bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Description and Evaluation of an Automated Approach for Feature-Based Tracking of Rossby Wave Packets
Authors: Souders Matthew B. , Colle Brian. A. , Chang Edmund K. M.
Published: July 2014

This paper describes an automated approach to track Rossby wave packets (RWPs), and the sensitivity of various tracking parameters and methods used in filtering the raw data in the feature-based tracking. The NCEP–NCAR reanalysis meridional wind and geopotential height data at 300 hPa every 6 h were spectrally filtered using a Hilbert transform technique under the assumption that RWPs propagate along a waveguide defined by the 14-day running average of the 300-hPa wind. After some spatial and temporal smoothing, the local maxima in RWP amplitude (WPA) were tracked using two objective techniques: a point-based cost optimization routine and a hybrid approach using point identification and object-based tracking following rules. A variation of the total energy flux term of the eddy kinetic energy equation was used to subjectively verify RWP tracks in order to compare the performance of each tracking method. When tracking methods are verified over two winter seasons, the hybrid technique outperformed point-based tracking, particularly for track duration and propagation. Problems with tracking were found to be most common during periods when two RWPs merge, one RWP splits into multiple packets, or an RWP moves from one storm track to another. RWPs are found to move irregularly rather than linearly, with their motion and intensity best described as pulse like. The sensitivity to some of the parameters used in the tracking was also explored.
The financial crisis in the German and English press: Metaphorical structures in the media coverage on Greece, Spain and Italy
Authors: Bickes Hans , Otten Tina , Weymann Laura Chelsea
Published: July 2014

The German media presentation of the so-called Greek financial crisis caused an unexpected uproar in Germany. An anti-Greek sentiment evolved and spread among German citizens and solidarity for crisis-hit Greece was mostly rejected. Public surveys revealed that many Germans even wanted Greece to exit the Eurozone immediately. This article highlights the crucial role of the media in shaping the negative public opinion. In 2010, a period which has lately been referred to as Greek bashing, the German press had discussed the Greek financial crisis heatedly and controversially. Europe’s largest daily newspaper, BILD, published numerous reports that implicitly and explicitly constituted the myth of the corrupt and lazy Greeks in comparison to the hard-working Germans. In 2012, the crisis had spread much further, and not only Greece but other countries too were suffering from high debt, economic stagnation and unemployment. The news coverage became more moderate and conciliating and presented the dramatic social consequences for the respective population. This study highlights not only the development of the German media’s tenor on the Greek crisis through time, but adds an international perspective and widens the view by comparing the media treatment of the different countries involved. Based on 122 online articles, the study methodologically focuses on the analysis of metaphorical language in the news coverage of three comparable international news magazines: SPIEGEL (Germany), The Economist (the UK) and TIME (the USA), and contrasts the representation of Greece with the depiction of larger indebted European countries like Spain and Italy. The analysis shows remarkable differences in the evaluation and presentation of the crisis, which can be linked to the degree of involvement of Germany, the UK and the USA in European policies.
Damage identification based on response-only measurements using cepstrum analysis and artificial neural networks
Authors: Dackermann Ulrike , Smith Wade A , Randall Robert B
Published: July 2014

This article presents a response-only structural health monitoring technique that utilises cepstrum analysis and artificial neural networks for the identification of damage in civil engineering structures. The method begins by applying cepstrum-based operational modal analysis, which separates source and transmission path effects to determine the structure’s frequency response functions from response measurements only. Principal component analysis is applied to the obtained frequency response functions to reduce the data size, and structural damage is then detected using a two-stage ensemble of artificial neural networks. The proposed method is verified both experimentally and numerically using a laboratory two-storey framed structure and a finite element representation, both subjected to a single excitation. The laboratory structure is tested on a large-scale shake table generating ambient loading of Gaussian distribution. In the numerical investigation, the same input is applied to the finite model, but the obtained responses are polluted with different levels of white Gaussian noise to better replicate real-life conditions. The damage is simulated in the experimental and numerical investigations by changing the condition of individual joint elements from fixed to pinned. In total, four single joint changes are investigated. The results of the investigation show that the proposed method is effective in identifying joint damage in a multi-storey structure based on response-only measurements in the presence of a single input. Because the technique does not require a precise knowledge of the excitation, it has the potential for use in online structural health monitoring. Recommendations are given as to how the method could be applied to the more general multiple-input case.
Structural damage identification based on self-fitting ARMAX model and multi-sensor data fusion
Authors: Ay Ali M , Wang Ying
Published: July 2014

Statistical time series methods have proven to be a promising technique in structural health monitoring, since it provides a direct form of data analysis and eliminates the requirement for domain transformation. Latest research in structural health monitoring presents a number of statistical models that have been successfully used to construct quantified models of vibration response signals. Although a majority of these studies present viable results, the aspects of practical implementation, statistical model construction and decision-making procedures are often vaguely defined or omitted from presented work. In this article, a comprehensive methodology is developed, which essentially utilizes an auto-regressive moving average with exogenous input model to create quantified model estimates of experimentally acquired response signals. An iterative self-fitting algorithm is proposed to construct and fit the auto-regressive moving average with exogenous input model, which is capable of integrally finding an optimum set of auto-regressive moving average with exogenous input model parameters. After creating a dataset of quantified response signals, an unlabelled response signal can be identified according to a ‘closest-fit’ available in the dataset. A unique averaging method is proposed and implemented for multi-sensor data fusion to decrease the margin of error with sensors, thus increasing the reliability of global damage identification. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed methodology, a steel frame structure subjected to various bolt-connection damage scenarios is tested. Damage identification results from the experimental study suggest that the proposed methodology can be employed as an efficient and functional damage identification tool.
Comparative assessment of commercial ELISA kits for detection of HIV in India
Authors: Nandi Srijita , Maity Susmita , Bhunia Somesh Chandra , Saha Malay Kumar
Published: July 2014

