bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Latin America in the Beginning of the 20th Century: A Turn to Adjudication?
Authors: Packeiser Matthias
Published: December 2015

The present study deals with the question of whether Latin American states turned towards adjudication and away from arbitration at the beginning of the 20th century. Little has been researched concerning the reasons why Latin American states had a friendly attitude towards this instrument to settle international disputes. This article shall endeavour to find out more about why this was the case.

The research focuses on an analysis of the conduct of Latin American countries at the Second Hague Peace Conference and at the Washington Conference (both in 1907). Ensuing developments are taken into consideration as well in order to arrive at the following conclusion: Although the idea of international adjudication was very well received by the Latin American states, and although they were the first to introduce a regional international court of law, they did not turn away from arbitration but continued to use it – in particular in inter-American relations.
The Serbia-Kosovo Agreements: An eu Success Story?
Authors: Bieber Florian
Published: December 2015

The agreements between Serbia and Kosovo—mediated by the eu since 2011—constitute a major step toward the normalization of relations between the two countries following Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008. They are also a test case for eu mediation and its ability to utilize the prospect of accession to address protracted conflicts. This article argues that the eu used creative ambiguity, as well direct pressure, in facilitating a number of agreements between Serbia and Kosovo. While this approach has yielded concrete results, it also bears risks, as the process was top-down and, also, left considerable room for divergent and conflicting interpretations of key provisions. This article will trace the negotiations and identify the particular features of the process.
Factorizing the Sociocultural Dimension of Language Documentation
Authors: Schulze Ilona
Published: December 2015

Sociolinguistic questionnaires often concentrate on the documentation of linguistic practices without considering in details the cultural context into which these linguistic practices are embedded. A cultural linguistics approach to the documentation of language takes a wider perspective including the socio-cultural and the socio-economic aspects of a group in order to design an explanatory background for sociolinguistic data and in order to parameterize corresponding questionnaires. This article discusses some crucial aspects of this approach that are also relevant to a more comprehensive documentation of the linguistic practices of a language community. I will use data stemming from the project Minorities of Armenia–a Sociocultural and Sociolinguistic Survey to illustrate this approach allowing a comparative description of minorities within the frame of a more or less homogeneous majority society.
OCCURRENCES OF MILD COMPRESSION WOOD IN AGATHIS BORNEENSIS AND DACRYDIUM ELATUM
Authors: Kim Yoon Soo , Lee Kwang Ho , Wong Andrew H.H.
Published: December 2015

Studies on the compression wood in tropical gymnosperms are uncommon due to their limited distribution and over-exploitation. Microscopic examination of the heartwood of two tropical gymnosperms, Agathis borneensis (local name: bindang, damar minyak) and Dacrydium elatum (local name: sempilor) growing on higher elevations in Sarawak, Malaysia showed the occurrence of mild compression wood. Intercellular spaces were present in the compression wood of A. borneensis, but not in D. elatum. Rounded shapes of tracheids, typical of severe compression wood, were not observed in any of the samples examined. In D. elatum helical cavities were present, which corresponded in location to cell wall checks seen in cross-sectional views. The S1 layer was relatively thick in both wood species but a distinct S3 layer was observable only in the mild compression wood of D. elatum. Although the main feature of the mild compression wood tracheids of both wood species was greater lignification of the outer S2 region, autofluorescence and KMnO4 staining showed the fluorescence and staining intensity in the corner middle lamella in some cases to be much stronger than that in the outer part of S2 layer.
Wood of Oleaceae from the latest Cretaceous of India – the earliest olive branch?
Authors: Srivastava Rashmi , Wheeler Elisabeth A. , Manchester Steven R. , Baas Pieter
Published: December 2015

The wood of Oleoxylon deccanense, reported informally in 1981 from the Deccan Intertrappean Beds of central India, is re-examined. We provide a formal diagnosis for the species and a more detailed description. The similarity to wood from species groups of the modern genera Chionanthus and Olea leads us to infer that this fossil taxon probably belongs to the monophyletic drupaceous subtribe Oleinae of the olive family, Oleaceae (Lamiales), although affinities with Rhamnaceae and Rutaceae cannot be wholly excluded. Since the fossil is from a late Maastrichtian-Danian horizon (65–67 MY BP) this would imply that a member of the Oleaceae was part of the flora that inhabited India several million years prior to the tectonic impact of India with Asia. The seemingly modern appearance of this and other Deccan fossil woods is briefly discussed.
Lectotypification of the name Ximenesia encelioides, basionym of Verbesina encelioides (Asteraceae: Heliantheae: Verbesininae)
Authors: Juan Ana , Hind D.J. Nicholas , Alonso Mª Angeles
Published: December 2015

