bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decentralized sliding‐mode control for attitude synchronization in spacecraft formation
Authors: Wu Baolin , Wang Danwei , Poh Eng Kee
Published: March 2012

This paper addresses attitude synchronization and tracking problems in spacecraft formation in the presence of model uncertainties and external disturbances. A decentralized adaptive sliding mode control law is proposed using undirected interspacecraft communication topology and analyzed based on algebraic graph theory. A multispacecraft sliding manifold is derived, on which each spacecraft approaches desired time‐varying attitude and angular velocity while maintaining attitude synchronization with the other spacecraft in the formation. A control law is then developed to ensure convergence to the sliding manifold. The stability of the resulting closed‐loop system is proved by application of Barbalat's Lemma. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed attitude synchronization and tracking methodology. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Betti numbers of graphs with an application to anomaly detection
Authors: Johannsen David A. , Marchette David J.
Published: March 2012

This article describes an application of research that sits at the intersection of commutative algebra and combinatorics: Betti numbers of graphs. In particular, we describe a correspondence between simple undirected graphs and a class of ideals in a polynomial ring. We then briefly introduce some of the algebraic invariants that can be associated to the ideal and the relation of these invariants to the existence of induced subgraphs in the original graph. We discuss a novel application of the theory to a problem in anomaly detection—detection of a local non‐homogeneity in a graph. We describe some variants of these ideas designed to make the computations more tractable. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 5: 235–242, 2012
Ratio of geometric means to analyze continuous outcomes in meta‐analysis: comparison to mean differences and ratio of arithmetic means using empiric data and simulation
Authors: Friedrich Jan O. , Adhikari Neill K.J. , Beyene Joseph
Published: March 2012

Meta‐analyses pooling continuous outcomes can use mean differences (MD), standardized MD (MD in pooled standard deviation units, SMD), or ratio of arithmetic means (RoM). Recently, ratio of geometric means using ad hoc (RoGM ad hoc) or Taylor series (RoGM Taylor) methods for estimating variances have been proposed as alternative effect measures for skewed continuous data. Skewed data are suggested for summary measures of clinical parameters restricted to positive values which have large coefficients of variation (CV). Our objective was to compare performance characteristics of RoGM ad hoc and RoGM Taylor to MD, SMD, and RoM. We used empiric data from systematic reviews reporting continuous outcomes and selected from each the meta‐analysis with the most and at least 5 trials (Cochrane Database [2008, Issue 1]). We supplemented this with simulations conducted with representative parameters. Pooled results were calculated using each effect measure. Of the reviews, 232/5053 met the inclusion criteria. Empiric data and simulation showed that RoGM ad hoc exhibits more extreme treatment effects and greater heterogeneity than all other effect measures. Compared with MD, SMD, and RoM, RoGM Taylor exhibits similar treatment effects, more heterogeneity when CV ≤0.7, and less heterogeneity when CV > 0.7. In conclusion, RoGM Taylor may be considered for pooling continuous outcomes in meta‐analysis when data are skewed, but RoGM ad hoc should not be used. However, clinicians' lack of familiarity with geometric means combined with acceptable performance characteristics of RoM in most situations suggests that RoM may be the preferable ratio method for pooling continuous outcomes in meta‐analysis. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Designing a pilot sequential multiple assignment randomized trial for developing an adaptive treatment strategy
Authors: Almirall Daniel , Compton Scott N. , Gunlicks‐Stoessel Meredith , Duan Naihua , Murphy Susan A.
Published: March 2012

There is growing interest in how best to adapt and readapt treatments to individuals to maximize clinical benefit. In response, adaptive treatment strategies (ATS), which operationalize adaptive, sequential clinical decision making, have been developed. From a patient's perspective an ATS is a sequence of treatments, each individualized to the patient's evolving health status. From a clinician's perspective, an ATS is a sequence of decision rules that input the patient's current health status and output the next recommended treatment. Sequential multiple assignment randomized trials (SMART) have been developed to address the sequencing questions that arise in the development of ATSs, but SMARTs are relatively new in clinical research. This article provides an introduction to ATSs and SMART designs. This article also discusses the design of SMART pilot studies to address feasibility concerns, and to prepare investigators for a full‐scale SMART. We consider an example SMART for the development of an ATS in the treatment of pediatric generalized anxiety disorders. Using the example SMART, we identify and discuss design issues unique to SMARTs that are best addressed in an external pilot study prior to the full‐scale SMART. We also address the question of how many participants are needed in a SMART pilot study. A properly executed pilot study can be used to effectively address concerns about acceptability and feasibility in preparation for (that is, prior to) executing a full‐scale SMART. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An efficient alternative to the stratified Cox model analysis
Authors: Mehrotra Devan V. , Su Shu‐Chih , Li Xiaoming
Published: March 2012

