bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Locating Value in Artisan Cheese: Reverse EngineeringTerroirfor New‐World Landscapes
Authors: Paxson Heather
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACT Terroir, the taste of place, is being adapted by artisan cheesemakers in the United States to reveal the range of values—agrarian, environmental, social, and gastronomic—that they believe constitute their cheese and distinguish artisan from commodity production. Some see themselves as reverse engineering terroir cheeses to create place though environmental stewardship and rural economic revitalization. But a tension is produced: while warranting projects of reterritorialization through defetishized food production, terroir marketing may risk turning the concept of “terroir” into a commodity fetish. U.S. terroir talk reveals attempts to reconcile the economic and sociomoral values that producers invest in artisan cheese.
SPECIAL SECTION: The Future of a Discipline: Considering the Ontological/Methodological Future of the Anthropology of Consciousness, Part II†
Authors: BLAINEY MARC
Published: September 2010

In order for the valuable research published in the Anthropology of Consciousness (AoC) journal to have the impact it ought to have upon the anthropological mainstream, contributors must demonstrate that they appreciate the historical tradition of anthropology as an intellectual forebear. Although “ethnometaphysics” has been cited sporadically by anthropologists over the past half‐century, it never really caught on as an interdisciplinary speciality like ethnobotany, ethnomusicology, and ethnomathematics. Pointing to the example of discord in the West between viewing psychoactive substances as either “hallucinogens” or “entheogens,” I reassert ethnometaphysics in an aim to revamp the overlooked coining of this sub‐field by anthropologist A. Irving Hallowell. Such a position rebrands SAC's alternative outlook in a way that could be seen by mainstream colleagues as less radical, thus giving the Society a more realistic opportunity to provoke progressive changes in the mainstream of our discipline.
The Shaman's Song and Divination in the Epic Tradition
Authors: CLINE KURT
Published: September 2010

Evidence of the intimate linkage of the shaman's song and divinatory procedures may be viewed in the ancient epics. These narrative poems contain structural and thematic elements recognizable from theshaman's song—in particular his or her voyage to the Otherworld and the guidance of oracular powers. In this paper,The Epic of Gilgamesh, Euripedes'Ion, andThe Ozidi Saga(a living epic from West Africa) are examined as recuperations of the orally composed and transmitted song of the shaman. I argue that the epics—the origins of which predate their composition in literary form—bear witness to these most ancient and mysterious forms of linguistic expression. As depictions of Otherwordly journeys, they can be viewed through a metaphysic outside of time, rendering divination not only possible but inevitable, and necessitating a language of abstraction, allusion, and ambiguity. Today's experimental poetries may not all partake of a conscious recuperation of shamanic themes and forms, but they share an imaginary (yet not imagined) repositioning of reality, an open questioning of consensus forms of awareness, and an aesthetic shaping of what Jean Gebser calls “Integral Consciousness” (15), the simultaneous integration‐disintegration of archaic, mythic, magic, and mental paradigms in an intensification of awareness which sees time as diaphanous, and Mind as a doorway between possibilities.
Integrating ancient patterns and current dynamics of insect–plant interactions: Taxonomic and geographic variation in herbivore specialization
Authors: Scriber J. Mark
Published: September 2010

Abstract The search for pattern in the ecology and evolutionary biology of insect–plant associations has fascinated biologists for centuries. High levels of tropical (low‐latitude) plant and insect diversity relative to poleward latitudes and the disproportionate abundance of host‐specialized insect herbivores have been noted. This review addresses several aspects of local insect specialization, host use abilities (and loss of these abilities with specialization), host‐associated evolutionary divergence, and ecological (including “hybrid”) speciation, with special reference to the generation of biodiversity and the geographic and taxonomic identification of “species borders” for swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae). From ancient phytochemically defined angiosperm affiliations that trace back millions of years to recent and very local specialized populations, the Papilionidae (swallowtail butterflies) have provided a model for enhanced understanding of localized ecological patterns and genetically based evolutionary processes. They have served as a useful group for evaluating the feeding specialization/physiological efficiency hypothesis. They have shown how the abiotic (thermal) environment interacts with host nutrirional suitability to generate “voltinism/suitability” gradients in specialization or preference latitudinally, and geographical mosaics locally. Several studies reviewed here suggest strongly that the oscillation hypothesis for speciation does have considerable merit, but at the same time, some species‐level host specializations may lead to evolutionary dead‐ends, especially with rapid environmental/habitat changes involving their host plants. Latitudinal gradients in species richness and degree of herbivore feeding specialization have been impacted by recent developments in ecological genetics and evolutionary ecology. Localized insect–plant associations that span the biospectrum from polyphenisms, polymorphisms, biotypes, demes, host races, to cryptic species, remain academically contentious, with simple definitions still debated. However, molecular analyses combined with ecological, ethological and physiological studies, have already begun to unveil some answers for many important ecological/evolutionary questions.
Developing syndrome definitions based on consensus and current use
Authors: Chapman Wendy W , Dowling John N , Baer Atar , Buckeridge David L , Cochrane Dennis , Conway Michael A , Elkin Peter , Espino Jessi , Gunn Julia E , Hales Craig M , Hutwagner Lori , Keller Mikaela , Larson Catherine , Noe Rebecca , Okhmatovskaia Anya , Olson Karen , Paladini Marc , Scholer Matthew , Sniegoski Carol , Thompson David , Lober Bill
Published: September 2010

Objective: Standardized surveillance syndromes do not exist but would facilitate sharing data among surveillance systems and comparing the accuracy of existing systems. The objective of this study was to create reference syndrome definitions from a consensus of investigators who currently have or are building syndromic surveillance systems.