Background

India harbors the 3rd highest HIV infected population globally. The magnitude of the HIV detection challenge is enormous. ELISA is the most commonly used screening technique for HIV. There is always an acute need for good quality ELISA kits. However, the quality evaluation data on Indian kits are very limited in comparison with internationally recognized kits. This study aimed to evaluate the performance and diagnostic usefulness of five commercially available ELISA kits which are frequently used in India.

Findings

The ELISA kits evaluated using an in-house well characterized 100 member sera panel revealed 100% sensitivity for all the batches. However, batch to batch variation in terms of specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and efficiency, although not statistically significant (p > 0.05), was observed. For specificity, the 3rd generation kits (mean 99.6% to 99.3%) were comparatively better than the 4th generation assays (97.2% to 96.9%). But the 4th generation kits performed far better in the ability for early detection post HIV infection in the 25 member commercial seroconversion panel with a margin of at least 22 days and as high as 35 days than the 3rd generation assays.

Conclusions

The commercial ELISA kits with 100% sensitivity seem appropriate for HIV screening. The ability of early detection post HIV infection favors use of 4th generation kits for ensuring HIV free blood for transfusion. Lot to lot variations, especially kits having the specificity level ≤98.0%, indicate the need for a regular mechanism of kit evaluation for each batch for procuring kits appropriate for intended use.
Finding alternatives to disability benefit receipt
Authors: Livermore Gina , Wittenburg David , Neumark David
Published: July 2014

This introduction offers a context for the articles in this thematic series by providing an overview of the programs that provide cash and in-kind supports to people with disabilities in the United States, summarizes the increasing reliance on these programs, and describes the challenges associated with reducing dependency on these programs. It then briefly discusses the articles in this thematic series in light of these issues.

JEL codes

H5, I3, J2, J14
Sodium lactate for fluid resuscitation: the preferred solution for the coming decades?
Authors: Ichai Carole , Orban Jean-Christophe , Fontaine Eric
Published: July 2014

In a recent issue of Critical Care, 0.5 M sodium lactate infusion for 24 hours was reported to increase cardiac output in patients with acute heart failure. This effect was associated with a concomitant metabolic alkalosis and a negative water balance. Growing data strongly support the role of lactate as a preferential oxidizable substrate to supply energy metabolism leading to improved organ function (heart and brain especially) in ischemic conditions. Due to its sodium/chloride imbalance, this solution prevents hyperchloremic acidosis and limits fluid overload despite the obligatory high sodium load. Sodium lactate solution therefore shows many advantages and appears a very promising means for resuscitation of critically ill patients. Further studies are needed to establish the most appropriate dose and indications for sodium lactate infusion in order to prevent the occurrence of severe hypernatremia and metabolic alkalosis.
Foundation News
Authors: Smith Sara E.
Published: July 2014

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists Foundation embarked on its mission more than 25 years ago, committed to “Advancing Geophysics Today and Inspiring Geoscientists for Tomorrow.” Although much has changed since 1986, that mind-set has not. The SEG Foundation wants to recognize our Trustee Associates (TA) for demonstrating their commitment to that mind-set.
SEAM Update
Authors: Oristaglio Michael
Published: July 2014

In May, SEAM Corporation issued a request for bids (RFB) on numerical simulations for the Arid Model, a digital earth model representing challenges of land-seismic exploration in desert areas. This is the second RFB for large-scale synthetic modeling issued by the SEAM Phase II consortium on Land Seismic Challenges. SEAM expects to issue an RFB for the third Phase II model, the Foothills Model, before the end of the year.
3D seismic processing and interpretation from 2D seismic data: Application in environmentally sensitive areas of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina
Authors: Trinchero Eduardo , Vernengo Luis , Roizman Marcelo
Published: July 2014

The increasing environmental and regulatory restrictions for recording 3D seismic, along with urban constraints, are limiting the acquisition of new 3D seismic information in some areas. A low-cost methodology can provide a pseudo-3D seismic data set. Geologic complexity is the most important condition to understand to assess the quality of the pseudo-3D volume created. These data can help to reduce many structural uncertainties that can be solved geometrically or at least outlined, giving real improvement in evaluation of prospective areas or in delineation of fields and generating new drilling strategies. In addition, the generated 3D data can be used as input for seismic-attribute calculation that otherwise would not have been possible because of discrete 2D information. The technique basically consists of conducting prestack migration using 24 offset planes, limiting with a structure control, and using the spatial propagation of the migration operator. The results of this data treatment show a homogeneous and consistent distribution of each processing attribute.
Introduction: Jacques Rancière and the Novel
Authors: Bewes Timothy
Published: July 2014

