bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What can Milgram and Zimbardo teach ethics committees and qualitative researchers about minimizing harm?
Authors: Tolich Martin
Published: April 2014

The first objective of this article is to demonstrate that ethics committee members can learn a great deal from a forensic analysis of two classic psychology studies: Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study and Milgram’s Obedience Study. Rather than using hindsight to retrospectively eradicate the harm in these studies, the article uses a prospective minimization of harm technique. Milgram attempted to be ethical by trying to protect his subjects through debriefing and a follow-up survey. He could have done more, however, by carrying out what ethics committees routinely insist on today for those researching sensitive topics. The establishment of counselling supports to identify harm to participants would have minimized additional harm. Were these in place, or in Zimbardo’s case had the Stanford Ethics Committee properly identified Zimbardo’s conflict of interest – he was both a principal investigator and the prison warden – how much harm could have been minimized? The second aim is to examine how some qualitative authors routinely demonize these classic studies. It might appear that there are too few cases of unethical qualitative research to justify such an examination; however, this article identifies a number of recent examples of ethically dubious qualitative research. This would suggest that qualitative research should examine its own ethics before poaching from psychology.
Press-Party Parallelism and Polarization of News Media during an Election Campaign
Authors: Çarkoğlu Ali , Baruh Lemi , Yıldırım Kerem
Published: April 2014

The aim of this article is to examine press-party parallelism during the 2011 national elections in Turkey. The article reports findings from a content analysis of 9,127 news articles and editorial columns from fifteen newspapers regarding the trajectory of press-party parallelism over the course of the twelve-week national elections campaign period. We focus on two indicators of press-party parallelism: (1) respective “voice” given to the two leading parties, calculated as the ratio of news that quoted sources from the incumbent Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) to the leading opposition party Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP) and (2) news articles’ tones toward AKP and CHP. The newspapers that were content analyzed were first categorized into three groups based on survey data regarding the voting intentions of their readers: (1) a group of “conservative” newspapers whose readers intended to vote primarily for AKP, (2) a group of “mainstream broadsheets,” and (3) a group of “opposition” newspapers with a readership base intending to vote for CHP. The findings suggest that over the course of the election campaign, internal pluralism in both conservative and opposition papers declined in terms of voice given to respective parties and tone of news coverage.
Humans and technology in the Anthropocene: Six rules
Authors: Haff Peter
Published: April 2014

Humans play an essential role in creating the technological systems of the Anthropocene, but, nonetheless, large-scale technology – the ‘technosphere’ – operates according to a quasi-autonomous dynamics, summarized by six rules: (1) the rule of inaccessibility, that large components of the technosphere cannot directly influence the behavior of their human parts; (2) the rule of impotence, that most humans cannot significantly influence the behavior of large technological systems; (3) the rule of control, that a human cannot control a technological system that expresses a larger number of behaviors than he himself; (4) the rule of reciprocity, that a human can interact directly only with systems his own size; (5) the rule of performance, that most humans must perform at least some tasks that support the metabolism of the technosphere; and (6) the rule of provision, that the technosphere must provide an environment for most humans conducive to their survival and function.
Treatment Options and Considerations for Intestinal Helminthic Infections
Authors: Lloyd Ann E. , Honey Brooke L. , John Barnabas M. , Condren Michelle
Published: April 2014

Objective: To review the literature regarding the epidemiology and treatment of intestinal helminthic infections. Data Sources: A literature search of MEDLINE (1946-January 2014), EMBASE (1980-January 2014), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-January 2014), and the Cochrane Library (1996-January 2014) was performed using the following terms: intestinal, helminthic, humans, United States, and individual drug names (albendazole, ivermectin, mebendazole, nitazoxanide, praziquantel, pyrantel pamoate). Secondary and tertiary references were obtained by reviewing related articles. Study Selection and Data Extraction: All English-language articles identified from the data sources and clinical studies using anthelmintic agents were included. Data Synthesis: The 2011 removal and continued absence of mebendazole from the market has left limited options for helminth infections. For hookworm, albendazole has a 72% cure rate compared to 32% for pyrantel pamoate. Albendazole, ivermectin, and nitazoxanide appear to be effective for Ascaris with cure rates of 88%, 100%, and 91%, respectively. Both albendazole and pyrantel pamoate have been evaluated for pinworm with cure rates of 94.1% and 96.3%, respectively. Combination therapy with ivermectin and albendazole produces cure rates of 38% to 80% for whipworm. For Strongyloides stercoralis, ivermectin cure rates are 93.1% to 96.8% compared with 63.3% for albendazole. Praziquantel is effective for intestinal trematode infections with cure rates of 97% to 100% while its efficacy against tapeworm ranges from 75% to 85%. Conclusions: Albendazole is the drug of choice for hookworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, and pinworm. In combination with ivermectin, it is the first-line agent for whipworm. Ivermectin is preferred for Strongyloides stercoralis, and praziquantel is effective against most nematodes and trematodes.
In situ tomographic investigation of damage development in ±45° carbon fibre reinforced laminates
Authors: Sket F. , Rodríguez-Hortalá M. , Molina-Aldareguía J. M. , Llorca J. , Maire E. , Requena G.
Published: April 2014