Design: Clinical condition–syndrome pairs were catalogued for 10 surveillance systems across the United States and the representatives of these systems were brought together for a workshop to discuss consensus syndrome definitions.

Results: Consensus syndrome definitions were generated for the four syndromes monitored by the majority of the 10 participating surveillance systems: Respiratory, gastrointestinal, constitutional, and influenza-like illness (ILI). An important element in coming to consensus quickly was the development of a sensitive and specific definition for respiratory and gastrointestinal syndromes. After the workshop, the definitions were refined and supplemented with keywords and regular expressions, the keywords were mapped to standard vocabularies, and a web ontology language (OWL) ontology was created.

Limitations: The consensus definitions have not yet been validated through implementation.

Conclusion: The consensus definitions provide an explicit description of the current state-of-the-art syndromes used in automated surveillance, which can subsequently be systematically evaluated against real data to improve the definitions. The method for creating consensus definitions could be applied to other domains that have diverse existing definitions.
Point-of-care diagnostic tests for childhood urinary-tract infection: phase-contrast microscopy for bacteria, stick testing, and counting white blood cells
Authors: Coulthard Malcolm G , Nelson Andrew , Smith Terry , Perry John D
Published: September 2010

Aim

To evaluate point-of-care testing for childhood urinary-tract infections (UTI).

Method

Point-of-care testing of prospectively collected sequential paired urines was compared with quantitative culture after serial dilution in 203 children, of whom 36 had UTIs. Proportionate reduction in uncertainty (PRU) plots were used to compare between methods and with published values.

Results

Phase-contrast microscopy for bacteria, as with culturing a single urine and using a threshold of 105bacteria/ml, was 100% sensitive, making it powerful to rule UTIs out. The specificity was slightly lower than urine culture (0.860 vs 0.925) except in girls >9 years where vaginalLactobacilluscontamination reduced it to 0.61, but this increased to 0.81 when ‘urethral stream’ urines were collected. Nitrite positivity is highly specific at 0.985, making it powerful at ruling UTIs in, but its low sensitivity (0.61) makes it unsafe to rule UTIs out. A PRU plot of 16 previous studies confirmed this. Though the presence of urinary white blood cells (WBC) correlates with UTI, whether tested by point-of-care of laboratory microscopy or by stick testing, the coefficient of determination is too low to make them clinically useful, alone or combined with nitrite analysis. Seventeen other studies confirmed this.

Conclusion

Phase-contrast microscopy can rule out UTIs as reliably as urine culture but is immediate, which may be clinically important. To interpret positive results reliably, girls >9 years must collect a ‘urethral stream’ urine. While nitrite positivity is useful to rule UTIs in, negative results are unreliable. Urinary WBC testing has little value.
Steroid therapy is associated with decreased numbers of dendritic cells and fibroblasts, and increased numbers of satellite cells, in the dystrophic skeletal muscle
Authors: Hussein Mahmoud Rezk A , Abu-Dief Eman E , Kamel Nageh Fouly , Mostafa Mohammed G
Published: September 2010

Background

The possible therapeutic benefits of using steroids to enhance muscle strength and slow disease progression in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) has been examined previously. In this investigation, it was hypothesised that steroid therapy is associated with morphological changes in the dystrophic muscle.

Objectives and methods

To test this hypothesis, two muscle biopsies were obtained (one biopsy before treatment, and the second 6 months following prednisone therapy) from 24 patients with dystrophies (18 DMD, 6 BMD). The participants were categorised into: control (6 specimens, normal muscle), untreated and treated groups. The muscle was evaluated for ultrastructural changes using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Results

In the untreated group, the muscle fibres were degenerated and of variable sizes. The myofibrils were thin with either complete loss of bands and/or abnormal banding patterns. The Z-lines were irregularly spaced and loosely registered. The mitochondria of the myofibrils were small, few, spherical and irregularly distributed. Numerous dendritic cells (DCs) with euchromatic nuclei, and multiple and long dendrites, were seen among the myofibrils. The collagen fibres among the muscle fibres (endomysium) were numerous and large. The satellite cells had euchromatic nuclei with clumps of heterochromatin. In the treated group, the muscle fibres had a relatively uniform size with occasional fibres showing partial degeneration. The myofibrils had a relatively similar diameter comparable to that of normal muscle .The degenerated areas were small in size with occasional foci showing loss of banding pattern, and abnormal short bands with thick and hazy Z-lines. The mitochondria of the myofibrils were numerous, spherical, small in size and regularly arranged between the myofibrils. Few DCs, with heterochromatic nuclei, and few and short dendrites appeared between the myofibrils. The collagen fibres between the muscle fibres (endomysium) were numerous and large. As compared with the treated group, there was a statistically significant increase (p<0.05) in the numbers of DCs (0.7±0.2 vs 1.6±0.3) and fibroblasts (1.9±0.2 vs 2.9 ±0.3) in the untreated group. Alternatively, there was a statistically significant decrease (p<0.05) in the numbers of satellite cells (1.2±0.2 vs 0.6±0.1).

