) is worth noting, being practically equal to the content in plastics. The unsorted fractions present an average moisture content of 28.5% and an ash content of 29.4% (dry basis). The average lower heating value (LHV) is 10,744 kJ kg-1. Likewise, variations in regard to the season of the year and the source of the waste were taken into consideration. A new correlation is proposed for estimating the LHV as a function of the physical composition of the waste.
Effective solutions for monitoring the electrostatic separation of metal and plastic granular waste from electric and electronic equipment
Authors: Senouci Khouira , Medles Karim , Dascalescu Lucian
Published: November 2012

The variability of the quantity and purity of the recovered materials is a serious drawback for the application of electrostatic separation technologies to the recycling of granular wastes. In a series of previous articles we have pointed out how capability and classic control chart concepts could be employed for better mastering the outcome of such processes. In the present work, the multiple exponentially weighted moving average (MEWMA) control chart is introduced and shown to be more effective than the Hotelling T2 chart for monitoring slow varying changes in the electrostatic separation of granular mixtures originating from electric and electronic equipment waste. The operation of the industrial process was simulated by using a laboratory roll-type electrostatic separator and granular samples resulting from shredded electric cable wastes. The 25 tests carried out during the observation phase enabled the calculation of the upper and lower control limits for the two control charts considered in the present study. The 11 additional tests that simulated the monitoring phase pointed out that the MEWMA chart is more effective than Hotelling’s T2 chart in detecting slow varying changes in the outcome of a process. As the reverse is true in the case of abrupt alterations of monitored process performances, simultaneous usage of the two control charts is strongly recommended. While this study focused on a specific electrostatic separation process, using the MEWMA chart together with the well known Hotelling’s T2 chart should be applicable to the statistical control of other complex processes in the field of waste processing.
Landfills as sinks for (hazardous) substances
Authors: Scharff Heijo
Published: November 2012

The primary goal of waste regulations is to protect human health and the environment. This requires the removal from the material cycle of those materials that cannot be processed without harm. Policies to promote recycling hold a risk that pollutants are dispersed. Materials have an environmental impact during their entire life cycle from extraction through production, consumption and recycling to disposal. Essentially there are only two routes for pollutants that cannot be rendered harmless: storage in sinks or dispersion into the environment. Many sinks do not contain substances absolutely, but result in slow dispersion. Dispersion leads to exposure and impact to human health and the environment. It is therefore important to assess the impact of the release to the environment. Based on various sources this paper discusses important material flows and their potential impact. This is compared with the intentions and achievements of European environmental and resource policy. The polluter pays principle is being implemented in Europe, but lags behind implementation of waste management regulations. As long as producers are allowed to add hazardous substances to their products and don’t take their products back, it is in society’s best interest to carefully consider whether recycling or storage in a sink is the better solution. This requires further development of life-cycle assessment tools and harmonization of regulations. In many cases the sink is unavoidable. Landfills as sinks will be needed in the future. Fail-safe design and construction as well as sustainable management of landfills must be further developed.
A Psychometric Evaluation of the STAI-Y, BDI-II, and PAI Using Single and Multifactorial Models in Young Adults Seeking Psychoeducational Evaluation
Authors: Hill Benjamin D. , Musso Mandi , Jones Glenn N. , Pella Russell D. , Gouvier Wm. Drew
Published: November 2012

A psychometric evaluation on the measurement of self-report anxiety and depression using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), State Trait Anxiety Inventory, Form-Y (STAI-Y), and the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) was performed using a sample of 534 generally young adults seeking psychoeducational evaluation at a university-based clinic. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate single-factor and multifactorial models (including hierarchical and higher-order models). Fit indices indicated superiority of the hierarchical model where the BDI-II and PAI depression subscales loaded onto a depression factor, the PAI anxiety subscales loaded onto an anxiety factor, and the STAI-Y State and Trait scale scores loaded onto a separate factor that indexed variance associated with both depression and anxiety. Findings are discussed in regards to the construct validity of the BDI-II, STAI-Y, and PAI in young adults seeking psychoeducational evaluation and relations among these measures.
Thermomechanical, barrier, and morphological properties of chitosan-reinforced starch-based biodegradable composite films
Authors: Akter Nousin , Khan Ruhul A , Tuhin Mohammad O , Haque M Emdadu , Nurnabi Mohammad , Parvin Fahmida , Islam Rafiqul
Published: November 2012