Carbon fibre reinforced epoxy laminates deformed in shear during tensile testing were studied in situ using synchrotron X-ray computed tomography. The deformation and damage mechanisms were evaluated as a function of strain. In particular, the evolution of matrix cracking, interply delamination and fibre rotation was obtained from the tomographies. The investigation provides new insights about the complex interaction between the different damage mechanisms as a function of the applied strain. Quantification of the evolution of the damage mechanisms is presented.
High temperature tensile properties of oxide dispersion strengthened T91 and their correlation with microstructural evolution
Authors: Straßberger L. , Litvinov D. , Aktaa J.
Published: April 2014

In the present work, high temperature deformation behavior of oxide dispersion strengthened T91 was investigated and linked to the corresponding microstructure. First, tensile properties are presented and discussed in terms of yield strength, tensile stress and total elongation as a function of temperature. The results are compared to the matrix material and other ODS alloys. Second, transmission electron microscopy was applied to as received and deformed tensile test specimens. It is shown that the Y2O3 particle diameter increases slightly upon deformation at elevated temperatures. Additionally, distinctive coarsening of M23C6 carbides occurs at prior austenite grain boundaries. At temperatures above 500°C, dislocations are straight and pile up at grain boundaries due to thermally activated climbing. Oxide dispersion strengthened T91 provides high strength due to strong particle/dislocation interactions and good toughness properties.
Effect of zirconia content on mechanical and thermal properties of mullite–zirconia composite
Authors: Hemra K. , Aungkavattana P.
Published: April 2014

Mullite–zirconia composites were prepared by adding various zirconia contents in the mullite ranging from 0 to 30 wt-% and sintering at 1400–1600°C for 2 h. The phase composition examined by X-ray diffraction showed that mullite was the major phase combined with developed t-ZrO2 and m-ZrO2 phase as a function of zirconia content, especially at 1600°C, wherein m-ZrO2 predominated. Density increased when the zirconia content and sintering temperature were increased ranging from 2·2 to 3·53 g cm−3. The morphology of mullite grain showed elongated grains, whereas dispersed zirconia showed equiaxed and intergranular grains. Flexural strength was continuously improved by adding zirconia during the sintering temperature ranging from 1400 to 1500°C, whereas flexural strength was initially improved up to 5 wt-% of zirconia addition and deteriorated with more than 5 wt-% of zirconia content during sintering between 1550 and 1600°C. The maximum strength, 190 MPa, was obtained when sintering mullite with 30 wt-% of zirconia content at 1500°C. The degradation of strength at high sintering temperature may be a result from more occurrence of m-ZrO2 phase. Thermal expansion of sintered specimens indicated linear change and hysteresis loop change. The hysteresis loop obtained with increased zirconia content resulted in the t–m phase transformation. Martensitic start temperature Ms was determined to be 530°C for 15 wt-% zirconia sintered at 1500°C, implying that the t–m phase transformation occurred.
Neutrophil homeostasis and its regulation by danger signaling
Authors: Wirths Stefan , Bugl Stefanie , Kopp Hans-Georg
Published: April 2014

Hematopoiesis in general is demand driven and adaptive, but in contrast to erythropoiesis or thrombocytopoiesis, our knowledge on how neutrophil production is adapted to individual needs remains incomplete. Recently, neutrophil homeostasis has been shown to depend on danger receptors, macrophages, and even circadian rhythms. Puzzle pieces for a broader view of neutrophil homeostasis accumulate, and we will herein try to put seemingly contradictory evidence in a perspective of neutrophil homeostasis and emergency granulopoiesis determined by innate immunologic signaling.
Lessons from sexual and reproductive health voucher program design and function: a comprehensive review
Authors: Grainger Corinne , Gorter Anna , Okal Jerry , Bellows Ben
Published: April 2014

Background

Developing countries face challenges in financing healthcare; often the poor do not receive the most basic services. The past decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of voucher programs, which target output-based subsidies for specific services to poor and underserved groups. The dearth of literature that examines lessons learned risks the wheel being endlessly reinvented. This paper examines commonalities and differences in voucher design and implementation, highlighting lessons learned for the design of new voucher programmes.

Methodology

The methodology comprised: discussion among key experts to develop inclusion/exclusion criteria; up-dating the literature database used by the DFID systematic review of voucher programs; and networking with key contacts to identify new programs and obtain additional program documents. We identified 40 programs for review and extracted a dataset of more than 120 program characteristics for detailed analysis.

Results

All programs aimed to increase utilisation of healthcare, particularly maternal health services, overwhelmingly among low-income populations. The majority contract(ed) private providers, or public and private providers, and all facilitate(d) access to services that are well defined, time-limited and reflect the country’s stated health priorities.

