bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin-Dependent Basophils Promote Th2 Cytokine Responses following Intestinal Helminth Infection
Authors: Giacomin Paul R. , Siracusa Mark C. , Walsh Kevin P. , Grencis Richard K. , Kubo Masato , Comeau Michael R. , Artis David
Published: October 2012

CD4+ Th2 cytokine responses promote the development of allergic inflammation and are critical for immunity to parasitic helminth infection. Recent studies highlighted that basophils can promote Th2 cytokine-mediated inflammation and that phenotypic and functional heterogeneity exists between classical IL-3–elicited basophils and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP)-elicited basophils. However, whether distinct basophil populations develop after helminth infection and their relative contributions to anti-helminth immune responses remain to be defined. After Trichinella spiralis infection of mice, we show that basophil responses are rapidly induced in multiple tissue compartments, including intestinal-draining lymph nodes. Trichinella-induced basophil responses were IL-3–IL-3R independent but critically dependent on TSLP–TSLPR interactions. Selective depletion of basophils after Trichinella infection impaired infection-induced CD4+ Th2 cytokine responses, suggesting that TSLP-dependent basophils augment Th2 cytokine responses after helminth infection. The identification and functional classification of TSLP-dependent basophils in a helminth infection model, coupled with their recently described role in promoting atopic dermatitis, suggests that these cells may be a critical population in promoting Th2 cytokine-associated inflammation in a variety of inflammatory or infectious settings. Collectively, these data suggest that the TSLP–basophil pathway may represent a new target in the design of therapeutic intervention strategies to promote or limit Th2 cytokine-dependent immunity and inflammation.
TheYaaLocus and IFN-α Fine-Tune Germinal Center B Cell Selection in Murine Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Moisini Ioana , Huang Weiqing , Bethunaickan Ramalingam , Sahu Ranjit , Ricketts Peta-Gay , Akerman Meredith , Marion Tony , Lesser Martin , Davidson Anne
Published: October 2012

Male NZW/BXSB.Yaa (W/B) mice express two copies of TLR7 and develop pathogenic autoantibodies, whereas females with only one copy of TLR7 have attenuated disease. Our goal was to analyze the regulation of the autoantibody response in male and female W/B mice bearing the autoreactive site-directed H chain transgene 3H9. Serum anti-dsDNA Abs appeared in males at 12 wk, and most had high-titer IgG anti-dsDNA and anti-cardiolipin Abs and developed >300 mg/dl proteinuria by 8 mo. Females had only low-titer IgG anti-cardiolipin Abs, and none developed proteinuria by 1 y. Males had a smaller marginal zone than females with a repertoire that was distinct from the follicular repertoire, indicating that the loss of marginal zone B cells was not due to diversion to the follicular compartment. Vk5-43 and Vk5-48, which were rare in the naive repertoire, were markedly overrepresented in the germinal center repertoire of both males and females, but the VJ junctions differed between males and females with higher-affinity autoreactive B cells being selected into the germinal centers of males. Administration of IFN-α to females induced anti-cardiolipin and anti-DNA autoantibodies and proteinuria and was associated with a male pattern of junctional diversity in Vk5-43 and Vk5-48. Our studies are consistent with the hypothesis that presence of the Yaa locus, which includes an extra copy of Tlr7, or administration of exogenous IFN-α relaxes the stringency for selection in the germinal centers resulting in increased autoreactivity of the Ag-driven B cell repertoire.
The Inducible Tissue-Specific Expression of the Human IL-3/GM-CSF Locus Is Controlled by a Complex Array of Developmentally Regulated Enhancers
Authors: Baxter Euan W. , Mirabella Fabio , Bowers Sarion R. , James Sally R. , Bonavita Aude-Marine , Bertrand Elisabeth , Strogantsev Ruslan , Hawwari Abbas , Bert Andrew G. , Gonzalez de Arce Andrea , West Adam G. , Bonifer Constanze , Cockerill Peter N.
Published: October 2012

The closely linked human IL-3 and GM-CSF genes are tightly regulated and are expressed in activated T cells and mast cells. In this study, we used transgenic mice to study the developmental regulation of this locus and to identify DNA elements required for its correct activity in vivo. Because these two genes are separated by a CTCF-dependent insulator, and the GM-CSF gene is regulated primarily by its own upstream enhancer, the main objective in this study was to identify regions of the locus required for correct IL-3 gene expression. We initially found that the previously identified proximal upstream IL-3 enhancers were insufficient to account for the in vivo activity of the IL-3 gene. However, an extended analysis of DNase I-hypersensitive sites (DHSs) spanning the entire upstream IL-3 intergenic region revealed the existence of a complex cluster of both constitutive and inducible DHSs spanning the −34- to −40-kb region. The tissue specificity of these DHSs mirrored the activity of the IL-3 gene, and included a highly inducible cyclosporin A-sensitive enhancer at −37 kb that increased IL-3 promoter activity 40-fold. Significantly, inclusion of this region enabled correct in vivo regulation of IL-3 gene expression in T cells, mast cells, and myeloid progenitor cells.
Triniteit en etiek: Van ’n relasionele God tot ’n etiek van die Ander
Authors: Venter Rian
Published: October 2012

