bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
After the Nicaraguan Non‐Payment Crisis: Alternatives to Microfinance Narcissism
Authors: Bastiaensen Johan , Marchetti Peter , Mendoza René , Pérez Francisco
Published: July 2013

This article argues against ‘microfinance narcissism’ and calls for a re‐politicization of the microfinance paradigm. The dominant verdict on microcredit has undergone a damning transformation, from ‘magic bullet for poverty reduction’ to ‘cause of suicide’. Nowadays, both radical critics and mainstream voices deplore microcredit's negative impact on micro‐entrepreneurs. They argue for a reorientation where credit is targeted at established small and medium‐sized enterprises, particularly in rural areas. The crisis in microfinance worldwide, including burgeoning protests, are viewed as proof of the commercial derailment and/or misplaced faith in microfinance's positive social and economic impact on the poor. This article engages with this debate through a study of the Nicaraguan micro‐finance crisis. It challenges existing analyses that pin the crisis on agricultural over‐indebtedness, lack of due diligence, or Sandinista populist politics. Illustrating the dangers of neglecting the diverse nature of microfinance, it reveals the paradoxical outcomes of the crisis: a refocus on the urban at the expense of agricultural credit for small and medium enterprises and a consolidation of the power of national processing elites. Nicaragua's Non‐Payment Movement is also shown to be both a product of elite manipulation and an expression of legitimate resistance to an industry that turns a blind eye to the manner in which markets and politics constrain clients’ potential.
The Windsock Syndrome: Subpulmonic Obstruction by Membranous Ventricular Septal Aneurysm in Congenitally Corrected Transposition of Great Arteries
Authors: Razzouk Louai , Applebaum Robert M. , Okamura Charles , Saric Muhamed
Published: July 2013

Anomalies of the membranous portion of the interventricular septum include perimembranous ventricular septal defect and/or membranous septal aneurysm (MSA). In congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (L‐TGA in sinus solitus), the combination of ventricular inversion and arterial transposition creates a unique anatomic substrate that fosters subpulmonic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction by an MSA. The combination of an L‐TGA with subpulmonic obstruction by an MSA is referred to as the windsock syndrome. We report a case of windsock syndrome in a 25‐year‐old man which is to our knowledge the first three‐dimensional echocardiographic description of this congenital entity.
Uptake of atmospheric hydrogen by soils: a case study from southern Poland
Authors: Bartyzel J. , Necki J. M. , Zieba D. , Rozanski K. , Gasiorek M.
Published: July 2013

Uptake of atmospheric hydrogen by soils constitutes the most important sink of this gas at the global scale. However, little is known about the strength and spatio‐temporal variability of this sink. We present the results of a systematic study aimed at characterizing hydrogen uptake by urban soils. The study was carried out at two field sites in Krakow, southern Poland. The measured fluxes of hydrogen to soils revealed distinct seasonality, with large values (up to 40 µmol hour−1 m−2) recorded during summer months and small values (between 5 and 10 µmol hour−1 m−2) during winter. Temperatures in the top 6 cm of the soil profile varied during the study from −9 to +24°C, while volumetric soil water content fluctuated between 15 and 50%. Measurable hydrogen fluxes were also observed when soil temperatures were less than zero. The results were interpreted in the context of seasonal changes of local climate and air and soil temperature, soil water content and amount of rainfall. Mixing conditions at the air–soil interface were also considered. Modelling of H2 uptake was performed with a two dimensional diffusion transport model, with contrasting assumptions about distribution and intensity of the hydrogen sink in the soil profile. The model results suggest that conditions in the uppermost soil layer exert a decisive control on measured hydrogen uptake rates. The measured hydrogen flux can be reproduced by the transport model only if significant reduction of the soil water content in the uppermost layer of the soil is postulated. This finding has important implications for the parameterization of hydrogen uptake rates in models of the global H2 budget.
Six‐year longitudinal changes in body composition of middle‐aged and elderly Japanese: Age and sex differences in appendicular skeletal muscle mass
Authors: Kitamura Itsuko , Koda Michiko , Otsuka Rei , Ando Fujiko , Shimokata Hiroshi
Published: July 2013

Aim

Little is known about longitudinal changes of body composition measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) in middle‐aged and elderly individuals. We evaluated longitudinal changes of body composition, and age and sex differences in appendicular skeletal muscle mass.

Methods

Participants were 1454 community‐dwelling Japanese men and women aged 40–79 years. Body composition at baseline and 6‐year follow up was measured by DXA.

Results

Fat increased significantly in men of all ages, and in women aged in their 40s and 50s. Among men, arm lean tissue mass (LTM) changed by 0.9%, −0.5%, −1.4% and −3.7%, respectively, for the 40s to the 70s, and decreased significantly in the 60s and 70s. Leg LTM in men changed by −0.4%, −1.3%, −1.7% and −3.9%, respectively, and decreased significantly from the 50s to the 70s. Compared with the preceding age groups, significant differences were observed between the 60s and 70s in arm and leg LTM change in men. Among women, arm LTM changed by 0.7%, 0.2%, 1.6% and −1.5%, respectively, which was significant in the 60s and 70s. Leg LTM decreased significantly in all age groups of women by −2.0%, −2.8%, −2.4% and −3.9%, respectively. With respect to sex differences, leg LTM loss rates were significantly higher in women than men at the 40s and 50s.