All voucher programs incorporate a governing body, management agency, contracted providers and target population, and all share the same incentive structure: the transfer of subsidies from consumers to service providers, resulting in a strong effect on both consumer and provider behaviour. Vouchers deliver subsidies to individuals, who in the absence of the subsidy would likely not have sought care, and in all programs a positive behavioural response is observed, with providers investing voucher revenue to attract more clients. A large majority of programs studied used targeting mechanisms.

Conclusions

While many programs remain too small to address national-level need among the poor, large programs are being developed at a rate of one every two years, with further programs in the pipeline. The importance of addressing inequalities in access to basic services is recognized as an important component in the drive to achieve universal health coverage; vouchers are increasingly acknowledged as a promising targeting mechanism in this context, particularly where social health insurance is not yet feasible.
Characteristics and management of sublingual allergen immunotherapy in children with allergic rhinitis and asthma induced by house dust mite allergens
Authors: Trebuchon Florence , Lhéritier‐Barrand Michèle , David Marie , Demoly Pascal
Published: April 2014

Background

Allergen immunotherapy is a recognised intervention in patients with allergies not responding to standard pharmacotherapy or in whom pharmacotherapy is contraindicated. We describe the sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) regimens used in children and adolescents with house dust mite (HDM) respiratory allergies in France and assess the efficacy and safety of this treatment.

Methods

This was a sub‐analysis of paediatric patients included in a previous retrospective, observational, multicentre study. Inclusion criteria were: age 5–17 years; respiratory allergy and proven sensitisation to HDM; at least 2 years follow‐up after SLIT initiation. The following data were recorded at SLIT initiation: clinical characteristics; sensitisation profile; concomitant symptomatic medications; details of SLIT protocol. During follow‐up and at the end of treatment the following data were recorded: any changes to SLIT treatment; any changes to symptomatic medications; symptom progression; adverse events. SLIT efficacy, patient compliance and satisfaction, and safety were assessed.

Results

736 paediatric patients were included in this analysis. Most patients (95.5%) had allergic rhinitis, which was moderate to severe persistent in 62.8%. Allergic asthma was present in 64.0% and was mild to moderate persistent in 52.7% of these patients. The majority of patients had rhinitis with asthma (59.5%). Three‐hundred and seventy five (62.3%) patients were polysensitised. Compliance was good in 86.5% of patients and SLIT was effective in 83.8%. Symptoms of rhinitis and asthma were improved in 64.6% and 64.3% of patients, respectively. A decrease in symptomatic medication was observed following SLIT initiation in patients with rhinitis and/or asthma. SLIT was well tolerated with mainly local reactions reported.

Conclusions

HDM SLIT appears to be effective in children and adolescents with rhinitis and/or asthma due to HDM allergens, with no tolerability issues and similar benefits as in adults.
Effects of Synaptic Plasticity on Phase and Period Locking in a Network of Two Oscillatory Neurons
Authors: Akcay Zeynep , Bose Amitabha , Nadim Farzan
Published: April 2014

We study the effects of synaptic plasticity on the determination of firing period and relative phases in a network of two oscillatory neurons coupled with reciprocal inhibition. We combine the phase response curves of the neurons with the short-term synaptic plasticity properties of the synapses to define Poincaré maps for the activity of an oscillatory network. Fixed points of these maps correspond to the phase-locked modes of the network. These maps allow us to analyze the dependence of the resulting network activity on the properties of network components. Using a combination of analysis and simulations, we show how various parameters of the model affect the existence and stability of phase-locked solutions. We find conditions on the synaptic plasticity profiles and the phase response curves of the neurons for the network to be able to maintain a constant firing period, while varying the phase of locking between the neurons or vice versa. A generalization to cobwebbing for two-dimensional maps is also discussed.
The development of phase-based property data using the CALPHAD method and infrastructure needs
Authors: Campbell Carelyn E , Kattner Ursula R , Liu Zi-Kui
Published: April 2014

Initially, the CALPHAD (Calculation of Phase Diagrams) method was established as a tool for treating thermodynamics and phase equilibria of multicomponent systems. Since then the method has been successfully applied to diffusion mobilities in multicomponent systems, creating the foundation for simulation of diffusion processes in these systems. Recently, the CALPHAD method has been expanded to other phase-based properties, including molar volumes and elastic constants, and has the potential to treat electrical and thermal conductivity and even two-phase properties, such as interfacial energies. Advances in the CALPHAD method or new information on specific systems frequently require that already assessed systems be re-assessed. Therefore, the next generation of CALPHAD necessitates data repositories so that when new models are developed or new experimental and computational information becomes available the relevant low-order (unary, binary, and ternary) systems can be re-assessed efficiently to develop the new multicomponent descriptions. The present work outlines data and infrastructure needs for efficient CALPHAD assessments and updates, highlighting the requirement for data repositories with flexible data formats that can be accessed by a variety of tools and that can evolve as data needs change. Within these repositories, the data must be stored with the appropriate metadata to enable the evaluation of the confidence of the stored data.
Second Malignant Neoplasms in Patients With Cowden Syndrome With Underlying Germline PTEN Mutations
Authors: Ngeow Joanne , Stanuch Kim , Mester Jessica L. , Barnholtz-Sloan Jill S. , Eng Charis
Published: April 2014

Purpose

Patients with Cowden syndrome (CS) with underlying germline PTEN mutations are at increased risk of breast, thyroid, endometrial, and renal cancers. To our knowledge, risk of subsequent cancers in these patients has not been previously explored or quantified.

