bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The privatization of security in Turkey: Reconsidering the state, the concept of “governmentality” and Neoliberalism
Authors: Yardımcı Sibel , Alemdar Zeynep
Published: February 2016

The privatization of security services, which implies the dispersal of the legitimate right to use force, has been traditionally understood as operating at the expense of state sovereignty. The increasing privatization of security services around the world and the substantial growth of the private security sector in Turkey create the need to reassess the nature of this privatization. Drawing upon the work of Michel Foucault and other scholars of governmentality, as well as our own field research, we try to make such an assessment, without falling back on the traditional state-market (state-society) duality. Research shows that the Turkish private security sector, reported as being tied to both the exigencies of the state and the rules of the market, has an amorphic nature marked by intricate relationships, formal and informal, with public law enforcement agencies. We argue that the sector's privatization, although defended by some as a way to grant accountability and transparency to security services, is neither a remedy for those gaps, nor does it imply a straightforward decline of the state; rather, it is proof that the idea of an autonomous, unitary “state” should be revised and a sign that a different and intricate network of state apparatus and private experts continue to govern our lives in ways unique to neoliberalism.
Reframing the Ideal Citizen in Turkey: National Belonging and Economic Success in the Era of Neo-Liberalism
Authors: Altan-Olcay özlem
Published: February 2016

This paper explores how discourses of nationalism and neo-liberal conceptualizations of economic performance interact in Turkey, by analyzing cultural productions about business elites and workers in the media. I take up both business elites' attempts at self-representation and how mainstream media portrays them to argue that these actors attempt to draw the contours of national belonging with respect to economic success. Even though the representations are diverse in definitions of national identity, they all formulate service to the nation in terms of business success and market performance. In addition, struggles with syndicated labor also produce relevant discourses of economic necessity and rationality only to be challenged by other ideas of political belonging, drawing their force from social rights. These reveal the contingency of formulations that construct desirable citizenship on the basis of one's ability to contribute to economic growth. Through these examples, I suggest that discourses about market economies do not necessarily divest themselves of nation-state frameworks. Instead, they interact with cultural tools in local contexts, producing new social and political constellations that attempt to explain shifting social stratifications. I argue that these struggles over representation are part of a terrain of banal nationalism, transforming connotations of economic rationality, national belonging, and citizenship.
Nicknames and Sobriquets in Ottoman Vernacular Expression
Authors: Tülüveli Güçlü
Published: February 2016

Nicknaming is a social practice that presents an area for comparative historical research. From a communal perspective, nicknames can be evaluated as markers of status in social hierarchy. On a personal level, they play a crucial role in defining personal identities. This article evaluates some examples from Ottoman archival documents from these perspectives. It focuses not only on the impact of dynamic elements on local community, as in cases of migration and conversion, but also on the question of how social prestige in a local setting could be perceived through the prism of nicknames.
Turkish-German Traffic in Cinema: A Critical Review
Authors: Göktürk Deniz
Published: February 2016

The Turkish-German axis is not the first route that comes to mind when rethinking German cinema in a global perspective. Turks in German cinema have tended to be cast in one-dimensional roles, as victims on the margins of society, unable to communicate and integrate. After more than four decades of Turkish presence in Germany, can we finally observe a new trend in representation, focusing more on playful enactments, mutual mirroring, and border-crossings? In an era of increasing global mobility of people and media, questions about the status of transnational cultural productions by travelers, emigrants, and exiles have achieved a new intensity. Film critics, concomitantly, have begun to call for a new genre category, one which explodes the boundaries of “original” national cultures as well as those of cinematic conventions. This new genre is variously labeled “independent transnational cinema,” (Naficy, 1996) “postcolonial hybrid films” (Shohat and Stam, 1994) or simply “world cinema,” (Roberts, 1998) a descriptor which, in contrast to older separatist categories such as “third world cinema” (Pines and Willemen, 1989) or “sub-state cinema” (Crofts, 1998), stresses the universality of mobility and diversity.
The Dilemmas of a Search for Cultural Synthesis: A Portrait of Cemil Meriç as a Conservative Intellectual
Authors: Köksal Duygu
Published: February 2016

The altered psychological environment demanded a shift in emphasis from a pure critique of traditions to a critique of traditions coupled with a critique of modernity.

Ashis Nandy, Traditions, Tyranny and Utopias

Modern conservatism, at least in its philosophical form, is a child of what it attacks—modernity. If the central ethos of modernity is a belief in the plasticity of society and the individual, the central ethos of conservatism is a belief in the sanctity of community, kinship, tradition. Modernity's fascination with the new is matched by conservatism's defense of past tradition. It is on the priority of a past order bequeathed by history, and its traditional institutions, that the conservatives base their critique of modernity. The modernist idea that societies can be shaped, molded, and steered in new directions, and that individuals can direct their own destinies, finds its counterpart in conservative thought in the rediscovery of the past-its institutions, values, themes, structures.
The British Museum,Müze-i Hümâyunand the Travelling “Greek ideal” in the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Özkaya Belgin Turan
Published: February 2016