Conclusions

Longitudinal data suggest that arm and leg LTM decreased markedly in men in their 70s, and leg LTM had already decreased in women in their 40s. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14: 354–361.
Loose nerves and weak blood: a thematic analysis of premature ejaculation in Bangladeshi Muslim men
Authors: Steggall Martin J. , Pryce Anthony
Published: July 2013

The objectives of this study were to examine the accounts of Bangladeshi Muslim men with premature ejaculation (PE) and to qualitatively explore self‐reported causation. Twenty‐three men with either lifelong or acquired PE were interviewed using a semi‐structured schedule. Participant's responses were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Three common themes were identified, biomedical, psychological and cultural, that were used to explain PE, with a ‘preference’ for biomedical causation. Each theme had sub‐themes that were used to explain ‘acceptable’ forms of sexual practice and subsequent help‐seeking behaviours. Using thematic analysis, we identified core themes that appear to characterize the way individuals with PE perceive themselves and their interpersonal relationships. Thematic analysis offers a promising tool to explore how men with PE ‘explain’ their sexual responses to themselves and their partners.
Editorial Blues from Deep in the Heart of Texas
Authors: Ashby Lynn
Published: July 2013

The following piece was sent to the Editor of this journal by Dr. James Schmidt of Texas. It appeared in The Houston Post of December 10, 1980 and is reprinted here by permission of that newspaper and the columnist. The quotations in it from writings of physicians are as unconsciously hilarious as only fabled wits like Mark Twain and Stephen Leacock might have premeditatively contrived.
Reflexivity in Competition‐Originated Underwriting Cycles
Authors: Malinovskii Vsevolod K.
Published: July 2013

This article addresses the fundamental observation that aggressive newcom‐ ers seeking greater market share trigger the industry response of reducing rates that may gradually fall below marginal cost. In this study, the concept of reflexivity as connection between the participants’ thinking and the situation in which they participate is applied. This article suggests applying as an insurance regulation technique, while the competition‐originated cycle is in its early stage, the triplets of year‐end market share, profit, and solvency indicators. It emphasizes the need for applying all these characteristics together, rather than the first two.
Relative effectiveness of physical and virtual manipulatives for conceptual change in science: how falling objects fall
Authors: Lazonder A.W. , Ehrenhard S.
Published: July 2013

This study offers new insights into the ongoing debate about whether physical and virtual materials are equally effective in inquiry‐based science instruction. Physical materials were predicted to have a surplus value when haptic feedback helps discern object characteristics or when the perceived credibility of experimental data can impede conceptual change. Both assumptions were tested by comparing the belief revisions and confidence ratings of children (n = 60) engaged in an inquiry task about falling objects. Children were assigned to one of three instructional conditions that differed with regard to the type of materials and the possibility to manipulate those materials. Main findings confirmed the alleged benefits of physical manipulation in correcting misconceptions about object characteristics that are perceived by touch. Belief revision about visually discernible characteristics proved independent of the type of material and type of manipulation, as was children's confidence in their post‐instructional beliefs. Together, these findings indicate that tactile cues derived from physical manipulation can have a unique contribution to children's science learning.
Emerging asymmetric interactions between forage and predator fisheries impose management trade‐offsa
Authors: Houle J. E. , Andersen K. H. , Farnsworth K. D. , Reid D. G.
Published: July 2013

A size and trait‐based marine community model was used to investigate interactions, with potential implications for yields, when a fishery targeting forage fish species (whose main adult diet is zooplankton) co‐occurs with a fishery targeting larger‐sized predator species. Predicted effects on the size structure of the fish community, growth and recruitment of fishes, and yield from the fisheries were used to identify management trade‐offs among the different fisheries. Results showed that moderate fishing on forage fishes imposed only small effects on predator fisheries, whereas predator fisheries could enhance yield from forage fisheries under some circumstances.
The Divide Between “Evidenced‐Based” Approaches and Practitioners of Traditional Theories of Family Therapy
Authors: Dattilio Frank M. , Piercy Fred P. , Davis Sean D.
Published: July 2013

Evidenced‐based approaches continue to grow in the field of family therapy. However, practicing family therapists do not always embrace these approaches. In this article, we explore factors contributing to practitioners' concerns with evidence‐based treatments and suggest a broader, more clinically palatable view of evidenced‐based treatment. We also suggest how family therapy researchers, practitioners, and educators might begin to close the researcher–clinician divide in the best interest of all concerned.
Decreased event‐based prospective memory functioning in individuals with Parkinson's disease
Authors: Costa Alberto , Peppe Antonella , Caltagirone Carlo , Carlesimo Giovanni A.
Published: July 2013

