bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Matter of Supply and Demand: The Electoral Performance of Populist Parties in Three European Countries
Authors: van Kessel Stijn
Published: January 2013

This article assesses the electoral performance of populist parties in three European countries: the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom. In explaining the electoral performance of the populist parties in the three countries, the article considers the agency of political parties in particular. More specifically, it examines the responsiveness of established parties and the credibility of the populist parties. Whereas the agency of populist parties, or other radical outsiders, has often been overlooked in previous comparative studies, this article argues that the credibility of the populist parties themselves plays a crucial role in understanding their electoral success and failure.
The oblique parabolic equation model for linear and nonlinear wave shoaling
Authors: Toledo Yaron
Published: January 2013

Common simplified models for surface gravity waves result in parabolic-type equations. These equations mostly assume a negligible reflection from the bottom variations but account for both refraction and diffraction effects. A common deficiency of these equations is an inherent assumption of normally incident waves, which cause an increasing error, as the incident waves propagate from an increasing attack angle. In the nonlinear formulation of this type of equation, previous research added the assumption of small crossing angles between interacting waves, which also limits the applicability of these nonlinear models to narrow directional spectra. The current paper presents a parabolic approximation for oblique incident waves that overcomes these limitations. This is done by introducing a perturbation solution for the wave’s phase function, which in its lowest order corresponds to oblique incident waves on a bottom with no lateral changes. The resulting curved wave ray structure replaces the simplified straight one used in the derivation process of various former models. In the nonlinear model, the nonlinear interactions are calculated between the frequency modes while taking into account the different propagating directions. Numerical results of the oblique parabolic equation show great advantages compared to other formulations that use a straight wave ray structure and the small crossing angle assumption. The nonlinear model was used to investigate the nonlinear shoaling of two similar monochromatic waves approaching from different angles. This fundamental nonlinear interaction problem shows that there is an energy transfer to waves of the primary harmonic that approach at larger attack angles than the two incident waves. This is counter-intuitive. Unlike in the case of linear wave shoaling, where the waves reduce their attack angle in the refraction process, in the nonlinear shoaling process the attack angle can increase. Fundamental numerical simulations of the linear and nonlinear oblique parabolic models are shown to be in excellent agreement with the initial mild-slope equations. This confirms the benefits of applying these models to various shoaling scenarios for both linear and nonlinear waves.
Clustering and turbulence modulation in particle-laden shear flows
Authors: Gualtieri P. , Picano F. , Sardina G. , Casciola C. M.
Published: January 2013

Turbulent fluctuations induce the common phenomenon known as clustering in the spatial arrangement of small inertial particles transported by the fluid. Particles spread non-uniformly, and form clusters where their local concentration is much higher than in nearby rarefaction regions. The underlying physics has been exhaustively analysed in the so-called one-way coupling regime, i.e. negligible back-reaction of the particles on the fluid, where the mean flow anisotropy induces preferential orientation of the clusters. Turbulent transport in suspensions with significant mass in the disperse phase, i.e. particles back-reacting in the carrier phase (the two-way coupling regime), has instead been much less investigated and is still poorly understood. The issue is discussed here by addressing direct numerical simulations of particle-laden homogeneous shear flows in the two-way coupling regime. Consistent with previous findings, we observe an overall depletion of the turbulent fluctuations for particles with response time of the order of the Kolmogorov time scale. The depletion occurs in the energy-containing range, while augmentation is observed in the small-scale range down to the dissipative scales. Increasing the mass load results in substantial broadening of the energy cospectrum, thereby extending the range of scales driven by anisotropic production mechanisms. As discussed throughout the paper, this is due to the clusters which form the spatial support of the back-reaction field and give rise to a highly anisotropic forcing, active down to the smallest scales. A certain impact on two-phase flow turbulence modelling is expected from the above conclusions, since the frequently assumed small-scale isotropy is poorly recovered when the coupling between the phases becomes significant.
Normal stresses in concentrated non-Brownian suspensions
Authors: Dbouk T. , Lobry L. , Lemaire E.
Published: January 2013

We present an experimental approach used to measure both normal stress differences and the particle phase contribution to the normal stresses in suspensions of non-Brownian hard spheres. The methodology consists of measuring the radial profile of the normal stress along the velocity gradient direction in a torsional flow between two parallel discs. The values of the first and the second normal stress differences, ${N}_{1} $ and ${N}_{2} $, are deduced from the measurement of the slope and of the origin ordinate. The measurements are carried out for a wide range of particle volume fractions (between 0.2 and 0.5). As expected, ${N}_{2} $ is measured to be negative but ${N}_{1} $ is found to be positive. We discuss the validity of the method and present numerous tests that have been carried out in order to validate our results. The experimental setup also allows the pore pressure to be measured. Then, subtracting the pore pressure from the total stress, ${\mbrm{\Sigma} }_{\mathbf{22} } $, the contribution of the particles to the normal stress ${ \mbrm{\Sigma} }_{\mathbf{22} }^{\mathbi{p}} $ is obtained. Most of our results compare well with the different experimental and numerical data present in the literature. In particular, our results show that the magnitude of the particle stress tensor component and their dependence on the particle volume fraction used in the suspension model balance proposed by Morris & Boulay (J. Rheol., vol. 43, 1999, p. 1213) are suitable.
Validation and modification of asymptotic analysis of slow and rapid droplet spreading by numerical simulation
Authors: Sui Yi , Spelt Peter D. M.
Published: January 2013