Consider a typical two‐treatment randomized clinical trial involving a time‐to‐event endpoint, with randomization stratified by a categorical prognostic factor (for example gender). At the design stage, it is often assumed that the treatment hazard ratio (HR) is constant across the strata, and the data are commonly analyzed using the stratified Cox proportional hazards model. We caution that this ubiquitous approach is needlessly risky because departures from the assumption of the HR being the same for all the strata can result in a notably biased and/or less powerful analysis. An alternative approach is proposed in which first the [log] HR is estimated separately for each stratum using an unstratified Cox model, and then the stratum‐specific estimates are combined for overall inference using either sample size or ‘minimum risk’ stratum weights. The advantages of the proposed two‐step analysis versus the common one‐step stratified Cox model analysis are illustrated using simulations that were conducted to support the design of a vaccine clinical trial. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inefficiency of randomization methods that balance on stratum margins and improvements with permuted blocks and a sequential method
Authors: Kaiser Lee D.
Published: March 2012

Stratified permuted blocks randomization is commonly applied in clinical trials, but other randomization methods that attempt to balance treatment counts marginally for the stratification variables are able to accommodate more stratification variables. When the analysis stratifies on the cells formed by crossing the stratification variables, these other randomization methods yield treatment effect estimates with larger variance than does stratified permuted blocks. When it is truly necessary to balance the randomization on many stratification variables, it is shown how this inefficiency can be improved by using a sequential randomization method where the first level balances on the crossing of the strata used in the analysis and further stratification variables fall lower in the sequential hierarchy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bayesian nonparametric inference on quantile residual life function: Application to breast cancer data
Authors: Park Taeyoung , Jeong Jong‐Hyeon , Lee Jae Won
Published: March 2012

There is often an interest in estimating a residual life function as a summary measure of survival data. For ease in presentation of the potential therapeutic effect of a new drug, investigators may summarize survival data in terms of the remaining life years of patients. Under heavy right censoring, however, some reasonably high quantiles (e.g., median) of a residual lifetime distribution cannot be always estimated via a popular nonparametric approach on the basis of the Kaplan–Meier estimator. To overcome the difficulties in dealing with heavily censored survival data, this paper develops a Bayesian nonparametric approach that takes advantage of a fully model‐based but highly flexible probabilistic framework. We use a Dirichlet process mixture of Weibull distributions to avoid strong parametric assumptions on the unknown failure time distribution, making it possible to estimate any quantile residual life function under heavy censoring. Posterior computation through Markov chain Monte Carlo is straightforward and efficient because of conjugacy properties and partial collapse. We illustrate the proposed methods by using both simulated data and heavily censored survival data from a recent breast cancer clinical trial conducted by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Are all ‘sharks’ dangerous? new biotechnology ventures and partner selection in R&D alliances
Authors: Diestre Luis , Rajagopalan Nandini
Published: March 2012

We examine how new biotechnology firms (NBFs) select pharmaceutical firms as R&D allies as a function of value creation and value appropriation considerations. We develop a theoretical framework to understand partnering decisions accounting for both, a potential partner's ability as well as incentives to appropriate and create value within an R&D alliance. Our empirical findings show that NBFs are more likely to ally with pharmaceutical firms with the ability to create value, as long as these firms have the incentives to use their skills to create rather than appropriate value. Our study highlights the double‐edged sword nature of value creation skills and provides a deeper understanding into the contextual factors that determine when potential R&D partners will perceive such skills as increasing appropriation risks. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stem-Like Cells with Luminal Progenitor Phenotype Survive Castration in Human Prostate Cancer
Authors: Germann Markus , Wetterwald Antoinette , Guzmán-Ramirez Natalia , van der Pluijm Gabri , Culig Zoran , Cecchini Marco G. , Williams Elizabeth D. , Thalmann George N.
Published: March 2012

Castration is the standard therapy for advanced prostate cancer (PC). Although this treatment is initially effective, tumors invariably relapse as incurable, castration-resistant PC (CRPC). Adaptation of androgen-dependent PC cells to an androgen-depleted environment or selection of pre-existing, CRPC cells have been proposed as mechanisms of CRPC development. Stem cell (SC)-like PC cells have been implicated not only as tumor initiating/maintaining in PC but also as tumor-reinitiating cells in CRPC. Recently, castration-resistant cells expressing the NK3 homeobox 1 (Nkx3-1) (CARNs), the other luminal markers cytokeratin 18 (CK18) and androgen receptor (AR), and possessing SC properties, have been found in castrated mouse prostate and proposed as the cell-of-origin of CRPC. However, the human counterpart of CARNs has not been identified yet. Here, we demonstrate that in the human PC xenograft BM18, pre-existing SC-like and neuroendocrine (NE) PC cells are selected by castration and survive as totally quiescent. SC-like BM18 cells, displaying the SC markers aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 or NANOG, coexpress the luminal markers NKX3-1, CK18, and a low level of AR (ARlow) but not basal or NE markers. These CR luminal SC-like cells, but not NE cells, reinitiate BM18 tumor growth after androgen replacement. The ARlow seems to mediate directly both castration survival and tumor reinitiation. This study identifies for the first time in human PC SC-/CARN-like cells that may represent the cell-of-origin of tumor reinitiation as CRPC. This finding will be fundamental for refining the hierarchy among human PC cancer cells and may have important clinical implications.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Oscillatory gene expression and somitogenesis
Authors: Kageyama Ryoichiro , Niwa Yasutaka , Isomura Akihiro , González Aitor , Harima Yukiko
Published: March 2012