The introduction to Novel 47.2: Jacques Rancière and the Novel considers some of the implications of Jacques Rancière's writings on literature and politics for the novel. It addresses this question with reference to Rancière's analysis of the literary “regime” (in The Politics of Literature), his work on pedagogy and aesthetics, and the literature of novel theory in the twentieth century, including the work of Georg Lukács and Mikhail Bakhtin. Rancière's insistence upon the “democratic” quality of the novel form presents a quandary for many readers, due to his reluctance to speak in evaluative or normative terms about that quality. The claim put forward here, however, is that his most significant contribution to novel theory is to be found in this refusal of the “explicative system,” a refusal that betokens the importance of the logic of the novel to his own thinking. I offer a summary of Rancière's article “The Thread of the Novel” in this context and situate the other articles in this issue (by Elaine Freedgood, Emily Steinlight, Raji Vallury, Sarah Winter, and Davide Panagia) in relation to the same quandary.
The Thread of the Novel
Authors: Rancière Jacques
Published: July 2014

In The Waves, one of the characters dreams of “a wandering thread, lightly joining one thing to another.” This essay situates this dream within the problem of modern fiction. Fiction was defined by Aristotle as an arrangement of actions according to necessity or verisimilitude. As such, it was opposed to history, which only told events, as they happened, in their empirical succession. When Virginia Woolf contrasts the tyranny of the plot with the truth of the shower of atoms falling upon the minds at every moment of any ordinary day, she exactly overturns the opposition. Now the problem is: how to organize the shower of atoms in the form of fiction with a beginning, a middle, and an end? Flaubert and Conrad had sorted out the problem by making a compromise between the truth of the interpenetration of sensory microevents and the “lie” of the plot. Through examples borrowed from Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and The Waves, the essay analyzes the various ways in which Woolf tries to dismiss this compromise. It also focuses on the political implication of the problem: modern fiction opposes the democracy of life to the old hierarchy of action, but it does so at the cost of sacrificing the social and literary character who haunts modern fiction: the child of the plebeian who, like Emma Bovary or Septimus Warren Smith, proves able to live any form of experience.
Eπίδραση της μεθόδου παρασκευής, σύστασης και δομής στην συμπεριφορά ηλεκτροθετικά ενισχυμένων καταλυτών Pt για αντιδράσεις de-NOₓ και οξείδωσης υδρογονανθράκων
Authors: Ματσούκα Βασιλική
Published: July 2014

Στην παρούσα διατριβή μελετήθηκε συστηματικά η επίδραση των δομικών (υπό τη μορφή μικτών οξειδίων του τύπου CexZryLazOδ) και ηλεκτροθετικών ενισχυτών (Na) στην απόδοση και τη θερμική σταθερότητα μovoμεταλλικών μονολιθικών καταλυτικών μετατροπέων 0.5wt.%Pt/Al₂Ο₃ κάτω από συνθήκες προσομοίωσης των καυσαερίων συμβατικών βενζινοκίνητων αυτοκινήτων. Η καταλυτική συμπεριφορά των μονολιθικών δοκιμίων που αναπτύχθηκαν εξετάστηκε πριν και μετά από θερμική γήρανση στους 900°C για 5 hrs, και συσχετίστηκε κατάλληλα με την επιφανειακή χημεία, τα φυσικοχημικά και δομικά/μορφολογικά χαρακτηριστικά των δειγμάτων αυτών. Η τροποποίηση του φορέα Al₂Ο₃ με δομικούς ενισχυτές βελτιώνει σημαντικά την καταλυτική και τη θερμική συμπεριφορά των μονομεταλλικών καταλυτών Pt/Al₂Ο₃, με τη βέλτιστη ενίσχυση να επιτυγχάνεται με την ενσωμάτωση των μικτών οξειδίων Ce₀․₄Zr₀․₅La₀․₁O₁․₉₅ και Ce₀․₈La₀․₂O₁․₉ στο φορέα Al₂Ο₃. Η βελτιωμένη καταλυτική ενεργότητα των δομικά ενισχυμένων καταλυτών αποδίδεται στην τροποποίηση της οξειδωτικής κατάστασης του Pt, οδηγώντας στο σχηματισμό ενεργών ενδιάμεσων ειδών και στη δημιουργία ενεργών κέντρων για τη ρόφηση του CO και του NO στη διεπιφάνεια Pt-μικτού οξειδίου. Η μελέτη της επίδρασης της μεθόδου παρασκευής του καταλυτικού επιστρώματος (washcoat) επέδειξε την υπέροχη της ταυτόχρονης συγκαταβύθισης σε σχέση με τις μεθόδους της διαδοχικής συγκαταβύθισης και του υγρού εμποτισμού παρέχοντας καταλύτες με αυξημένη καταλυτική απόδοση και θερμική σταθερότητα. Περαιτέρω προώθηση των δομικά ενισχυμένων καταλυτών Pt/Al₂Ο₃-CexZryLazΟδ με ηλεκτροθετικούς προωθητές (Na) οδηγεί σε αξιοσημείωτη ενίσχυση των καταλυτικών ιδιοτήτων τους παρέχοντας καταλύτες εφάμιλλης ενεργότητας και υψηλότερης εκλεκτικότητας προς Ν₂ σε σύγκριση με έναν εμπορικό διμεταλλικό καταλύτη (Pt-Rh) με 4.5 φορές μεγαλύτερη φόρτιση σε ευγενή μέταλλα. Η εξαιρετική καταλυτική συμπεριφορά των ενισχυμένων με Na καταλυτών αποδίδεται στον ηλεκτρονιακό εμπλουτισμό του Pt από το Na οδηγώντας στο σχηματισμό εξαιρετικά ενεργών ενδιάμεσων ειδών. Τα αποτελέσματα της παρούσας διατριβής μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν στην ανάπτυξη καινοτόμων τριοδικών καταλυτικών μετατροπέων για την αποτελεσματική αντιμετώπιση των εκπομπών από βενζινοκίνητα αυτοκίνητα. Η υπεροχή των καινοτόμων αυτών καταλυτών έναντι των εμπορικών έγκειται στη σημαντικά χαμηλότερη φόρτιση σε ευγενή μέταλλα γεγονός που τους καθιστά οικονομικότερους καθώς και στην ευκολία αναγέννησής τους αφού αποτελούνται από ένα μόνο ευγενές μέταλλο (Pt).
Ο προστατευτικός ρόλος της συμβαστατίνης στη δημιουργία ή επέκταση ανευρυσματικής διάτασης κοιλιακής αορτής
Authors: Μαστοράκη Σωτηρία
Published: July 2014