Conclusion

The ability of steroids to induce ultrastructural features of improvement supports the notion that they have beneficial therapeutic role. The clinical ramifications of these observations mandate further studies.
Subspecialisation and despecialisation in anatomical pathology
Authors: Heatley Mark K
Published: September 2010

Subspecialisation in histopathology was anticipated to improve the quality of reporting, teaching and communication with the clinical team. Although there is little information available, there is a suggestion that subspecialised services are more expensive than services provided by general departments but are speedier, although even this improvement is now being compromised by requirements to doubly report some types of case. Departments considering adopting a subspecialist model should carefully consider the financial and organisational implications, and recognise that it is associated with reduced flexibility in case of vacancy or illness. Although individual pathologists report moving from subspecialist to more general practice with varying degrees of success (this was facilitated by general training, a brief period of subspecialisation, exposure to a general pool of straightforward cases from other specialities and a defined period of supervised retraining), there is no known example of an entire subspecialised department returning to provide a general service, and it is unclear as to how the difficulties likely to be encountered could be overcome. The original move to subspecialise was based on enthusiasm with little objective measurement of changes in cost or quality (or any input or output measure). Cost and quality associated with both general and subspecialist units are still poorly documented in the literature, and the need to establish baselines for these is a major challenge for pathologists. Further subspecialisation or any move to despecialise should be undertaken on the basis of such measures, which should be carefully monitored.
Variation and uncertainties in the classification of sudden unexpected infant deaths among paediatric pathologists in the UK: findings of a National Delphi Study: Table 1
Authors: Gould Stephen J , Weber Martin A , Sebire Neil J
Published: September 2010

Aims

Presently, pathologists in the UK use diverse terminologies for the classification of sudden unexpected infant deaths, including ‘unascertained,’ ‘sudden unexpected death in infancy’ (SUDI) and ‘sudden infant death syndrome’ (SIDS). This study uses the Delphi method to investigate the views of paediatric pathologists on their use of these terms in order to determine areas of consensus.

Methods

There were three Delphi rounds overall; in the final one, participants were asked to score each statement using a modified Likert scale (0–9). The scores were analysed using non-parametric statistics, and statements in which the median score was ≤3 or ≥7 (approximately 70% agreement) were considered to have reached ‘consensus agreement.’

Results

Twenty-five of the 36 UK paediatric pathologists who were approached in the initial round contributed to all three rounds. There was consensus that ‘SIDS’ be used for unexplained sudden unexpected infant deaths that occurred during sleep. ‘Infancy’ was defined as up to 1 year of age, but there was no consensus regarding the lower age limit of SIDS. There was agreement that ‘SUDI’ be used for unexplained sudden infant deaths with a history of preceding illness, deaths with minor histological abnormalities of uncertain significance and co-sleeping-associated deaths. Most paediatric pathologists used ‘unascertained’ for findings suspicious of a non-natural cause of death. There was consensus that co-sleeping-associated deaths should be classified as ‘unascertained’ if parents had consumed alcohol or used drugs in the preceding 24 h.

Conclusions

The areas of consensus relating to terminology around SUDI and SIDS should guide future use by pathologists. However, there remains a significant lack of agreement, suggesting that acceptable alternative terms be identified for infant deaths which remain unexplained following autopsy in whom there are no suspicious features; the authors propose that ‘unexplained SUDI,’ followed by a comment, may represent the most factually correct compromise.
Moxibustion for Treating Pain: A Systematic Review
Authors: Lee Myeong Soo , Choi Tae-Young , Kang Jung Won , Lee Beom-Joon , Ernst Edzard
Published: September 2010

The objective of this study was to assess the evidence for or against the effectiveness of moxibustion as a treatment option for pain. Fourteen electronic databases were searched. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) testing moxibustion in human patients with pain of any type were considered. Trials using direct or indirect moxibustion were included. Studies comparing moxibustion with other treatments of unproven effectiveness, studies testing moxibustion together with other treatments of unproven efficacy and trials where pain was not a central symptom of the condition were all excluded. The selection of studies, data extraction, and validation were performed independently by two reviewers. Four RCTs met all the inclusion criteria. Others were of poor methodological quality. Two RCTs suggested significant pain reductions for indirect moxibustion in osteoarthritis as compared with drug therapy (n = 200, RR, 1.11; 95% CI of 1.02 to 1.21, p = 0.02, heterogeneity: χ2= 1.03, p = 0.31, I2= 3%). The other two RCTs suggested positive effects of indirect or direct moxibustion on pain in scleroma or herpes zoster compared to drug therapy, respectively. We conclude that few RCTs are available that test the effectiveness of moxibustion in the management of pain, and most of the existing trials have a high risk of bias. Therefore, more rigorous studies are required before the effectiveness of moxibustion for the treatment of pain can be determined.
Bee Venom Inhibits Hepatic Fibrosis Through Suppression of Pro-Fibrogenic Cytokine Expression
Authors: Kim Soo-Jung , Park Ji-Hyun , Kim Kyung-Hyun , Lee Woo-Ram , Chang Young-Chae , Park Kwan-Kyu , Lee Kwang-Gill , Han Sang-Mi , Yeo Joo-Hong , Pak Sok Cheon
Published: September 2010