During the preparation of the treatment for the genus Verbesina Linnaeus (1753: 901) for the Flora iberica (Castroviejo 1986–2015) and work towards a preliminary checklist of the Compositae of Bolivia (Hind 2011), the typification of Verbesina encelioides (Cavanilles 1793: 60) Gray (1876: 350) was reviewed. It is a species with a native distribution apparently along the Gulf coast plains of Texas and Mexico, where it grows on disturbed soils, field margins, roadsides and cultivated areas. Nowadays, V. encelioides is widely distributed as a pantropic weed, behaves as a naturalised plant especially in temperate regions, as well as sometimes cultivated as a half-hardy annual (Hind 2011).
Cremanthodium wumengshanicum (Asteraceae, Senecioneae), a new species from Yunnan, China
Authors: Yang Qin-er , WANG LONG , REN CHEN
Published: December 2015

A new species, Cremanthodium wumengshanicum, is described and illustrated. It is most readily distinguishable in the genus by having 10−14 bracts subtending the head. Morphological differences between C. wumengshanicum and its putative closest allies and a distributional map of the new species are presented.
Impatiens Ashihoi, a new species of Balsaminaceae from Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, India
Authors: Gogoi Rajib , Borah Souravjyoti
Published: December 2015

Impatiens ashihoi Gogoi & Borah (Balsaminaceae), a new species from the Lower Dibang valley district in Arunachal Pradesh, India, is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to I. bracteolata Hook.f. but differs in having horn-like stipular glands at the base of petiole, leaves lanceolate to elliptic lanceolate, ventral side of leaf purplish-green with prominent white midrib, prominent awn or appendage in the apex of bract and lateral sepals, awn or appendage in the mouth of lower sepal. It is also similar to I. drepanophora Hook.f. but differs in having horn like stipular glands at the base of petiole, dorsal side of leaf wine red in colour, ventral side of leaf purplish-green with white midrib, lamina lanceolate to elliptic lanceolate.
Pteris langsonensis (Pteridaceae), a new brake fern species from Lang Son Province, northern Vietnam
Authors: Zhang Liang , Lu Ngan Thi , Zhang Li-Bing
Published: December 2015

A new fern species, Pteris langsonensis belonging to the P. cadieri complex (Pteridaceae), is described and illustrated from Lang Son Province, northern Vietnam. P. langsonensis is most similar to P. plumbea, but the former has typical dimorphic leaves and fertile pinnae much contracted and with a width of no more than half of sterile pinnae, while the latter has slightly dimorphic leaves. The new species is also similar to P. cretica, but the former has smaller habit and slightly toothed sterile leaf margins.
Insights into Atmospheric Contributors to Urban Flash Flooding across the United States Using an Analysis of Rawinsonde Data and Associated Calculated Parameters
Authors: Schroeder Amanda , Basara Jeffrey , Shepherd J. Marshall , Nelson Steven
Published: December 2015

Flooding is routinely one of the most deadly weather-related hazards in the United States, which highlights the need for more hydrometeorological research related to forecasting these hazardous events. Building upon previous literature, a synergistic study analyzes hydrometeorological aspects of major urban flood events in the United States from 1977 through 2014 caused by locally heavy precipitation. Primary datasets include upper-air soundings and climatological precipitable water (PW) distributions. A major finding of this work is that major urban flood events are associated with extremely anomalous PW values, many of which exceeded the 99th percentile of the associated climatological dataset and all of which were greater than 150% of the climatological mean values. However, of the 40 cases examined in this study, only 15 had PW values that exceeded 50.4 mm (2 in.), illustrating the importance of including the location-specific PW climatology in a PW analysis relevant to the potential for flash floods. Additionally, these events revealed that, despite geographic location and time of year, most had a warm cloud depth of at least 6 km, which is defined here as the layer between the lifting condensation level and the height of the −10°C level. A “composite” flood sounding was also calculated and revealed a characteristically tropical structure, despite cases related to tropical cyclones being excluded from the study.
ENSO Modulation of Interannual Variability of Dust Aerosols over the Northwest Indian Ocean*
Authors: Banerjee Priyanka , Kumar S. Prasanna
Published: December 2015

Mineral dust is known to affect many aspects of the climate of the north Indian Ocean (IO). However, what controls its interannual variability over this region is largely unknown. The authors study the mechanism controlling the interannual variability of dust aerosols in the principal dust belts bordering the northwest IO. It is shown that annual dust activity to the north of the Persian Gulf has an inverse relation with preceding precipitation during October–December and soil moisture during current dust season (April–August). These are in turn remotely controlled by El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) through the modification of the intensity of convection over the Indo-Pacific warm pool region, which affects moisture flux to the dust sources. While La Niña leads to a negative precipitation anomaly and more dust generation during the following summer, El Niño is responsible for the opposite. During the summer following La Niña, the air–sea interaction leads to a lowering of geopotential height over the Indo-Iranian region, resulting in an increased gradient between the Indo-Iranian region and the surrounding regions. This intensifies the dust-transporting northwesterly and northeasterly winds over the Arabian Peninsula. The dust transport by the intensified low-level southwesterlies and upper-level westerlies is the main factor responsible for enhanced dust over the open northwest IO during the years following La Niña. The Indian Ocean dipole potentially impacts the variability of dust over the northwest IO by modifying the moisture associated with El Niño.
Calibration, Validation, and Analysis of an Empirical Algorithm for the Retrieval of Wave Spectra from HF Radar Sea Echo
Authors: Lopez Guiomar , Conley Daniel C , Greaves Deborah
Published: December 2015

