bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Chronic Exposure to Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid on the Developmental Enamel Defects in Mice
Authors: Mihalaş Eugeniu , Matricala Lavinia , Chelmuş Alina , Gheţu Nicolae , Petcu Ana , Paşca Sorin
Published: November 2015

Amoxicillin used in early childhood may be associated with enamel hypomineralization. Our aim was to assess disturbances of amelogenesis in mice lower incisors induced by chronic administration of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (AMC). Twenty-eight C57BL/6 male mice, of similar age, randomly divided into a control and 3 treatment groups ( n = 7) received subcutaneous injection, once per day, for 60 days: 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg BW of AMC. Scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis in AMC treatment groups showed higher content in F and a decrease in P and Ca. Morphology changes ranged from scratched patterns, and small isolated pits-like enamel loss, to generalized demineralized enamel surface, giving a rough, foamy, scaly, or even cracked eggshell appearance to the affected areas. Histological analysis showed disturbances of maturation ameloblasts, which were less organized, with increased amounts of clear vacuoles in the cytoplasm and slightly more elongated and less condensed nucleus. Additionally, they were often detached from the enamel matrix. Transitional ameloblasts formed underlying the cysts of varied sizes. In conclusion, AMC dose-dependently affect ameloblast functions especially in the maturation phase, causing hypomineralized enamel formation with quantitative and/or qualitative defects.
International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria (INHAND) for Lesions in the Minipig
Authors: Skydsgaard Mikala
Published: November 2015

The International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria (INHAND) is a global project establishing diagnostic criteria and nomenclature for both proliferative and nonproliferative changes in laboratory animals. Nonrodent working groups (NRWGs) have been established for the dog, nonhuman primate, minipig, and the rabbit. The Global Editorial and Steering Committee (GESC) oversees the activities of the INHAND projects and is composed of toxicologic pathologists from all of the participating societies. In 2012, INHAND GESC began a collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) in adapting INHAND terminology for standardized nonclinical data submission to the FDA. The Standard for Exchange of Nonclinical Data is an implementation of the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium Study Data Tabulation Model for nonclinical studies. The NRWG for the minipig consists of toxicologic and diagnostic pathologists from Japan, North America, and Europe, and the group has 15 members including a GESC representative. The NRWGs are reviewing the applicability of the rodent nomenclature for the species and providing terminology unique for the species as well as determining rodent terminology not appropriate for the species. This information will be published with representative illustrations and references.
Empirical analysis of road networks evolution patterns in a government-oriented development area
Authors: Kang Lei , Yang Chao , Peters Jeffrey C , Zeng Peng
Published: November 2015

Greater understanding of the topological evolution characteristics of the supply side of urban transport systems could help urban planners and policy makers uncover patterns of both city growth and road development. This paper examines the road network topological evolution characteristics of a unique government-oriented development district, Shanghai Pudong New District, from 1995 to 2007, where a road-name–based dual approach is adopted to capture the homogeneity and functional continuity of different segments. The urban road network is found to evolve from a broad-scale system to a scale-free system driven by the government interventions. A generalized extreme value distribution is utilized to provide a general form for the road network topological evolution model with a good fit. This scale-free road network has shown to be effective in supporting economic development. This paper offers a new perspective that describes the patterns of topological evolution characteristics for transportation planners regarding network design and urban planning in the long run.
Crimes occurring at places of worship
Authors: Scheitle Christopher P
Published: November 2015

Although the subject has received very little systematic research, media reports of crimes occurring on the property of places of worship appear regularly. While the national media often focus on violent incidents involving religious bias, local media often report on the more common issues that many congregations face, such as vandalism and theft. This article presents analyses of newspaper reports of crimes taking place on religious congregations’ property in 2012. The data indicate that crimes occurring on the property of religious congregations are not an uncommon event. Analyses suggest that congregations of religious minorities do not appear to be more likely to have an incident occur on their property, but the crimes that do occur on their property appear to be more bias-motivated. Future research would benefit from a nationally representative survey of places of worship that included questions measuring experiences with crime.
Dimensional synthesis of three-fingered robot hands for maximal precision manipulation workspace
Authors: Borràs Júlia , Dollar Aaron M.
Published: November 2015

This paper applies dimensional synthesis to explore the geometric design of dexterous three-fingered robotic hands for maximizing precision manipulation workspace, in which the hand stably moves an object with respect to the palm of the hand, with contacts only on the fingertips. We focus primarily on the tripod grasp, which is the most commonly used grasp for precision manipulation. We systematically explore the space of design parameters, with two main objectives: maximize the workspace of a fully actuated hand and explore how under-actuation modifies it. We use a mathematical framework that models the hand-plus-object system and examine how the workspace varies with changes in nine hand and object parameters such as link length and finger arrangement on the palm.

