bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brain Natriuretic Peptide and C‐Type Natriuretic Peptide Maintain Porcine Oocyte Meiotic Arrest
Authors: Zhang Wenqiang , Yang Ye , Liu Wei , Chen Qian , Wang Huarong , Wang Xiao , Zhang Yanhao , Zhang Meijia , Xia Guoliang
Published: June 2014

Recent studies have shown that C‐type natriuretic peptide (CNP) serves as a key control system during mouse oocyte maturation. We used pig models (in vitro and in vivo) to explore the role played by the natriuretic peptide family in porcine oocyte maturation. We reported the expression and location of natriuretic peptide system in different stages of porcine antral follicles. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and CNP were expressed primarily in granulosa cells, whereas brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and natriuretic peptide receptor‐B (NPRB) receptor were expressed in granulosa cells (both cumulus and mural granulosa cells) and thecal internal cells, and the natriuretic peptide receptor‐A (NPRA) receptor predominantly in thecal cells. Upon in vitro culture, BNP and CNP maintained meiotic arrest of oocytes associated with cumulus cells. The expression levels of BNP, CNP, and the NPRB receptor increased upon treatment of prepubertal gilts with pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin and decreased upon subsequent human chorionic gonadotropin injection. Such dynamic changes in the expression of natriuretic peptides and their receptor paralleled the proportions of oocytes exhibiting nuclear maturation in vivo. These data indicated that BNP and CNP co‐contributed to maintaining porcine meiotic arrest under physiological condition and lutenizing hormone (LH) relieved this inhibitory effect by decreasing the expression levels of BNP and CNP in vivo. Our present work, combined with previous data, improved the understanding of the oocyte meiotic arrest mechanisms and further revealed that natriuretic peptides serve as oocyte maturation inhibitor (OMI) to inhibit oocyte maturation in mammals. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 71–81, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
MicroRNA‐Based Biotechnology for Plant Improvement
Authors: Zhang Baohong , Wang Qinglian
Published: June 2014

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an extensive class of newly discovered endogenous small RNAs, which negatively regulate gene expression at the post‐transcription levels. As the application of next‐generation deep sequencing and advanced bioinformatics, the miRNA‐related study has been expended to non‐model plant species and the number of identified miRNAs has dramatically increased in the past years. miRNAs play a critical role in almost all biological and metabolic processes, and provide a unique strategy for plant improvement. Here, we first briefly review the discovery, history, and biogenesis of miRNAs, then focus more on the application of miRNAs on plant breeding and the future directions. Increased plant biomass through controlling plant development and phase change has been one achievement for miRNA‐based biotechnology; plant tolerance to abiotic and biotic stress was also significantly enhanced by regulating the expression of an individual miRNA. Both endogenous and artificial miRNAs may serve as important tools for plant improvement. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 1–15, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Sorafenib/Regorafenib and Lapatinib Interact to kill CNS Tumor Cells
Authors: Hamed Hossein A. , Tavallai Seyedmehrad , Grant Steven , Poklepovic Andrew , Dent Paul
Published: June 2014

The present studies were to determine whether the multi‐kinase inhibitor sorafenib or its derivative regorafenib interacted with the ERBB1/ERBB2 inhibitor lapatinib to kill CNS tumor cells. In multiple CNS tumor cell types sorafenib and lapatinib interacted in a greater than additive fashion to cause tumor cell death. Tumor cells lacking PTEN, and anoikis or lapatinib resistant cells were as sensitive to the drug combination as cells expressing PTEN or parental cells, respectively. Similar data were obtained using regorafenib. Treatment of brain cancer cells with [sorafenib + lapatinib] enhanced radiation toxicity. The drug combination increased the numbers of LC3‐GFP vesicles; this correlated with a reduction in endogenous LC3II, and p62 and LAMP2 degradation. Knock down of Beclin1 or ATG5 significantly suppressed drug combination lethality. Expression of c‐FLIP‐s, BCL‐XL, or dominant negative caspase 9 reduced drug combination toxicity; knock down of FADD or CD95 was protective. Expression of both activated AKT and activated MEK1 or activated mTOR was required to strongly suppress drug combination lethality. As both lapatinib and sorafenib are FDA approved agents, our data argue for further determination as to whether lapatinib and sorafenib is a useful glioblastoma therapy. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 131–139, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Linear quantification calibration of crystallinity at subpercent and its evaluation based on spectral and spatial information inherited in Raman chemical images
Authors: Wu Jianping
Published: June 2014