The study was aimed at investigating the contribution of retrospective memory to prospective memory (PM) functioning in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Twenty patients with PD without dementia and 20 normal controls were recruited. In the PM procedure, sequences of words were presented; in the inter‐sequence delay, participants had to repeat sequence in the same or reverse order (ongoing task). At the occurrence of a target word, participants had to press a button on the keyboard (PM response). To evaluate the contribution of retrospective memory to PM performance, we manipulated the retrospective memory load of the target words (i.e., one vs. four words). The results show that patients with PD were poorer than controls in all PM conditions (p < .01). The memory load did not modulate differentially the PM performance of individuals in the two groups. Moreover, in PD patients, the ability to retrieve the target words in the episodic memory task was associated, at a lesser extent than in healthy controls, with the ability to activate the prospective intention at the occurrence of a target word. Our findings confirm PM decline in patients with PD without dementia. This flaw cannot be entirely explained by decreased retrospective memory. Altered self‐retrieval processes might explain reduced PM performance of these individuals. This is a very relevant finding in the perspective of cognitive therapeutic intervention on PM that, in patients with PD, could be focused on mechanisms other than retrospective memory ones.
An appraisal of service users’ structured activity requirements in an Irish forensic setting
Authors: Rani S. , Mulholland F.
Published: July 2013

Accessible summary

Studies have indicated that forensic mental health service users who have a lack of structured meaningful time use are at increased risk for recidivism.

In this paper, we report the outcome of a survey measuring the use of activities in an Irish forensic mental health setting, and we make recommendations for practice.

Findings suggest that patients placed on units of higher security participate in less structured activity.

Service user involvement in planning and implementing activities is vital as well as tailoring the activities to meet the changing needs of service users.

Participating in purposeful and structured daily activities is an important factor contributing to the health and well‐being of forensic service users. A survey was carried out in an Irish forensic mental health setting to identify whether service users meet the standard of 25‐h weekly activities, a standard set by the Quality Network for Forensic Mental Health Services, London. The findings indicate that 57 (61%) out of 93 service users fully meet the criteria. Furthermore, service users within the medium‐ and low‐security environments appear to be engaging to an increased number of structured activities in comparison to those in acute units.
Rice oxalate oxidase gene driven by green tissue‐specific promoter increases tolerance to sheath blight pathogen (Rhizoctonia solani) in transgenic rice
Authors: Molla Kutubuddin A. , Karmakar Subhasis , Chanda Palas K. , Ghosh Satabdi , Sarkar Sailendra N. , Datta Swapan K. , Datta Karabi
Published: July 2013

Rice sheath blight, caused by the necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia solani, is one of the most devastating and intractable diseases of rice, leading to a significant reduction in rice productivity worldwide. In this article, in order to examine sheath blight resistance, we report the generation of transgenic rice lines overexpressing the rice oxalate oxidase 4 (Osoxo4) gene in a green tissue‐specific manner which breaks down oxalic acid (OA), the pathogenesis factor secreted by R. solani. Transgenic plants showed higher enzyme activity of oxalate oxidase (OxO) than nontransgenic control plants, which was visualized by histochemical assays and sodium dodecylsulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE). Transgenic rice leaves were more tolerant than control rice leaves to exogenous OA. Transgenic plants showed a higher level of expression of other defence‐related genes in response to pathogen infection. More importantly, transgenic plants exhibited significantly enhanced durable resistance to R. solani. The overexpression of Osoxo4 in rice did not show any detrimental phenotypic or agronomic effect. Our findings indicate that rice OxO can be utilized effectively in plant genetic manipulation for sheath blight resistance, and possibly for resistance to other diseases caused by necrotrophic fungi, especially those that secrete OA. This is the first report of the expression of defence genes in rice in a green tissue‐specific manner for sheath blight resistance.
Top 10 plant‐parasitic nematodes in molecular plant pathology
Authors: Jones John T. , Haegeman Annelies , Danchin Etienne G. J. , Gaur Hari S. , Helder Johannes , Jones Michael G. K. , Kikuchi Taisei , Manzanilla‐López Rosa , Palomares‐Rius Juan E. , Wesemael Wim M. L. , Perry Roland N.
Published: July 2013

The aim of this review was to undertake a survey of researchers working with plant‐parasitic nematodes in order to determine a ‘top 10’ list of these pathogens based on scientific and economic importance. Any such list will not be definitive as economic importance will vary depending on the region of the world in which a researcher is based. However, care was taken to include researchers from as many parts of the world as possible when carrying out the survey. The top 10 list emerging from the survey is composed of: (1) root‐knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.); (2) cyst nematodes (Heterodera and Globodera spp.); (3) root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.); (4) the burrowing nematode Radopholus similis; (5) Ditylenchus dipsaci; (6) the pine wilt nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus; (7) the reniform nematode Rotylenchulus reniformis; (8) Xiphinema index (the only virus vector nematode to make the list); (9) Nacobbus aberrans; and (10) Aphelenchoides besseyi. The biology of each nematode (or nematode group) is reviewed briefly.
Pitfalls in the measurement of skin autofluorescence to determine tissue advanced glycosylation content in haemodialysis patients
Authors: Chaudhri Saurabh , Fan Stanley , Davenport Andrew
Published: July 2013

