bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learning rich semantics from news video archives by style analysis
Authors: Snoek Cees G. M. , Worring Marcel , Hauptmann Alexander G.
Published: July 2006

We propose a generic and robust framework for news video indexing which we founded on a broadcast news production model. We identify within this model four production phases, each providing useful metadata for annotation. In contrast to semiautomatic indexing approaches which exploit this information at production time, we adhere to an automatic data-driven approach. To that end, we analyze a digital news video using a separate set of multimodal detectors for each production phase. By combining the resulting production-derived features into a statistical classifier ensemble, the framework facilitates robust classification of several
rich
semantic concepts in news video; rich meaning that concepts share many similarities in their production process. Experiments on an archive of 120 hours of news video from the 2003 TRECVID benchmark show that a combined analysis of production phases yields the best results. In addition, we demonstrate that the accuracy of the proposed style analysis framework for classification of several rich semantic concepts is state-of-the-art.
Smooth and efficient real-time video transport in the presence of wireless errors
Authors: Yang Guang , Sun Tony , Gerla Mario , Sanadidi M. Y. , Chen Ling-Jyh
Published: July 2006

In this article we study a smooth and efficient transport protocol for real-time video over wireless networks. The proposed scheme, named the video transport protocol (VTP), has a new and unique end-to-end rate control mechanism that aims to avoid drastic rate fluctuations while maintaining friendliness to legacy protocols. VTP is also equipped with an achieved rate estimation scheme and a loss discrimination algorithm, both end-to-end, to cope with random errors in wireless networks efficiently. We show by analysis that VTP preserves most of the convergence properties of AIMD and converges to its fair share fast. VTP is compared to two recent TCP friendly rate control (TFRC) extensions, namely TFRC Wireless and MULTFRC, in wired-cum-wireless scenarios in Ns-2. Results show that VTP excels in all tested scenarios in terms of smoothness, fairness, and opportunistic friendliness. VTP is also implemented to work with a video camera and an H.263 video codec as part of our hybrid testbed, where its good performance as a transport layer protocol is confirmed by measurement results.
Automatic summarization of music videos
Authors: Shao Xi , Xu Changsheng , Maddage Namunu C. , Tian Qi , Kankanhalli Mohan S. , Jin Jesse S.
Published: July 2006

In this article, we propose a novel approach for automatic music video summarization. The proposed summarization scheme is different from the current methods used for video summarization. The music video is separated into the music track and video track. For the music track, a music summary is created by analyzing the music content using music features, an adaptive clustering algorithm, and music domain knowledge. Then, shots in the video track are detected and clustered. Finally, the music video summary is created by aligning the music summary and clustered video shots. Subjective studies by experienced users have been conducted to evaluate the quality of music summaries and effectiveness of the proposed summarization approach. Experiments are performed on different genres of music videos and comparisons are made with the summaries generated based on music track, video track, and manually. The evaluation results indicate that summaries generated using the proposed method are effective in helping realize users' expectations.
What’s on Your Hard Drive?
Authors: O'Hanlon Charlene
Published: July 2006

Whether you love ’em or hate ’em, dev tools play an integral role in a programmer’s existence.
Logging on with KV
Authors: Neville-Neil George
Published: July 2006

Dear KV, I’ve been stuck with writing the logging system for a new payment processing system at work. As you might imagine, this requires logging a lot of data because we have to be able to reconcile the data in our logs with our customers and other users, such as credit card companies, at the end of each billing cycle, and we have to be prepared if there is any argument over the bill itself. I’ve been given the job for two reasons: because I’m the newest person in the group and because no one thinks writing yet another logging system is very interesting. I’ve not gotten a lot of help from the other people on the team, who claim to have written "far more logging systems in their time than they want to think about." Do you have any advice on doing up a proper logging system?
ASPs: The Integration Challenge
Authors: Takeuchi Len
Published: July 2006

Organizations using ASPs and third-party vendors that provide value-added products to ASPs need to integrate with them. ASPs enable this integration by providing Web service-based APIs. There are significant differences between integrating with ASPs over the Internet and integrating with a local application. When integrating with ASPs, users have to consider a number of issues, including latency, unavailability, upgrades, performance, load limiting, and lack of transaction support.
Software Development Amidst the Whiz of Silver Bullets...
Authors: Bell Alex E.
Published: July 2006

Veterans of the software industry will attest to having seen a number of silver bullets come and go in their time. The argentum projectiles of yesteryear, such as OO, high-level software languages, and IDEs, are now obvious to have been only low-grade alloys compared with the fine silver being discharged today. For example, today’s silver bullets have demonstrated an unparalleled ability to provide implicit value to both text and diagrams, the power to shift the economics of software development, and a capacity to change the focus of long-established engineering disciplines. Only the passage of time will reveal the new and amazing capabilities promised of future silver bullets yet to whiz by.
The Domino Effect
Authors: O'Hanlon Charlene
Published: July 2006