In this paper, the author reported two methods to extract spectral or spatial information inherited in the Raman chemical images for linear quantification calibration of crystallinity. The two approaches reported quantification results according to the spectral mean score of overall pixels or the spatial percentage of the pixels with a score greater than and equal to the threshold of the chemical images, respectively. From this study, it can be concluded that, first, sampling method for data collection in mapping has to be optimized to achieve linear quantification calibration through simple univariate analysis approaches. Second, the ordinary way of evaluating/validating a linear quantification technique by best linear correlation coefficient (R2) and root‐mean‐square error of calibration is disputable and has to be reconsidered. Lastly, with further consideration of root‐mean‐square relative error of calibration and predicted crystallinity at subpercent, it was found that the spectral mean score method cannot generate reliable quantification results at subpercent crystallinity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimation of regional sheep abundance based on group sizes
Authors: Conroy Michael J. , Henry Robert S. , Harris Grant
Published: June 2014

We used sightability models with aerial counts to estimate regional abundance of desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in southwestern Arizona during 1992–2012. Because of incomplete spatial and temporal coverage of surveys, we integrated sightability estimates using Bayesian state‐space models. Although some game management units (GMUs) exhibited negative average growth rates during this period, temporal variability in growth was large. The combination of temporal variability and statistical uncertainty in the sightability estimates led to the selection of a regional model having zero mean growth from initial abundance. Hence, the model indicated a relatively stable population of desert bighorn sheep in southern Arizona, beginning with approximately 2,900 bighorn sheep in 1992 to the current number of approximately 2,300 sheep (2012). Our method provides statistically valid estimates of overall regional abundance not otherwise possible given the incomplete spatial coverage of surveys. Additionally, results have implications for other studies, common in wildlife management, where managers seek to integrate information across surveys with partial time‐series. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.
Thermal Stability of n‐Acyl Peroxynitrates
Authors: KABIR M. , JAGIELLA S. , ZABEL F.
Published: June 2014

Peroxynitrates (RO2NO2), in particular acyl peroxynitrates (R = R′C(O) with R′ = alkyl), are prominent constituents of polluted air. In this work, a systematic study on the thermal decomposition rate constants of the first five members of the series of homologous R′C(O)O2NO2 with R′ = CH3 ( =PAN), C2H5, n‐C3H7, n‐C4H9, and n‐C5H11 is undertaken to verify the conclusions from previous laboratory data (Grosjean et al., Environ. Sci. Technol. 1994, 28, 1099–1105; Grosjean et al., Environ. Sci. Technol. 1996, 30, 1038–1047; Bossmeyer et al., Geophys. Res. Lett. 2006, 33, L18810) that the longer chain peroxynitrates may be considerably more stable than PAN. Experiments are performed in a temperature‐controlled, evacuable 200 L‐photoreactor made from quartz. n‐Acyl peroxynitrates are generated by stationary photolysis of mixtures of molecular bromine, O2, NO2, and the corresponding parent aldehydes, highly diluted in N2. Thermal decomposition of R′C(O)O2NO2 is initiated by the addition of an excess of NO. First‐order decomposition rate constants k1 of the reactions R′C(O)O2NO2 (+M) → R′C(O)O2 + NO2 (+M) are derived at 298 K and a total pressure of 1 bar from the measured loss rates of R′C(O)O2NO2, correcting for wall loss of R′C(O)O2NO2 and several percentages of reformation of R′C(O)O2NO2 by the reaction of R′C(O)O2 radicals with NO2. With increasing chain length of R′, k1(298 K) slightly decreases from 4.4 × 10−4 s−1 (R′ = CH3) to 3.7 × 10−4 s−1 (R′ = C2H5), leveling off at (3.4 ± 0.1) × 10−4 s−1 for R′ = n‐C3H7, n‐C4H9, and n‐C5H11. Temperature dependencies of k1 were measured for CH3C(O)O2NO2 and n‐C5H11C(O)O2NO2 in the temperature range 289–308 K, resulting in the same activation energy within the statistical error limits (2σ) of 0.9 and 1.5 kJ mol−1, respectively. A few experiments on n‐C6H13C(O)O2NO2, n‐C7H15C(O)O2NO2, and n‐C8H17C(O)O2NO2 were also performed, but the results were considered to be unreliable due to strong wall loss of the peroxynitrate and possible complications caused by radical‐sinitiated side reactions.
Does Classical Music Relieve Math Anxiety? Role of Tempo on Price Computation Avoidance
Authors: Feng Shan , Suri Rajneesh , Bell Monique
Published: June 2014

Marketers often do not present prices in ways that permit easy comparisons or calculations. For many consumers, situations that involve numbers and computations lead to math anxiety. Results of three studies show that math‐anxious consumers tend to avoid alternatives that require price computations. Interestingly, such consumers find relief from math anxiety when slow tempo classical music plays in the background. However, in the absence of background music or when the tempo of such music is fast, those with high math anxiety exhibited a heightened avoidance of choices requiring price computations.
Attractive Chameleons Sell: The Mimicry‐Attractiveness Link
Authors: Kulesza Wojciech , Szypowska Zofia , Jarman Matthew S. , Dolinski Dariusz
Published: June 2014

