bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of electrically formed interfacial layer and improved memory characteristics of IrOx/high-κx/W structures containing AlOx, GdOx, HfOx, and TaOx switching materials
Authors: Prakash Amit , Maikap Siddheswar , Banerjee Writam , Jana Debanjan , Lai Chao-Sung
Published: September 2013

Improved switching characteristics were obtained from high-κ oxides AlOx, GdOx, HfOx, and TaOx in IrOx/high-κx/W structures because of a layer that formed at the IrOx/high-κx interface under external positive bias. The surface roughness and morphology of the bottom electrode in these devices were observed by atomic force microscopy. Device size was investigated using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. More than 100 repeatable consecutive switching cycles were observed for positive-formatted memory devices compared with that of the negative-formatted devices (only five unstable cycles) because it contained an electrically formed interfacial layer that controlled ‘SET/RESET’ current overshoot. This phenomenon was independent of the switching material in the device. The electrically formed oxygen-rich interfacial layer at the IrOx/high-κx interface improved switching in both via-hole and cross-point structures. The switching mechanism was attributed to filamentary conduction and oxygen ion migration. Using the positive-formatted design approach, cross-point memory in an IrOx/AlOx/W structure was fabricated. This cross-point memory exhibited forming-free, uniform switching for >1,000 consecutive dc cycles with a small voltage/current operation of ±2 V/200 μA and high yield of >95% switchable with a large resistance ratio of >100. These properties make this cross-point memory particularly promising for high-density applications. Furthermore, this memory device also showed multilevel capability with a switching current as low as 10 μA and a RESET current of 137 μA, good pulse read endurance of each level (>105 cycles), and data retention of >104 s at a low current compliance of 50 μA at 85°C. Our improvement of the switching characteristics of this resistive memory device will aid in the design of memory stacks for practical applications.
Polymorphisms in nitric oxide synthase and endothelin genes among children with obstructive sleep apnea
Authors: Chatsuriyawong Siriporn , Gozal David , Kheirandish-Gozal Leila , Bhattacharjee Rakesh , Khalyfa Ahamed A , Wang Yang , Sukhumsirichart Wasana , Khalyfa Abdelnaby
Published: September 2013

Background

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with adverse and interdependent cognitive and cardiovascular consequences. Increasing evidence suggests that nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and endothelin family (EDN) genes underlie mechanistic aspects of OSA-associated morbidities. We aimed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the NOS family (3 isoforms), and EDN family (3 isoforms) to identify potential associations of these SNPs in children with OSA.

Methods

A pediatric community cohort (ages 5–10 years) enriched for snoring underwent overnight polysomnographic (NPSG) and a fasting morning blood draw. The diagnostic criteria for OSA were an obstructive apnea-hypopnea Index (AHI) >2/h total sleep time (TST), snoring during the night, and a nadir oxyhemoglobin saturation <92%. Control children were defined as non-snoring children with AHI <2/h TST (NOSA). Endothelial function was assessed using a modified post-occlusive hyperemic test. The time to peak reperfusion (Tmax) was considered as the indicator for normal endothelial function (NEF; Tmax<45 sec), or ED (Tmax≥45 sec). Genomic DNA from peripheral blood was extracted and allelic frequencies were assessed for, NOS1 (209 SNPs), NOS2 (122 SNPs), NOS3 (50 SNPs), EDN1 (43 SNPs), EDN2 (48 SNPs), EDN3 (14 SNPs), endothelin receptor A, EDNRA, (27 SNPs), and endothelin receptor B, EDNRB (23 SNPs) using a custom SNPs array. The relative frequencies of NOS-1,-2, and −3, and EDN-1,-2,-3,-EDNRA, and-EDNRB genotypes were evaluated in 608 subjects [128 with OSA, and 480 without OSA (NOSA)]. Furthermore, subjects with OSA were divided into 2 subgroups: OSA with normal endothelial function (OSA-NEF), and OSA with endothelial dysfunction (OSA-ED). Linkage disequilibrium was analyzed using Haploview version 4.2 software.

Results

For NOSA vs. OSA groups, 15 differentially distributed SNPs for NOS1 gene, and 1 SNP for NOS3 emerged, while 4 SNPs for EDN1 and 1 SNP for both EDN2 and EDN3 were identified. However, in the smaller sub-group for whom endothelial function was available, none of the significant SNPs was retained due to lack of statistical power.

Conclusions

Differences in the distribution of polymorphisms among NOS and EDN gene families suggest that these SNPs could play a contributory role in the pathophysiology and risk of OSA-induced cardiovascular morbidity. Thus, analysis of genotype-phenotype interactions in children with OSA may assist in the formulation of categorical risk estimates.
The association between functional and morphological assessments of endothelial function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Sandoo Aamer , Hodson James , Douglas Karen M , Smith Jacqueline P , Kitas George D
Published: September 2013

Introduction

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). One of the earliest manifestations of CVD is endothelial dysfunction (ED), which can lead to functional and morphological vascular abnormalities. Several non-invasive assessments of vascular function and morphology can be utilised to assess vascular health, but little is known about the association between each of these assessments in patients with RA, and they tend to be used interchangeably in the literature. The objective of the present study was to examine associations between measures of vascular function and morphology in patients with RA.

