bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SOIL SEED BANK CHARACTERISTICS BENEATH AN AGE SEQUENCE OF CARAGANA MICROPHYLLA SHRUBS IN THE HORQIN SANDY LAND REGION OF NORTHEASTERN CHINA
Authors: Li X. , Jiang D. , Zhou Q. , Oshida T.
Published: February 2012

To understand how shrub cover affects the spatiotemporal patterns of the soil seed bank and to assess the role of vegetation in the restoration of desertified land in a semi‐arid region of China, we investigated the species composition and seed density of the soil seed bank under and outside the canopies over two seasons for an age sequence of Caragana microphylla shrubs in the Horqin Sandy Land region, Inner Mongolia. The results showed that a total of 24 plant species seeds were present in the soil seed bank, of which 20 were annuals or biennials. The seed densities in the soil seed bank were in the range of 830 – 13882·5 seeds m−2 at 10 cm depth. Species richness in the soil seed bank did not increase as the shrubs aged, whereas the seed densities increased significantly. Five annual species: Setaria viridis, Eragrostis pilosa, Chenopodium acuminatum, Chenopodium glaucum and Corispermum acuminatum, contributed above 90 per cent of the seeds to the soil seed bank. On the basis of seed characteristics and seed reduction amount during the growing season, we concluded that it represents a mixture of persistent and transient seeds in different proportions. More seeds accumulated under the canopies than outside the mature shrub cover, but no significant difference was found the younger cover. These results suggest that shrub size and age had an important role in augmenting seed abundance of the soil seed bank but not the species richness. We confirmed the important effects of shrub cover on seed accumulation and vegetation recovery, especially the value of more mature age vegetation for countering land degradation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nanocomposites Based on Layered Silicates and Epoxy Resins: Measurement of Clay Dispersion and Exfoliation using TEM, Solid‐State NMR, and X‐ray Diffraction Methods
Authors: Jung Antje , Peter Karin , Demco Dan E. , Jehnichen Dieter , Moeller Martin
Published: February 2012

In an epoxy/layered silicate nanocomposite containing different organically modified layered silicats, the effect of various organic modifications and the layered silicate content on the layer distances are investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, and 1H solid‐state NMR. TEM micrographs were evaluated using a semi‐quantitative method. The effect of paramagnetic impurities present in the clay is used to obtain overall sample information related to the degree of exfoliation by 1H solid‐state NMR. A new model for determination of the degree of exfoliation by proton longitudinal relaxation rate measurements is developed.
Steam Processing of Regenerated Cellulose Fabric in Concentrated LiCl/Urea Solutions
Authors: Tatárová Ivana , MacNaughtan William , Manian Avinash P. , Široká Barbora , Bechtold Thomas
Published: February 2012

Regenerated cellulose fibres exhibit strong swelling in concentrated aqueous LiCl/urea solutions. Dependent on treatment temperature and solution composition, fibre diameter increases from 15 µm at room temperature in water to 46 µm in LiCl/urea solution. Treatment in such solution is an alternative to the processing of regenerated cellulose fibres in alkaline solutions. To limit the amount of swelling solution used, the final concentrated solution is formed in a superheated steam atmosphere at 120–130 °C by water evaporation and equilibration. As a result of the treatments the ability of the fibres to hold dye changes and shrinkage of the fabric is observed, while losses in strength and sample weight are not significant.

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Melt Mixing of a Styrene/Butadiene Copolymer with an Aqueous Slurry of Zirconium Phosphate as a Route for the Preparation of Nanocomposites
Authors: Hung Yvong , Carrot Christian , Chalamet Yvan , Dal Pont Kevin , Espuche Eliane
Published: February 2012

The preparation of functional nanocomposites by dispersion of a synthetic lamellar α‐ZrP within a styrene/butadiene random copolymer during melt compounding is described. It is shown how the physical and chemical incompatibility of filler and polymer can be overcome, and problems arising from the low viscosity ratio between slurry and polymer matrix are discussed. The aqueous phase can easily be eliminated at the end of the process. The dispersion of the ZrP requires the use of intercalants, and alkylamines were used for this purpose. XRD and TEM are used to characterize the degree of organization of ZrP in the slurries and in the matrix. DMA helps to understand the origin of the limited reinforcing effect.

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Tubular Polymer Nanoobjects with a Crosslinked Shell and Inward‐Grafted Polymer Brushes
Authors: Gao Lei , Zhu Wen , Zhang Ke , Chen Yongming
Published: February 2012

A simple route for preparing robust polymer nanotubes by SI‐ATRP within porous anodic aluminum oxide membranes and subsequent removal of the templates is presented. The nanotubes are composed of a crosslinked poly(styrene‐co‐divinylbenzene) shell and an inwardly grafted functional P4VP or PGMA brush‐like internal surface. The crosslinked skin endows the nanotubes with stability against organic solvents while the inwardly grafted polymer brushes supply the nanotubes with reactivity and functionalities. The inward PGMA hairs are post‐modified with sodium azides to introduce azido groups along tubular internal surfaces which are further reacted with propargyl alcohol. Structure and properties of the nanotubes are studied by SEM, TEM, LSCM, and FT‐IR spectroscopy.