The present research explored the effects of nonverbal mimicry behavior and mimicker attractiveness in a natural retail context. A 3 (nonverbal mimicry, nonmimicking, antimimicry) × 2 (attractive salesperson, attractiveness control) design was used to study the effects of different combinations of these variables on female customers’ (N = 150) purchases, customer service ratings, and plans to return to the store. Results showed that customers spent the most and had the highest customer service ratings when they interacted with a salesperson who was both attractive and mimicking them. When the salesperson, however, was less attractive and engaged in the opposite gestures as the customer, it corresponded with substantially lower customer service ratings and a tendency to not wish to return to the store. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings for mimicry and attractiveness in a retail environment are discussed.
Photoinduced synthesis of polyester networks from methacrylate functionalized precursors: analysis of side reactions
Authors: Friess Fabian , Lendlein Andreas , Wischke Christian
Published: June 2014

Polyester networks can be prepared by ultraviolet (UV)‐light‐induced radical polymerization of methacrylate functionalized oligo(ε‐caprolactone)s. The properties and functions of the obtained materials depend on defined network structures and may be altered, if crosslinking would occur by side reactions in other positions than the methacrylate endgroups. In order to explore whether and to which extent such side reactions occur, network synthesis as well as related model reactions were performed in the absence of photoinitiator. Hereby precursor structures (linear and four‐arm star‐shaped) and reaction conditions (in solution and in the melt) were varied. Unspecific side reactions were found only upon extensive UV irradiation for 60 min (26 mW cm‐2) with minor but detectable alterations of physicochemical properties of the networks. The analysis of model reactions suggested minor photolytic cleavage of ester bonds during polymer network synthesis. However, the effect of these side reactions on network properties and functions appeared to be less relevant than an incomplete precursor integration because of a too short UV irradiation for crosslinking. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of an adhesion‐enhancing polysiloxane containing epoxy groups for addition‐cure silicone light emitting diodes encapsulant
Authors: Zhao Miao , Feng Yakai , Li Guang , Li Yuan , Wang Yalong , Han Ying , Sun Xujun , Tan Xiaohua
Published: June 2014

Addition‐cure silicone resin is considered as a good choice for light emitting diodes (LEDs); however, it has very poor adhesion to the substrate, which limits its practical application. A novel polysiloxane with self‐adhesion ability and higher refractive index for the encapsulating of high‐power LEDs is prepared and characterized. This polysiloxane containing vinyl groups, phenyl groups, and epoxy groups was synthesized by a sol‐gel condensation process from methacryloxy propyl trimethoxyl silane, γ‐(2,3‐epoxypropoxy)propytrimethoxysilane, and diphenylsilanediol under the catalysis of an anion exchange resin. Then, the resin‐type encapsulation material was prepared by hydrosilylation of methylphenyl hydrogen‐containing silicone resin and the newly synthesized polysiloxane material. The novel polysiloxane was characterized by 1H‐NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. On the basis of higher refractive index, higher transparency, excellent thermal stability, and appropriate hardness, as well as good adhesive strength between the encapsulating material and the LED lead frame (polyphthalamide), the curable silicone resin‐type encapsulation material can be used as an encapsulant for LEDs. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stability of poly(l‐lactic acid) in textile applications
Authors: Brožek Jiří , Benešová Václava , Malinová Lenka , Kalousková Radka , Šanda Karel , Ledrová Zdeňka
Published: June 2014

The present paper is focused on the use of promising bio‐based thermoplastic—poly(l‐lactic acid)—in textile applications and with possible limits related to its enhanced sensitivity to (bio)degradation. Linear and planar fabrics made of staple were exposed to standard washing cycles imitating the maintenance of textile materials. The effect of temperature and pH of the washing bath on the degradation rate of poly(l‐lactic acid) was monitored by the abiotic hydrolysis test. The properties of the fabrics after carrying out the tests were evaluated from the changes of mass per areal weight, strength, and morphology of the fabrics. The changes of the structure of the polymer chains were assessed by differential scanning calorimetry, by the decrease of molar masses (determined using size exclusion chromatography) and of the viscosity of the polymer solutions, and by infrared spectroscopy. Poly(l‐lactic acid) fabric finds application for various kinds of garments, and untreated fabric reliably tolerates 60 standard washing cycles. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthetic polymer/single‐crystal composite
Authors: Liu Yujing , Chen Liao , Liu Wei , Ye Tao , Chen Hongzheng , Li Hanying
Published: June 2014

Biogenic single‐crystals have been found to incorporate biomacromolecules and become biomacromolecule/single‐crystal composites. The complex composite structures and properties of these biogenic crystalline materials have spurred investigations to reproduce their synthetic analogs, polymer/single‐crystal composites. Here, we review recent progress of the synthetic polymer/single‐crystal composites, where the polymers are distributed inside the crystals in their aggregate states (micelles, particles, gel networks, and 3D structured forms). The mechanisms of the polymer incorporation are also discussed. Furthermore, the effects of the polymer incorporation on the properties of the crystal host are described. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparation and characterization polyvinylidene fluoride membranes from water and ethanol coagulants via in situ free radical polymerization
Authors: Zhang Ping‐Yun , Xu Zhen‐Liang , Ma Xiao‐Hua , Yang Hu , Wei Yong‐Ming , Wu Wen‐Zhi
Published: June 2014