In standard architectural history surveys, the British Museum is portrayed as an example of nineteenth-century “neoclassicism”, or the “Greek revival.” Usually cited as among the motive factors in this revival are the writings about European travels and archaeological explorations in the then Ottoman lands of ancient Greece, as well as a general interest in Hellenic culture. Yet the cultural and architectural appropriation of the Hellenic is not analyzed in relation to the possible ties and tensions between European archaeological culture and the Ottoman response to antiquity. This paper is an attempt to align the British Museum’s “Arcadia in Bloomsbury” with the Ottoman Imperial Museum,Müze-i Hümâyun, in İstanbul, and to look at them afresh beyond the usual discourse of style. The paper analyzes the “neo-Grecian” “Temple of Arts and Sciences” in London, supposedly inspired by those in Priene and Teos in the Ottoman Empire, and theMüze-i Hümâyun, whose façade allegedly replicates theSarcophagus of the Mourning Women, transported to the museum from Sidon in Lebanon by Ottoman officials, understanding them as charged manifestations of “correspondence” or “transfer” within the web of circulating ideas, models, ancient remains, travellers, and architects of the nineteenth century.
MODEL-BASED VS. PROFESSIONAL FORECASTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR MODELS WITH NOMINAL RIGIDITIES
Authors: Valle e Azevedo João , Jalles João Tovar
Published: February 2016

We compare model forecast error statistics with forecast error statistics of professional forecasts. We look at a standard sticky-prices–wages model, concluding that it delivers too strong a theoretical forecastability of the variables under scrutiny, at odds with the data (professional forecasts). We argue that the lack of compatibility between the model and professional forecasts results from trying to fit inflation (which is probably nonstationary) to a model that assumes inflation is stationary. A modified version of the model, one with a varying inflation target, delivers a better fit in terms of forecastability.
SIMULATION OF MULTI-ASSET OPTION GREEKS UNDER A SPECIAL LÉVY MODEL BY MALLIAVIN CALCULUS
Authors: LAI YONGZENG , YAO HAIXIANG
Published: February 2016

We discuss simulation of sensitivities or Greeks of multi-asset European style options under a special Lévy process model: that is, the subordinated Brownian motion model. The Malliavin calculus method combined with Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo methods is used in the simulations. Greeks are expressed in terms of the expectations of the option payoff functions multiplied by the weights involving Malliavin derivatives for multi-asset options. Numerical results show that the Malliavin calculus method is usually more efficient than the finite difference method for options with nonsmooth payoffs. The superiority of the former method over the latter is even more significant when both are combined with quasi-Monte Carlo methods.
Max Weber and the First World War: Protestant and Catholic living standards in Germany, 1915–1919
Authors: BLUM MATTHIAS , STREBEL MATTHIAS
Published: February 2016

We assess informal institutions of Protestants and Catholics by investigating their economic resilience in a natural experiment. The First World War constitutes an exogenous shock to living standards since the duration and intensity of the war exceeded all expectations. We assess the ability of Protestant and Catholic communities to cope with increasing food prices and wartime black markets. Literature based on Weber (1904, 1905) suggests that Protestants must be more resilient than their Catholic peers. Using individual height data on some 2,800 Germans to assess levels of malnutrition during the war, we find that living standards for both Protestants and Catholics declined; however, the decrease of Catholics’ height was disproportionately large. Our empirical analysis finds a large statistically significant difference between Protestants and Catholics for the 1915–19 birth cohort, and we argue that this height gap cannot be attributed to socioeconomic background and fertility alone.
Anti-Fibrotika als neue Therapie der idiopathischen Lungenfibrose
Authors: Funke-Chambour Manuela , Geiser Thomas
Published: February 2016

Zusammenfassung. Neue Studie haben die Wirksamkeit, im Sinne einer Verlangsamung des Krankheitsverlaufes, von anti-fibrotischen Medikamenten in der Behandlung der idiopathischen Lungenfibrose (IPF) gezeigt. Diese Zusammenfassung beschränkt sich auf neue, medikamentöse, anti-fibrotische Therapien und beschreibt die aktuelle Studienlage, Indikationen, sowie Nebenwirkungen, und diskutiert offene Fragen bezüglich der Anwendung.
Akuter Brustschmerz
Authors: Gmür Christian
Published: February 2016

Zusammenfassung. Akuter Brustschmerz ist in der hausärztlichen Praxis wie auch auf Notfallstationen ein häufiger Konsultationsgrund. Mithilfe von Anamnese, körperlicher Untersuchung, EKG, Labor und neu entwickelten Risiko-Scores können potenziell lebensbedrohliche Erkrankungen und Risikopatienten frühzeitig erkannt, schnell und kosteneffizient behandelt werden. Neue Biomarker und deren Kombination mit Risiko-Scores können den negativ-prädiktiven Wert zum Ausschluss gewisser Krankheiten erhöhen.
61Ni synchrotron radiation-based Mössbauer spectroscopy of nickel-based nanoparticles with hexagonal structure
Authors: Masuda Ryo , Kobayashi Yasuhiro , Kitao Shinji , Kurokuzu Masayuki , Saito Makina , Yoda Yoshitaka , Mitsui Takaya , Hosoi Kohei , Kobayashi Hirokazu , Kitagawa Hiroshi , Seto Makoto
Published: February 2016