Εισαγωγή :Το ανεύρυσμα κοιλιακής αορτής (ΑΚΑ) αποτελεί μια συχνή και θανατηφόρο νόσο.Τα ανευρύσματα συνοδεύονται από αθηροσκλήρυνση, χρόνια φλεγμωνή και ιστική αποδόμηση του τοιχώματος του αγγείου.Σκοπός της παρούσας διατριβής είναι να καθοριστεί εάν η θεραπεία με σιμβαστατίνη μπορεί να επηρεάσει την ανάπτυξη αορτικού ανευρύσματος σε πειραματικό μοντέλο με κόνικλους.Υλικό και Μέθοδος: Εβδομήντα οκτώ (78) κουνέλια κατανεμήθηκαν με τυχαίο τρόπο σε τέσσερεις ομάδες: στην ομάδα I (n=12) στα οποία η κοιλιακή αορτή εκπλύθηκε με 0,9 NaCl και στην ομάδα II (n=24), ομάδα III (n=24) και ομάδα IV (n=18) στις οποίες οι αορτές εκτέθηκαν σε CaCl2 0.5 mol/L για 15 λεπτά μετά την λαπαροτομία. Τα πειραματόζωα της ομάδας III έλαβαν per os 2mg/kg σιμβαστατίνη καθημερινά ξεκινώντας 7 μέρες πριν τη λαπαροτομία ενώ στα πειραματόζωα της ομάδας IV η καθημερινή θεραπεία με σιμβαστατίνη ξεκίνησε 7 μέρες μετά τη λαπαροτομία. Τα πειραματόζωα ευθανατώθηκαν σε χρονικά διαστήματα της πρώτης ,δεύτερης ,τρίτης και τέταρτης εβδομάδας ώστε να υποβληθούν σε μέτρηση της αορτικής διαμέτρου και ιστολογική εξέταση αυτής.Επιπρόσθετα ανοσοιστοχημεία χρησιμοποιήθηκε ώστε να εξεταστεί πιθανός συσχετισμός των MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 με το αορτικό ανεύρυσμα.Αποτελέσματα: Η αύξηση της αορτικής διαμέτρου στα πειραματόζωα της ομάδας I κυμενόταν από 4.6% μέχρι 7.6%, της ομάδας II από 1.2±0.27mm (41%) μέχρι 2.33±0.26 mm (85%) (p<0.001 σε όλες τις περιπτώσεις), στην ομάδα III από 9-18% (ομάδα II vs ομάδα III, p<0.001 σε όλες τις περιπτώσεις) και στην ομάδα IV από 1.22±0.17mm ( 36%) μέχρι 1.25±0.17mm (38%). Επιπλέον οι αορτικές τομές της ομάδας II παρουσίασαν μια στατιστικά σημαντική αύξηση στην ανοσοέκφραση των MMP-2 και MMP-9 συγκρινόμενες με αυτές των άλλων ομάδων (I, III, IV) (p<0.05 σε όλες τις περιπτώσεις), με εξαίρεση τα πειραματόζωα της ομάδας IV στο τέλος της δεύτερης ομάδας, αλλά όχι στατιστικά σημαντική αύξηση στην ανοσοέκφραση του TIMP-1 (p>0.05 σε όλες τις περιπτώσεις). Συμπεράσματα: Η σιμβαστατίνη μπορεί να παρουσιάσει σημαντικό κλινικό όφελος καταστέλοντας την ανάπτυξη και επέκταση των ΑΚΑ και επομένως μειώνοντας τον κίνδυνο ρήξης και την ανάγκη για χειροργική αντιμετώπιση.
Types of Lesson for the Primary School in the Context of the Federal State Educational Standards (FSES) Requirements
Authors: Виноградова  , Vinogradova Natalya
Published: July 2014

The paper presents a new way to classify types of lessons for the primary education, which, in the author’s opinion, helps to efficaciously meet

requirements, put forward by the Federal State Educational Standards of Primary General Education (FSES PGE), and to achieve planned

learning outcomes. Types of lessons are characterized depending on the top-priority educational goal.
Using Web-Technology Means for Professional Self-Education of Teachers
Authors: Кузнецов  , Kuznetsov A.
Published: July 2014