A bilateral pair of somites forms periodically by segmentation of the anterior ends of the presomitic mesoderm (PSM). This periodic event is regulated by a biological clock called the segmentation clock, which involves cyclic gene expression. Expression of her1 and her7 in zebrafish and Hes7 in mice oscillates by negative feedback, and mathematical models have been used to generate and test hypotheses to aide elucidation of the role of negative feedback in regulating oscillatory expression. her/Hes genes induce oscillatory expression of the Notch ligand deltaC in zebrafish and the Notch modulator Lunatic fringe in mice, which lead to synchronization of oscillatory gene expression between neighboring PSM cells. In the mouse PSM, Hes7 induces coupled oscillations of Notch and Fgf signaling, while Notch and Fgf signaling cooperatively regulate Hes7 oscillation, indicating that Hes7 and Notch and Fgf signaling form the oscillator networks. Notch signaling activates, but Fgf signaling represses, expression of the master regulator for somitogenesis Mesp2, and coupled oscillations in Notch and Fgf signaling dissociate in the anterior PSM, which allows Notch signaling‐induced synchronized cells to express Mesp2 after these cells are freed from Fgf signaling. These results together suggest that Notch signaling defines the prospective somite region, while Fgf signaling regulates the pace of segmentation. It is likely that these oscillator networks constitute the core of the segmentation clock, but it remains to be determined whether as yet unknown oscillators function behind the scenes. WIREs Dev Biol 2012 doi: 10.1002/wdev.46

For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
The History of ViSta: The Visual Statistics System
Authors: Valero‐Mora Pedro , Ledesma Rubén D. , Friendly Michael
Published: March 2012

ViSta is a project that focuses on dynamic and interactive graphics for statistics and was initiated by the late Forrest W. Young at the beginning of the 1990s. For over approximately 20 years, Forrest and other collaborators, including the authors of this article, have used ViSta for experimenting with these kinds of graphics in different settings, applying them to different scenarios of data and statistical analysis, searching to develop the right combination of features most appropriate in each case. In this time, ViSta evolved quite considerably, going through what we reckon were three different stages, namely: the initial one setting forth the foundations of ViSta; the second period where versions 5 and 6 of ViSta were released; and the consolidation period when a book summarizing the lessons learnt in the project was published. This book was titled ‘Visual Statistics: Seeing your data with interactive and dynamic graphics’ and was completed in the last days of life of Forrest, who continued to work enthusiastically in the project even though his health was seriously deteriorating during that time. This article is a tribute to this work, but also describes the innovative features of ViSta, many of which are still relevant today. WIREs Comput Stat 2012, 4:295–306. doi: 10.1002/wics.1203

This article is categorized under:

Software for Computational Statistics > Software/Statistical Software
Fractal and multifractal geometry: scaling symmetry and statistics
Authors: Frame Michael , Martino William
Published: March 2012

Scaling symmetry is explored in several settings, deterministic, stochastic, and natural. Complexity of geometric fractals is quantified by dimension; complexity of a scaling measure is quantified by the multifractal spectrum. Some statistical examples are explored.WIREs Comput Stat2012, 4:249–274. doi: 10.1002/wics.1207

This article is categorized under:

Algorithms and Computational Methods > Computer Graphics

Applications of Computational Statistics > Computational Mathematics

Data: Types and Structure > Time Series, Stochastic Processes, and Functional Data
RNA biology in a test tube—an overview of in vitro systems/assays
Authors: Roca Xavier , Karginov Fedor V.
Published: March 2012

In vitro systems have provided a wealth of information in the field of RNA biology, as they constitute a superior and sometimes the unique approach to address many important questions. Such cell‐free methods can be sorted by the degree of complexity of the preparation of enzymatic and/or regulatory activity. Progress in the study of pre‐mRNA processing has largely relied on traditional in vitro methods, as these reactions have been recapitulated in cell‐free systems. The pre‐mRNA capping, editing, and cleavage/polyadenylation reactions have even been reconstituted using purified components, and the enzymes responsible for catalysis have been characterized by such techniques. In vitro splicing using nuclear or cytoplasmic extracts has yielded clues on spliceosome assembly, kinetics, and mechanisms of splicing and has been essential to elucidate the function of splicing factors. Coupled systems have been important to functionally connect distinct processes, like transcription and splicing. Extract preparation has also been adapted to cells from a variety of tissues and species, revealing general versus species‐specific mechanisms. Cell‐free assays have also been applied to newly discovered pathways such as those involving small RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and Piwi‐interacting RNAs (piRNAs). The first two pathways have been well characterized largely by in vitro methods, which need to be developed for piRNAs. Finally, new techniques, such as single‐molecule studies, are continuously being established, providing new and important insights into the field. Thus, in vitro approaches have been, are, and will continue being at the forefront of RNA research. WIREs RNA 2012, 3:509–527. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1115

This article is categorized under:

RNA Processing > Splicing Mechanisms

Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > RNAi: Mechanisms of Action

RNA Methods > RNA Analyses In Vitro and In Silico
Nonsurgical Treatment of Dupuytren's Contracture: 1-Year US Post-Marketing Safety Data for Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum
Authors: Peimer C. A. , McGoldrick C. A. , Fiore G. J.
Published: March 2012

Background

Collagenase clostridium histolyticum (CCH) is a Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment for adult patients with Dupuytren's contracture with a palpable cord that has been shown efficacious and safe in clinical trials.

