bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Famines of War: The Red Sea Grain Market and Famine in Eastern Sudan, 1889–1891
Authors: Serels Steven
Published: May 2012

During the first few months of 1890, thousands of destitute, starving Bija-speaking semi-pastoralists from Eastern Sudan made their way to Sawākin in search of food. Though the region was plagued by both drought and locust swarms during the 1889–1890 cultivation year, ecological hazards are insufficient to explain the famine that precipitated this refugee migration. In the second half of the nineteenth century, Eastern Sudanese semi-pastoralists produced less than half of the grain that they consumed. These communities depended on trading pastoral products for grain imported from India via Red Sea ports. The 1889–1890 famine was not caused by a reduction in grain imports; during this time Eastern Sudanese grain markets were kept well stocked and the price of durra (Sorghum bicolor) remained stable. Rather, at the end of 1889, semi-pastoral communities suddenly lacked the capital to purchase and the goods to trade for their sustenance, suggesting that a rinderpest epizootic depleted their cattle stocks. Famine continued to plague Eastern Sudan during the 1890–1891 cultivation year. Unlike the famine during the previous year, this famine was, in fact, caused by a grain shortage. By July 1890, the Mahdist garrison at Kassala was unable to provide adequate provisions for both its soldiers and camp followers. Consequently, thousands of malnourished camp followers migrated from the Gash Delta, north of Kassala, to the Tawkar Delta, on the Red Sea coast, thereby increasing the demand for grain in the Red Sea hills. At the same time, the British military leadership stationed at Sawākin decided to starve the population of the Red Sea hills into submission. British officers prohibited all commerce between Sawākin and the interior and ceased all forms of food aid—which resulted in a rapid rise in the price of grain in Eastern Sudan and to widespread starvation, banditry, and death in the Red Sea hills and the Tawkar Delta.
Women Who Migrate, Men Who Wait: Eritrean Labor Migration to the Arab Near East
Authors: Kifleyesus Abbebe
Published: May 2012

Over the last five decades, Eritrea has experienced a massive outflow of labor migrants to the Arab Near East. Although this labor migration has grown steadily since the 1950s, there has been a profound change in the magnitude and dynamism of the migration since the early 1970s. The reason is that Eritrea has suffered from severe economic problems resulting from its three-decade-long war of liberation with Ethiopia. By contrast, the Arab Near East, the oil-producing countries in particular, have enjoyed a significant increase in their wealth as a result of a sharp rise in energy prices following the world energy crises in 1973 and 1979. With the accumulation of wealth, these countries engaged in large-scale restructuring and development programs that created chronic labor shortages. This great contrast in the wealth and size of the labor force resulted in a pronounced difference in the rewards for employment between Eritrea and the Arab Near East. This difference has attracted a large number of Eritrean labor migrants to countries like Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, and the United Arab Emirates. This article examines the labor market patterns and the cultural effects on economic behavior, and investigates to what extent earnings and remittances and therefore the income of women migrants are impacted by cultural variables. It also reveals that women are likely to take up domestic work when they migrate to various destinations in the Arab Near East, that such women were unemployed prior to their migration, and that the earnings of women, are, on average, lower than those of men, but that women send more money back home than do men. These higher rates of remittances by women are not simply expressions of income and expenditure but are rather attributable to higher savings abilities embedded in cultural values. In sum, the article looks at the dynamics of household labor in the context of migration; discusses paid household work as a structural continuation of unpaid household work across the public sphere; demonstrates how Eritrean women travel through the household worker/housewife boundary in their home country and become family breadwinners, men’s supporters, sources of funding for state projects, and urban property owners by engaging in household work; and underscores women’s agency by articulating their paid household work through the negotiation of the monetary and emotional value of their labor in the Arab Near East.
Marche gaie : A Rediscovered Work by Lili Boulanger
Authors: Potter Caroline
Published: May 2012

In her all too brief career, Lili Boulanger (1893–1918) composed a number of works for which there is proof they existed but which have now disappeared. One of these missing pieces, Marche gaie , resurfaced in 2011 in a private collection in North Carolina; the owners of the manuscript are the grandchildren of the work’s dedicatee. As Marche gaie was registered with SACEM as a work for chamber orchestra in 1916, we can assume the work was composed in that year. While the manuscript is in an unknown hand, there is musical and circumstantial evidence which, combined with testimony from the family, provides compelling evidence that this is a missing work by Lili Boulanger. The piece is just under four minutes in duration and has been arranged for piano from the short-score manuscript by the author of this article.

