bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Les mobilisations des victimes de pesticides ont-elles modifié les pratiques des viticulteurs languedociens ?
Authors: Nicourt Christian
Published: May 2016

L’article propose de s’interroger sur une inflexion éventuelle des conceptions qu’ont les viticulteurs des maux qu’ils subissent lorsqu’ils épandent des pesticides. Désormais en effet des victimes de pesticides se sont constituées en association et ont impulsé la reconnaissance de maladies professionnelles, ce qui constitue une rupture. Sur le terrain enquêté une décennie auparavant, la rupture semble pourtant limitée. En effet, les infléchissements contemporains du métier semblent plutôt être liés à la nouvelle crise que subissent les viticulteurs et qui contraint leur travail, surtout en l’individualisant. Quant à leurs manières de traiter, elles varient peu. Tandis qu’ils ne s’alertent pas de la mortalité anormale qu’ils constatent parfois chez leurs pairs, les maux qu’ils endurent en épandant ne semblent pas les alerter plus qu’auparavant. Ils en dénient toujours la portée en les dissolvant dans la vaste catégorie des maux quotidiens de leur travail. Pour les employeurs de main d’œuvre, effectuer des traitements devient désormais juridiquement risqué. En dehors du monde viticole, ce sont surtout les riverains, particuliers ou institutions, qui interpellent les auteurs d’épandages. Tandis que les collectivités locales se préoccupent de la qualité de leurs eaux potables. Quant au marché, il se propose comme juge à charge aussi. La demande de vin bio s’accroit, et les clients des cavistes voire des œnologues interpellent les viticulteurs sur leur usage des pesticides. En dépit de ces inflexions, le déni des viticulteurs de la portée des maux qu’ils subissent semble encore pour la plupart la seule stratégie envisageable.
Parasismique, oser éprouver l’acceptabilité sociale
Authors: Cartier Stéphane , Vallette Cloé
Published: May 2016

La confrontation aux risques naturels provoque une réorganisation sociale constante. L’acceptation de la menace et l’acceptabilité des solutions pour réduire la vulnérabilité évoluent avec les connaissances des phénomènes et le consentement collectif à la contrainte. En France, l’importance de l’engagement étatique face aux risques naturels dissuade d’en interroger l’acceptabilité collective. La protection parasismique de l’habitat impose un zonage de l’aléa sismique pour graduer les contraintes architecturales selon la probabilité de secousses. La révision probabiliste de ce zonage est l’occasion d’interroger sa doctrine et sa matrice scientifique pour comprendre les choix réglementaires opérés par les experts et les pouvoirs publics. En contraste, l’enquête sociologique REVDOU effectuée en 2011 à Salon-de-Provence, Albertville, Mulhouse et Tarbes, sur la protection parasismique par les propriétaires, constructeurs et administrations montre comment l’acceptabilité du risque varie selon le consensus local autour de l’organisation des solutions préventives. Pour ces quatre situations de sismicité moyenne, le renouvellement du zonage sismique réglementaire réinterroge les relations autour du contrôle collectif de la solidité des constructions. L’article montre l’écart entre conception probabiliste de l’aléa à l’origine de la réglementation et l’acceptabilité locale du risque sismique et des contraintes professionnelles entre acteurs pour diminuer un danger invisible.
Aire Marine Protégée, intérêt général environnemental et territoire, un rendez-vous manqué ? Le cas de Mayotte
Authors: Cadoret Anne , Beuret Jean-Eudes
Published: May 2016

Le Parc Naturel Marin de Mayotte a été créé en janvier 2010 à l’issue d’un processus rapide. Répondant à un intérêt général environnemental, comment cette initiative nationale s’est-elle ancrée dans le territoire, autour de la construction d’un projet de développement durable territorial et de la territorialisation de l’intérêt général moteur du projet ? Qu'est-ce qui fonde l’acceptabilité sociale du projet ? L’analyse du processus de construction du projet, puis des controverses mises en avant par les parties prenantes permet d’identifier des biais et fragilités dans la construction d’un intérêt général territorialisé. L’analyse est centrée sur les transactions fondatrices de l’acceptation du projet, le différentiel d’appropriation du projet selon les acteurs, la hiérarchisation des acteurs et enjeux, les biais de représentation au sein du « parlement de la mer » que constitue le conseil de gestion du parc, les enjeux et l’effectivité de la construction de nouvelles proximités organisées autour du parc. Nous en tirons des enseignements méthodologiques quant à la pertinence de la grille d’analyse employée, puis opérationnels quant aux moyens à mettre en œuvre en matière de concertation : celle-ci devra être ciblée sur des interfaces et fractures entre acteurs ancrés dans des mondes distincts.
Variabilité socio-écologique, crise du pastoralisme et résilience des Peuls pasteurs du Gourma rural (Burkina Faso)
Authors: Korbéogo Gabin
Published: May 2016