Methods

A total of 201 RA patients (155 females, median (25th to 75th percentile) age: 67 (59 to 73)) underwent assessments of microvascular endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent function (laser Doppler imaging with iontophoresis of acetylcholine and sodium-nitroprusside respectively), macrovascular endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent function (flow-mediated dilatation and glyceryl-trinitrate-mediated dilation respectively), and vascular morphology (pulse wave analysis, carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), and carotid plaque).

Results

Spearman's correlations revealed that from the functional parameters, only macrovascular endothelium-independent function was inversely associated with cIMT (-0.294 (P < 0.001)) after applying the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. For carotid plaque, t tests showed that macrovascular endothelium-independent function was lower in patients with plaque than without (15.5 ± 8.3 vs. 23.1 ± 9.1%, P = 0.002, respectively).

Conclusions

With the exception of macrovascular endothelium-independent function, all other measures of vascular function were not associated with vascular morphology. This suggests that different assessments of vascular function and morphology in patients with RA reflect quite distinct mechanisms and phases of the atherosclerotic process and should not be used interchangeably.
Differential expression of CD148 on leukocyte subsets in inflammatory arthritis
Authors: Dave Richa K , Naylor Amy J , Young Stephen P , Bayley Rachel , Hardie Debbie L , Haworth Oliver , Rider David A , Cook Andrew D , Buckley Christopher D , Kellie Stuart
Published: September 2013

Introduction

Monocytic cells play a central role in the aetiology of rheumatoid arthritis, and manipulation of the activation of these cells is an approach currently under investigation to discover new therapies for this and associated diseases. CD148 is a transmembrane tyrosine phosphatase that is highly expressed in monocytes and macrophages and, since this family of molecules plays an important role in the regulation of cell activity, CD148 is a potential target for the manipulation of macrophage activation. For any molecule to be considered a therapeutic target, it is important for it to be increased in activity or expression during disease.

Methods

We have investigated the expression of CD148 in two murine models of arthritis and in joints from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients using real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, and studied the effects of proinflammatory stimuli on CD148 activity using biochemical assays.

Results

We report that CD148 mRNA is upregulated in diseased joints of mice with collagen-induced arthritis. Furthermore, we report that in mice CD148 protein is highly expressed in infiltrating monocytes of diseased joints, with a small fraction of T cells also expressing CD148. In human arthritic joints both T cells and monocytes expressed high levels of CD148, however, we show differential expression of CD148 in T cells and monocytes from normal human peripheral blood compared to peripheral blood from RA and both normal and RA synovial fluid. Finally, we show that synovial fluid from rheumatoid arthritis patients suppresses CD148 phosphatase activity.

Conclusions

CD148 is upregulated in macrophages and T cells in human RA samples, and its activity is enhanced by treatment with tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), and reduced by synovial fluid or oxidising conditions. A greater understanding of the role of CD148 in chronic inflammation may lead to alternative therapeutic approaches to these diseases.
Preadmission metformin use and mortality among intensive care patients with diabetes: a cohort study
Authors: Christiansen Christian Fynbo , Johansen Martin Berg , Christensen Steffen , O’Brien James M , Tønnesen Else , Sørensen Henrik Toft
Published: September 2013

Introduction

Metformin has anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic effects that may improve the outcome of critical illness, but clinical data are limited. We examined the impact of preadmission metformin use on mortality among intensive care unit (ICU) patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

We conducted this population-based cohort study among all persons admitted to the 17 ICUs in Northern Denmark (population approximately 1.8 million). We focused on all patients with type 2 diabetes who were admitted to the ICUs between January 2005 and December 2011. Through individual-level linkage of population-based medical databases, type 2 diabetes was identified using a previously validated algorithm including hospital diagnoses, filled prescriptions for anti-diabetic drugs, and elevated HbA1c levels. Metformin use was identified by filled prescriptions within 90 days before admission. Covariates included surgery, preadmission morbidity, diabetes duration, and concurrent drug use. We computed 30-day mortality and hazard ratios (HRs) of death using Cox regression adjusted for covariates, both overall and after propensity score matching.

Results

We included 7,404 adult type 2 diabetes patients, representing 14.0% of 52,964 adult patients admitted to the ICUs. Among type 2 diabetes patients, 1,073 (14.5%) filled a prescription for metformin as monotherapy within 90 days before admission and 1,335 (18.0%) received metformin in combination with other anti-diabetic drugs. Thirty-day mortality was 17.6% among metformin monotherapy users, 17.9% among metformin combination therapy users, and 25.0% among metformin non-users. The adjusted HRs were 0.80 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.69, 0.94) for metformin monotherapy users and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.71, 0.95) for metformin combination therapy users, compared to non-users. Propensity-score-matched analyses yielded the same results. The association was evident across most subgroups of medical and surgical ICU patients, but most pronounced in elderly patients and in patients with well-controlled diabetes. Former metformin use was not associated with decreased mortality.

