bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Swelling behavior of gelatin‐ionic liquid functional polymers
Authors: de Carvalho Rui Nuno Leitão , Torres Lourenço Nuno Miguel , Gomes Pedro Miguel Vidinha , da Fonseca Luís Joaquim Pina
Published: January 2013

In this work, hydrogels obtained by mixing gelatin with ionic liquids (ILs) are prepared. Two different ILs, [emim][EtSO4] and [bmim][N(CN)2], are used to prepare hydrogels with different amounts of starting water and phosphate buffer content, which are used after a maturation period. The percentage of swelling in water and phosphate buffer, swelling and diffusion parameters are investigated in thin‐film polymers (1 × 1 cm2; 1‐mm thick) with different maturation times and at temperatures ranging from 4 to 37 °C. [emim][EtSO4] polymers show a moderate (100% weight increase) but quick swelling that reaches 80% of the equilibrium within 30 min. They are liquefied and dissolved at temperatures above 25 °C. [bmim][N(CN)2] polymers with short maturation times exhibit a similar behavior to the former, but more mature hydrogels register a very small swelling, abnormal kinetics and are more resistant to higher temperatures. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys., 2013
Trends and Patterns in Euro‐Marriages in the Netherlands
Authors: van Wissen Leo J. G. , Heering Liesbeth
Published: January 2013

Although the European Union is usually viewed as a project aimed at creating a single commodity market, one of its primary purposes was more generally to remove social and cultural boundaries between the European nation‐states. Intermarriage is a classical indicator of the formation of social ties and communities. One could claim that the creation of a real social, political, cultural, and supranational European space is only complete if people are also willing to accept each other as their spouses. As part of Europe's social integration, Euro‐marriage can be regarded as the litmus test of European integration, and the Netherlands with his status as a founding member should have enjoyed the benefits of one single European marriage market longer than more recent members. Despite this obvious role of intermarriage as a key indicator of European integration, little is known about marriages between Europeans (‘Euro‐marriages’) in the Netherlands. This paper tries to fill this gap by describing the patterns of Euro‐marriages in the Netherlands, on the basis of register data on bi‐national newlyweds and household structure in the Netherlands since 1995. One of the key findings is that Euro‐marriages have not become more popular since 1995 and that this is only to some extent compensated by increased cohabitation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Grain‐boundary relaxation peak correlated to the precipitation in Cu–20.4Al–8.7Mn shape‐memory alloy
Authors: Hao Gangling , Xu Qiaoping , Wang Hui , Wang Weiguo
Published: January 2013

The grain‐boundary relaxation as well as corresponding internal friction (IF) mechanism in Cu‐based shape‐memory alloy was investigated taking Cu–20.4Al–8.7Mn (at%) as an example. A relaxational IF peak was found at around 214 °C during the heating process, whereas the peak completely disappears during the subsequence cooling process. The IF peak with the activation energy and pre‐exponential factor of 1.60 eV and 3.8 × 10−18, respectively, shifting towards higher temperature as the measuring frequency increased indicates that the peak correlates to a thermal‐activation process. The results obtained revealed that the viscous sliding of the grain boundaries should be the operative mechanism for the appearance of the peak. However, the appearance of the γ2 precipitate particles formed during the heating process provides a reverse contribution to the peak, leading to the disappearance of the peak due to their pinning effect on the grain boundaries.
EXAFS and EPR analysis of the local structure of Mn‐doped Li2B4O7
Authors: Kelly T. D. , Kong L. , Buchanan D. A. , Brant A. T. , Petrosky J. C. , McClory J. W. , Adamiv V. T. , Burak Y. V. , Dowben P. A.
Published: January 2013

The local structure of Mn‐doped Li2B4O7(001) was investigated using extended X‐ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) at the Mn K edge and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The location of the Mn dopant in a lithium tetraborate crystal is consistent with occupation of a site with strong oxygen coordination. The MnO bond lengths are similar to those observed with Mn doping of the icosahedral based boron carbide where Mn is in a substitutional dopant in one of the cage sites. From EXAFS, the manganese does not appear to greatly alter the overall tetragonal form of lithium tetraborate, with the dopant most likely substituting for one of the two B sites and with placement of some of the Mn in a Li site still possible. The EPR spectra agree with the literature examined resolving multiple Mn species in the crystal lattice.
Analysis of strain relaxation process in GaInN/GaN heterostructure by in situ X‐ray diffraction monitoring during metalorganic vapor‐phase epitaxial growth
Authors: Iida Daisuke , Kondo Yasunari , Sowa Mihoko , Sugiyama Toru , Iwaya Motoaki , Takeuchi Tetsuya , Kamiyama Satoshi , Akasaki Isamu
Published: January 2013