Combinant recherche empirique et état de l’art sur les pratiques pastorales comme les régimes de propriété animale des sociétés pastorales d’Afrique et du Burkina Faso en particulier, cet article explore les dispositifs de résilience des Peuls pasteurs du Gourma rural dans un environnement marqué par des variations écologiques, des conflits d’usage des ressources naturelles et l’insertion de l’élevage dans l’économie de marché. En effet, pour tempérer les effets des aléas écologiques et du changement socio-économique, les Peuls pasteurs recourent à la mobilité pastorale, à la vente circonstancielle d’animaux au profit d’investissements alternatifs dans le foncier et l’immobilier locatif urbain. La multiplicité des formes d’adaptation à la vulnérabilité écologique et socio-pastorale témoigne de la flexibilité de la rationalité pratique des Peuls pasteurs du Gourma rural.
Stress Testing and Bank Efficiency
Authors: Hasan Iftekhar , Pasiouras Fotios
Published: May 2016

This study examines whether and how the stress testing of European banks in 2010, 2011, and 2014 is related to their technical, allocative, and cost efficiency. Using a sample of large commercial banks operating in 20 European countries, and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), the authors perform comparisons between banks that were included in one of the three European stress tests and untested banks operating in the same countries. They estimate various specifications as for the inputs and outputs, cross-section and pooled estimations, and they also examine alternative samples as for the ownership of banks. In general, the authors conclude that banks included in the stress-test exercises are more efficient that their counterparties. The differences tend to be statistically significant in the case of allocative efficiency and cost efficiency, but not in the case of technical efficiency. With regards to the latter form of efficiency, the results depend upon the specification and the stress test in question.
A White Hat Study of a Nation's Publicly Accessible Critical Digital Infrastructure and a Way Forward
Authors: Kiravuo Timo , Tiilikainen Seppo , Särelä Mikko , Manner Jukka
Published: May 2016

The developed society depends on many critical infrastructure processes, such as power generation, water treatment, many types of manufacturing, and smart buildings. These processes need control and the automation industry has embraced the Internet to connect all these controls. However, the controlling devices thus opened to the world do not always have adequate safeguards to withstand malicious users. Many automation systems have default passwords or known and unknown backdoors. Also, often those systems are not updated to close security weaknesses found after original installation. The authors argue that while the industry is familiar with the notion of safety of equipment and processes, it has not focused enough on IT security. Several years ago the Shodan search engine showed how easy it is to find these control devices on the Internet. The authors followed this research line further by targeting one nation's IP address space with Shodan and found thousands of control systems, many of which represent models and versions with known vulnerabilities. Their first contribution is presenting these findings and analyzing their significance. Their study started in 2012 and the most recent results are from the end of 2015. To gain further knowledge, they have built a prototype scanner capable of finding industrial control systems. This lets the authors evaluate the possibility of performing routine scans to gauge the vulnerability of a nation. Their second contribution is to present a template for a national Internet scanning program. The authors discuss the technology, performance, and legality of such a program. Based on their findings and analysis they argue that nations should continuously monitor their own Internet address space for vulnerabilities. The authors' findings indicate that the current level of vulnerabilities is significant and unacceptable. Scanning a nation's critical infrastructure can be done in minutes, allowing them to keep a tight control of vulnerabilities. Yet, in addition, the authors need to extend current legislation and the rights of government officials to bring more security in national critical infrastructures; this discussion is their third contribution. The cyber-space has become a playing field for criminals, terrorists and nation states, all of which may have a motive to disrupt the daily life of a nation, and currently causing such disruptions is too easy.
Mobilization Techniques Utilized by Leading Global E-Commerce Sites
Authors: Sandvig J. Christopher
Published: May 2016

The objective of this study is to improve our understanding of website mobilization techniques. The landing pages of Alexa's 527 top global shopping sites were analyzed for mobilization technique, mobile usability, and data requirements. It also investigates how mobile technique impacts Google mobile search results. The study found that 89.3% of top global shopping sites are mobile-friendly. The most popular mobile technique is to redirect mobile users to a separate URL, commonly known as m.sites, utilized by 44.1% of sites, followed by dynamic serving, utilized by 23.8%, and responsive, utilized by 23.0% of sites. Keyword analysis using the SEMRush service found a statistically significant difference in keywords following Google's algorithm change to favor mobile sites.
Reasons for Non-Engagement in Online Shopping
Authors: Bringula Rex P.
Published: May 2016