Aim

Skin autofluoresence has been advocated as a quick non‐invasive method of measuring tissue advanced glycosylation end products (AGE), which have been reported to correlate with cardiovascular risk in the dialysis patient. Most studies have been performed in patients from a single racial group, and we wanted to look at the reliability of skin autofluoresence measurements in a multiracial dialysis population and whether results were affected by haemodialysis.

Methods

We measured skin autofluoresence three times in both forearms of 139 haemodialysis patients pre‐dialysis and 36 post‐dialysis.

Results

One hundred and thirty‐nine patients, 62.2% male, 35.3% diabetic, 59% Caucasoid, mean age 65.5 ± 15.2 years were studied. Reproducibility of measurements between the 1st and 2nd measurements was very good (r2 = 0.94, P < 0.001, Bland Altman bias 0.05, confidence limits −0.02 to 0.04). However, skin autoflourescence measurements were not possible in one forearm in 8.5% Caucasoids, 25% Far Asian, 28% South Asians and 75% African or Afro Caribbean (P < 0.001). Mean skin autofluorescence in the right forearm was 3.3 ± 0.74 arbitrary units (AU) and left forearm 3.18 ± 0.82 AU pre‐dialysis, and post‐dialysis there was a fall in those patients dialysing with a left sided arteriovenous fistula (left forearm pre 3.85 ± 0.72 vs post 3.36 ± 0.55 AU, P = 0.012).

Conclusion

Although skin autofluorescence is a relatively quick non‐invasive method of measuring tissue AGE and measurements were reproducible, it was often not possible to obtain measurements in patients with highly pigmented skin. To exclude potential effects of arteriovenous fistulae we would suggest that measurements are made in the non‐fistula forearm pre‐dialysis.
Caregiving actions: Outgrowths of the family caregiver's conceptions of care
Authors: Aga Fekadu , Nikkonen Merja , Kylmä Jari
Published: July 2013

Caregiving actions emanate from the family caregiver's care meanings. Therefore, this article presents caregiving actions as outgrowths of the family caregiver's cultural conceptions of care and as situated within constraining sociocultural factors. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and participant observations from 18 purposively selected family caregivers of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWAs) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Three lines of caregiving actions performed by the participating family caregivers are presented: nutritional and medication care actions, physical care actions, and psychological and spiritual care actions. We have also explicated the problematic situations and sociocultural factors constraining the family caregivers in performing the caregiving actions. This study underlines the significance of addressing such problematic situations as are raised, as well as the sociocultural issues that constrain the family caregivers' agentic scope for planning and executing caregiving actions.
Differential expression of genes related to purinergic signaling in smooth muscle cells, PDGFRα‐positive cells, and interstitial cells of Cajal in the murine colon
Authors: Peri L. E. , Sanders K. M. , Mutafova‐Yambolieva V. N.
Published: July 2013

Background

Purinergic signaling provides regulation of colonic motility. Smooth muscle cells (SMC), interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), and platelet‐derived growth factor receptor α‐positive (PDGFRα+) cells are electrically coupled and form a functional (SIP) syncytium that constitutes the receptive field for motor neurotransmitters in the tunica muscularis. Each cell type in the SIP syncytium has specialized functions in mediating motor neurotransmission. We compared gene transcripts for purinergic receptors and membrane‐bound enzymes for purine degradation expressed by each cell type of the SIP syncytium.

Methods

Fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) was used to purify SMC, ICC, and PDGFRα+ cells from mixed cell populations of colonic muscles dispersed from reporter strains of mice with constitutive expression of green fluorescent proteins. Differential expression of functional groups of genes related to purinergic signaling was determined by quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR).

Key Results

We detected marked phenotypic differences among SMC, ICC, and PDGFRα+ cells. Substantial numbers of genes of importance in purinergic neurotransmission were enriched in PDGFRα+ cells in relation to SMC and ICC. Notably, genes related to mediating effects and extracellular biotransformation of enteric purinergic inhibitory neurotransmitters were strongly expressed by PDGFRα+ cells.

Conclusions & Inferences

Our results demonstrate differential expression of genes for proteins involved in purinergic signaling in the SIP syncytium. These results may further clarify the specific functions of each cell type, identify novel biomarkers for postjunctional cells, and provide hypotheses for further studies to understand the physiological roles of cells of the SIP syncytium.
Resource‐use strategies of native and invasive plants in Eastern North American forests
Authors: Heberling J. Mason , Fridley Jason D.
Published: July 2013

Studies in disturbed, resource‐rich environments often show that invasive plants are more productive than co‐occurring natives, but with similar physiological tradeoffs. However, in resource‐limited habitats, it is unclear whether native and invasive plants have similar metabolic constraints or if invasive plants are more productive per unit resource cost – that is, use resources more efficiently.