Strain relaxation in a GaInN/GaN heterostructure is analyzed by combining in situ X‐ray diffraction (XRD) monitoring and ex situ observations. Two different characteristic thicknesses of GaInN films are defined by the evolution of in situ XRD from the full width at half‐maximum of symmetric (0002) diffraction as a function of GaInN thickness. This in situ XRD measurement enables to clearly observe the critical thicknesses corresponding to strain relaxation in the GaInN/GaN heterostructure caused by the formation of surface pits with bent threading dislocations and the generation of misfit dislocations on GaInN during growth. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Neuroprotective Effects of Formononetin Against NMDA‐Induced Apoptosis in Cortical Neurons
Authors: Tian Zhen , Liu Shui‐bing , Wang Yu‐cai , Li Xiao‐qiang , Zheng Lian‐he , Zhao Ming‐gao
Published: January 2013

Formononetin (FMNT) is an isoflavone found in many herbs including Trifolium pratense L., Spatholobus suberectus Dunn., and Astragalus mongholicus Bunge. The purpose of this study is to investigate pharmacological properties of FMNT on neurotoxicity induced by N‐methyl‐D‐asparate (NMDA) in primary‐cultured cortical neurons. The cell viability was significantly decreased after exposure to NMDA (200 μM) for 40 min. Pretreatment of FMNT (10 μM) for 12 h significantly attenuated the cell loss induced by NMDA exposure. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that treatment of FMNT attenuated the number of apoptotic cells, especially the early phase apoptotic cells, induced by NMDA exposure. Western blot analysis showed that FMNT regulated the expression of apoptosis‐related proteins by increasing the levels of Bcl‐2 and pro‐caspase‐3 and decreasing the levels of Bax and caspase‐3. These findings demonstrate that FMNT is capable of protecting neurons from NMDA‐evoked excitotoxic injury and has a potential perspective to the clinical treatment for neurodegenerative disorders in central nervous system. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Information‐based data selection for ensemble data assimilation
Authors: Migliorini S.
Published: January 2013

Ensemble‐based data assimilation is rapidly proving itself as a computationally efficient and skilful assimilation method for numerical weather prediction, which can provide a viable alternative to more established variational assimilation techniques. However, a fundamental shortcoming of ensemble techniques is that the resulting analysis increments can only span a limited subspace of the state space, whose dimension is less than the ensemble size. This limits the amount of observational information that can effectively constrain the analysis. In this paper, a data selection strategy that aims to assimilate only the observational components that matter most and that can be used with both stochastic and deterministic ensemble filters is presented. This avoids unnecessary computations, reduces round‐off errors and minimizes the risk of importing observation bias in the analysis. When an ensemble‐based assimilation technique is used to assimilate high‐density observations, the data selection procedure allows the use of larger localization domains that may lead to a more balanced analysis. Results from the use of this data selection technique with a two‐dimensional linear and a nonlinear advection model using both in situ and remote sounding observations are discussed.
Histone Acetyltransferase Cofactor Trrap Maintains Self-Renewal and Restricts Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells
Authors: Sawan Carla , Hernandez-Vargas Hector , Murr Rabih , Lopez Fabrice , Vaissière Thomas , Ghantous Akram Y. , Cuenin Cyrille , Imbert Jean , Wang Zhao-Qi , Ren Bing , Herceg Zdenko
Published: January 2013

Chromatin states are believed to play a key role in distinct patterns of gene expression essential for self-renewal and pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs); however, the genes governing the establishment and propagation of the chromatin signature characteristic of pluripotent cells are poorly understood. Here, we show that conditional deletion of the histone acetyltransferase cofactor Trrap in mouse ESCs triggers unscheduled differentiation associated with loss of histone acetylation, condensation of chromatin into distinct foci (heterochromatization), and uncoupling of H3K4 dimethylation and H3K27 trimethylation. Trrap loss results in downregulation of stemness master genes Nanog, Oct4, and Sox2 and marked upregulation of specific differentiation markers from the three germ layers. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing analysis of genome-wide binding revealed a significant overlap between Oct4 and Trrap binding in ESCs but not in differentiated mouse embryonic fibroblasts, further supporting a functional interaction between Trrap and Oct4 in the maintenance of stemness. Remarkably, failure to downregulate Trrap prevents differentiation of ESCs, suggesting that downregulation of Trrap may be a critical step guiding transcriptional reprogramming and differentiation of ESCs. These findings establish Trrap as a critical part of the mechanism that restricts differentiation and promotes the maintenance of key features of ESCs.
Toxicity evaluation of β‐diketone antibiotics on the development of embryo‐larval zebrafish (Danio rerio)
Authors: Wang Huili , Che Baoguang , Duan Ailian , Mao Jingwen , Dahlgren Randy A. , Zhang Minghua , Zhang Hongqin , Zeng Aibing , Wang Xuedong
Published: January 2013