This study aimed to determine the reasons why Filipinos were not engaged in online shopping. Toward this aim, 400 respondents answered a 23-item questionnaire. It was revealed that most of the respondents were male, single, and at least college graduates. They were employees, belonged to diverse economic backgrounds, had computer and Internet access at home, and owned ATM cards. The majority did not have a credit card. Exploratory factor analysis using varimax rotation revealed that there were four reasons why respondents were not engaged in online shopping. These reasons were availability of mall services (M), quality issues (Q), price concerns (P), and interest (I). Confirmatory factor analysis reduced the number of items of MQPI from 23 to 17 items. It was disclosed that the constructs were of good fit. Discriminant validity showed that all reasons were distinct from one another. Convergent validity of the constructs was also achieved. MQPI was able to capture 72% of the reasons why Filipinos were not engaged in online shopping. Implications and directions for future research that could be derived from this study were also presented.
Payment Methods and Purchase Intention from Online Stores
Authors: Abu-Shamaa Rasha , Abu-Shanab Emad , Khasawneh Rawan
Published: May 2016

Online retail stores are a new booming phenomenon in the Arab world. Recent years witnessed a significant increase in the number of Arabic online stores launched for different kinds of products and services. Stores offer grocery products, fashion and life style items, and electronics and technology devices. Regardless of the growing investments in the Arabic online retail sector, Arabic consumers are still doubtful about online shopping. This research investigated the factors affecting Jordanians' purchase intentions from online stores by extending the technology acceptance model (TAM) to include payment method. The model included payment method (PM), perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU), as direct predictors of the intention to use online stores and moderated by consumers' level of trust of such factors. Results indicated that TAM predictors, and payment methods do affect consumers' intention to purchase online. However, PM and PEOU relationships with the intention to shop online are the only relationships moderated by trust.
A Research Framework for Investigating the Benefits of Technology in Treatment and Management of ADHD in Tertiary Students
Authors: Binhadyan Bader , Davey Bill
Published: May 2016

This paper uses current streams in health research to identify a framework for investigating the use of technology in management of ADHD. The framework incorporates a model based on a multimodal view of treatment options and is aimed at investigating university students with ADHD. The framework includes four main factors: academic performance, symptoms, technology and impacts. A grounded theory approach is described for a potential analytical technique. This framework is intended to address the significant problems of young people with ADHD when attempting to gain professional qualifications.
Covering Rough Clustering Approach for Unstructured Activity Analysis
Authors: Panneer Prabhavathy , Tripathy B.K.
Published: May 2016

Several tasks under human activities need to be performed in a sequence of navigation and manipulation of objects. In several applications of human activities like robotics monitoring plays an important role. So, in these applications, processing of sequential data is of utmost importance. Because of the presence of imprecision intelligent clustering approaches using fuzzy or rough set techniques play a major role. The basic rough sets which are defined by using equivalence relations is less useful because of their scarcity in real life scenarios. As a result, covering based rough sets have been introduced which are more general and applicable to real world problems. In this paper, covering rough set based clustering approach is introduced and studied using refined first type of covering based rough sets. Through experimental analysis,illustrated the efficiency of proposed algorithm and provided a comparative analysis of this algorithm with other existing algorithms.
SWRLx
Authors: Bouaicha Souad , Boufaida Zizette
Published: May 2016

Although OWL (Web Ontology Language) and SWRL (Semantic Web Rule Language) add considerable expressiveness to the Semantic Web, they do have expressive limitations. For some reasoning problems, it is necessary to modify existing knowledge in an ontology. This kind of problem cannot be fully resolved by OWL and SWRL, as they only support monotonic inference. In this paper, the authors propose SWRLx (Extended Semantic Web Rule Language) as an extension to the SWRL rules. The set of rules obtained with SWRLx are posted to the Jess engine using rewrite meta-rules. The reason for this combination is that it allows the inference of new knowledge and storing it in the knowledge base. The authors propose a formalism for SWRLx along with its implementation through an adaptation of different object-oriented techniques. The Jess rule engine is used to transform these techniques to the Jess model. The authors include a demonstration that demonstrates the importance of this kind of reasoning. In order to verify their proposal, they use a case study inherent to interpretation of a preventive medical check-up.
iTE
Authors: Mac Mahon Brendan , Grádaigh Seán Ó , Ghuidhir Sinéad Ní
Published: May 2016