The article explores the background of the work’s dedicatee, Jeanne Leygues, focusing on her family’s artistic and political connections. Her marriage to an American who fought in the French Foreign Legion in World War I explains why the score of Marche gaie was discovered in North Carolina. The work’s position in Lili Boulanger’s output is considered; it shows the influences of Fauré and Chabrier, and is stylistically linked to other short occasional pieces composed by her. A musical quotation (Boulanger was fond of quotation and allusion in her works) shows that the piece must have been composed as a wedding present.
Should We Play A♮ or A♯ in Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” Sonata, Opus 106?
Authors: Badura-Skoda Paul
Published: May 2012

One hundred and eighty-five years after Beethoven’s death there is still a question as to whether to play an Ainline-graphic 02i] or A[inline-graphic 01i] in measures 224–26 of the first movement of Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” Sonata, op. 106. Hans von Bülow’s reading of an A[inline-graphic 02i] has been repeated in numerous editions, although musicological evidence points to Beethoven’s intention of A[inline-graphic 01i]. The author presents six arguments in favor of the latter.
Chinese Medical Ward: An American's Observations
Authors: Leonard Ryan A.
Published: May 2012

Physicians base their practices on scientific knowledge that varies little from one country to another, but their experience and their careers are shaped by the culture in which they live and work. This essay casts light on medical practice in mainland China, based on three months of field work with an elite group of physicians at a tertiary academic medical center in summer 2009. It is a story of a diverse group of Chinese professionals navigating a demanding profession, and of the foreign college student on whom they left an indelible impact. Many of the normative features of the Chinese medical profession—its chain of command, commitment to medical ethics, and scientific orientation—are highly comparable to the working lives of American physicians.
Apollo, Sudden Death, and Homer's "Odyssey": A Warning from the Past that We May Be Unable to Eradicate Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: John Lindsay C. H.
Published: May 2012

Over recent years there has been a gratifying decrease in the incidence of recorded deaths from coronary artery disease in the Western world. The common view is that coronary artery disease is a recent phenomenon, that we have been subject to an epidemic in the mid-20th century that is now tailing off, and that with appropriate risk modification we may eradicate this disease or make it very rare. However, this article examines the cases of sudden, nontraumatic death described in Homer's Odyssey , which dates from c. 800 BCE. The results suggest that a high incidence of death from coronary artery disease may not be a recent phenomenon. Together with other described evidence, this study casts doubt on the view that coronary artery disease is a modern epidemic that can be eradicated.
Should Direct-to-Consumer Personalized Genomic Medicine Remain Unregulated?: A Rebuttal of the Defenses
Authors: Valles Sean A.
Published: May 2012

Direct-to-consumer personalized genomic medicine has recently grown into a small industry that sells mail-order DNA sample kits and then provides disease risk assessments, typically based upon results from genome-trait association studies. The companies selling these services have been largely exempted from FDA regulation in the United States. Testing kit companies and their supporters have defended the industry's unregulated status using two arguments. First, defenders have argued that mere absence of harm is all that must be proved for mail-order tests to be acceptable. Second, defenders of mail-order testing have argued that there is an individual right to the tests' information. This article rebuts these arguments. The article demonstrates that the direct-to-consumer market has resulted in the sidelining of clinical utility (medical value to patients), leading to the development of certain mail-order tests that do not promote customers' interests and to defenders' downplaying of a potentially damaging empirical study of mail-order genomic testing's effects on consumers. The article also shows that the notion of an individual right to these tests rests on a flawed reading of the key service provided by mail-order companies, which is the provision of medical interpretations, not simply genetic information. Absent these two justifications, there is no reason to exempt direct-to-consumer personalized genomic medicine from stringent federal oversight.
Reconsidering Detached Concern: The Case of Intensive-Care Nurses
Authors: Cadge Wendy , Hammonds Clare
Published: May 2012

The concept of detached concern, as proposed by Renée Fox in Experiment Perilous (1959), is often used in the literature today in a way she did not intend. Rather than viewing detachment and concern as dualities, scholars frequently conceive of them as dichotomous, emphasizing detachment over concern. We reconsider detached concern here through the stories 37 intensive-care nurses told about their most memorable patients. While many described efforts to keep emotionally distant from patients, they also expressed concern for patients they felt connected to, especially those who were a first for them, who were long-term primary patients, who surprised them, or who died. The care nurses provide for these patients is shaped sociologically by their training and institutional contexts and is not an aberration or indicative of their losing control of their feelings. Instead, it is evidence of the dual nature of detached concern and of the importance of viewing the concept as describing more than emotional detachment.
Patients and Borders, Money and Mission: Responding to Medically Needy Persons from Other Countries Who Lack Financial Resources
Authors: Kaldjian Lauris Christopher
Published: May 2012

When financially impoverished persons from resource-poor countries travel to resource-rich countries to seek medical treatment, health-care professionals and hospital administrators must decide how to respond. These financially impoverished "medical travelers" are medically no different from financially impoverished citizens or immigrants, but their national residence and purpose of travel may cause them to be seen as having a lower degree of standing within the communities that hospitals are expected to serve. In responding to such persons, health-care professionals and administrators encounter tension between the mission-driven intention to provide care and a budget-driven intention to protect operating margins. Responses require practical wisdom and a readiness to wrestle with tensions related to objectives (charitable versus financial), role-specific obligations (clinicians versus administrators), and contrasting moral frameworks. There are also challenges of reconciling plural moral values, setting moral priorities, and considering whether national borders should constrain our view of persons as neighbors. Finding a way forward amidst many tensions is hard moral work, but it may be facilitated by granting a moral imperative to physical proximity, respecting role-fidelity among clinicians and administrators, furthering candid moral dialogue, and promoting a presumption to treat whenever it is feasible to do so.
A History of the Acheen Street Malay Enclave from Oral History Accounts
Authors: Md Adnan Izrin Muaz
Published: May 2012