Patients and Methods

We conducted a 7-year multicenter prospective study (2005 to 2012) of patients with CS or CS-like disease, all of whom underwent comprehensive PTEN mutational analysis. Second malignant neoplasms (SMNs) were ascertained by medical records and confirmed by pathology reports. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for all SMNs combined and for breast, thyroid, endometrial, and renal cancers were calculated.

Results

Of the 2,912 adult patients included in our analysis, 2,024 had an invasive cancer history. Germline pathogenic PTEN mutations (PTEN mutation positive) were identified in 114 patients (5.6%). Of these 114 patients, 46 (40%) had an SMN. Median age of SMN diagnosis was 50 years (range, 21 to 71 years). Median interval between primary cancer and SMN was 5 years (range, < 1 to 35 years). Of the 51 PTEN mutation–positive patients who presented with primary breast cancer, 11 (22%) had a subsequent new primary breast cancer and 10-year second breast cancer cumulative risk of 29% (95% CI, 15.3 to 43.7). Risk of SMNs compared with that of the general population was significantly elevated for all cancers (SIR, 7.74; 95% CI, 5.84 to 10.07), specifically for breast (SIR, 8.92; 95% CI, 5.85 to 13.07), thyroid (SIR, 5.83; 95% CI, 3.01 to 10.18), and endometrial SMNs (SIR, 14.08.07; 95% CI, 7.10 to 27.21).

Conclusion

Patients with CS with germline PTEN mutations are at higher risk for SMNs compared with the general population. Prophylactic mastectomy should be considered on an individual basis given the significant risk of subsequent breast cancer.
The Conquest of Burgundy, the Peace of God, and the Diplomas of Robert the Pious
Authors: Koziol Geoffrey
Published: April 2014

Throughout the ninth and tenth centuries the look and language of West Frankish royal charters were extraordinarily stable. This changed with dramatic suddenness under Robert the Pious (987/996-1031). Among the most important changes in his precepts is the appearance of third-party subscriptions. Historians have seen this as evidence of Robert’s weakness or of more pragmatic uses of writing. Here it is argued that they were an expression of Robert’s distinctive Christian devotion, developed through his exposure to contemporary monastic reform, and that the same complex of ideas that led Robert to introduce third-party subscriptions in his acts also led him to support the Peace of God.

Tout au long du neuvième et dixième siècles, la forme et la langue des chartes royales du royaume des Francs furent extraordinairement stables. Le règne de Robert le Pieux amorça un changement soudain. Un des changements les plus notables fut l’introduction de souscriptions de tiers, que les historiens ont généralement interprétée comme une preuve de la faiblesse de Robert le Pieux ou d’un usage plus pragmatique de l’écriture. Cet article avance que les souscriptions de tiers étaient l’expression de la dévotion chrétienne de Robert le Pieux, forgée au contact des moines réformateurs, ce qui expliquerait aussi son soutien à la Paix de Dieu.
Authority, Administration, and Antagonism on the Margins: Tours Under Count Geoffrey V of Anjou (1129-1151) and the Capetian Kings
Authors: Dutton Kathryn
Published: April 2014

This article explores the overlapping authority of the Angevins and Capetians in Tours during the reign of Geoffrey V (1129-51). Although the region has long been recognized as a focus of competition, historians have hitherto engaged with Capetian control of the bourg of Châteauneuf and the college of Saint-Martin. Here Angevin administration in Tours and engagement with the archbishops of Tours, local monastic houses and burgesses are traced in Geoffrey V’s acta, some published for the first time, and other charters and narrative material. While existing studies rightly stress the vibrancy of Châteauneuf at the expense of the cité of Tours, Capetian influence was not clear-cut; local groups and institutions could use their marginal situation to accrue multiple layers of patronage and protection. Papal schism and reform, the local economy, and the nature of comital relations with other Greater Angevin institutions were all important dynamics shaping Angevin rule alongside Angevin-Capetian competition.

Cet article examine l’autorité « chevauchante » des Angevins et Capétiens à Tours pendant le règne de Geoffroy V (1129-51). Si les historiens reconnaissent depuis longtemps l’importance de la région comme objet de concurrence, ils privilégient le contrôle capétien du bourg de Châteauneuf et du collège de Saint-Martin. Cet article trace l’évolution de l’administration angevine à Tours et son engagement avec les archevêques de Tours, les maisons monastiques locales et les bourgeois dans les acta de Geoffroy V (certaines publiées ici pour la première fois) et d’autres chartes et documents narratifs. Alors que les études existantes soulignent à juste titre le dynamisme de Châteauneuf, au détriment de la cité de Tours, la domination capétienne n’était pas entière; des groupes et institutions locaux pouvaient utiliser leur situation marginale pour accumuler différentes couches de patronage et de protection. Le schisme papal, la réforme, l’économie locale et les relations comtales avec d’autres institutions angevines contribuèrent à la dynamique qui façonna l’administration angevine à la marge de la compétition entre Angevins et Capétiens.
Race, Citizenship, and Antillean Student Activism in Postwar France, 1946-1968
Authors: Daily Andrew M.
Published: April 2014