Results show that to achieve the largest workspaces the palm radius should be approximately half of a finger length larger than the target object radius, that the distal link of the two-link fingers should be around 1–1.2 times the length of the proximal link, and that fingers should be arranged symmetrically about the palm with object contacts also symmetric. Furthermore, a proper parameter design for an under-actuated hand can achieve up to 50% of the workspace of a fully actuated hand. When compared to the system parameters of existing popular hand designs, larger palms and longer distal links are needed to maximize the manipulation workspace of the studied design.
Fuelling displacement and labour market segmentation in low-skilled jobs? Insights from a local study of migrant and student employment
Authors: Green Anne , Atfield Gaby , Purcell Kate
Published: November 2015

Medium-term employment trends highlight increasing labour market disadvantage for people with no/low qualifications. Consequently, established local populations with no/low qualifications have been reported as being hostile to ‘new arrivals’ filling local jobs, on the basis that they are perceived as taking employment opportunities away from them. Drawing on a local study of migrant and student employment on opportunities for people with no/low formal qualifications in the UK city of Coventry, this paper shows how labour market restructuring in the context of neoliberalism has resulted in an increasingly compartmentalised labour market, in which some types of employment have become undesirable and often not feasible for some local workers, but attractive (or at least acceptable) for other groups, including migrant workers and students. The outcome is reduced labour market opportunities for local people with no/low qualifications, because the more flexible migrant workers and students allow employers to restructure their workforces and develop jobs that fit with the ‘frames of reference’ of these groups but match the requirements of some established local people less well.
Democracies at risk? A forecasting analysis of regime type and the risk of terrorist attack
Authors: Gelpi Christopher , Avdan Nazli
Published: November 2015

How substantial is democracy as a cause of transnational terrorist attacks? Can our identification of democratic political systems help us to anticipate the flow of transnational terrorism? We seek to address these questions by analyzing data on transnational terrorist incidents from 1968 to 2007. We rely on receiver operating curves as a diagnostic tool to assess forecasting ability of various models of terrorist activity. Our analyses yield four central conclusions. First, our model of transnational terrorism provides a fairly strong basis for forecasting attacks—at least at the (relatively broad) level of the country-year. Second, while the overall forecasting capacity of this model is fairly strong, democracy adds very little to our capacity to forecast terrorist attacks relative to a parsimonious model that includes only distance and the prior history of terrorism. Collectively, these two variables perform about as well as a much more broadly specified model in forecasting terrorist attacks out of sample. Third, the model is highly redundant in a predictive sense. That is, many if not most of the other variables appear to provide similar information in terms of identifying terrorist attacks. Finally, we suggest that scholars focus on the development of more fine-grained and time-variant predictive indicators in order to improve our ability to forecast transnational terrorism.
Sonochemical synthesis of “sea-island” structure silver/polyaniline nanocomposites for the detection of l-tyrosine
Authors: Wang Yanli , Bian Ling , Tan Dexin , Chen Sen , Gan Ying
Published: November 2015

“Sea-island” structure silver/polyaniline (Ag/PANI) nanocomposites were synthesized through sonication of an aqueous solution with silver nitrate and aniline at the temperature of 20 ± 1°C under nitrogen atmosphere. The nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectrometry, respectively. Furthermore, Ag/PANI nanocomposites were immobilized on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and electroactivity behavior was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The obtained sea-island structured Ag/PANI nanocomposite-modified GCE showed high electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of l-tyrosine.
Exploring Self-Reported Benefits of Auricular Acupuncture Among Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: King CDR Heather C. , Moore LCDR Chad , Spence CDR Dennis L.
Published: November 2015

Purpose: Auricular acupuncture treatments are becoming increasingly available within military treatment facilities, resulting in an expansion of nonpharmacologic treatment options available to veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aimed to explore the self-reported benefits of auricular acupuncture treatments for veterans living with PTSD. Design: A qualitative research methodology, thematic content analysis, was used to analyze data. Method: Seventeen active duty veterans with PTSD provided written comments to describe their experiences and perceptions after receiving a standardized auricular acupuncture regimen for a 3-week period as part of a pilot feasibility study. Findings: A variety of symptoms experienced by veterans with PTSD were improved after receiving auricular acupuncture treatments. Additionally, veterans with PTSD were extremely receptive to auricular acupuncture treatments. Four themes emerged from the data: (1) improved sleep quality, (2) increased relaxation, (3) decreased pain, and (4) veterans liked/loved the auricular acupuncture treatments. Conclusions: Veterans with PTSD reported numerous benefits following auricular acupuncture treatments. These treatments may facilitate healing and recovery for veterans with combat-related PTSD, although further investigations are warranted into the mechanisms of action for auricular acupuncture in this population.
Holocene climate and landscape change in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau foreland inferred from the Zhuyeze Lake record
Authors: Mischke Steffen , Lai Zhongping , Long Hao , Tian Fang
Published: November 2015