Die artikel ondersoek die vraag of die nuwe waardering vir die leerstuk van die Triniteit enige beduidende etiese implikasies inhou. Meer spesifiek word gekyk of die identiteit van God in die Christelike geloofstradisie nuwe etiese sensitiwiteite kan open. Die sogenaamde Trinitariese Renaissance word kortliks gekarteer en die denke van die teoloë Zizioulas en Moltmann word beskryf om die keer na relasionaliteit te illustreer. Kritiek teen ’n sosiaal-georiënteerde Triniteitsleer word verreken, maar word nie as finaal en afdoende beskou nie. Twee denkers – Volf en Cunningham – val in die soeklig en hoe hulle teologie spesifiek vanuit die Trinitariese belydenis etiese vrae aanspreek en meer spesifiek die probleem van die Ander. Die artikel se gevolgtrekking is dat die Triniteitsleer vrugbare perspektiewe tot die publieke diskoers oor alteriteit kan open. Die Christelike verstaan van God kan ’n beduidende bydrae tot hierdie aktuele vraagstelling lewer. Die Ander word gesien as konstituerend vir eie identiteit; en terselfdertyd word identiteit juis verwesentlik deur ’n omhelsing en versorging van die Ander.Trinity and ethics: From a relational God to an ethic of the Other. The article addresses the question whether the new appreciation for the doctrine of the Trinity could generate significant ethical implications. More specifically it investigates whether the identity of God in the Christian tradition does open new ethical sensibilities. The so-called Trinitarian Renaissance is briefly mapped, and the views of the theologians Zizioulas and Moltmann are described for an illustration of the turn to relationality. Critical resistance to a socially oriented doctrine of the Trinity is taken into account, but it is not considered as final and persuasive. Two theologians – Volf and Cunningham – are studied and how their theology addresses from a Trinitarian perspective ethical issues and specifically the problem of the Other. The article concludes that the doctrine of the Trinity could make a contribution to the public discourse on alterity. The Christian understanding of God could open avenues for understanding a most urgent contemporary problem. The Other is viewed as constitutive for own identity; and at the same time identity is realised by the embrace and care of the Other.
The role of experience in the development of social competencies
Authors: Louw Lynette , Pearse Noel J. , Dhaya Jateen
Published: October 2012

Orientation: The role of experience in the development of managers’ social competencies has been analysed in this research.Research purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of the process through which experience contributed towards the development of service-oriented managers’ social competencies.Motivation for the study: Understanding the contribution of experiences to the development of competencies may have important implications for the selection and development of managers within service industries.Research design, approach and method: Following a multiple case study design, face-to-face interviews with service-oriented managers were held, based on the critical incident technique. Data were analysed using the open coding procedures of grounded theory.Main findings: Experience was found to contribute to the development of service-oriented managers’ social competencies, through a process that established an awareness of unfamiliar social competencies, or a reinforcement of the effects of familiar effective social competencies.Practical/managerial implications: The proposed process, the Social Competency Cache Development (SCCD) Process, is the practical outcome of the research which offers a tool to facilitate the development of social competencies through conscious leveraging of an individual’s experiences.Contribution/value add: The SCCD Process is recommended as a new avenue to leverage and thereby develop social competencies.
Property paradigms and place-making: a right to the city; a right to the street?1
Authors: Layard Antonia
Published: October 2012

The author explores the ‘right to the city’ as a rhetorical device and political strategy aimed at reformulating our conception of inclusion in city cores through the lens of the ‘right to the street’. Although the ‘right to the city’ is an imaginative, rhetorical claim for justice, existing legal provisions related to the philosophy of ‘localism’ provide avenues for a progressive reformulation of ‘streets’ as being more than routes for traffic and commerce: as places for ‘roots’, habitation, walking and dwelling which city dwellers can be empowered to use and manage as ‘their streets’ and thereby to formulate a new, inclusory conception of ‘public property’.
Property pluralism and the partial reflexivity of conservation law: the case of upland commons in England and Wales*
Authors: Pieraccini Margherita
Published: October 2012