In 1946, the French Antilles were “assimilated” to France as constituent departments of the Republic. With assimilation, hundreds of Antilleans traveled to France to attend college, university, and technical schools. When they arrived in the metropole, they were confronted by racism, discrimination, and “incomprehension,” confined to immigrant quarters, refused lodging and service, and even attacked by far-right activists. This article examines how the encounter with the racial reality of postwar France radicalized a generation of Antillean students. These students formed organizations, from Catholic student groups to militant youth organizations, that questioned the gains of assimilation, the realities of French citizenship, and their own cultural and social identities. Former student militants would go on to play an important role in both Antillean politics and in Antillean culture.

En 1946, les Antilles françaises sont « assimilées » à la France comme départements de la République à part entière. Après l’adoption de la loi de départementalisation de 1946, des centaines d’étudiants antillais se rendent en France pour étudier. Dès leur arrivée, ils sont confrontés au racisme, à la discrimination et à l’incompréhension. Ils sont confinés aux quartiers d’immigrés et on leur refuse logement et services ; certains se font même attaquer par des militants d’extrême-droite. Cet article examine comment la rencontre de la réalité raciale de la France métropolitaine d’après-guerre a radicalisé une génération d’étudiants antillais. Les organisations que forment ces étudiants (allant des associations catholiques à des organisations nettement plus à gauche) remettent en question les acquis de l’assimilation, les réalités de la citoyenneté française et les identités culturelles et sociales des étudiants antillais eux-mêmes. Leurs études terminées, ces activistes allaient jouer un rôle important dans la politique et la culture des Antilles.
The impact of fine‐scale turbulence on phytoplankton community structure
Authors: Barton Andrew D. , Ward Ben A. , Williams Richard G. , Follows Michael J.
Published: April 2014

Lay Abstract

The mechanisms that maintain the great diversity of marine phytoplankton are not well understood. In particular, the widespread distribution and survival of large phytoplankton cells in the ocean are paradoxical, as they are at a distinct competitive disadvantage compared with smaller cells. The growth of large phytoplankton is typically limited by the diffusive supply of essential nutrients, whereas smaller cells have a greater surface‐area‐to‐volume ratio and are thus able to acquire sufficient resources more effectively via diffusion. Here, we employ a model of the diverse marine phytoplankton community to show that fine‐scale turbulence, a defining and ubiquitous feature of the ocean environment, aids the survival of large cells by increasing their effective supply of critical nutrients. This ecological impact of turbulence becomes most important in regions with established grazer populations, with high inputs of turbulent kinetic energy, and where nutrients have been exhausted, such as in the middle and high latitudes in summer and the trade wind latitudes of the tropics and subtropics. Our work shows that the presence of turbulence can have profound impacts on the size structure of the marine phytoplankton community.
Além do associativismo tradicional: novo formato de gestão de uma cooperativa de compras
Authors: Machado Claralucia , Olea Pelayo Munhoz , Roesch Sylvia Maria Azevedo
Published: April 2014

A Unitudo ė uma empresa do ramo varejista de supermercados de vizinhança. De simples central de compras associativista, se transformou recentemente em licenciadora de marca. Como vencer a resistência das lojas licenciadas a operarem de forma padronizada?DOI: 10.12660/gvcasosv4n1c5http://dx.doi.org/10.12660/gvcasosv4n1c5
A gestão na roda do chimarrão: os desafios da Estância dos Pampas
Authors: Bittencourt Bruno Anicet , Zen Aurora Carneiro , Ramos Henrique Pinto , Da Costa Ana Paula Paes Vieira
Published: April 2014

As mudanças do segmento agropecuário desafiam a gestão da Estância dos Pampas, um antigo negócio familiar. Há lugar para velhos hábitos e tradições?DOI: 10.12660/gvcasosv4n1c6http://dx.doi.org/10.12660/gvcasosv4n1c6
Uma empresa, duas famílias: qual o segmento de atuação? (Notas de ensino)
Authors: Coutinho Carina Vedooto Scheneider , Ganzer Paula Patricia , Xavier Eduardo da Motta , Fachinelli Ana Cristina , Olea Pelayo Munhoz
Published: April 2014

DOI: 10.12660/gvcasosv4n1n4http://dx.doi.org/10.12660/gvcasosv4n1n4
Reducing Interval-Valued Decision Trees to Conventional Ones: Comments on Decision Trees with Single and Multiple Interval-Valued Objectives
Authors: Cao Yongzhi
Published: April 2014