We measured the synchrotron-radiation (SR)-based Mössbauer spectra of Ni-based nanoparticles with a hexagonal structure that were synthesised by chemical reduction. To obtain Mössbauer spectra of the nanoparticles without 61Ni enrichment, we developed a measurement system for 61Ni SR-based Mössbauer absorption spectroscopy without X-ray windows between the 61Ni84V16 standard energy alloy and detector. The counting rate of the 61Ni nuclear resonant scattering in the system was enhanced by the detection of internal conversion electrons and the close proximity between the energy standard and the detector. The spectrum measured at 4 K revealed the internal magnetic field of the nanoparticles was 3.4 ± 0.9 T, corresponding to a Ni atomic magnetic moment of 0.3 Bohr magneton. This differs from the value of Ni3C and the theoretically predicted value of hexagonal-close-packed (hcp)-Ni and suggested the nanoparticle possessed intermediate carbon content between hcp-Ni and Ni3C of approximately 10 atomic % of Ni. The improved 61Ni Mössbauer absorption measurement system is also applicable to various Ni materials without 61Ni enrichment, such as Ni hydride nanoparticles.
Correction: Corrigendum: Dual modulation of Ras-Mnk and PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathways: A Novel c-FLIP inhibitory mechanism of 3-AWA mediated translational attenuation through dephosphorylation of eIF4E
Authors: Rasool Reyaz ur , Rah Bilal , Amin Hina , Nayak Debasis , Chakraborty Souneek , Rawoof Abdul , Mintoo Mubashir Javed , Yousuf Khalid , Mukherjee Debaraj , Kumar Lekha Dinesh , Mondhe Dilip Manikaro , Goswami Anindya
Published: February 2016

Scientific Reports 6: Article number: 18800; published online: 05 January 2016; updated: 17 February 2016. This Article contains typographical errors. In the Results section under subheading ‘In vivo anticancer activity against Ehrlich ascites Carcinoma (EAC)’ “The experimental results showed that 3-AWA reduced Ehrlich ascites carcinoma by 71.
Exposure to salient, dynamic sensory stimuli during development increases distractibility in adulthood
Authors: Hadas Itay , Gal Ram , Bokovza Lihi , Meiran Nachshon , Feifel David , Zangen Abraham
Published: February 2016

It has been suggested that excessive exposure of children to the dynamic and highly salient audio-visual stimuli conveyed by electronic media may induce attention-related deficits in adulthood. This study was designed to evaluate this hypothesis in a controlled animal model setup. Building on their natural responsiveness to odors, we exposed juvenile rats for 1 h daily to a dynamic series of interchanging, highly salient odors, while controls were exposed to a non-changing mixture of these odors. Upon reaching adulthood, we tested the attentional capacity of the rats and measured their brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels as a proxy of neuronal plasticity. As compared with controls, rats exposed to the dynamic stimulation showed no attentional deficits under baseline task conditions, but their performance was dramatically impaired when an auditory distractor was introduced in the task. In addition, BDNF levels in the dorsal striatum of these rats were significantly increased relative to controls. These findings provide first empirical evidence that a continuous exposure to dynamic, highly salient stimuli has long-term effects on attentional functions later in life and that these effects may have neural correlates in the dorsal striatum.
Blue Light Modulates Murine Microglial Gene Expression in the Absence of Optogenetic Protein Expression
Authors: Cheng Kevin P. , Kiernan Elizabeth A. , Eliceiri Kevin W. , Williams Justin C. , Watters Jyoti J.
Published: February 2016

Neural optogenetic applications over the past decade have steadily increased; however the effects of commonly used blue light paradigms on surrounding, non-optogenetic protein-expressing CNS cells are rarely considered, despite their simultaneous exposure. Here we report that blue light (450 nm) repetitively delivered in both long-duration boluses and rapid optogenetic bursts gene-specifically altered basal expression of inflammatory and neurotrophic genes in immortalized and primary murine wild type microglial cultures. In addition, blue light reduced pro-inflammatory gene expression in microglia activated with lipopolysaccharide. These results demonstrate previously unreported, off-target effects of blue light in cells not expressing optogenetic constructs. The unexpected gene modulatory effects of blue light on wild type CNS resident immune cells have novel and important implications for the neuro-optogenetic field. Further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic utility of blue light modulation of the wild type CNS.
Integrated GlycoProteome Analyzer (I-GPA) for Automated Identification and Quantitation of Site-Specific N-Glycosylation
Authors: Park Gun Wook , Kim Jin Young , Hwang Heeyoun , Lee Ju Yeon , Ahn Young Hee , Lee Hyun Kyoung , Ji Eun Sun , Kim Kwang Hoe , Jeong Hoi Keun , Yun Ki Na , Kim Yong-Sam , Ko Jeong-Heon , An Hyun Joo , Kim Jae Han , Paik Young-Ki , Yoo Jong Shin
Published: February 2016

Human glycoproteins exhibit enormous heterogeneity at each N-glycosite, but few studies have attempted to globally characterize the site-specific structural features. We have developed Integrated GlycoProteome Analyzer (I-GPA) including mapping system for complex N-glycoproteomes, which combines methods for tandem mass spectrometry with a database search and algorithmic suite. Using an N-glycopeptide database that we constructed, we created novel scoring algorithms with decoy glycopeptides, where 95 N-glycopeptides from standard α1-acid glycoprotein were identified with 0% false positives, giving the same results as manual validation. Additionally automated label-free quantitation method was first developed that utilizes the combined intensity of top three isotope peaks at three highest MS spectral points. The efficiency of I-GPA was demonstrated by automatically identifying 619 site-specific N-glycopeptides with FDR ≤ 1%, and simultaneously quantifying 598 N-glycopeptides, from human plasma samples that are known to contain highly glycosylated proteins. Thus, I-GPA platform could make a major breakthrough in high-throughput mapping of complex N-glycoproteomes, which can be applied to biomarker discovery and ongoing global human proteome project.
Erratum: Cross-modal and modality-specific expectancy effects between pain and disgust
Authors: Sharvit Gil , Vuilleumier Patrik , Delplanque Sylvain , Corradi-Dell’Acqua Corrado
Published: February 2016