This article is concerned with rights and property paradigms within the context of conservation law in England and Wales. Property is a relational concept. However the ways in which its relationality unfolds are multiple, as are its impacts on the conservation of nature. This article argues that property's relationality can be interpreted by reference to two distinct paradigmatic views: the first emphasizing its socio-legal relationality, the second focussing on property's ecological relationality. The first paradigm finds its justification in modern property law theory and culminates with a conceptualization of property as stewardship. The second paradigm, anchored in phenomenological thought, places the accent upon practices, movement and dwelling; it emphasizes the ecologically embedded nature of property by defining property as the contingent product of humans and non-human animals’ interactions with the land. It is argued here that UK conservation law operates with an understanding of property stemming uniquely from the first paradigm, yet the context it seeks to regulate is also permeated by the manifestation of ecologically embedded property. What counts as property is therefore contestable, and certain answers are marginalized by current conservation law. This article shows that the marginalization of ecologically embedded property rights is problematic from an environmental perspective. Using the example of upland common land in England and Wales, it is demonstrated that without acknowledgment of the presence of the two meanings of property, conservation law is unlikely to achieve full environmental effectiveness. Some reflections are also offered in relation to the implications of property pluralism for the discourse on the right to property as a human right. It is concluded that reconciliation between the two property paradigms can be achieved by accentuating the reflexive elements in conservation law.
Introducing a Social Beads Task
Authors: Westermann Stefan , Salzmann Stefan , Fuchs Xaver , Lincoln Tania M.
Published: October 2012

‘Jumping to conclusions’ is a cognitive bias relevant to delusional ideation that has been reliably replicated with the Beads Task decision-making paradigm. Due to the artificial nature of this classical task, little is known about the generalization of hasty decision-making to more naturalistic, real-life situations. In this study the construction and psychometrical evaluation of an experimental Social Beads Task paradigm are reported. The task involves eighteen neutral, self-relevant and delusion-relevant scenarios in which participants have to decide between alternative explanations by obtaining complex, naturalistic pieces of information. Besides satisfying psychometric properties in the present non-clinical sample (N = 92), the proposed enhancing impact of self-relevant and delusion-relevant scenarios on hasty decision-making was corroborated, F(2, 160) = 25.26, p, < 0.01, partial η2 = 0.24. The Social Beads Task could therefore be a useful tool in delusion research that allows the investigation of cognitive biases in social scenarios.
“I don't need your help!” Mood-dependent advice-taking in hypomania-prone individuals
Authors: Wade Miriam , Wigg Lucy , Mansell Warren
Published: October 2012

It has been suggested that mood-dependent social regulation maintains problematic mood states in people vulnerable to bipolar disorder. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a non-clinical sample with a high vulnerability to hypomania (high HYP) followed less advice in a goal-directed task than low HYP participants following a positive versus negative mood induction using music. Students (n = 48) were provided with audio ‘advice’ given in an encouraging, neutral or critical tone of voice during a synonym-matching task. Although the high HYP participants followed more advice overall than the low HYP participants, their pattern of advice-taking showed a bias for ignoring advice more often in the positive mood condition and following advice more often in the negative mood condition. A post hoc analysis further revealed that the high HYP group tended to follow advice given in a critical tone more often when experiencing a negative mood than the low HYP group did. The findings are consistent with other findings of mood-dependent advice-taking in individuals vulnerable to bipolar symptoms.
Effect of High or Low Imagery on Auditory Hallucinatory Content in Individuals Scoring High in Schizotypy
Authors: Randell Jordan , Goyal Megha , Saunders Jo , Reed Phil
Published: October 2012

The present study examined the occurrence, and content, of auditory hallucinatory experiences in non-clinical participants scoring high or low in schizotypy. Participants listened to 10 one-minute recordings of white noise, some of which contained embedded high or low imagery words, and were asked to record any words that they heard. Results showed that high scorers on the unusual experiences scale of the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences showed a bias toward making hallucinatory reports of a low imagery type than of a high imagery type, but there were no significant differences for low UE scorers. Low scorers in impulsive nonconformity made more low imagery hallucinatory reports than high imagery reports. The results suggest a bias toward more hallucinatory reports of low imagery words.
Expert Knowledge Doesn't Help: Detecting Feigned Psychosis in People with Psychiatric Expertise Using the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS)
Authors: Jelicic Marko , van Gaal Maya , Peters Maarten J.V.
Published: October 2012

The aim of the present study was to examine whether expertise in the field of psychiatry undermines the efficacy of the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS) to detect feigned psychosis. Participants without psychiatric expertise (n = 24) and those with psychiatric expertise (n = 23) were asked to fill out the SIMS twice. On one occasion they had to fill out the SIMS honestly, the other occasion they were requested to complete the SIMS imagining they had decided to malinger psychosis because they were standing trial for a serious offence and wanted to avoid legal responsibility. Participants with psychiatric expertise engaged in less flagrant feigning on the SIMS than those without expertise. However, when asked to malinger psychosis, most participants were classified by the SIMS as malingerers, regardless of their expertise in the field of psychiatry. This indicates that psychiatric expertise does not imply a sophisticated form of feigning that evades detection by the SIMS.
Feigning ≠ Feigning a Memory Deficit: The Medical Symptom Validity Test as an Example
Authors: Dandachi-FitzGerald Brechje , Merckelbach Harald
Published: October 2012