The accuracy of the wave products retrieved by a 12-MHz high-frequency (HF) phased-array radar is evaluated for a 5-month period. The two stations composing the system were deployed in 2011 to overlook the Wave Hub, a test site for marine renewable energy devices located on the southwestern coast of the United Kingdom. The system was conceived and configured to reduce the inaccuracies introduced by short time averaging and minimal overlap between stations, both associated with the most traditional HF radar deployments, whose primary activity is current measurement. Wave spectra were retrieved by an empirical algorithm distributed with Wellen Radars (WERA), which were calibrated using in situ measurements collected within the radar footprint. Evaluated through comparison against measurements acquired by three in situ devices, the results revealed estimates of significant wave height with nearly zero bias, linear correlations higher than 90%, and RMS errors that range from 29 to 44 cm. The relative error of wave energy period comparisons was within 10% for periods between 8 and 13 s, while both under- and overestimations were observed above and below that range, respectively. The validation demonstrated that when locally calibrated, the algorithm performs better than in its original form in all metrics considered. Observed discrepancies are mainly attributable to single-site estimations, antenna sidelobes, and the effect of the second-harmonic peaks of the Doppler spectrum.
Average duration of treatment with antidepressants among concession card holders in Australia
Authors: Kjosavik Svein Reidar , Gillam Marianne Hansen , Roughead Elisabeth E
Published: December 2015

Objective:

To analyse the average treatment duration with antidepressants that are reimbursed for concession card holders under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in Australia.

Method:

This pharmacoepidemiological study was based on a representative 10% sample of patients receiving Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme prescriptions. Antidepressants redeemed by concession card holders in the period from 2010 to 2013 were analysed. A 5-year baseline period was used to exclude prevalent users from incident users. Estimation of treatment duration was based on the epidemiological equation: prevalence/incidence = average duration. The mean value for prevalence and incidence over the studied period was used in the equation.

Results:

The number of prevalent and incident users increased from 90,475 to 103,305 and from 25,006 to 26,289, respectively. The epidemiological average treatment duration in the period was about 4 years. When considered by age-bands, average treatment duration was 2 years in patients under 24 years, 3 years in patients 35 to 44 years and up to 5 years in the 55 to 64 year age group. Of new users of antidepressants reimbursed under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, 86% received their first prescription from general practitioners, 4.3% from psychiatrists and 9.7% from other physicians.

Conclusion:

While recommendations have underlined the importance of giving antidepressants for a sufficient period of time, the results from this study show that it is as important to remind general practitioners to review patients on antidepressant treatment regularly, and try to cease drug treatment when timely.
Crossing the border to find home: A gendered perspective on the separation and reunification experiences of Mexican immigrant young adults in the United States
Authors: Lovato-Hermann Kristina
Published: December 2015

For many Latino immigrants, family separation due to migration is common. Children who experience family separation and reunify with their parents in the United States experience profound outcomes. Research is limited in understanding how these youth adjust to life in the host country. Through in-depth interviews, this study investigated the adjustment processes of 10 Mexican immigrant youth who reunified with their parents. Findings indicated that male participants experienced low levels of familial, social support and had low academic achievement. Female participants received greater familial, social support and had high academic achievement. Recommendations for research and social work practice are provided.
Technology, Affordances and Occupational Identity Amongst Older Telecommunications Engineers: From Living Machines to Black-Boxes
Authors: MacKenzie Robert , Marks Abigail , Morgan Kate
Published: December 2015

This article explores the relationship between technology and occupational identity based on working-life biographical interviews with older telecommunications engineers. In the construction of their own working-life biographical narratives, participants attached great importance to the technology with which they worked. The article contends that workers’ relationship with technology can be more nuanced than either the sociology of technology literature or the sociology of work literature accommodates. Adopting the concept of affordances, it is argued that the physical nature of earlier electromechanical technology afforded engineers the opportunity to ‘fix’ things through the skilled application of tools and act as autonomous custodians of ‘living’ machines: factors that were inherent to their occupational identity. However, the change to digital technology denied the affordances to apply hands-on skill and undermined key elements of the engineering occupational identity. Rather than simply reflecting the nostalgic romanticizing of the past, the biographies captured deterioration in the material realities of work.
Factors Associated With Volunteering Among Racial/Ethnic Groups: Findings From the California Health Interview Survey
Authors: Johnson Kimberly J. , Lee S. Hannah
Published: December 2015