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Synthesis of Poly(methyl methacrylate)‐Grafted Poly(ethylene‐co‐1‐octene) Copolymers by a “Grafting from” Melt Process
Authors: Badel Thierry , Beyou Emmanuel , Bounor‐Legaré Veronique , Chaumont Philippe , Cassagnau Philippe , Flat Jean Jacques , Michel Alain
Published: February 2012

Graft copolymers with a poly(ethylene‐co‐1‐octene) backbone and poly(methyl methacrylate) random polymer branches are successfully synthesized by the grafting‐from technique in the molten state. The in situ radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate from the polyolefin backbone is investigated with two different peroxide initiators at 135 and 150 °C, respectively. The number of PMMA grafts per polyolefin chain is varied from 0.08 to 1.07 with PMMA polymerization degrees of 500 and 18, respectively, depending on the experimental conditions. The effect of a nitroxyl‐based radical scavenger (i.e., DEPN) on competition between the grafting of PMMA from the polyolefin backbone and MMA homopolymerization is also explored.

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Characterization of the Mechanical Properties of Technical Fibers at Extreme Strain Rates
Authors: Bahners Thomas , Schloßer Uwe , Gutmann Jochen
Published: February 2012

Technical textiles can be subject to mechanical stress with strain rates far from the quasi‐static conditions of common standardized tests. The objective of the presented work was therefore to study the mechanical properties of technical yarns made of PA 6.6, PA 4.6, and PET under strain rates up to 200 s−1, making use of a “falling weight” apparatus. It can be summarized that the moduli at specific points of the stress–strain‐curve increase with the strain rate to values up to 50% higher than the data determined under quasi‐static strain. Saturation is observed for strain rates larger than 50 s−1. The analysis of failure morphology by scanning electron microscopy revealed molten material at the ends of broken fibers. This indicates thermal failure of the fibers due to local concentration of energy loading.

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Influence of Electron Beam Irradiation on the Mechanical Properties of Vegetable‐Oil‐Based Biopolymers
Authors: Thunga Mahendra , Xia Ying , Gohs Uwe , Heinrich Gert , Larock Richard C. , Kessler Michael R.
Published: February 2012

The influence of electron beam (EB) irradiation on the mechanical properties of biopolymers from modified linseed oil is studied. The thermoset is prepared by copolymerizing norbornenyl‐functionalized linseed oil and dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) by ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). EB irradiation of the bulk polymer results in a substantial increase in the crosslinking density. The residual carbon‐carbon double bonds remaining after ROMP are expected to act as further crosslinking sites upon exposure to the high‐energy electrons. The increase in the crosslinking density is studied by DMA and sol/gel fraction measurements from Soxhlet extraction. Tensile testing reveals that Young's modulus and tensile strength are enhanced after EB irradiation.

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Structure Formation of Integral Asymmetric Composite Membranes of Polystyrene‐block‐Poly(2‐vinylpyridine) on a Nonwoven
Authors: Jung Adina , Rangou Sofia , Abetz Clarissa , Filiz Volkan , Abetz Volker
Published: February 2012

The formation of an integral asymmetric membrane composed of a cylinder‐forming polystyrene‐block‐poly(2‐vinylpyridine) on a nonwoven by using solvent casting followed by solvent/nonsolvent exchange (phase inversion) is reported for the first time. The influence of parameters such as solvent composition, evaporation time of the solution‐cast block copolymer film before phase inversion, and immersion bath temperature is demonstrated. The optimized membranes are characterized in terms of stimuli‐responsive water flux properties. The morphologies of the membranes as well as of the bulk of the block copolymer are imaged by scanning force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy.

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Thermal and Photochemical Crosslinking of Hyperbranched Polyphenylene With Organic Azides
Authors: Pötzsch Robert , Voit Brigitte
Published: February 2012

Here, we report on the first example of crosslinking (CL) hyperbranched polyphenylene (hb–PPh) with a small molecule crosslinker 1,3,5‐tris(azidomethyl)benzene (TAMB). It was successfully shown that CL of the hb–PPh/TAMB (9:1) film is possible either thermally or photochemically making use of fundamentally different reaction mechanisms. Starting from a model reaction to prove the feasibility of the thermal CL reaction, we went on to check both the thermal and the photochemical crosslinkability of micrometer thick films. IR spectroscopy was furthermore used to confirm the CL process. Finally, the thin film morphology of the films before and after CL was investigated by AFM, revealing that the surface morphology was unaffected by the CL processes.
A theoretical analysis of a new finite volume scheme for second order hyperbolic equations on general nonconforming multidimensional spatial meshes
Authors: Bradji Abdallah
Published: February 2012