Conclusions

Preadmission metformin use was associated with reduced 30-day mortality among medical and surgical intensive care patients with type 2 diabetes.
Collagen microsphere serving as a cell carrier supports oligodendrocyte progenitor cell growth and differentiation for neurite myelination in vitro
Authors: Yao Li , Phan Francis , Li Yongchao
Published: September 2013

Introduction

Microspheres fabricated from natural materials serve as a promising biodegradable and biocompatible carrier in a small volume for efficient cell delivery to the lesion of the injured neural tissue to generate biological functions. As the major component of extracellular matrix and due to its natural abundance within the body, collagen may be fabricated into microspheres and improve the ability of pre-seeded cells on the microspheres to encounter the hostile micro-environment in the lesion.

Methods

In this study, collagen microspheres were fabricated using the water-in-oil emulsion technique and cross-linked with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropryl) carbodiimide. Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells isolated from postnatal day P1 to 2 rats were cultured and differentiated on the microspheres. The microspheres carrying the oligodendrocyte progenitor cells were co-cultured with dorsal root ganglions from 15-day-old rat embryos. The myelination formation was studied for the co-culture of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and dorsal root ganglions.

Results

We showed that the viability of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, B104 cells and PC12 cells grown on microspheres was not significantly different with those in cell culture plates. Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells differentiated into oligodendrocytes on collagen microspheres. The oligodendrocytes grown on microspheres extended processes that wrapped the axons of dorsal root ganglion neurons and the formation of myelin sheath was observed in the co-culture.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the feasibility of collagen microspheres in further applications for the delivery of neural progenitor cells for neural regeneration.
Fragility Assessment of Slab-Column Connections
Authors: Gogus Aysegul , Wallace John W.
Published: September 2013

The development of fragility relations is an important step in the application of performance-based earthquake engineering. Data from 69 tests were collected and reviewed to develop fragility relations for new slab-column frame construction. Damage states were defined and fragility relations were developed for reinforced and post-tensioned concrete connections, both with and without shear reinforcement. Test results were reviewed to determine the likelihood and type of repair for various damage states. Derived empirical fragilities were incorporated into the ATC-58 loss estimation software Performance Assessment Calculation Tool (PACT). Nonlinear pushover analyses were conducted on test specimens and findings were compared to test results to assess bias in common modeling approaches. Comparisons indicate that the values of median model to test ratios vary between 0.9 and 1.25 for displacements corresponding to yield and for models with column stiffness based on ASCE 41-06 median stiffness at low axial loads of 0.2 EIgross.
First Mode Damping Ratios for Buildings
Authors: Bernal Dionisio , Döhler Michael , Kojidi Salma Mozaffari , Kwan Kenny , Liu Yang
Published: September 2013

Expressions for the expected value of the first mode damping ratio are derived by using 122 seismic responses from concrete buildings and 81 from steel. The results include dissipation at the soil-structure interface and are appropriate for situations in which this source of dissipation is not included in the model. Comparisons between models of different complexity indicate the appropriateness of using a single regressor, for which the building height is used. It is shown that the Fisher information about damping increases with the number of response cycles; this result is used to define weights for the residuals of the regression. The effective damping in steel buildings, with the exception of very tall structures, is found to be larger than the 2% typically used in practice, whereas the 5% assigned to concrete proves to be similar to the mean of the data set.
Palmitoylation of Estrogen Receptors Is Essential for Neuronal Membrane Signaling
Authors: Meitzen John , Luoma Jessie I. , Boulware Marissa I. , Hedges Valerie L. , Peterson Brittni M. , Tuomela Krista , Britson Kyla A. , Mermelstein Paul G.
Published: September 2013

In addition to activating nuclear estrogen receptor signaling, 17β-estradiol can also regulate neuronal function via surface membrane receptors. In various brain regions, these actions are mediated by the direct association of estrogen receptors (ERs) activating metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). These ER/mGluR signaling partners are organized into discrete functional microdomains via caveolin proteins. A central question that remains concerns the underlying mechanism by which these subpopulations of ERs are targeted to the surface membrane. One candidate mechanism is S-palmitoylation, a posttranscriptional modification that affects the subcellular distribution and function of the modified protein, including promoting localization to membranes. Here we test for the role of palmitoylation and the necessity of specific palmitoylacyltransferase proteins in neuronal membrane ER action. In hippocampal neurons, pharmacological inhibition of palmitoylation eliminated 17β-estradiol-mediated phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein, a process dependent on surface membrane ERs. In addition, mutation of the palmitoylation site on estrogen receptor (ER) α blocks ERα-mediated cAMP response element-binding protein phosphorylation. Similar results were obtained after mutation of the palmitoylation site on ERβ. Importantly, mutation of either ERα or ERβ did not affect the ability of the reciprocal ER to signal at the membrane. In contrast, membrane ERα and ERβ signaling were both dependent on the expression of the palmitoylacyltransferase proteins DHHC-7 and DHHC-21. Neither mGluR activity nor caveolin or ER expression was affected by knockdown of DHHC-7 and DHHC-21. These data collectively suggest discrete mechanisms that regulate specific isoform or global membrane ER signaling in neurons separate from mGluR activity or nuclear ER function.
Ovarian Cycle-Specific Regulation of Adipose Tissue Lipid Storage by Testosterone in Female Nonhuman Primates
Authors: Varlamov Oleg , Chu Michael P. , McGee Whitney K. , Cameron Judy L. , O'Rourke Robert W. , Meyer Kevin A. , Bishop Cecily V. , Stouffer Richard L. , Roberts Charles T.
Published: September 2013