Pollen and grain-size data from the Holocene Zhuyeze Lake record in arid Central Asia were re-assessed and combined with new ostracod species assemblage data to improve inferences of the lake history and controlling climate conditions. Zhuyeze Lake was a perennial freshwater–oligohaline lake since its establishment ca. 13 cal. ka BP. The lake level fell below the position of the QTL02 section site at 2.1 cal. ka BP after the beginning of the Han Dynasty, and we assume that significantly intensified land use upstream of Zhuyeze Lake was at least partly causing the lake-level decline. Most stable lake conditions and lowest salinities were recorded in the mid Holocene between 7.5 and 5.5 cal. ka BP, providing additional evidence for the inference of the highest moisture availability in the mid Holocene in arid Central Asia. The most striking feature of analyses of grain-size and ostracod data is the inference of more or less unchanged lake levels and lake water chemistry during a period of aeolian sand accumulation in the lake between 7.8 and 7.5 cal. ka BP. Similar conspicuous and apparently contemporaneously formed sand layers were recorded in other sections in the ancient lake basin and farther upstream, and mobilization of aeolian sands must have occurred for a few hundred years in the region. Indications for the 8.2 ka event from our section and other climate records in Central and eastern Asia support the hypothesis that a short-lived cold-dry climate initiated the increased activation of aeolian sands which was later on gradually enhanced as a result of burial of previously vegetated land by dunes and sand sheets. Further work is required to determine the regional extent of sand mobilization at ca. 7.5 cal. ka BP in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau foreland and to examine the timing and controls of the self-enhancing aeolian sand mobilization, vegetation degradation and subsequent recovery.
The Concept of Peritraumatic Dissociation
Authors: Mattos Patrícia Ferreira , Pedrini João Alencar , Fiks José Paulo , de Mello Marcelo Feijó
Published: November 2015

Peritraumatic dissociation has been considered an important feature for the development of post-traumatic stress disorders, but this concept remains widely unclear. To explore the peritraumatic experience, we interviewed eight victims of urban violence shortly after their traumatic events. The data collected were compared and analyzed according to the systematic set of procedures of Grounded Theory (GT). The alterations reported by participants were coded and categorized according to their perceptions of their inner and outer world, and the impressions of others involved, including the examiner’s observations. The theoretical perspective for interpreting this study has parallels with Jaspers’ psychopathology. Peritraumatic dissociation was conceived as a failure of synthesis among emerging stimuli from the internal and the external world, including the time–space flow structure, even when cognitive–perceptual tools remain intact. This synthesis qualifies the totality of the perceptual experience as coherent and meaningful to conscience, enabling possibilities for being/existing.
Explicit and Implicit Positive Illusory Bias in Children With ADHD
Authors: Emeh Christina C. , Mikami Amori Yee , Teachman Bethany A.
Published: November 2015

Objective: Children with ADHD overestimate their own social and behavioral competence when using explicit self-report measures, a phenomenon known as Positive Illusory Bias (PIB). This study examined whether children with ADHD show PIB when self-perceptions are measured implicitly, reflecting associations that are relatively difficult to consciously control. Method: Participants were 23 children (ages 6.8-9.8) with ADHD and 55 typically developing (TD) children. Children’s explicit self-perceptions of competence were measured via self-report on the Self-Perception Profile for Children; their implicit associations were assessed using an Implicit Association Test. Parent and teacher ratings formed an adult-reported composite indicator of children’s competence, to which children’s self-perceptions were compared. Results: Children with ADHD overestimated their competence as compared with adult-informant reports on both explicit and implicit measures, whereas TD children tended to be accurate. Conclusion: Inflated self-perceptions in children with ADHD may exist on an implicit level outside of conscious awareness.
‘Does the form of this word fit its meaning?’ The effect of learner-generated mapping elaborations on L2 word recall
Authors: Deconinck Julie , Boers Frank , Eyckmans June
Published: November 2015

If known words can be defined psycholinguistically as ‘form–meaning mappings’, the present article investigates whether prompting learners to evaluate whether the form of a new second language (L2) word fits its meaning generates ‘mapping elaborations’ that aid recall. Thirty Dutch-speaking upper-intermediate learners of English were invited to rate and motivate the degree of congruency they perceived between the form and meaning of 14 novel L2 words. Their ability to recall the form and the meaning of the target words was measured in an unannounced post-test. Recall was found to be positively related to the number of learner-generated mapping elaborations triggered by the task. Elaborations of a sound–symbolic nature appeared particularly useful for rendering the form of new words memorable.
How to develop theory and keep our jobs? The role of academic ‘gatherings’ in our theory development practice
Authors: Tähtinen Jaana , Ryan Annmarie , Holmlund Maria
Published: November 2015