We consider the wave equation, on a multidimensional spatial domain. The discretization of the spatial domain is performed using a general class of nonconforming meshes which has been recently studied for stationary anisotropic heterogeneous diffusion problems, see Eymard et al. (IMAJ Numer Anal 30 (2010), 1009–1043). The discretization in time is performed using a uniform mesh. We derive a new implicit finite volume scheme approximating the wave equation and we prove error estimates of the finite volume approximate solution in several norms which allow us to derive error estimates for the approximations of the exact solution and its first derivatives. We prove in particular, when the discrete flux is calculated using a stabilized discrete gradient, the convergence order is
\documentclass{article} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \begin{align*} h_\mathcal{D}\end{align*} \end{document}
(resp. k) is the mesh size of the spatial (resp. time) discretization. This estimate is valid under the regularity assumption
\documentclass{article} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \begin{align*}u\in C^3(\lbrack 0,T\rbrack;C^2(\overline{\Omega}))\end{align*} \end{document}
for the exact solution u. The proof of these error estimates is based essentially on a comparison between the finite volume approximate solution and an auxiliary finite volume approximation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2013
Determination of Aflatoxins in Medicinal Herbs by High‐performance Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Liu Lina , Jin Hongyu , Sun Lei , Ma Shuangcheng , Lin Ruichao
Published: February 2012

Introduction

We report a rapid and accurate method to determine the natural occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs) B1, B2, G1 and G2 in medicinal herbs and the analysis of 174 commercial samples by this method.

Objective

The aim of the present work is to examine the occurrence of the aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 in common medicinal herbs.

Methodology

The AFs were extracted, purified by immunoaffinity column and analysed by high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry with electrospray ionisation (HPLC–MS/MS).

Results

The AFs can be separated within 6 min using an Agilent XDB C18‐column. The target analyte AFB1 could be detected at 0.14 µg/kg. A good linear relationship was found for AFG1 and AFB1 in 1–100 pg and AFG2 and AFB2 in 0.8–30 pg (r > 0.9995). The analyte recovery under three different spiking levels was 64–100% with the relative standard deviations (RSD) below 8.19%.

Conclusion

This simple and accurate method effectively eliminates false positive detection and can be used to determine the AFs in medicinal herbs to control product quality. We found that in the 174 samples tested, 27 were contaminated with AFs. The incidences of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 in the samples tested were 15.52%, 14.37%, 6.32% and 2.30%, respectively. We proposed 10 µg/kg total AFs and 5 µg/kg AFB1 as the reasonable maximum limits (ML) in medicinal herbs, and there are 10 samples (5.71% occurrence) in our test that exceeded this proposed limit. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of water activity on the sorption and diffusion of water in thermosets based on polyester, vinyl ester, and novolac resins
Authors: Römhild S. , Hedenqvist M.S. , Bergman G.
Published: February 2012

In this work, the transport properties of water in various thermoset resins typically used for fiber‐reinforced plastic process equipment (vinyl ester, novolac, bisphenol‐A‐epoxy‐based polyester, and urethane‐modified vinyl ester) were systematically studied with a focus on the effects of water activity. Sorption and desorption studies were carried out in aqueous solutions (water activity = 0.78–1) with different salts (NaCl, MgCl2, Na2SO4, and KCl) and one nonionic substance (sucrose) within the temperature interval 65–95°C. It was found that the water concentration in thermoset resins with different chemical structures could be predicted from the water activity, regardless of the actual solute (salt or sucrose) in the aqueous solution. The water quasi‐equilibrium concentration decreased with decreasing water activity, whereas the average diffusion coefficient was considered to be independent of water activity in the studied water activity range. A relationship, based on a power law fit, was established describing the water concentration as a function of the water activity and the concentration of pure water. The relationship was independent of resin chemistry and temperature. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Systematic experimental study on mechanical behavior of PVB (polyvinyl butyral) material under various loading conditions
Authors: Liu Bohan , Sun Yueting , Li Yibing , Wang Yan , Ge Dongyun , Xu Jun
Published: February 2012

The mechanical behavior of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) significantly influences crashworthiness and energy mitigation abilities of windshields in terms of pedestrian safety. In this article, mechanical characteristics of PVB are experimentally studied. First, tension and compression experiments on PVB specimen are carried out under various quasi‐static loading rates. Fundamental mechanism of rate‐dependent behavior is investigated. Besides, dynamic tension and compression experimental data are compared to investigate the mechanical behavior of PVB in a whole strain rate region and it is found that PVB behaves as a visco‐elastic material under compressive loadings in both quasi‐static and dynamic situations; however, in tension experiments, stress–strain curves of PVB under dynamic loadings are elasto‐plastic while those under quasi‐static loadings are visco‐elastic. Considering all the unique characteristics of PVB's behavior, constitutive models are then established based on Zhu‐Wang‐Tang model mathematically. Further, unit volume energy absorption of every experiment in quasi‐static tension and compression are calculated as well as the stress intensify factor. In addition, visco‐elasticity part in the constitutive model is employed. Results may offer useful experiment data and important constitutive characteristics of PVB material to further studies of automotive crashworthiness and pedestrian protection. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
A study on electrical and thermal conductivities of ethylene–octene copolymer/expandable graphite composites
Authors: Svoboda Petr , Theravalappil Rajesh , Poongavalappil Sameepa , Vilcakova Jarmila , Svobodova Dagmar , Mokrejs Pavel , Blaha Antonin
Published: February 2012