Previous studies in rodents and humans suggest that hyperandrogenemia causes white adipose tissue (WAT) dysfunction in females, although the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In light of the differences in the length of the ovarian cycle between humans and rodents, we used a nonhuman primate model to elucidate the effects of chronic hyperandrogenemia on WAT function in vivo. Female rhesus macaques implanted with testosterone capsules developed insulin resistance and altered leptin secretion on a high-fat, Western-style diet. In control visceral WAT, lipolysis and hormone-sensitive lipase expression were upregulated during the luteal phase compared with the early follicular (menses) phase of the ovarian cycle. Hyperandrogenemia attenuated elevated lipolysis and hormone-sensitive lipase activity in visceral WAT during the luteal phase but not during menses. Under control conditions, insulin-stimulated Akt and Erk activation and fatty acid uptake in WAT were not significantly affected by the ovarian cycle. In contrast, testosterone treatment preferentially increased fatty acid uptake and insulin signaling at menses. The fatty acid synthase and glucose transporter-4 genes were upregulated by testosterone during the luteal phase. In summary, this study reveals ovarian stage-specific fluctuations in adipocyte lipolysis and suggests that male sex hormones increase and female sex hormones decrease lipid storage in female WAT.
“Genius Thus Munificently Employed!!!”: Philanthropy and Celebrity in the Theaters of Garrick and Siddons
Authors: Spratt Danielle
Published: September 2013

The essay argues that David Garrick and Sarah Siddons—two of the most financially successful celebrities of their time—cultivated their parental public images in print and portrait culture by capitalizing on the level of their participation in benefits for actors and in the Drury Lane Theatrical Fund. By negotiating what I call the “philanthropic triad,” or the contradictory roles of beggar, miser, and benefactor, Garrick constructed his paternal benefaction along a public axis that promoted him as a “father and guardian” of the English stage and its actors. By contrast, Siddons played the role of maternal benefactress, largely rejecting the concept of supporting the public good and instead aligning herself with the private and domestic. In so doing, Siddons not only countered the sexually charged representations of actresses of the time, but also addressed the related question of what level of compensation actresses deserved to receive. This essay thus suggests that the cultural portrayal of benefit performances reveals the often-paradoxical reception of both philanthropy and celebrity, especially as it was inflected by gender, during the period.
Dirt off Her Shoulders
Authors: Doyle Jennifer
Published: September 2013

In a discussion of the problem that Caster Semenya's velocity poses to the category woman, the introduction to this special issue shifts focus from Semenya's body (which has been the topic of much discussion during Semenya's temporary suspension from competition while officials debated whether she could compete as a woman) to the problem of being the fastest woman in the world. That move — from sex to speed (as an escape from the category of sex) — sets the tone for the special issue's consideration of athleticism as a set of discursive practices. The essays focus on queer practices that engage effeminacy, the feminine, and the female — queer figures of athleticism that cross, defy, redefine (that trans) not only categories of sex but also the category of the human.
Queer Exercises
Authors: Getsy David J.
Published: September 2013

The recent exercise works of the performance and social media artist Amber Hawk Swanson explore extreme fitness as an allegory for self-realization. Her exaggerated engagement with such activities as CrossFit compels Hawk Swanson to treat herself as her own object to be both cultivated and punished, and her works expose the slippery relations between self-admiration and same-sex desire that underwrite the pursuit of normative bodily ideals. These performances are placed in the context of Hawk Swanson's earlier investigations of conflicted self-objectification — in particular, her multiyear Amber Doll Project (2006 – 8) in which she daily collaborated with a life-size sex doll (a RealDoll) made in her own image. Hawk Swanson often stages her work for social media, and she has an online presence that has received millions of viewers. With this practice, she exposes herself to online forums that play out the enforcements of normativity in the generation of both ruthless anonymous comments and impassioned defenses. Such comments about gender, bodies, and sexualities were the catalyst for the exercise works and are incorporated into their defiant performances of self-realization.
“The Horse in My Flesh”
Authors: Hilton Leon J.
Published: September 2013

In 2011 the French artists Marion Laval-Jeantet and Benoît Mangin, who since 1991 have worked together as the art collaborative Art Orienté Objet, created a performance titled Que le cheval vive en moi (May the Horse Live in Me). In the piece, which took several months to complete, Laval-Jeantet received a series of transfusions of blood plasma drawn from the body of a horse. This essay considers the intensively physical dimensions of Art Orienté Objet's transpecies performance by reading it in relation to the concept of affective athleticism as it is developed in Gilles Deleuze's writing on art and sensation. It explores athleticism as a nexus for the performance's engagements with wider questions of animal-human (and particularly equine) interaction: gender, sexuality, and desire; biomedical science and hormone supplementation; and the aesthetic and political interventions of both “bioart” and body-based performance art. I suggest that this performance allows us to consider athleticism as a “sensational” and intensive mode of embodiment, capable of producing unanticipated forms of intimacy and affiliation beyond the precincts of the human.
Fabrication of Gold Split-ring Resonator Arrays by Surface-assisted Ultraviolet Nanoimprint Lithography Using Hydroxy-terminated Alkanethiol Monolayers
Authors: Uehara Takuya , Tomioka Tatsuya , Kubo Shoichi , Hoga Morihisa , Nakagawa Masaru
Published: September 2013