This special discussion article examines the roles that academic workshops play in the creation of a space to advance knowledge in marketing whilst also supporting academic career progression and production of impactful research. We draw upon the concept of Communities of Practice to understand the nature and variation of academic workshops and to highlight their role in advancing the discipline. From this, the invited contributions set out the varied forms through which workshops create safe spaces, atmospheres, both divergent and convergent thinking, time for exploration and joint working and support for publications. Our concluding discussion draws together insights regarding the importance of variation between workshops whilst also being attentive to their common goals. This discussion shows that workshops are worthy of support and protection.
To choose one’s company: Arendt, Kant, and the Political Sixth Sense
Authors: Schwartz Jonathan P
Published: November 2015

This essay explores the phenomenon of common sense through a contextual analysis of Hannah Arendt’s political application of Kant’s Critique of Judgment. I begin by tracing the development of Arendt’s thinking on judgment and common sense during the 1950s which led her to turn to the third Critique. I then consider the justification of her move by examining the philosophical context and political applications of the third Critique, arguing that within it Kant made an original and profound discovery: that the phenomenon of common sense contains a hidden faculty that may anchor moral and political judgments. I conclude by arguing that Arendt was on firmer ground than is often thought in adapting Kantian common sense to politics, a fact that may afford new possibilities for the practice of moral and political thought.
The ‘living room war’ in the escalation period: Romance, irony, and the narrative ambivalence of tragedy in Vietnam War era photojournalism
Authors: Wade W Patrick
Published: November 2015

A scholarly consensus suggests that the press largely followed public opinion in its coverage of the Vietnam War, only becoming critical after the US public turned against the conflict in Fall 1967. A similar consensus holds for photojournalists, whose work is found to be generally uncritical of the war. This scholarship offers little valuation, however, of the performance of photojournalists alongside the decline of public support for the war during its escalation from 1965 to 1967. In this article, the author reexamines this consensus through case study-based criticism of photoessays by Henri Huet, Catherine Leroy, and David Douglas Duncan, and suggests that changing conventions for the representation of US casualties could have contributed to the emergence of the climate of controversy surrounding the war. The author examines the visual narratives present in this photoessay as well as audience reactions, and argues that the ambivalent juxtaposition of romantic and ironic conventions for telling tragic stories allowed Vietnam era photojournalism to be used to support arguments on either side of the debate.
Changing the Anthropo(s)cene
Authors: Castree Noel
Published: November 2015

This article explores the relationships between geographers and the ‘Anthroposcene’. The latter comprises the networks, institutions and publications devoted to comprehending and responding to a fast-changing Earth departing from Holocene boundary conditions. The Anthroposcene necessarily mediates peoples’ understanding of what are said to be epochal alterations to our planetary home. It is currently dominated by geoscientists and certain environmental social scientists. Some geographers are among their number. Whilst these researchers are working hard to alert decision-makers and publics to the epic scale, scope and magnitude of ‘the human impact’, their work currently tends to screen out the insights of both critical social science and the environmental humanities. Both forms of inquiry are strongly represented in contemporary Anglophone Geography and have been central to human geography’s ‘environmental turn’ this last 20 years. The article suggests reasons why many geographers who are not currently part of the Anthroposcene might want to get their voices heard therein and thereby change the ‘scene’. Global change research (and politics) is entering a formative moment, and it’s important that a range of epistemic communities shape its content and tenor looking ahead. The stakes are high and place responsibilities on a wide range of environmental researchers and educators.
Critiquing, mining and engaging Anthropocene science
Authors: Rickards Lauren
Published: November 2015

Among the many demands that the Anthropocene places on us is a demand to engage seriously with science. Noel Castree’s bold call to human geographers to engage with the scientific ‘Anthroposcene’ implicitly requires that we revisit and refine our intellectual stance towards science in the contemporary era. In its various guises, Anthropocene science is both a ready target for critique and a valuable resource for progressive scholarship. The resultant ambiguities mean that above all it requires genuine engagement of the sort Castree envisages: critical but interested, sceptical but open.
Coproducing global change research and geography
Authors: Castree Noel
Published: November 2015

This response identifies three areas of agreement with my interlocutors. One is the importance of global change science now and in the future; a second is the real capacity that geographers possess to shape the content and direction of global change science, building on past achievements; and the third is the existence of ‘group think’ in parts of global change science, presenting a target for constructive criticism but also an opportunity for serious engagement. The response then addresses specific points raised in the five commentaries. These points pertain to the burden of academic responsibility, the political aims of ‘Changing the Anthropo(s)cene’, the power of reason, the virtues of working ‘inside’ global change science, the volume and kind of contributions made by geographers so far and – finally – the dilemmas of engaging global change science as critic or friend.
Performance measures, hours of caregiving assistance, and risk of adverse care outcomes among older adult users of Medicaid home and community-based services
Authors: Danilovich Margaret K , Corcos Daniel M , Marquez David X , Eisenstein Amy R , Hughes Susan L
Published: November 2015

Objectives:

This study used validated physical performance measures to examine function, risk of adverse health outcomes, and the relationship with allocated hours of weekly caregiving assistance among older adults receiving home and community-based services through a Medicaid waiver program.