In this present study, the facile approaches of coagulants and in situ free radical polymerization method for modulating configurations and performances of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes are investigated. Configuration images show that the supramolecular aggregates of PVDF‐P(PEGMA‐r‐MMA) caused by in situ polymerization act as “template” of the tuned configurations of the resultant PVDF membranes. During delay demixing process (ethanol coagulant), the confine of the aggregates resulted in shift of the cauliflower nanograins to the stripe‐type nanograins. On the other hand, for the membranes prepared from the instantaneous demixing process in water coagulant, the aggregates contributed to the formation of the confined finger‐like structures and the globule agglomerates that constructed the whole thickness of the membrane bulk. Furthermore, those narrow distribution supramolecular aggregates and variation coagulants (water and ethanol) also yield the tuned performances. The membranes' improved mechanical properties and limited hydrophilicity improvement are attributed to the strong interconnection between the aggregates. Because of the fore‐forming of the P(PEGMA‐r‐MMA) aggregates with narrow distribution, all PVDF membranes prepared from the two coagulants possess enlarged flux, narrow distribution mean effective pore size (μ), and molecular weight cut‐off. The delay demixing process contributes to the narrower μ and molecular weight cut‐off, as well increased flux. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
User‐only design to assess drug effectiveness in clinical practice: application to bisphosphonates and secondary prevention of fractures
Authors: Corrao Giovanni , Ghirardi Arianna , Segafredo Giulia , Zambon Antonella , Della Vedova Gianluca , Lapi Francesco , Cipriani Francesco , Caputi Achille , Vaccheri Alberto , Gregori Dario , Gesuita Rosaria , Vestri Annarita , Staniscia Tommaso , Mazzaglia Giampiero , Di Bari Mauro ,   on behalf of the BEST investigators
Published: June 2014

Purpose

Different strategies applicable to control for confounding by indication in observational studies were compared in a large population‐based study regarding the effect of bisphosphonates (BPs) for secondary prevention of fractures.

Methods

The cohort was drawn from healthcare utilization databases of 13 Italian territorial units. Patients aged 55 years or more who were hospitalized for fracture during 2003–2005 entered into the cohort. A nested case‐control design was used to compare BPs use in cohort members who did (cases) and who did not experience (controls) a new fracture until 2007 (outcome). Three designs were employed: conventional‐matching (D1), propensity score‐matching (D2), and user‐only (D3) designs. They differed for (i) cohort composition, restricted to patients who received BPs straight after cohort entry (D3); (ii) using propensity score for case‐control matching (D2); and (iii) compared groups of BPs users versus no users (D1 and D2) and long‐term versus short‐term users (D3).

Results

Bisphosphonate users had odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of 1.20 (1.01 to 1.44) and 0.95 (0.74 to 1.24) by applying D1 and D2 designs, respectively. Statistical evidence that long‐term BPs use protects the outcome onset with respect to short‐term use was observed for user‐only design (D3) being the corresponding odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 0.64 (0.44 to 0.93).

Conclusions

User‐only design yielded closer results to those seen in RCTs. This approach is one possible strategy to account for confounding by indication. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis and characterization of a Zr‐containing silicate‐based epoxy‐functional polymer nanocomposite system
Authors: Çopuroğlu Mehmet , Şen Murat
Published: June 2014

As a continuation of efforts to explore the potential of certain types of polymer nanocomposites to be successful candidates as dental restoration/adhesion materials, a Zr‐containing and organically modified silicate‐based material system with epoxy functionality was prepared by use of a sol–gel synthesis method, and UV light‐ and visible light (VL)‐curing processes. Comparative influences of the synthesis and processing parameters on the mechanical, thermal, and microstructural/nanostructural properties of the system were detailed. Zr‐containing species proved to more effectively catalyze the epoxy polymerization/crosslinking reactions than those containing Ti. Incorporation of Zr into the nanocomposite network led to significantly advanced mechanical properties. An elastic (Young's) modulus value of 23 MPa was achieved. The system with relatively high Zr content was successfully obtained, which also had higher thermal stability. Overall observations and results suggested that Zr content, and the UV light‐ or VL‐curing process could be capitalized on to modify the structure, and to improve the final properties of these material systems, which indicated a prospective opportunity for this material system to be utilized in dental restoration/adhesion applications. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:792–798, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers
Thermodynamics and kinetics of indole oligomerization in 0.5 mol L−1 aqueous sulfuric acid: evaluation of some temperature‐dependant parameters
Authors: Quartarone Giuseppe , Pietropolli Charmet Andrea , Ronchin Lucio , Tortato Claudio , Vavasori Andrea
Published: June 2014