Dewetting behaviors of sub-50-nm-thick ultraviolet-curable resin films comprising hydroxy-containing (meth)acrylate monomers on modified Au-plated substrates were investigated by fluorescence microscopy. Hydroxy-terminated alkanethiol-adsorbed monolayers on Au surfaces suppressed dewetting of the thin spin-coated films and allowed the fabrication of 50-nm-line-width Au split-ring resonator (SRR) arrays by ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography.
Coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease: Comparison between CT and MR coronary angiography
Authors: Kim Jong Woo , Goo Hyun Woo
Published: September 2013

Background

Although CT coronary angiography (CTCA) and MR coronary angiography (MRCA) are increasingly used in patients with Kawasaki disease, comparison of coronary artery assessibility and diagnostic performance between the two imaging modalities has been rarely performed.

Purpose

To investigate which imaging modality, CTCA or MRCA, is better for evaluating coronary artery abnormalities in patients with Kawasaki disease.

Material and Methods

Between 2003 and 2011, 56 patients (38 boys/men; age range, 1–24 years) with Kawasaki disease underwent CTCA or MRCA (group A). Of these, 17 underwent both CTCA and MRCA (group B). Visibility of 11 coronary arterial segments in each patient was graded on a four-point scale. Coronary artery aneurysm, stenosis, and occlusion were evaluated by CTCA and MRCA, based on a reference standard obtained from cardiac catheterization, echocardiography, follow-up CTCA and MRCA, and clinical history. Coronary artery assessibility and diagnostic performance were compared between CTCA and MRCA.

Results

In per-segment analysis, more segments were assessable on CTCA than on MRCA in both groups. In per-patient analysis of group B, no significant difference in the assessibility was found between CTCA (95.0%, 128.3/135 segments) and MRCA (92.4%, 124.8/135 segments) ( P > 0.05). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of CTCA vs. MRCA were 93.1% vs. 77.9% ( P, 0.001), 99.2% vs. 99.7% ( P = 0.65), 96.8% vs. 98.7% ( P = 0.65), 98.2% vs. 94.1% ( P < 0.001), and 98.0% vs. 94.9% ( P = 0.008), respectively, in group A, and 91.8% vs. 70.4% ( P < 0.001), 99.5% vs. 99.5% ( P = 1.000), 98.5% vs. 98.0% ( P = 1.000), 97.2% vs. 91.1% ( P = 0.006), and 97.6% vs. 92.3% ( P = 0.004), respectively, in group B.

Conclusion

Although CTCA and MRCA show comparable assessibility in per-patient analysis, CTCA shows higher diagnostic performance than MRCA for evaluating coronary artery abnormalities in patients with Kawasaki disease.
Do Recommender Systems Manipulate Consumer Preferences? A Study of Anchoring Effects
Authors: Adomavicius Gediminas , Bockstedt Jesse C. , Curley Shawn P. , Zhang Jingjing
Published: September 2013

Recommender systems are becoming a salient part of many e-commerce websites. Much research has focused on advancing recommendation technologies to improve accuracy of predictions, although behavioral aspects of using recommender systems are often overlooked. In our studies, we explore how consumer preferences at the time of consumption are impacted by predictions generated by recommender systems. We conducted three controlled laboratory experiments to explore the effects of system recommendations on preferences. Studies 1 and 2 investigated user preferences for television programs across a variety of conditions, which were surveyed immediately following program viewing. Study 3 investigated the granularity of the observed effects within individual participants. Results provide strong evidence that the rating presented by a recommender system serves as an anchor for the consumer's constructed preference. Viewers' preference ratings are malleable and can be significantly influenced by the recommendation received. The effect is sensitive to the perceived reliability of a recommender system and, thus, not a purely numerical or priming-based effect. Finally, the effect of anchoring is continuous and linear, operating over a range of perturbations of the system. These general findings have a number of important implications (e.g., on recommender systems performance metrics and design, preference bias, potential strategic behavior, and trust), which are discussed.
Structural role of exon-coded fragments in proteins
Authors: Piwowar Monika , Banach Mateusz , Konieczny Leszek , Roterman Irena
Published: September 2013

This article describes the role of protein fragments encoded by individual exons. Structural analysis of the hydrophobic core on the basis of the “fuzzy oil drop” model – in whole molecules as well as in fragments encoded by specific exons – indicates that, in each protein, at least one exon encodes a fragment, which is consistent with the theoretical distribution of hydrophobicity density. Quantitative assessment of the properties of such exons in selected proteins enables the model to be applied in identifying the structural (stabilizing) role of polypeptide chains encoded by individual exons. This is viewed as a preliminary step toward future exploitation of this technique in studying the alternative splicing phenomenon.
Die elektronische Pflicht in den Bundesländern
Authors: Jendral Lars
Published: September 2013