Research on the use of iPad in initial teacher education is limited. This paper outlines a study to examine how the professional learning and pedagogical knowledge development of student teachers could be supported following 1:1 iPad deployment on a second level initial teacher education programme in Ireland. Findings show that iPad can be utilised both as an effective pedagogical tool and as a medium for the creation of new learning spaces where student teachers' professional and pedagogical knowledge development is supported through feedback, peer-learning, resource sharing and critical reflection. Creating resources with and for iPad as part of a collaborative design process can also support student teachers in developing and integrating technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) within their approaches to teaching, learning and assessment. Implications for initial teacher education providers and the integration of technology within schools are outlined.
Engaging Preservice Teachers in Professional Development about iPads
Authors: Shannon Katheryn E. , Cullen Theresa A
Published: May 2016

The iEducate mini-conference was a professional development approach used in a college of education that has a one to one iPad initiative. Students were strongly encouraged to attend workshops on effective iPad integration strategies for the classroom during a one-week period. A total of 87 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members participated and two-thirds indicated they would participate in similar events in the future. Participants indicated that opportunities to share their knowledge and collaborate with peers to explore new applications and integration strategies, connect new knowledge and skills to K12 classroom practice, and talk to K12 students about their vision for technology integration were beneficial outcomes of the experience. Discussion of the structure and management of the event, student feedback and plans for future implementations are provided.
Stakeholder Relationship Management in Online Business and Competitive Value Propositions
Authors: Shams S. M. Riad
Published: May 2016

In one hand, marketers have privileges to obtain additional information about their target markets through the online businesses. On the other hand, customers and other stakeholders have an enormous flow of information to compare between competitive value propositions, available in the market. In this market competition, understanding the customers' and other stakeholders' value anticipations would be a central success factor for marketers to prolifically develop competitive value propositions, based on understanding the customers' and other stakeholders' needs, wants and expectations. Stakeholder relationship marketing has a history, as well as further potentials to understand stakeholders' value anticipations. From this context and based on an inductive constructivist approach, this study develops insights and proposes a conceptual framework on how various sports organizations manage their stakeholder relationships through their online business platforms, in order to design and deliver competitive value propositions.
Internet Adoption and International Marketing in the Jordanian Banking Sector
Authors: Al-Hasan Said , Thomas Brychan , Mansour Ayman
Published: May 2016

The research aims are to explore the extent of the banking sector's adoption of Internet applications in Jordan for marketing products and to identify the impact of such adoption on developing international markets. This study also aims to determine the major obstacles restraining banks marketing their products internationally through the Internet and to make recommendations conducive to an effective and optimal implementation of Internet applications for marketing bank products locally and internationally. The main research problem is the absence of a clear and comprehensive understanding of the banking sector's adoption of the Internet in Jordan to market products and services and the impact of such adoption on marketing products. It has been found that the main obstacle facing the Jordanian banking sector's adoption of the Internet for marketing its services internationally is the lack of legislation with regard to the regulation and control of e-transactions.
Deriving Competitive Intelligence from Social Media
Authors: Arrigo Elisa
Published: May 2016

Marketing managers in many industries are seeking to provide their companies with new tools to detect market changes early and quickly enough to defend their competitive position. Social media has been recognized to be particularly relevant for both marketing strategies and competitive intelligence purposes since the information required to deal with competitive challenges has been recently relocated from published and proprietary sources to open social platforms. Among social media, microblog is one of the most convenient platforms since it is short, instantaneous, spontaneous and mobile and has become a great source of consumer opinions. Although there has been an increase in the number of companies developing a microblog presence, so far, very few academic research focused on microblog as a marketing intelligence tool. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is twofold: to provide a theoretical framework for microblog competitive intelligence, and to discuss its opportunities and limitations.
A Conceptual Framework of Influencing Factors on International Entrepreneurial Capability in Emerging Markets
Authors: Zhang Man , Kwon Jungsook , Gao Qian
Published: May 2016

The increasing economic importance of born global firms makes it worthwhile to study what leads to their success in the emerging markets. The institutional environment defines, reacts, and limits entrepreneurial opportunities, and also affects the speed and scope of entrepreneurial capability. Given the relatively low base of resource, these firms need to deploy some unique strategies such as utilizing information communication to survive in today's hostile and competitive international environment. Propositions regarding the relationships between institutional environment, international entrepreneurial capability, informal communication and their effect on the international performance were developed. Theoretical and managerial contribution and future research directions were also provided.
Opportunities and Challenges for CSR Mainstreaming in Business Schools
Authors: Jamali Dima , Abdallah Hanin , Matar Farah
Published: May 2016