Sometimes, the undertaking of a task leads to a result far different from the expected. Any homeowner can attest to that. Case in point: About four years ago, after living in my cozy little cape for about two years, I decided to replace the toilet in the upstairs bathroom because it had not been installed properly, which made me nervous each time it was used. How it survived 20 years I will never know, but I was adamant that it needed to be replaced.
What’s on Your Hard Drive?
Authors: O'Hanlon Charlene
Published: July 2006

Do you sometimes find yourself screaming incoherently at your monitor?
Phishing for Solutions
Authors: Neville-Neil George
Published: July 2006

Dear KV, I noticed you covered cross-site scripting a few issues back, and I’m wondering if you have any advice on another Web problem, phishing. I work at a large financial institution and every time we roll out a new service, the security team comes down on us because either the login page looks different or they claim that it’s easy to phish information from our users using one of our forms. It’s not like we want our users to be phished, but I don’t think it’s a technical problem. Our users are just stupid and give away their information to anyone who seems willing to put up a reasonable fake of one of our pages. I mean, come on, doesn’t the URL give away enough information?
Review of "Protect your Windows Network: From Perimeter to Data by Jesper Johansson and Steve Riely," Addison-Wesley Professional, 2005, $49.99, ISBN: 0321336437.
Authors: Tomek Andreas
Published: July 2006

Review of "Protect your Windows Network: From Perimeter to Data by Jesper Johansson and Steve Riely," Addison-Wesley Professional, 2005, $49.99, ISBN: 0321336437.
Review of "High-Assurance Design: Architecting Secure and Reliable Enterprise Applications by Clifford Berg," Addison-Wesley Professional, 2005, $54.99, ISBN: 0321375777.
Authors: Hacken George
Published: July 2006

Review of "High-Assurance Design: Architecting Secure and Reliable Enterprise Applications by Clifford Berg," Addison-Wesley Professional, 2005, $54.99, ISBN: 0321375777.
Calendar
Authors: O'Hanlon Charlene
Published: July 2006

Business Process Management Conference
Optimal simultaneous module and multivoltage assignment for low power
Authors: Chen Deming , Cong Jason , Xu Junjuan
Published: July 2006

Reducing power consumption through high-level synthesis has attracted a growing interest from researchers due to its large potential for power reduction. In this work we study functional unit binding (or module assignment) given a scheduled data flow graph under a multi-Vdd framework. We assume that each functional unit can be driven by different Vdd levels dynamically during run time to save dynamic power. We develop a polynomial-time optimal algorithm for assigning low Vdds to as many operations as possible under the resource and latency constraints, and in the same time minimizing total switching activity through functional unit binding. Our algorithm shows consistent improvement over a design flow that separates voltage assignment from functional unit binding. We also change the initial scheduling to examine power/energy-latency tradeoff scenarios under different voltage level combinations. Experimental results show that we can achieve 28.1% and 33.4% power reductions when the latency bound is the tightest with two and three-Vdd levels respectively compared with the single-Vdd case. When latency is relaxed, multi-Vdd offers larger power reductions (up to 46.7%). We also show comparison data of energy consumption under the same experimental settings.
Systematic dynamic memory management design methodology for reduced memory footprint
Authors: Atienza David , Mendias Jose M. , Mamagkakis Stylianos , Soudris Dimitrios , Catthoor Francky
Published: July 2006

New portable consumer embedded devices must execute multimedia and wireless network applications that demand extensive memory footprint. Moreover, they must heavily rely on Dynamic Memory (DM) due to the unpredictability of the input data (e.g., 3D streams features) and system behavior (e.g., number of applications running concurrently defined by the user). Within this context, consistent design methodologies that can tackle efficiently the complex DM behavior of these multimedia and network applications are in great need. In this article, we present a new methodology that allows to design custom DM management mechanisms with a reduced memory footprint for such kind of dynamic applications. First, our methodology describes the large design space of DM management decisions for multimedia and wireless network applications. Then, we propose a suitable way to traverse the aforementioned design space and construct custom DM managers that minimize the DM used by these highly dynamic applications. As a result, our methodology achieves improvements of memory footprint by 60% on average in real case studies over the current state-of-the-art DM managers used for these types of dynamic applications.
LVS verification across multiple power domains for a quad-core microprocessor
Authors: Li Wei , Blakely Daniel , Sooy Scott Van , Dunn Keven , Kidd David , Rogenmoser Robert , Zhou Dian
Published: July 2006

A unique LVS (layout-versus-schematic) methodology has been developed for the verification of a four-core microprocessor with multiple power domains using a triple-well 90-nm CMOS technology. The chip is migrated from its previous generation that is for a twin-well process. Due to the design reuse, VDD and GND are designed as global nets but they are not globally connected across the entire chip. The standard LVS flow is unable to handle the additional design complexity and there seems to be no published literature tackling the problem. This paper presents a two-phase LVS methodology: a standard LVS phase where power and ground nets are defined as global nets and a multi-power-domain LVS phase where power and ground nets are treated as local nets. The first phase involves verifying LVS at the block level as well as the full-chip level. The second phase aims at verifying the integrity of the multi-power-domain power grid that is not covered in the first phase LVS. The proposed LVS methodology was successfully verified by real silicon.
Introduction
Authors: Pardo Bryan
Published: July 2006