A series of ethylene–octene copolymer (EOC) composites have been prepared by melt‐mixing with different weight ratios of expandable graphite filler (0–50% by weight). Electrical conductivity [both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC)] and thermal conductivity studies were carried out. Effect of filler loading and frequency on electrical conductivity was studied. DC conductivity has increased from 1.51 × 10−13 S cm−1 to 1.17 × 10−1 S cm−1. Percolation threshold by DC and also AC methods was observed at about 16 vol% of the filler. Real part of permittivity was found to be decreasing with increase in frequency while conductivity was increasing. Thermal conductivity was also found to be increasing gradually from 0.196 to 0.676 Wm−1 K−1 which is about 245% increase. Graphite not only increases the electrical and thermal conductivities but at and above 40 wt%, also acts as a halogen‐free, environmental friendly flame retardant. Shore‐A hardness of EOC/graphite composites shows that even with high graphite loading, the hardness is increased from about 50–68 only so that the rubbery nature of the composite is not affected very much. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Experimental study for starve‐fed single screw extrusion of thermoplastics
Authors: Wilczyński Krzysztof , Lewandowski Adrian , Wilczyński Krzysztof J.
Published: February 2012

An experimental study of the polymer behavior in a starve‐fed single screw extrusion is presented. Various polymeric materials, semicrystalline low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and (LDPE/PS) polyblends were investigated at various operating conditions. A “screw pulling‐out” technique was used to study polymer behavior along the screw. The solid conveying, melting position, the extent of starvation, and the fully filled regions were observed. Polymer samples were stripped off from the screw which was removed from the machine to investigate melting mechanism. It was seen that filling of the screw channel increases with the flow rate at a fixed screw speed, and decreases with the screw speed at a fixed flow rate. Contiguous solids melting mechanism was observed for flood fed extrusion, but it was not observed for starve‐fed extrusion. A new two‐stage physical model of polymer melting has been proposed with conductive mechanism for melting in the starve‐fed region and dispersed melting mechanism in the fully filled region. Melting action seems to be faster for starve feeding than for flood feeding, since the pellets are not compacted into a dense solid bed. It was observed that the pressure and power consumption considerably decrease with starvation. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Modern health worries and personality
Authors: Furnham Adrian , Strait Luciana , Hughes David J
Published: February 2012

Using self‐report data, we investigated whether personality traits are associated with, or predictive of, modern health worries (MHWs), which are popular concerns that people have that their health is threatened by modernity. Three‐hundred and one British participants completed a questionnaire that measured MHWs, the Big Five personality traits and personal demographics. Results showed that openness‐to‐experience and conscientiousness were significantly correlated with MHWs and were significant predictors of MHWs. Those with high scores on openness‐to‐experience and conscientiousness showed higher MHWs scores. Religiousness was also shown to be strongly related to MHWs. Surprisingly, there were few significant associations between MHWs and trait neuroticism. It is concluded that MHWs are moderately associated with personality traits. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are also discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PASSEL: The PeptideAtlas SRMexperiment library
Authors: Farrah Terry , Deutsch Eric W. , Kreisberg Richard , Sun Zhi , Campbell David S. , Mendoza Luis , Kusebauch Ulrike , Brusniak Mi‐Youn , Hüttenhain Ruth , Schiess Ralph , Selevsek Nathalie , Aebersold Ruedi , Moritz Robert L.
Published: February 2012

Public repositories for proteomics data have accelerated proteomics research by enabling more efficient cross‐analyses of datasets, supporting the creation of protein and peptide compendia of experimental results, supporting the development and testing of new software tools, and facilitating the manuscript review process. The repositories available to date have been designed to accommodate either shotgun experiments or generic proteomic data files. Here, we describe a new kind of proteomic data repository for the collection and representation of data from selected reaction monitoring (SRM) measurements. The PeptideAtlas SRM Experiment Library (PASSEL) allows researchers to easily submit proteomic data sets generated by SRM. The raw data are automatically processed in a uniform manner and the results are stored in a database, where they may be downloaded or browsed via a web interface that includes a chromatogram viewer. PASSELenables cross‐analysis of SRMdata, supports optimization of SRMdata collection, and facilitates the review process of SRMdata. Further, PASSELwill help in the assessment of proteotypic peptide performance in a wide array of samples containing the same peptide, as well as across multiple experimental protocols.
Toward deciphering proteomes of formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) tissues
Authors: Magdeldin Sameh , Yamamoto Tadashi
Published: February 2012

Formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) tissue specimens comprise a potentially valuable resource for both prospective and retrospective biomarker discovery. Unlocking the proteomic profile of clinicopathological FFPE tissues is a critically essential step for annotating clinical findings and predicting biomarkers for ultimate disease prognosis and therapeutic follow‐up.
Protein determinants of phage T4 lysis inhibition
Authors: Moussa Samir H. , Kuznetsov Vladimir , Tran Tram Anh T. , Sacchettini James C. , Young Ry
Published: February 2012