Scientific Reports 5: Article number: 17487; published online: 03 December 2015; updated: 17 February 2016. The original version of this Article contained a typographical error in the spelling of the author Corrado Corradi-Dell’Acqua which was incorrectly given as Corrado Corradi-Dell’ Acqua. This error has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the paper.
Functionalized Thallium Antimony Films as Excellent Candidates for Large-Gap Quantum Spin Hall Insulator
Authors: Zhang Run-wu , Zhang Chang-wen , Ji Wei-xiao , Li Sheng-shi , Yan Shi-shen , Li Ping , Wang Pei-ji
Published: February 2016

Group III-V films are of great importance for their potential application in spintronics and quantum computing. Search for two-dimensional III-V films with a nontrivial large-gap are quite crucial for the realization of dissipationless transport edge channels using quantum spin Hall (QSH) effects. Here we use first-principles calculations to predict a class of large-gap QSH insulators in functionalized TlSb monolayers (TlSbX2; (X = H, F, Cl, Br, I)), with sizable bulk gaps as large as 0.22 ~ 0.40 eV. The QSH state is identified by Z2 topological invariant together with helical edge states induced by spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Noticeably, the inverted band gap in the nontrivial states can be effectively tuned by the electric field and strain. Additionally, these films on BN substrate also maintain a nontrivial QSH state, which harbors a Dirac cone lying within the band gap. These findings may shed new light in future design and fabrication of QSH insulators based on two-dimensional honeycomb lattices in spintronics.
Discovery of candidate tumor biomarkers for treatment with intraperitoneal chemotherapy for ovarian cancer
Authors: Seagle Brandon-Luke L. , Eng Kevin H. , Yeh Judy Y. , Dandapani Monica , Schiller Emily , Samuelson Robert , Odunsi Kunle , Shahabi Shohreh
Published: February 2016

Tumor mRNA expression was used to discover genes associated with worse survival or no survival benefit after intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy. Data for high grade serous ovarian cancer patients treated with IP (n = 90) or IV-only (n = 398) chemotherapy was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between IP and IV groups using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression. Validations were performed by analyses of microarray and RNA-Seq mRNA expression data. PFS and OS were compared between IP and IV groups by permutation testing stratified by gene expression. P-values are two-tailed. IP chemotherapy increased PFS (26.7 vs 16.0 months, HR 0.43 (0.28–0.66), p = 0.0001) and OS (49.6 vs 38.2 months, HR 0.46 (0.25–0.83), p = 0.01). Increased expression of NCAM2 and TSHR and decreased expression of GCNT1 was associated with decreased PFS and OS after IV chemotherapy (p < 0.05). High tumor expression of LMAN2, FZD4, FZD5, or STT3A was associated with no significant PFS increase after IP compared to IV chemotherapy. Low expression of APC2 and high expression of FUT9 was associated with 5.5 and 7.2 months, respectively, decreased OS after IP compared to IV chemotherapy (p ≤ 0.007).
Wnt11 Gene Therapy with Adeno-associated Virus 9 Improves Recovery from Myocardial Infarction by Modulating the Inflammatory Response
Authors: Morishita Yoshihiro , Kobayashi Koichi , Klyachko Ekaterina , Jujo Kentaro , Maeda Kengo , Losordo Douglas W. , Murohara Toyoaki
Published: February 2016

Acute myocardial infarction induces activation of the acute phase response and infiltration of leukocytes to the infarcted area. Moreover, myocardium that is remote from ischemic area also becomes inflamed. Inflammatory reaction clears dead cells and matrix debris, while prolongation or expansion of the inflammatory response results in dysfunction following myocardial infarction. Wnt glycolipoproteins are best characterized as regulators of embryonic development. Recently several reports suggest that they also contribute to the inflammatory response in adult animals. However, the effects of Wnt proteins on myocardial infarction have not been explored. Here we show that Wnt11 expression leads to significant improvements of survival and cardiac function by suppressing infiltration of multiple kinds of inflammatory cells in infarcted heart. Wnt11 protein suppresses gene expression of inflammatory cytokines through the modulation of NF-κB in vitro. These results reveal a novel function of Wnt11 in the regulation of inflammatory response and provide a rationale for the use of Wnt11 to manipulate human diseases that are mediated by inflammation.
A shape-anisotropic reflective polarizer in a stomatopod crustacean
Authors: Jordan Thomas M. , Wilby David , Chiou Tsyr-Huei , Feller Kathryn D. , Caldwell Roy L. , Cronin Thomas W. , Roberts Nicholas W.
Published: February 2016