The Medical Symptom Validity Test (MSVT) is a widely used memory test with three built-in effort measures that aim to detect feigning. We evaluated the merits of the MSVT as a broad screening tool for symptom validity. In study 1, we interviewed participants (N = 54) about the symptoms that they would and would certainly not feign. Non-specific somatic symptoms and depression were mentioned most frequently. Nearly 10% of the participants stated that they would certainly not feign memory problems. Study 2 contrasted the diagnostic accuracy of the MSVT with that of a broad index of symptom exaggeration (Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology; SIMS) in experimental malingerers (N = 42) who were free to choose which psychological symptoms to feign. Although both tests correctly identified all honest controls (100% specificity), the SIMS surpassed the MSVT in correctly identifying experimental malingerers (91% versus 45%). In study 3, we explored the overlap between MSVT effort parameters and SIMS scores in a psychiatric sample (N = 21). Only one MSVT parameter (Delayed Recognition) was significantly related to SIMS scores (φ = -.52, p < .05). The results indicate that memory-oriented symptom validity tests such as the MSVT may be useful for detecting feigned memory deficits but that such tests perform less well as screening tools for other types of feigned psychopathology.
Methyl hydroperoxide (CH3OOH) in urban, suburban and rural atmosphere: ambient concentration, budget, and contribution to the atmospheric oxidizing capacity
Authors: Zhang X. , He S. Z. , Chen Z. M. , Zhao Y. , Hua W.
Published: October 2012

Abstract. Methyl hydroperoxide (MHP), one of the most important organic peroxides in the atmosphere, contributes to the tropospheric oxidizing capacity either directly as an oxidant or indirectly as a free radical precursor. In this study we report measurements of MHP from seven field campaigns at urban, suburban and rural sites in China in winter 2007 and summer 2006/2007/2008. MHP was usually present in the order of several hundreds of pptv level, but the average mixing ratios have shown a wide range depending on the season and measuring site. Primary sources and sinks of MHP are investigated to understand the impact of meteorological and chemical parameters on the atmospheric MHP budget. The MHP/(MHP+H2O2) ratio is also presented here to examine different sensitivities of MHP and H2O2 to certain atmospheric processes. The diurnal cycle of MHP/(MHP+H2O2), which is out of phase with that of both H2O2 and MHP, could imply that MHP production is more sensitive to the ambient NO concentration, while H2O2 is more strongly influenced by the wet deposition and the subsequent aqueous chemistry. It is interesting to note that our observation at urban Beijing site in winter 2007 provides evidence for the occasional transport of MHP-containing air masses from the marine boundary layer to the continent. Furthermore, the contribution of MHP as an atmospheric oxidant to the oxidizing capacity of an air parcel is assessed based on the "Counter Species" concept.
Consistency of long-term elemental carbon trends from thermal and optical measurements in the IMPROVE network
Authors: Chen L.-W. A. , Chow J. C. , Watson J. G. , Schichtel B. A.
Published: October 2012

Abstract. Decreasing trends of elemental carbon (EC) have been reported at US Interagency Monitoring of PROtected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network from 1990 to 2004, consistent with the phase-in of cleaner engines, residential biomass burning technologies, and prescribed burning practices. EC trends for the past decade are examined due to an upgrade of IMPROVE carbon instruments and the thermal/optical analysis protocol since 2005. Filter reflectance (τR) values measured as part of the carbon analysis were retrieved from archived data and compared with EC for 65 sites with more complete records within 2000–2009. EC–τR relationships suggest minor changes of EC quantified by the original and upgraded instruments for most IMPROVE samples. EC and τR show universal decreasing trends across the US. The EC and τR trends are correlated, with national average downward rates (relative to the 2000–2004 baseline medians) of 4.5% yr−1 for EC and 4.1% yr−1 for τR. The consistency between independent EC and τR measurements adds to the weight of evidence that EC reductions are real rather than an artifact of changes to the measurement process.
Variations of the ionospheric TEC using simultaneous measurements from the China Crustal Movement Observation Network
Authors: Wu Y. W. , Liu R. Y. , Zhang B. C. , Wu Z. S. , Ping J. S. , Liu J. M. , Hu Z. J.
Published: October 2012

Abstract. Variations of the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) over China are investigated using the TEC data obtained from China Crustal Movement Observation Network in the year 2004. The results show a single-peak occurred in post-noon for the diurnal variation and two peaks exit around two equinox points, respectively, for the seasonal variation. Overall, the values of TEC increased from the north to the south of China. There were small but clear longitudinal differences in both sides of the longitudes with zero magnetic declination. The intensity of the day-to-day variation of TEC was not a monotonic change along the latitudes. It was usually weaker in the middle of China than that in the north or south. Comparing with the maximum F-layer electron density (NmF2) derived from the ionosonde stations in China, it is found that the day-to-day variation of TEC was less significant than that of NmF2, and that the northern crest of the equatorial anomaly identified from the NmF2 data can reach Guangzhou-region. While, the TEC crest was hardly observed in the same location. This is probably caused by the tilt of topside ionosphere near the northern anomaly crest region at lower latitudes.
Compiling geophysical and geological information into a 3-D model of the glacially-affected island of Föhr
Authors: Burschil T. , Scheer W. , Kirsch R. , Wiederhold H.
Published: October 2012