Methods

This paper summarizes the most common post-marketing clinical adverse event (AE) reports received by the manufacturer of CCH and sponsor of the US Biologics License Application (Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Malvern, PA, USA) during the first 12 months after drug approval and commercialization in the USA.

Results

Of the 115 AE reports describing 270 AEs voluntarily received from patients or health care providers after approximately 5,400 injections of CCH administered, the most common AEs involved local, nonserious reactions to treatment, including skin tears, peripheral edema, and contusion. There were few serious AEs observed (0.6% reporting rate per 1,000 injections), and two flexor tendon ruptures and one flexor pulley injury were reported.

Conclusions

Analysis of post-marketing AEs received for CCH in the first year post-approval supports the safety profile reported earlier during clinical development and did not reveal additional clinical risks or concerns about CCH.
Effects of Inorganic Salts and Polymers on the Foam Performance of 1‐Tetradecyl‐3‐methylimidazolium Bromide Aqueous Solution
Authors: Zhang Qian , Wei Xilian , Liu Jie , Sun Dezhi , Zhang Xianxi , Zhang Chong , Liu Jifeng
Published: March 2012

The foaming performance of 1‐tetradecyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bromide (C14mimBr) aqueous solution, in the presence of polymers (PEG or PVA) or inorganic salts (NaBr, MgCl2, NaNO3, Na2SO4 or Na3PO4), was investigated at 25.0 °C by using the self‐made apparatus and the conductivity method. The experimental results show that the foaming ability and foam stability of the ternary aqueous systems of C14mimBr coexisting with PEG or PVA are stronger than those of the C14mimBr solutions in the absence of a polymer, and both the efficiency of foaming ability and foam stability of the surfactant solutions are evidently enhanced with an increase in polymer concentration. However, the addition of inorganic salts can decrease the foaming ability and foam stability of C14mimBr solution. Especially, the inorganic salts, with high valence state of the anion (SO42− and PO43−), are good antifoam agents which can remove and inhibit foam quickly. For the aqueous solution of the surfactant, the effect of temperature on foaming properties was also examined. The results show that both the foaming ability and stability of the foams of the surfactant solutions decrease with an increase in the temperature within the range from 25.0 to 45.0 °C.
Fibrillogenic propensity of the GroEL apical domain: A Janus‐faced minichaperone
Authors: Chen Jin , Yagi Hisashi , Sormanni Pietro , Vendruscolo Michele , Makabe Koki , Nakamura Takashi , Goto Yuji , Kuwajima Kunihiro
Published: March 2012

groEL
and
groEL
bind by fluorescence technology (View interaction)
Treatment of twin reversed arterial perfusion sequence with alcohol ablation or bipolar cord coagulation
Authors: Corbacioglu Aytul , Gul Ahmet , Bakirci Isil T. , Gedikbasi Ali , Yildirim Gokhan
Published: March 2012

Objective

To evaluate perinatal outcome in pregnancies complicated by TRAP sequence.

Methods

The perinatal outcomes of 15 TRAP sequence pregnancies referred to Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Research and Teaching Hospital, Turkey, were evaluated. Six cases were treated conservatively. Alcohol ablation and bipolar coagulation were performed in 5 and 4 cases, respectively.

Results

In 12 cases, there were signs of fetal compromise and acardiac/pump twin abdominal circumference ratio of more than 50%. In 3 cases without intervention, the ratio was less than 50%. Three of the 6 pregnancies treated conservatively resulted in intrauterine death of the pump twin. Alcohol ablation was successful in 3 cases, with delivery of live fetuses at 36–38 weeks, whereas intrauterine death occurred in 1 case and abortion occurred in 1 case. In 2 of the cases involving bipolar cord coagulation, live birth occurred at 39 weeks; preterm premature rupture of membranes and abortion occurred at 18 weeks in 1 case, and pregnancy was terminated in 1 case because of ventriculomegaly.

Conclusion

Conservative therapy is suitable for mild cases of TRAP sequence in which the pump twin dominates. If there are signs of pump twin compromise, alcohol ablation and bipolar cord coagulation can be performed successfully.
Malacological and palynological evidence of the Lower Pleistocene cold phase at the Carpathian Foothills (Southern Poland)
Authors: Stworzewicz Ewa , Granoszewski Wojciech , Wójcik Antoni
Published: March 2012