Using a common garden to control for environment, we compared leaf physiological traits relating to resource investments, carbon returns, and resource‐use efficiencies in 14 native and 18 nonnative invasive species of common genera found in Eastern North American (ENA) deciduous forest understories, where growth is constrained by light and nutrient limitation.

Despite greater leaf construction and nitrogen costs, invaders exhibited greater instantaneous photosynthetic energy‐use efficiency (PEUE) and marginally greater photosynthetic nitrogen‐use efficiency (PNUE). When integrated over leaf lifespan (LL), these differences were magnified. Differences in efficiency were driven by greater productivity per unit leaf investment, as invaders exhibited both greater photosynthetic abilities and longer LL.

Our results indicate that woody understory invaders in ENA forests are not constrained to the same degree by leaf‐based metabolic tradeoffs as the native understory flora. These strategy differences could be attributable to pre‐adaptation in the native range, although other explanations are possible.
First record of Pentapharsodinium (Peridiniales, Dinophyceae) in the China Sea, with description of Pentapharsodinium dalei var. aciculiferum
Authors: Gu Haifeng , Luo Zhaohe , Zeng Ni , Lan Binbin , Lan Dongzhao
Published: July 2013

The dinophyte genus Pentapharsodinium shares an identical plate formula with that of Ensiculifera, but lacks a spine on the first cingulum plate and a median sulcal plate (Sm). Herein we established eight strains by incubating single cysts of Pentapharsodinium dalei from the Chukchi Sea, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea. The six strains from the Chukchi Sea and Yellow Sea fit the description of P. dalei, and they share identical internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1, ITS2 and 5.8S rDNA) sequences. The two other strains (G96 and PDFC01) from the South China Sea are morphologically similar to P. dalei, but they possess a spine on the anterior sulcal plate and an additional Sm plate. These two strains were described as P. dalei var. aciculiferum. They share identical ITS sequences and differ from P. dalei strains PDCH01 (Yellow Sea) and SZN19 (Norway origin) at 20 and 26 positions (96.40% and 95.32% similarity) respectively. Maximum‐likelihood and Bayesian inference resolved a well supported clade consisting of P. dalei and P. dalei var. aciculiferum. Our results reveal that cysts of P. dalei might comprise several morphologically, genetically, and ecologically different varieties.
Resveratrol inhibits fibrogenesis and induces apoptosis in keloid fibroblasts
Authors: Ikeda Kanae , Torigoe Toshihiko , Matsumoto Yoshitaka , Fujita Tatsuya , Sato Noriyuki , Yotsuyanagi Takatoshi
Published: July 2013

Keloids are benign dermal fibrotic tumors arising during the wound healing process. The mechanisms of keloid formation and development still remain unknown, and no effective treatment is available. Resveratrol, a dietary compound, has anticancer properties and, from recent studies, it has been suggested that resveratrol may have an antifibrogenic effect on organs such as the liver and kidney. Based on this idea, we investigated its effect on the regulation of extracellular matrix expression, proliferation, and apoptosis of keloid fibroblasts. Type I collagen, α‐smooth muscle actin, and heat shock protein 47 expression decreased in resveratrol‐treated keloid fibroblasts in a dose‐dependent manner. In addition, resveratrol diminished transforming growth factor‐β1 production by keloid fibroblasts. We also demonstrated that it suppressed their proliferation and induced apoptosis of the fibroblasts. Conversely, resveratrol did not decrease type I collagen, α‐smooth muscle actin, and heat shock protein 47 mRNA expression in normal skin fibroblasts and barely suppressed cell proliferation. Our data indicate that resveratrol may have an antifibrogenic effect on keloid fibroblasts without any adversely effects on normal skin fibroblasts, suggesting the potential application of resveratrol for the treatment of keloids.
Generic pseudogroups on and the topology of leaves
Authors: Mattei J.-F. , Rebelo J. C. , Reis H.
Published: July 2013

We show that generically a pseudogroup generated by holomorphic diffeomorphisms defined about $0\in \mathbb{C} $ is free in the sense of pseudogroups even if the class of conjugacy of the generators is fixed. This result has a number of consequences on the topology of leaves for a (singular) holomorphic foliation defined on a neighborhood of an invariant curve. In particular, in the classical and simplest case arising from local nilpotent foliations possessing a unique separatrix which is given by a cusp of the form $\{ {y}^{2} - {x}^{2n+ 1} = 0\} $, our results allow us to settle the problem of showing that a generic foliation possesses only countably many non-simply connected leaves.
On the Stability and Postbuckling Behavior of Shells With Corrugated Cross Sections Under External Pressure
Authors: Semenyuk Nikolai P. , Morenko Alexandre I. , Smith Michael J. A.
Published: July 2013