Extant literature has highlighted that business schools have been accused of promoting an educational ethos that emphasizes shareholder value and the pursuit of short-term profits and thereby preparing overly competitive future generations interested in profit maximization. This paper highlights the importance of integrating CSR into the mainstream of business schools' curricula, arguing for the responsible role that business schools should play but also emphasizing the strategic case for such integration. The paper analyzes the main challenges and opportunities that both hinder and facilitate mainstreaming of CSR at the heart of the business school curriculum and the role that the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) can potentially play in this regard. The paper illustrates these drivers and constraints in the context of one specific business school in Lebanon that has successfully experimented with CSR mainstreaming, leading to a nuanced reflection on the possibilities of a real paradigmatic change in the context of higher management education at this critical juncture and what it is going to take to catalyze a real transformation beyond “bells and whistles” and mere rhetoric.
An Integrated Framework for Sustainable Schools
Authors: Wang Ting
Published: May 2016

This article proposes a framework which presents a general overview of the key components within school scenario in relation to going green. Three important human factors are covered by the framework. They are school leaders, teachers, and students. Each of the groups contributes to implementing green school practices successfully through analysis. School leaders' attitudes are very decisive at the beginning of a new program. Teachers, who link both school leaders and students, undertake important roles of spreading and performing green school practices. Besides, students are the core of the framework. Going green cannot be finally realized if students are unwilling to participate and have weak awareness of environmental protection. In order to test whether the three groups of people are going to cooperate in implementing green school practices, the framework suggest following the theory of planned behavior (TPB). It is a theory widely used for checking human behavior and intentions. The article ends in presenting recommendations and research possibilities for implementing green school practices based on the proposed framework.
Security Analysis of Cipher ICEBERG against Bit-pattern Based Integral Attack
Authors: Wei Yuechuan , Rong Yisheng , Wang Xu An
Published: May 2016

Significant progress in the development of lightweight symmetric cryptographic primitives has been made in recent years. Security of ciphers against current cryptanalysis methods should be carefully evaluated. Integral attack is one of the most effective attacks against block ciphers. However, traditional integral attack based on byte or word is not available for a bit-oriented cipher. Bit-pattern based integral attack technique, introduced by Z'aba et al. addresses this issue to some extent. In this paper, bit-pattern based integral attack is applied to ICEBERG—a lightweight block cipher efficient in reconfigurable hard-ware. By tracing the propagation of the plaintext structure at bit-level, the balance property is obtained and then key guesses are verified. The result shows that 3, 4 and 5 rounds ICEBERG are not immune to this attack. All attacks presented in this paper manage to recover the full subkeys of the final round.
Combining Trust Propagation and Topic-Level User Interest Expansion in Recommender Systems
Authors: Yu Zukun , Song William Wei , Zheng Xiaolin , Chen Deren
Published: May 2016

With the development of E-commerce and Internet, items are becoming more and more, which brings a so called information overload problem that it is hard for users to find the items they would be interested in. Recommender systems emerge to response to this problem through discovering user interest based on their rating information automatically. But the rating information is usually sparse compared to all the possible ratings between users and items. Therefore, it is hard to find out user interest, which is the most important part in recommender systems. In this paper, we propose a recommendation method TT-Rec that employs trust propagation and topic-level user interest expansion to predict user interest. TT-Rec uses a reputation-based method to weight users' influence on other users when propagating trust. TT-Rec also considers discovering user interest by expanding user interest in topic level. In the evaluation, we use three metrics MAE, Coverage and F1 to evaluate TT-Rec through comparative experiments. The experiment results show that TT-Rec recommendation method has a good performance.
Covalent Binding of CdSe@PMMA Nanocomposite Films with both Good Transparency and UV-Shielding
Authors: Guan Xiao Lin , Fan Hong Ting , Zhang Dong Hai , Zhang Yang , Jia Tian Ming , Lai Shou Jun
Published: May 2016

Thin UV-blocking films of poly(methyl methacrylate) and CdSe quantum dots (QDs) (CdSe@PMMA) are built up by CdSe-azo initiator through surface-initiated free-radical polymerization. CdSe@PMMA nanocomposite film possesses excellent transparency and ultraviolet (UV)-shielding properties. The average size of CdSe QDs is found to be less than 5 nm and well dispersed in the PMMA matrices without any significant agglomeration by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurement. At the same time, excellent fluorescence (FL) spectra of the nanocomposite indicate that the luminescent properties of CdSe QDs remain effective after the polymerization. Such the transparent and luminescence CdSe@PMMA nanocomposite film exhibits prominent UV-absorbing capability and the high optical transparency in the visible-wavelength region, thus make it to be a promising material for the large scale fabrication of diverse optical devices.
Synthesis of PBMA-b-PGMA Block Copolymers via ICAR ATRP and their Application in Polymer/Titanium Dioxide Hybrid Materials
Authors: Sun Jiang Ping , Zhang Yang , Li Jian , Wang Chen Yi , Ren Qiang
Published: May 2016