The technology is transforming how even the casual listener accesses and interacts with music documents and recordings.
Fast partial evaluation of pattern matching in strings
Authors: Ager Mads Sig , Danvy Olivier , Rohde Henning Korsholm
Published: July 2006

We show how to obtain all of Knuth, Morris, and Pratt's linear-time string matcher by specializing a quadratic-time string matcher with respect to a pattern string. Although it has been known for fifteen years how to obtain this linear matcher by partial evaluation of a quadratic one, how to obtain it
in linear time
has remained an open problem.Obtaining a linear matcher by the partial evaluation of a quadratic one is achieved by performing its backtracking at specialization time and memoizing its results. We show (1) how to rewrite the source matcher such that its static intermediate computations can be shared at specialization time and (2) how to extend the memoization capabilities of a partial evaluator to static functions. Such an extended partial evaluator, if its memoization is implemented efficiently, specializes the rewritten source matcher in linear time. Finally, we show that the method also applies to a variant of Boyer and Moore's string matcher.
Calculational semantics
Authors: Boute Raymond T.
Published: July 2006

The objects of programming semantics, namely, programs and languages, are inherently formal, but the derivation of semantic theories is all too often informal, deprived of the benefits of formal calculation “guided by the shape of the formulas.” Therefore, the main goal of this article is to provide for the study of semantics an approach with the same convenience and power of discovery that calculus has given for many years to applied mathematics, physics, and engineering. The approach uses
functional predicate calculus
and
concrete generic functionals
; in fact, a small part suffices. Application to a semantic theory proceeds by describing program behavior in the simplest possible way, namely by
program equations
, and discovering the axioms of the theory as theorems by calculation. This is shown in outline for a few theories, and in detail for axiomatic semantics, fulfilling a second goal of this article. Indeed, a chafing problem with classical axiomatic semantics is that some axioms are unintuitive at first, and that justifications via denotational semantics are too elaborate to be satisfactory. Derivation provides more transparency. Calculation of formulas for ante- and postconditions is shown in general, and for the major language constructs in particular. A basic problem reported in the literature, whereby relations are inadequate for handling nondeterminacy and termination, is solved here through appropriately defined program equations. Several variants and an example in mathematical analysis are also presented. One conclusion is that formal calculation with quantifiers is one of the most important elements for unifying continuous and discrete mathematics in general, and traditional engineering with computing science, in particular.
Mitochondrial Uncoupling: A Key Contributor to Reduced Cardiac Efficiency in Diabetes
Authors: Boudina Sihem , Abel E. Dale
Published: July 2006

Cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death in individuals with obesity and diabetes. However, the underlying mechanisms for cardiac dysfunction are partially understood. Studies have suggested that altered cardiac metabolism may play a role. The diabetic heart is characterized by increased fatty acid oxidation, increased myocardial oxygen consumption, and reduced cardiac efficiency. Here, we review possible mechanisms for reduced cardiac efficiency in obesity and diabetes by focusing on the potential role of mitochondrial uncoupling.
Alliance management teams and entrainment: Sharing temporal mental models
Authors: Standifer Rhetta , Bluedorn Allen
Published: July 2006

Creating and administrating successful strategic alliances poses a significant challenge to interorganizational managerial teams. Using shared mental model theory as a framework, we propose that the effectiveness of these managerial teams can be increased if the team shares a common temporal mental model with regard to the alliance. Specifically, a shared mental model in terms of the elements of entrainment (e.g. cycle, pace, time orientation) will allow team members to actively assess and better manage entrainment issues which we suggest are a crucial component of strategic alliances, although not one that has been studied to a great extent.
‘Foreigners’, Nationalism and the ‘Colonial Fracture’
Authors: Laforcade Geoffroy de
Published: July 2006

The riots that shook the French banlieues in 2005, while unique in their geographic extension and political resonance, are but the most recent manifestation of an ongoing escalation of violence and repression that has periodically rocked the economically devastated, socially fractured and highly cosmopolitan cityscape of post-industrial France. The stigmatization of unemployed youths and outcast working-class families as ‘foreign’ is a complex and multi-layered phenomenon. This article traces the history of the so-called ‘immigrant problem’, and of policy responses to it, from the time of the Algerian war to the republican nationalist backlash against multiculturalism over the past two decades. The trauma of decolonization, increased visibility of Maghrebi, West African, Antillian and other communities with origins outside of Europe, fears of ‘islamicization’, and political/ideological controversies over how the nation's history should be remembered and taught to future generations, have weighed heavily on the representation of immigrants and their descendants as unassimilated threats to national cohesion. Far from limiting their agency to criminality and random social violence, the youths of the banlieues have played an active role in redefining the terms in which citizenship and national identity, as well as the colonial heritage of France, are cast in the arena of public debate, challenging state policies and well-entrenched historical myths in the process.
Translating Genetics, Cognitive Science, and Other Basic Science Research Findings Into Applications for Prevention
Authors: Ames Susan L. , McBride Colleen
Published: July 2006