The problem of determining the deformation of a longitudinally corrugated, long cylindrical shell under external pressure is considered. The topics that are covered can be summarized as follows: the formulation of a boundary value problem for the incremental approach as a normal system of differential equations under appropriate boundary conditions, the determination of postbuckling behavior characteristics for cylindrical shells using the discrete orthogonalization method, and an analysis of deformation for both closed and open cylindrical shells. In particular, we consider the stability and postbuckling behavior of both isotropic and composite shells. The solution is based on the relationships for the cubic version of nonlinear Timoshenko-type shell theory. A comparison is made with the well-established quadratic version, as well as analytical solutions where applicable. The necessity for using more precise equations to examine the postbuckling behavior of shells is shown. Using this higher-order approach, it is possible to determine the postbuckling behavior with much greater accuracy.
Precision predictions for electroweak superpartner production at hadron colliders with Resummino
Authors: Fuks Benjamin , Klasen Michael , Lamprea David R. , Rothering Marcel
Published: July 2013

We describe the Resummino package, a C++ and Fortran program dedicated to precision calculations in the framework of gaugino and slepton pair production at hadron colliders. This code allows to calculate transverse-momentum and invariant-mass distributions as well as total cross sections by combining the next-to-leading order predictions obtained by means of perturbative QCD with the resummation of the large logarithmic contributions arising in the small transverse-momentum region and close to the production threshold. The results computed in this way benefit from reduced theoretical uncertainties, compared to a pure next-to-leading order approach as currently employed in the experimental analyses searching for sleptons and gauginos at hadron colliders. This is illustrated by using Resummino in the context of a typical supersymmetric benchmark point dedicated to superpartner searches at the Large Hadron Collider.
REAL OPTIONS WITH PRICED REGIME-SWITCHING RISK
Authors: DRIFFILL JOHN , KENC TURALAY , SOLA MARTIN
Published: July 2013

We develop a model of regime-switching risk premia as well as regime-dependent factor risk premia to price real options. The model incorporates the observation that the underlying risky income streams of real options are subject to discrete shifts over time as well as random changes. The presence of discrete shifts is due to systematic and unsystematic risk associated with changes in business cycles or in economic policy regimes or events such as takeovers, major changes in business plans. We analyze the impact of regime-switching behavior on the valuation of projects and investment opportunities. We find that accounting for Markov switching risk results in a delay in the expected timing of the investment while the regime-specific factor risk premia make the possibility of a regime shift more pronounced.
DIMENSION-ORDER ROUTING ALGORITHMS FOR A FAMILY OF MINIMAL-DIAMETER CIRCULANTS
Authors: JHA PRANAVA K.
Published: July 2013

This paper presents a family of minimal-diameter, four-regular nonbipartite circulants on 2a2 vertices, where a is odd. If a ≡ 3 mod (4), then the step sizes are 1 and (a − 1)2, and if a ≡ 1 mod (4), then the step sizes are 1 and (a + 1)2. Each graph is obtainable from the 2a × a rectangular twisted torus by appropriately trading a total of 3a − 1 edges for as many new edges. Further, each admits an almost-square L-shaped embedding in the two-dimensional Cartesian plane, facilitating a plane tessellation that leads to an efficient dimension-order routing algorithm.
CALCULATING BANDWIDTH OVERBOOKING FOR STATISTICALLY MULTIPLEXED TRAFFIC
Authors: ROSENBERG ERIC
Published: July 2013

Statistical multiplexing in telecommunications packet networks allows more connections to be carried by a router or trunk of a given bandwidth than could be carried using time division multiplexing. We provide a simple model of statistical multiplexing which can be used to quickly estimate the effect of such changes as using a higher bandwidth router or trunk.
A FRAMEWORK FOR THE CALIBRATION OF SOCIAL SIMULATION MODELS
Authors: CIAMPAGLIA GIOVANNI LUCA
Published: July 2013

Simulation with agent-based models is increasingly used in the study of complex socio-technical systems and in social simulation in general. This paradigm offers a number of attractive features, namely the possibility of modeling emergent phenomena within large populations. As a consequence, often the quantity in need of calibration may be a distribution over the population whose relation with the parameters of the model is analytically intractable. Nevertheless, we can simulate. In this paper we present a simulation-based framework for the calibration of agent-based models with distributional output based on indirect inference. We illustrate our method step by step on a model of norm emergence in an online community of peer production, using data from three large Wikipedia communities. Model fit and diagnostics are discussed.
IMPLEMENTATION OF SWAP GATE AND FREDKIN GATE USING LINEAR OPTICAL ELEMENTS
Authors: ZHU MENG-ZHENG , YE LIU
Published: July 2013