This article attempts to piece together a history of the Acheen Street Malay enclave based upon two sets of oral history interviews. The first was conducted in the 1980s by the Arkib Negara Malaysia (National Archives of Malaysia) and used extensively in a number of local publications. The second, conducted in 2010-11, was carried out by the researcher with a focus on assisting in the cultural mapping process helping the local community to document and interpret their own histories. Located at the heart of the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Acheen Street Malay enclave is a unique and important example of an urban Malay village featuring an Arab Peranakan heritage two centuries in the making. Where possible, these oral history accounts have been verified with documented history, secondary source material and through discussions with the stakeholders. The article is divided into three sections: an introductory section describing the boundaries and origins of the Acheen Street Malay enclave; followed by a description of the history of Acheen Street based upon the memories of the community; and finally, a third section describing the significance of the site through a micro-history of the buildings and public spaces making up the enclave.
Why Did Syarif Kassim Kill Captain Sadler at Mempawah in 1795?
Authors: Miller W. G.
Published: May 2012

The English country trader Thomas Sadler disappeared while trading at the West Borneo port of Mempawah in 1795. Events surrounding this incident are described and the role of the ruler of Mempawah, Sayid Kassim, examined. The domestic, political and economic conditions of Mempawah are of critical importance in any interpretation of events. Contemporary and later accounts which refer to Sadler's death are analysed, and what is a relatively minor incident in the history of Malay-British relations is placed in the context of the changing, broader, political situation of the time, which saw the British playing a more dominant role in the archipelago.
Gypsies as "Marginal Man" in Works by Georg Simmel and Robert Park
Authors: Hadziavdic Habiba
Published: May 2012

The concept of the "Marginal Man" (or Fremde ) central to the writing of the Chicago School sociologist Robert E. Park and German sociologist and philosopher Georg Simmel directly correlates to the processes of othering German Sinti and Roma. Furthermore, the explicitly stated exclusion of Gypsies as "Marginal Man" by Park, and the more subtle omission of the same by Simmel, perpetuate the same framework within which Sinti and Roma are seen as stateless Gypsies, or pariahs in any country. Critical engagement here with Park's "Human Migration and the Marginal Man" and Simmel's "Exkurs über den Fremden" is centered on the creation of the culturally constructed figure of the Gypsy that continues to shape the non-Sinti and Roma's understanding of an extremely diverse group of people. The two texts exemplify the essentializing discourse that leads to antiziganism. The terms Ziganism or Gypsysm , as used here, correspond to the mental, verbal, and visual constructs of writers narrating about Sinti and Roma. Metaphors, ideologies, and fantasies create a hostile reality that rests on processes of othering.
Resolving the Institution of Marriage in Eighteenth-Century Courtship Novels
Authors: Giles Heidi
Published: May 2012

Two features of the famous exchange between Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Elizabeth Bennett in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice —a crucial moment in a crucial courtship novel—are particularly significant: its treatment of marriage, and its use of the word "resolve." This moment reveals that in Jane Austen's portrayal of courtship, instead of submitting to authority and convention, a young woman takes charge of her own marriage. With the help of various critics, we have come to think of certain tropes, such as "sensibility," "reform," and "duty," to name a few, as central to our understanding of the eighteenth-century novel. I propose "resolve" as a trope of similar importance. The repeated use of "resolve" in the dialogue between Elizabeth and Lady Catherine represents a culmination of many decades of use of the language of "resolve" in crucial moments of courtship novels by authors including Eliza Haywood, Samuel Richardson, Frances Burney, and Ann Radcliffe. The contradictory definitions of "resolve" appeal to these authors. The paradox of language allows for, indeed helps to induce, the wellknown paradox of courtship novels: voluntary submission. Thus, Austen (and others) can use this language to empower their heroines while still emphasizing the sacrifice—the potential dissolution and disintegration of identity—that lurks behind every resolve.
Proposition on the theory of policing
Authors: Jobard Fabien
Published: May 2012

Cet article revient sur les débats que Jean-Paul Brodeur avait développés durant au moins deux décennies autour de la place de la force dans la définition et la théorie de la police. L’auteur expose d’abord le projet théorique de The Policing Web, son dernier ouvrage, et la place qu’occupe dans celui-ci « l’illégalisme policier », qui constitue la pierre fondatrice de la théorie de la police avancée par Jean-Paul Brodeur. Il esquisse ensuite une approche sociologique de cet illégalisme policier, en montrant pour quelles raisons la méthode retenue par Jean-Paul Brodeur ne pouvait être qualifiée de sociologique, avant de formuler une « théorie sociologique de la police », fondée sur la notion de souveraineté. L’emploi de cette notion le conduit à préciser son acception, avant de formuler une proposition de « théorie politique de la police ».
The “High Policing” Privatization Hypothesis, and How to Explore It
Authors: Ocqueteau Frédéric
Published: May 2012