Die AG Regionalbibliotheken in der Sektion 4 des Deutschen Bibliotheksverbands (dbv) fordert seit Jahren die Ausweitung der bestehenden Sammelaufträge für konventionelle Pflichtexemplare auf Online-Publikationen. In diesem Heft des Bibliotheksdienstes werden der Stand der gesetzlichen Grundlagen zur Pflichtablieferung in den jeweiligen Bundesländern sowie die zur Archivierung genutzten Repositorien und ihre technischen Möglichkeiten vorgestellt. Zudem bieten die regionalen Pflichtexemplarbibliotheken einen Überblick über ihr Sammlungsprofil bei Online-Publikationen sowie die dafür vorgesehenen Geschäftsgänge.
Ticket Pricing and Scalping: A Game Theoretical Approach
Authors: Sá Nelson , Turkay Evsen
Published: September 2013

Ticket scalping is frequently related to the economic puzzle of underpricing by promoters. It is also disputed whether event promoters benefit from scalper participation or not. Our article explores two questions: can promoters benefit from scalpers’ activities and what are the resulting consumer welfare effects? We address these questions by developing a three period game where the secondary market is supported by an auction mechanism, interacting with primary market decisions. We find that participation by scalpers can lead to underpricing in the primary market and that this may benefit small or credit-constrained promoters. This requires the scalper’s discount factor to be higher than the promoter’s discount factor. The necessary premium on the discount factor increases with the fraction of early buyers and decreases with market size. Finally, the effect of scalper participation on aggregate consumer welfare is shown to be positive for a large enough market size or discount rate for the scalper.
Insulin resistance: cross-talk between adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, through free fatty acids, liver X receptor, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α signaling
Authors: Olson Ann Louise
Published: September 2013

Skeletal muscle and adipose tissue play a major role in the regulation of whole-body glucose homeostasis. Much of the coordinated regulation of whole-body glucose homeostasis results from the regulation of lipid storage and release by adipose tissue and efficient switching between glucose oxidation and fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle. A control point for these biochemical actions center around the regulation of the insulin responsive glucose transporter, GLUT4. This review examines the regulation of GLUT4 in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, in the context of the steroid nuclear hormone receptor signaling.
Study of Co-pyrolysis Characteristics of Lignite and Rice Husk in a TGA and a Fixed-Bed Reactor
Authors: Wang Wenju , Zhang Xiaobing , Li Yunhua
Published: September 2013

Co-pyrolysis characteristics of lignite and rice husk blend were determined in TGA and a fixed-bed reactor. From TGA results, the weight loss rate of lignite and rice husk blend increases at 250–400°C. In a fixed bed at programmed temperature condition, the synergistic effect to produce more volatiles is appeared at 500–700°C, and the maximum synergistic effect exhibits with a rice husk blending ratio of 0.8. The gas yield of co-pyrolysis of lignite and rice husk blend was higher than that of the sum of lignite and rice husk individually. The kinetic studies were performed according to Coats–Redfern method for first-order reaction. It was found that the pyrolysis process of lignite and rice husk could be described by one first-order reaction and two consecutive first-order reactions, respectively. However, for lignite and rice blends, this process can be described by three consecutive first-order reactions. The estimated kinetic parameters, viz., activation energies and pre-exponential factors for lignite, rice husk and their blends, were found to be in the range of 63.5–477.8 kJ/mol and 1.4 × 103–6.5 × 1047 min−1, respectively.
Decoupled Control Strategy of Grid Interactive Inverter System with Optimal LCL Filter Design
Authors: Babu B. Chitti , Anurag Anup , Sowmya Tontepu , Marandi Debati , Bal Satarupa
Published: September 2013

This article presents a control strategy for a three-phase grid interactive voltage source inverter that links a renewable energy source to the utility grid through a LCL-type filter. An optimized LCL-type filter has been designed and modeled so as to reduce the current harmonics in the grid, considering the conduction and switching losses at constant modulation index (Ma). The control strategy adopted here decouples the active and reactive power loops, thus achieving desirable performance with independent control of active and reactive power injected into the grid. The startup transients can also be controlled by the implementation of this proposed control strategy: in addition to this, optimal LCL filter with lesser conduction and switching copper losses as well as core losses. A trade-off has been made between the total losses in the LCL filter and the Total Harmonic Distortion (THD%) of the grid current, and the filter inductor has been designed accordingly. In order to study the dynamic performance of the system and to confirm the analytical results, the models are simulated in the MATLAB/Simulink environment, and the results are analyzed.
Seeing & Feeling How Enzymes Work Using Tangible Models
Authors: Lau Kwok-chi (Victor)
Published: September 2013

This article presents a tangible model used to help students tackle some misconceptions about enzyme actions, particularly the induced-fit model, enzyme–substrate complementarity, and enzyme inhibition. The model can simulate how substrates induce a change in the shape of the active site and the role of attraction force during enzyme–substrate binding. It can also be used to show how noncompetitive inhibitors work differently from competitive inhibitors. In addition, the model allows students to visualize the random collisions between enzymes and substrates. For kinesthetic learners, this tangible model is likely to foster better comprehension of the unobservable enzyme concepts than computer animations. Uses of the model in the classroom are suggested. The model is readily made using simple materials that school teachers can easily acquire, and detailed production tips are provided.
In the Shadows of Dresden
Authors: Weitze Karen J.
Published: September 2013