A growing body of research across genetics, cognitive science, and other basic science suggests the complexity and interconnectedness of multiple factors contributing to individual variation in susceptibility to engage in risk behaviors. Advances in these disciplines may direct new research directions and the development and evaluation of innovative intervention components for prevention that consider novel but central susceptibility factors. This article highlights findings from three interrelated areas of basic science research—genetics, neuroscience, and cognitive science—that together continue to inform prevention science. A primary objective of this article is to suggest how this research might guide primary prevention interventions. Translating findings from these disciplines can help to facilitate testable hypotheses for prevention science and explain potential limitations of current intervention approaches.
Type II Translation
Authors: Rohrbach Louise A. , Grana Rachel , Sussman Steve , Valente Thomas W.
Published: July 2006

This article summarizes research on Type II translation of prevention interventions aimed at enhancing the adoption of effective programs and practices in communities. The primary goal of Type II translation is to institutionalize evidence-based programs, products, and services. First, the authors describe theoretical frameworks that are useful to guide Type II translation research. Second, research on prevention program implementation, including fidelity of implementation and factors that are associated with successful program implementation, is summarized. The authors describe interventions designed to enhance the dissemination of preventive interventions in community and public health settings. Third, they describe strategies used by prevention program developers who have taken programs to scale. Fourth, they present a case example of Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND), an empirically validated high school–based substance abuse prevention program. They describe ongoing research on the dissemination of Project TND. Finally, they provide suggestions for future Type II translation research.
Childbearing History and Self-Reported Well-Being in Later Life
Authors: Sudha S. , Mutran Elizabeth J. , Williams Ishan C. , Suchindran Chirayath
Published: July 2006

The authors examined how numbers of live births and pregnancy losses affected the self-rated health and depressive symptoms of women aged 50 years and older, contrasting African Americans and Whites. The authors used data from Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities, a large, prospective study with substantial minority representation. They tested hypotheses that childbearing-history variables would influence self-rated well-being among older women and that perceived social support would mediate the associations. The authors also tested whether these associations would be stronger among older African American versus White women. The results suggest that the impact of child-bearing history is greater among older African American than White women. Pregnancy loss worsened depressive symptoms and self-rated health among African American women; the effect was reduced by social-support variables. High parity was associated with worse self-rated health among African American women, mediated by social support. Having no live births was not associated with diminished well-being among older women of any race.
Introduction: Rethinking social policy through devolution
Authors: Mooney Gerry , Scott Gill , Williams Charlotte
Published: July 2006

This paper argues both that devolution is central to our understanding of developments in social policy in the contemporary UK and that social policy is a key means through which we can develop a critical understanding of the process of devolution itself. Much of the devolved powers available to the governments in Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff centre on social policy innovation and practice. Devolution was widely welcomed as opening up the potential for the development of radically different social policies. However, the discussion of devolution has been largely dominated by an approach that focuses on institutional and/or organizational differences marginalizing, in the process, the wider social relations of welfare around which social policy is organized. In bringing the study of devolution into the heartland of social policy analysis, it is argued that we can begin to develop a more critically informed appreciation of social policy across the entire devolved UK. Through critical social policy analysis we can both evaluate and explain the complex interrelations between devolved governance and the continuing reproduction of inequalities and social divisions throughout the UK.
‘We’ve never had it so good’: The ‘problem’ of the working class in devolved Scotland
Authors: Law Alex , Mooney Gerry
Published: July 2006

Class has become the social condition that dare not it speak its name in the devolved Scotland. This is despite the persistence of marked class divisions and structured inequalities within contemporary Scottish society. We critically examine the most empirically sophisticated and coherent analysis of social class in Scotland – that provided by ‘the Edinburgh school’ of social scientists, particularly their claim that Scotland is now a prosperous, ‘professional society’ where only a small but significant minority are trapped in poverty. This paper further considers the extent to which ‘devolution’, and the dominant representations to which it has given rise, serve to generate a series of other myths in which class is both devalued but simultaneously mobilized in the negative portrayal of some of the most disadvantaged sections of the working class. Against an emerging, home-grown view of ‘New Scotland’ as a prosperous ‘Smart, Successful Scotland’, poverty and wealth inequalities continue to be a necessary feature of the division of labour. In Scotland, as elsewhere, class remains the pivot-point around which much of social policy is encoded and enacted.
Chasing the dragon? Devolution and the ambiguities of civil society in Wales
Authors: Day Graham
Published: July 2006

Devolution promises a new and closer relation between civil society and the National Assembly for Wales, framed by principles of inclusivity and equality of opportunity. Supporters envisage the development of a stronger, more democratic civil society. This article critically assesses progress so far, and explores anxieties that, in the pursuit of improved governance for Wales, the Assembly may become too directive.
The Portrayal of Older Adults in Advertising
Authors: Zhang Yan Bing , Harwood Jake , Williams Angie , Ylänne-McEwen Virpi , Wadleigh Paul Mark , Thimm Caja
Published: July 2006