The use of Web-based technologies for the purpose of school teachers professional self-education is discussed, as well as new approaches to both

using Web-technologies in the information-communication educational environment and providing career and professional advancement of

teachers and intended teachers. Also presented is the training program (curriculum) “Motivating and arranging for self-guided activities within

the scope of the ‘Theory and Methodology of Informatics Teaching’ training course”.
Exercises and Didactic Games for Mental Development of Junior Schoolchildren
Authors: Савостьянов  , Savostyanov Aleksandr
Published: July 2014

Recommendations are presented on how teachers of kindergarten pre-school groups and primary school teachers should use in their routine

work exercises and didactic games, aimed at facilitating children’s mental growth. Specially emphasized is the psychological role of games for

cultivating spatial and logical reasoning, boosting keenness of observation, cognitive motivation and bent for creativity.
How to Use Project Activities when Learning the “The World Around Us” Course
Authors: Пономарёва  , Ponomareva T.
Published: July 2014

The author shows how project activities could help primary school children to explore and learn the world around them. Examples of specific

projects are presented and stages in arranging project activities for pupils from several primary-school classes are outlined.
Technologies for Assessing Learning Outcomes of School-Level Students in Historic Retrospective
Authors: Стручаева  , Struchaeva Tamara , Иващенко  , Ivashchenko Elena
Published: July 2014

The paper concerns domestic Pedagogy trends in development of technologies, designed to assess learning outcomes of students in the historic

retrospective, beginning from the 15th and up to early 21st centuries. Views of domestic pedagogues on the issue of learning outcomes assessment

are analyzed.
Let the Children Know More About Yuri Gagarin
Authors: Виноградова  , Vinogradova Natalya
Published: July 2014

The paper contains material which will be helpful to a teacher at the “World Around Us” lesson for expanding primary school students’ knowledge

about the first cosmonaut of the Earth Yuri Gagarin, who was born 80 years ago. The use of the presented material in the teaching process enables

a teacher to broaden his students’ general cultural outlook, acquaint them with the heroic pages of the national history and, based on the

examples of heroic deeds, to foster active civic-mindedness.
Types of Lesson for the Primary School in the Context of the Federal State Educational Standards (FSES) Requirements
Authors: Виноградова  , Vinogradova Natalya
Published: July 2014

The paper pursues considering types of lessons, as classified in accordance with what Federal State Educational Standard (FSES) of Primary

General Education requires in terms of planned learning outcomes. Characterized are advantages, top-targets and ways to arrange educational

activities at the lessons of reproduction and exploratory and research types.
How to Deal with Primary Sources at Elementary School
Authors: Соловьёв  , Solovev Yakov
Published: July 2014

The paper is concerned with how elementary school teachers should use primary sources in their practical work. Different kinds of primary

sources are described, techniques of using primary sources in class are shown on the example of the world around us lessons. Substantial

educational potential of primary sources for a child’s personal enhancement is accented.
Mathematical Model for Allocating Operations by Flow-Line Conveyor System Work Stations
Authors: Буриков  , Burikov Alyeksandr
Published: July 2014

The problem of optimal allocation of jobs by work stations of flow-line conveyor system boils down to a class of extremum problems, which, in turn, can be narrowed down to discrete programming models. The paper offers a mathematical model designed to allocate operations for manufacturing certain product by flow-line conveyor work stations. The model is built with due regard to operations procedure limitations and can be used to design flow-line conveyor system for the purpose of parameters optimization.
Investments in Production: Canadian Experience and the Possibility of Its Use in the Economy with Contemporary Russia
Authors: Васильченко  , Vasilchenko D.
Published: July 2014

The author asserts the high quality of Canadian economy based on original analyses of investment climate and sectoral structure dynamics of that country and considers how to apply Canadian experience to the Russian economy realities. Investment components of both economies are compared, as well as their geographic peculiarities and government regulation practices. Major challenges and obstacles, hindering inflow of foreign investments to Russian economy are highlighted. The paper resumes that only diligent, committed and thoughtful cooperation between government agencies, academic community and business circles could help in solving investment problems and upgrade this country to the level of economies with high living standards.
Features and specifics of the main threats of the enterprises of power industry of the North Caucasian region
Authors: Дадалко  , Dadalko Vasiliy , Чаленко  , Chalenko N.
Published: July 2014

Power industry has become a vital component of the modern Russian economy and electric power plants can be found in each federal district of this country, which makes power industry of strategic importance for ensuring economic security of the Russian Federation. Similar to other industries, electric power sector has its specific features and a set of related specific risks and safety hazards. The authors argue that threats, inherent in power plants, must be examined for identifying urgent issues and ways to cope with threats, caused by fuel resources shortages, drawbacks in power supply of the North-Caucasian Region and challenges of peaking capacitances seasonality at water-power plants.
How to Harmonize Government Goals of a State, a Company and an Individual
Authors: Смирнов  , Smirnov E.
Published: July 2014

The issue of harmonization between the goals of the state, the company and an individual is considered. Main approaches designed to goals identification and formalization are examined. Major shortcomings of criteria, applied to define goals achieving and of techniques for calculating thereof are highlighted. The author proposes a new criterion to link the level of a company’s technological capabilities with workers’ labor outcomes, which, in turn, helps to harmonize long-term and short-term development of the state, a company and an individual. Using the proposed criterion, the author concludes, would facilitate a transfer to managed economic development.
Macro Benchmark For business Firms Development
Authors: Фиалковский  , Fialkovskiy Dmitriy
Published: July 2014

Feasible and skillful planning, based on a set of solid criteria, is an essential factor, determining effective performance and competitiveness of business firms.