Abstract. Within the scope of climatic change and associated sea level rise, coastal aquifers are endangered and are becoming more a focus of research to ensure the future water supply in coastal areas. For groundwater modelling a good understanding of the geological/hydrogeological situation and the aquifer behavior is necessary. In preparation of groundwater modelling and assessment of climate change impacts on coastal water resources, we setup a geological/hydrogeological model for the North Sea Island of Föhr. Data from different geophysical methods applied from the air, the surface and in boreholes contribute to the 3-D model, e.g. airborne electromagnetics (SkyTEM) for spatial mapping the resistivity of the entire island, seismic reflections for detailed cross-sections in the groundwater catchment area, and geophysical borehole logging for calibration of these measurements. An iterative and integrated evaluation of the results from the different geophysical methods contributes to reliable data as input for the 3-D model covering the whole island and not just the well fields. The complex subsurface structure of the island is revealed. The local waterworks use a freshwater body embedded in saline groundwater. Several glaciations reordered the youngest Tertiary and Quaternary sediments by glaciotectonic thrust faulting, as well as incision and refill of glacial valleys. Both subsurface structures have a strong impact on the distribution of freshwater-bearing aquifers. A digital geological 3-D model reproduces the hydrogeological structure of the island as a base for a groundwater model. In the course of the data interpretation, we deliver a basis for rock identification. We demonstrate that geophysical investigation provide petrophysical parameters and improve the understanding of the subsurface and the groundwater system. The main benefit of our work is that the successful combination of electromagnetic, seismic and borehole data reveals the complex geology of a glacially-affected island. A sound understanding of the subsurface structure and the compilation of a 3-D model is imperative and the basis for a groundwater flow model to predict climate change effects on future water resources.
GRACE water storage estimates for the Middle East and other regions with significant reservoir and lake storage
Authors: Longuevergne L. , Wilson C. R. , Scanlon B. R. , Crétaux J. F.
Published: October 2012

Abstract. While GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites are increasingly being used to monitor water storage changes globally, the impact of spatial distribution of water storage within a basin is generally ignored but may be substantial. In many basins, water may be stored in reservoirs, lakes, flooded areas, small aquifer systems, and other localized regions with sizes typically below GRACE resolution. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of non-uniform water storage distribution on GRACE estimates as basin-wide averages, focusing on surface water reservoirs. Analysis included numerical experiments testing the effect of mass size and position within a basin, and application to the Lower Nile (Lake Nasser) and Tigri–Euphrates (TE) basins as examples. Numerical experiments show that by assuming uniform mass distribution, GRACE estimates may under- or over-estimate basin-average water storage by up to a factor of two, depending on reservoir location and extent. Although their spatial extent may be unresolved by GRACE, reservoir storage may dominate in some basins. For example, it accounts for 95% of seasonal variations in the Lower Nile and 10% in the TE basins. Because reservoirs are used to mitigate droughts and buffer against climate extremes, their influence on interannual time scales can be large, for example accounting for 50% of total water storage decline during the 2007–2009 drought in the TE basin. Effects on GRACE estimates are not easily accounted for via simple multiplicative scaling, but in many cases independent information may be available to improve estimates. Accurate estimation of the reservoir contribution is critical, especially when separating groundwater from GRACE total water storage changes. Because the influence of spatially concentrated water storage – and more generally water distribution – is significant, GRACE estimates will be improved when it is possible to combine independent spatial distribution information with GRACE observations, even when reservoir storage is not a major factor. In this regard, data from the upcoming Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission should be an especially important companion to GRACE-FO observations.
Legal and Institutional Framework: The “Achilles Heel” Of Local Authorities and Raison D’etre of Ministerial Intervention in Zimbabwe
Authors: Madhekeni Alois , Zhou Gideon
Published: October 2012

Centre-local relations have been an area of controversy in Zimbabwean local governance both as a discipline and as a practice. Local authorities have traded blows with central government particularly accusing the responsible Ministry of reducing them to spectators in their own field through excessive ministerial intervention. Meanwhile the ministry of local government has cracked the whip on local authorities accusing them of mismanagement and compromised service delivery. The independent media has described the scenario as a “Bloodbath” in local authorities. What appears to be misconstrued by many however is the fact that the governing legal and institutional framework of local governance in Zimbabwe provides room for the responsible Minister to legally enable or disable local authority administration. This governing framework has been and is still the “Achilles heel” of local authorities and the raison d’être of ministerial intervention in Zimbabwe.
Model for Efficient Service Delivery in Public Service
Authors: Khalil Samihah , Adelabu Salihu Abdulwaheed
Published: October 2012