This study evaluated the effects of β‐diketone antibiotics (DKAs) on the development of embryo‐larval zebrafish (Danio rerio). When exposure to DKAs, developmental malformations, such as hatching delay, curved body axis, pericardial edema, uninflated swim bladder and yolk sac edema, were observed at 120 h postfertilization (hpf). The estimated 120 hpf nominal concentrations of no observed effect concentration and lowest observed effect concentration for DKAs were 18.75 and 37.50 mg/L, respectively, suggesting that DKAs have much lower toxicity than other persistent pollutants. Following DKA exposure, embryonic heart rates were significantly reduced as compared to the controls at 48 and 60 hpf. The peak bending motion frequency appeared 1 h earlier than in control embryos. The 2.34 and 9.38‐mg/L treatment groups had a higher basal swim rate than control groups at 120 hpf in both light and light‐to‐dark photoperiod experiments. The occurrence of high speed swim rates was enhanced approximately threefold to sevenfold in the 2.34 and 9.38 mg/L treatments compared to the control. Glutathione (GSH) concentrations in the 2.34 and 9.38‐mg/L treatments were significantly higher than the control at 72 hpf, suggesting that GSH production was induced at the end of the hatching period. When exposed to DKAs, zebrafish superoxide dismutase enzyme (SOD) activities were significantly inhibited in the early embryonic period, demonstrating that the clearing ability in zebrafish was lower than the generation rate of free radicals. In summary, the combined DKAs were developmentally toxic to zebrafish in their early life stages and had the ability to impair individual behaviors that are of great importance in the assessment of their ecological fitness. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 29: 1134–1146, 2014.
Ultrastructural changes during spermatogenesis, biochemical and hormonal evidences of testicular toxicity caused by TBT in freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879)
Authors: Revathi Peranandam , Iyapparaj Palanisamy , Vasanthi Lourduraj Arockia , Munuswamy Natesan , Krishnan Muthukalingan
Published: January 2013

The present investigation documents the impact of tributyltin (TBT) on the ultrastructural variation of spermatogenesis in freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii. The environmentally realistic concentration of TBT can cause damages to the endocrine and reproductive physiology of crustaceans. In this context, three concentrations viz. 10, 100, and 1000 ng/L were selected and exposed to prawns for 90 days. The TBT exposed prawn exhibited decrease the reproductive activity as evidenced by sperm count and sperm length compared to control. Histopathological results revealed the retarded testicular development, abnormal structure of seminiferous tubule, decrease in the concentration of spermatozoa, diminution of seminiferous tubule membrane, abundance of spermatocytes and vacuolation in testis of treated prawns. Ultrastructural study also confirmed the impairment of spermatogenesis in treated prawns. Furthermore, radioimmunoassay (RIA) clearly documented the reduction of testosterone level in TBT exposed groups. Thus, TBT substantially reduced the level of male sex hormone as well as biochemical constituents which ultimately led to impairment of spermatogenesis in the freshwater male prawn M.rosenbergii. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 29: 1171–1181, 2014.
I Can Create Mental Images to Retell and Infer Big Ideas
Authors: Miller Debbie
Published: January 2013

As teachers, we are always reflecting on and refining our craft. In this article, the author shares how her understanding and implementation of comprehension strategy instruction has evolved over the past ten years. These shifts include her current thinking about the gradual release of responsibility instructional model, how content and big ideas drive her studies, and the enhanced role of assessment for teaching and learning. Readers will step into a kindergarten classroom where the author brings these principles and practices to life, and shows how our youngest readers can not only successfully engage in thoughtful, critical thinking, but make their thinking visible, public, and permanent.
Talk, Write, and Read: A Method for Sampling Emergent Literacy Skills
Authors: Richgels Donald J.
Published: January 2013

Consistent with a social‐interactive view of literacy development, this report describes a method, Talk, Write, and Read (TWR), that unites the three important and related language processes in its title. In one‐on‐one, adult‐and‐child interactions,TWRinvolves children in talk about a picture book, spelling of target words in the book, and rereading of the book. Examples are shared of preschool and kindergarten performances with From Far Away and Up Close, a picture book in wordless and with‐text versions specially written forTWR.TWRyields information about children's vocabularies, invented spelling, word awareness, and finger‐point reading. Instructional implications are addressed. All necessary materials for using From Far Away and Up Close are provided.
Comments on critical electric and magnetic fields from holography
Authors: Bolognesi S. , Kiefer F. , Rabinovici E.
Published: January 2013

Abstract

We discuss some aspects of critical electric and magnetic fields in a field theory with holographic dual description. We extend the analysis of [1], which finds a critical electric field at which the Schwinger pair production barrier drops to zero, to the case of magnetic fields. We first find that, unlike ordinary weakly coupled theories, the magnetic field is not subject to any perturbative instability originating from the presence of a tachyonic ground state in the W-boson spectrum. This follows from the large value of the ’t Hooft coupling λ, which prevents the Zeeman interaction term to overcome the particle mass at high B. Consequently, we study the next possible B-field instability, i.e. monopole pair production, which is the S-dual version of the Schwinger effect. Also in this case a critical magnetic field is expected when the tunneling barrier drops to zero. These Schwinger-type criticalities are the holographic duals, in the bulk, to the fields E or B reaching the tension of F1 or D1 strings respectively. We then discuss how this effect is modified when electric and magnetic fields are present simultaneously and dyonic states in the spectrum can be pair produced by a generic E − B background. Finally, we analyze finite temperature effects on Schwinger criticalities, i.e. in the AdS-Schwarzshild black hole background.
Adapting to Context in Community‐Based Participatory Research: “Participatory Starting Points” in a Chinese Immigrant Worker Community
Authors: Chang Charlotte , Salvatore Alicia L. , Lee Pam Tau , Liu Shaw San , Tom Alex T. , Morales Alvaro , Baker Robin , Minkler Meredith
Published: January 2013