L’article prend au pied de la lettre la remarque de Jean-Paul Brodeur en réplique au travail de deux chercheurs britanniques sur la privatisation de la « haute police » (ou police des renseignements). À partir de travaux empiriques menés en France, il discute des connaissances engendrées par le regard jeté sur la diversité des clientèles des agences de sécurité privée et des services internes de sûreté d’entreprises sensibles pouvant faire appel à leurs services. Il argumente sur le caractère délicat de l’hypothèse d’une privatisation de l’information détenue par les diverses agences de renseignements de l’État, attribut de souveraineté non véritablement entamé. La révolution qui convertirait le coût du renseignement public (militaire ou policier) protégeant les institutions en prix à payer au renseignement privé protégeant la sécurité de l’entreprise et celle de ses clients n’a pas véritablement commencé. On peut néanmoins en repérer quelques prémisses parmi les agences dites « d’intelligence économique », bien que la plupart de leurs contrats soient liés aux industries de l’armement contrôlées par les états-majors du ministère de la Défense.
A New Surgical Technique for Ingrown Toenail
Authors: Mousavi Seyed Reza , Khoshnevice Jaledin
Published: May 2012

Background. Ingrowing toenails are a common condition which, when recurrent and painful, are often treated surgically. The aim of this study is to present a new simple surgical technique for ingrown toenails with good results. Method and Patients. The selected 250 patients with affected toes were surgically treated by our technique and observed from 1998 to 2004. Marginal nail elevation combined with surgical excision of the granulation tissue was more successful. For fixing the nail margin on the toe we have done one-bite suture by Nylon 3/0 that was removed after 3 weeks. Results. All patients were operated on by our new technique and the outcome was excellent; recurrence and failure of the technique were very low. Discussion. Because with this simple technique we excise the granulation tissue and elevate margin of nail over the skin, we will have higher cure rate, shorter postoperative pain, lower risk of postoperative infection, and remarkable cosmetic result without deformity; hence this technique should be considered as an alternative method of treatment.
White Electrofluorescence Switching from Electrochemically Convertible Yellow Fluorescent Dyad
Authors: Seo Seogjae , Kim Yuna , Zhou Qing , Clavier Gilles , Audebert Pierre , Kim Eunkyoung
Published: May 2012

A fluorescent naphthalimide‐tetrazine dyad (NITZ) was examined for electrofluorochromism. The reversible electrochemistry of the tetrazine was accompanied by the fluorescence change through a quasi‐complete energy transfer in an electrochemical cell prepared by the mixture of polymer electrolyte and naphthalimide‐tetrazine dyad. Owing to the energy transfer within the dyad (naphthalimide and tetrazine), the fluorescence efficiency of NITZ was much enhanced and the effective fluorophore concentration in this system was much less than other tetrazine based electrofluorochromic device (EFD). Thus the yellow fluorescence of NITZ was switched on and off remarkably even with small quantity of NITZ (1 wt.%) in an EFD upon application of step potentials for different redox state. Furthermore, multi‐color fluorescence switching was achieved by blending a naphthalimide to the electrofluorochromic layer, to show white‐blue‐dark state of fluorescence. Since the tetrazine and naphthalimide units have their emission quenched at different potentials, the emission color could be tuned by quenching emission at selected wavelengths, reversibly, under low working potentials.
Hydrogen Selective NH2‐MIL‐53(Al) MOF Membranes with High Permeability
Authors: Zhang Feng , Zou Xiaoqin , Gao Xue , Fan Songjie , Sun Fuxing , Ren Hao , Zhu Guangshan
Published: May 2012

Hydrogen‐based energy is a promising renewable and clean resource. Thus, hydrogen selective microporous membranes with high performance and high stability are demanded. Novel NH2‐MIL‐53(Al) membranes are evaluated for hydrogen separation for this goal. Continuous NH2‐MIL‐53(Al) membranes have been prepared successfully on macroporous glass frit discs assisted with colloidal seeds. The gas sorption ability of NH2‐MIL‐53(Al) materials is studied by gas adsorption measurement. The isosteric heats of adsorption in a sequence of CO2 > N2 > CH4 ≈ H2 indicates different interactions between NH2‐MIL‐53(Al) framework and these gases. As‐prepared membranes are measured by single and binary gas permeation at different temperatures. The results of singe gas permeation show a decreasing permeance in an order of H2 > CH4 > N2 > CO2, suggesting that the diffusion and adsorption properties make significant contributions in the gas permeation through the membrane. In binary gas permeation, the NH2‐MIL‐53(Al) membrane shows high selectivity for H2 with separation factors of 20.7, 23.9 and 30.9 at room temperature (288 K) for H2 over CH4, N2 and CO2, respectively. In comparison to single gas permeation, a slightly higher separation factor is obtained due to the competitive adsorption effect between the gases in the porous MOF membrane. Additionally, the NH2‐MIL‐53(Al) membrane exhibits very high permeance for H2 in the mixtures separation (above 1.5 × 10−6 mol m−2 s−1 Pa−1) due to its large cavity, resulting in a very high separation power. The details of the temperature effect on the permeances of H2 over other gases are investigated from 288 to 353 K. The supported NH2‐MIL‐53(Al) membranes with high hydrogen separation power possess high stability, resistance to cracking, temperature cycling and show high reproducibility, necessary for the potential application to hydrogen recycling.
Inorganic Solids of CdSe Nanocrystals Exhibiting High Emission Quantum Yield
Authors: Khon Elena , Lambright Scott , Khon Dmitry , Smith Bryan , O'Connor Timothy , Moroz Pavel , Imboden Martene , Diederich Geoffrey , Perez‐Bolivar Cesar , Anzenbacher Pavel , Zamkov Mikhail
Published: May 2012