This paper aims to design a modified model for efficient and effective service delivery by governments’ ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). There are several existing models on service delivery, but it is noted that those models emphasized more on the estimates voted for social/welfare services and the outcomes of services provided by MDAs. Other variables such as managerial accountability and leadership quality are less emphasized. This paper therefore designs a modified model that integrates funding/management of resources, managerial accountability and leadership quality cum structure in order to ensure adequate, efficient and effective service delivery by MDAs of various governments. There seems to be a strong relationship between these variables in respect of service delivery. Lastly, the paper is conceptual in nature, which gives room for critique by practioners, researchers, scholars and public administrators in lieu of service delivery.
Donor Obligation for Public Sector Reform in Nepal
Authors: Adhikari Ganesh P.
Published: October 2012

Donor obligation is the donor role expected by the recipient. As a developing country, Nepal is characterized by the inadequate governance. As a result of the globalization of governance, Nepal has been making efforts for improving governance mostly supported by donor agencies since 1990s. In this context, this paper aims to assess the necessity of donor-support for improving democratic governance; to analyze the appropriateness of donor-support for civil service reform; and to identify the level of efficiency of development actors in demonstrating good governance in Nepal.This article is heavily based on secondary data. However, the data related to the ‘appropriate donor-support for civil service reform’ are derived from secondary analysis based on the raw data collected during the researcher’s own PhD work (Adhikari, 2011). The study reveals that the donor-support is highly necessary for strengthening local authorities and civil society organizations. Financial support and policy advice are necessary for strengthening local authorities—the best performers of good governance among development actors in Nepal. Only policy advice is required for reforming new areas of civil service such as merit-based bureaucracy and performance incentives. The highly complex issue of civil service reform is corruption control in Nepal for which all kinds of donor-support (policy advice, financial advice and technical assistance) are required in Nepal.
Electrical Parameters of Different Concentrations of Methyl Red in Fullerene Doped Liquid Crystal
Authors: Okutan M. , Köysal O. , San S. E. , Köysal Y.
Published: October 2012

Dielectric anisotropy and relaxation time of a liquid crystal (LC) system, containing fullerene and methyl red (MR) dye, were studied via impedance spectroscopy technique under a bias voltage. Dye concentration is tried to be 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% in host nematic liquid crystal coded E7. Dielectric permittivity and dielectric anisotropy values of the samples were investigated between the frequency ranges of 100–10 MHz. It is seen that dielectric anisotropy is strongly affected by doping ratio and this value decreases with increasing dye. Also, relaxation time τ and critical frequency values were calculated depending on voltage of different dye ratios.
Inferior Hypogastric Plexus Block Affects Sacral Nerves and the Superior Hypogastric Plexus
Authors: Stogicza A. , Trescot A. M. , Racz E. , Lollo L. , Magyar L. , Keller E.
Published: October 2012

Background. The inferior hypogastric plexus mediates pain sensation through the sympathetic chain for the lower abdominal and pelvic viscera and is thought to be a major structure involved in numerous pelvic and perineal pain syndromes and conditions. Objectives. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the structures affected by an inferior hypogastric plexus blockade utilizing the transsacral approach. Study Design. This is an observational study of fresh cadaver subjects. Setting. The cadaver injections and dissections were performed at the Department of Forensic Sciences and Insurance Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary after obtaining institutional review board approval. Methods. 5 fresh cadavers underwent inferior hypogastric plexus blockade with radiographic contrast and methylene blue dye injection by the transsacral fluoroscopic technique described by Schultz followed by dissection of the pelvic and perineal structures to localize distribution of the indicator dye. Radiographs demonstrating correct needle localization by contrast spread in the specific tissue plane and photographs of the dye distribution after cadaver dissection were recorded for each subject. Results. In all cadavers the dye spread to the posterior surface of the rectum and the superior hypogastric plexus. The dye also demonstrated distribution to the anterior sacral nerve roots of S1, 2, and 3 with bilateral spread in 3 cadavers and ipsilateral spread in 2 of them. Limitations. The small number of cadaver specimens in this study limits the results and generalization of their clinical significance. Conclusions. Inferior hypogastric plexus blockade by a transsacral approach results in distribution of dye to the anterior sacral nerve roots and superior hypogastric plexus as demonstrated by dye spread in freshly dissected cadavers and not by local anesthetic spread to other pelvic and perineal viscera.
Numerical Study of Hydrogen Trapping: Application to an API 5L X60 Steel
Authors: Castaño-Rivera Patricia , Ramunni Viviana P. , Bruzzoni Pablo
Published: October 2012