A scheme is proposed to directly implement the optical swap gate and quantum Fredkin gate based on the Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI). The distinct advantage of the present scheme is that ancilla single-photons are not needed. The optical swap gate is deterministic and does not need the photon number resolving detectors. The total success probability of the present Fredkin gate can reach 1/16 by using basic linear-optics elements.
Synthesis and characterization of novel tetrakis (3-hydroxypropylmercapto)-substituted phthalocyanines
Authors: Yağcı Çiğdem , Bilgin Ahmet
Published: July 2013

A phthalonitrile precursor 4-(3-hydroxypropylmercapto)phthalonitrile (3) was synthesized via a base-catalyzed nucleophilic aromatic nitro displacement of 4-nitrophthalonitrile with the 3-mercapto-1-propanol. A novel tetrasubstituted metal-free phthalocyanine (4) ( M = 2 H ) and its metal complexes (5–8) ( M = Zn , Ni , Cu and Co ) bearing 3-hydroxypropylmercapto moieties were prepared by the cyclotetramerization reaction of (3) with the appropriate materials. The visible spectra of the zinc(II) phthalocyanine (5) was recorded with different concentrations and different ions as Ag +, Hg 2+ and Pb 2+ in DMF and also with different solvents as dimethylformamide and pyridine. Fluorescence spectrum of the compound (5) was also studied. Temperature and frequency dependence of AC conductivity for (4–8) was investigated in air and under vacuum and were found to be ~10-8–10-5 S.m-1. Thermal properties of the phthalocyanines were examined by differential scanning calorimetry. All the novel compounds have been characterized by elemental analysis, UV-vis, FT-IR, NMR and MS spectral data and DSC techniques.
Game theory meets network security and privacy
Authors: Manshaei Mohammad Hossein , Zhu Quanyan , Alpcan Tansu , Bacşar Tamer , Hubaux Jean-Pierre
Published: July 2013

This survey provides a structured and comprehensive overview of research on security and privacy in computer and communication networks that use game-theoretic approaches. We present a selected set of works to highlight the application of game theory in addressing different forms of security and privacy problems in computer networks and mobile applications. We organize the presented works in six main categories: security of the physical and MAC layers, security of self-organizing networks, intrusion detection systems, anonymity and privacy, economics of network security, and cryptography. In each category, we identify security problems, players, and game models. We summarize the main results of selected works, such as equilibrium analysis and security mechanism designs. In addition, we provide a discussion on the advantages, drawbacks, and future direction of using game theory in this field. In this survey, our goal is to instill in the reader an enhanced understanding of different research approaches in applying game-theoretic methods to network security. This survey can also help researchers from various fields develop game-theoretic solutions to current and emerging security problems in computer networking.
Intermediate representations in imperative compilers
Authors: Stanier James , Watson Des
Published: July 2013

Compilers commonly translate an input program into an intermediate representation (IR) before optimizing it and generating code. Over time there have been a number of different approaches to designing and implementing IRs. Different IRs have varying benefits and drawbacks. In this survey, we highlight key developments in the area of IR for imperative compilers, group them by a taxonomy and timeline, and comment on the divide between academic research and real-world compiler technology. We conclude that mainstream compilers, especially in the multicore era, could benefit from further IR innovations.
Power-reduction techniques for data-center storage systems
Authors: Bostoen Tom , Mullender Sape , Berbers Yolande
Published: July 2013

As data-intensive, network-based applications proliferate, the power consumed by the data-center storage subsystem surges. This survey summarizes, organizes, and integrates a decade of research on power-aware enterprise storage systems. All of the existing power-reduction techniques are classified according to the disk-power factor and storage-stack layer addressed. A majority of power-reduction techniques is based on dynamic power management. We also consider alternative methods that reduce disk access time, conserve space, or exploit energy-efficient storage hardware. For every energy-conservation technique, the fundamental trade-offs between power, capacity, performance, and dependability are uncovered. With this survey, we intend to stimulate integration of different power-reduction techniques in new energy-efficient file and storage systems.
3D Virtual worlds and the metaverse
Authors: Dionisio John David N. , III William G. Burns , Gilbert Richard
Published: July 2013

Moving from a set of independent virtual worlds to an integrated network of 3D virtual worlds or Metaverse rests on progress in four areas: immersive realism, ubiquity of access and identity, interoperability, and scalability. For each area, the current status and needed developments in order to achieve a functional Metaverse are described. Factors that support the formation of a viable Metaverse, such as institutional and popular interest and ongoing improvements in hardware performance, and factors that constrain the achievement of this goal, including limits in computational methods and unrealized collaboration among virtual world stakeholders and developers, are also considered.
A survey of task mapping on production grids
Authors: Grehant Xavier , Demeure Isabelle , Jarp Sverre
Published: July 2013

Grids designed for computationally demanding scientific applications started experimental phases ten years ago and have been continuously delivering computing power to a wide range of applications for more than half of this time. The observation of their emergence and evolution reveals actual constraints and successful approaches to task mapping across administrative boundaries. Beyond differences in distributions, services, protocols, and standards, a common architecture is outlined. Application-agnostic infrastructures built for resource registration, identification, and access control dispatch delegation to grid sites. Efficient task mapping is managed by large, autonomous applications or collaborations that temporarily infiltrate resources for their own benefits.
A survey of security issues in hardware virtualization
Authors: Pék Gábor , Buttyán Levente , Bencsáth Boldizsár
Published: July 2013