Early Pleistocene sediments bearing gastropod shells and pollen flora were found during coring at Jawornik (South Poland) at a depth interval of 54.30–39.00 m, beneath the oldest till of the Carpathians. Thirteen land-snail taxa identified in 55 samples of the core formed two molluscan assemblages. In the bottom part, typical cold-loving snails were found (e.g.Vallonia tenuilabris,Pupilla loessica,Vertigo genesii,Columella columella), whereas in the upper part onlySemilimax kotulaewas present. The succession of molluscan assemblages may suggest that at the site of deposition, after a phase of tundra, steppe-tundra or forest-steppe landscape with patches of wet habitats in cold climate, the climate became slightly milder but still cool, favourable to the spreading of boreal (coniferous) woodlands. Pollen analysis was performed only for the upper part of the profile. The pollen spectra, besides the Tertiary (Miocene) elements, contained sporomorphs common to the Tertiary and Quaternary floras. Among them, the highest percentages were noted forPinus haploxylont.,P. diploxylont.,Picea,Quercus,Ericaceae,Betula, andUlmus. The fact that the sediments with organic remains underlie the oldest Scandinavian till suggests that they are older than the oldest glacial unit of the South-Polish Complex (Narevian = Menapian, ~ 1.2 Ma).
Mining Functional Gene Modules Linked with Rheumatoid Arthritis Using a SNP-SNP Network
Authors: Hua Lin , Lin Hui , Li Dongguo , Li Lin , Liu Zhicheng
Published: March 2012

The identification of functional gene modules that are derived from integration of information from different types of networks is a powerful strategy for interpreting the etiology of complex diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Genetic variants are known to increase the risk of developing RA. Here, a novel method, the construction of a genetic network, was used to mine functional gene modules linked with RA. A polymorphism interaction analysis (PIA) algorithm was used to obtain cooperating single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that contribute to RA disease. The acquired SNP pairs were used to construct a SNP-SNP network. Sub-networks defined by hub SNPs were then extracted and turned into gene modules by mapping SNPs to genes using dbSNP database. We performed Gene Ontology (GO) analysis on each gene module, and some GO terms enriched in the gene modules can be used to investigate clustered gene function for better understanding RA pathogenesis. This method was applied to the Genetic Analysis Workshop 15 (GAW 15) RA dataset. The results show that genes involved in functional gene modules, such as CD160 (rs744877) and RUNX1 (rs2051179), are especially relevant to RA, which is supported by previous reports. Furthermore, the 43 SNPs involved in the identified gene modules were found to be the best classifiers when used as variables for sample classification.
MotViz: A Tool for Sequence Motif Prediction in Parallel to Structural Visualization and Analyses
Authors: Nawaz Muhammad Sulaman , Rashid Sajid
Published: March 2012

Linking similar proteins structurally is a challenging task that may help in finding the novel members of a protein family. In this respect, identification of conserved sequence can facilitate understanding and classifying the exact role of proteins. However, the exact role of these conserved elements cannot be elucidated without structural and physiochemical information. In this work, we present a novel desktop application MotViz designed for searching and analyzing the conserved sequence segments within protein structure. With MotViz, the user can extract a complete list of sequence motifs from loaded 3D structures, annotate the motifs structurally and analyze their physiochemical properties. The conservation value calculated for an individual motif can be visualized graphically. To check the efficiency, predicted motifs from the data sets of 9 protein families were analyzed and MotViz algorithm was more efficient in comparison to other online motif prediction tools. Furthermore, a database was also integrated for storing, retrieving and performing the detailed functional annotation studies. In summary, MotViz effectively predicts motifs with high sensitivity and simultaneously visualizes them into 3D strucures. Moreover, MotViz is user-friendly with optimized graphical parameters and better processing speed due to the inclusion of a database at the back end. MotViz is available at http://www.fi-pk.com/motviz.html.
Theoretical Estimation and Modeling for Constraint-Tuning Ultrasonic Actuator
Authors: Lai M.-H. , Ouyang M. S. , Wen F.-L.
Published: March 2012

Using a piezoelectric unimorph vibrator with constraint-tuning modified-mode (CTMM) mechanism, a novel design of a thin-disc ultrasonic actuator was developed to drive an optical sled. The theoretical estimation of in-plane wave propagation on a thin disc is introduced to explain the novel actuating mechanism, via a modal expansion technique and modal participation factors. Furthermore, the approximate wave propagations could be illustrated by the practical estimated wave equations in this study. Applying four screws at the exact distribution of angles on the thin-disc vibrator, the actuating mechanism of ultrasonic modified modes is generated and propagated. The in-plane vibration modes could be tuned by these desired screw constraints on the piezoelectric vibrator. The ultrasonic actuator offers the output force to drive an optical sled by friction contact in bilateral motions. To implement the equilibrium structure force in bilateral directions, natural and forced analysis as well as impedance comparison of FEM software ANSYS are also introduced into the constrained design. Hence, there are two various modified modes chosen at the different resonant frequencies within the electromechanical coupling of piezoelectric material to pursue more efficiency in energy conversion. Experimental results have demonstrated consistency with the approximate theoretical approach of the in-plane wave propagation and simulations based on the concept of constrained-tuning modified modes.
The Characteristics of Snoring at Pharyngeal Anatomy in Natural Sleep: Snoring Duration
Authors: Yu J.-F. , Chen Y.-S. , Li H.-Y.
Published: March 2012