Bee venom (BV) has a long tradition of use for the control of pain and inflammation in various chronic diseases. Carbon tetrachloride ( CCl4) is known to induce hepatotoxicity after being metabolized to the highly reactive trichloromethyl free radical and its peroxy radical. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether BV regulates the pro-inflammation and fibrosis related genes against a mouse model of hepatic fibrosis induced by CCl4and ethanol-treated hepatocytes (ETH). Test mice were administered with CCl4(2 ml/mg) and hepatocytes were treated with 25 mM ethanol. BV was added to the final concentration of 0.05–0.5 mg/kg and 1–100 ng/ml for in vivo and in vitro testing, respectively. Fibrotic livers and ETH were used for the measurement of hepatocyte necrosis, pro-inflammatory cytokines and fibrogenic genes. BV suppressed CCl4-induced hepatocyte necrosis markers of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). It also inhibited the secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Moreover, BV inhibited CCl4-induced expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) and fibronectin. Similarly, ETH exhibited significant suppression of IL-1β, TNF-α, TGF-β1 and fibronectin when cultured with BV. These results suggest that BV possesses anti-fibrogenic properties that are mediated by the suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and fibrogenic gene expression. BV has substantial therapeutic potential for the treatment of fibrotic diseases.
Antioxidative and Antiviral Properties of Flowering Cherry Fruits (Prunus serrulataL. var.spontanea)
Authors: Yook Hong-Sun , Kim Kyoung-Hee , Park Jung-Eun , Shin Hyun-Jin
Published: September 2010

The phenolic compounds of many fruits have been known to be efficient cellular protective antioxidants. In this study, antioxidative and antiviral properties of flowering cherry cultivars (Prunus yedoensis, Prunus sargentii, Prunus lannesiana, and Prunus cerasus) in Korea were investigated. The antioxidant property was assayed for specific activities including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) hydroxy radical scavenging activity, reducing power capacity, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) like activity. In addition, antiviral activity was determined by inhibition studies on the infection cycle of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), measured as minimum concentration of cherry extracts that inhibited 50% of cytopathic effect (CPE) on PEDV. Our results show that the four varieties of cherries contain substantially high antioxidants and antiviral activities. In particular, P. cerasus contains higher antioxidants and antiviral activities as well as polyphenolic content than other varieties. Our data indicate that Korean native cherry cultivars could be beneficial supplements of dietary antioxidants and natural antiviral agents.
Wild Panax Ginseng (Panax ginsengC.A. Meyer) Protects Against Methotrexate–Induced Cell Regression by Enhancing the Immune Response in RAW 264.7 Macrophages
Authors: Jang Hyo Il , Shin Heung Mook
Published: September 2010

Many traditional herbal medicines have been re-evaluated to determine whether they enhance immune responses. In this study, the possible use of wild Panax ginseng (WPG) for enhancement of host immunity in chemotherapy was investigated. In the cell proliferation assay, WPG significantly enhanced the proliferation of RAW 264.7 macrophages and protected against cell regression in macrophages treated with methotrexate (MTX). WPG induced the production of nitric oxide and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygense-2 mRNA. Furthermore, WPG enhanced the production of cytokines including interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and chemokines such as macrophage chemotactic protein-1 and regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), regardless of MTX co-administration. Taken together, these results provide the first evidence that WPG triggers immune responses through the prevention of macrophage cell regression caused by MTX and functional activation of macrophages.
Eriobotryae Folium Extract Suppresses LPS-Induced iNOS and COX-2 Expression by Inhibition of NF-κB and MAPK Activation in Murine Macrophages
Authors: Uto Takuhiro , Suangkaew Natnaprach , Morinaga Osamu , Kariyazono Hiroko , Oiso Shigeru , Shoyama Yukihiro
Published: September 2010

Eriobotryae folium (EF), the dried leaves of Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. has been traditionally used to treat various diseases such as chronic bronchitis, cough, inflammation, skin diseases, and diabetes. In this study, we examined the effects of Eriobotryae folium extract (EFE) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2(PGE2) in RAW264 murine macrophage cells. EFE suppressed LPS-induced NO and PGE2production in a dose-dependent manner. Consistent with these observations, EFE reduced the LPS-induced expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) at both protein and mRNA levels. Furthermore, EFE significantly inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB binding activity, which was associated with the inhibition of IκB-α degradation. EFE also attenuated LPS-induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) including extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory properties of EF might result from inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 expression through the downregulation of NF-κB activation and MAPK phosphorylation in LPS-stimulated RAW264 cells.
Wipro Consulting Services: Building an Effective Global Configuration in Business and IT Consulting Industry
Authors: Lampel Joseph , Bhalla Ajay , Vishnu Kaivalya
Published: September 2010

The Wipro Consulting Services (WCS) case charts the evolution of the consulting initiative within Wipro Technologies; the strategic choices the management made during this evolution and the challenges facing the firm once it consolidated the various consulting initiatives to set up Wipro Consulting Services in 2008. The case deals with several questions facing the leadership team, such as the competencies to develop to move up the value chain in delivering consulting services and the extent to which WCS should rely on the parent firm (Wipro) for its next phase of growth.