Genetic studies have established that lysis inhibition in bacteriophage T4 infections occurs when the RI antiholin inhibits the lethal hole‐forming function of the T holin. The T‐holin is composed of a single N‐terminal transmembrane domain and a ∼20 kDa periplasmic domain. It accumulates harmlessly throughout the bacteriophage infection cycle until suddenly causing permeabilization of the inner membrane, thereby initiating lysis. The RI antiholin has a SAR domain that directs its secretion to the periplasm, where it can either be inactivated and degraded or be activated as a specific inhibitor of T. Previously, it was shown that the interaction of the soluble domains of these two proteins within the periplasm was necessary for lysis inhibition. We have purified and characterized the periplasmic domains of both T and RI. Both proteins were purified in a modified host that allows disulfide bond formation in the cytoplasm, due to the functional requirement of conserved disulfide bonds. Analytical centrifugation and circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that RI was monomeric and exhibited ∼80% alpha‐helical content. In contrast, T exhibited a propensity to oligomerize and precipitate at high concentrations. Incubation of RI with T inhibits this aggregation and results in a complex of equimolar T and RI content. Although gel filtration analysis indicated a complex mass of 45 kDa, intermediate between the predicted 30 kDa heterodimer and 60 kDa heterotetramer, sedimentation velocity analysis indicated that the predominant species is the former. These results suggest that RI binding to T is necessary and sufficient for lysis inhibition.
Activity, stability, and structure of metagenome‐derived LC11‐RNase H1, a homolog of Sulfolobus tokodaii RNase H1
Authors: Nguyen Tri‐Nhan , Angkawidjaja Clement , Kanaya Eiko , Koga Yuichi , Takano Kazufumi , Kanaya Shigenori
Published: February 2012

Metagenome‐derived LC11‐RNase H1 is a homolog of Sulfolobus tokodaii RNase H1 (Sto‐RNase H1). It lacks a C‐terminal tail, which is responsible for hyperstabilization of Sto‐RNase H1. Sto‐RNase H1 is characterized by its ability to cleave not only an RNA/DNA hybrid but also a double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA). To examine whether LC11‐RNase H1 also exhibits both RNase H and dsRNase activities, LC11‐RNase H1 was overproduced in Escherichia coli, purified, and characterized. LC11‐RNase H1 exhibited RNase H activity with similar metal ion preference, optimum pH, and cleavage mode of substrate with those of Sto‐RNase H1. However, LC11‐RNase H1 did not exhibit dsRNase activity at any condition examined. LC11‐RNase H1 was less stable than Sto‐RNases H1 and its derivative lacking the C‐terminal tail (Sto‐RNase H1ΔC6) by 37 and 13°C in Tm, respectively. To understand the structural bases for these differences, the crystal structure of LC11‐RNase H1 was determined at 1.4 Å resolution. The LC11‐RNase H1 structure is highly similar to the Sto‐RNase H1 structure. However, LC11‐RNase H1 has two grooves on protein surface, one containing the active site and the other containing DNA‐phosphate binding pocket, while Sto‐RNase H1 has one groove containing the active site. In addition, LC11‐RNase H1 contains more cavities and buried charged residues than Sto‐RNase H1. We propose that LC11‐RNase H1 does not exhibit dsRNase activity because dsRNA cannot fit to the two grooves on protein surface and that LC11‐RNase H1 is less stable than Sto‐RNase H1ΔC6 because of the increase in cavity volume and number of buried charged residues.
Clustering algorithm based on mutual K‐nearest neighbor relationships
Authors: Hu Zhen , Bhatnagar Raj
Published: February 2012

Clustering algorithms for data with varying densities have been investigated in the past and there are some data situations and clustering needs that are not handled well by these algorithms. We present here an algorithm for such situations in which multiple, possibly overlapping, clusters exist and need to be identified by their density as the defining characteristic. In this paper, we define the idea of mutual K‐nearest neighbors (MKNN) relationship based on inter‐point affinities and use it as a basis for discovering the above‐mentioned types of clusters. With a synthetic and two real‐world datasets we show that our algorithm delivers the type of clustering results and robustness that we seek to achieve, and the performance is better than what is achievable by other algorithms. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 2012
Lessons from the Trenches: Twenty Years of Using Systems Thinking in Natural Resource Conflict Situations
Authors: Daniels Steven E. , Walker Gregg B.
Published: February 2012

Natural resource management is rich with systems complexity, which is amplified when interest group politics and tactics create an overlay of strategic behaviors. For the past two decades, systems thinking techniques have comprised a key part of the Collaborative Learning facilitation methodology in natural resources management and environmental policy decision making. This essay focuses specifically on the contribution that systems thinking makes to the facilitation of natural resource conflict, drawing upon broad observations drawn from a number of applications. The discussion provides a context for understanding the systemic complexity of natural resource conflicts, offers a brief summary of a particular systems‐based facilitation paradigm (i.e. Collaborative Learning), and then presents a set of lessons that have emerged from 20 years of application. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Progressive collapse behavior of rotor‐type diagrid buildings
Authors: Kim Jinkoo , Kong Jieun
Published: February 2012