Methods:

Older adults (n = 42) completed physical performance measures including grip strength, 30-s chair rise, Timed Up and Go, and gait speed. Demographic information including age, gender, and allocated hours of weekly caregiving assistance were also collected.

Results:

A majority, 72% of females and 86% of males, had weak grip strength, 57% met criteria for fall risk based on their Timed Up and Go score, 83% had lower extremity strength impairments, and 98% were unable to ambulate more than 1.0 m/s. Frailty was prevalent in the sample with 72% of clients meeting Fried’s frailty criteria. The most significant predictors of allocated hours of weekly caregiving assistance approved for clients were race and gait speed.

Conclusion:

Based on scores on physical performance measures, clients are at risk of falls, hospitalization, and mortality, and scores indicate an urgent need to assess performance in addition to self-reported activities of daily living limitations for this population. Performance measures associated with quantifiable risk of adverse outcomes can be critical indicators for referrals and services needed to enhance the safety and improve care outcomes for homebound older adults.
Adrenal insufficiency due to the development of bilateral adrenal haemorrhage following hip replacement surgery
Authors: Mudenha Emily T , Rathi Manjusha
Published: November 2015

Bilateral adrenal haemorrhage should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with non-specific symptoms and hypotension postoperatively.
Impact of Pain on Patient Satisfaction Integration Process
Authors: Otani Koichiro , Chumbler Neale R. , Herrmann Patrick A. , Kurz Richard S.
Published: November 2015

Context:

Health care environments have been changing rapidly, and one of the changes is to emphasize patient satisfaction. However, most studies assume that all patients integrate their health care attribute reactions in the same way to arrive at their satisfaction.

Objective:

The objective of this study is to investigate how patients’ experience of pain influences their attribute reaction integration process and their overall rating of the hospital.

Design:

Patient satisfaction data were collected using a mailed questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analyses with a dichotomous (yes/no) pain variable and its interaction effects with nursing care, physician care, staff care, and hospital room were conducted with control variables.

Main Outcome Measures:

The pain variable was statistically significant and also revealed interaction effects with the physician care and the staff care variables in the model. Patients who needed medicine for pain showed lower overall rating of the hospitals than patients who did not need medicine.

Results:

The statistically significant interaction effects indicate that for patients who needed medicine for pain, staff care becomes more important and physician care becomes less important compared to patients who do not need medicine for pain. All 4 attributes (nursing care, physician care, staff care, and hospital room) are not equally influential.

Conclusion:

Implementing policies and procedures related to these interaction effects would lead to the most efficient and effective improvement outcomes. These findings suggest that future policies should be modified to enhance nursing and staff care to provide more direct care for patients with pain.
Environmental Concerns, Behavior Consistency of Emerging Market: Youth and Marketing
Authors: Verma Harsh V. , Duggal Ekta
Published: November 2015

The study of ecological sensitivity is an important field of investigation in marketing. If ecological sensitivity is real then it is likely to have a profound influence on the way firms conduct their marketing. Due to its earlier arrival in western economies it emerged as one of the important areas of study there. However, the study of green consumer or ecologically consistent consumer behavior is relatively newer and emerging area in developing economies. This is particularly true of India. This study aimed to explore the green consciousness and behavior of young people. This choice was guided by the consideration that India is demographically a young country. The cognitive consistency and harmony between cognitions and behavior founded the theoretical base of this research. The constructs used in the study are beliefs, feelings, perceived seriousness about environmental problems and perceived consumer effectiveness. This study found absence of significant correlation between beliefs and affect related to several aspects of environment problems. This discrepancy suggests that awareness or knowledge about environmental degradation is not correspondingly related with sentiment or emotional connection. It was also found that high perceived consumer effectiveness was significantly correlated with ecologically consistent consumer behavior. It can be argued that building of a perceived sense of control over environment is essential for people to engage in pro-environment behaviors.
Molecular signatures of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicle-mediated tissue repair
Authors: Katsuda Takeshi , Ochiya Takahiro
Published: November 2015