Virtualization is a powerful technology for increasing the efficiency of computing services; however, besides its advantages, it also raises a number of security issues. In this article, we provide a thorough survey of those security issues in hardware virtualization. We focus on potential vulnerabilities and existing attacks on various virtualization platforms, but we also briefly sketch some possible countermeasures. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first survey of security issues in hardware virtualization with this level of details. Moreover, the adversary model and the structuring of the attack vectors are original contributions, never published before.
Distributional phrasal paraphrase generation for statistical machine translation
Authors: Marton Yuval
Published: July 2013

Paraphrase generation has been shown useful for various natural language processing tasks, including statistical machine translation. A commonly used method for paraphrase generation is pivoting [Callison-Burch et al. 2006], which benefits from linguistic knowledge implicit in the sentence alignment of parallel texts, but has limited applicability due to its reliance on parallel texts. Distributional paraphrasing [Marton et al. 2009a] has wider applicability, is more language-independent, but doesn't benefit from any linguistic knowledge. Nevertheless, we show that using distributional paraphrasing can yield greater gains in translation tasks. We report method improvements leading to higher gains than previously published, of almost 2 B
leu
points, and provide implementation details, complexity analysis, and further insight into this method.
Paraphrase acquisition via crowdsourcing and machine learning
Authors: Burrows Steven , Potthast Martin , Stein Benno
Published: July 2013

To paraphrase means to rewrite content while preserving the original meaning. Paraphrasing is important in fields such as text reuse in journalism, anonymizing work, and improving the quality of customer-written reviews. This article contributes to paraphrase acquisition and focuses on two aspects that are not addressed by current research: (1) acquisition via crowdsourcing, and (2) acquisition of passage-level samples. The challenge of the first aspect is automatic quality assurance; without such a means the crowdsourcing paradigm is not effective, and without crowdsourcing the creation of test corpora is unacceptably expensive for realistic order of magnitudes. The second aspect addresses the deficit that most of the previous work in generating and evaluating paraphrases has been conducted using sentence-level paraphrases or shorter; these short-sample analyses are limited in terms of application to plagiarism detection, for example. We present the Webis Crowd Paraphrase Corpus 2011 (Webis-CPC-11), which recently formed part of the PAN 2010 international plagiarism detection competition. This corpus comprises passage-level paraphrases with 4067 positive samples and 3792 negative samples that failed our criteria, using Amazon's Mechanical Turk for crowdsourcing. In this article, we review the lessons learned at PAN 2010, and explain in detail the method used to construct the corpus. The empirical contributions include machine learning experiments to explore if passage-level paraphrases can be identified in a two-class classification problem using paraphrase similarity features, and we find that a k-nearest-neighbor classifier can correctly distinguish between paraphrased and nonparaphrased samples with 0.980 precision at 0.523 recall. This result implies that just under half of our samples must be discarded (remaining 0.477 fraction), but our cost analysis shows that the automation we introduce results in a 18% financial saving and over 100 hours of time returned to the researchers when repeating a similar corpus design. On the other hand, when building an unrelated corpus requiring, say, 25% training data for the automated component, we show that the financial outcome is cost neutral, while still returning over 70 hours of time to the researchers. The work presented here is the first to join the paraphrasing and plagiarism communities.
Using qualitative reasoning for social simulation of crowds
Authors: Fridman Natalie , Kaminka Gal A.
Published: July 2013

The ability to model and reason about the potential violence level of a demonstration is important to the police decision making process. Unfortunately, existing knowledge regarding demonstrations is composed of partial qualitative descriptions without complete and precise numerical information. In this article we describe a first attempt to use qualitative reasoning techniques to model demonstrations. To our knowledge, such techniques have never been applied to modeling and reasoning regarding crowd behaviors, nor in particular demonstrations. We develop qualitative models consistent with the partial, qualitative social science literature, allowing us to model the interactions between different factors that influence violence in demonstrations. We then utilize qualitative simulation to predict the potential eruption of violence, at various levels, based on a description of the demographics, environmental settings, and police responses. We incrementally present and compare three such qualitative models. The results show that while two of these models fail to predict the outcomes of real-world events reported and analyzed in the literature, one model provides good results. We also examine whether a popular machine learning algorithm (decision tree learning) can be used. While the results show that the decision trees provide improved predictions, we show that the QR models can be more sensitive to changes, and can account for
what-if
scenarios, in contrast to decision trees. Moreover, we introduce a novel analysis algorithm that analyzes the QR simulations, to automatically determine the factors that are most important in influencing the outcome in specific real-world demonstrations. We show that the algorithm identifies factors that correspond to experts' analysis of these events.