In this study, the progressive collapse‐resisting capacities of axi‐symmetric or rotor‐type diagrid structural system buildings were evaluated based on arbitrary column removal scenario. For analysis models, 33‐story buildings with cylindrical, convex, concave and gourd shapes were designed, and their nonlinear static and dynamic analysis results were compared. The effect of design variables such as the number of total stories, slope of diagrids and the location of removed members was also investigated. According to the analysis results, the rotor‐type diagrid structures showed sufficient progressive collapse‐resisting capacity regardless of the differences in shapes when a couple of diagrids were removed from the first story. The design parameter such as building height and the slope of the diagrids did not affect the results significantly as long as they were designed to meet the current design code. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An accurate determination of the K‐shell X‐ray fluorescence yield of silicon
Authors: Hopman T. L. , Heirwegh C. M. , Campbell J. L. , Krumrey M. , Scholze F.
Published: February 2012

A measurement of the K‐shell fluorescence yield of silicon is undertaken in which identified sources of systematic errors in previous measurements are reduced or eliminated. This enables a stringent test of the only two sets of theoretical predictions available for atomic numbers less than 18. Our result ωK = 0.0495 ± 0.0015 is very slightly lower than the non‐relativistic Hartree‐Fock‐Slater (HFS) prediction of 0.0514. This stringent test of the HFS predictions helps to refine the fundamental parameter database of the X‐ray fluorescence analysis technique, whose importance for light elements is increasing. Our work indicates the need for new theoretical calculations of K‐shell fluorescence yields for these elements. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessing a candidate IIA dual to metastable supersymmetry-breaking
Authors: Giecold Gregory , Goi Enrico , Orsi Francesco
Published: February 2012

Abstract

We analyze the space of linearized non-supersymmetric deformations around a IIA solution found by Cvetič, Gibbons, Lü and Pope (CGLP) in hep-th/0101096. We impose boundary conditions aimed at singling out among those perturbations the ones describing the backreaction of anti-D2 branes on the CGLP background. The corresponding supergravity solution is a would-be dual to a metastable supersymmetry-breaking state. However, it turns out that this candidate bulk solution is inevitably riddled with IR divergences of its flux densities and action, whose physical meaning and implications for models of string cosmology call for further investigation.
Mapping of the ms8 male sterility gene in sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) on the chromosome P4 using PCR-based markers useful for breeding programmes
Authors: Bartoszewski Grzegorz , Waszczak Cezary , Gawroński Piotr , Stępień Iwona , Bolibok-Brągoszewska Hanna , Palloix Alain , Lefebvre Véronique , Korzeniewska Aleksandra , Niemirowicz-Szczytt Katarzyna
Published: February 2012

The nuclear male sterility gene ms8 is expected to facilitate the production of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) hybrids as it provides means for hybridization without the labor-intensive hand emasculation of female inbred lines. The development of molecular markers linked to ms8 locus will help the breeding practice for the selection of hybrid parental lines. In this study, F2 population resulting from a cross between the sweet pepper male sterile line 320 and the male fertile variety Elf was used to identify DNA markers linked to the ms8 locus. With the use of RAPD–BSA technique, seven markers linked to the ms8 locus were found. Four of them were converted into SCAR markers. In addition, two COSII/CAPS markers linked to the ms8 locus were identified. Comparative mapping with reference pepper maps indicated that the ms8 locus is located on the lower arm of the pepper chromosome P4. Identified markers are useful for molecular breeding, however, at present markers tightly linked to ms8 locus are still lacking. Identification of molecular markers linked to the ms8 locus and determination of its chromosomal localization are useful for fine mapping and also provide the perspective for ms8 gene cloning.
A multi-layer model for nonlinear internal wave propagation in shallow water
Authors: Liu Philip L.-F. , Wang Xiaoming
Published: February 2012