Chitosan-reinforced starch-based biodegradable composite films were prepared by solution casting. The chitosan content in the films was varied from 20% to 80% (w/w). Tensile strength (TS) and tensile modulus (TM) of the starch-based composites were improved significantly with the addition of chitosan. Water vapor permeability (WVP) and oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of chitosan-reinforced starch-based films showed a significant reduction compared to native chitosan film and indicated better barrier properties to water vapor and oxygen. The water uptake of the films pointed out better hydrophobic character due to the incorporation of chitosan in starch-based films. Thermal stability was also found to increase with the addition of chitosan in starch-based films and was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy supported the molecular interactions due to the reinforcement of chitosan in starch-based films. Surface and interface morphologies of chitosan film and starch/chitosan composite film were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and suggested sufficient homogenization of starch and chitosan in the biodegradable composite films.
Friction and wear behaviors of polyamide-based composites blended with polyphenylene sulfide
Authors: Zhou Shaofeng , Zhang Qiaoxin , Huang Jin , Ding Dong
Published: November 2012

Polymer blending has attracted wide concern for modification of polymer materials especially in the tribological field. In this article, the structure, mechanical and tribological properties were investigated carefully for the polyamide-6-based composites blended with polyphenylene sulfide (PA6-PPS). It was found that the composites were partially miscible, and the modulus of PA6 was improved apparently with the addition of PPS. The average friction coefficient of PA6-PPS composites decreased as the content of PPS increased at the stable stage. The friction coefficients and wear rate of the PA6-PPS composites increased under higher load, while the friction coefficient decreased and the wear rate increased at higher sliding speed. Besides, scanning electron micrograph of worn surface morphology revealed the primary wear mechanism of PA6-PPS composites gradually transformed from the micro-cutting wear to adhesive wear and abrasive wear.
Laser intensity effect on mechanical properties of wood–plastic composite parts fabricated by selective laser sintering
Authors: Zeng Weiliang , Guo Yanling , Jiang Kaiyi , Yu Zhixiang , Liu Ying , Shen Yidi , Deng Junrui , Wang Puxuan
Published: November 2012

In this article, the relationship between the mechanical properties of wood–plastic composite (WPC) parts fabricated by selective laser sintering (SLS) and the laser intensity is determined. Green parts were formed from WPC by SLS process, the SLS green parts had sufficient strengths for features to be built with relatively high dimensional accuracy. In order to improve the mechanical properties of the parts to better level, the post-processing – infiltration with wax – is used. Experiments for studying mechanical properties of WPC parts with laser intensity growing are carried on, the result is as following: because interfacial adhesion of copolyester and densification are improved with laser intensity growing, impact strength increased gradually either in green part style or in wax-infiltrated part style, tensile strength and bending strength of wax-infiltrated parts increased gradually. The tensile strength improved 191% and the bending strength improved 17%, with the increase in laser intensity from 226 Watt/mm2 to 311 Watt/mm2; the impact strength of green parts improved 543% and the impact strength of wax-infiltrated parts improved 147%, respectively, by increasing the laser intensity from 226 Watt/mm2 to 340 Watt/mm2. But when the laser intensity is greater than 311 Watt/mm2, the tensile strength and bending strength decreased for further increasing of the laser intensity, leading to higher temperature, making the melt viscosity of the copolyester drop.
Detecting the Trustworthiness of Novel Partners in Economic Exchange
Authors: DeSteno David , Breazeal Cynthia , Frank Robert H. , Pizarro David , Baumann Jolie , Dickens Leah , Lee Jin Joo
Published: November 2012

Because trusting strangers can entail high risk, an ability to infer a potential partner’s trustworthiness would be highly advantageous. To date, however, little evidence indicates that humans are able to accurately assess the cooperative intentions of novel partners by using nonverbal signals. In two studies involving human-human and human-robot interactions, we found that accuracy in judging the trustworthiness of novel partners is heightened through exposure to nonverbal cues and identified a specific set of cues that are predictive of economic behavior. Employing the precision offered by robotics technology to model and control humanlike movements, we demonstrated not only that experimental manipulation of the identified cues directly affects perceptions of trustworthiness and subsequent exchange behavior, but also that the human mind will utilize such cues to ascribe social intentions to technological entities.
Peace and War
Authors: Berntsen Dorthe , Johannessen Kim B. , Thomsen Yvonne D. , Bertelsen Mette , Hoyle Rick H. , Rubin David C.
Published: November 2012