Decision trees are an excellent tool for choosing between alternatives, where the likely financial outcomes of making a particular decision are usually measured by real numbers. To describe the uncertainty of outcomes, the notion of interval-valued decision trees was recently introduced, where only the lower and upper bounds of an outcome, described by an interval, are known. To address the difficulty of an interval-valued comparison of alternatives, several decision rules, including the Laplace and Hurwicz rules, have been discussed in the literature. In this paper, we show that in terms of such decision rules, the decision making for interval-valued decision trees can be equivalently reduced to real-valued ones, which means that an alternative is chosen at some decision node in the original interval-valued decision tree if and only if it is chosen at the same decision node in the corresponding real-valued decision tree. In this way, we develop an approach to solving interval-valued decision tree problems with the analysis technique for traditional decision trees.
Pricing in Queues Without Demand Information
Authors: Haviv Moshe , Randhawa Ramandeep S.
Published: April 2014

We consider revenue optimization in an M/M/1 queue with price and delay sensitive customers, and we study the performance of demand-independent pricing that does not require any arrival rate information. We formally characterize the optimal demand-independent price and its performance relative to pricing with precise arrival rate knowledge. We find that demand-independent pricing can perform remarkably well and its performance improves as customers become more delay sensitive. In particular, for uniformly distributed customer valuations, under a large set of parameters, we find that demand-independent prices can capture more than 99% of the optimal revenue. We also study social optimization and find that demand-independent pricing can perform quite well; however, the performance is better under revenue optimization.
Cognitive Control Capabilities, Routinization Propensity, and Decision-Making Performance
Authors: Laureiro-Martinez Daniella
Published: April 2014

This paper examines the cognitive and behavioral foundations of decision making at the individual level. It is based on a study conducted with 86 graduate students and a model that combines the highly mindful cognitive control capabilities and the less-mindful routinization propensity to explain decision-making performance.

The paper offers three contributions. First, I introduce and empirically observe cognitive control capabilities, i.e., the supervisory cognitive mechanisms through which individuals monitor and control their own attention processes. Second, I introduce and operationalize the concept of routinization propensity. This is an individual-difference variable capturing the tendency to develop and enact a behavioral repertoire of standard solutions. Third, I propose and test a model in which routinization propensity mediates the impact of cognitive control capabilities on decision-making performance. I show that both high and low levels of mindfulness are essential to maximize performance in strategic decision making. Counterintuitively, however, higher cognitive control capabilities are connected to higher levels of routinization propensity, which in turn enhance performance. These findings contribute to the development of an integrated theory of cognition, decision making, and learning.
Explaining Levels of Inequality in OECD Nations by Using Rates of Surplus Value and Profit to Wage Ratios
Authors: Thomas E. Lambert
Published: April 2014

Two important concepts in the Marxist and Neo-Marxist literature are surplus value (S/V) and the profit to wage (P-W) ratio. It has always been understood that these variables are related to the levels of unemployment/underemployment, poverty, and inequality within a society, but there have been no explicit and empirical attempts to link these variables together. This article demonstrates that the variables S/V and P-W are good predictors of the level of inequality within the economies of OECD nations over the last few decades.
The Theoretical Context of the Arguments on Steedman's Critique and the New Explanation of “Negative Value”
Authors: Ma Yan , Yan Jinqiang
Published: April 2014

“Steedman's Critique” refers to a challenge to Marx's theory of value, proposed by British economist Ian Steedman, based on the “negative value” that could arise in the case of joint production. International academia has engaged in heated discussions on this critique, which has been criticized from different perspectives. However, these efforts have not fundamentally solved the problem. In our opinion, there is no valid contribution in the logic of Steedman's “negative value” theory, but the concept of “negative value” itself is of great significance from the perspective of theoretical economics, and it also provides an important theoretical support for the development of resource and environmental economics.
What is the Problem with Neoclassical Price Theory?
Authors: Nicholas Howard
Published: April 2014

The article seeks to focus attention on Neoclassical price theory, as one of the two problematic foundations of modern mainstream economics—the other being the theory of distribution. After outlining what is understood to be Neoclassical price theory and noting the various criticisms which it has been subject to from both within and without the school, the article proceeds to argue that its major flaws need to be understood as stemming from how it conceives of the formation of prices in the first instance. Specifically, the article argues that the basic problem with the Neoclassical theory of price is that it abstracts from both production and money in the first instance, such that when these are eventually brought back into the explanation of price it is done so in an inessential manner; one where production and money have no bearing on the findings of the analysis of price which excluded them.
Analysis of the High Unemployment Rate in the USA
Authors: Jinhua Li
Published: April 2014

The ongoing crisis of the US economy is the result of the US government's neoliberal policies since the 1980s. The market liberalization and global economic integration advocated by neoliberalism hollows out industry, generates asset bubbles instead, and results in structural unemployment and the transfer of labor to sectors of the virtual economy. The severe financial crisis triggered by the collapse of the latest and greatest of the asset bubbles, the housing bubble, has led the unemployment rate of the United States to rise sharply. In contrast, Chinese economic policies have resulted in tremendous economic achievements. As such they pose a big challenge to the neoliberal policy paradigm of the United States. The US government's numerous false accusations against the Chinese government are little more than futile attempts to deny this.
Is the Theory of a Falling Profit Rate Valid?
Authors: Paul Cockshott
Published: April 2014