Indole is present in a wide variety of natural compounds with physiological activities, as well as it is a very important intermediate in medicinal and industrial chemistry. For this reason, the evaluation of indole protonation, oligomerization equilibria and the study of the kinetics of dimer and trimer formation in diluted sulfuric acid at various temperatures are of paramount importance because of their practical and scientific implications. Here, we calculate the protonation equilibria by using the literature titration data together with a quantum chemical computational approach, in order to obtain reliable pKa value of indole from 288 to 313 K. Starting from these calculations, we are able to measure the oligomerization equilibrium constants of indole, their kinetic constants, whose values are dependent of indole pKa, at different temperatures. Enthalpy and entropy of the reactions are calculated by means of Van't Hoff equation, while the activation parameters of Eyring–Evans–Polanyi equation are evaluated for the whole kinetic constants. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On Weighted Support Vector Regression
Authors: Han Xixuan , Clemmensen Line
Published: June 2014

We propose a new type of weighted support vector regression (SVR), motivated by modeling local dependencies in time and space in prediction of house prices. The classic weights of the weighted SVR are added to the slack variables in the objective function (OF‐weights). This procedure directly shrinks the coefficient of each observation in the estimated functions; thus, it is widely used for minimizing influence of outliers. We propose to additionally add weights to the slack variables in the constraints (CF‐weights) and call the combination of weights the doubly weighted SVR. We illustrate the differences and similarities of the two types of weights by demonstrating the connection between the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and the SVR. We show that an SVR problem can be transformed to a LASSO problem plus a linear constraint and a box constraint. We demonstrate the capabilities of the doubly weighted approach through an example of prediction of house prices. The weight functions in the house pricing model depend on the geographical distance to the house of interest and the difference in time of sale (CF‐weights) as well as the differences lying in variables (OF‐weights), such as house size and number of floors. The results illustrate that the combination of the two types of weights describes the relative importance of observations very well and lowers the influence of possible outliers. Therefore, it enables the SVR models to have good performance. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigation of the ConXL moment connection cyclic behavior in box columns without filling concrete with different arrangement of collar bolts
Authors: Shahidi Farhood , Rezaeian Alireza , Jamal‐Omidi Majid , Shahidi Farhad
Published: June 2014

The aim of this study was to study numerically the seismic behavior of ConXL connection without filler concrete of columns and reduce the number of collar bolts with different arrangement. For this purpose, to verify the modeling and analyzing, we compared the numerical results of specimens (reduced beam section, end plate and Kaiser bolted bracket (KBB) connections) with the experimental results and observed a good agreement. Afterward, 18 specimens of ConXL moment connections in box columns not filled with concrete with axial force in single, planar and bi‐axial loading conditions with different arrangement of bolts were studied, and their performances were evaluated. Results show that seismic behavior of specimens with beam section depth less than W30 series under cyclic loading, even with reduces of number of bolts to 16 numbers, are suitable in the over 0.04 rad rotations.

In addition, the use of 16 bolts in W30 series beams connections is suitable provided they are used in the corner connections (with single sided loading) and the material specifications ASTM‐A36 are used for the beams. Moreover, the closer the position of bolts related to the outer side of collar flange, the more axial strain of bolts shank and the lesser slippage. The most optimum of bolt position is the surface middle of the collar flange and collar corner. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Elastic scattering cross section of photons by water: limits for the free atom approximation
Authors: Cardoso Simone C. , Gonçalves Odair D. , Cusatis Cesar
Published: June 2014

Several papers can be found in the literature in which elastic and inelastic experimental scattering cross sections of photons by water with energies in the keV range are measured. Usually, the authors use some kind of normalization with theoretical values, because of the difficulties in obtaining some parameters necessary to obtain absolute cross sections from the measurements. A reasonable range of momentum transfer has been covered, but nevertheless, inconsistencies and gaps still remain.

In this work, we address the problem performing absolute cross section measurements in the high momentum transfer region (0.33 Å−1 ≤ x ≤ 4.5 Å−1), where no structure effects can be observed. We compare the results with theory to validate it in an intermediary region (0.33 Å−1 ≤ x ≤ 1.72 Å−1) and then use the experimental values to normalize data in the low‐energy region (0.078 Å−1 ≤ x ≤ 1.72 Å−1) to obtain the experimental cross section in that region.

From the comparison, we concluded that for momentum transfers, x between 0.7 and 4.5 Å−1 the scattering can be considered as being due to free atoms in free molecules. Therefore, the scattering cross sections may be considered as a sum of those from free atoms.