Using a slip-length-based level-set approach with adaptive mesh refinement, we have simulated axisymmetric droplet spreading for a dimensionless slip length down to$O(1{0}^{\ensuremath{-} 4} )$. The main purpose is to validate, and where necessary improve, the asymptotic analysis of Cox (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 357, 1998, pp. 249–278) for rapid droplet spreading/dewetting, in terms of the detailed interface shape in various regions close to the moving contact line and the relation between the apparent angle and the capillary number based on the instantaneous contact-line speed,$\mathit{Ca}$. Before presenting results for inertial spreading, simulation results are compared in detail with the theory of Hocking & Rivers (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 121, 1982, pp. 425–442) for slow spreading, showing that these agree very well (and in detail) for such small slip-length values, although limitations in the theoretically predicted interface shape are identified; a simple extension of the theory to viscous exterior fluids is also proposed and shown to yield similar excellent agreement. For rapid droplet spreading, it is found that, in principle, the theory of Cox can predict accurately the interface shapes in the intermediate viscous sublayer, although the inviscid sublayer can only be well presented when capillary-type waves are outside the contact-line region. However,$O(1)$parameters taken to be unity by Cox must be specified and terms be corrected to${\mathit{Ca}}^{+ 1} $in order to achieve good agreement between the theory and the simulation, both of which are undertaken here. We also find that the apparent angle from numerical simulation, obtained by extrapolating the interface shape from the macro region to the contact line, agrees reasonably well with the modified theory of Cox. A simplified version of the inertial theory is proposed in the limit of negligible viscosity of the external fluid. Building on these results, weinvestigate the flow structure near the contact line, the shear stress and pressure along the wall, and the use of the analysis for droplet impact and rapid dewetting. Finally, we compare the modified theory of Cox with a recent experiment for rapid droplet spreading, the results of which suggest a spreading-velocity-dependent dynamic contact angle in the experiments. The paper is closed with a discussion of the outlook regarding the potential of using the present results in large-scale simulations wherein the contact-line region is not resolved down to the slip length, especially for inertial spreading.
A two-dimensional vortex condensate at high Reynolds number
Authors: Gallet Basile , Young William R.
Published: January 2013

We investigate solutions of the two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equation in a $\lrm{\pi} \ensuremath{\times} \lrm{\pi} $ square box with stress-free boundary conditions. The flow is steadily forced by the addition of a source $\sin nx\sin ny$ to the vorticity equation; attention is restricted to even $n$ so that the forcing has zero integral. Numerical solutions with $n= 2$ and $6$ show that at high Reynolds numbers the solution is a domain-scale vortex condensate with a strong projection on the gravest mode, $\sin x\sin y$. The sign of the vortex condensate is selected by a symmetry-breaking instability. We show that the amplitude of the vortex condensate has a finite limit as $\nu \ensuremath{\rightarrow} 0$. Using a quasilinear approximation we make an analytic prediction of the amplitude of the condensate and show that the amplitude is determined by viscous selection of a particular solution from a family of solutions to the forced two-dimensional Euler equation. This theory indicates that the condensate amplitude will depend sensitively on the form of the dissipation, even in the undamped limit. This prediction is verified by considering the addition of a drag term to the Navier–Stokes equation and comparing the quasilinear theory with numerical solution.
Stability analysis of experimental flow fields behind a porous cylinder for the investigation of the large-scale wake vortices
Authors: Camarri Simone , Fallenius Bengt E. G. , Fransson Jens H. M.
Published: January 2013

When the linear stability analysis is applied to the time-averaged flow past a circular cylinder after the primary instability of the wake, a nearly marginally stable global mode is predicted with a frequency in time equal to that of the saturated vortex shedding. This behaviour has recently been shown to hold up to Reynolds number$\mathit{Re}= 600$by direct numerical simulations. In the present work we verify that the global stability analysis provides reasonable estimation also when applied to experimental velocity fields measured in the wake past a porous circular cylinder at$\mathit{Re}\simeq 3. 5\ensuremath{\times} 1{0}^{3} $. Different intensities of continuous suction and blowing through the entire surface of the cylinder are considered. The global direct and adjoint stability modes, derived from the experimental data, are used to sort the random instantaneous snapshots of the velocity field in phase. The proposed method is remarkable, sorting the snapshots in phase with respect to the vortex shedding, allowing phase-averaged velocity fields to be extracted from the experimental database. The phase-averaged flow fields are analysed in order to study the effect of the transpiration on the kinematical characteristics of the large-scale wake vortices.
Oral intake of heat-killed cells ofLactococcus lactisstrain H61 promotes skin health in women
Authors: Kimoto-Nira Hiromi , Aoki Reiji , Sasaki Keisuke , Suzuki Chise , Mizumachi Koko
Published: January 2013