The case seeks to deal with the issues of new business creation and growth in large organizations. It invites students to explore the domain of technology consulting, the delivery model firms pursue in this industry, and the challenges a firm with corporate centre in an emerging market faces when it seeks to establish itself as a global player. In particular, it also aims to open up discussion on the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges a firm encounters when encouraging new business initiatives while retaining tight co-ordination when this initiative enters growth phase.
MODELING SCIENTIFIC AGENTS FOR A BETTER SCIENCE
Authors: MARTINS ANDRÉ C. R.
Published: September 2010

Science is a fundamental human activity and we trust its results because it has several error-correcting mechanisms. It is subject to experimental tests that are replicated by independent parts. Given the huge amount of information available and the information asymetry between producers and users of knowledge, scientists have to rely on the reports of others. This makes it possible for social effects to influence the scientific community. Here, an Opinion Dynamics agent model is proposed to describe this situation. The influence of Nature through experiments is described as an external field that acts on the experimental agents. We will see that the retirement of old scientists can be fundamental in the acceptance of a new theory. We will also investigate the interplay between social influence and observations. This will allow us to gain insight in the problem of when social effects can have negligible effects in the conclusions of a scientific community and when we should worry about them.
FROM ASSORTATIVE TO DISSORTATIVE NETWORKS: THE ROLE OF CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS
Authors: KÖNIG MICHAEL D. , TESSONE CLAUDIO J. , ZENOU YVES
Published: September 2010

We consider a dynamic model of network formation where agents form and sever links based on the centrality of their potential partners. We show that the existence of capacity constrains in the amount of links an agent can maintain introduces a transition from dissortative to assortative networks. This effect can shed light on the distinction between technological and social networks as it gives a simple mechanism explaining how and why this transition occurs.
WHY ARE LAWYERS NICE OR NASTY? INSIGHTS FROM AGENT-BASED MODELING
Authors: MAYOR EUNATE , SARTOR GIOVANNI
Published: September 2010

All substantive areas of law, with no exception, have a common concern for the processes by which legal disputes get resolved. Naturally, the success of any particular litigation strategy in a legal dispute depends on several factors, such as procedural costs, the judges' accuracy and, most importantly, the litigation strategy followed by the counterpart. Previous work within the legal scholarship has focused on the outcomes of the litigation process and their concordance with the merits of the claims presented by the parties.

In contrast, in this paper, we adopt a dynamic view of the legal system as a whole. In order to do this, we propose an evolutionary point of view. That is, we assume that the most successful litigation strategies at a certain time are more likely to be followed in the future, so the prevalence of different strategies in the system will generally change over time. Importantly, this change in the frequency of litigation strategies in the legal system will, in turn, affect the relative success of each litigation strategy, thus creating a double feedback loop between prevalence and success of litigation strategies, which we aim to explore. Furthermore, we will compare the results drawn from our model with the ones proposed by the empirical literature on the topic.

Thus, the main purpose of this paper is to offer a novel approach to study legal disputes, looking at the whole litigation system as a single entity that evolves through time. In particular, we focus on cases of medical liability, and use agent-based simulation to provide a dynamic view of how various factors affect the type of litigation strategies that are successful and prevail in a certain judicial context.
Nondestructive Visualization of Individual Dislocations in 4H-SiC Epilayers by Micro Photoluminescence Mapping
Authors: Feng Gan , Suda Jun , Kimoto Tsunenobu
Published: September 2010

Dislocations in 4H-SiC epilayers were imaged nondestructively by means of micro photoluminescence (µ-PL) mapping at room temperature. The one-to-one correspondence between the individual dislocations and the µ-PL mapping contrast has been consistently obtained. By analyzing the reduction of the intensity in the µ-PL mapping image performed at 390 nm (near band-edge emission), we were able to distinguish threading screw dislocations and threading edge dislocations. Furthermore, it was found that a basal plane dislocation dissociates into a single Shockley stacking fault during the measurement.
Nonvolatile Delay Flip-Flop Based on Spin-Transistor Architecture and Its Power-Gating Applications
Authors: Yamamoto Shuu'ichirou , Sugahara Satoshi
Published: September 2010

We propose and computationally analyze a new type of nonvolatile delay flip-flop (NV-DFF) based on spin-transistor architecture, in which pseudo-spintransistors consisting of an ordinary metal–oxide–semiconductor filed-effect transistor (MOSFET) and a magnetic tunnel junction, referred to as pseudo-spin-MOSFETs are used as a functional nonvolatile storage element. The proposed circuit not only operates as an ordinary DFF, but also is shut down without losing its data. The NV-DFF has only slight increases in circuit delay and layout area within 10% in comparison with an ordinary DFF. Analysis of break-even time (one of the indices for evaluating power-gating efficiency) reveals that the proposed NV-DFF is acceptable for power-gating architecture.
Single-Electron Transistor Fabricated by Two Bottom-Up Processes of Electroless Au Plating and Chemisorption of Au Nanoparticle
Authors: Azuma Yasuo , Yasutake Yuhsuke , Kono Keijiro , Kanehara Masayuki , Teranishi Toshiharu , Majima Yutaka
Published: September 2010