The present study investigated how volunteering was influenced by individual resources and social capital among four racial/ethnic groups of adults aged 50 and older. The data came from the California Health Interview Survey, a statewide sample that includes non-Hispanic Whites ( n = 18,927), non-Hispanic Asians ( n = 2,428), non-Hispanic Blacks ( n = 1,265), and Hispanics ( n = 3,799). Logistic regression models of volunteering were estimated to explore the effects of human and social capital within and across the racial/ethnic groups. Compared to Whites, racial/ethnic minority adults volunteered less. Although education was a significant predictor of volunteering across all groups, the findings indicated group-specific factors related to human and social capital. Results showed similarities and differences associated with volunteer participation among diverse racial/ethnic groups. The findings underscore the importance of understanding ways of creating inclusive opportunities for civic engagement among an increasingly diverse population.
Developmental Trajectory of Rule Detection in Four- to Six-Year-Old Children
Authors: Li Wei , Cao Bihua , Hu Lijuan , Li Fuhong
Published: December 2015

Children younger than three years old are able to detect hidden rules in numerical sequences, and this ability matches that of adults by age seven. However, the developmental trajectory of this ability during the ages of four to six remains unknown. The present study adopted a modified Brixton task to address this issue. In this task, children were presented with sequences of moving circles and were asked to predict which circle would next turn blue based on hidden rules that were either simple (e.g. + 2) or complex (e.g. + 2 – 1). Results suggested that (a) four-year-olds were only able to detect comparably few simple rules, whereas children older than 4.5 years were able to successfully detect most of the simple rules hidden in number sequences; (b) although all children performed significantly poorer when attempting to identify complex rules as compared with simple rules, rule detection (RD) ability improved rapidly with age, and children older than five were able to identify most complex rules. These findings extended previous work on rule learning by revealing the developmental trajectory of RD among preschoolers.
Adaptation of the Arabic Version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory
Authors: Barake Rana , Rizk Samer Abou , Ziade Georges , Zaytoun George , Bassim Marc
Published: December 2015

Objective

To translate the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) into literary Arabic to come up with a unified Arabic version and to determine its validity and reliability in assessing the quality of life of Arabic‐speaking patients with tinnitus.

Study Design

Clinical measurement study.

Setting

Tertiary care center.

Subjects and methods

The original English THI was translated into literary Arabic by a forward‐ and back‐translation process according to the published guidelines for cross‐cultural adaptation of health‐related quality‐of‐life measures and applied to 100 patients with chronic tinnitus. Internal consistency reliability was then assessed by calculating Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Pearson correlation coefficients were also calculated for the different scales and the different baseline characteristics.

Results

Results showed high internal consistency and reliability coefficients (total THI: 0.93, functional subscale: 0.86, emotional subscale: 0.86, catastrophic subscale: 0.66) comparable to those of the original English THI.

Conclusion

The Arabic version of the THI is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of the impact of tinnitus on the quality of life of Arabic‐speaking patients with the complaint of chronic tinnitus.
Cochlear Implantation in the Setting of Perioperative Anticoagulation and Antiplatelet Therapy
Authors: Hunter Jacob B. , Carlson Matthew L. , Sweeney Alex D. , Tombers Nicole M. , Wanna George B. , Driscoll Colin L. W. , Haynes David S.
Published: December 2015

Objective

To describe surgical outcomes and perioperative complications in patients taking antiplatelet and anticoagulation medications while undergoing cochlear implantation.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Two tertiary otologic referral center.

Subjects and Methods

Forty‐six adult patients (2005‐2014) who underwent cochlear implantation while on perioperative antiplatelet and/or anticoagulation therapy without interruption. Outcomes included estimated intraoperative blood loss, perception of increased difficulty secondary to bleeding, and postoperative complications attributable to continuing anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy.

Results

The cases of 46 patients (mean age, 69.5 years; 30.2% female) were analyzed. Of these, 39 patients were taking aspirin, 10 warfarin, and 7 clopidogrel. Aside from 3 (6.5%) patients with postoperative bruising without hematoma and 1 patient (2.2%) who reported self‐resolving oral cavity blood, no intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred in any patient that could be ascribed to antiplatelet or anticoagulant use.