Theoretically, the scattering cross sections can be obtained from the form factors as well as from the second‐order perturbation theory (S‐matrix) because there is no significant difference between both. On the other hand, for x ≤ 0.7 Å−1, interference between the photon‐scattered amplitudes due to liquid structure generates oscillations in the cross section values. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
X‐ray fluorescence computed tomography with absorption correction for biomedical samples
Authors: Yang Qun , Deng Biao , Du Guohao , Xie Honglan , Zhou Guangzhao , Xiao Tiqiao , Xu Hongjie
Published: June 2014

To obtain accurate distributions of trace elements in biomedical samples nondestructively, the problems on absorption correction and radiation dose are confronted in X‐ray fluorescence computed tomography. In this paper, the absorption‐corrected ordered subsets expectation maximization (AC‐OSEM) algorithm is developed to solve these problems. Simulation results show that the AC‐OSEM‐based X‐ray fluorescence computed tomography is accurate when only the incident X‐ray attenuation map is known and relatively fewer projections are provided. In addition, for the biomedical samples, the simplified approximate expression of the fluorescence attenuation map is practicable. Experiments on the biomedical samples were also carried out to evaluate the applicability of the AC‐OSEM algorithm to soft tissues, which demonstrates that the distribution of the trace element Fe in the pathological liver could be clearly revealed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dynamics of Galaxies
Authors: Bertin Giuseppe
Published: June 2014

Our understanding of galaxies, the building blocks of the Universe has advanced significantly in recent years. New observations from ground- and space-based telescopes, the discovery of dark matter, and new insights into its distribution have been instrumental in this. This textbook provides graduate students with a modern introduction to the gravitationally determined structure and evolution of galaxies. Readers will also benefit from detailed discussions of the issues involved in the process of modeling complex stellar systems. Additionally, the text provides an accessible framework for interpreting observations and devising new observational tests. Based on the author's extensive teaching experience, this second edition features an up-to-date view of basic phenomenology, a discussion of the structure of dark halos in galaxies, the dynamics of quasi-relaxed stellar systems and globular clusters, galaxies and gravitational lensing and an introduction to self-gravitating accretion disks. Extended problem sets are available from the accompanying resources website: www.cambridge.org/9781107000544.
Berkeley's A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge
Authors: Kail P. J. E.
Published: June 2014

George Berkeley's Principles of Human Knowledge is a crucial text in the history of empiricism and in the history of philosophy more generally. Its central and seemingly astonishing claim is that the physical world cannot exist independently of the perceiving mind. The meaning of this claim, the powerful arguments in its favour, and the system in which it is embedded, are explained in a highly lucid and readable fashion and placed in their historical context. Berkeley's philosophy is, in part, a response to the deep tensions and problems in the new philosophy of the early modern period and the reader is offered an account of this intellectual milieu. The book then follows the order and substance of the Principles whilst drawing on materials from Berkeley's other writings. This volume is the ideal introduction to Berkeley's Principles and will be of great interest to historians of philosophy in general.
Central Europe in the High Middle Ages
Authors: Berend Nora , Urbańczyk Przemysław , Wiszewski Przemysław
Published: June 2014

This groundbreaking comparative history of the early centuries of Bohemia, Hungary and Poland sets the development of each polity in the context of the central European region as a whole. Focusing on the origins of the realms and their development in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the book concludes with the thirteenth century when significant changes in social and economic structures occurred. The book presents a series of thematic chapters on every aspect of the early history of the region covering political, religious, economic, social and cultural developments, including an investigation of origin myths that questions traditional national narratives. It also explores the ways in which west European patterns were appropriated and adapted through the local initiatives of rulers, nobles and ecclesiastics in central Europe. An ideal introduction to the essential themes in medieval central European history, the book sheds important new light on regional similarities and differences.
Running Regressions
Authors: Baddeley Michelle C. , Barrowclough Diana V.
Published: June 2014

Running Regressions introduces first-year social science undergraduates, particularly those studying economics and business, to the practical aspects of simple regression analysis, without adopting an esoteric, mathematical approach. It shows that statistical analysis can be simultaneously straightforward, useful and interesting, and can deal with topical, real-world issues. Each chapter introduces an economic theory or idea by relating it to an issue of topical interest, and explains how data and econometric analysis can be used to test it. The book can be used as a self-standing text or to supplement conventional econometric texts. It is also ideally suited as a guide to essays and project work.
The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective
Authors: Allen Robert C.
Published: June 2014

Why did the industrial revolution take place in eighteenth-century Britain and not elsewhere in Europe or Asia? In this convincing new account Robert Allen argues that the British industrial revolution was a successful response to the global economy of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He shows that in Britain wages were high and capital and energy cheap in comparison to other countries in Europe and Asia. As a result, the breakthrough technologies of the industrial revolution - the steam engine, the cotton mill, and the substitution of coal for wood in metal production - were uniquely profitable to invent and use in Britain. The high wage economy of pre-industrial Britain also fostered industrial development since more people could afford schooling and apprenticeships. It was only when British engineers made these new technologies more cost-effective during the nineteenth century that the industrial revolution would spread around the world.
Justice through Apologies
Authors: Smith Nick
Published: June 2014