We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the effect of heat-killed cells ofLactococcus lactisstrain H61 on various skin properties of Japanese women. Volunteers (age 31–62 years) were randomly assigned to receive test food with or without 60 mg of heat-killed strain H61 (fifteen women in each group; H61 and control groups, respectively) daily for 8 weeks. Results were analysed for three age categories (30s, 40s and 50–60s). Compared with that at week 0, skin hydration at the inner forearm at weeks 4 and 8 decreased in all volunteers (except those in their 50–60s) because of the environmental change from autumn to winter. The oldest H61 group maintained skin hydration at the inner forearm throughout the study. Skin elasticity and melanin content in the cheek decreased and sebum content increased throughout the test period due to seasonal environmental change, regardless of age or H61 treatment. Self-evaluation scores for apparent hair follicles and dryness of the throat at week 8 were higher in the overall H61 group than in the combined placebo group. The 30s H61 group noted marked improvements in self-surveyed skin elasticity at week 8 compared with at week 0 and with the placebo group at week 8. The results of the present study indicate that oral intake of heat-killed cells ofL. lactisstrain H61 can improve some skin properties and body characteristics in women. This strain would probably be useful in increasing the quality of life in an ageing population.
In comparison with palm oil, dietary nut supplementation delays the progression of atherosclerotic lesions in female apoE-deficient mice
Authors: Surra Joaquín C. , Barranquero Cristina , Torcal María P. , Orman Israel , Segovia Jose C. , Guillén Natalia , Navarro María A. , Arnal Carmen , Osada Jesús
Published: January 2013

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the benefits of nut consumption on cardiovascular risk factors and CHD, attributed to their fatty acid profile, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, and also to other nutrients. The effect of nuts on atherosclerotic lesions was studied in female and male apoE-knockout mice fed a diet supplemented with 3 % (w/w) mixed nuts (mix: almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts in a proportion of 0·25:0·25:0·50, respectively), and compared with mice receiving an isoenergetic diet of similar fat content provided as palm oil. After 12 weeks, plasma lipid parameters and aortic lesions were measured. Males receiving nuts had lower plasma cholesterol than the palm oil group, and both sex groups had lower plasma non-HDL-cholesterol and lower content of reactive oxygen species in LDL than mice receiving the palm oil diet, the latter decrease being more pronounced in females than in males. Females consuming the nut diet showed a smaller aortic lesion area than those consuming palm oil, whereas no differences were observed in males. In females, hepatic paraoxonase 2 (Pon2) mRNA increased, and no change was observed in prenylcysteine oxidase 1 (Pcyox1) expression after the consumption of the nut-containing diet. In addition, aortic atherosclerotic lesions correlated directly with total plasma cholesterol and inversely with hepaticPon2expression. The results suggest that the beneficial effect of nut intake in female apoE-deficient mice may be attributed to reduced non-HDL-cholesterol levels and enhanced PON2 antioxidant activity.
Der Bund der Kommunisten im Sommer 1850. Drei Dokumente aus dem Marx-Engels-Nachlass
Authors: Schieder Wolfgang
Published: January 2013

Die Forschungen zur Geschichte des Kommunistenbundes befinden sich immer noch in der Phase der Materialerschließung. Es konnte in jüngster Zeit nicht zuletzt deshalb zu Kontroversen über die historische Bedeutung dieses Geheimbundes im Rahmen der deutschen Arbeiter-bewegung kommen, weil ein sehr beträchtlicher Teil des erhaltenen Materials der Forschung bisher teils nicht bekannt teils nicht zugänglich war. In Anbetracht dieses unbefriedigenden Zustandes ist zu begrüßen, daß die Institute für Marxismus-Leninismus in Moskau und Berlin die Edition der ihnen verfügbaren Dokumente zur Geschichte des Bundes der Kommunisten angekündigt haben. Unabhängig davon, aber in Abstimmung mit dem Vorhaben der Moskauer und Berliner Historiker, betreibt das Amsterdamer Internationale Institut für Sozialgeschichte die Veröffentlichung des restlichen Materials, das sich noch über den Kommunistenbund in seinem Besitz befindet. Im Zusammenhang damit werden hier drei Dokumente zur Geschichte des Bundes der Kommunisten im Sommer 1850 vorgelegt.
The President and the Mahatma: America's Response to Gandhi's Fast, February-March 1943
Authors: Venkataramani M. S. , Shrivastava B. K.
Published: January 2013

Early in February 1943 Mohandas Gandhi informed the Governor General of India, Lord Linlithgow, that he had decided to undertake a fast for a period of twenty-one days. Gandhi was at that time a prisoner at the Aga Khan palace in the city of Poona, near Bombay. He and his associates had been arrested on 9 August 1942 after the All India Congress Committee had adopted a resolution calling for the withdrawal of British rule over India. Violent protest demonstrations and attacks on government property by angry Indians following the arrest of the leaders was met by ruthless repressive measures. With thousands of nationalists thrown into prison and with the overwhelming coercive authority of the British Indian Government mobilized against them, the leaderless and unarmed Indian adherents and supporters of the Congress Party were beaten back and cowed down.
The Bitter Cry of Outcast London
Authors: Wohl Anthony S.
Published: January 2013