Conclusion

These data demonstrate that the risk of perioperative complications from continued antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy is low. For subjects who are at risk of major complications (eg, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident) from temporary medication cessation, continuing antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy through the perioperative period is an appropriate strategy.
The UK Independence Party, populism and the British news media: Competition, collaboration or containment?
Authors: Deacon David , Wring Dominic
Published: December 2015

This article examines the rise of the UK Independence Party in Britain, and how this ‘revolution’ has been reported by mainstream news organisations. As a case study of the media and populism, UK Independence Party’s rise tends to confound rather than confirm some of the patterns and trends found in previous studies. There is little evidence that ‘media logic’ has worked to the party’s advantage and the recent increase in the intensity of media coverage of UK Independence Party is principally explained by the ‘political logic’ of its continued electoral advances, changes in communication policy, and a reorientation in the public relations strategies of the party and its opponents.
Eliciting Societal Preferences for Weighting QALYs for Burden of Illness and End of Life
Authors: Rowen Donna , Brazier John , Mukuria Clara , Keetharuth Anju , Risa Hole Arne , Tsuchiya Aki , Whyte Sophie , Shackley Phil
Published: December 2015

Objectives. Recent proposals for value-based assessment, made by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the United Kingdom, recommended that burden of illness (BOI) should replace end of life (EOL) as a factor for consideration when deciding on new health technologies. This article reports on a study eliciting societal preferences for 1) BOI from a medical condition, defined as quality-adjusted life year (QALY) loss due to premature mortality and prospective morbidity, and 2) EOL, defined as expected life expectancy of less than 2 years and expected life expectancy gain from new treatment of 3 months or more. Methods. A discrete choice experiment survey was conducted with an online UK general population sample. Respondents chose whether they thought the health service should treat patient group A or B: life expectancy and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) with current treatment or life expectancy and HRQOL gains from new treatment, respectively. These attributes were used to derive BOI, QALY gain, and EOL. The respondents’ choices were analyzed using conditional logistic regression with a range of specifications examined, including BOI or EOL, QALY gain and QALY gain squared, and robustness. QALY weights were estimated. Results. The sample of 3669 respondents was representative of the UK population for age and sex. QALY gain had a positive and significant coefficient across all models. QALY gain squared term was negative and significant across all models, indicating a diminishing marginal social value from QALY gains. When included, the BOI coefficient was generally small, positive, and significant, but this was not consistent across the different life expectancy variants. EOL was always positive and significant. Conclusions. The social value of a QALY gain is not equal between recipients but depends on whether they are end of life, and it may depend on the prospective burden of illness.
Racist Ordering, Settler Colonialism, and edTPA
Authors: Tuck Eve , Gorlewski Julie
Published: December 2015

This article tells the story of an intervention by a collective of teacher educators on New York State’s adoption of edTPA. Too often in education policy analysis, issues of race are discussed briefly, if at all. This article argues that attending to constructions of race specific to settler colonialism is an important approach to education policy analysis.
Investigation of aerodynamic performance of small axial flow fan coupled with deflecting ring
Authors: Huang Haihong , Wang Zheng , Liu Zhifeng
Published: December 2015

Experimental and numerical investigations on the effect of deflecting rings featuring different axial lengths on aerodynamic performance of the small axial flow fan were conducted under the condition of maximum flow rate. Two deflecting rings, the semi-open type and closed type, were investigated. Aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performances have been measured in experiment, and key analysis of flow was based on computational fluid dynamics results. The numerical and experimental results show that the deflecting ring has great influence on the performance of an axial flow fan. For the semi-open-type deflecting ring, the fan has better P-Q performance and higher efficiency; pressure, vorticity, and vorticity gradient distributions on the blade surface are more uniform; and noise level of the fan is lower at wider frequency bands. For the closed-type deflecting ring, the performance curve has a convex feature; blade pressure difference between the pressure surface and the suction surface is much bigger. The result shows that better aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performances of the axial flow fan can be acquired when the semi-open-type deflecting ring is adopted.
A soft-failure detection and identification algorithm for the integrated navigation system of lunar lander
Authors: Kang Chul Woo , Park Chan Gook
Published: December 2015

In this paper, a modified chi-square test is proposed to develop an autonomous fault detection and identification system for the navigation system in the lunar lander. The conventional fault detection logics, which is based on state chi-square test have had a limitation on fault identification. The proposed modified chi-square test computes modified chi-square parameter (MCP) by comparing the estimated states which is estimate on local filters to the propagated states. Because the MCP only contains the information of the respective sensor measurement, the MCP from failed measurement is contaminated by the fault. Thus, the MCP from other measurements is not contaminated by the fault, then the MCP from failed sensor can be easily distinguished by finding a diverging MCP signal. Using the proposed method, the fault of the lunar lander can be efficiently detected and isolated.
Adaptive fast nonsingular terminal sliding mode control of Lorentz-augmented spacecraft relative motion
Authors: Huang Xu , Yan Ye , Zhou Yang
Published: December 2015