Community‐based participatory research (CBPR) is increasingly being used to better understand and improve the health of diverse communities. A key strength of this research orientation is its adaptability to community contexts and characteristics. To date, however, few studies explicitly discuss adaptations made to CBPR principles and processes in response to community context and partners’ needs. Using data from our CBPR study, the San Francisco Chinatown Restaurant Worker Health and Safety Project, and drawing from literature on immigrant political incorporation, we examine the links between the contexts of the Chinese immigrant worker community, adaptations made by our collaborative, and study outcomes. In particular, we explore the concepts of contexts of reception and participatory starting points, which may be especially relevant for partnerships with immigrant communities whose members have historically had lower rates of civic and political participation in the US. We discuss contextual findings such as worker partner accounts of language barriers, economic and social marginalization, and civic skills and participation, as well as subsequent adaptations made by the partnership. We also describe the relative effectiveness of these adaptations in yielding equitable participation and building partners’ capacity. We conclude by sharing lessons learned and their implications for CBPR and partnerships with immigrant communities more broadly.
Increased human dermal microvascular endothelial cell survival induced by cysteamine
Authors: Besouw M. , den van Heuvel L. , van Eijsden R. , Bongaers I. , Kluijtmans L. , Dewerchin M. , Levtchenko E.
Published: January 2013

Background

Cystinosis is an autosomal recessive disease caused by intralysosomal cystine accumulation, treated with cysteamine. Recently, new adverse effects of cysteamine were reported. Skin biopsies showed microvascular proliferation (angioendotheliomatosis). To examine the mechanism of angioendotheliomatosis associated with cysteamine toxicity, we examined the effect of cysteamine on human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMVEC).

Methods

After cysteamine exposure (range 0–3.0 mM) during 24 h, cell viability was measured using water soluble tetrazolium salt‐1 (WST‐1) in both control HDMVEC and fibroblasts. Cell proliferation and apoptosis rate were measured in HDMVEC by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation and caspase 3 and caspase 7 activity, respectively. Intracellular glutathione (GSH) was measured in HDMVEC after cysteamine exposure of 0, 0.1 or 1.0 mM. Medium and cysteamine were refreshed every 6 h to mimic the in vivo situation. Next, cell viability in HDMVEC was measured after 24 h of GSH exposure (range 0–10.0 mM).

Results

HDMVEC viability and proliferation increased after cysteamine exposure 0.03–3.0 mM (p < 0.01) and 0.03–1.0 mM (p = 0.01) respectively; cell viability in fibroblasts was not affected by incubation with cysteamine. Apoptosis remained unaffected by incubation with 0–1.0 mM cysteamine, 3.0 mM caused increased apoptosis. Intracellular GSH was significantly increased after incubation with cysteamine 0.1 mM (p = 0.02) and 1.0 mM (p < 0.01). HDMVEC viability increased after exposure to GSH 1.0–5.0 mM (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Cysteamine concentrations, similar to those described in plasma of cystinosis patients, stimulate HDMVEC viability and proliferation and increase intracellular GSH content. We postulate that this mechanism might underlie angioendotheliomatosis induced by cysteamine.
Mixed Micelles of Trisiloxane Based Silicone and Hydrocarbon Surfactants Systems in Aqueous Media: Dilute Aqueous Solution Phase Diagrams, Surface Tension Isotherms, Dilute Solution Viscosities, Critical Micelle Concentrations and Application of Regular Solution Theory
Authors: Sastry Nandhibatla V. , Thummar Amitkummar D. , Punjabi Sanjay H.
Published: January 2013

Mixtures of trisiloxane type nonionic silicone surfactant (SS) with sodium dodecylsulfate, tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide or tert‐octylphenol ethoxylated with 9.5 ethylene oxide groups were studied in water at 30 °C by dilute aqueous solution phase diagrams, surface tension and dilute solution viscosity methods. The cloud points for the silicone surfactant aqueous solutions increased upon addition of hydrocarbon surfactants indicating the formation of hydrophilic complexes in mixture solutions. The scrutiny of the surface tension isotherms plotted as a function of SS concentration revealed that competitive adsorption effects are the characteristic features in these mixtures depending upon the SS concentration. Otherwise the isotherms exhibited two break points and the difference of concentration between the two break points increased with the increase in SS concentration indicating the cooperative nature of interactions. The micellar mole fractions of individual surfactants were determined by Rublingh's regular solution theory; interaction parameters and activity coefficients were evaluated and interpreted in terms of synergistic type interactions in these mixtures. The surface active parameters in mixture solutions were estimated and their analysis shows that the molecular species in the mixture solutions have a preferential tendency for adsorption at the air/water interface than in association form in the bulk solution. The effect of hydrocarbon surfactants on the intrinsic viscosity of SS micelles was monitored and related to the enhanced hydration in mixed micelles.
Transforming Fatherhood: Reconstructing Fatherhood through Faith-Based Father School in South Korea
Authors: Kim Seongeun , Quek Karen Mui-Teng
Published: January 2013