A general strategy for the assembly of all‐inorganic light‐emitting nanocrystal films with emission quantum yield in the 30–52% range is reported. The present methodology relies on solution‐processing of CdSe nanocrystals into a crystalline matrix of a wide band gap semiconductor (CdS, ZnS), which replaces the original molecular ligands on nanocrystal surfaces with an inorganic medium. Such matrices efficiently protect nanoparticles from the surrounding environment and preserve the quantum confinement of electrical charges in embedded CdSe NCs. In addition to strong emission, fabricated films show excellent thermal and chemical stability, and a large refractive index, which avails their integration into emerging solid‐state nanocrystal devices, including light‐emitting diodes, solar concentrators, and quantum dot lasers.
Zn2+ Binding‐Enabled Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer: A Step toward New Near‐Infrared Fluorescent Probes for Imaging Applications
Authors: Xu Yongqian , Liu Qin , Dou Bairui , Wright Brian , Wang Jingyun , Pang Yi
Published: May 2012

In order to facilitate the in vivo study of zinc‐related biology, it is essential to develop a zinc‐selective sensor that exhibits both near‐infrared (NIR) emission and larger Stokes shift. A fluorescent sensor, Zinhbo‐5, has been constructed by using bis(benzoxazole) ligand with 2, 2'‐dipicolylamine (DPA) as metal ion receptor. In aqueous solution, Zinhbo‐5 exhibits high sensitivity (Kd = 2.58 nM2) and selectivity for Zn2+ cation, revealing about 14‐fold fluorescence enhancement upon zinc binding to give green emission. Remarkably, Zn2+ binding to Zinhbo‐5 switches on the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), producing the desirable near‐infrared region (over 710 nm) with large Stokes shift (ca. 240 nm). The new probe is demonstrated to be useful for in vivo imaging of the intracellular Zn2+ ion. The Zinhbo‐5 is also useful for detecting zinc ion distribution during the development of living zebrafish embryos.
Multiscale Experimental Mechanics of Hierarchical Carbon‐Based Materials
Authors: Espinosa Horacio D. , Filleter Tobin , Naraghi Mohammad
Published: May 2012

Investigation of the mechanics of natural materials, such as spider silk, abalone shells, and bone, has provided great insight into the design of materials that can simultaneously achieve high specific strength and toughness. Research has shown that their emergent mechanical properties are owed in part to their specific self‐organization in hierarchical molecular structures, from nanoscale to macroscale, as well as their mixing and bonding. To apply these findings to manmade materials, researchers have devoted significant efforts in developing a fundamental understanding of multiscale mechanics of materials and its application to the design of novel materials with superior mechanical performance. These efforts included the utilization of some of the most promising carbon‐based nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, and graphene, together with a variety of matrix materials. At the core of these efforts lies the need to characterize material mechanical behavior across multiple length scales starting from nanoscale characterization of constituents and their interactions to emerging micro‐ and macroscale properties. In this report, progress made in experimental tools and methods currently used for material characterization across multiple length scales is reviewed, as well as a discussion of how they have impacted our current understanding of the mechanics of hierarchical carbon‐based materials. In addition, insight is provided into strategies for bridging experiments across length scales, which are essential in establishing a multiscale characterization approach. While the focus of this progress report is in experimental methods, their concerted use with theoretical‐computational approaches towards the establishment of a robust material by design methodology is also discussed, which can pave the way for the development of novel materials possessing unprecedented mechanical properties.
Hybrid Materials and Polymer Electrolytes for Electrochromic Device Applications
Authors: Thakur Vijay Kumar , Ding Guoqiang , Ma Jan , Lee Pooi See , Lu Xuehong
Published: May 2012

Electrochromic (EC) materials and polymer electrolytes are the most imperative and active components in an electrochromic device (ECD). EC materials are able to reversibly change their light absorption properties in a certain wavelength range via redox reactions stimulated by low direct current (dc) potentials of the order of a fraction of volts to a few volts. The redox switching may result in a change in color of the EC materials owing to the generation of new or changes in absorption band in visible region, infrared or even microwave region. In ECDs the electrochromic layers need to be incorporated with supportive components such as electrical contacts and ion conducting electrolytes. The electrolytes play an indispensable role as the prime ionic conduction medium between the electrodes of the EC materials. The expected applications of the electrochromism in numerous fields such as reflective‐type display and smart windows/mirrors make these materials of prime importance. In this article we have reviewed several examples from our research work as well as from other researchers’ work, describing the recent advancements on the materials that exhibit visible electrochromism and polymer electrolytes for electrochromic devices. The first part of the review is centered on nanostructured inorganic and conjugated polymer‐based organic‐inorganic hybrid EC materials. The emphasis has been to correlate the structures, morphologies and interfacial interactions of the EC materials to their electronic and ionic properties that influence the EC properties with unique advantages. The second part illustrates the perspectives of polymer electrolytes in electrochromic applications with emphasis on poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) based polymer electrolytes. The requirements and approaches to optimize the formulation of electrolytes for feasible electrochromic devices have been delineated.
Apparent transmission distortion of a pericentric chromosome one inversion in a large multi‐generation pedigree
Authors: Honeywell Christina , Argiropoulos Bob , Douglas Stuart , Blumenthal Andrea L. , Allanson Judith , McGowan‐Jordan Jean , McCready M. Elizabeth
Published: May 2012