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play important roles in intercellular communications via their content molecules, and mimic, at least in part, the roles that are played by their originating cells. Consistent with this notion, an increasing number of reports have suggested that EVs derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are therapeutically beneficial to a wide range of diseases, can serve as drugs to treat multiple diseases. EVs contain a variety of molecules, including proteins, microRNAs, and mRNAs, and are associated with biological processes in a content molecule-dependent manner. In this article, we review the latest reports regarding the therapeutic potential of MSC-EVs by focusing on the underlying molecular mechanisms of their effects. Specifically, we feature the effects of MSC-EVs in terms of their content molecules and of the tissue recovery processes endowed by these molecules.
Shrinking projection methods for solving split equilibrium problems and fixed point problems for asymptotically nonexpansive mappings in Hilbert spaces
Authors: Witthayarat Uamporn , Abdou Afrah A N , Cho Yeol Je
Published: November 2015

In this paper, we propose a new iterative sequence for solving common problems which consist of split equilibrium problems and fixed point problems for asymptotically nonexpansive mappings in the framework of Hilbert spaces and prove some strong convergence theorems of the generated sequence $\{x_{n}\}$
{

x
n

}
by the shrinking projection method. Our results improve and extend the previous results given in the literature.
The impact of off-resonance effects on water content estimates in surface nuclear magnetic resonance
Authors: Grombacher Denys , Knight Rosemary
Published: November 2015

Surface nuclear magnetic resonance is a geophysical technique providing the ability to produce images of the subsurface water content profile. To produce reliable images, the physics of the excitation process must be accurately captured. Generally, the excitation is assumed to occur through a process known as on-resonance excitation. This assumes that the precession frequency of the magnetization is described by a single frequency at all locations in the subsurface and that the frequency of the applied magnetic field is set to this single frequency. However, several conditions can occur in which these assumptions may be violated. We explored two scenarios in which this is the case: Magnetic susceptibility contrasts lead to a distribution of precessional frequencies and (1) the transmit frequency is equal to the center of this distribution and (2) the transmit frequency is not equal to the center frequency of the distribution of precessional frequencies. Both of these scenarios leads to a condition known as off-resonance excitation. In this case, the spatial distribution of an excited signal in the subsurface may vary, and the measured signal’s amplitude and phase would be impacted. We have explored how off-resonance excitation, when incorrectly modeled as on-resonance excitation, impacts the predicted water content profiles for synthetic and field studies. We observed that neglected off-resonance effects leads to biased water content estimates and degrade the performance of the survey. Long pulse durations were observed to be sensitive to these effects, producing poor representations of the true subsurface water content profiles when off-resonance excitation was neglected, whereas short pulse durations were observed to alleviate these effects and produced accurate water content profiles.
Robust jumping performance and elastic energy recovery from compliant perches in tree frogs
Authors: Astley Henry C. , Haruta Alison , Roberts Thomas J.
Published: November 2015

Arboreal animals often move on compliant branches, which may deform substantially under loads, absorbing energy. Energy stored in a compliant substrate may be returned to the animal or it may be lost. In all cases studied so far, animals jumping from a static start lose all of the energy imparted to compliant substrates and performance is reduced. Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) are particularly capable arboreal jumpers, and we hypothesized that these animals would be able to recover energy from perches of varying compliance. In spite of large deflections of the perches and consequent substantial energy absorption, frogs were able to regain some of the energy lost to the perch during the recoil. Takeoff velocity was robust to changes in compliance, but was lower than when jumping from flat surfaces. This highlights the ability of animals to minimize energy loss and maintain dependable performance on challenging substrates via behavioral changes.
Proton-Conductive Metal–Organic Frameworks
Authors: Yamada Teppei , Sadakiyo Masaaki , Shigematsu Akihito , Kitagawa Hiroshi
Published: November 2015

Proton-conductive electrolytes are key materials in fuel cells. We introduced acidic functional groups into a porous coordination polymer (PCP), or metal–organic framework (MOF), and constructed proton-conductive PCP/MOFs. To achieve this, a novel synthetic method for introducing acidic groups in PCP/MOF was invented. The proton conductivities of various PCP/MOF materials were investigated by AC impedance spectroscopy, and some of the materials showed high proton conductivity up to 8 × 10−3 S cm−1 at ambient temperature. We also investigated the dependency of proton conductivity on functional groups and found a relationship between proton conductivity, the acidity of the functional groups, and the hydrogen-bond networks formed inside the pores of PCP/MOFs. These PCP/MOF materials have high crystallinity, and the frameworks and arrangement of guests in the inner pore were clearly determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The relationship between proton conductivity and hydrogen-bond networks was investigated. This study thus establishes a novel field for investigating highly proton-conductive materials.
Induced-Fit Molecular Recognition of Alkyl Chains in p-tert-Butylcalix[5]arene in the Solid State
Authors: Kajiki Yasunori , Sekiya Ryo , Yamasaki Yutaro , Uemura Yuichiro , Haino Takeharu
Published: November 2015