Coulomb diamonds were clearly observed on single-electron transistors (SETs) fabricated by bottom-up processes of electroless plating of Au nanogap electrodes and chemisorption of a Au nanoparticle at 80 K. In the drain current–drain voltage characteristics, Coulomb staircases were modulated by the side gate voltage. Tunneling resistances and source/drain/gate capacitances of the SET were evaluated by fitting the theoretical Coulomb staircase determined on the basis of the full orthodox theory in a double-barrier tunneling junction to the experimental results of Coulomb blockade under the application of side gate voltages. The theoretical results for the Coulomb diamond are in good agreement with the experimental results.
Measurement of Strain in Freestanding Si/SixNy Membrane by Convergent Beam Electron Diffraction and Finite Element Method
Authors: Gao Hongye , Ikeda Ken-ichi , Hata Satoshi , Nakashima Hideharu , Wang Dong , Nakashima Hiroshi
Published: September 2010

Strain in a bridge-shaped freestanding Si membrane (FSSM) induced by depositing an amorphous Si
x
N
y
layer was measured by convergent-beam electron diffraction (CBED) and the finite element method (FEM). CBED results show that the strain magnitude depends negatively on the FSSM thickness, and compressive strain along the length of the FSSM is increased by approximately 0.1% at the end of the FSSM. FEM is used as a supplementary method to CBED for calculating the strain relaxation in three-dimension in the FSSM.
Convergence Analysis for a System of Equilibrium Problems and a Countable Family of Relatively Quasi‐Nonexpansive Mappings in Banach Spaces
Authors: Cholamjiak Prasit , Suantai Suthep
Published: September 2010

We introduce a new hybrid iterative scheme for finding a common element in the solutions set of a system of equilibrium problems and the common fixed points set of an infinitely countable family of relatively quasi‐nonexpansive
mappings in the framework of Banach spaces. We prove the strong convergence theorem by the shrinking projection method. In addition, the results obtained in this paper can be applied to a system of variational inequality problems and to a system of convex minimization problems in a Banach space.
Weak "Equation missing" -Sharp Minima in Vector Optimization Problems
Authors: Xu S , Li SJ
Published: September 2010

We present a sufficient and necessary condition for weak "Equation missing"-sharp minima in infinite-dimensional spaces. Moreover, we develop the characterization of weak "Equation missing"-sharp minima by virtue of a nonlinear scalarization function.
Reduced Expression of TCR Zeta Is Involved in the Abnormal Production of Cytokines by Peripheral T Cells of Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Yoshimoto Keiko , Setoyama Yumiko , Tsuzaka Kensei , Abe Tohru , Takeuchi Tsutomu
Published: September 2010

Accumulating evidence suggests that dysfunction of T cells underlies the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We revealed that SLE T cells produced an abnormally excessive amount of IFN-γin vitroupon stimulation through TCR, and the expression level of TCR zeta was significantly reduced. The production of IFN-γby SLE T cells was negatively correlated with the expression level of TCR zeta. This correlation was abolished when the cells were stimulated with TPA and ionomycin, which bypass TCR and introduce signals directly into the cells, but the production of IFN-γby SLE T cells remained abnormally elevated. Taken together, these data suggest that regulatory mechanisms not only for the expression of TCR zeta but also for the production of IFN-γwere impaired in SLE T cells. These impairments may be responsible for the aberrant responses of SLE T cells and partly involved in the development of SLE.
An Improved Model for FE Modeling and Simulation of Closed Cell Al-Alloy Foams
Authors: Hasan MD. Anwarul
Published: September 2010

Cell wall material properties of Al-alloy foams have been derived by a combination of nanoindentation experiment and numerical simulation. Using the derived material properties in FE (finite element) modeling of foams, the existing constitutive models of closed-cell Al-alloy foams have been evaluated against experimental results. An improved representative model has been proposed for FE analysis of closed-cell Al-alloy foams. The improved model consists of a combination of spherical and cruciform-shaped cells similar to those of Meguid et al.'s cruciform-hemisphere model (Finite Elem. Anal. Design: 2002, 38, 631). However, the spherical cells, which are smaller in size, are made of thicker cell walls in the new improved model compared to the cruciform-shaped cells, based on observation of the underlying Al-alloy foams. The compressive mechanical properties of Al-3wt.%Si-2wt.%Cu-2wt.%Mg alloy foams of relative density 12%–20% have been obtained by simulation using the improved representative model. While the traditional foam models overpredict the foam strength, the new weaker-cruciform-stronger-hemisphere model is found to predict the foam properties with much better accuracy. It is found that the proposed new model is capable of producing all three different types of deformation pattern of closed-cell metal foams, namely, uniform deformation, layerwise deformation, and the progressive deformation from the locations of lowest densities and highest impurities to those of higher densities and lower impurities.
Deconvolution of Defocused Image with Multivariate Local Polynomial Regression and Iterative Wiener Filtering in DWT Domain
Authors: Su Liyun , Li Fenglan
Published: September 2010