Pericentric chromosome inversions are often associated with infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, and an increased risk for offspring with congenital anomalies. We report on a chromosome 1 inversion between 1p36.21 and 1q42.13, one of the largest described familial pericentric inversions of chromosome 1. The inversion was ascertained following the birth of a female with multiple congenital anomalies due to a recombinant chromosome 1. The inversion was subsequently detected or inferred in 16 healthy individuals over five generations. Interestingly, with a ratio of 16 carriers to 6 noncarriers, there appears to be transmission distortion of the inverted chromosome 1 within the family. Although there is no reported difficulty conceiving in the family, the risk of miscarriage is higher than predicted at 34% (13/38). The recurrence risk of a recombinant chromosome also appears to be lower than expected based on the mode of ascertainment. This case contributes to the spectrum of clinical features of chromosome 1 recombinants and raises the question of whether or not there is a selective advantage of the inverted chromosome at meiosis, conception, or post‐zygotically that has contributed to transmission distortion of the inverted chromosome. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Typical renal‐coloboma syndrome phenotype in a patient with a submicroscopic deletion of the PAX2 gene
Authors: Laimutis Kucinskas , Jackson Craig , Xu Xinjie , Warman Berta , Sarunas Rudaitis , Andriuskeviciute Irena , Birute Pundziene , Schimmenti Lisa A. , Raca Gordana
Published: May 2012

We present a patient with optic nerve hypoplasia, secondary strabismus, mild deafness, abnormal external ear helices, and renal hypoplasia. The clinical phenotype was consistent with renal‐coloboma syndrome, but no point mutation in the PAX2 gene could be identified. High‐resolution array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) analysis showed that this patient has a submicroscopic deletion on chromosome 10, affecting the entire coding region of the PAX2 gene. This finding provided the molecular confirmation of the patient's clinical diagnosis and showed that, in addition to point mutations, deletions of the PAX2 gene contribute to the etiology of the renal‐coloboma syndrome. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The face signature of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva
Authors: Hammond Peter , Suttie Michael , Hennekam Raoul C. , Allanson Judith , Shore Eileen M. , Kaplan Frederick S.
Published: May 2012

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) causes extensive heterotopic bone formation due to heterozygous mutations in the glycine‐serine activation domain of ACVR1 (ALK2), a bone morphogenetic protein type I receptor. Anecdotal observations of facial similarity have been made by clinicians and parents, but no objective quantitative analysis of the faces of FOP patients has ever been undertaken. We delineated the common facial characteristics of 55 individuals with molecularly confirmed FOP by analyzing their face signature (face shape difference normalized against age and sex matched controls) and associated face signature graphs (with face signatures as vertices and adjacency corresponding to greatest similarity). Our analysis identified 10 affected individuals whose face signature is more homogeneous than others with FOP. This distinct subgroup showed the previously identified reduced mandible as well as newly identified features: underdevelopment of the upper orbit/supra‐orbital ridge; infra‐orbital prominence; and, low‐set ears. These findings strongly suggest that the canonical FOP mutation variably affects the postnatal morphogenesis of the normotopic cranial skeleton in the upper midface and mandible and may have important diagnostic and functional implications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Characterization of six novel patients with MECP2 duplications due to unbalanced rearrangements of the X chromosome
Authors: Sanmann Jennifer N. , Bishay Danielle L. , Starr Lois J. , Bell Carla A. , Pickering Diane L. , Stevens Jadd M. , Kahler Stephen G. , Olney Ann Haskins , Schaefer G. Bradley , Sanger Warren G.
Published: May 2012