In the study reported here, we examined posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in 746 Danish soldiers measured on five occasions before, during, and after deployment to Afghanistan. Using latent class growth analysis, we identified six trajectories of change in PTSD symptoms. Two resilient trajectories had low levels across all five times, and a new-onset trajectory started low and showed a marked increase of PTSD symptoms. Three temporary-benefit trajectories, not previously described in the literature, showed decreases in PTSD symptoms during (or immediately after) deployment, followed by increases after return from deployment. Predeployment emotional problems and predeployment traumas, especially childhood adversities, were predictors for inclusion in the nonresilient trajectories, whereas deployment-related stress was not. These findings challenge standard views of PTSD in two ways. First, they show that factors other than immediately preceding stressors are critical for PTSD development, with childhood adversities being central. Second, they demonstrate that the development of PTSD symptoms shows heterogeneity, which indicates the need for multiple measurements to understand PTSD and identify people in need of treatment.
A novel small-world algorithm incorporating chaos optimization and its application to robot path planning
Authors: Yuan Ming Xin , Ye Zhao Li , Cheng Shuai , Wang Sun An , Wang Qi
Published: November 2012

By making use of the characteristics of ergodicity, randomicity and regularity of chaotic variables and information entropy, a novel chaotic small-world algorithm is presented to improve the optimization performance of the simple small-world algorithm. Compared with the corresponding simple small-world algorithm and the modified genetic algorithm approach, the optimization results of selected complex functions indicate that the proposed chaotic small-world algorithm is characterized by a strong search capability and a quick convergence speed. A study of parameter performance of the chaotic small-world algorithm aids in further improvement of its optimization capability. Additionally, the chaotic small-world algorithm is applied to mobile robot path planning, and the global path is optimized by the chaotic small-world algorithm based on a MAKLINK graph. Finally, experimental results verify the validity of the chaotic small-world algorithm for robot path planning.
Estimation of sensitivity depending on sojourn time and time spent in preclinical state
Authors: Kim Seongho , Wu Dongfeng
Published: November 2012

The probability model for periodic screening was extended to provide statistical inference for sensitivity depending on sojourn time, in which the sensitivity was modeled as a function of time spent in the preclinical state and the sojourn time. The likelihood function with the proposed sensitivity model was then evaluated with simulated data to check its reliability in terms of the mean estimation and the standard error. Simulation results showed that the maximum likelihood estimates of the proposed model have little bias and small standard errors. The extended probability model was further applied to the Johns Hopkins Lung Project data using both maximum likelihood estimation and Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo.
Composite Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma Not Otherwise Specified, and B-cell Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma Presenting With Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
Authors: Alomari Ahmed , Hui Pei , Xu Mina
Published: November 2012

We report a case of a 68-year-old female patient who developed hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) secondary to peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) not otherwise specified (NOS) that developed in the setting of treatment-resistant B-cell small lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia (SLL/CLL). The patient’s B-cell lymphoma had a good initial response to chemotherapy for 4 years, after which it became less responsive and was thought to have undergone transition to a higher-grade lymphoma. Different regimens of chemoradiotherapy were then tried with modest response until the patient presented 3 years later with signs and symptoms of HLH. The patient died 1 month later, and an autopsy was performed. Significant para-aortic lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly were found. Microscopic, immunohistochemical and molecular evaluations confirmed the presence of composite B-cell and T-cell lymphoma in the para-aortic enlarged lymph nodes. Bone marrow examination showed hemophagocytosis, and the liver demonstrated infiltration by activated macrophages with hepatocellular necrosis. This report highlights the importance of searching for a possible underlying T-cell lymphoma in light of HLH. Different theories have been proposed to explain the rare occurrence of concurrent B- and T-cell lymphomas, but the development of HLH in this patient highlights the importance of immune dysregulation as a proposed mechanism to explain some cases of composite lymphomas. A review of the literature and discussion of the relative merits of these hypotheses are presented in the context of this case.
Nonlinear vibrations and stability analysis of axially moving strings having nonideal mid-support conditions
Authors: Yurddaş Ali , Özkaya Erdoğan , Boyacı Hakan
Published: November 2012

In this study, nonlinear vibrations of an axially moving string are investigated. The main difference of this study from other studies is that there is a nonideal support between the opposite sides, which allows small displacements. Nonlinear equations of motion and boundary conditions are derived using Hamilton’s principle. Equations of motion and boundary conditions are converted to nondimensional form. Thus, the equations become independent from geometry and material properties. The method of multiple scales, a perturbation technique, is used. A harmonically varying velocity function is chosen for modeling the axial movement. String as a continuous medium is investigated in two regions. Vibrations are investigated for three different cases of the excitation frequency Ω. Stability analysis is carried out for these three cases, and stability boundaries are determined for the principle parametric resonance case. Thus, differences between ideal and nonideal boundary conditions are investigated.
Bifurcation of the periodic motion in nonlinear delayed oscillators
Authors: Leung AYT , Guo Zhongjin
Published: November 2012