From a multinational perspective, this article provides an overview of a number of research programs examining portrayals of older adults in advertising. The research described includes both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the place of older people in advertising and the ways this is associated with older adults’ place in society. This article is organized around three central themes: an overview of the major theoretical perspectives surrounding advertising and aging; an overview of research conducted in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, China, and India; and a final critique.
Whose Homeland? Territoriality and Religious Nationalism in Pre-Partition Bengal
Authors: Jones Reece
Published: July 2006

Scholarly inquiries into communalism in South Asia have often exclusively focused on politically constructed religious and ethnic identity categories. This article challenges these assumptions by arguing that territoriality and the designation of homelands played an important, but largely unrecognized, role in developing social and political boundaries in the region. By analyzing the writings of Bipin Chandra Pal during the Swadeshi period, this article points to the territorialization of a Hindu-based version of the national homeland as a key process in the development of communal difference in Bengal and South Asia more generally. It is concluded that the Hindu-dominated rhetoric of the early nationalist movement implicitly marked Hindus as the only true members of the nation. By implicitly excluding all other forms of social affiliations from the narrative of the homeland, it is argued that the stage was set for the contestation of territorial identity categories that played out through the 20th century in Bengal.
Betrayal of Trust: Princely States of India and the Transfer of Power
Authors: Bangash Yaqoob Khan
Published: July 2006

This article analyses why and how the princely order, once considered the bulwark of British rule, came tumbling down so rapidly within a few months in 1947, following the intervention of Lord Mountbatten, a royal cousin, who the princes thought would support them in preserving their rule and privileges. How far were the princes themselves to blame and what role did Mountbatten play? Through a careful re-examination of available sources this article argues that the princes, though unable to act together, trusted the British Crown to protect their rights and interests as promised, but were mistaken in believing that Mountbatten would uphold Britain's treaty obligations regarding the princely states.
Graduate Employment in China
Authors: Fladrich Anja M.
Published: July 2006

To sustain economic growth and social security China needs to increase the investment in its human capital by revamping the nation's education and employment systems. Further impetus in this direction came from China's accession to the WTO in 2002 requiring a response to global market forces that also permeated the domestic labor market characterized by a vast pool of human resources, fierce competition, and an imbalance between labor supply and demand. Increased global competition equally affects the Chinese higher education sector, graduates' employment prospects, and the transition from higher education to employment. Embedded in an overview of the present status of China's human capital, a case study of Jiujiang Financial and Economic College in Jiangxi serves as an example from a less developed and researched region, highlighting challenges and concerns for graduates in the crucial transition from higher education to employment. It is argued that students in China inevitably and rapidly need to redefine and adjust their perception, expectation, and approach towards future employment. Taking direct responsibility and initiative for their education to ensure their employability has become imperative for China's new generation of manpower entering one of the world's toughest labor markets.
Change in care regimes and female migration: the ‘care drain’ in the Mediterranean
Authors: Bettio Francesca , Simonazzi Annamaria , Villa Paola
Published: July 2006

Concern over the need to provide long-term care for an ageing population has stimulated a search for new solutions able to ensure financial viability and a better balance between demand and supply of care. There is at present a great variety of care regimes across industrial countries, with Mediterranean countries forming a distinctive cluster where management of care is overwhelmingly entrusted to the family. In some of these countries elderly care has recently attracted large flows of care migrants, ushering in a new division of labour among family carers (mainly women), female immigrants, and skilled native workers. The article explores the interconnections between the feminization of migration, on the one hand, and ongoing change in the Southern European care regimes, on the other hand. Different strands of the literature are brought together and reviewed to illustrate ongoing developments. One main objective is to identify issues of efficiency, equity and sustainability raised by this new ‘model’ of care. The results of recent surveys on provisions and costs of long-term care are accordingly reviewed to set the stage for discussion on the optimal mix of long-term care provisions in place of traditional family care.
Multiple Inequalities, Intersectionality and the European Union
Authors: Verloo Mieke
Published: July 2006

The European Union (EU), a pioneer in gender equality policies, is moving from predominantly attending to gender inequality, towards policies that address multiple inequalities. This article argues that there are tendencies at EU level to assume an unquestioned similarity of inequalities, to fail to address the structural level and to fuel the political competition between inequalities. Based upon a comparison of specific sets of inequalities (class, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender), this article explores where and how structural and political intersectionality might be relevant. It argues that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to addressing multiple discrimination is based on an incorrect assumption of sameness or equivalence of the social categories connected to inequalities and of the mechanisms and processes that constitute them. Focusing on similarities ignores the differentiated character and dynamics of inequalities. It also overlooks the political dimension of equality goals. Moreover, it has become clear that attention to structural mechanisms and to the role of the state and the private sphere in reproducing inequalities is much needed. The final part of the article presents constructive ideas for a more comprehensive way of addressing multiple inequalities.
Groundless beauty
Authors: Wolff Janet
Published: July 2006