A numerical finite difference method is developed here to solve the diffusion equation for hydrogen in presence of trapping sites. A feature of our software is that an optimization of diffusion and trapping parameters is achieved via a non linear least squares fit. On the other hand, we have demonstrated that usual electrochemical hydrogen permeation tests are enough to assess hydrogen free energies of trapping in the range of −35 kJ/mol to −70 kJ/mol. These conclusions are obtained by assuming the presence of saturable traps in local equilibrium with hydrogen and are validated by means of simulated permeation and degassing transients. In addition, we check our model performing electrochemical hydrogen permeation tests at 30°C, 50°C, and 70°C, on an API 5L X60 as received steel state to study its trapping and diffusion properties considering only one type of trapping site. The binding energies (ΔG) and the trap densities (N) are determined by fitting the theoretical model to the experimental permeation data. The steel presents a high density
of weak traps, |ΔG|<35 KJ/mol, namely, N=1.4×10−5 mol cm−3. Strong trapping sites which alter the shape of the permeation transient are also detected; their ΔG values ranged from 57 to 72 KJ/mol.
Quantifying the Contribution of Risk Factors for Ischemic Stroke in Patients with a History of TIA
Authors: Ramsey Duncan C. , Burnett Mark G. , Cowperthwaite Matthew C.
Published: October 2012

Background. Patients with a history of transient ischemic attack (TIA) are known to be at higher risk for a stroke. We sought to investigate predictors of individual risk for an ischemic stroke within 30 days of a TIA. Methods and Results. A retrospective analysis of 57,585 TIA admissions was collected from 155 United States hospitals. Data describing each admission included demographic and clinical data, and information about the admitting hospital. Cerebrovascular disease was the primary readmission reason (19% of readmissions) in the TIA patient population. The prevalence of 30-day ischemic stroke readmissions was 11 per 1,000 TIA admissions; however, 53% of stroke readmissions occurred within one week. Hierarchal regression models suggested that peripheral vascular disease and hypertensive chronic kidney disease were significant individual stroke risk factors, whereas history of myocardial infarction, essential hypertension, and diabetes mellitus was not associated with significant stroke risk. Certified stroke centers were not associated with significantly lower stroke readmission rates. Conclusions. The results suggest that cardiovascular comorbidities confer the most significant risk for an ischemic stroke within 30 days of a TIA. Interestingly, certified stroke centers do not appear to be associated with significantly lower stroke-readmission rates, highlighting the challenges managing this patient population.
Liberal Democracy and Its Critics
Authors: Dallmayr Fred ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2012

Liberalism and democracy are not identical. In the phrase “liberal democracy” the two terms are conflated—with the result that liberalism tends to trump democracy. My paper challenges this tendency. It first examines critically central features of “minimalist” liberal democracy as formulated by some leading theorists. The discussion then shifts to critical assessments in both the East and the West. Turning first to South Asia, the focus is placed on Gandhi’s teachings regarding popular self-rule (swaraj) where the latter does not mean “selfish rule” but rather the ability of people to rule themselves in an ethical manner. Moving to East Asia, I concentrate on Confucianism which emphasizes the basic ethical “relationality” of human life and stands opposed to both radical individualism and collectivism. The paper concludes by invoking the work of John Dewey who famously defined democracy as an ethical community.
Relativisme et polarisation du monde
Authors: Foé Nkolo ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2012

Relativism issues occur in a context characterised by the resurfacing of culturalism and attempts to substitute historical causality based on class struggles with a new causality based on great cycles of civilizations and culture clashes. Symptons include rejection of class struggle, biologisation and culturalisation of social inequalities, and denial of universal values—all linked to the delegitimisation of emancipatory reason, which supposes an ethical approach to social and global issues. In Europe, from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth, destruction of reason and the neglect of universal values by institutions of capitalism led to the barbaric conquest of non-European societies. In these societies, emancipatory reason and philosophies of freedom have an important role to play in social redemption. The major challenge they face is how to help man free himself from the intolerable universe of constraint (determined by relativism), and bring him to a level of consciousness where freedom of choice is possible. This entails the rehabilitation of universal values and the inscription of the ethics of responsibility at the core of any vision of an alternative modernity.
Heidegger’s Seyn, Ereignis, and Dingen as Viewed from an Eastern Perspective
Authors: Lee Kwang-Sae ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2012

In Being and Time, Heidegger undertakes fundamental ontology. Heidegger conceives of Being as temporality. Being (Sein) is unconcealment which is replaced by be-ing (Seyn), that is, the disjunction between unconcealment and concealment. In the topological phase as in Contributions to Philosophy (CP), The Thing and Building Dwelling Thinking be-ing yields to enowning. “B-ing holds sway as enowning” (CP section 10). But be-ing holding sway entails that a being (Seiende) “is”. Which means that a thing things. Enowning is Dasein’s thinkingresponding to the call of Be-ing. Hence be-inghistorical thinking (Seynsgeschichtes Denken) which is enowned thinking. When a thing things, world worlds (Die Welt weltet). Be-ing-historical thinking is thinkingthinging, that is, thinking space-time or thinking gathering (Versammlung) of elements that “belong together”. Thinging is the mirror interplay of the fourfold. In Four Seminars, Heidegger says: “There is no longer room for the very name of being. . . . Being is enowned through enowning. Sein ist durch Ereignis ereignet.” But enowning means thinking thinging.
Rethinking Philosophy for the Resurrection of the Object of Knowledge
Authors: Kuçuradi Ioanna ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2012