An electrostatically charged spacecraft is subject to Lorentz force as it moves through the planetary magnetic field. The induced Lorentz force could be used as propellantless electromagnetic propulsion for orbital maneuvers. Such vehicle is referred to as Lorentz spacecraft. By modeling the Earth’s magnetic field as a tilted dipole that corotates with Earth, a nonlinear dynamical model is developed to characterize the orbital motion of a Lorentz spacecraft relative to an arbitrary Earth orbit. A fast nonsingular terminal sliding mode control law is then proposed, based on which an adaptive controller is designed for Lorentz-augmented spacecraft relative motion to deal with the uncertain parameters and perturbations. Due to the constraint that the direction of Lorentz force is naturally perpendicular to the local magnetic field and the vehicle’s velocity relative to the magnetic field, which does not necessarily coincide with the direction of the required control force, thus, the Lorentz force works as auxiliary propulsion to reduce the fuel consumption in most cases. Then, a fuel-optimal distribution law of Lorentz force and traditional chemical propulsion is proposed. Furthermore, the stability of the closed-loop control system is proved via a Lyapunov-based approach. Numerical simulations substantiate the feasibility and validity of the proposed controller for Lorentz-augmented relative orbital control.
The effect of introducing routine self-taken extra-genital swabs in a genitourinary medicine clinic cohort: a before and after study
Authors: Nyatsanza Farai , Trivedy Anisha , Brook Gary
Published: December 2015

Starting July 2013, all patients attending a sexual health clinic who reported risk of extra-genital infection were offered self-taken extra-genital swabs. The study aim was to assess the detection rate of extra-genital infection since self-taken swabs were introduced. We compared patients diagnosed with chlamydia and gonorrhoea in six-month periods before (February–July 2012) and after (February–July 2014) the introduction of self-taken extra-genital swabs. There were 408 (98 gonorrhoea, 310 chlamydia) detected infections in the 2012 period and 404 (121 gonorrhoea, 283 chlamydia) in 2014. The rate of extra-genital chlamydia/gonorrhoea increased fourfold from 18/408, 4.4% to 77/404 19% ( P < 0.0001). The rise was seen in both rectal (8/408, 2% vs. 40/404, 9.9%, P < 0.0001) and pharyngeal infection (10/408, 2.5% vs. 48/404, 11.8% P < 0.0001). Significant rises were seen in men who have sex with men in rectal (5/408, 1.2% vs. 28/404, 6.9% P = 0.001) and pharyngeal infection (10/408, 2.5% vs. 20/404, 5%, P = 0.02) and for women in rectal (3/408, 0.7% vs. 12/404, 3% P = 0.03) and pharyngeal infection (0/408, 0% vs. 20/404, 5%, P < 0.0001). In 100 consecutive patients having extra-genital swabs in each study period, self-swabbing rose from 0% (0/100) to 89% (89/100) P < 0.0001. The introduction of routine self-taken extra-genital swabs has led to a large rise in detected extra-genital chlamydia and/or gonorrhoea infection in men who have sex with men and women.
Assessments of Stress of Conscience, Perceptions of Conscience, Burnout, and Social Support Before and After Implementation of a Participatory Action-Research-Based Intervention
Authors: Ericson-Lidman Eva , Åhlin Johan
Published: December 2015

Interventions aiming to constructively address stress of conscience are rare. The aim of the study was to compare assessments of stress of conscience, perceptions of conscience, burnout, and social support among health care personnel (HCP) working in municipal residential care of older adults, before and after participation in a participatory action research (PAR) intervention aiming to learn to constructively deal with troubled conscience. Questionnaire data were collected at baseline and at follow-up (1-year interval; n = 29). Descriptive statistics and nonparametric statistical tests were used to make comparisons between baseline and follow-up. HCP gave significantly higher scores to the question, “Are your work achievements appreciated by your immediate superior?” at follow-up compared with baseline. No significant differences in levels of stress of conscience and burnout at follow-up were found. The results suggested that a PAR intervention aiming to learn HCP to deal with their troubled conscience in difficult situations could be partially successful.
The Role of UN Principles for Responsible Management Education in Stimulating Organizational Learning for Global Responsibility Within Business Schools
Authors: Sobczak André , Mukhi Umesh
Published: December 2015

In recent years, The United Nations (UN)-backed Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) has emerged as a learning platform for business schools to encourage co-operation at teaching, research, and institutional level with other business schools across the world to deal with global responsibility issues at economic, social, and environmental level. In this context, we interview Jonas Haertle, the current head of the UN PRME, to understand how this initiative may stimulate organizational learning for global responsibility within business schools. We base this interview on a conceptual model that highlights the different learning steps to become a responsible organization and the influence of internal and external factors on this learning process. Jonas underlines that beyond the necessary commitment of the dean and of faculty members, international academic networks may contribute to accelerate the development of responsible management education.
Effect of microgrooves generated by machining on tribological properties of 20CrNiMo/ beryllium bronze tribopairs under low-speed and heavy-load conditions
Authors: Wang Guorong , Zhong Lin , Liu Qingyou , Wang Yuhai , He Xia , Yang Changhai , Jiang Long , Zheng Jiawei , Huang Shiqi
Published: December 2015