p-tert-Butylcalix[5]arene 1 recognized conformationally flexible aliphatic hydrocarbons (hexane 2, heptane 3, octane 4, nonane 5, decane 6, undecane 7, and dodecane 8) and monoalkyl benzenes (toluene 10, ethylbenzene 11, propylbenzene 12, butylbenzene 13, hexylbenzene 14, and octylbenzne 15) to form host–guest complexes. X-ray diffraction study has revealed that the alkyl chains of 11–15 were selectively recognized by 1, whereas host 1 recognized the aromatic ring of 10. The alkyl chain termini of 3, 4, 6–8, 11–13, and 15 adopted unusual folded conformations in the cavity. M06-2X/6-31G(d,p) level of calculations revealed that the mutual induced-fit shape adjustments between the calix[5]arene cavity and the flexible guests play a key role in maximizing the host–guest interactions directed by the C(sp3)–H/π interactions, leading to the unusual conformations of the alkyl chain termini of the guests and the selective binding of the alkyl chains in the solid state.
Dynamic Pricing of Peak Production
Authors: Peura Heikki , Bunn Derek W.
Published: November 2015

Peak producers of nonstorable products, such as electricity, provide crucial flexible operating capacity to respond to infrequent and transient high demand periods. Faced with these uncertain revenue-earning opportunities, despite often having significant price-setting power, they need to profit from a limited number of pricing decisions in order to meet financial targets for viability. We study the repeated interaction between peak producers with a model that captures both the uncertainty in their short-term revenues and their market power. We investigate the conditions under which peak producers can implicitly coordinate to achieve high prices, under varying demand conditions. We analyze how financial objectives in the form of annual performance targets dynamically impact peakers’ pricing decisions, and the conditions under which setting such targets may benefit or hurt the owners of the firm. We further show how portfolio integration with lower marginal cost technologies can be an important factor in peak price setting, beyond the usual considerations of direct price externalities, capacity manipulation, or risk. These insights are useful not only in understanding how purely energy-based revenues can sustain the financial viability of peakers, and the dynamic emergence of price spikes, but also in providing the underlying process for pricing derivative contracts that policy makers may encourage or offer for resource adequacy.
Spectral Properties of Finite-dimensional Waveguide Systems
Authors: Colakoglu Nurhan , Lancaster Peter
Published: November 2015

This is a largely expository paper in which we study a finite dimensional model for gyroscopic/waveguiding systems. We study properties of the spectrum that play an important role when computing with such models. The notion of "waveguide type" is defined and explored in this context and Theorem 3.1 provides a form of the central result (due to Abramov) concerning the existence of real spectrum for such systems. The roles of semisimple/defective eigenvalues are discussed, as well as the roles played by eigenvalue "types" (or "Krein signatures"). The theory is illustrated with examples.
CENTRO DE SERVIÇOS COMPARTILHADOS EM MODELO PRÓPRIO OU TERCEIRIZADO: UM ESTUDO COMPARATIVO MULTICASOS
Authors: Affonso Henrique José , Martins Henrique Cordeiro , Gonçalves Carlos Alberto
Published: November 2015

O objetivo desse artigo foi analisar os impactos da implementação de Centro de Serviços Compartilhados (CSC) na estratégia, na estrutura e na gestão de empresas do setor privado, considerando sua configuração de operação como unidade da própria empresa ou como unidade terceirizada. A pesquisa foi de natureza qualitativa, realizada por meio de estudos de casos em duas grandes empresas sediadas em Minas Gerais, utilizando-se principalmente de entrevistas semiestruturadas, realizadas com 13 gestores. Os resultados apontam que o CSC permite que a empresa foque em suas competências centrais com aumento da vantagem competitiva na sua cadeia de valor, porém a otimização dos resultados e a facilidade no aprimoramento da gestão foram mais notadas em CSC operado pela própria organização, em detrimento ao CSC terceirizado.
O CASO BARINGS: AS LIÇÕES FORAM APRENDIDAS?
Authors: Machado Diego De Queiroz , Garcia Editinete André da Rocha , Oliveira Marcelle Colares , Marques Edite Colares Oliveira
Published: November 2015

O caso narra a história de fraude e falência da instituição financeira Barings Bank e tem como objetivo discutir o papel decisivo dos diversos agentes e órgãos de governança corporativa como elementos de prevenção e controle de ações nocivas aos interesses dos diversos stakeholders e como o não cumprimento das funções que lhes são conferidas abre espaço para fraudes como a ocorrida. A discussão do caso busca desenvolver as seguintes habilidades nos participantes: familiaridade com situação de conflitos de agência, compreensão de problemas relacionados à ausência de boa governança corporativa, habilidade de identificação de mecanismos de governança corporativa capazes de evitar a situação-problema vivenciada e capacidade de implementar as soluções para os problemas identificados. O estudo desse caso colabora para a compreensão de aspectos referentes à Teoria da Agência como a inexistência de contrato completo e de agente perfeito, reforçando a importância dos mecanismos de governança corporativa para a continuidade das organizações.
Regularity and quantification for harmonic maps with free boundary
Authors: Laurain Paul , Petrides Romain
Published: November 2015