The present study utilized audio recordings of snoring during natural sleep to analyze characteristics related to the snoring duration at the soft palate, epiglottis, and tongue base. 10 subjects were recruited for the study, with an average age of 23.7 years. These audio files were then used to analyze the characteristics of snoring duration at the soft palate, epiglottis, and tongue base responsible for sound generation. Findings indicated that snoring duration was 3.7 seconds at the soft palate, 2.2 seconds at the epiglottis and 1.29 seconds at the tongue. Since the soft palate is the softest structure of the three, snoring sound by vibration was most easily induced at this structure, leading to the longest snoring duration. This was followed by the epiglottis and the tongue base respectively. Of the 10 subjects, 6 had BMI in the overweight range, and snoring durations for these individuals were seen to be lengthened by 0.13 seconds, with the tongue base snoring duration lengthened by 0.11 seconds but unchanged for the epiglottis. Prior studies from this laboratory have established a non-invasive system for measuring snoring. This can be used to analyze the sound frequency, amplitude and duration of snoring. Snoring duration was found to be the longest at the soft palate, followed by the epiglottis and tongue base in the present investigation. Clinically, this finding has implications in snoring assessments prior to uvula-palato-pharyngoplasty procedures. Snoring duration may also be used as a parameter in post-operative monitoring.
Chiefs or Modern Bureaucrats? Managing Black Police in Early Twentieth-Century South Africa
Authors: Shear Keith
Published: March 2012

Early twentieth-century South Africa was a composite society—“part settler state and part African colony … includ[ing] diverse recently conquered African polities as well as a divided white population.” Mining industrialization and British imperialism, particularly after the discovery of substantial gold deposits and the founding of Johannesburg in 1886, put pressure on southern African peoples and states to function as an integrated labor market, and on their leaders to submit to an overarching political authority. These developmental and administrative rationalizing forces were given greater scope in the years following the South African War of 1899 to 1902, especially in the defeated Boer republics of the interior. Renamed the Transvaal and Orange River Colonies, these territories were initially under the direct rule of British High Commissioner Alfred Milner. They took the lead in a process of state-building that continued well beyond their political amalgamation with the coastal colonies of the Cape and Natal to form the Union of South Africa in 1910. It has been argued that this institutional reconstruction left South Africa with “a modern civil service, with controls and an information-gathering capacity sophisticated enough to … make the competence, helpfulness, and honesty of individual state officials relatively less crucial.”
Invisible Armies: Reflections on Egyptian Dreams of War
Authors: Mittermaier Amira
Published: March 2012

In January 2011, people around the world turned their attention to Cairo's Tahrir Square. The news network al-Jazeera quickly became a window onto the square and surrounding streets, and news reporters became eyewitnesses to historical events. Aware of the media spectacle unfolding around them, Egyptian protesters over the following weeks held up signs in Arabic and English and, maybe unknowingly, staged highly photogenic scenes, for instance when Christians formed a human chain to guard Muslims during their prayers, and vice versa. During the first few days of the uprising, the regime shut down cell phone and Internet networks to prevent activists from communicating, but it could not stop their taking pictures and filming with cell phones and cameras. Every moment was carefully recorded, and today multiple initiatives are collecting films, photos, and audio recordings to preserve them in digital archives. In July 2011, activists set up an open-air cinema at Tahrir Square to screen and discuss footage of the protests. Subsequently video materials became crucial pieces of evidence in the courtroom where the former President Mubarak and ex-Interior Minister Adly were being tried. The Egyptian revolution was a highly visible and “mediatized” event. Its history can and has been told in images.
“A Radiant and Productive Atmosphere”: Encounters of Wallace Stevens and Stanley Cavell
Authors: KELLY ÁINE
Published: March 2012

Writing on such diverse works as Shakespeare'sKing Lear, Wallace Stevens's “Sunday Morning” and Vincente Minnelli'sThe Bandwagon, Stanley Cavell is a philosopher consistently moved to philosophize in the realm of the aesthetic. Cavell invokes Stevens, particularly, at moments of hisoeuvreboth casual and constructive. In a commemorative address of the “Pontigny-en-Amérique” encounters at Mount Holyoke College in 2006, Cavell takes Stevens as his direct subject. During the original Pontigny colloquia, held during the wartime summers of 1942–44, some of the leading European figures in the arts and sciences (among them Hannah Arendt and Claude Lévi-Strauss) gathered at Mount Holyoke with their American peers (Stevens, John Peale Bishop and Marianne Moore) for conversations about the future of human civilization and the place of philosophy in a precarious world. Stevens suggested at the Pontigny meeting that the philosopher, compared unfavourably to the poet, “fails to discover.” As it is precisely Cavell's acknowledgement of the accidental or the unexpected as displaced from philosophy that draws him to the writings of Stevens, the Mount Holyoke encounters promise an illuminating dialogue between the two. The affinity between such central champions of the poetic dimension of American philosophy is sometimes obvious, more times in question.
Chinatowns and Borderlands: Inter-Asian encounters in the diaspora
Authors: HU-DEHART EVELYN
Published: March 2012

This paper explores two dynamic places and spaces in the Americas, destination of several Asian diasporas—the Chinese, Japanese, and South Asian—as contact and exchange zones. One would be the ethnic enclaves commonly called ‘Chinatowns’, which stretch over time from the early sixteenth century to the present, and over space from Manila in the Spanish empire across the Pacific to all over the Americas. These Chinatowns, imagined and real and riddled with stereotypes, are well-known tropes on the American landscapes, and need no further preliminary introduction; they are also firmly located within fixed national (or colonial) entities.