The author supports the original new approach to assessing benchmarks of firms development through the prism of long-term growth rates of national economies, that have proceeded to the next stage of economic development.
Extensions of the Cav(u) Theorem for Repeated Games with Incomplete Information on One Side
Authors: Gensbittel Fabien
Published: July 2014

This work is devoted to extend several asymptotic results concerning repeated games with incomplete information on one side. The model we consider is a generalization of the classical model of Aumann and Maschler (Aumann et al. [Aumann RJ, Maschler M, Stearns RE (1995) Repeated Games with Incomplete Information (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA)]) to infinite action spaces and partial information. We prove an extension of the classical “Cav(u)” Theorem in this model for both the lower and upper value functions using two different methods: respectively a probabilistic method based on martingales and a functional one based on approximation schemes for viscosity solutions of Hamilton Jacobi equations similar to the dual differential approach of Laraki [Laraki R (2002) Repeated games with lack of information on one side: The dual differential approach. Math. Oper. Res. 27(2):419–440]. Moreover, we show that solutions of these two asymptotic problems provide asymptotically optimal strategies for both players in any game of length n. All these results are based on a compact approach, which consists in identifying a continuous-time problem defined on the time interval [0,1] representing the “limit” of a sequence of finitely repeated games, as the number of repetitions is going to infinity. Finally, our results imply the existence of the uniform value of the infinitely repeated game whenever the value of the non-revealing game exists.
Perseveration and Academic Failure in Healthy Male Undergraduates
Authors: Robertson Catherine , Lewine Rich , Sommers Alison
Published: July 2014

Western culture admonishes that “winners never quit,” but sometimes the termination of a specific goal is the best choice for a student. Cognitive perseveration is commonly defined as one repeating an action after learning that it produces a poor outcome and may be considered a form of “never quitting.” This type of cognitive perseveration predicted poor academic performance in a group of male but not female undergraduates. The perseverative males repeated more courses, failed more courses, earned lower GPAs, and took longer to graduate than nonperseverating males and all females. We discuss the implications of distinguishing between productive persistence and self-defeating perseveration and the importance of advising students how to decide when persistence is not productive.
Decided and Undecided Students: Career Self-efficacy, Negative Thinking, and Decision-Making Difficulties
Authors: Bullock-Yowell Emily , McConnell Amy E. , Schedin Emily A.
Published: July 2014

The career concern differences between undecided and decided college students (N = 223) are examined. Undecided college students (n = 83) reported lower career decision-making self-efficacy, higher incidences of negative career thoughts, and more career decision-making difficulties than their decided peers (n = 143). Results reveal that undecided students are as ready to make a career-related decision as their decided counterparts but may lack or be receiving inconsistent career information. Academic advising implications include ways to more effectively serve these populations. Practical suggestions from social-cognitive career theory and the cognitive information-processing approach are provided.
Does Contact With Advisors Predict Judgments and Attitudes Consistent With Student Success? A Multi-institutional Study
Authors: Smith Cathleen L. , Allen Janine M.
Published: July 2014

We introduce 5 cognitive and 3 affective outcome measures related to student judgments and attitudes that might result from quality advising encounters. The outcomes have been linked to, or can be conceptualized as predictive of, retention. We examined these outcomes in an online survey of 22,305 students from 2 community colleges and 7 universities as a function of (a) whether or how often students contacted faculty/professional advisors in the formal advising system and (b) whether students consulted advisors, self-advised using official advising materials, or relied upon advice from informal sources to choose required classes. Students who contacted advisors scored higher on all outcomes: They reported more knowledge and attitudes consistent with continuing at their institution and completing their educational program.
CVD and type 2 diabetes: The nurse prescriber's role
Authors: Bostock-Cox Beverley
Published: July 2014

The incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing and nurses are likely to see a growing number of patients with this condition. As a result, they need to be aware of the latest developments in diabetes therapeutics whether they prescribe or not, as they act as the patient's advocate when it comes to ensuring that good-quality, evidence-based care is provided. The maxim ‘no decision about me without me’ is possibly never more appropriate than in diabetes, where consideration must be given to the clinical risks and benefits of a range of drugs against a background of financial constraints. This article looks at the pros and cons of different therapeutic options and considers both National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and European guidance when deciding ‘where next’ after metformin. The importance of treating all cardiovascular risk factors for this condition is also discussed.
Understanding angioplasty: An evaluation of a person-centred educational resource
Authors: Astin Felicity , Closs Susan José , Yusuf Rifat , Keenan Chanele
Published: July 2014

Background:

Coronary angioplasty is a common procedure that requires a short hospital stay. A pre-angioplasty clinic offers the opportunity to address unmet health information needs and provide tailored patient information. A person-centred DVD was developed and sent out to patients prior to attendance at a pre-angioplasty clinic, which enabled attendees to familiarise themselves with the angioplasty process and learn about secondary prevention through self-management of lifestyle change before clinic attendance.

Aim:

To establish the user acceptability of the DVD-based health information resource Understanding Angioplasty.