In this follow up to I Was Wrong: The Meanings of Apologies, Nick Smith expands his ambitious theories of categorical apologies to civil and criminal law. After rejecting court-ordered apologies as unjustifiable humiliation, this book explains that penitentiaries were originally designed to bring about penance - something like apology - and that this tradition has been lost in the assembly line of mass incarceration. Smith argues that the state should modernize these principles and techniques to reduce punishments for offenders who demonstrate moral transformation through apologizing. Smith also explains the counterintuitive situation whereby apologies come to have considerable financial worth in civil cases because victims associate them with priceless matters of the soul. Such confusions allow powerful wrongdoers to manipulate perceptions to disastrous effect, such as when corporations or governments assert that apologies do not equate to accepting blame or require reform or redress.
The Cambridge Introduction to Literature and Philosophy
Authors: Cascardi Anthony J.
Published: June 2014

Literature and philosophy have long shared an interest in questions of truth, value, and form. And yet, from ancient times to the present, they have often sharply diverged, both in their approach to these questions and in their relationship to one another. Moreover, the vast differences among individual writers, historical periods, and languages pose challenges for anyone wishing to understand the relationship between them. This Introduction provides a synthetic and original guide to this vast terrain. It uncovers the deep interests that literature and philosophy share while offering a lucid account of their differences. It sheds new light on many standing debates and offers students and scholars of literary criticism, literary theory, and philosophy a chance to think freshly about questions that have preoccupied the Western tradition from its very beginnings up until the present.
Power and Willpower in the American Future
Authors: Lieber Robert J.
Published: June 2014

To argue against the widely proclaimed idea of American decline might seem a lonely task. After all, the problems are real and serious. Yet if we take a longer view, much of the discourse about decline appears exaggerated, hyperbolic and ahistorical. Why? First, because of the deep underlying strengths of the United States. These include not only size, population, demography and resources, but also the scale and importance of its economy and financial markets, its scientific research and technology, its competitiveness, its military power and its attractiveness to talented immigrants. Second, there is the weight of history and of American exceptionalism. Throughout its history, the United States has repeatedly faced and eventually overcome daunting challenges and crises. Contrary to a prevailing pessimism, there is nothing inevitable about American decline. Ultimately, the ability to avoid serious decline is less a question of material factors than of policy, leadership and political will.
Trinity College Library Dublin
Authors: Fox Peter
Published: June 2014

This is the first comprehensive, scholarly history of Trinity College Library Dublin. It covers the whole 400 years of the Library's development, from its foundation by James Ussher in the seventeenth century to the electronic revolution of the twenty-first century. Particular attention is given to the buildings and to the politics involved in obtaining funding for them, as well as to the acquisition of the great treasures, such as the Book of Kells and the libraries of Ussher, Claudius Gilbert and Hendrik Fagel. An important aspect is the comprehensive coverage of legal deposit from the beginning of the nineteenth century, viewed for the first time from the Irish perspective. The book also draws parallels with the development of other libraries in Dublin and with those of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and features throughout the individuals who influenced the Library's development - librarians, politicians, readers, book collectors and book thieves.
Anger and Racial Politics
Authors: Banks Antoine J.
Published: June 2014

Politicians, scholars, and pundits often disagree about whether race has been injected into a political campaign or policy debate. Some have suspected that race sometimes enters into politics even when political elites avoid using racial cues or racially coded language. Anger and Racial Politics provides a theoretical framework for understanding the emotional conditions under which this effect might happen. Banks asserts that making whites angry - no matter the basis for their anger - will make ideas about race more salient to them. He argues that anger, and not fear or other negative emotions, provides the foundation upon which contemporary white racial attitudes are structured. Drawing on a multi-method approach, he demonstrates that anger plays an important role in enhancing the impact of race on whites' preferences for putting an end to affirmative action, repealing health care reform, hanging the confederate flag high, and voting for Tea Party-backed candidates.
Religious Pluralism and Values in the Public Sphere
Authors: Goodman Lenn E.
Published: June 2014

How can we, as people and communities with different religions and cultures, live together with integrity? Does tolerance require us to deny our deep differences or give up all claims to truth, to trade our received traditions for skepticism or relativism? Cultural philosopher Lenn E. Goodman argues that we can respect one another and learn from one another's ways without either sharing them or relinquishing our own. He argues that our commitments to our own ideals and norms need not mean dogmatism or intolerance. In this study, Goodman offers a trenchant critique of John Rawls's pervasive claim that religious and metaphysical voices must be silenced in the core political deliberations of a democracy. Inquiry, dialogue, and open debate remain the safeguards of public and personal sanity, and any of us, Goodman illustrates, can learn from one another's traditions and explorations without abandoning our own.
Minilateralism
Authors: Brummer Chris
Published: June 2014