In the autumn of 1883 a small, anonymous penny pamphlet bearing the provocative titleThe Bitter Cry of Outcast Londonappeared in the London bookstores. Its impact was so immediate and cataclysmic that it must be considered one of the great pieces of Victorian reform literature. According to contemporary opinion the pamphlet provoked an “immense interest” in and “drew attention universally to the subject” of the dwellings of the working classes, and by the winter of 1883 it was unanimously agreed that urban slum conditions had “assumed the dimensions of a primary question” and had become “the subject of the day”. Alfred Spender, the editor of theWestminster Gazette, stated in 1913 that it was almost impossible to recapture “the sensation which such a pamphlet as ‘The Bitter Cry of Outcast London’ made when it was first produced”. Suddenly, almost overnight, it seemed, England awoke to the grim facts of the slums. “The revelations concerning ‘Outcast London’”, commentedReynolds Newspaper, “cause a tremendous sensation and thrill of horror through the land…” In January 1884 thePall Mall Gazettewrote thatThe Bitter Cryhad been echoing from one end of England to the other, and commented, ”We shall have to go back a long time to discover an agitation on any social question in England which has produced so prompt, so wide-spread, and, as we believe, so enduring an effect.” Two years after its publication it was reported thatThe Bitter Cry“rang through the length and breadth of the land. It touched the hearts of tens of thousands, and awoke deep feelings of indignation, pain, and sympathy in every direction.”
INTENSIVE SLAVE RAIDING IN THE COLONIAL INTERSTICE: HAMMAN YAJI AND THE MANDARA MOUNTAINS (NORTH CAMEROON AND NORTH-EASTERN NIGERIA)
Authors: VAN BEEK WALTER E. A.
Published: January 2013

A rare document, the diary of a slave raider, offers a unique view into the sociopolitical situation at the turn of the nineteenth century in the colonial backwater of North Cameroon. The Fulbe chief in question, Hamman Yaji, not only kept a diary, but was by far the most notorious slave raider of the Mandara Mountains. This article supplements the data from his diary with oral histories and archival sources to follow the dynamics of the intense slave raiding he engaged in. This frenzy of slaving occurred in a ‘colonial interstice’ characterized by competition between three colonial powers – the British, the Germans and the French, resilient governing structures in a region poorly controlled by colonial powers, and the unclear boundaries of the Mandara Mountains. The dynamics of military technology and the economics of this ‘uncommon market’ in slaves form additional factors in this episode in the history of slavery in Africa. These factors account for the general situation of insecurity due to slave raiding in the area, to which Hamman Yaji was an exceptionally atrocious contributor. In the end a religious movement, Mahdism, stimulated the consolidation of colonial power, ending Yaji's regime, which in all its brutality provides surprising insight in the early colonial situation in this border region between Nigeria and Cameroon.
RETHINKING POLITICS IN THE COLONY: THEMÉTISOF SENEGAL AND URBAN POLITICS IN THE LATE NINETEENTH AND EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY
Authors: JONES HILARY
Published: January 2013

Senegal was unique in French West Africa for the nature and extent of electoral institutions that operated in its colonial towns. In the 1870s, Third Republic France elaborated on earlier short-lived policies by re-establishing local assemblies and a legislative seat for Senegal in Paris. Although histories of modern politics focus on Blaise Diagne's 1914 election to the French National Assembly, a local assembly called the General Council held greater power over economic and political matters affecting the colony between 1870 and 1920. This article reconsiders the history of urban politics in colonial Senegal by examining the ways that themétis(mixed race population) used the General Council as their field of engagement with French officials, sometimes facilitating the consolidation of French rule but at other times contesting colonial practice.
‘HOOLIGANS, SPIVS AND LOAFERS’? : THE POLITICS OF VAGRANCY IN 1960s SOUTHERN RHODESIA
Authors: ALEXANDER JOCELYN
Published: January 2013

In 1960, amidst the most violent period of protest since conquest, the Southern Rhodesian government implemented a new Vagrancy Act alongside a range of repressive legislation. The Act's origins lay in a particular analysis of the social origins of unrest. It was unprecedented in promising not to exclude and criminalise ‘vagrants’ but to rehabilitate them as productive urban citizens. By presenting the Act as reformist and progressive, the government sought legitimacy for its actions. In fact, the Vagrancy Act was deeply punitive, underlining the tensions between reform and repression in settler social engineering. African leaders and Africans targeted by the Act saw it as a means of humiliating and criminalising those denied a livelihood by the settler political economy. In rejecting the Act, they invoked different models of citizenship to those on offer from the state. The Vagrancy Act ultimately met its demise at the hands of the Rhodesian Front, whose analysis of African protest made no space for the possibilities of reformist social engineering.
Mr Upjohn's Debts: Money and friendship in early colonial Calcutta
Authors: ROBB PETER
Published: January 2013