Despite the fast growing literature on religion and fatherhood, the majority of research on the topic was conducted in western societies, and the linkage between culture, religion, and fatherhood was understudied. Using in-depth interviews with 20 Korean fathers who completed an evangelical Duranno Father School (DFS) program, this study examines the processes through which they reconstruct fatherhood and become involved fathers in contemporary South Korean society. Results show the DFS program is instrumental in the reconstruction of new fatherhood through the provision of a strong moral foundation. The transformational processes of fatherhood are initiated and sustained within men's relationships and interactions with families and religious communities in South Korean cultural context. However, reconstructing a new form of fatherhood is a daunting task and the processes of change are marked with constant tensions between old practices and new ways of doing fatherhood. Men must consciously make efforts to sustain new fatherhood through various means and strategies until new fatherhood becomes familiar. This Korean case suggests the significance of looking into the distinctive roles of religion in the processes of reconstruction of fatherhood, particularly in “unsettled times” characterized by social transformation. Implications of the findings for future research are discussed.
Medical education: future-proof?
Authors: Borleffs Jan C. C.
Published: January 2013

None
On an incompressible Navier–Stokes/Cahn–Hilliard system with degenerate mobility
Authors: Abels Helmut , Depner Daniel , Garcke Harald
Published: January 2013

We prove existence of weak solutions for a diffuse interface model for the flow of two viscous incompressible Newtonian fluids in a bounded domain by allowing for a degenerate mobility. The model has been developed by Abels, Garcke and Grün for fluids with different densities and leads to a solenoidal velocity field. It is given by a non-homogeneous Navier–Stokes system with a modified convective term coupled to a Cahn–Hilliard system, such that an energy estimate is fulfilled which follows from the fact that the model is thermodynamically consistent.
Characterization of the intramolecular G‐quadruplex promoting activity of Est1
Authors: Li Qian-Jin , Tong Xia-Jing , Duan Yi-Min , Zhou Jin-Qiu
Published: January 2013

In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, telomeric DNA includes TG1–3/C1–3A double‐stranded DNA and a protruding G‐rich overhang. Our previous studies revealed that the telomerase regulatory subunit Est1 promotes telomeric single‐stranded DNA to form intermolecular G‐quadruplex in vitro, and this activity is required for telomere replication and protection in vivo. In this study, we further characterized the G‐quadruplex promoting activity of Est1. Here we report that Est1 is able to promote the single‐stranded oligonucleotide of (TGTGTGGG)4, which mimics the natural telomeric DNA, to form intramolecular G‐quadruplex. Therefore, it remains possible that the intramolecular G‐quadruplex promoting activity of Est1 is biologically relevant in telomere replication in vivo.
The effects of prenatal exposure to valproic acid on the initial development of serotonergic neurons
Authors: Oyabu Akiko , Narita Masaaki , Tashiro Yasura
Published: January 2013

In utero exposure to valproic acid (VPA) may cause symptoms related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An abnormal serotonergic (5‐HT) system has been implicated in the etiology of ASD. In the present study, we have examined the expression and distribution of two early inducers of 5‐HT neurons in rat embryos, to elucidate the prenatal development of 5‐HT neurons after VPA exposure at embryonic day (E) 9.5. Whole‐embryo in situ hybridization at E11.5 showed that the expression of sonic hedgehog, one of the early inducers of 5‐HT neurons, was reduced around the isthmus in the VPA‐exposed group. Furthermore, whole‐mount immunohistochemistry of the hindbrain and quantitative analysis of 5‐HT neurons in the rostral raphe nucleus (rRN) revealed that neuronal distribution in the caudal part of the rRN was narrower at E15.5 in the VPA‐exposed group than in controls. Thus, the early development of 5‐HT neurons was altered after VPA exposure in utero. The observed prenatal alteration may be significant in the etiology of autism.
Treatment Effect Versus Pretreatment Recovery in Persons With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Study Regarding the Effectiveness of Postacute Rehabilitation
Authors: Hayden Mary Ellen , Plenger Patrick , Bison Kier , Kowalske Karen , Masel Brent , Qualls Devin
Published: January 2013

Objective

To evaluate functional improvement following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) after admission to a postacute treatment facility, focusing on the time since injury and analysis of recovery by degree of impairment at admission.

Design

A retrospective study of patients who received treatment at a postacute rehabilitation facility.

Setting

Postacute rehabilitation for persons with acquired brain injury that involved transdisciplinary teams.

Patients

Patients (n = 1274) were admitted for treatment less than 5 years after TBI and were assessed on our outcome measures at least 3 times. The patients were then grouped by the time since injury and the severity of impairment at admission.

Methods

Patients received comprehensive multidisciplinary treatment 5 days per week, 6 hours per day.