Marx's theory of the falling rate of profit makes two main appearances in his work. The first is in Chapter 25 of Capital Volume 1, entitled “The General Law of Capitalist Accumulation.” It is further developed in Part III of Volume 3 of Capital, entitled “The Law of the Tendency of the Rate of Profit to Fall.” In this article I will outline the structure of the theory presented in these two volumes of Capital. Following that I will look at some criticisms that have been leveled at it. I will go on to argue that the criticisms are based on a misunderstanding of some of the dynamic causal mechanisms that Marx assumed. Following on from this I shall present a dynamic solution to the equations of accumulation and show under what circumstances these lead to a falling rate of profit. The dynamic model will then be used to analyze the trajectories of some contemporary capitalist economies and to help understand the current structure of the world economy.
Quantitative Easing: Reflections on Practice and Theory
Authors: Yingxi Lu
Published: April 2014

After exhausting all the conventional monetary policies, the major Western economies, in an attempt to deal with the long-term economic recession and stimulate an economic revival, have had to implement nonconventional quantitative easing. Although the quantitative easing policy has not been fully justified in theory, and its actual effects are not yet certain, the implementation of such a policy is a relatively solid refutation of the major economic theories of the Western world. Therefore, we must look for new theoretical bases for quantitative easing. Ultimately, the way to avoid the negative influence on the world economy of America's monetary easing policy is to create a world currency.
Towards a New Distributive Principle of Wealth Beyond the Capitalist Market, the State and Labor
Authors: Luis J. Alvarez Lozano
Published: April 2014

High unemployment and falls in working class incomes are affecting billions of people around the world: they are being pauperized. Neoliberals and Keynesians consider it possible to achieve full employment by means of applying labor flexibility policies and economic growth. However, surpassing the chimera that is full employment, the rampant poverty is attributable to the principle that regulates the distribution of wealth within capitalism. The socialists of every guild have proposed the principle “to each according to his work.” Nevertheless, there is an irrefutable fact that calls this principle into question: technological development. Therefore, only a new distributive principle of wealth—one that goes beyond the capitalist market, the State and labor itself—will bring a global economy without poverty.
Political Economy for 21st-Century Models of Social Democracy and Socialism: Following up the Issues Raised by David Harvey
Authors: Makoto Itoh
Published: April 2014

This article intends to re-examine what is necessary and desirable for reconstructing social democracy and socialism for the 21st century against neoliberalism. It starts by
reviewing the final chapter of David Harvey's The Enigma of Capital (2010), where he presents his ideas of what is to be done about a series of important
issues of our age. Among other things, we have to rethink anew notions of communism, socialism, anti-capitalism, anarchism, social democracy, and Keynesianism against
neoliberalism. Beyond the typical 20th-century models of social democracy and socialism, which expected to change the roles of nation state upon the ground of trade union
movements, new features and components of their 21st-century models are to be examined. Among them, let us reconsider here more concretely, based upon our recent experiences, what
to expect on Keynesian devices, green recovery policies, the ideas of basic income and local currencies.
Analysis on the Factors that Influence the Utilization Rate of Renewable Energy in the Framework of Marxist Reproduction
Authors: Yan Ma  , Zhangliang Chen  , Yun Li
Published: April 2014

Developing the renewable energy to replace traditional fossil energy is not only an essential part of sustainable development strategies of most countries all over the world, but also an important theoretical issue that draws the attention of the academic circle. On the basis of a Marxian reproduction scheme, the essay analyzes the influence of market demand, technological progress and policy promotion on the utilization rate of renewable energy and their mechanisms during the development of the renewable energy industry. A panel data set of 28 OECD countries for 34 years is constructed to examine the role of market, technology and policy on renewable energy's utilization rate. In addition, based on theoretical analysis and econometrical analysis, market, policy and technology—the three main factors will go through a thorough analysis.
Orbital effects of a monochromatic plane gravitational wave with ultra-low frequency incident on a gravitationally bound two-body system
Authors: Iorio Lorenzo
Published: April 2014

We analytically compute the long-term orbital variations of a test particle orbiting a central body acted upon by an incident monochromatic plane gravitational wave. We assume that the characteristic size of the perturbed two-body system is much smaller than the wavelength of the wave. Moreover, we also suppose that the wave's frequency