Many biophotonic structures have their spectral properties of reflection ‘tuned’ using the (zeroth-order) Bragg criteria for phase constructive interference. This is associated with a periodicity, or distribution of periodicities, parallel to the direction of illumination. The polarization properties of these reflections are, however, typically constrained by the dimensional symmetry and intrinsic dielectric properties of the biological materials. Here we report a linearly polarizing reflector in a stomatopod crustacean that consists of 6–8 layers of hollow, ovoid vesicles with principal axes of ~550 nm, ~250 nm and ~150 nm. The reflection of unpolarized normally incident light is blue/green in colour with maximum reflectance wavelength of 520 nm and a degree of polarization greater than 0.6 over most of the visible spectrum. We demonstrate that the polarizing reflection can be explained by a resonant coupling with the first-order, in-plane, Bragg harmonics. These harmonics are associated with a distribution of periodicities perpendicular to the direction of illumination, and, due to the shape-anisotropy of the vesicles, are different for each linear polarization mode. This control and tuning of the polarization of the reflection using shape-anisotropic hollow scatterers is unlike any optical structure previously described and could provide a new design pathway for polarization-tunability in man-made photonic devices.
Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with electron-ionization and resonance-enhanced-multi-photon-ionization for the characterization of terrestrial dissolved organic matter in the Baltic Sea
Authors: Otto Stefan , Erdmann Sabrina , Streibel Thorsten , Herlemann Daniel P. R. , Schulz-Bull Detlef , Zimmermann Ralf
Published: February 2016

With the effects of global warming the input of terrigenous material into the oceans is increasing, with unknown consequences for the ecosystem.
Development of a solvent extraction system with 4-heptylaminopyridine for the selective separation of platinum(iv) from catalysts, anticancer injections and water samples
Authors: Khogare B. T. , Anuse M. A. , Piste P. B. , Kokare B. N.
Published: February 2016

In this paper, the solvent extraction of platinum(iv) from ascorbate media (0.007 M) has been studied by equilibrating the aqueous phase (pH 1.5) with 10 mL of 0.06 M 4-heptylaminopyridine (4-HAP), as a novel anion exchanger, diluted in xylene for 2 min.
Contamination level of four priority phthalates in North Indian wastewater treatment plants and their fate in sequencing batch reactor systems
Authors: Gani Khalid Muzamil , Rajpal Ankur , Kazmi Absar Ahmad
Published: February 2016

The contamination level of four phthalates in untreated and treated wastewater of fifteen wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and their fate in a full scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) based WWTP was evaluated in this study.
Production of biodiesel and hydrogen from plant oil catalyzed by magnetic carbon-supported nickel and sodium silicate
Authors: Zhang Fan , Wu Xue-Hua , Yao Min , Fang Zhen , Wang Yi-Tong
Published: February 2016

The production of biodiesel from plant oil was catalyzed by a magnetic Na2SiO3@Ni/C catalyst, and H2 was given off by the deactivated catalyst from the by-product of glycerol.
First-principles analysis of seven novel phases of phosphorene with chirality
Authors: Feng Jian-Rui , Wang Gui-Chang
Published: February 2016

In this work, seven novel phases of phosphorene were predicted to be existent by first-principles calculations, including six kinds of enantiomers corresponding to three kinds of structures with chirality.
In situ synthesized single-crystalline LiMn2O4 embedded in carbon nanotube films as free-standing cathodes for Li-ion batteries
Authors: Wang Zhiyu , Cheng Jianli , Li Xiaodong , Ni Wei , Yuan Demao , Wang Bin
Published: February 2016

Single-crystalline octagonal LiMn2O4 nanoparticles embedded in a carbon nanotube film are synthesized and used as a binder-free and self-standing cathode for lithium ion batteries.
Optimization of Raman-spectrum baseline correction in biological application
Authors: Guo Shuxia , Bocklitz Thomas , Popp Jürgen
Published: February 2016

Automatic baseline correction optimization by minimizing a defined baseline quality marker R12.
Copper-catalyzed borylative coupling of vinylazaarenes and N-Boc imines
Authors: Smith Joshua J. , Best Daniel , Lam Hon Wai
Published: February 2016

Diastereoselective Cu-catalyzed three-component couplings of vinylazaarenes, B2(pin)2, and N-Boc imines are described.
The substituent effect of 2-R-o-carborane on the photophysical properties of iridium(iii) cyclometalates
Authors: Park Jihyun , Lee Young Hoon , Ryu Ji Yeon , Lee Junseong , Lee Min Hyung
Published: February 2016

The photophysical properties of heteroleptic iridium(iii) cyclometalates [4-(2-RCB)ppy]2Ir(acac) (R = H, alkyl, aryl) with 2-R-o-carboranes at the 4-position of the ppy ligands are significantly affected by the 2-R substituent on o-carboranes.
Unequal error protection codes derived from SEC‐DED codes
Authors: Reviriego Pedro , Liu Shan Shan , Sánchez‐Macián Alfonso , Xiao Liyi , Maestro Juan Antonio
Published: February 2016