The paper discusses the effective operation of money and credit among Europeans in Calcutta around 1800, arguing for the importance of informal processes and ties of friendship that facilitated, regulated, and enforced agreements, helping both to tide over individuals in times of economic stress and to underwrite the provision and transfer of capital. The argument is advanced by a detailed case-study of debts owed by one resident—Aaron Upjohn—to another, the diarist, Richard Blechynden, amid a web of acquaintance, officialdom, and law that variously ensured that the debts were honoured. It is defined as a support system among acquaintances, necessitated in part by shortage of money and abundance of risk.
Modeling and treating internalizing psychopathology in a clinical trial: a latent variable structural equation modeling approach
Authors: Kushner M. G. , Krueger R. F. , Wall M. M. , Maurer E. W. , Menk J. S. , Menary K. R.
Published: January 2013

Background

Clinical trials are typically designed to test the effect of a specific treatment on a single diagnostic entity. However, because common internalizing disorders are highly correlated (‘co-morbid’), we sought to establish a practical and parsimonious method to characterize and quantify changes in a broad spectrum of internalizing psychopathology targeted for treatment in a clinical trial contrasting two transdiagnostic psychosocial interventions.

Method

Alcohol dependence treatment patients who had any of several common internalizing disorders were randomized to a six-session cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) experimental treatment condition or a progressive muscle relaxation training (PMRT) comparison treatment condition. Internalizing psychopathology was characterized at baseline and 4 months following treatment in terms of the latent structure of six distinct internalizing symptom domain surveys.

Results

Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) identified a two-factor solution at both baseline and the 4-month follow-up: Distress (measures of depression, trait anxiety and worry) and Fear (measures of panic anxiety, social anxiety and agoraphobia). Although confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated measurement invariance between the time-points, structural models showed that the latent means of Fear and Distress decreased substantially from baseline to follow-up for both groups, with a small but statistically significant advantage for the CBT group in terms of Distress (but not Fear) reduction.

Conclusions

The approach demonstrated in this study provides a practical solution to modeling co-morbidity in a clinical trial and is consistent with converging evidence pointing to the dimensional structure of internalizing psychopathology.
Embarrassment when illness strikes a close relative: a World Mental Health Survey Consortium Multi-Site Study
Authors: Ahmedani B. K. , Kubiak S. P. , Kessler R. C. , de Graaf R. , Alonso J. , Bruffaerts R. , Zarkov Z. , Viana M. C. , Huang Y. Q. , Hu C. , Posada-Villa J. A. , Lepine J.-P. , Angermeyer M. C. , de Girolamo G. , Karam A. N. , Medina-Mora M. E. , Gureje O. , Ferry F. , Sagar R. , Anthony J. C.
Published: January 2013

Background

In this global study we sought to estimate the degree to which a family member might feel embarrassed when a close relative is suffering from an alcohol, drug, or mental health condition (ADMC) versus a general medical condition (GMC). To date, most studies have considered embarrassment and stigma in society and internalized by the afflicted individual but have not assessed family embarrassment in a large-scale study.

Method

In 16 sites of the World Mental Health Surveys (WMHS), standardized assessments were completed including items on family embarrassment. Site matching was used to constrain local socially shared determinants of stigma-related feelings, enabling a conditional logistic regression model that estimates the embarrassment close relatives may hold in relation to family members affected by an ADMC, a GMC, or both conditions.

Results

There was a statistically robust association such that subgroups with an ADMC-affected relative were more likely to feel embarrassed compared to subgroups with a relative affected by a GMC (p < 0.001), even with covariate adjustments for age and sex.

Conclusions

The pattern of evidence from this research is consistent with conceptual models for interventions that target individual- and family-level stigma-related feelings of embarrassment as possible obstacles to effective early intervention and treatment for an ADMC. Macro-level interventions are under way but micro-level interventions may also be required among family members, along with care for each person with an ADMC.
The role of gut microbiota in programming the immune phenotype
Authors: Weng M. , Walker W. A.
Published: January 2013