The second space has not been historically associated with Asian diasporas in the Americas, although well known for different reasons. Here I refer to ‘borderlands’, the overlapping space between, over, and above two political national boundaries or borders, in particular the US-Mexican and US-Canadian borderlands, both, coincidentally, clearly marked and delineated by the mid-nineteenth century (1848 and 1846 respectively). Furthermore, as these two transnational/transborder regions are also trans-Pacific, their recognition as an integral part of Asian diasporas is belated and overdue. To make the case further, the study of Asians in the Americas has revealed that Asian migrants, labour, and capital have been historically drawn to these borderlands because they represent dynamic zones of economic development, first in the heyday of maturing American capitalism at the turn of the twentieth century, and again in the glaring eye of current late-capitalist globalization. In other words, Asians have amassed on both sides of these borders for over 100 years, where they have become adept at multiple border crossings, both trans-Pacific and transnational.
The Impact of Climate on Southeast Asia, circa 950–1820: New Findings
Authors: LIEBERMAN VICTOR , BUCKLEY BRENDAN
Published: March 2012

The recent discovery of continuous tree-ring series starting as early as 1030 CE has for the first time made possible the reconstruction of historical climates for much of mainland Southeast Asia. Perhaps the most dramatic finding is that wide cyclic fluctuations in the reach and volume of monsoon rains contributed substantially to both the genesis and the collapse of the charter civilizations of Angkor, Pagan, and Dai Viet. Fromcirca1450–1820 climate continued to influence political and economic development, but its impact appears to have diminished both because the amplitude of hydrological fluctuations decreased markedly, and because new sources of power rendered early modern Southeast Asian states more resilient. A pioneering collaborative effort by a historian and a paleoclimatologist, this paper promises three benefits: It can help to solve a variety of local historiographic puzzles, it can facilitate construction of a synchronized historical narrative for mainland Southeast Asia as a whole, and it can aid comparisons between mainland Southeast Asia and other sectors of Eurasia.
Air travel and vector-borne disease movement
Authors: TATEM A. J. , HUANG Z. , DAS A. , QI Q. , ROTH J. , QIU Y.
Published: March 2012

Recent decades have seen substantial expansions in the global air travel network and rapid increases in traffic volumes. The effects of this are well studied in terms of the spread of directly transmitted infections, but the role of air travel in the movement of vector-borne diseases is less well understood. Increasingly however, wider reaching surveillance for vector-borne diseases and our improving abilities to map the distributions of vectors and the diseases they carry, are providing opportunities to better our understanding of the impact of increasing air travel. Here we examine global trends in the continued expansion of air transport and its impact upon epidemiology. Novel malaria and chikungunya examples are presented, detailing how geospatial data in combination with information on air traffic can be used to predict the risks of vector-borne disease importation and establishment. Finally, we describe the development of an online tool, the Vector-Borne Disease Airline Importation Risk (VBD-Air) tool, which brings together spatial data on air traffic and vector-borne disease distributions to quantify the seasonally changing risks for importation to non-endemic regions. Such a framework provides the first steps towards an ultimate goal of adaptive management based on near real time flight data and vector-borne disease surveillance.
Antagonistic activity of the fungusPochonia chlamydosporiaon mature and immatureToxocara caniseggs
Authors: MACIEL A. S. , FREITAS L. G. , FIGUEIREDO L. D. , CAMPOS A. K. , MELLO I. N. K.
Published: March 2012

In vitrotests were performed to evaluate the ability of 6 isolates of the nematophagous fungusPochonia chlamydosporiato infect immature and matureToxocara caniseggs on cellulose dialysis membrane. There was a direct relationship between the number of eggs colonized and the increase in the days of interaction, as well as between the number of eggs colonized and the increase in the concentration of chlamydospores (P<0·05). Immature eggs were more susceptible to infection than mature eggs. The isolate Pc-04 was the most efficient egg parasite until the 7th day, and showed no difference in capacity to infect mature and immature eggs in comparison to Pc-07 at 14 and 21 days of interaction, respectively. Isolate Pc-04 was the most infective on the two evolutionary phases of the eggs at most concentrations, but its ability to infect immature eggs did not differ from that presented by the isolates Pc-07 and Pc-10 at the inoculum level of 5000 chlamydospores. Colonization of infective larvae inside or outside the egg was observed in treatments with the isolates Pc-03, Pc-04, Pc-07 and Pc-10. The isolate Pc-04 ofP. chlamydosporiahas great biological capacity to destroy immature and matureT. caniseggs in laboratory conditions.
Where the action isn't
Authors: Lempert Michael
Published: March 2012