Error correction codes are commonly used to protect the data stored in memories from errors. Among the codes used, single error correction double error detection (SEC‐DED) codes are probably the most common due to their simplicity. In some applications, the importance of the bits is different, being some of them critical while others can tolerate some errors. This is the case, for example, in some multimedia and signal processing systems. For those applications, unequal error protection (UEP) codes that provide different protection for different bits can be used. In many cases, the bits that require extra protection are only a few. Therefore, it would be convenient to use a traditional code extended to provide additional protection for a few bits. A simple method to derive UEP codes from SEC‐DED codes is presented. The proposed UEP codes protect a few bits against double errors and behave as SEC‐DED codes for the rest. Encoding and decoding complexity is only slightly larger than that of an SEC‐DED code and the implementation is a simple modification of the SEC‐DED implementation.
Packet loss recovery in audio multimedia streaming by using compressive sensing
Authors: Ciaramella Angelo , Giunta Giulio
Published: February 2016

The aim of this study is to introduce a new scheme, based on a compressive sampling technique, for the reconstruction of lost data in multimedia streaming. The audio streaming data are encapsulated in different packets, at the sender, by using an interleaving technique. The compressive sampling technique is used to recover audio information in case of lost packets, at the receiver. Experimental results are presented for speech and musical audio signals which illustrate the performances and the capabilities of the proposed methodology.
Physical‐layer network coding with multi‐antenna transceivers in interference limited environments
Authors: Phan Hoc , Zheng Fu‐Chun , Chu Thi My Chinh
Published: February 2016

In this study, the authors first analyse system performance of beamforming amplify‐and‐forward two‐way relay networks with physical‐layer network coding under the impact of co‐channel interference from multiple surrounding terminals and then propose the associated power allocation strategies. The performance of the two‐way communications in terms of outage probability, symbol error rate (SER), and total ergodic channel capacity of the system is quantified. Asymptotic performance analysis for sufficiently high signal‐to‐noise ratio is also provided to obtain further valuable insights into system designs. Based on the analysis, power allocation strategies to minimise the asymptotic outage probability and SER as well as to maximise the ergodic channel capacity under the total power constraint are developed. The numerical results show that the proposed power allocation approaches outperform equal power allocation given the same total power budget and other system parameters.
Particle swarm optimisation aided least‐square support vector machine for load forecast with spikes
Authors: Lin Whei‐Min , Tu Chia‐Sheng , Yang Ren‐Fu , Tsai Ming‐Tang
Published: February 2016

This study developed a load forecasting system for electric market participants. Combining the least‐square support vector machine (LSSVM) and particle swarm optimisation (PSO), a LSSVM_PSO was proposed for the solving process. The loads, temperature, and relative humidity of the Taipower system were collected in the Excel Database. Data mining techniques is used to discover meaningful patterns, with the PSO applied to adjust learning rates. The forecasting error can be reduced during the training process to improve both the accuracy and reliability, where even the spikes were nicely followed. The support vector regression, LSSVM, radial basis function neural network and the proposed LSSVM_PSO were all developed and compared to check the convergence and performance. Simulation results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method in a price volatile environment.
Grey‐level context‐driven histogram equalisation
Authors: Jeon Hyoungjun , Kim Taewhan
Published: February 2016

Histogram equalisation (HE), which redefines the distribution of grey‐levels in image, is an important step in image processing to enhance the image quality. Until now, numerous HE techniques have been proposed, among which major numbers have focused on solving the problem of how the grey‐levels in the histogram of an input image should be properly partitioned so that the image produced by collecting all equalisation results for the partitioned sub‐histograms leads to the quality enhancement of image. However, the partition‐based equalisation methods have an inherent limitation that it is not able to equalise a sub‐histogram crossing a partition boundary, which is the main cause of image distortion. In this study, the authors propose a new HE method to overcome this limitation. Precisely, rather than constraining disjoint mapping ranges of the grey‐levels among the partitions, they devise two enabling techniques: (i) a mapping range for each grey‐level with no range‐disjoint constraint and (ii) a mapping distance between two adjacent grey‐levels to make a full exploitation of mapping flexibility of grey‐levels. They embody the image's global intensity distribution of grey‐levels in the first technique while they embody the image's context in the second one.
Adaptive Bayesian detection for multiple‐input multiple‐output radar in compound‐Gaussian clutter with random texture
Authors: Kong Lingjiang , Li Na , Cui Guolong , Yang Haining , Liu Qing Huo
Published: February 2016

In this study, the authors consider the adaptive detection with multiple‐input multiple‐output radar in compound‐Gaussian clutter. The covariance matrices of the primary and the secondary data share a common structure, but different power levels (textures). A Bayesian framework is exploited where both the textures and the structure are assumed to be random. Precisely, the textures follow Gamma distribution or inverse Gamma distribution and the structure is drawn from an inverse complex Wishart distribution. In this framework, two generalised likelihood ratio tests are derived. Finally, they evaluate the capabilities of the proposed detectors against compound‐Gaussian clutter as well as their superiority with respect to some existing techniques.
New experimental capability to investigate the hypervelocity micrometeoroid bombardment of cryogenic surfaces
Authors: Nelson Andrew Oakleigh , Dee Richard , Gudipati Murthy S. , Horányi Mihály , James David , Kempf Sascha , Munsat Tobin , Sternovsky Zoltán , Ulibarri Zach
Published: February 2016