Method:

A prospective study of 712 consecutive patient admissions for elective coronary angioplasty at a single centre. Patients were sent the DVD 2–3 weeks prior to admission and asked to score their satisfaction with ease of use, presentation of content and usefulness, on a brief researcher-generated questionnaire.

Results:

Two hundred and fifty four questionnaires (response rate 36%) were returned. Summary scores show that the presentation of information and content was rated as good or excellent by 95% and 93% of participants respectively. Eighty six per cent of respondents (n=213) felt better prepared to ask clinic staff about their health after watching the DVD. Eighty six per cent (n=214) reported having enough information to support them to self-manage their lifestyle to improve their heart health. Ninety eight per cent (n=249) of respondents said they would recommend the DVD resource to others undergoing elective angioplasty and 70% (n=176) had watched the DVD with a family member or friend.

Conclusion:

The format and content of the DVD were considered highly acceptable by users and it was considered to be a useful resource to instigate questions in preparation for pre-angioplasty clinic attendance and to support self-management of lifestyle change and medicines. Further work is needed to establish whether it is effective in supporting self-management in the longer term.
An exploration of women's decision trajectories: Seeking professional help for an AMI
Authors: Mayer Mary , Lindsay Grace , McCallum Jacqueline
Published: July 2014

Background:

The decision to seek professional help in the circumstances of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is often delayed for too long.

Aim:

To explore the lived experience of three women in the decision phase prior to seeking professional care for a first AMI and provide justification for continuance of the study.

Design:

Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to explore for meaning, using in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted in the homes of three participants purposively recruited for the pilot study from a cardiac centre situated in the West of Scotland.

Results:

Seven patterned themes were identified from hermeneutically analysed data: level of attunement, weighing up perception of urgency, ownership of decision, expressive language, family car, traditional perception of NHS services and relinquishing control.

Conclusion:

The pilot study exposed the complexity of the decision trajectory. Different ontological and social meanings were attached to women's decisions which require further exploration.
In good health and young at heart
Authors: Lovell Ivy
Published: July 2014

Ivy Lovell has been healthy all of her life, until a sudden collapse 6 years ago led to a diagnosis of heart valve disease. She recounts how a minimally invasive procedure enabled her to remain independent
HCAs transform patients' experience of care through Macmillan Cancer Support's Values Based Standard
Authors: Dhanda Jagtar S , Richards Stephen , Wells Julie , Woodard Fran
Published: July 2014

The Macmillan Values Based Standard aims to achieve a transformation in patients' and families' experience of care. Importantly, the standard provides a framework and methodology for improving both patient and staff experience.

Of all health professionals, healthcare assistants (HCAs) spend the most ‘face-time’ with patients and are therefore crucial in the drive to transform patients' experience of care.

HCAs have contributed to the implementation of the Values Based Standard in a number of Macmillan pilot sites and they have demonstrated how the framework can help drive improvement. Macmillan believes HCAs are key to changing the way patients and their families experience care.

For this reason, Macmillan is investing in testing a new development programme, designed specifically to support HCAs, while also ensuring that the organisations they work within focus on the Values Based Standard and provide workforce support to HCAs. This article introduces the programme.
The use of Google Drive in clinical audit
Authors: Gan A , Okonkwo O
Published: July 2014

Audit is an important aspect of clinical governance and of the training of health-care professionals. Conventional methods of audit data collection can be time consuming and inefficient. This article suggests a novel technique of using Google Drive, with adherence to the Caldicott principles, to facilitate data collection in both local and multicentre audits.
The Non-Farm Rate of Profit and the Thai Economic Development:
1970–2010
Authors: Naphon Phumma
Published: July 2014

The article measures the non-farm profit rate in Thailand from 1970 to 2010. The
shape of the profit rate suggests that the Thai economy can be differentiated
into four phases. The decomposition analysis reveals that the organic
composition of capital has greatly contributed to fluctuations of the profit
rate, while the rate of capacity utilization and the capacity—capital
ratio have positive impacts in three out of four phases. Meanwhile, the profit
share and the rate of surplus value have just slight impacts on the profit rate.
Furthermore, the article discusses that the capitalist class has always been a
dominant class who could benefit from economic development, and the profit rate
determines the growth rate of capital stock in Thailand.
The Role of Development Banks in the Process of Economic Development—Two Latin American Experiences: Mexico and Brazil
Authors: Victor Manuel Isidro Luna
Published: July 2014

This article aims to show the role of financing in economic development in two countries, Brazil and Mexico, after World War II (WWII) to present day. We do a careful historical review to see what sort of policies and what kind of structure two national development banks (Nacional Financiera [NAFINSA] from Mexico and Banco Nacional de desenvolvimento Econômico e Social [BNdES] from Brazil) carry out in order to spark industrialization. Our research shows that these banks were successful at promoting growth (but not human development) in particular periods in their country's history (import substitution) and not successful in other periods (neoliberalism).
Ghosts in the Theatre: Generic play and temporality in Tsai Ming-liang’s Goodbye, Dragon Inn
Authors: Stuckey G. Andrew
Published: July 2014