The human fetus lives in a germ-free intrauterine environment and enters the outside world containing microorganisms from several sources, resulting in gut colonization. Full-term, vaginally born infants are completely colonized with a diverse array of bacterial families in clusters (Phyla) and species (>1000) by the first year of life. Colonizing bacteria communicating with the gut epithelium and underlying lymphoid tissues (‘bacterial–epithelial crosstalk’) result in a functional immune phenotype and no expression of disease (immune homeostasis). Appropriate colonization is influenced by the prebiotic effect of breast milk oligosaccharides. Adequate colonization results in an innate and adaptive mucosal immune phenotype via communication between molecular patterns on colonizing bacteria and pattern-recognition receptors (e.g., toll-like receptors) on epithelial and lymphoid cells. This ontogeny affects the immune system's capacity to develop oral tolerance to innocuous bacteria and benign antigens. Inadequate intestinal colonization with premature delivery, delivery by Cesarean section and excessive use of perinatal antibiotics results in the absence of adequate bacterial–epithelial crosstalk and an increased incidence of immune-mediated diseases [e.g., asthma, allergy in general and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)]. Fortunately, infants with inadequate intestinal colonization can be restored to a bacterial balance with the intake of probiotics. This has been shown to prevent debilitating diseases such as NEC. Thus, understanding the role of gut microbiota in programming of the immune phenotype may be important in preventing disease expression in later childhood and adulthood.
Leptin Attenuates Cerebral Ischemia Injury through the Promotion of Energy Metabolism via the PI3K/Akt Pathway
Authors: Zhang Jinying , Deng Zihui , Liao Jie , Song Cuihong , Liang Chen , Xue Hui , Wang Luhuan , Zhang Kai , Yan Guangtao
Published: January 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective mechanism of leptin-mediated metabolic recovery against cerebral injury after ischemia and reperfusion. We determined the neurologic deficit score, extent of brain edema, and infarct volume after reperfusion. The histopathologic alterations and changes in glucose uptake in the brain were also observed. Moreover, the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lactic acid, pyruvate, and ATP in brain tissue were detected. Leptin levels in serum were also detected. To further define leptin-induced neuroprotective signaling pathways, we examined the levels of phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) in the brain and in cultured cells. After transient ischemia, leptin treatment markedly reduced the neurologic deficits, cerebral infarct volume, and brain edema. After leptin injection, ATP, leptin, and p-Akt levels were significantly increased, LDH levels and lactic acid/pyruvate ratio were noticeably reduced, and histopathologic injuries were alleviated, which were all reversed by the PI3K inhibitor LY294002. These data show that leptin ameliorates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by enhancing p-Akt, which in turn improves the supply of energy. The PI3K/Akt pathway was found to be the critical pathway for the mediation of leptin-induced neuroprotection, a finding that may prove to be useful in the treatment of ischemic stroke.
Altered Cerebral Protein Synthesis in Fragile X Syndrome: Studies in Human Subjects and Knockout Mice
Authors: Qin Mei , Schmidt Kathleen C , Zametkin Alan J , Bishu Shrinivas , Horowitz Lisa M , Burlin Thomas V , Xia Zengyan , Huang Tianjiang , Quezado Zenaide M , Smith Carolyn Beebe
Published: January 2013

Dysregulated protein synthesis is thought to be a core phenotype of fragile X syndrome (FXS). In a mouse model ( Fmr1 knockout (KO)) of FXS, rates of cerebral protein synthesis (rCPS) are increased in selective brain regions. We hypothesized that rCPS are also increased in FXS subjects. We measured rCPS with the L-[1-11C]leucine positron emission tomography (PET) method in whole brain and 10 regions in 15 FXS subjects who, because of their impairments, were studied under deep sedation with propofol. We compared results with those of 12 age-matched controls studied both awake and sedated. In controls, we found no differences in rCPS between awake and propofol sedation. Contrary to our hypothesis, FXS subjects under propofol sedation had reduced rCPS in whole brain, cerebellum, and cortex compared with sedated controls. To investigate whether propofol could have a disparate effect in FXS subjects masking usually elevated rCPS, we measured rCPS in C57Bl/6 wild-type (WT) and KO mice awake or under propofol sedation. Propofol decreased rCPS substantially in most regions examined in KO mice, but in WT mice caused few discrete changes. Propofol acts by decreasing neuronal activity either directly or by increasing inhibitory synaptic activity. Our results suggest that changes in synaptic signaling can correct increased rCPS in FXS.
Pharmacometric Approaches to Guide Dose Selection of the Novel GPR40 Agonist TAK‐875 in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Naik H , Lu J , Cao C , Pfister M , Vakilynejad M , Leifke E
Published: January 2013

The G‐protein‐coupled receptor 40 agonist (GPR40) TAK‐875 is being developed as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Pharmacometric approaches such as model‐based exposure‐response and meta‐analyses were applied to (i) characterize exposure/dose–efficacy responses of TAK‐875, (ii) characterize the time course of glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) response with TAK‐875 6.25 to 200 mg q.d. doses for 12 weeks, (iii) project and compare HbA1c response with dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP‐4) inhibitors and TAK‐875 up to 24 weeks, and (iv) provide a quantitative rationale for dose selection in phase 3. On the basis of phase 2 data, relationships between TAK‐875 concentrations and HbA1c were well characterized by exposure–response models. EC50 and Emax of TAK‐875 were estimated to be 3.16 µg/ml and 0.366, respectively. Model‐based simulations over 24 weeks indicated that the 25‐ and 50‐mg q.d. doses of TAK‐875 achieve efficacy as comparable with or better than that of commonly used antidiabetic agents.

CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology (2013) 2, e22; doi:10.1038/psp.2012.23; advance online publication 9 January 2013
Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles with versatile surface functions based on dopamine anchors
Authors: Mazur Mykola , Barras Alexandre , Kuncser Victor , Galatanu Andrei , Zaitzev Vladimir , Turcheniuk Kostiantyn V. , Woisel Patrice , Lyskawa Joel , Laure William , Siriwardena Aloysius , Boukherroub Rabah , Szunerits Sabine
Published: January 2013

Dopamine-based attachment chemistry was used to form trifunctional magnetic particles.
Organosilver(I) Framework Assembly with Multinuclear Heteroaryl Ethynide Supramolecular Synthon R–C≡C⊃Agn (n=4, 5)
Authors: Cheng Ping-Shing , Hau Sam C. K. , Mak Thomas C. W.
Published: January 2013