Enfield'sThe anatomy of meaningis a pathbreaking exploration of multimodal communication based on Lao video recordings and fieldwork. Of special interest is his notion ofcomposites, through which he addresses the question of cross-modal integration—how it is that signs in different modalities cohere, speech and gesture being his focus. For whom, to what degree, and through what means do composites coalesce? Does this notion denote akindof cross-modal orderliness or the achievement of orderliness—perhaps through heuristics and inference-making? As I detail the book's engagement with this issue and compare it with others—especially recent discussions of “textuality” in linguistic anthropology and older structuralist approaches to behavioral events—I suggest that Enfield's notion is best viewed as a methodological operator. It is a notion that performs a kind of methodological displacement, pushing against an entrenched logocentrism while spurring us to view communicative events as multiplex, cross-modal assemblages. (Multi-modal, cross-modal, gesture, interaction, video, Lao)
Dancing Greek Antiquity in Private and Public: Isadora Duncan's Early Patronage in Paris
Authors: Dorf Samuel N.
Published: March 2012

In Done into Dance: Isadora Duncan in America, Ann Daly writes that Isadora Duncan defined her dance as high art, and describes how Duncan raised the dance from the bottom of the cultural landscape to the top of American society:

Dancing was considered cheap, so she associated herself with the great Greeks, who deemed the art noble, and she associated herself with upper-class audiences by carefully courting her patrons and selecting her performance venues. Dancing was considered mindless, so she invoked a pantheon of great minds, from Darwin to Whitman and Plato to Nietzsche, to prove otherwise. Dancing was considered feminine, and thus trivial, so she chose her liaisons and mentors—men whose cultural or economic power accrued, by association, to her. Dancing was considered profane, so she elevated her own practice by contrasting it to that of “African primitives.” The fundamental strategy of Duncan's project to gain cultural legitimacy for dancing was one of exclusion. (Daly 1995, 16)
A GLASS HALF-FULL: BRIAN SKYRMS'SSIGNALS
Authors: Sterelny Kim
Published: March 2012

Brian Skyrms'sSignalshas the virtues familiar from hisEvolution of the Social Contract(1996) andThe Stag Hunt(2003). He begins with a very simple model of agents in interaction, and in a series of brief and beautifully clear chapters, this model and its successors are explored, elaborated, connected and illustrated through biological theory and the social sciences.Signalsborrows its core model from David Lewis: it is Lewis's signalling game. In this game, two agents interact. One agent can observe which of two equi-probable states the world is in, but that agent cannot act directly and profitably on that information. However, the informed agent can act in a way that will be perceptually salient to a second agent: say, by raising a red or a green flag. The second agent does have the capacity to respond appropriately to each state of the world. If that second agent chooses the right option, given the state of the world, both are rewarded. If the second agent fails to choose the right action, neither are. Obviously, the two agents are best off if they have a practice in which the informed agent regularly chooses a distinct, salient cue in response to each of the two world states, and in which the powerful agent uses that cue to select the rewarding act. Less obviously, agents with simple trial and error learning capacities can learn to signal and respond: neither explicit negotiation nor cognitive sophistication are required. Likewise, if individual agents do not have the capacity to learn, but if they breed true but with some variation, the evolutionary version of trial and error learning can take a population to one of the signalling system equilibria.
Fruit juice consumption is associated with improved nutrient adequacy in children and adolescents: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2006
Authors: O'Neil Carol E , Nicklas Theresa A , Zanovec Michael , Kleinman Ronald E , Fulgoni Victor L
Published: March 2012

Objective

To examine the contribution of 100 % fruit juice (FJ) consumption to dietary adequacy of shortfall nutrients by children and adolescents.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Secondary analysis of data from the 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Subjects

Children and adolescents aged 2–18 years (n7250). Usual intake, determined from two 24 h dietary recalls, was calculated using the National Cancer Institute method. The population was dichotomized into consumers or non-consumers of 100 % FJ. The age/gender-specific percentage of the two consumption groups with intakes less than the Estimated Average Requirement or that exceeded the Adequate Intake for selected nutrients was determined. AZ-statistic for differences in population proportions was used to determine significance (P< 0·05).

Results

Children aged 2–5 years had the highest percentage of 100 % FJ consumers (71·1 %), followed by children aged 6–12 years (57·0 %) and adolescents aged 13–18 years (44·5 %). Compared with 100 % FJ consumers, a significantly higher percentage of non-consumers had intakes below the Estimated Average Requirement for vitamin A (24·4 (se2·5) %v. 42·2 (se2·5) %), vitamin C (0·1 (se0·2) %v. 38·9 (se4·1) %), folate (8·8 (se1·5) %v. 22·1 (se2·4) %), P (11·6 (se2·1) %v. 21·3 (se2·6) %) and Mg (25·8 (se1·7) %v. 46·1 (se2·0) %). A greater percentage of 100 % FJ consumers exceeded the Adequate Intake for K (2·4 (se0·5)v. 0·5 (se0·2) %) compared with non-consumers.

Conclusions

Consumption of 100 % FJ is associated with improved nutrient adequacy and can contribute to a healthy diet.