The author of the paper starts by calling our attention to problems that make it necessary to rethink philosophy and puts her finger on one common factor at the origin of these problems. This is what she calls “the loss of the object of knowledge” in epistemology.After she shows how the object of knowledge is lost in two prevailing epistemologies of the twentieth century—in pragmatism and logical empiricism—and the consequences of this loss for our lives, she gives examples of rethinking certain philosophical questions. These are the questions of what knowledge is and problems of norms related to the lack of distinction between epistemological kinds of norms. This rethinking also implies the necessity of rethinking philosophical education.
Isolation and In Vitro Characterization of Basal and Submucosal Gland Duct Stem/Progenitor Cells from Human Proximal Airways
Authors: Hegab Ahmed E. , Ha Vi Luan , Darmawan Daphne O. , Gilbert Jennifer L. , Ooi Aik T. , Attiga Yasser S. , Bisht Bharti , Nickerson Derek W. , Gomperts Brigitte N.
Published: October 2012

Basal cells and submucosal gland (SMG) duct cells have been isolated and shown to be stem/progenitor cell populations for the murine airway epithelium. However, methods for the isolation of basal and SMG duct cells from human airways have not been defined. We used an optimized two-step enzyme digestion protocol to strip the surface epithelium from tracheal specimens separate from SMG cells, and we then sorted the basal and duct stem/progenitors using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. We used nerve growth factor receptor, as well as a combination of CD166 and CD44, to sort basal cells and also used CD166 to isolate SMG duct cells. Sorted stem/progenitor cells were cultured to characterize their self-renewal and differentiation ability. Both basal and SMG duct cells grew into spheres. Immunostaining of the spheres showed mostly dense spheres with little to no central lumen. The spheres expressed cytokeratins 5 and 14, with some mucus- and serous-secreting cells. The sphere-forming efficiency and the rate of growth of the spheres varied widely between patient samples and correlated with the degree of hyperplasia of the epithelium. We found that only aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)hi basal and duct cells were capable of sphere formation. Global inhibition of ALDH, as well as specific inhibition of the ALDH2 isoform, inhibited self-renewal of both basal and duct cells, thereby producing fewer and smaller spheres. In conclusion, we have developed methods to isolate basal and SMG duct cells from the surface epithelium and SMGs of human tracheas and have developed an in vitro model to characterize their self-renewal and differentiation.
The Visual Effects of Intraocular Colored Filters
Authors: Hammond Billy R.
Published: October 2012

Modern life is associated with a myriad of visual problems, most notably refractive conditions such as myopia. Human ingenuity has addressed such problems using strategies such as spectacle lenses or surgical correction. There are other visual problems, however, that have been present throughout our evolutionary history and are not as easily solved by simply correcting refractive error. These problems include issues like glare disability and discomfort arising from intraocular scatter, photostress with the associated transient loss in vision that arises from short intense light exposures, or the ability to see objects in the distance through a veil of atmospheric haze. One likely biological solution to these more long-standing problems has been the use of colored intraocular filters. Many species, especially diurnal, incorporate chromophores from numerous sources (e.g., often plant pigments called carotenoids) into ocular tissues to improve visual performance outdoors. This review summarizes information on the utility of such filters focusing on chromatic filtering by humans.
Calculating the Universal Energy‐Level Alignment of Organic Molecules on Metal Oxides
Authors: Ley Lothar , Smets Yaou , Pakes Christopher I. , Ristein Jürgen
Published: October 2012

Recently, Greiner et al. [Nat. Mater. 2012, 11, 76] published a survey of the level alignment of about 40 metal oxide/organic molecule interfaces. They observed a striking regularity in the electronic level alignment of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the Fermi level that depends solely on the difference between the substrate work function and the ionization energy of the molecule independent of the details of the electronic structure of the oxide. The authors could reproduce their data under the assumption of thermodynamic equilibrium occupation of the HOMO using four adjustable parameters. A model that quantifies well‐established concepts in heterojunction physics and achieves the same result without any adjustable parameters is presented here. This approach explains why the level alignment is rather independent of the experimental details, such as the electronic structure of the oxide, defects in the oxide, and the thickness of oxide and overlayer. The model can also be extended to organic molecules or polymers on metals without any intermediate oxide as long as certain conditions are met. It also sheds new light on the large polaronic binding energy required to interpret the electronic level alignment of metal‐polymer interfaces.