We prove a quantification result for harmonic maps with free boundary and finite energy from arbitrary Riemannian surfaces into the unit ball of ${{\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}}$. This generalizes results obtained by Da Lio [1] on the disk.
Inosine triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase activity: more accurate predictor for ribavirin-induced anemia in hepatitis C infected patients than ITPA genotype
Authors: Peltenburg Nicole Chantal , Bakker Jaap A. , Vroemen Wim H.M. , de Knegt Robert J. , Leers Mathie P.G. , Bierau Jörgen , Verbon Annelies
Published: November 2015

In a cohort of 106 HCV patients, hemoglobin (Hb) values were evaluated after 4 weeks (T

After 4 weeks of treatment, 78% of the patients with normal ITPase activity were anemic and 21% of the patients with low ITPase activity (p<0.001). Stratified by genotype, the percentages of anemic patients were: wt/wt 76%, wt/c.124+21A>C 46% (p=0.068), and wt/c.94C>A 29% (p=0.021). At T

This study is the first to report that ITPase activity predicts the development of anemia during ribavirin treatment. ITPase activity and
A Note on the Beta Distribution of Lot Percent Defective
Authors: Chimka Justin R.
Published: November 2015

In this note I use MIL-STD-414 for contrast and comparison with an alternate way to estimate the distribution of lot percent defective. A slight deviation from traditional distribution assumption parameters affects results associated with an enduring example of double specification limits.
Morava K(s)*-rings of the extensions of Cp by the products of good groups under diagonal action
Authors: Bakuradze Malkhaz
Published: November 2015

This note provides a theorem on good groups in the sense of Hopkins–Kuhn–Ravenel [J. Amer. Math. Soc. 13 (2000), no. 3, 553–594] and some relevant examples.
Disordered eating and body image issues and their associated factors among adolescents in urban secondary schools in Sarawak, Malaysia
Authors: Cheah Whye Lian , Hazmi Helmy , Chang Ching Thon
Published: November 2015

Eating disorders are common health issues among the adolescents. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of eating disorders and their relationship with body mass index, body part satisfaction and perception on body weight among urban secondary school children. It was a cross-sectional study conducted in Kuching, Sarawak. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire that consist of the Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26), perception on body part satisfaction and body weight, and anthropometric measurement. Data was entered and analysed using SPSS version 22. A total of 329 respondents participated in this study with 59% females and 60.5% Malays. There were 14.3% of the respondents overweight and obese, with higher percentage among males (19.3%). About 18.5% of the respondents were found to be at risk of eating disorders with higher prevalence among males (19.3%). More females reported to have higher prevalence of body part dissatisfaction (46.9%) and body weight (37.6%) compared to males (40%, 28.1%). The statistical results indicated there were significant associations between EAT-26 and body mass index (BMI) (p=0.039), body part satisfaction (p=0.004), and perception of body weight (p=0.038). Eating disorders are becoming more prevalent amongst adolescents, particularly among males. As eating disorder are strongly associated with adolescent mental and physical health, intervention programme on their developmental challenges and issues for both males and females should be in place particularly in the school education syllabus.
Media exposure, interactive health literacy, and adolescents’ susceptibility to future smoking
Authors: Sudo Akira , Kuroda Yoshiki
Published: November 2015

Background:

Few studies have investigated interactive health literacy (IHL)’s relationship with adolescents’ smoking-related behavior. This study investigated IHL’s association with adolescents’ susceptibility to future smoking.

Materials and methods:

We conducted a school-based cross-sectional study of Japanese students enrolled in public junior high school, grades 7–9 (n=1937), who completed a self-report questionnaire. Variables were grade, gender, media exposure [television (TV), internet, and magazines], IHL (interest in learning about health, understanding what they hear about health, trying to follow what is taught about health), and susceptibility to future smoking.

Results:

Significant findings were: [1] media exposure was positively associated with adolescents’ susceptibility to future smoking (TV: p<0.01, internet: p<0.01, magazines: p<0.01); [2] IHL was negatively associated with adolescents’ susceptibility to future smoking (interest in learning about health: p<0.001; understanding what they hear about health: p<0.05; trying to follow what is taught about health: p<0.001). IHL’s influence on susceptibility to future smoking was found to be marginally stronger than that of media exposure.

Conclusion:

School health-education programs that promote adolescents’ IHL may effectively reduce adolescents’ susceptibility to future smoking.