In the Shadows of Dresden: Modernism and the War Landscape focuses on British-American test complexes and lithographs devised to understand German and Japanese military targets of World War II. Project sites stretched from England and Scotland to Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Utah, and Florida. Vignettes of Axis-built environments featured only those forms and details that were deemed essential, complemented by the abstracted target maps. Together these models and maps inaugurated a new way of looking at cities and built environments as war landscapes. In this article Karen J. Weitze studies the roles of the participating architects, engineers, artists, and art historians—Marc Peter Jr., John Burchard, Henry Elder, Gerald K. Geerlings, Eric Mendelsohn, Antonin Raymond, Walter Gropius, Konrad Wachsmann, Arthur Korn, Felix James Samuely, E. S. Richter, Paul Zucker, Hans Knoll, Albert Kahn, Ludwig Hilberseimer, George Hartmueller, I. M. Pei, Erwin Panofsky, Paul Frankl, and Kurt Weitzmann—within the setting of the modern movement, and evaluates the historic obscurity of the wartime landscapes against the collective human moment that was Dresden.
Rap, Race and the (Re)Production of Boundaries
Authors: Appelrouth Scott , Kelly Crystal
Published: September 2013

This study contributes to the literature on symbolic boundaries through an analysis of print media discourses that framed the meanings of rap as it entered the musical mainstream. The authors find that three discursive themes appeared with the greatest frequency: violence and crime, artistic merit, and crossover appeal. Underlying each of these themes was a racialized “metaframe” that constructed rap as “black” music. In this light, the meanings assigned to rap dramatized broader efforts to produce and reproduce the cultural and social boundaries that mark inclusion in and exclusion from the territory of legitimate practices and identities.
States Make Movements? The Material and Discursive Influence of State-Sponsored Community Organizing in Puerto Rico
Authors: Ribas Vanesa , Ghoshal Raj Andrew
Published: September 2013

The authors examine the interaction between an emergent community movement in Puerto Rico and a poverty program implemented by the Puerto Rico government to deal with poverty in a self-claimed radical way. The authors explain the development of this movement, showing how state sponsorship shaped the material and discursive opportunities and constraints faced by movement leaders and participants. The authors then examine three discursive themes that emerged from fieldwork and interviews with community movement leaders and state actors that suggest the potential as well as the constraints implied by the close state—social movement relationship. These are (1) the partial recasting of dependency arguments in a critique of conventional clientelistic politics and government policy toward the poor, (2) the dismantling of traditional single-issue (i.e., Island political status) party politics in favor of an economic interest-based politics, and (3) an embrace of the rhetorical and coercive power of law. The authors conclude by discussing implications of these findings for the study of social movements, civic participation, and public policy.
Convertible Sacrifice—A Conceptual Proposition
Authors: Levy Yagil
Published: September 2013

This article follows the approach, drawn from the bellicose school of state formation, according to which the state mobilizes the war sacrifice of its citizenry in return for rewards that different groups reap from military service. However, a significant gap in this school can be identified: Scholars have not theorized the variations in the value of the rewards that the state provides in exchange for war sacrifices, nor the factors determining those variations. To this end, this article further develops the concept of convertibility—the ability of groups to convert the power they acquire from military service into valuable social rewards in the civilian sphere. It is argued that variations in the value of rewards are best determined by their convertibility, which is highly affected by the level of militarization in a society through five variables: level of threat, military participation ratio, republicanism, convergence between military and civilian organizations, and identity building.
Taxonomic review of the genus Trichomycterus Valenciennes (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from the laguna dos Patos system, Southern Brazil
Authors: Ferrer Juliano , Malabarba Luiz R.
Published: September 2013

The species of the genus Trichomycterus inhabiting the laguna dos Patos system are reviewed and five species are recognized. Trichomycterus tropeiro Ferrer & Malabarba has a restricted range and is endemic to the uppermost portion of the rio das Antas. Trichomycterus balios, n. sp., is distributed in the upper portion of the rio das Antas and rio Caí basins. Trichomycterus diatropoporos, n. sp., is endemic to the rio da Prata basin, a tributary of the rio das Antas. Trichomycterus poikilos, n. sp., is widely distributed in the upper portion of the rio Jacuí basin and tributaries of the rio Taquari-Antas. Trichomycterus brachykechenos, n. sp., is endemic to the upper portion of the rio dos Sinos. The new species are distinguishable from most congeners, except for T. davisi, T. mboycy, T. naipi, T. payaya, T. papilliferus, T. perkos, T. plumbeus, and T. tropeiro by the lower number of pectoral-fin rays (I+5-6) and by the first pectoral-fin ray not prolonged as a filament. Other characters distinguish the new taxa from these eight species. The distribution of the genus in the laguna dos Patos system is discussed and a taxonomic key is provided.
Molecular diagnosis of the arowanas Osteoglossum ferreirai Kanazawa, 1966 and O. bicirrhossum (Cuvier, 1829) from the Orinoco and Amazon River basins
Authors: L. Maria Doris Escobar , Farias Izeni P. , B. Donald C. Taphorn , Landines Miguel , Hrbek Tomas
Published: September 2013