In this paper, a multi-layer model is developed for the purpose of studying nonlinear internal wave propagation in shallow water. The methodology employed in constructing the multi-layer model is similar to that used in deriving Boussinesq-type equations for surface gravity waves. It can also be viewed as an extension of the two-layer model developed by Choi & Camassa. The multi-layer model approximates the continuous density stratification by an $N$-layer fluid system in which a constant density is assumed in each layer. This allows the model to investigate higher-mode internal waves. Furthermore, the model is capable of simulating large-amplitude internal waves up to the breaking point. However, the model is limited by the assumption that the total water depth is shallow in comparison with the wavelength of interest. Furthermore, the vertical vorticity must vanish, while the horizontal vorticity components are weak. Numerical examples for strongly nonlinear waves are compared with laboratory data and other numerical studies in a two-layer fluid system. Good agreement is observed. The generation and propagation of mode-1 and mode-2 internal waves and their interactions with bottom topography are also investigated.
Du «spectateur impartial» au «travailleur impartial», un commentaire sur la relation entre philosophie morale et économie politique chez Adam Smith selon Jean Mathiot
Authors: Campagnolo Gilles
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT: As Smith freed moral philosophy from former control bodies (the Church, the state), the Scottish philosopher opened the field for a scientific political economy. In hisAdam Smith. Philosophie et économie(Paris, Presses universitaires de France, 1990, p. 45), Jean Mathiot asked :«Should then one wonder that his [Smith’s] audacious stand became the historical grounding stone for political economy, then bringing recognition as an objectively-grounded field of knowledge?»Mathiot’s text and thought have been little debated to this day; this essay is meant to fill that gap, in particular with regard to the history of Smith’s reception in France. Mathiot sought to understand better the “impartial spectator” using a new character whom he claimed Smith was implicitly sketching, and whom he called “the impartial laborer”. To Mathiot’s mind, from theTheory of moral sentiments(1759) to theWealth of Nations(1776), the link is nothing else than Smith’s own philosophy.
Spinoza’s Two Views of Substance
Authors: Lucash Frank
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT: Substance is the central idea in Spinoza’s philosophy, but it is not always clear which view of substance he adopts. Is substance the totality of nature or everything that exists or is it not? In taking a fresh look at his view of substance, I will first demonstrate that he takes both views. Secondly, I will show that each view does not contradict the other. Thirdly, I will see what consequences each view has for other ideas in his philosophy. Finally, I will explain the relationship between the two views.
Hegel, Peirce, and Royce on the Concept of Essence
Authors: Kaag John
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT: This article focuses on the role that Hegel’s concept of essence (Wesen) played in the thinking of Charles Sanders Peirce and Josiah Royce, two of the primary figures in the canon of classical American philosophy. It elaborates on Robert Stern’s discussion of Hegel and Peirce by claiming that the second book of Hegel’s Logic, entitled “The Doctrine of Essence,” can be understood as Hegel’s attempt to account for the experimental and turbulent character of human experience, a character that Peirce would term “Secondness.” While Pierce remained dissatisfied with Hegel’s relative neglect of Secondness, Peirce recognized the importance of this attempt in the yearly years of the twentieth century, with the help of the Josiah Royce’s detailed understanding of Hegel.
The Infinite and the Indeterminate in Spinoza
Authors: Dea Shannon
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACT: I argue that when Spinoza describes substance and its attributes as “infinite,” he means that they are utterly indeterminate. That is, his conception of infinitude is not a mathematical one. For Spinoza, anything truly infinite eludes counting – not because it is so large as to be uncountable, but because it is just not the kind of thing that can be enumerated or measured. Contra the contemporary mathematical conception of the infinite, I argue that Spinoza’s conception is closer to a grammatical one. I conclude by considering a number of arguments against this account of the Spinozan infinite as indeterminate.
Dance and Subtraction: Notes on Alain Badiou's Inaesthetics
Authors: Clark Jonathan Owen
Published: February 2012

In an essay entirely devoted to the subject of dance in Alain Badiou's Handbook of Inaesthetics [Petit manuel d'inesthétique (Badiou 2005b)], we find the following contentious statement: “Dance is not an art, because it is the sign of the possibility of art as inscribed in the body” (69). At first glance, this statement seems strangely familiar to the reader versed in writing about dance, particularly philosophical writing. “Dance is not an art”: Badiou critiques Mallarmé as not realizing this as the true import of his ideas. It is familiar because it attests to a certain problem in aesthetic thinking, one that relates to the placement and position of dance and the works that comprise its history into what can be seen as certain evaluative hierarchies, particularly vis à vis the relation of dance to other art forms, and in particular, those involving speech and writing. Dance seems to suffer from a certain marginalization, subtraction, or exclusion, and its practice seems to occupy a place of the perennial exception, problem, or special case. The strangeness of the statement, on the other hand, relates to the widespread view outside of academic writing that the status of dance “as art” is actually completely unproblematic. What follows therefore is a critical commentary on this assertion of Badiou, placed both in the context of Badiou's writing, and in the wider one pertaining to the problem of exclusion just outlined.
Free surface flow past topography: A beyond-all-orders approach
Authors: LUSTRI CHRISTOPHER J. , MCCUE SCOTT W. , BINDER BENJAMIN J.
Published: February 2012

The problem of steady subcritical free surface flow past a submerged inclined step is considered. The asymptotic limit of small Froude number is treated, with particular emphasis on the effect that changing the angle of the step face has on the surface waves. As demonstrated by Chapman & Vanden-Broeck, (2006) Exponential asymptotics and gravity waves.J. Fluid Mech.567, 299–326, the divergence of a power series expansion in powers of the square of the Froude number is caused by singularities in the analytic continuation of the free surface; for an inclined step, these singularities may correspond to either the corners or stagnation points of the step, or both, depending on the angle of inclination. Stokes lines emanate from these singularities, and exponentially small waves are switched on at the point the Stokes lines intersect with the free surface. Our results suggest that for a certain range of step angles, two wavetrains are switched on, but the exponentially subdominant one is switched on first, leading to an intermediate wavetrain not previously noted. We extend these ideas to the problem of flow over a submerged bump or trench, again with inclined sides. This time there may be two, three or four active Stokes lines, depending on the inclination angles. We demonstrate how to construct a base topography such that wave contributions from separate Stokes lines are of equal magnitude but opposite phase, thus cancelling out. Our asymptotic results are complemented by numerical solutions to the fully nonlinear equations.
Aristotle
Authors: Hursthouse Rosalind
Published: February 2012