Ice is prevalent throughout the solar system and beyond. Though the evolution of many of these icy surfaces is highly dependent on associated micrometeoroid impact phenomena, experimental investigation of these impacts has been extremely limited, especially at the impactor speeds encountered in space. The dust accelerator facility at the Institute for Modeling Plasmas, Atmospheres, and Cosmic Dust (IMPACT) of NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute has developed a novel cryogenic system that will facilitate future study of hypervelocity impacts into ice and icy regolith. The target consists of a copper block, cooled by liquid nitrogen, upon which layers of vapor-deposited ice, pre-frozen ice, or icy regolith can be built in a controlled and quantifiable environment. This ice can be grown from a variety of materials, including H2O, CH3OH, NH3, and slurries containing nanophase iron. Ice temperatures can be varied between 96 K and 150 K and ice thickness greater than 150 nm can be accurately measured. Importantly, the composition of ion plumes created during micrometeoroid impacts onto these icy layers can be measured even in trace amounts by in situ time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. In this paper, we present the fundamental design components of the cryogenic target chamber at IMPACT and proof-of-concept results from target development and from first impacts into thick layers of water ice.
Nonlinearly interacting trapped particle solitons in collisionless plasmas
Authors: Mandal Debraj , Sharma Devendra
Published: February 2016

The formulation of collective waves in collisionless plasmas is complicated by the kinetic effects produced by the resonant particles, capable of responding to the smallest of the amplitude disturbance. The dispersive plasma manifests this response by generating coherent nonlinear structures associated with phase-space vortices, or holes, at very small amplitudes. The nonlinear interaction between solitary electron phase-space holes is studied in the electron acoustic regime of a collisionless plasma using Vlasov simulations. Evolution of the analytic trapped particle solitary solutions is examined, observing them propagate stably, preserve their identity across strong mutual interactions in adiabatic processes, and display close correspondence with observable processes in nature.
Reaction kinetics and growth window for plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy of Ga2O3: Incorporation of Ga vs. Ga2O desorption
Authors: Vogt Patrick , Bierwagen Oliver
Published: February 2016

A detailed study of the reaction kinetics of the plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth of the n-type semiconducting oxide Ga2O3 is presented. The growth rate as a function of gallium flux is measured in situ by laser reflectometry at different growth temperatures (TG) and gallium-to-oxygen ratios (rGa). The flux of the suboxide Ga2O desorbed off the growth surface is identified in situ by line-of-sight quadrupole mass spectroscopy. The measurements reveal the influence of TG and rGa on the competing formation of Ga2O3 and desorption of Ga2O resulting in three different growth regimes: (i) Ga transport limited, (ii) Ga2O desorption limited, and (iii) O transport limited. As a result, we present a growth diagram of gallium oxide. This diagram illustrates the regimes of complete, partial, and no Ga incorporation as a function of TG and rGa, and thus provides guidance for the MBE growth of Ga2O3.
The impact of recent volcanic ash depositions on herbivores in Patagonia: a review
Authors: Flueck Werner T.
Published: February 2016

Volcanic tephra (ejected solids) result in varied impacts on ecosystems and livestock production. The recent Puyehue (2011) and Calbuco (2015) eruptions deposited large amounts of tephra in Chile and Argentina, affecting both livestock and wildlife in several ways. Impacts from Puyehue tephra on livestock were attributed initially solely to inanition, rumen blockage, eye problems, increased mechanical tooth wear; water consumption was considered without risk for humans and animals; and toxic effects were discarded. Subsequently, wildlife exhibited pronounced clinical signs of fluorosis and bone level exceeding 10 000 ppm of fluoride by 2014. Livestock including horses, cattle and sheep also had high levels of bone fluorine and clinical fluorosis. Tephra from Calbuco and Puyehue now overlap, containing on average 548 and 352 ppm fluoride, respectively. Dryness and eolic redeposition of tephra particularly east of the continental divide continues to re-expose domestic and wild ruminants. However, fluorosis and other related impacts like hypothyroidism, anaemia, and eosinophilia in ruminants also impact wool production. Although fluoride was discarded by others as a cause for the observed reduction in wool production, the specific effect of fluorosis on reducing wool production is well recognised, and occurs in sheep with less bone fluoride than reported from the Puyehue event. The rapid accumulation of fluoride in herbivores exposed to tephra from Puyehue coincides with reports that upon exposure to fluoride, sheep bone levels increased from 160 to 2300 ppm in only 3 months. The susceptibility of ruminants to fluorosis resides in their food processing: (1) intensive mastication and tephra size reduction, (2) thorough mixing of tephra with alkaline saliva during repeated rumination cycles, (3) water-soluble extraction in the rumen, and (4) extraction in the acidic abomasum. Lastly, the fluorosis may be further exacerbated by regional iodine and selenium deficiencies. Iodine deficiency may increase the incidence of dental fluorosis and the severity of damage, whereas selenium deficiency causes secondary iodine deficiency.
Seed bank persistence and germination of chinee apple (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.)
Authors: Bebawi Faiz F. , Campbell Shane D. , Mayer Robert J.
Published: February 2016