Mechanical engraving surface texturing methods are proposed, and pin-on-disc configuration tribological tests are carried out to investigate the effect of microgrooves, with different microgrooved direction and area ratio, on tribological performance of rock bit sliding bearing (RBSB). The RBSB, always working under low-speed and heavy-load conditions, is made of 20CrNiMo /beryllium bronze. Compared with untextured samples, wavy microgrooved tribopairs with area ratio of 5% and reference angle of 15° exhibit lower friction coefficient and wear rate. Experimental results show a reduction of 54% in friction and 78.8% reduction for wear rate, revealing that microgrooves show great potential in improving the service life of RBSB.
Examining user perceptions of SwallowIT: A pilot study of a new telepractice application for delivering intensive swallowing therapy to head and neck cancer patients
Authors: Wall Laurelie R , Ward Elizabeth C , Cartmill Bena , Hill Anne J , Porceddu Sandro V
Published: December 2015

Consumer feedback and end-user perceptions provide important information regarding the clinical acceptability of new telepractice systems. This pilot investigation aimed to evaluate end-user perceptions of a new asynchronous telepractice application, ‘ SwallowIT’, designed to support patients to remotely complete intensive swallowing therapy during curative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC). Insights were sought from 15 patients with oropharyngeal cancer who used SwallowIT to complete supported home swallowing therapy. Perceptions were evaluated via structured questionnaires, completed following initial orientation to SwallowIT and on completion of CRT. Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted ≥3 months post-treatment. The majority of patients reported positive initial perceptions towards SwallowIT for comfort (87%), confidence (87%), motivation (73%) and support (87%). No statistically significant change in perceptions was observed from baseline to end of CRT ( p > 0.05). Thematic analysis of interviews revealed four main themes: the ease of use of SwallowIT, motivating factors, circumstances which made therapy difficult, and personal preferences for service-delivery models. These preliminary findings demonstrate that SwallowIT was well-perceived by the current group of HNC consumers and suggest that SwallowIT may be well-accepted as an alternate service-delivery model for delivering intensive swallowing therapy during CRT.
Understanding police officers’ trust and trustworthy behavior: A work relations framework
Authors: Van Craen Maarten
Published: December 2015

In recent years, theorization and research on citizens’ trust in the police have expanded enormously. Compared with citizens’ trust, police officers’ trust – both in citizens and in supervisors – has attracted very little attention. Further, it is striking that, although scholars have pointed to police officers’ procedural justice as a key factor for building public trust in the police, the question of how trustworthy police behavior can be achieved has hardly been theorized. To help fill in these gaps and understand police officers’ functioning, I offer a work relations framework. The building blocks for this approach come from different scientific disciplines: criminology, psychology, management, and political science/public administration. Theoretical elements and empirical indications from different fields are combined into a framework that aims at widening the scope of police research. More specifically, it identifies origins and consequences of police officers’ trust and origins of officers’ trustworthy behavior.
Tales from the Ethnographic Field
Authors: DeLuca Jaime R. , Maddox Callie Batts
Published: December 2015

This article explores questions of reflexivity, positionality, identity, and emotion within the process of ethnographic research. We reflect on our feelings of privilege and guilt in and through our ethnographic fieldwork and discuss the ways in which these experiences encouraged reflexive thinking and a crucial interrogation of the place of the self in the research process. Specifically, we construct individual vignettes centered on our differing research efforts to acknowledge that our work is unavoidably personal and to embrace the myriad ways in which our positionality impacted our findings. We conclude by offering insights into the ways in which our field experiences are important in the production of knowledge, both in our own work and more generally.
A Clinically Relevant Method of Analyzing Continuous Change in Robotic Upper Extremity Chronic Stroke Rehabilitation
Authors: Massie Crystal L. , Du Yue , Conroy Susan S. , Krebs H. Igo , Wittenberg George F. , Bever Christopher T. , Whitall Jill
Published: December 2015

Background. Robots designed for rehabilitation of the upper extremity after stroke facilitate high rates of repetition during practice of movements and record precise kinematic data, providing a method to investigate motor recovery profiles over time. Objective. To determine how motor recovery profiles during robotic interventions provide insight into improving clinical gains. Methods. A convenience sample (n = 22), from a larger randomized control trial, was taken of chronic stroke participants completing 12 sessions of arm therapy. One group received 60 minutes of robotic therapy (Robot only) and the other group received 45 minutes on the robot plus 15 minutes of translation-to-task practice (Robot + TTT). Movement time was assessed using the robot without powered assistance. Analyses (ANOVA, random coefficient modeling [RCM] with 2-term exponential function) were completed to investigate changes across the intervention, between sessions, and within a session. Results. Significant improvement ( P < .05) in movement time across the intervention (pre vs post) was similar between the groups but there were group differences for changes between and within sessions ( P < .05). The 2-term exponential function revealed a fast and slow component of learning that described performance across consecutive blocks. The RCM identified individuals who were above or below the marginal model. Conclusions. The expanded analyses indicated that changes across time can occur in different ways but achieve similar goals and may be influenced by individual factors such as initial movement time. These findings will guide decisions regarding treatment planning based on rates of motor relearning during upper extremity stroke robotic interventions.
Probes, Surveys, and the Ontology of the Social
Authors: Collins Harry , Evans Robert
Published: December 2015