A novel semiblind defocused image deconvolution technique is proposed, which is based on multivariate local polynomial regression (MLPR) and iterative Wiener filtering (IWF). In this technique, firstly a multivariate local polynomial regression model is trained in wavelet domain to estimate defocus parameter. After
obtaining the point spread function (PSF) parameter, iterative wiener filter is adopted to complete the restoration. We experimentally illustrate its performance on simulated data and real blurred image. Results show that the proposed PSF parameter estimation technique and the image restoration method are effective.
Study on the Phase Transformation Kinetics of Sol‐Gel DrivedTiO2 Nanoparticles
Authors: Mehranpour H. , Askari M. , Ghamsari M. Sasani , Farzalibeik H.
Published: September 2010

Titanium dioxide nanopowders were synthesized by the diffusion controlled sol‐gel process (LaMer model) and characterized by DTA‐TG, XRD, and SEM. The prepared TiO2 nanoparticles have uniform size and morphology, and the phase transformation kinetics of obtained material was studied by interpretation of the X‐ray diffraction patterns peaks on the base of Avrami equation. The stating point of anatase‐rutile phase transformation temperature in the prepared nanoparticles was found between 100 and 200°C. A decreasing trend on the intensity of X‐ray peaks of anatase phase was observed up to 600°C when the presence of the rutile phase became predominant. Results indicated that the transition kinetics of the diffusion controlled prepared nanoparticles was begun at low temperature, and it can be concluded that the nucleation and growth sites in these particles were more than other. However, it has been found that the nucleation activation energy of rutile phase was 20 kj/mol, and it is the lowest reported activation energy.
Predictors of Virological Response to a Combination Therapy with Pegylated Interferon Plus Ribavirin Including Virus and Host Factors
Authors: Izumi Namiki , Asahina Yasuhiro , Kurosaki Masayuki
Published: September 2010

A combination therapy with pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) has made it possible to achieve a sustained virological response (SVR) of 50% in refractory cases with genotype 1b and high levels of plasma HCVRNA. Several factors including virus mutation and host factors such as age, gender, fibrosis of the liver, lipid metabolism, innate immunity, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) are reported to be correlated to therapeutic effects. However, it is difficult to determine which factor is the most important predictor for an individual patient. Data mining analysis is useful for combining all these together to predict the therapeutic effects. It is important to analyze blood tests and to predict therapeutic effects prior to initiating treatment. Since new anti-HCV agents are under development, it will be necessary in the future to select the patients who have a high possibility of achieving SVR if treatment is performed with standard regimen.
VIM for Solving the Pollution Problem of a System of Lakes
Authors: Biazar J. , Shahbala M. , Ebrahimi H.
Published: September 2010

Pollution has become a very serious threat to our environment. Monitoring pollution is the first step toward planning to save the environment. The use of differential equations of monitoring pollution has become possible. In this paper the pollution problem of three lakes with interconnecting channels has been studied. The variational iteration method has been applied to compute an approximate solution of the system of differential equations, governing on the problem. Three different types of input models: sinusoidal, impulse, and step will be considered for monitoring the pollution in the lakes. The results are compared with those obtained by Adomian decomposition method. This comparison reveals that the variational iteration method is easier to be implemented.
Analysis of Plasmonic Waveguides and Gratings Using Implicit Finite-Difference Methods
Authors: Shibayama Jun , Yamauchi Junji , Nakano Hisamatsu
Published: September 2010

Various metal-insulator-metal- (MIM-) type plasmonic waveguides and gratings are investigated numerically.
Three gratings are treated: one is formed by alternately stacking two kinds of MIM waveguides, another by
periodic changes in the dielectric insulator materials of an MIM waveguide, and the other by a periodic variation of
the air core width in an MIM waveguide. The dispersion property of each MIM waveguide of which the grating consists
is analyzed using the implicit Yee-mesh-based beam-propagation method. It is shown that the third one has
a relatively large effective index modulation of the guided mode with a simple grating structure, while maintaining a low propagation loss. Further examination is given to modifications of this grating structure. The transmission characteristics are examined using the frequency-dependent implicit locally one-dimensional FDTD method. We discuss
how the modified grating structure affects the bandgap of the transmission characteristics.
Brain Imaging Modality before Systemic Thrombolysis for Ischemic Stroke within Three Hours
Authors: Uenaka Takeshi , Yoneda Yukihiro , Yamamoto Shinji , Hara Yoshie , Yamashita Haruo
Published: September 2010