Chinee apple (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.) is a thorny tree that is invading tropical woodlands of northern Australia. The present study reports three experiments related to the seed dynamics of chinee apple. Experiment 1 and 2 investigated persistence of seed lots under different soil types (clay and river loam), levels of pasture cover (present or absent) and burial depths (0, 2.5, 10 and 20 cm). Experiment 3 determined the germination response of chinee apple seeds to a range of alternating day/night temperatures (11/6°C up to 52/40°C). In the longevity experiments (Expts 1 and 2), burial depth, soil type and burial duration significantly affected viability. Burial depth had the greatest influence, with surface located seeds generally persisting for longer than those buried below ground. Even so, no viable seeds remained after 18 and 24 months in the first and second experiment, respectively. In Expt 3 seeds of chinee apple germinated under a wide range of alternating day/night temperatures ranging from 16/12°C to 47 /36°C. Optimal germination (77%) occurred at 33/27°C and no seeds germinated at either of the lowest (11/6°C) or highest (52/40°C) temperature regimes tested. These findings indicated that chinee apple has the potential to expand its current distribution to cooler areas of Australia. Control practices need to be undertaken for at least two years to exhaust the seed bank.
Parents’ reactions to testing for herpes simplex virus type 2 as a biomarker of sexual activity in Botswana junior secondary school students
Authors: Cham Haddi J. , Lasswell Sarah M. , Miller Kim S.
Published: February 2016

Background
Use of sexual activity biomarkers in HIV prevention trials has been widely supported to validate self-reported data. When such trials involve minors, researchers may face challenges in obtaining parental buy-in, especially if return of results procedures uphold the confidentiality and privacy rights of minors and preclude parental access to test results. In preparation for a randomised controlled trial (RCT) with junior secondary school (JSS) students in Botswana, a formative assessment was conducted to assess parents’ opinions and concerns about testing for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) (biomarker of sexual activity) as part of the RCT. Methods: Six focus groups were held with parents (n = 32) of JSS students from urban, peri-urban and rural communities. Parents were asked their opinions of students being tested for HSV-2 and procedures for blood sample collection and return of results. Results: Overall, parents were supportive of HSV-2 testing, which they thought was a beneficial sexual health resource for adolescents and parents, and a motivation for parent–child communication about HSV-2, sexual activity and sexual abuse. Some parents supported the proposed plan to disclose HSV-2 test results to adolescents only, citing the importance of adolescent privacy and the possibility of HSV-2 positive adolescents being stigmatised by family members. Conversely, opposing parents requested parental access to results. These parents were concerned that adolescents may experience distress following a positive result and withhold this information thereby reducing parents’ abilities to provide support. Parents were also concerned about support for victims of sexual abuse. Conclusion: Although the present study demonstrates that parents can be accepting of sexual activity biomarker testing of adolescents, more research is needed to identify best approaches for returning test results.
Amplified predation after fire suppresses rodent populations in Australia’s tropical savannas
Authors: Leahy Lily , Legge Sarah M. , Tuft Katherine , McGregor Hugh W. , Barmuta Leon A. , Jones Menna E. , Johnson Christopher N.
Published: February 2016

Context
Changes in abundance following fire are commonly reported for vertebrate species, but the mechanisms causing these changes are rarely tested. Currently, many species of small mammals are declining in the savannas of northern Australia. These declines have been linked to intense and frequent fires in the late dry season; however, why such fires cause declines of small mammals is unknown.

Aims
We aimed to discover the mechanisms causing decline in abundance of two species of small mammals, the pale field rat, Rattus tunneyi, and the western chestnut mouse, Pseudomys nanus, in response to fire. Candidate mechanisms were (1) direct mortality because of fire itself, (2) mortality after fire because of removal of food by fire, (3) reduced reproductive success, (4) emigration, and (5) increased mortality because of predation following fire.

Methods
We used live trapping to monitor populations of these two species under the following three experimental fire treatments: high-intensity fire that removed all ground vegetation, low-intensity fire that produced a patchy burn, and an unburnt control. We also radio-tracked 38 R. tunneyi individuals to discover the fates of individual animals.

Key results
Abundance of both species declined after fire, and especially following the high-intensity burn. There was no support for any of the first four mechanisms of population decline, but mortality owing to predation increased after fire. This was related to loss of ground cover (which was greater in the high-intensity fire treatment), which evidently left animals exposed to predators. Also, local activity of two predators, feral cats and dingoes, increased after the burns, and we found direct evidence of predation by feral cats and snakes.

Conclusions
Fire in the northern savannas has little direct effect on populations of these small mammals, but it causes declines by amplifying the impacts of predators. These effects are most severe for high-intensity burns that remove a high proportion of vegetation cover.

Implications
To prevent further declines in northern Australia, fire should be managed in ways that limit the effects of increased predation. This could be achieved by setting cool fires that produce patchy burns, avoiding hot fires, and minimising the total area burnt.
A virus of hyperthermophilic archaea with a unique architecture among DNA viruses
Authors: Rensen Elena Ilka , Mochizuki Tomohiro , Quemin Emmanuelle , Schouten Stefan , Krupovic Mart , Prangishvili David
Published: February 2016

Significance

We describe a filamentous virus,
Pyrobaculum
filamentous virus 1 (PFV1), with a linear double-stranded DNA genome. PFV1 infects hyperthermophilic archaea of the genus
Pyrobaculum
and displays a virion organization that is unique among filamentous DNA viruses. With its linear genome enclosed in a tripartite shell consisting of two protein layers and an external envelope, PFV1 virion organization bears a superficial resemblance to that of filoviruses, such as Ebola and Marburg viruses, which have negative-sense RNA genomes. This observation suggests that overall similar designs in the viral world have been achieved on multiple independent occasions.