Well-defined functional block copolymers, polybutyl methacrylate-b-polyglycidyl methacrylate (PBMA-b-PGMA), were successfully synthesized via initiators for continuous activator regeneration atom transfer radical polymerization ( ICAR ATRP) with pentamethyldiethylene-triamine (PMDETA) as a ligand and copper bromide (CuBr2 ) as a catalyst with concentration of 500 ppm. The PBMA-b-PGMA grafted with titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) nanoparticles was obtained through the reaction between the epoxide on the PGMA segment and amine group on the surface of modified TiO2 nanoparticles. Results showed that the PBMA-b-PGMA block copolymer with about same length of PBMA and PGMA segment could get highest graft ratio and about 17%wt TiO2 nanoparticles were successfully grafted onto the PBMA-b-PGMA block copolymer. The sizes of the PBMA-b-PGMA grafted nanoparticles were about 74 nm in ethyl acetate. The PBMA-b-PGMA grafted TiO2 nanoparticles showed very good dispensability in organic solvent (e.g. ethyl acetate) and polymer matrix. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) containing 0.5%wt PBMA-b-PGMA grafted TiO2 nanoparticles showed strong absorption at about 300 nm and good transparency in visible region, which was attributed to good dispensability of PBMA-b-PGMA grafted TiO2 nanoparticles in PMMA matrix.
Microstructural Modification of Brush-Plated Nanocrystalline Cr by High Current Pulsed Electron Beam Irradiation
Authors: Hu Jian Jun , Chai Lin Jiang , Xu Hong Bin , Ma Chao Ping , Deng Shu Bin
Published: May 2016

Cr layer was fabricated on 40Cr steel by electric brush plating process and then treated by high current pulsed electron beam irradiation technique. Surface microstructures of specimens before and after the irradiation were investigated. Results show that Cr surface is composed of uniformly distributed small nodule units which are composed of fine Cr particles smaller than 100nm. After high current pulsed electron beam treatment, many cracks are found on surface. The main reason is possibly due to the quasi-static thermal stresses accumulated along the surface of the specimens during the electron beam treatment. The surface grain grow from Cr particles because of heating by electron beam, and their size is less than 200nm.
Oxidation Reduction in Nanocrystalline Silicon Grown by Hydrogen-Profiling Technique
Authors: Arendse Christopher J. , Muller Theophillus F.G. , Cummings Franscious R. , Oliphant Clive J.
Published: May 2016

The deposition of a compact amorphous silicon/nano-crystalline silicon material is demonstrated by hot-wire chemical vapour deposition using a sequential hydrogen profiling technique at low hydrogen dilutions. Nano-crystallite nucleation occurs at the substrate interface that develops into a uniform, porous crystalline structure as the growth progresses. A further reduction in the H-dilution results in the onset of a dense amorphous silicon layer. The average crystalline volume fraction and nano-crystallite size in the sample bulk amounts to 30% and 6 nm, respectively, as probed by Raman spectroscopy using the 647 nm excitation. The change in hydrogen dilution is accompanied by a graded hydrogen concentration depth-profile, where the hydrogen concentration decreases as the growth progresses. The level of post-deposition oxidation is considerably reduced, as inferred from infrared spectroscopy. The presence of oxygen is mainly confined to the substrate interface as a result of thermal oxidation during thin film growth.
Effects of soil preparation, food availability, and temperature on survival of Agriotes obscurus (Coleoptera: Elateridae) larvae in storage
Authors: van Herk Wim , Vernon Bob , Perry Alison , Ryan Kathryn , Chee Andrea
Published: May 2016