Males with duplication of the Xq28 region, including methyl CpG‐binding protein 2 (MECP2), exhibit a characteristic phenotype, including developmental delay, intellectual disability, limited or absent speech, limited or absent ambulation, and recurrent respiratory infections. We report six males with MECP2 duplications identified using array comparative genomic hybridization. The minimal sizes of these duplications range from ∼0.08 to 14.13 Mb, which, to the best of our knowledge, are respectively the smallest and largest minimal size duplications molecularly characterized to date. Adjunct metaphase fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis further classified these duplications as tandem or as products of complex chromosomal rearrangements. Specifically, one complex rearrangement was described as a der(12)t(X;12)(q28;q24.33), which is the first report of a translocation involving MECP2 on Xq and chromosome 12. The other complex rearrangement was described as a rec(X)dup(Xq)inv(X)(p22.32q28)mat. Synthesis of the dysmorphic features identified in individuals with rec(X) chromosomes, including deletions in the pseudoautosomal region 1 (PAR1) at Xp22.33/Yp11.3 and duplications of the distal Xq region including MECP2, revealed a high prevalence of undescended testes (7/8) and micropenis (3/8) in this cohort. Given that micropenis is rare in the general population, but present in 38% of individuals in this cohort, a dosage anomaly at one or both loci may be a significant risk factor for this condition. Therefore, we recommend microarray testing for patients with unexplained micropenis, particularly when accompanied by other phenotypic anomalies. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Expanding the phenotypic and mutational spectrum in microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type I
Authors: Abdel‐Salam Ghada M.H. , Abdel‐Hamid Mohamed S. , Issa Mahmoud , Magdy Ahmed , El‐Kotoury Ahmed , Amr Khalda
Published: May 2012

Mutations in the RNU4ATAC gene cause microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type I. It encodes U4atac, a small nuclear RNA that is a component of the minor spliceosome. Six distinct mutations in 30 patients diagnosed as microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type I have been described. We report on three additional patients from two unrelated families presenting with a milder phenotype of microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type I and metopic synostosis. Patient 1 had two novel heterozygous mutations in the 3′ prime stem‐loop, g.66G > C and g.124G > A while Patients 2 and 3 had a homozygous mutation g.55G > A in the 5′ prime stem‐loop. Although they manifested the known spectrum of clinical features of microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type I, they lacked evidence of severe developmental delay and neurological symptoms. These findings expand the mutational and phenotypic spectrum of this syndrome. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Germline mosaicism in Cornelia de Lange syndrome
Authors: Slavin Thomas P. , Lazebnik Noam , Clark Dinah M. , Vengoechea Jaime , Cohen Leslie , Kaur Maninder , Konczal Laura , Crowe Carol A. , Corteville Jane E. , Nowaczyk Malgorzata J. , Byrne Janice L. , Jackson Laird G. , Krantz Ian D.
Published: May 2012

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a genetic disorder associated with delayed growth, intellectual disability, limb reduction defects, and characteristic facial features. Germline mosaicism has been a described mechanism for CdLS when there are several affected offspring of apparently unaffected parents. Presently, the recurrence risk for CdLS has been estimated to be as high as 1.5%; however, this figure may be an underrepresentation. We report on the molecularly defined germline mosaicism cases from a large CdLS database, representing the first large case series on germline mosaicism in CdLS. Of the 12 families, eight have been previously described; however, four have not. No one specific gene mutation, either in the NIPBL or the SMC1A gene, was associated with an increased risk for germline mosaicism. Suspected or confirmed cases of germline mosaicism in our database range from a conservative 3.4% up to 5.4% of our total cohort. In conclusion, the potential reproductive recurrence risk due to germline mosiacism should be addressed in prenatal counseling for all families who have had a previously affected pregnancy or child with CdLS. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Prolactin, fatherhood, and reproductive behavior in human males
Authors: Gettler Lee T. , McDade Thomas W. , Feranil Alan B. , Kuzawa Christopher W.
Published: May 2012

Although humans are considered unusual among mammals for the intensity of care that fathers often provide offspring, little is known about the hormonal architecture regulating human paternal investment. Prolactin has important reproductive functions in both female and male mammals and other taxa, making it a candidate regulator of human paternal behavior. Notably, prolactin is higher during periods of offspring care in some species, but it is unknown if this pattern occurs in human fathers. We draw on a sample of men (n = 289; age 21–23 at baseline) from Metropolitan Cebu City, Philippines to evaluate relationships between prolactin, assayed from dried blood spots, and components of reproductive behavior and relationship status. In this sample, fathers had higher prolactin than nonfathers (P = 0.006), and fathers of infants had borderline higher prolactin than fathers of older children (P = 0.054). Among single nonfathers at baseline (2005), baseline prolactin did not predict who transitioned to fatherhood by follow‐up 4.5 years later. Among nonfathers, men with greater prolactin reported more lifetime sexual partners (P = 0.050) as well as more sexual activity in the month before sampling (P = 0.060). Our results suggest that fathers in Cebu have higher prolactin than nonfathers, with hormone levels highest among fathers of young infants. Although these findings are generally consistent with evidence from other species for pronurturing effects of prolactin, evidence for positive relationships between the hormone and measures of sexual behavior at Cebu point to likely complexities in the hormone's involvement in male reproductive strategy. Am J Phys Anthropol 148:362–370, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Refining the genetic portrait of Portuguese Roma through X‐chromosomal markers
Authors: Pereira Vânia , Gusmão Leonor , Valente Cristina , Pereira Rui , Carneiro João , Gomes Iva , Morling Niels , Amorim António , João Prata Maria
Published: May 2012