ν
g

is much smaller than the particle's orbital one n
b. We make neither a priori assumptions about the direction of the wavevector

k
^

nor on the orbital configuration of the particle. While the semi-major axis a is left unaffected, the eccentricity e, the inclination I, the longitude of the ascending node Ω, the longitude of pericenter ϖ and the mean anomaly ℳ undergo non-vanishing long-term changes of the form

d
Ψ
/
d
t
=
F
(

K

i
j

;
e
,
I
,
Ω
,
ω
)
,
Ψ
=
e
,
I
,
Ω
,
ϖ
,
ℳ

, where

K

i
j

,
 
i
,
j
=
1
,
2
,
3

are the coefficients of the tidal matrix K. Thus, in addition to the variations of its orientation in space, the shape of the orbit would be altered as well. Strictly speaking, such effects are not secular trends because of the slow modulation introduced by K and by the orbital elements themselves: they exhibit peculiar long-term temporal patterns which would be potentially of help for their detection in multidecadal analyses of extended data records of planetary observations of various kinds. In particular, they could be useful in performing independent tests of the inflation-driven ultra-low gravitational waves whose imprint may have been indirectly detected in the Cosmic Microwave Background by the Earth-based experiment BICEP2. Our calculation holds, in general, for any gravitationally bound two-body system whose orbital frequency n
b is much larger than the frequency

ν
g

of the external wave, like, e.g., extrasolar planets and the stars orbiting the Galactic black hole. It is also valid for a generic perturbation of tidal type with constant coefficients over timescales of the order of the orbital period of the perturbed particle.
Norman Corwin's The Lonesome Train (Live Broadcast) CBS 1944: a critical reflection
Authors: Crook Tim
Published: April 2014

The Lonesome Train was a commercial half-hour ‘ballad opera’ or folk cantata, transmitted in 1944, about the funeral train bearing President Abraham Lincoln’s body home after his assassination in the Ford Theatre of Washington D.C. in 1865. This became culturally resonant in 1945 on the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, when the Decca recording of the show became a sort of ‘media requiem’, played over and over again on US radio stations. The live production, directed by Norman Corwin, is a hybrid between drama and documentary, but goes further with its use of music and poetry… perhaps a musical modernist montage of traditions as varied as George Gershwin, Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson. Corwin has been characterised as the American Shakespeare of radio, his We Hold These Truths (1941) possibly attracting the highest audience for any radio play in human history.
The central narrative character in The Lonesome Train is a reporter, a 20th century chronicler, a journalistic oracle representing the role of the freedom and significance of the US media under the First Amendment. And he narrates with style, dignity, sensitivity, subtlety and deploys the art of a storytelling aesthetic with a knowing understated language when describing Abraham Lincoln’s assassination: ‘and along about the middle of the evening something happened that wasn’t in the program. I guess you all know what that was. The news spread pretty fast…’ When the radio medium engages in any form of grieving and memorialising, with the full commitment of musical expression, poetic exposition and the rallying of an ethical belief system against threat and danger in the context of war, emotiveness, empathy and sympathy will be engendered with full force. Here, its cultural power and significance travels vertically and horizontally through the sociological vectors of state and federal power and people power. It can be argued that The Lonesome Train is the American equivalent of Handel’s Messiah.
Reviewer TIM CROOK is Reader in Media & Communication at Goldsmiths, University of London and Visiting Professor in Broadcast Journalism in the faculty of English, Media and Performance, Birmingham City University, UK. He is also an award-winning journalist, author, and program maker in a career spanning four decades. His publications span history, radio studies, journalism and media law and ethics. They include Radio Drama: theory & practice (1999) and The Sound Handbook (2011) both published by Routledge.
The Hospital Always Wins: Review 1
Authors: Davis Sharon
Published: April 2014

This documentary gives a graphic and challenging insight into the thinking of a schizophrenic mind. But whose story is it, producer Laura Starecheski’s or mental inpatient Issa Ibrahim’s? The process of recording a documentary over such a long period of time (ten years) is tough and always difficult to negotiate. What starts out as a journalistic exercise becomes something very different as your relationship develops over time with the people you are recording. Here, it’s the narrator who drives the story on, weaving in and out of the interviews and actuality, and it’s the strength of the writing that compels the listener to stay with the program or tune out, working in much the same way as a good print feature article. Although the storytelling is strong, there were times when I thought the program could have adopted a less conventional approach to the journalism and the telling of the story. We hear very little interaction between Issa and the journalist, or the journalist and the other interviewees. A stronger aural depiction of the hospital could have added to the listener’s understanding of the space itself and Issa’s feelings of confinement and isolation, as well as his interactions with hospital staff. The fast-paced intercutting between narration and interview, the ‘call/response’ crafting technique, while extremely skillful in this work, creates a rhythm that gives less space for the listener’s reflections on what they’re hearing. That said, atmospheric music is used extensively in the program and is sensitive and well crafted – adding to both texture and emotional feel. At its heart this is not only a documentary about Issa, his mental illness and his struggle to be released from Creedmoor: its broader story is about the madness of the mental health system, and how it responds to non-compliance.
The Hospital Always Wins (53'05") was made for the US public radio show 'State of the Re:Union' (2013). Listed by Harvard University’s Nieman’s Storyboard as one of the best audio narratives of 2013 in the United States, it is a testament to allowing a story to develop over time, and to the endurance and commitment of producer Laura Starecheski.
Reviewer Sharon Davis is an award-winning Australian radio documentary producer and journalist whose body of work spans more than 30 years. She is well-known for her ability to combine the rigour of investigative journalism with the eloquence of fine radio feature making, including observational storytelling. Her features have been broadcast around the world.