Field collected wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) intended for laboratory studies often die during storage from Metarhizium Sorokin (Clavicipitaceae) infection and other causes. To determine optimal storage conditions for Agriotes obscurus (Linnaeus), freshly collected larvae were stored in regular and sterilised soil, with and without access to food (potato slices), at 12 °C and 16 °C, for six months to determine which conditions resulted in the lowest wireworm mortality. Survival was highest when wireworms were stored in sterilised soil, at 12 °C, in the absence of food. Food availability increased wireworm mortality from Metarhizium infection and other causes, but decreased the number of missing wireworms. Wireworm weight change during the study was highest in treatments where wireworms had access to food. The expected effect of food deprivation on wireworm energetic state and immune response are discussed in context with these findings.
Unlike in Children with Allergic Asthma, IgE Transcripts from Preschool Children with Atopic Dermatitis Display Signs of Superantigen-Driven Activation
Authors: Kerzel Sebastian , Rogosch Tobias , Struecker Benjamin , Maier Rolf F. , Kabesch Michael , Zemlin Michael
Published: May 2016

The IgE repertoire in children with asthma reflects an adaptive B cell response, indicative of Ag-driven selection. However, the same might not apply to atopic dermatitis, which is often the first manifestation of atopy. The objective of our present study was to characterize the IgE repertoire of preschool children with atopic dermatitis with regard to signs of superantigen-like activation, clonal relationship, and indications of Ag selection. Total RNA was isolated from PBMCs of five children with atopic dermatitis. IgE transcripts were amplified, cloned, and sequenced using RT-PCR. We obtained 200 functional IgE sequences, which were compared with 1140 sequences from 11 children with asthma. Whereas variable gene segment of the H Ig chain (VH) gene usage in asthma reflected germline distribution, IgE transcripts from children with atopic dermatitis displayed a dominance of the otherwise scarcely expressed VH2 and VH4 family. Whereas IgE transcripts from children with asthma were highly mutated (7.2%), somatic mutation rate in atopic dermatitis was less than half as high (3.4%). Moreover, the proportion of transcripts that were indicative of Ag selection was reduced to 11% in atopic dermatitis (24% in asthma). In summary, IgE repertoires vary significantly between children with different atopic diseases. Compared with children with asthma, IgE transcripts from preschool children with atopic dermatitis are significantly less mutated, clonally less focused, and less indicative of Ag selection. We consider our data reconcilable with the hypothesis that a superantigen-like activation contributes to the maturation and selection of the IgE repertoire in atopic dermatitis.
Vitamin A Controls the Presence of RORγ+ Innate Lymphoid Cells and Lymphoid Tissue in the Small Intestine
Authors: Goverse Gera , Labao-Almeida Carlos , Ferreira Manuela , Molenaar Rosalie , Wahlen Sigrid , Konijn Tanja , Koning Jasper , Veiga-Fernandes Henrique , Mebius Reina E.
Published: May 2016

Changes in diet and microbiota have determining effects on the function of the mucosal immune system. For example, the active metabolite of vitamin A, retinoic acid (RA), has been described to maintain homeostasis in the intestine by its influence on both lymphocytes and myeloid cells. Additionally, innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), important producers of cytokines necessary for intestinal homeostasis, are also influenced by vitamin A in the small intestines. In this study, we show a reduction of both NCR− and NCR+ ILC3 subsets in the small intestine of mice raised on a vitamin A–deficient diet. Additionally, the percentages of IL-22–producing ILCs were reduced in the absence of dietary vitamin A. Conversely, mice receiving additional RA had a specific increase in the NCR− ILC3 subset, which contains the lymphoid tissue inducer cells. The dependence of lymphoid tissue inducer cells on vitamin A was furthermore illustrated by impaired development of enteric lymphoid tissues in vitamin A–deficient mice. These effects were a direct consequence of ILC-intrinsic RA signaling, because retinoic acid–related orphan receptor γt–Cre × RARα-DN mice had reduced numbers of NCR− and NCR+ ILC3 subsets within the small intestine. However, lymphoid tissue inducer cells were not affected in these mice nor was the formation of enteric lymphoid tissue, demonstrating that the onset of RA signaling might take place before retinoic acid–related orphan receptor γt is expressed on lymphoid tissue inducer cells. Taken together, our data show an important role for vitamin A in controlling innate lymphoid cells and, consequently, postnatal formed lymphoid tissues within the small intestines.
Impaired P2X1 Receptor–Mediated Adhesion in Eosinophils from Asthmatic Patients
Authors: Wright Adam , Mahaut-Smith Martyn , Symon Fiona , Sylvius Nicolas , Ran Shaun , Bafadhel Mona , Muessel Michelle , Bradding Peter , Wardlaw Andrew , Vial Catherine
Published: May 2016