By distinguishing between a survey and—a newly introduced term—a “probe,” we recast the relationship between qualitative and quantitative approaches to social science. The difference turns on the uniformity of the phenomenon being examined. Uniformity is a fundamental idea underlying all scientific research but is rarely spoken about. The idea explains the different approaches to social science and has implications for monomethod and mixed method research designs. At the broadest level, it clarifies the different logics of quantitative and qualitative research and how they combine. For individual researcher, it provides a new rationale for mixing small and large samples in the same research project and, in the right circumstances, justifies efficient research designs based on small samples.
Endovascular treatment of intracranial infectious aneurysms in eloquent cortex with super-selective provocative testing: Case series and literature review
Authors: Fusco Matthew R , Stapleton Christopher J , Griessenauer Christoph J , Thomas Ajith J , Ogilvy Christopher S
Published: December 2015

Intracranial infectious aneurysms (IIAs) are a rare subgroup of intracranial aneurysms. Often erroneously termed mycotic aneurysms, these lesions most often result from infectious endocarditis and involve the distal anterior cortical circulation. Diagnosis typically follows headaches or septic infarcts, although increasing numbers of lesions are found incidentally, during screening protocols for infectious endocarditis. Open surgical treatment was previously the mainstay of treatment; however, these IIAs are often fusiform and quite fragile, making open surgical obliteration difficult and typically requiring lesion trapping. Current treatment techniques more commonly involve endovascular coil embolization or parent vessel occlusion. Many of these lesions occur distally, in or around the eloquent cortex, making embolization potentially dangerous. We present cases that highlight the use of super-selective provocative testing with sodium amobarbital and lidocaine, to help clarify and predict the risk of parent vessel occlusion in IIAs located in the eloquent cortex.
Transcultural care and individuals with an intellectual disability
Authors: Crotty Gerard , Doody Owen
Published: December 2015

Healthcare delivery today reflects a history of change, which has responded to lifestyle changes, cultural diversity, population needs and expectations. In today’s health-care environment it is crucial for health-care professionals to be mindful of cultural factors that affect health. These factors include the intricate interdependent biological, intellectual, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the individuals they work with. However, challenges exists for those who provide healthcare to people with intellectual disability. This article presents the transcultural care challenges for people with intellectual disability, through highlighting the biomedical/sociocultural perspectives of healthcare, communication and inequality experienced by those with intellectual disability. As a population group, people with intellectual disability can often be considered part of a larger culture rather than a culture within itself, and this article endeavours to emphasize that intellectual disability is in itself a coterminous culture. By highlighting intellectual disability as a cultural community within a larger community, requiring a transcultural response to care on several levels health-care professionals can provide culturally compatible care to those with intellectual disability within a transcultural framework to augment a person-centred approach to care.
Implementing Competency Framework at Bharat Dynamics Ltd. (BDL)
Authors: Raju N.K. , Sarkar Shulagna
Published: December 2015

Competency based practices have been in existence for quite some time; yet, not many public sector organizations in India have been formally practicing it. In 2010, the HR guidelines issued by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) highlighted the need for competency based HR practices as one of the four pillars of the HR function. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) is a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) and has received the status of Mini Ratna (Category-I) company of India. The article discusses the implementation of the competency framework at BDL and links it to performance management system. The linkage of the competency framework to compensation and training and development at BDL has also been highlighted. The article provides useful guidelines for other companies, which are planning to initiate competency based HR practices.
The Emic and Etic Conceptualizations of Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB): Exploring Sri Lankan University Lecturers Perceptions of Their Work
Authors: Rauf F.H. Abdul , Kumar Shamala
Published: December 2015

Calls for examining conceptualizations of organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) across country contexts are based on the belief that these behaviours are context specific and should vary depending on where they are examined. Thus, to better understand the nature of OCB in Sri Lanka and to further explore the nature of OCB across country contexts, the present study was carried out. Academic staff perceptions of what constitutes OCB in their jobs were examined. Academic staff members were studied because the substantial role discretion afforded in academic jobs would likely provide a wide variation of OCBs in this context. Out of the responses of 97 participants, 482 items were generated. These items were content analyzed and coded into 8 major dimensions. The etic and emic nature of the dimensions were examined by comparing the eight dimensions with those derived from other studies. Of the dimensions, conscientiousness, altruism and civic virtue were found in all other studies using similar methods. They constituted a majority of initially generated response items. The five other dimensions were reported in at least one other study. No unique dimensions were found in the present context. The results indicate that a large aspect of OCBs is etic in nature, but that a smaller proportion of OCBs tend to fluctuate based on the context. No clear pattern emerged in the variations across studies.