Aristotle (384–322 BC) was born in Stagira, Macedonia. He went to Athens and entered Plato's Academy when he was eighteen. He remained there until Plato's death in about 347 BC, when he left Athens to spend the next five years at Assos in Asia Minor and at Mytilene on the island of Lesbos, working on philosophy and biology. In 343 he was invited to return to Macedonia to tutor the son of Philip II of Macedonia, the future Alexander the Great. This lasted three or four years. After a further period at Stagira, Aristotle returned to Athens where he opened a philosophical school at the Lyceum or Peripatos. On the death of Alexander in 323 there was anti-Macedonian feeling in Athens, and to avoid the same fate as Socrates, Aristotle took refuge in Chalcis on the island of Euboea, leaving the school in the charge of his pupil Theophrastus. He died the following year.
David Hume
Authors: Craig Edward
Published: February 2012

David Hume (1711–1776) was born in Scotland and attended Edinburgh University. In 1734, after a brief spell in a merchant's office in Bristol, he went to France to write A Treatise of Human Nature, published anonymously in 1739 (Books I and II) and 1740 (Book III). An Abstract, also anonymous and written as if by someone other than the author of the Treatise, appeared about the same time, and provides an invaluable account, in a brief compass, of what Hume thought most important about the Treatise. The Treatise was not well received, and Hume was unsuccessful in his candidature for the chair of moral philosophy at Edinburgh. He rewrote Book I of the Treatise, adding a controversial discussion of miracles and providence; and a revision of this was published as An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding in 1748. His Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, which was a rewriting of Book III of the Treatise, was published in 1751, and his Dissertation on the Passions, corresponding to Book II of the Treatise, but with significant omissions, such as the account of the psychological mechanism of sympathy, in 1757. In 1752 he had been made keeper of the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh, and wrote his History of England which, at the time, brought him more approbation than his philosophy. During this time, he wrote the Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, published posthumously in 1779. In 1763 he became secretary to the British Embassy in Paris. He returned to London in 1766, and a year later was Undersecretary of State. In 1769 he returned to Edinburgh and worked on final editions of his writings, and on an autobiography, dated 18 April 1776, a few months before his death.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Authors: Tanner Michael
Published: February 2012

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) was born in the village of Röcken, in Prussian Saxony, the son and grandson of Lutheran ministers. He studied theology and classical philosophy at the University of Bonn, but in 1865 he gave up theology and went to Leipzig. Then he discovered the composer Richard Wagner and the philosophers Schopenhauer and F. A. Lange (author of History of Materialism and Critique of its Present Significance, 1866). He won a prize for an essay on Diogenes Laertius, the biographer of ancient Greek philosophers, and was appointed associate professor of classical philology at Basel, when he was only twenty-four. He became a full professor the following year. His principle writings between then and 1879, when illness made him resign from the university, were The Birth of Tragedy (1872) and Human, All Too Human (1878). After his resignation his principal writings were Daybreak (1881), The Gay Science (1882), Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Parts 1 and 2 published 1883, Part 3 published 1884, Part 4 issued privately 1885, published 1892), Beyond Good and Evil (1886), On the Genealogy of Morals (1887), The Wagner Case (1888) and Twilight of the Idols (1888). Nietzsche became insane in January 1889, and vegetated until his death in 1900. His madness was probably tertiary syphilis, which he may have contracted while ministering to sick soldiers in 1870 as a medical orderly in the Franco-Prussian war.
Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil
Authors: Tanner Michael
Published: February 2012

Although Nietzsche's greatness is recognized more universally now than ever before, the nature of that greatness is still widely misunderstood, and that unfortunately means that before I discuss any of Beyond Good and Evil (henceforth BGE) in any detail, I must make some general remarks about his work, his development and the kind of way in which I think that it is best to read him. Unlike any of the other philosophers that this series includes, except Marx and Engels, Nietzsche is very much concerned to address his contemporaries, because he was aware of a specific historical predicament, one which he would only see as having worsened in ways which he predicted with astonishing precision in the century since he wrote his great series of works. For he was above all a philosopher of culture, which is to say that his primary concern was always with the forces that determine the nature of a particular civilization, and with the possibilities of achievement which that civilization consequently had open to it. One of the reasons that The Birth of Tragedy, his first book, published when he was twenty-eight, created such a surge of hostility in the world of classical scholarship was that in it, whilst undertaking an investigation of what made possible the achievements of fifth century BC Greece in tragic drama, he felt it necessary to elicit the whole set of fundamental beliefs which the Greeks shared, and also to draw metaphysical conclusions from the fact that they were able to experience life in such a way that they needed great tragedies in order to endure it.
Russell on Acquaintance
Authors: Sainsbury R. M.
Published: February 2012

In Russell's Problems of Philosophy (PP), acquaintance is the basis of thought and also the basis of empirical knowledge. Thought is based on acquaintance, in that a thinker has to be acquainted with the basic constituents of his thoughts. Empirical knowledge is based on acquaintance, in that acquaintance is involved in perception, and perception is the ultimate source of all empirical knowledge.