Tsai Ming-liang’s Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003) depicts a nearly vacant cinema screening King Hu’s martial arts film Dragon Gate Inn (1967) on its last night of business. The film’s composition of the theatre, empty and decaying, marks it as a haunted house, and the few people present as ghosts lingering nostalgically lamenting the theatre’s impending closure. This article, thus, offers a reading of Goodbye, Dragon Inn attending to the intertextual invocation of Dragon Gate Inn as well as the metacinematic focus of the theatre and its operation through the lens of horror film generic conventions. The ghosts populating the theatre present an alternative temporality that values and seeks to preserve the past. Yet the anomie infecting them, characteristically of Tsai’s films, prevents anything more than a temporary nostalgia that cannot adequately establish the past as a viable temporal mode. In the end, the theatre closes and the ghosts disperse.
Custos operacionais de captura da frota camaroeira do litoral norte do Estado de São Paulo: análise comparada entre valores de mercado e valores de cooperados
Authors: Azevedo Venancio Guedes de , Barbosa Márcio Nora , Abdallah Patrízia Raggi , Rossi-Wongtschowski Carmen Lúcia Del Bianco
Published: July 2014

A pesca do camarão-sete-barbas (Xiphopenaeus kroyeri) é muito importante no litoral norte do Estado de São Paulo como uma fonte de renda e empregos. Além disso, esta atividade também fornece comércio estável para este produto. O presente estudo avaliou o Custo Operacional Total (COT) para três grupos de embarcações que participam na pescaria (G1, G2 e G3), dependendo de suas características físicas (comprimento da embarcação, arqueação bruta e potência do motor), com G1, incluindo as maiores embarcações com os motores mais potentes, e, em contraste, G3 com as menores arqueações brutas e o G2, um grupo intermediário entre esses dois. Os resultados indicam que o combustível (diesel) representa a maior fonte de custos para todos os grupos. Sob os regimes de valor cooperativos ou de mercado, uma pequena diferença foi encontrada nos lucros entre os três grupos de embarcações que não apresentam benefícios econômicos diretos que estimulem  adesões ao cooperativismo. No entanto, a adesão de pescadores às cooperativas ocorre devido a fortes laços entre eles e pode fornecer segurança como sobre marketing e preservação das capturas.
Funktionen und Formen
Authors: Poerschke Ute
Published: July 2014

Über das Verhältnis von Formen und Funktionen in der Architektur wird seit dem 18. Jahrhundert facettenreich und kontrovers gestritten. In der Klassischen Moderne, den 1960er Jahren und der Postmoderne finden die Funktionalismusdebatten immer neue Höhepunkte und leben heute in den Theorien der Informationsgesellschaft wieder auf. Dieses Grundlagenwerk vermittelt einen Überblick über die verschiedenen Form-Funktion-Diskurse in der Architektur. Schwerpunkte bilden, neben anderen, die Theorien von Carlo Lodoli, Gottfried Semper, Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Hannes Meyer, Adolf Behne, CIAM, Jane Jacobs, Robert Venturi, Charles Jencks und Manuel Castells.
Das Kulturhaus in Russland
Authors: Habeck Joachim Otto
Published: July 2014

Kultur ist in Russland nicht nur ein abstraktes gesellschaftliches Ideal - Kultur soll am eigenen Leib erfahren und durch gemeinsame Choreographien zur Aufführung gebracht werden. Kulturhäuser sind Orte hoheitlich verordneter Ästhetik ebenso wie Bühnen der künstlerischen »Arbeit an sich selbst«. Dieses Buch veranschaulicht, wie die staatlich orchestrierte Kulturarbeit in der russischen Provinz das Ende des Sozialismus überdauert hat und welche ästhetischen und sozialen Leitbilder in den Kulturhäusern in heutiger Zeit propagiert werden.
A model explaining academic procrastination behavior
Authors: Kandemir Mehmet
Published: July 2014

The present study aims at examining the extent, to which personality traits, goal orientations, academic self-efficacy belief and self-esteem explain the academic procrastination behaviors of university students within the framework of a mode. To this end, a model was created and a model test was performed in order to determine the direct and indirect effects of the research variables within the compass of a cause and effect relationship. In the present research in which a causative comparative pattern was used, the research group consists of 630 university students in total from different grades, 406 of whom are female and 224 of whom are male. In the data collection phase of the present research," Aitken Academic Procrastination Scale", "Adjective Based Personality Test", "Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale", "Achievement Goals Scale", "Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale" and "Academic Self Efficacy Scale" were used. It was found that the academic procrastination behaviors of university students are directly and indirectly related to personality traits, success orientation, academic self efficacy belief and self esteem within the framework of a cause and effect relationship
Seeing the Big Picture: The Effect of Height on the Level of Construal
Authors: Aggarwal Pankaj , Zhao Min
Published: July 2014

Drawing on research on grounded cognition and metaphorical representation, the authors propose and confirm in five studies that physical height, or even the mere concept of height, can affect the perceptual and conceptual levels of mental construal. As such, consumers who perceive themselves to be physically “high” or elevated are more likely to adopt a global perceptual processing and higher level of conceptual construal, whereas those who perceive themselves to be physically “low” are more likely to adopt a local perceptual processing and lower level of conceptual construal. This difference in construal level also affects product choices that involve trade-offs between long-term benefits and short-term effort. The authors address alternative accounts such as vertical distance, visual distance, and perceived power. By highlighting the novel relationship between height and construal level, these findings contribute to research on grounded cognition and construal-level theory while also providing practical suggestions to marketing managers across a variety of domains.