The ‘return to beauty’ raises a number of questions for feminism. This paper begins by suggesting that there is no real reason for a feminist distrust either of beauty or of the discourses of beauty. The more difficult question is how to comprehend the bases of aesthetic judgement more generally, given feminist and other critiques of aesthetics and art criticism. The paper proposes looking at the cognate ‘value’ fields of ethics and political philosophy, in order to develop an approach to aesthetics that recognizes aesthetic criteria as grounded in community. It has been argued that uncertainty is the necessary basis for morality and for political judgement after the demise of ideologies of universalism. For the same reasons, an ‘aesthetics of uncertainty’ can be developed which refuses both the new universalism of the ‘return to beauty’ and the temptation to abandon principled criteria of judgement.
Ornament and the feminine
Authors: Negrin Llewellyn
Published: July 2006

While ornament during the period of modernism was much maligned as inessential, superficial, deceptive and irrational, it has been rehabilitated by a number of feminist theorists in recent times such as Norma Broude and Naomi Schor. In their defence of ornament, these theorists have exposed the derogation of the feminine implicit in the devaluation of ornament, which has traditionally been conceived as a feminine domain. Yet this feminist espousal of ornament largely fails to challenge the modernist conception of ornament as decorative embellishment devoid of meaning, differing from it only by giving ornament a positive rather than a negative valuation. Consequently, its defence of ornament as a re-assertion of the legitimacy of the feminine ultimately perpetuates rather than undermines stereotypical associations of the feminine with the sensuous, the superficial and the irrational. A more thoroughgoing challenge would question the way in which ornament was defined during the period of modernism, recognizing its role as a carrier of meaning.
Dengue as a cause of acute undifferentiated fever in Vietnam
Authors: Phuong Hoang Lan , de Vries Peter J , Nga Tran TT , Giao Phan T , Hung Le Q , Binh Tran Q , Nam Nguyen V , Nagelkerke Nico , Kager Piet A
Published: July 2006

Background

Dengue is a common cause of fever in the tropics but its contribution to the total burden of febrile illnesses that is presented to primary health facilities in endemic regions such as Vietnam, is largely unknown. We aimed to report the frequency of dengue as a cause of fever in Binh Thuan Province, to describe the characteristics of dengue patients, and analyze the diagnostic accuracy of the health care workers and the determinants of the diagnostic process.

Methods

All patients presenting with acute undifferentiated fever at twelve community health posts and one clinic at the provincial malaria station, Binh Thuan Province, a dengue endemic province in southern Vietnam, were included. Record forms were used to fill in patient and diseases characteristics, pre-referral treatment, signs and symptoms, provisional diagnosis and prescribed treatment, referral and final outcome. Serum samples were collected at first presentation and after 3 weeks for serologic diagnosis.

Results

2096 patients were included from April 2001 to March 2002. All 697 patients with paired serum samples were tested for dengue virus IgM and IgG. Acute dengue was found in 33.6% cases and past dengue virus infections were found in 57.1% cases. Acute primary infections were more common among children under 15 years old than among adults (7.7% vs. 3.5%, p value < 0.001). Younger age significantly predicted acute dengue (RR per increasing year of age (95 % CI): 0.986 (0.975–0.997, p value = 0.014). 48.9% of cases with clinical diagnosis of acute dengue were serologically confirmed and 32.5% of cases without clinical diagnosis of acute dengue were positive by serology after all (OR = 1.981, p value 0.025, 95% CI: 1.079 – 3.635). Tourniquet test was not a predictor for dengue diagnosis.

Conclusion

Dengue is responsible for one third of the fevers presented to the public primary health services in Binh Thuan, southern Vietnam. It presents as a highly unspecific illness and is hardly recognized as a clinical entity by primary physicians.
Redox-mediated bypass of restriction point via skipping of G1pm
Authors: Hoffman Arnold , Greene James J , Spetner Lee M , Burke Michael
Published: July 2006

Background

It is well known that cancer cells bypass the restriction point, R, and undergo uncontrolled cell proliferation.

Hypothesis and evidence

We suggest here that fibrosarcoma cells enter G1ps directly from M, skipping G1pm, hence bypassing R, in response to redox modulation. Evidence is presented from the published literature that demonstrate a shortening of the cycle period of transformed fibroblasts (SV-3T3) compared to the nontransformed 3T3 fibroblasts, corresponding to the duration of G1pm in the 3T3 fibroblasts. Evidence is also presented that demonstrate that redox modulation can induce the CUA-4 fibroblasts to bypass R, resulting in a cycle period closely corresponding to the cycle period of fibrosarcoma cells (HT1080).