Main Outcome Measurements

Function was assessed by using the Pate Environmentally Relevant Program Outcome System (PERPOS) scale at admission, discharge, and approximately every 2 weeks during treatment. By using these assessment scores, the rate and degree of improvement were monitored.

Results

Postacute rehabilitation yielded significant gains in functioning, with 69% of all patients who demonstrated clinically meaningful gains. The time since injury had a significant impact on gains made in rehabilitation (Ftime × time‐since‐treatment group interaction = 17.75; P < .001), with the 0‐3 months post injury group outperforming each other group (P < .001 for each comparison). This effect was statistically significant (P < .001) for each of the 3 severity‐at‐intake subgroups analyzed but was stronger for the severe (F314 = 9.05) and moderate‐to‐severe (F425 = 7.32) than for the mild‐to‐moderate (F533 = 2.95) severity‐at‐intake groups.

Conclusions

Postacute rehabilitation is associated with functional gains for individuals with TBI beyond what can be explained by undirected recovery. These findings provide evidence for postacute rehabilitation as effective care after TBI.
Beyond Public and Private: Toward a Political Theory of the Corporation
Authors: CIEPLEY DAVID
Published: January 2013

This article challenges the liberal, contractual theory of the corporation and argues for replacing it with a political theory of the corporation. Corporations are government-like in their powers, and government grants them both their external “personhood” and their internal governing authority. They are thus not simply private. Yet they are privately organized and financed and therefore not simply public. Corporations transgress all the basic dichotomies that structure liberal treatments of law, economics, and politics: public/private, government/market, privilege/equality, and status/contract. They are “franchise governments” that cannot be satisfactorily assimilated to liberalism. The liberal effort to assimilate them, treating them as contractually constituted associations of private property owners, endows them with rights they ought not have, exacerbates their irresponsibility, and compromises their principal public benefit of generating long-term growth. Instead, corporations need to be placed in a distinct category—neither public nor private, but “corporate”—to be regulated by distinct rules and norms.
Democracy's Wisdom: An Aristotelian Middle Way for Collective Judgment
Authors: OBER JOSIAH
Published: January 2013

A satisfactory model of decision-making in an epistemic democracy must respect democratic values, while advancing citizens’ interests, by taking account of relevant knowledge about the world. Analysis of passages in Aristotle and legislative process in classical Athens points to a “middle way” between independent-guess aggregation and deliberation: an epistemic approach to decision-making that offers a satisfactory model of collective judgment that is both time-sensitive and capable of setting agendas endogenously. By aggregating expertise across multiple domains, Relevant Expertise Aggregation (REA) enables a body of minimally competent voters to make superior choices among multiple options, on matters of common interest. REA differs from a standard Condorcet jury in combining deliberation with voting based on judgments about the reputations and arguments of domain-experts.
Ethnicity on the Sleeve and Class in the Heart
Authors: Corstange Daniel
Published: January 2013

Are voting rights a class or an ethnic issue? They are both in the diverse societies of the developing world, yet the salience of ethnicity in public discourse frequently compels people to articulate identity demands that may be inconsistent with their material interests, particularly among the rich. This article examines these ideas with an augmented list experiment about illiterate voting rights in Lebanon. Consistent with received wisdom, direct questions yield identity-based answers in which Shiites are more supportive of voting rights than are Sunnis or Christians. Unobtrusive questions, in contrast, yield answers about material deprivation in which poor people are more supportive of illiterate voting than are rich people. The divergence between public statements and private preferences helps to reconcile theoretical predictions that people respond to material incentives with empirical findings that they pursue identity interests.
I. INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR SETTLEMENT OF INVESTMENT DISPUTES TRIBUNAL, SPYRIDON ROUSSALIS v ROMANIA, DECISION OF 7 DECEMBER 2011
Authors: Linderfalk Ulf
Published: January 2013

International lawyers interested in international investment law and treaty interpretation issues should consider the international award recently delivered by an ICSID Tribunal in the case of Spyridon Roussalis v Romania.1 The case arose out of the privatization of a Romanian warehouse company (SC Malimp SA). On 23 October 1998, another Romanian company (Continent SRL) entered into a share purchase agreement with the Romanian authority for state assets recovery (AVAS) to purchase 372,523 shares in SC Malimp SA, or the equivalent of a 70 per cent interest in the company. Following the acquisition of SC Malimp SA, the name of that company was changed to SC Continent Marine Enterprise SA (or ‘Continent SA’ for short).
I. IMMUNITY OF STATE OFFICIALS FROM THE CRIMINAL JURISDICTION OF A FOREIGN STATE
Authors: Sanger Andrew
Published: January 2013

InKhurts Bat, the English High Court held that Mr Bat, a Mongolian State official charged with committing municipal crimes on German territory, was not immune from the jurisdiction of German courts and could therefore be extradited to Germany. This article examines the three theories of immunity put forward in that case: (1) special missions immunity, (2) high-ranking official immunity, and (3) State immunity. It focuses on the question of whether State officials charged with municipal crimes may plead immunityratione materiaefrom the criminal jurisdiction of a foreign State by examining key examples of State practice.
LEGAL TRANSPLANT AND UNDUE INFLUENCE: LOST IN TRANSLATION OR A WORKING MISUNDERSTANDING?
Authors: Chen-Wishart Mindy
Published: January 2013