We use the residue harmonic balance scheme to study the periodic motions of a class of second-order delay-differential equations with cubic nonlinearities near and after Hopf bifurcation. The multiple solutions are found by homotopy continuation. Then, the approximation to any desired accuracy for a specific solution is captured by solving linear equations iteratively. The second-order solutions give good predictions for the frequency and amplitude, which are verified by the Runge–Kutta numerical solutions. Two typical examples, the temporal dynamics of the delay Liénard oscillator and the delay feedback Duffing system, are studied and compared. The results show how to trace analytically the relevant effect of the stiffness coefficient and the time delay on the dynamics and on the number of periodic solutions, even for large values of the bifurcation parameters.
Urban Curating
Authors: Mar Phillip , Anderson Kay
Published: November 2012

This article examines the modes of emergence of “the local” in particular collaborative art projects in suburban Sydney (Australia) as outflows of singular interfaces between artists, institutions, audiences, and administrators. We begin analytically with the circulations that variously draw on and craft notions of locality and community in two projects staged in western Sydney, both involving nonlocal artists collaborating with business entities and arts institutions. In each case, specific circulations worked to produce a differently spatialized interplay of artists’ processes, aesthetic objects, events, performances and dialogues. The article develops a working conception of “interspatiality” that draws on actor network and assemblage concepts to elicit how creative labor entangles people, places, communities, and ways of working and thinking.
The “Fall” of What? FIFA’s Public Viewing Areas and Their Contribution to the Quality of Public Life
Authors: Rowe David , Alice Baker Stephanie
Published: November 2012

Much conventional scholarship considers “the public” to be in decline in the modern Western world, following a range of cultural developments believed to encourage withdrawal into the private domain. Public Viewing Areas devoted to communicating live events may be interpreted as countering such a trend by attracting audiences to the public sphere. This article examines how the world governing body of association football, FIFA, recently aimed to achieve such an objective by broadcasting the 2010 World Cup at six designated international Fan Fest sites. Drawing on theories of “spectacle” and sociality, the implications of FIFA’s initiative are interrogated by examining whether the environment and surveillance measures characterizing the “global spectacle” facilitated social interaction. In the process, established understandings of the “fall” and “quality” of public life are canvassed to propose how these collective fora might engender “meaningful” public communication beyond crowd assimilation through spatial co-presence and shared mediated imagery alone.
Exercise in the community for people with minimal gait impairment due to MS: an assessor-blind randomized controlled trial
Authors: Garrett M , Hogan N , Larkin A , Saunders J , Jakeman P , Coote S
Published: November 2012

Background:

While there is an increasing body of evidence supporting the efficacy of exercise in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), additional information on the effectiveness of combining aerobic and resistance training, and yoga is required.

Objectives:

This study evaluated the effectiveness of community exercise interventions for people with MS having minimal gait impairment.

Methods:

A multi-centred, block-randomised, assessor-blinded, controlled trial was conducted. Participants were randomised in groups of eight to physiotherapist (PT)-led exercise ( n = 80), yoga ( n = 77), fitness instructor (FI)-led exercise ( n = 86) and they took part in weekly community-based group exercise sessions. Those in the control group were asked not to change of their exercise habits ( n = 71). The primary outcome was the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS) 29v2 physical component, measured before and after the 10-week intervention. Secondary outcomes were the MSIS 29v2 psychological component, the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) and the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT).

Results:

The group x time interaction approached significance for the MSIS-29v2 physical component ( f = 2.48, p = 0.061) and MFIS total ( f = 2.50, p = 0.06), and it was significant for the MFIS physical subscale ( f = 4.23, p = 0.006). All three exercise interventions led to a statistically significant improvement on the MSIS-29 psychological component and both the MFIS total and physical subscales, which were greater than the control ( p < 0.05). Only the PT-led and FI-led interventions significantly improved the MSIS-29 physical and 6MWT to levels greater than the control ( p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

This study provides evidence for the positive effect of exercise on the physical impact of MS and fatigue. The group nature of the classes may have contributed to the positive effects seen on the psychological impact of MS.