Conclusion

The evidence supports our hypothesis that a low internal redox potential can cause fibrosarcoma cells to skip the G1pm phase of the cell cycle.
Analysis of cell-based RNAi screens
Authors: Boutros Michael , Brás Lígia P , Huber Wolfgang
Published: July 2006

RNA interference (RNAi) screening is a powerful technology for functional characterization of biological pathways. Interpretation of RNAi screens requires computational and statistical analysis techniques. We describe a method that integrates all steps to generate a scored phenotype list from raw data. It is implemented in an open-source Bioconductor/R package, cellHTS (http://www.dkfz.de/signaling/cellHTS). The method is useful for the analysis and documentation of individual RNAi screens. Moreover, it is a prerequisite for the integration of multiple experiments.
Emerging roles of the Angiopoietin-Tie and the ephrin-Eph systems as regulators of cell trafficking
Authors: Pfaff Dennis , Fiedler Ulrike , Augustin Hellmut G
Published: July 2006

Vascular receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) have been identified as critical regulatory signaling molecules of developmental and adult vascular morphogenic processes [vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors=sprouting; EphB receptors=assembly; Tie2 receptor=maturation and quiescence]. It is intriguing that the same molecules that control the growth of blood and lymphatic vessels play critical roles in the adult to regulate maintenance functions related to vascular homeostasis. VEGF is among the most potent inducers of vascular permeability. The second vascular RTK system, the interaction of paracrine-acting Angiopoietin-1 with its cognate receptor Tie2, acts as an endothelial maintenance and survival-mediating molecular system, which stabilizes the vessel wall and controls endothelial cell quiescence. The third vascular RTK system, the interaction of Eph receptors with their Eph family receptor-interacting protein (ephrin) ligands, transduces positional guidance cues on outgrowing vascular sprouts, which are critical for proper arteriovenous assembly and establishment of blood flow. As such, Eph-ephrin interactions act as an important regulator of cell–cell interactions, exerting propulsive and repulsive functions on neighboring cells and mediating adhesive functions. This review summarizes recent findings related to the roles of the Angiopoietin-Tie and the Eph-ephrin systems as regulators of cell trafficking in the vascular system. The recognition of vascular homeostatic functions of vascular RTKs marks an important change of paradigm in the field of angiogenesis research as it relates angiogenesis-inducing molecules to vascular maintenance functions in the adult. This may also broaden the scope of vascular RTK-targeted therapies.
Electrochemical Reduction Products of Carbon Dioxide at Some Metallic Electrodes in Nonaqueous Electrolytes
Authors: Ito Kaname , Ikeda Shoichiro , Yamauchi Nobuhiro , Iida Takaya , Takagi Takehiko
Published: July 2006

Regarding the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide in nonaqueous electrolytes, it has been clarified that the main products are oxalic acid at a Pb electrode and carbon monoxide at Sn and In electrodes. In the case of a Zn electrode, substantial amounts of oxalic acid, glyoxylic acid and carbon monoxide have been produced.
cis-Oxypalladation Complexes Derived from (1R,5R)-2(10),3-Pinadiene and Their Utilization in Pd(II)-catalyzed Enantioselective Cyclization of 2-(trans-2-Butenyl)phenols
Authors: Hosokawa Takahiro , Imada Yasushi , Murahashi Shun-Ichi
Published: July 2006

(1R,5R)-2(10),3-Pinadiene, when treated with either Na2PdCl4 in MeOH or Pd(OAc)2 in AcOH and NaCl, gives di-μ-chloro-bis[(3,2,10-η-cis-4-methoxy or acetoxypinene)palladium(II)] (4a) or (4b), respectively. These complexes represent the firstly isolated cis-oxypalladation adduct. The ligand exchange of 4b with AgOAc affords di-μ-acetato-bis[(3,2,10-η-cis-4-acetoxypinene)palladium(II)] (5b) which serves as the catalyst for the asymmetric cyclization of 2-(trans-2-butenyl)phenols leading to 2-vinyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofurans (13). Although the enantioselectivities induced in this asymmetric cyclization are not high (1–29% ee), noteworthy is that the cis-complex 5b affords (R)-(−)-enantiomer of 13 while the parent di-μ-acetato-bis[(3,2,10-η-pinene)palladium(II)] give the (S)-isomer. As an application of the present asymmetric cyclization, attempts to synthesize (S)-(+)-tremetone have been made.
Total Syntheses of (±)-Aerothionin, (±)-Homoaerothionin, and (±)-Aerophobin-1
Authors: Nishiyama Shigeru , Yamamura Shosuke
Published: July 2006

(±)-Aerothionin, (±)-homoaerothionin, and (±)-aerophobin-1 have been successfully synthesized using phenolic oxidation of the methyl pyruvate oxime derivative with thallium(III) trifluoroacetate as a key step. The stereostructure of aerophobin-2 has been also established by comparison of the 1H NMR spectrum with those of related compounds.
Preparation and Some Properties of Cobalt(III) Complex with d- and/or l-Selenomethioninates
Authors: Umehara Hideki , Konno Takumi , Okamoto Ken-ichi , Hidaka Jinsai
Published: July 2006