A series of six silver(i) trifluoroacetate complexes containing new ligands each composed of a quinolinyl or pyridyl nucleus bearing one or two terminal ethynyl substituent(s) has been synthesised. Single-crystal X-ray analysis of the complexes established the coordination preferences of the ethynide substituent(s) at variable positions with respect to the nitrogen donor atom, which serve as dominant factors in directing the construction of multi-dimensional organosilver(i) networks, which are consolidated by weak intermolecular interactions in supramolecular assembly.
Ambient mass spectrometry for the intraoperative molecular diagnosis of human brain tumors
Authors: Eberlin Livia S. , Norton Isaiah , Orringer Daniel , Dunn Ian F. , Liu Xiaohui , Ide Jennifer L. , Jarmusch Alan K. , Ligon Keith L. , Jolesz Ferenc A. , Golby Alexandra J. , Santagata Sandro , Agar Nathalie Y. R. , Cooks R. Graham
Published: January 2013

The main goal of brain tumor surgery is to maximize tumor resection while preserving brain function. However, existing imaging and surgical techniques do not offer the molecular information needed to delineate tumor boundaries. We have developed a system to rapidly analyze and classify brain tumors based on lipid information acquired by desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS). In this study, a classifier was built to discriminate gliomas and meningiomas based on 36 glioma and 19 meningioma samples. The classifier was tested and results were validated for intraoperative use by analyzing and diagnosing tissue sections from 32 surgical specimens obtained from five research subjects who underwent brain tumor resection. The samples analyzed included oligodendroglioma, astrocytoma, and meningioma tumors of different histological grades and tumor cell concentrations. The molecular diagnosis derived from mass-spectrometry imaging corresponded to histopathology diagnosis with very few exceptions. Our work demonstrates that DESI-MS technology has the potential to identify the histology type of brain tumors. It provides information on glioma grade and, most importantly, may help define tumor margins by measuring the tumor cell concentration in a specimen. Results for stereotactically registered samples were correlated to preoperative MRI through neuronavigation, and visualized over segmented 3D MRI tumor volume reconstruction. Our findings demonstrate the potential of ambient mass spectrometry to guide brain tumor surgery by providing rapid diagnosis, and tumor margin assessment in near–real time.
Contextual constraint and N + 2 preview effects in reading
Authors: Radach Ralph , Inhoff Albrecht W. , Glover Lisa , Vorstius Christian
Published: January 2013

Extracting linguistic information from locations beyond the currently fixated word is a core component of skilled reading. Recent debate on this topic is focused on the question of whether useful linguistic information can be extracted from more than one (parafoveally visible) word to the right of a fixated word (N). The current study examined this issue through the use parafoveal previews with a short and high-frequency next (N + 1) word, as this should increase the opportunity for the extraction of useful information from the subsequent (N + 2) word. Pairs of N + 2 words were selected so that contextual constraint was either high or low. Using saccade contingent display manipulations, preview of a N + 2 target word during word N viewing consisted of either a visually dissimilar nonword or a word. The results revealed a substantial drop in fixation probability for word N + 1 when the N + 2 preview was masked with a nonword. Furthermore, the masking of word N + 2 influenced its viewing duration even when word N + 1 was fixated prior to word N + 2 viewing. These results provide compelling evidence for the view that the linguistic processing can encompass more than one word at a time.
Youth and the revolution in Egypt: what kinship tells us
Authors: Sawaf Zina
Published: January 2013

Studies of youth in Arab societies have tended to posit and explore their social exclusion, marginalization and even de-politicization. Events sparked by the January 25 uprising in Egypt have reconstructed youth in a contradictory light, hailing them as new symbols of the nation. Careful consideration of current thinking in the anthropology of kinship and the nation, however, cautions the audience of the revolution to think twice. Taking for granted the ‘blurred boundaries’ between kinship and the nation, this paper suggests that the transformation from ‘totalizing and patricentric rule’ in Egypt evokes the symbolism of kinship and its wider metaphorical uses, manipulations and transformations. It uses kinship to re-examine the role of youth in the Egypt revolution, on the one hand, and the end of Hosni Mubarak’s totalizing and patricentric regime, on the other. Firstly, it shows how a discursive concern with youth’s place in the revolution is simultaneously and more strongly a concern with kinship. It then sheds light on the kinship idiom that has defined the Egyptian nation since its birth to its ‘demubarakization’. Finally, it shows how kinship and nation are mutually susceptible to manipulations and transformations in the aftermath of the revolution. The paper concludes by noting the relevance of kinship to contemporary political events.
Derived equivalences for Φ-Auslander-Yoneda algebras
Authors: Hu Wei , Xi Changchang
Published: January 2013

In this paper, we first define a new family of Yoneda algebras, called

Φ
\Phi

-Auslander-Yoneda algebras, in triangulated categories by introducing the notion of admissible sets

Φ
\Phi

in

N

\mathbb N

, which includes higher cohomologies indexed by

Φ
\Phi

, and then present a general method to construct a family of new derived equivalences for these

Φ
\Phi

-Auslander-Yoneda algebras (not necessarily Artin algebras), where the choices of the parameters

Φ
\Phi

are rather abundant. Among applications of our method are the following results: (1) if