The arowanas, fishes of Gondwanan origin, are represented in South America by the genus Osteoglossum. All species were initially reported as being exclusive to the Amazon region, with O. ferreirai restricted to the Negro River basin and O. bicirrhosum to the Amazon and Essequibo Rivers basin. Starting in the mid 1970's it was reported that O. ferreirai also occurs in the Orinoco River basin. In all regions the arowanas assumed significant socio-economic importance due to their popularity in the international ornamental fish trade, leading to over-exploitation of both species in some areas. The Orinoco populations are particularly heavily exploited, and thus conservation and management measures are needed. Both depend on the clarification of taxonomic status, and phylogenetic distinctness of the Orinoco populations. With the goal of molecularly characterizing the two species of Osteoglossum, and comparing populations of Osteoglossum from the Orinoco and Amazon basins, we characterized individuals sampled from eight localities, one in the Orinoco River basin and seven in the Amazon River basin. We sampled 39 individuals, obtaining 1004 base pairs, of which 79 were synapomorphies. Genetic distance between the two species calculated using the HKY + G model of molecular evolution was 8.94%. Intraspecific distances ranged from 0.42% in O. bicirrhosum to 0.10% in O. ferreirai. The genetic characterization confirmed the taxonomic status of O. ferreirai in the Orinoco basin, and suggested that its distribution in the Orinoco basin is unlikely to be the result of vicariance or natural dispersal, but rather an anthropic introduction.
Cytogenetic and DNA barcoding reveals high divergence within the trahira, Hoplias malabaricus (Characiformes: Erythrinidae) from the lower Amazon River
Authors: Marques Diego Ferreira , Santos Fabíola Araújo dos , Silva Simoni Santos da , Sampaio Iracilda , Rodrigues Luís Reginaldo Ribeiro
Published: September 2013

Molecular and cytogenetic data have provided evidence of cryptic speciation in the widespread South American trahira, Hoplias malabaricus. In the present study, karyotypes and DNA barcode sequences of specimens from seven populations inhabiting the lower Amazon River were analyzed in order to characterize the levels of genetic divergence within a single karyomorph. All the specimens presented karyotypes with 2n = 40 chromosomes (20m+20sm) that were consistent with the species' C karyomorph. The DNA barcodes revealed six haplogroups, with clear divergence between populations from Brazil and Argentina. The results support the species complex hypothesis and indicate that a single karyomorph of H. malabaricus may harbor more than one species
Resource use by the facultative lepidophage Roeboides affinis (Günther, 1868): a comparison of size classes, seasons and environment types related to impoundment
Authors: Albrecht Miriam P. , Reis Vanessa C. S. , Caramaschi Érica P.
Published: September 2013

We report the consumption of scales and other food resources by the facultative lepidophage Roeboides affinis in the upper Tocantins River where it was impounded by the Serra da Mesa Hydroelectric Dam. We compared the diet among size classes, between dry and wet seasons, and between sites with distinct water flow characteristics (lotic vs. lentic) related to the distance from the dam and phase of reservoir development. As transparency and fish abundance increased after impoundment, we expected a higher consumption of scales in lentic sites. Likewise, habitat contraction, higher transparency and decrease in terrestrial resources availability, would promote a higher consumption of scales. Scales were consumed by 92% of individuals and represented 26% of the total volume of resources ingested by R. affinis. Diet composition varied significantly among size classes, with larger individuals consuming more scales and larger items, especially odonatans and ephemeropterans. Scale consumption was not significantly different between dry and wet seasons. Roeboides affinis incorporated some food items into the diet as a response to the impoundment, like other species. Scale consumption was higher in lotic sites, refuting our initial hypothesis, what suggests that the lepidophagous habit is related the rheophilic nature of R. affinis.
Effects of the interannual variations in the flood pulse mediated by hypoxia tolerance: the case of the fish assemblages in the upper Parana River floodplain
Authors: Petry Ana Cristina , Abujanra Fabiane , Gomes Luiz Carlos , Julio Jr. Horacio Ferreira , Agostinho Angelo Antonio
Published: September 2013

The effects of the duration of the floods on abiotic variables and attributes of species tolerant and intolerant to hypoxia (STH and SIH respectively) were evaluated in rivers and lakes of the upper Paraná River. Fish were sampled once a year, in six sampling stations, during the high water period from 2000 to 2003. There were overall reductions in dissolved oxygen levels and increases in transparency of water in lakes in years of moderate floods. The duration of floods influenced species differentially based on their tolerance to hypoxia: in moderate floods, richness of STH increased and numerical abundance and biomass of SIH reduced significantly. Opposite relationships were detected between dissolved oxygen and the attributes of STH and SIH. Dissolved oxygen was the best predictor of variability of STH and SIH in years of moderate floods, whereas water transparency predicted significant amounts of STH in years of short floods. Being positively affected by dissolved oxygen reductions, STH seem to take advantages in persisting in seasonally harsh lentic habitats. The incorporation of abiotic data as well the differential tolerance of species to hypoxia would improve further investigations of the effects of interannual variations in the flood pulse on tropical fish assemblages