A novel cobalt(III) complex with d- and/or l-selenomethioninates (d- and/or l-semet) functioning as terdentate-N,O,Se ligand was prepared and separated into the five geometrical isomers, trans(N), trans(O), trans(Se), cis,cis,cis, and trans,trans,trans. Of these isomers trans(N)- and trans(O)-[Co(d- or l-semet)2]+ and cis,cis,cis-[Co(d-semet)(l-semet)]+, which were obtained as the crystalline state, were optically resolved by the column chromatographic method. All the isomers were characterized by the electronic absorption, 1H NMR, and CD spectra. The trans(N), trans(O), and cis,cis,cis isomers in the crystalline state take the selective configurations with respect to the absolute configuration, R(Se) or S(Se), of the two coordinated selenium atoms. While, these isomers in an aqueous solution are a mixture of some configurations in the equilibrium state. For the inversion on the asymmetric selenium donor atom of the trans(N) and cis,cis,cis isomers, the rate constants and the ΔG\eweq values are investigated on the basis of the absorption and 1H NMR spectral changes. The trans(N) and cis,cis,cis isomers showed the characteristic CD spectral behavior in the d–d absorption band region depending on the inversion on the asymmetric selenium donor atoms.
Wheat Carboxypeptidase-Catalyzed Peptide Synthesis by Aminolysis of N-Acyl Amino Acid Ester. Indication of the Acyl-Enzyme Mechanism
Authors: Shima Hiroshi , Fukuda Mitsuhiro , Tanabe Kazuo , Ito Takanobu , Kunugi Shigeru
Published: July 2006

Dipeptide synthesis from N-[3-(2-furyl)acryloyl]-acylated (Fua-) amino acid ethyl ester and amino acid amide catalyzed by wheat bran carboxypeptidase (carboxypeptidase W) was studied. The optimum pH for peptide formation was at pH 8; more than 60% of the initial N-Fua-l-phenylalanine ethyl ester was converted to N-Fua-l-phenylalanylglycinamide under optimum conditions. The dependence of peptide formation on the concentration of amino acid amide showed an apparent saturation; this could be successfully explained by a reaction scheme which involved an acylated enzyme attacked by an enzyme-bound amine. The results for a reaction in the presence of two different amine components also supported this mechanism. Gly–NH2 had a better affinity to the acylated carboxypeptidase and the apparent dissociation constant (KN(app)) was about 50 mM. These results were compared with those for those reactions catalyzed by carboxypeptidases from yeast and malt.
Electrocrystallization of Phenothiazine
Authors: Yakushi Kyuya , Yoshitake Michiko , Kuroda Haruo
Published: July 2006

New cation radical salts of phenothiazine with (1:1), (3:2), and (2:1) compositions were prepared by the method of electrochemical oxidation. The electrical resistivities measured on the compaction of crystalline powder were 103–105 Ω cm at room temperature in the case of the complex salts. The powder absorption spectra in IR and Visible regions were also studied.
An Estimation of the Configurational Stability of Diaryl Selenoxides by Means of 77Se NMR Spectroscopy
Authors: Shimizu Toshio , Yoshida Masato , Kobayashi Michio
Published: July 2006

The activation energies for the racemization of the optically active diaryl selenoxides were estimated by the use of the 77Se NMR spectra of the diastereomeric diaryl selenoxides.
The Mechanism of Electron Transfer Reaction for Xanthene Dye-Sensitized Formation of Methyl Viologen Radical
Authors: Usui Yoshiharu , Misawa Hiroaki , Sakuragi Hirochika , Tokumaru Katsumi
Published: July 2006

Sensitized reduction of methyl viologen, MV2+, occurs efficiently through electron transfer from triplet xanthene dyes to MV2+ followed by electron transfer to the resulting semioxidized dyes from a reductant like triethanolamine. Unreactive ion pair complexes between these dyes and MV2+ are formed (formation constant: 1.2×103 M−1 for Eosine Y and MV2+ in 50% aqueous ethanol solution). The quantum yield for the reduced methyl viologen radical depends on the concentrations of MV2+ and the amine and on the ionic strength of solution. The efficiency of the electron transfer from triplet dyes to MV2+ is increased by addition of alcohol, and solvent effects on the reaction mechanism are discussed.
Preparation and Characterization of Cobalt(III) Complexes with l-Cysteinate and S-Methyl-l-Cysteinate. Crystal Structure of (l-Cysteinato)(diethylenetriamine)cobalt(III) Perchlorate
Authors: Okamoto Ken-ichi , Umehara Hideki , Nomoto Masayo , Einaga Hisahiko , Hidaka Jinsai
Published: July 2006

Of three possible isomers for the (l-cysteinato)(diethylenetriamine)cobalt(III) complex, [Co(l-cys)(dien)]+, two isomers are selectively prepared. Of the two isomers, the crystal structure of the dominantly formed isomer has been determined by the X-ray diffraction method. The greenish brown needle crystal was orthorhombic, space group P212121, a=16.589(4), b=20.510(9), c=12.479(4) Å, and Z=4. The structure has been refined to R=0.068 on 5913 observed reflections. There are three crystallographically independent complex cations in an asymmetric unit. All the complex cations have trans(NiS) configuration and the l-cysteinate coordinates facially to the cobalt atoms as terdentate-N,O,S ligand. The isomers of the (S-methyl-l-cysteinato)(diethylenetriamine)cobalt(III) complex were derived from [Co(l-cys)(dien)]+ by the reaction with dimethyl sulfate. The electronic absorption, CD, and 1H and 13C NMR spectral behaviors for these complexes are discussed in relation to their geometrical configurations.