Is legal transplant possible? The stark bipolarity of a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer attracted by such a question is much less interesting and revealing than the question: what shapes the life of legal transplants? The answer to the latter question is contingent on a wide range of variables triggered by the particular transplant; the result can occupy any point along the spectrum from faithful replication to outright rejection. This case study of the transplant of the English doctrine of undue influence into Singaporean law asks why the Singaporean courts have applied the doctrine in family guarantee cases to such divergent effect, when they profess to apply the same law. The answer owes less to grand theories than to a careful examination of the nature of the transplanted law and the relationship between the formal and informal legal orders of the originating and the recipient society raised by the particular transplant.
ADMINISTRATIVE LAW: THE NEXT FRONTIER FOR COMPARATIVE LAW
Authors: Boughey Janina
Published: January 2013

It is trite to observe that the past three decades have seen an ‘explosion’ in comparative law. Equally well-worn territory is the fact that constitutional law has been a particular beneficiary of the comparative trend, despite the fact that for much of the twentieth century comparative lawyers tended to avoid public law topics. However, one field of law that has been conspicuously absent from the boom in comparison, at least outside of Europe, is administrative law. This article analyses why the use of comparison has been so vastly different between the two areas of public law. It then surveys some recent developments in administrative law and points to a number of aspects of the field that would benefit from the wider use of comparative methods across the world.
THE LEGALITY OF THE NATO BOMBING IN LIBYA
Authors: Ulfstein Geir , Christiansen Hege Føsund
Published: January 2013

On 17 March 2011 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1973 authorizing member states to take forceful measures to protect Libyan civilians. Clearly NATO actions to protect civilians were within the mandate. But the authors claim that operations aiming at overthrowing the Qaddafi regime were illegal use of force. The overstepping of the mandate may have a negative effect on the credibility of the responsibility to protect in future gross human rights violations.
SHOULD THE CONNECTING FACTOR OF THE ‘ENGAGING PLACE OF BUSINESS’ BE ABOLISHED IN EUROPEAN PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW?
Authors: Grušić Uglješa
Published: January 2013

In Case C–384/10Jan Voogsgeerd v Navimer SAthe ECJ dealt with a number of issues concerning the choice-of-law rules for employment contracts of the Rome Convention, most importantly the relationship between the connecting factors of the habitual place of work and the engaging place of business, and the interpretation of the latter connecting factor. After demonstrating that the ECJ has deprived it of almost any effect, that it leads to excessive legal uncertainty, unforeseeability of the outcome of litigation, and does not support the objectives of employee protection and proximity, this article concludes that the connecting factor of the engaging place of business should be abolished in European private international law.
Effects of temperature and electron collision frequency on the elastic electron–ion collisions in a collisional plasma
Authors: JUNG YOUNG-DAE , HONG WOO-PYO
Published: January 2013

The effects of dynamic temperature and electron–electron collisions on the elastic electron–ion collision are investigated in a collisional plasma. The second-order eikonal analysis and the velocity-dependent screening length are employed to derive the eikonal phase shift and eikonal cross section as functions of collision energy, electron collision frequency, Debye length, impact parameter, and thermal energy. It is interesting to find out that the electron–electron collision effect would be vanished; however, the dynamic temperature effect is included in the first-order approximation. We have found that the dynamic temperature effect strongly enhances the eikonal phase shift as well as the eikonal cross section for electron–ion collision since the dynamic screening increases the effective shielding distance. In addition, the detailed characteristic behavior of the dynamic screening function is also discussed.
Evaluation of methodologies for assessing the overall diet: dietary quality scores and dietary pattern analysis
Authors: Ocké Marga C.
Published: January 2013

This paper aims to describe different approaches for studying the overall diet with advantages and limitations. Studies of the overall diet have emerged because the relationship between dietary intake and health is very complex with all kinds of interactions. These cannot be captured well by studying single dietary components. Three main approaches to study the overall diet can be distinguished. The first method is researcher-defined scores or indices of diet quality. These are usually based on guidelines for a healthy diet or on diets known to be healthy. The second approach, using principal component or cluster analysis, is driven by the underlying dietary data. In principal component analysis, scales are derived based on the underlying relationships between food groups, whereas in cluster analysis, subgroups of the population are created with people that cluster together based on their dietary intake. A third approach includes methods that are driven by a combination of biological pathways and the underlying dietary data. Reduced rank regression defines linear combinations of food intakes that maximally explain nutrient intakes or intermediate markers of disease. Decision tree analysis identifies subgroups of a population whose members share dietary characteristics that influence (intermediate markers of) disease. It is concluded that all approaches have advantages and limitations and essentially answer different questions. The third approach is still more in an exploration phase, but seems to have great potential with complementary value. More insight into the utility of conducting studies on the overall diet can be gained if more attention is given to methodological issues.
Cool and hot executive function in conduct-disordered adolescents with and without co-morbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: relationships with externalizing behaviours
Authors: Dolan M. , Lennox C.
Published: January 2013

Background

An understanding of the exact nature of executive function (EF) deficits in conduct disorder (CD) remains elusive because of issues of co-morbidity with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Method

Seventy-two adolescents with CD, 35 with CD + ADHD and 20 healthy controls (HCs) were assessed on a computerized battery of putative ‘cool’ and ‘hot’ EFs. Participants also completed the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL).