Economic diplomacy is changing. The multilateral organizations that dominated the last half of the twentieth century no longer monopolize economic affairs. Instead, countries are resorting to more modest 'minilateral' strategies like trade alliances, informal 'soft law' agreements, and financial engineering to manage the global economy. Like traditional modes of economic statecraft, these tools are aimed at both liberalizing and supervising international financial policy in a world of diverse national interests. But unlike before, they are specifically tailored to navigating a post-American (and post-Western) world where economic power is more diffuse than ever before. This book explains how these strategies work and reveals how this new diplomatic toolbox will reshape how countries do business with one another for decades to come.
The Communication Disorders Workbook
Authors: Cummings Louise
Published: June 2014

Designed to help those studying speech-language pathology, this highly useful workbook is both an introduction to the basic concepts and a teaching tool to develop and test students' knowledge. Frequently encountered communication disorders are included, as are conditions less commonly found in speech-language pathology curricula but which feature increasingly in clinical caseloads. The book features:
• 330 short-answer questions help students to develop knowledge of the causes and features of communication disorders
• 60 data analysis exercises give students practice in analysing clinical linguistic data
• Full answers to the exercises are provided, saving the lecturer time in devising responses; students can use the responses to test their own knowledge and understanding
• A detailed glossary of terms makes the text self-contained, avoiding the need to consult other sources for explanations
• Suggestions for further reading are provided for each chapter.
The Hermeneutics of Christological Psalmody in Paul
Authors: Scott Matthew
Published: June 2014

By re-examining the quotation of psalms in Paul, this book offers a fresh interpretation of the New Testament's reception of the Old Testament. Richard Hays's influential Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul astutely identified the rhetorical device of metalepsis, or echo, as central to the study of Pauline hermeneutics. Hays's Paul was in sympathetic dialogue with the voice of Scripture, but Matthew Scott now challenges this assumption with close readings of echoed psalms voiced by David and Christ. Paul's use of metalepsis in Romans and 2 Corinthians reveals him to be a provocative, even polemical, reader who appropriates the words of David for a Christological purpose. Scott also illustrates how Christ succeeds David as the premier psalmist in Paul and considers whether, in doing so, Christ acts as inheritor or iconoclast.
Homer's People
Authors: Haubold Johannes
Published: June 2014

This book examines the role and character of Homer's people, laoi, in Homeric story-telling, arguing that Homeric poetry is crucially concerned with the people as a basis for communal life. Both The Iliad and The Odyssey are read as sustained meditations on the processes involved in protecting and destroying the people. The investigation draws on a wide range of approaches from formulaic analysis to the study of early performance contexts. From a close reading of the Homeric epics, Homer's people emerge as a community without effective social structures. When this is viewed from the perspective of Homeric performances in the polis, a contrast between Homer's laoi and the founding people of ritual emerges. While the former typically perish, the survival of the latter is secured by the establishment of successful institutions.
Linguistics and Evolution
Authors: Tetel Andresen Julie
Published: June 2014

Evolutionary linguistics - an approach to language study that takes into account our origins and development as a species - has rapidly developed in recent years. Informed by the latest findings in evolutionary theory, this book sets language within the context of human biology and development, taking ideas from fields such as psychology, neurology, biology, anthropology, genetics and cognitive science. By factoring an evolutionary and developmental perspective into the theoretical framework, the author replaces old questions - such as 'what is language?' - with new questions, such as 'how do living beings become 'languaging' living beings?' Linguistics and Evolution offers readers the first rethinking of an introductory approach to linguistics since Leonard Bloomfield's 1933 Language. It will be of significant interest to advanced students and researchers in all subfields of linguistics, and the related fields of biology, anthropology, cognitive science and psychology.
The Coming of the Holocaust
Authors: Kenez Peter
Published: June 2014

The Coming of the Holocaust aims to help readers understand the circumstances that made the Holocaust possible. Peter Kenez demonstrates that the occurrence of the Holocaust was not predetermined as a result of modern history but instead was the result of contingencies. He shows that three preconditions had to exist for the genocide to take place: modern anti-Semitism, meaning Jews had to become economically and culturally successful in the post-French Revolution world to arouse fear rather than contempt; an extremist group possessing a deeply held, irrational, and profoundly inhumane worldview had to take control of the machinery of a powerful modern state; and the context of a major war with mass killings. The book also discusses the correlations between social and historical differences in individual countries regarding the success of the Germans in their effort to exterminate Jews.
Teaching Law
Authors: West Robin L.
Published: June 2014

Teaching Law re-imagines law school teaching and scholarship by going beyond crises now besetting the legal academy and examining deeper and longer-lasting challenges. The book argues that the legal academy has long neglected the need to focus teaching and scholarship on the ideals of justice that law fitfully serves, the political origins of law, and the development of a respectful but critical relationship with the legal profession. It suggests reforms to improve the quality of legal education and responds to concerns that law schools eschew the study of justice, rendering students amoralist; that law schools slight the political sources of law, particularly in legislative action; and that law schools have ignored the profession entirely. These areas of neglect have impoverished legal teaching and scholarship as the academy is refashioned in response to current financial exigencies, and addressing them is long overdue.