Due to differences in transmission between X‐chromosomal and autosomal DNA, the comparison of data derived from both markers allows deeper insight into the forces that shape the patterns of genetic diversity in populations. In this study, we applied this comparative approach to a sample of Portuguese Roma (Gypsies) by analyzing 43 X‐chromosomal markers and 53 autosomal markers. Portuguese individuals of non‐Gypsy ancestry were also studied. Compared with the host population, reduced levels of diversity on the X chromosome and autosomes were detected in Gypsies; this result was in line with known patterns of genetic diversity typical of Roma groups. As a consequence of the complex demographic past of the Roma, during which admixture and genetic drift played major roles, the amount of linkage disequilibrium (LD) on the X chromosome in Gypsies was considerably higher than that observed in non‐Gypsies. When the pattern of differentiation on the X chromosome was compared with that of autosomes, there was evidence for asymmetries in female and male effective population sizes during the admixture between Roma and non‐Roma. This result supplements previous data provided by mtDNA and the Y chromosome, underlining the importance of using combined information from the X chromosome and autosomes to dissect patterns of genetic diversity. Following the out‐of‐India dispersion, the Roma acquired a complex genetic pattern that was influenced by drift and introgression with surrounding populations, with important contributions from both males and females. We provide evidence that a sex‐biased admixture with Europeans is probably associated with the founding of the Portuguese Gypsies. Am J Phys Anthropol 148:389–394, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Molecular diversity of entodiniomorphid ciliate Troglodytella abrassarti and its coevolution with chimpanzees
Authors: Vallo Peter , Petrželková Klára J. , Profousová Ilona , Petrášová Jana , Pomajbíková Katerina , Leendertz Fabian , Hashimoto Chie , Simmons Nicol , Babweteera Fred , Machanda Zarin , Piel Alexander , Robbins Martha M. , Boesch Christophe , Sanz Crickette , Morgan David , Sommer Volker , Furuichi Takeshi , Fujita Shiho , Matsuzawa Tetsuro , Kaur Taranjit , Huffman Michael A. , Modrý David
Published: May 2012

The entodiniomorphid ciliate Troglodytella abrassarti is a colonic mutualist of great apes. Its host specificity makes it a suitable model for studies of primate evolution. We explored molecular diversity of T. abrassarti with regard to large geographical distribution and taxonomic diversity of its most common host, the chimpanzee. We found a very low diversification of T. abrassarti in chimpanzees across Africa. Distribution of two types of T. abrassarti supports evolutionary separation of the Western chimpanzee, P. t. verus, from populations in Central and East Africa. Type I T. abrassarti is probably a derived form, which corresponds with the Central African origin of chimpanzees and a founder event leading to P. t. verus. Exclusivity of the respective types of T. abrassarti to Western and Central/Eastern chimpanzees corroborates the difference found between an introduced population of presumed Western chimpanzees on Rubondo Island and an autochthonous population in mainland Tanzania. The identity of T. abrassarti from Nigerian P. t. ellioti and Central African chimpanzees suggests their close evolutionary relationship. Although this contrasts with published mtDNA data, it corroborates current opinion on the exclusive position of P. t. verus within the chimpanzee phylogeny. The type of T. abrassarti occurring in Central and East African common chimpanzee was confirmed also in bonobos. This may point to the presence of an ancestral Type II found throughout the Lower Guinean rainforest dating back to the common Pan ancestor. Alternatively, the molecular uniformity of T. abrassarti may imply a historical overlap of the species' distribution ranges. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Thermal properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) recovered from municipal solid waste by steam autoclaving
Authors: Holtman Kevin M. , Kodama Alice , Klamczynski Artur P. , Flynn Allison , Bozzi David V. , Torres Lennard , Franqui‐Villanueva Diana , Mao Jingdong , Glenn Gregory M. , Orts William J.
Published: May 2012

The steam autoclaving of municipal solid waste followed by size separation was shown to be a way to recover virtually 100% of recyclable poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET); this is a yield not attainable by a typical material recovery facility. The polymer properties of the recovered PET, which had undergone various degrees of thermal processing, were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, gel permeation chromatography, viscometry, and solid‐state NMR to assess the commercial viability of polymer reuse. The weight‐average molecular weight (Mw) decreased as a result of autoclaving from 61,700 g/mol for postconsumer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (pcPET) to 59,700 g/mol for autoclaved postconsumer poly(ethylene terephthalate) [(apcPET)]. Mw for the reclaimed poly(ethylene terephthalate) (rPET) was slightly lower, at 57,400 g/mol. The melting temperature increased with two heat cycles from 236°C for the heat‐crystallized virgin poly(ethylene terephthalate) (vPET) pellets to 248°C for apcPET and up to 253°C for rPET. Correspondingly, the cold crystallization temperature decreased with increased processing from 134°C for vPET to 120°C for apcPET. The intrinsic viscosity varied from 0.773 dL/g for the vPET to 0.709 dL/g for rPET. Extruded samples were created to assess the potential commercial applications of the recovered rPET samples. The Mw values of the extruded apcPET and rPET samples dropped to 37,000 and 34,000 g/mol, respectively, after extrusion (three heat cycles); this indicated that exposure to heat dictated that these materials would be better suited for downcycled products, such as fibers and injected‐molded products. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2012