Results

In the cool EF tasks such as planning, the CD + ADHD group in particular showed most notable impairments compared to HCs. This pattern was less evident for set shifting and behavioural inhibition but there were significant correlations between errors scores on these tasks and indices of externalizing behaviours on the CBCL across the sample. For hot EF tasks, all clinical groups performed worse than HCs on delay of gratification and poor performance was correlated with externalizing scores. Although there were no notable group differences on the punishment-based card-playing task, there were significant correlations between ultimate payout and externalizing behaviour across groups.

Conclusions

Overall, our findings highlight the fact that there may be more common than distinguishing neuropsychological underpinnings to these co-morbid disorders and that a dimensional symptom-based approach may be the way forward.
Welfare Regimes and Education Regimes: Equality of Opportunity and Expenditure in the EU (and US)
Authors: WEST ANNE , NIKOLAI RITA
Published: January 2013

Education is crucially important for later outcomes but has received limited attention in comparative research on welfare states. In light of this, we present an exploratory analysis of education systems across fourteen EU countries and the US. This builds on existing work on educational institutions, educational outcomes and welfare regimes. We focus on institutional features associated with inequality of educational opportunity, including academic selection, tracking and public/private provision; on educational outcomes; and on education expenditure. Our quantitative analysis identifies four clusters of countries: the Nordic, Continental, Mediterranean and English-speaking, which bear similarities to those identified in the welfare states literature. Each ‘education regime’ is associated with particular institutional features, educational outcomes and levels of public expenditure. Our analysis suggests that further comparative research on education, viewed as a key component of the welfare state, is warranted.
Adapting the Pyramids and Palm Trees Test and the Kissing and Dancing Test and developing other semantic tests for the Chinese population
Authors: GUO QIHAO , HE CHENXI , WEN XIAOLIANG , SONG LUPING , HAN ZAIZHU , BI YANCHAO
Published: January 2013

The semantic system is a core component underlying many cognitive functions, and its deterioration can lead to various behavioral deficits. The Pyramids and Palm Trees Test (Howard & Patterson, 1992) and the Kissing and Dancing Test (Bak & Hodges, 2003) are among the most widely used semantic assessments, and they have been adapted into many languages and for many populations. We adapted these tests to the Mainland Chinese population by adopting culturally appropriate items and collecting normative data in healthy Chinese participants. In addition, accumulating research has shown that semantic representations have multidimensional structures that include various types of knowledge, and in the Pyramids and Palm Trees Test mainly evaluates associative relationships. Therefore, we developed additional tests to examine three other aspects of semantic knowledge: taxonomic, functional, and manipulative. We found significant correlations among all tests in healthy participants. Moreover, the level of education and age affected performance on the tests of associative relationships, taxonomic relationships, and manipulation similarity.
The period function of Liénard systems
Authors: Yang Li-Jun , Zeng Xian-Wu
Published: January 2013

The period function of Liénard systems ẋ = −y + F(x), ẏ = g(x) associated with a centre is considered and sufficient conditions are presented for the period function to be strictly and globally monotone increasing and to have at least one critical point. Examples of applications and remarks on related work are also given.
Degree and holomorphic extendibility
Authors: Leban Darja Govekar
Published: January 2013

Recently it was shown that if D is a bounded domain in ℂ whose boundary consists of a finite number of pairwise disjoint simple closed curves, then a continuous function f on bD extends holomorphically through D if and only if, for each g ∈ A(D) such that f + g has no zero on bD, the degree of f + g is non-negative (which, for these special domains, is equivalent to the fact that the change of argument of f + g along bD is non-negative). Here A(D) is the algebra of all continuous functions on D which are holomorphic on D. This fails to hold for general domains, and generalizing to more general domains presents a major problem that often requires a much larger class of functions g. It is shown that the preceding theorem still holds in the case when D is a bounded domain in ℂ such that D is finitely connected and such that D is equal to the interior of D.
On the generalized Forchheimer—Stokes—Fourier systems under the Beavers—Joseph—Saffman boundary condition
Authors: Consiglieri Luisa
Published: January 2013

A Stokesian fluid in motion along a porous medium saturated by the same fluid is modelled by the Beavers—Joseph—Saffman boundary-value problem to generalized Forchheimer—Stokes—Fourier systems: what we call the Beavers—Joseph—Saffman (BJS) problem. The model has nonlinear character given by the temperature dependence of physical parameters such as the viscosity, the permeability, the thermal conductivity and the thermal expansion. The paper is concerned with the study of the steady-state and the time-dependent regimes via the Galerkin and the Faedo—Galerkin techniques, respectively.