A
A

is a self-injective Artin algebra, then, for any

A
A

-module

X
X

and for any admissible set

Φ
\Phi

in

N

\mathbb N

, the

Φ
\Phi

-Auslander-Yoneda algebras of

A
⊕
X

A\oplus X

and

A
⊕

Ω
A

(
X
)

A\oplus \Omega _A(X)

are derived equivalent, where

Ω
\Omega

is the Heller loop operator. (2) Suppose that

A
A

and

B
B

are representation-finite self-injective algebras with additive generators

A

X

_AX

and

B

Y

_BY

, respectively. If

A
A

and

B
B

are derived equivalent, then so are the

Φ
\Phi

-Auslander-Yoneda algebras of

X
X

and

Y
Y

for any admissible set

Φ
\Phi

. In particular, the Auslander algebras of

A
A

and

B
B

are derived equivalent. The converse of this statement is open. Further, motivated by these derived equivalences between

Φ
\Phi

-Auslander-Yoneda algebras, we show, among other results, that a derived equivalence between two basic self-injective algebras may transfer to a derived equivalence between their quotient algebras obtained by factoring out socles.
MaSC: mappability-sensitive cross-correlation for estimating mean fragment length of single-end short-read sequencing data
Authors: Ramachandran Parameswaran , Palidwor Gareth A. , Porter Christopher J. , Perkins Theodore J.
Published: January 2013

Motivation: Reliable estimation of the mean fragment length for next-generation short-read sequencing data is an important step in next-generation sequencing analysis pipelines, most notably because of its impact on the accuracy of the enriched regions identified by peak-calling algorithms. Although many peak-calling algorithms include a fragment-length estimation subroutine, the problem has not been adequately solved, as demonstrated by the variability of the estimates returned by different algorithms.

Results: In this article, we investigate the use of strand cross-correlation to estimate mean fragment length of single-end data and show that traditional estimation approaches have mixed reliability. We observe that the mappability of different parts of the genome can introduce an artificial bias into cross-correlation computations, resulting in incorrect fragment-length estimates. We propose a new approach, called mappability-sensitive cross-correlation (MaSC), which removes this bias and allows for accurate and reliable fragment-length estimation. We analyze the computational complexity of this approach, and evaluate its performance on a test suite of NGS datasets, demonstrating its superiority to traditional cross-correlation analysis.

Availability: An open-source Perl implementation of our approach is available at http://www.perkinslab.ca/Software.html.

Contact:  tperkins@ohri.ca

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Modelling the impacts of environmental variation on the habitat suitability of swordfish, Xiphias gladius, in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Chang Yi-Jay , Sun Chi-Lu , Chen Yong , Yeh Su-Zan , DiNardo Gerard , Su Nan-Jay
Published: January 2013

Chang, Y.-J., Sun, C.-L., Chen, Y., Yeh, S.-Z., DiNardo, G., and Su, N.-J. 2013. Modelling the impacts of environmental variation on the habitat suitability of swordfish, Xiphias gladius, in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 1000–1012. We developed a habitat suitability index (HSI) model to identify the optimal habitats of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Environmental variables, including sea surface temperature (SST), mixed layer depth (MLD), chlorophyll-a concentrations, and sea surface height anomaly, as well as catch and effort data from Taiwanese longline fisheries, were used. The geometric mean model including all the above environmental variables was identified as the most parsimonious model for yielding HSI predictions coinciding with productive fishing grounds with high fishing effort. Swordfish mainly aggregated in the northwest region during March–May and spread southeast thereafter in response to seasonal shifts in oceanographic conditions. There was annual variation in the distribution of habitat patches, and the habitat quality was reduced in the northwest region of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean during 2005. The apparent spatial shifts in optimal habitats might be linked to reduced MLD and elevation in sea surface height, which might be related to climate variability (e.g. Niño-Southern Oscillation and/or Northern Atlantic Oscillation). Because environmental data regarding climate change scenarios are becoming readily available, we can utilize the proposed HSI models to evaluate possible changes in habitat suitability resulting from climate change and provide scientific advice for the development of management regulations.
Short time-scale AGN X-ray variability with EXOSAT: black hole mass and normalized variability amplitude
Authors: McHardy I. M.
Published: January 2013

The old EXOSAT medium energy measurements of high-frequency (HF) active galactic nuclei (AGN) power spectral normalization are re-examined in the light of accurate black hole mass determinations which were not available when these data were first published by Green et al. It is found that the normalized variability amplitude (NVA), measured directly from the power spectrum, is proportional to Mβ, where β ∼ −0.54 ± 0.08. As NVA is the square root of the power, these observations show that the normalization of the HF power spectrum for this sample of AGN varies very close to inversely with black hole mass. Almost the same value of β is obtained whether the quasar 3C 273 is included in the sample or not, suggesting that the same process that drives X-ray variability in Seyfert galaxies applies also to 3C 273. These observations support the work of Gierliński et al. who show that an almost exactly linear anticorrelation is required if the normalizations of the HF power spectra of AGN and X-ray binary systems are to scale similarly. These observations are also consistent with a number of studies showing that the short time-scale variance of AGN X-ray light curves varies approximately inversely with mass.