Objective: In Japan, MRI-based thrombolysis after CT screening is the most common imaging strategy prior to intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) within 3 h after ischemic stroke. A choice of MRI with MR angiography (MRA) provides a higher diagnostic accuracy, but may delay an initiation of thrombolysis. Methods: In our neuro-unit, brain CT is the first screening image for suspected stroke. We retrospectively examined a delay to thrombolysis, imaging modality, diagnostic accuracy, and clinical outcomes at 3 months by the modified Rankin Scale in patients receiving IVT within 3 h. Results: Among 67 patients receiving IVT with tPA, brain imaging prior to IVT was solely CT in 10 (15%) patients and CT + MRI/MRA in 57 (85%) patients. Final diagnosis of brain ischemia was 100%. Patients receiving CT + MRI had significantly shorter pre-hospital delay (mean 54 vs. 83 min; p = 0.012), but longer door-to-needle time (mean 90 vs. 57 min; p = 0.019) than those receiving CT only. Finally, time from onset to thrombolysis was not different between the two groups and clinical outcomes were also comparable. The earlier patients arrived, the longer door-to-needle times were (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The imaging strategy of initial CT screening with optional MRI/MRA scans prior to IVT was feasible. However, it resulted in an additional 30 min in-hospital delay of tPA administration, which may affect clinical outcomes.
Employer Evasion of Workers’ Entitlements 1986-1995: Why, What and Whose?
Authors: Maconachie Glenda , Goodwin Miles
Published: September 2010

Employer non-compliance with workers’ entitlements has been largely ignored in Australian industrial relations. The legal and regulatory literature however, identifies arguments relating to employer propensity to evade regulatory requirements, as well as highlighting environmental factors that may influence such behaviour. This article explores these issues in the Australian federal industrial relations jurisdiction, as well as providing a picture of employer evasion of minimum labour standards between 1986 and 1995: who is exploited and in respect of what entitlements. Industry contexts and common characteristics of non-compliance are outlined by exploration of 30 awards ranked by the extent of underpayments recovered by the federal inspectorate during the period. Employer evasion of workers’ entitlements is arguably a calculated business decision, prompted or facilitated by intense competition, precarious employment (particularly female and youth), non-unionized workplaces and under-resourced enforcement agencies.
Irish Butchers Rather than Irish Meat: Trade Union Responses to Agency Work in Sweden
Authors: Bergström Ola , Styhre Alexander
Published: September 2010

Trade unions are often considered as being against the use of agency workers in the workplaces that they represent. As opposed to standard permanent employment, temporary agency work is often regarded as a more precarious form of work that serves the purposes of employers seeking to reduce labour costs, enhance flexibility and avoid employment regulation. However, trade unions may also see benefits of using agency workers as experience of them increases. When examining how agency workers are established in an organization, the mechanisms available to resolve inconsistencies between the perceived benefits and disadvantages needs to be recognized. Rather than conceiving of trade unions as being opposed or in favour of the use of agency workers, the analysis of trade union responses needs to be grounded in a different perspective. This article is an attempt to formulate such a perspective on trade union responses to agency work as being based on understanding the process of establishment rather than polarized responses. The argument is supported by an empirical study of a food manufacturing company in Sweden that increasingly turned to agency workers as a source of labour.
Towards Visual Intellectuality: The Mediawork Pamphlet Series (An Interview by Elizabeth Guffey and Raiford Guins, Part 1)
Authors: Lunenfeld Peter
Published: September 2010

Peter Lunenfeld is a Professor in the Design | Media Arts department at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is well known for his edited collection, The Digital Dialectic: New Essays on New Media (MIT Press, 1999), and his book, Snap To Grid: A User’s Guide to Digital Arts, Media, and Cultures (MIT Press, 2001). Lunenfeld was also the Editorial Director for the innovative Mediawork pamphlet series published by MIT Press. Within the series, Lunenfeld’s own User: InfoTechnoDemo appeared in 2005. In the first of a two-part trans-journal interview, Elizabeth Guffey (Editor-in-Chief, Design and Culture) and Raiford Guins (Principal Editor, journal of visual culture ) interview Lunenfeld on a number of topics that touch on visual culture, design studies, art, media and cultural critique. The trans-journal interview is a collaborative initiative between academic journal editors to facilitate conversations across fields of study and subject matter by sharing a space where intellectual labor is conducted. In part one of this interview, Lunenfeld responds to a number of questions related to his Mediawork series and his concept of the ‘visual intellectual’. In the second part of this interview, published in Design and Culture 2(3), November 2010, our emphasis includes design theory and the digital humanities as recently brought together in the form of the NOWCASTING conference that Lunenfeld organized on 16—17 October 2009 and his forthcoming book, The Secret War Between Downloading & Uploading: Tales of the Computer As Culture Machine (MIT Press, 2011).
Isolation of Gold Nanoparticle/Oligo-DNA Conjugates by the Number of Oligo-DNAs Attached and Their Formation of Self-assembly
Authors: Tamaki Takuya , Miyoshi Nozomi , Uehara Takeaki , Ohya Yuichi
Published: September 2010

A simple and conventional method to isolate gold nanoparticle (GNP)/oligo-DNA conjugates having defined number of oligo-DNAs by gel electrophoresis was developed using extension oligo-DNAs. Formation of self-organized assemblies of GNPs in two different sizes using the conjugates having one or two complementary oligo-DNAs was demonstrated. This method to prepare GNP/oligo-DNA conjugates with controlled number of DNA strands should be useful to build up functional nanoarrays of GNPs on DNA scaffolds.