Eosinophils play an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma and can be activated by extracellular nucleotides released following cell damage or inflammation. For example, increased ATP concentrations were reported in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of asthmatic patients. Although eosinophils are known to express several subtypes of P2 receptors for extracellular nucleotides, their function and contribution to asthma remain unclear. In this article, we show that transcripts for P2X1, P2X4, and P2X5 receptors were expressed in healthy and asthmatic eosinophils. The P2X receptor agonist α,β-methylene ATP (α,β-meATP; 10 μM) evoked rapidly activating and desensitizing inward currents (peak 18 ± 3 pA/pF at −60 mV) in healthy eosinophils, typical of P2X1 homomeric receptors, which were abolished by the selective P2X1 antagonist NF449 (1 μM) (3 ± 2 pA/pF). α,β-meATP–evoked currents were smaller in eosinophils from asthmatic patients (8 ± 2 versus 27 ± 5 pA/pF for healthy) but were enhanced following treatment with a high concentration of the nucleotidase apyrase (17 ± 5 pA/pF for 10 IU/ml and 11 ± 3 pA/pF for 0.32 IU/ml), indicating that the channels are partially desensitized by extracellular nucleotides. α,β-meATP (10 μM) increased the expression of CD11b activated form in eosinophils from healthy, but not asthmatic, donors (143 ± 21% and 108 ± 11% of control response, respectively). Furthermore, α,β-meATP increased healthy (18 ± 2% compared with control 10 ± 1%) but not asthmatic (13 ± 1% versus 10 ± 0% for control) eosinophil adhesion. Healthy human eosinophils express functional P2X1 receptors whose activation leads to eosinophil αMβ2 integrin–dependent adhesion. P2X1 responses are constitutively reduced in asthmatic compared with healthy eosinophils, probably as the result of an increase in extracellular nucleotide concentration.
RBP-J–Regulated miR-182 Promotes TNF-α–Induced Osteoclastogenesis
Authors: Miller Christine H. , Smith Sinead M. , Elguindy Mahmoud , Zhang Tuo , Xiang Jenny Z. , Hu Xiaoyu , Ivashkiv Lionel B. , Zhao Baohong
Published: May 2016

Increased osteoclastogenesis is responsible for osteolysis, which is a severe consequence of inflammatory diseases associated with bone destruction, such as rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis. The mechanisms that limit osteoclastogenesis under inflammatory conditions are largely unknown. We previously identified transcription factor RBP-J as a key negative regulator that restrains TNF-α–induced osteoclastogenesis and inflammatory bone resorption. In this study, we tested whether RBP-J suppresses inflammatory osteoclastogenesis by regulating the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) important for this process. Using high-throughput sequencing of miRNAs, we obtained the first, to our knowledge, genome-wide profile of miRNA expression induced by TNF-α in mouse bone marrow–derived macrophages/osteoclast precursors during inflammatory osteoclastogenesis. Furthermore, we identified miR-182 as a novel miRNA that promotes inflammatory osteoclastogenesis driven by TNF-α and whose expression is suppressed by RBP-J. Downregulation of miR-182 dramatically suppressed the enhanced osteoclastogenesis program induced by TNF-α in RBP-J–deficient cells. Complementary loss- and gain-of-function approaches showed that miR-182 is a positive regulator of osteoclastogenic transcription factors NFATc1 and B lymphocyte–induced maturation protein-1. Moreover, we identified that direct miR-182 targets, Foxo3 and Maml1, play important inhibitory roles in TNF-α–mediated osteoclastogenesis. Thus, RBP-J–regulated miR-182 promotes TNF-α–induced osteoclastogenesis via inhibition of Foxo3 and Maml1. Suppression of miR-182 by RBP-J serves as an important mechanism that restrains TNF-α–induced osteoclastogenesis. Our results provide a novel miRNA-mediated mechanism by which RBP-J inhibits osteoclastogenesis and suggest that targeting of the newly described RBP-J–miR-182–Foxo3/Maml1 axis may represent an effective therapeutic approach to suppress inflammatory osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption.
Cutting Edge: Skin CCR10+ CD8+ T Cells Support Resident Regulatory T Cells through the B7.2/Receptor Axis To Regulate Local Immune Homeostasis and Response
Authors: Fu Yaoyao , Yang Jie , Xiong Na
Published: May 2016

Resident T cells in barrier tissues are important in protecting against foreign agents but can also contribute to inflammatory diseases if dysregulated. How T cell homeostasis is maintained in barrier tissues is still poorly understood. We report that resident CD8+ T cells directly support maintenance of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the skin to promote immune homeostasis. Impaired establishment of resident CD8+ T cells caused by knockout of the skin-homing chemokine receptor CCR10 resulted in an altered balance of resident Tregs and CD4+ effector T cells in the skin and overreactive inflammatory responses to cutaneous stimulations. Furthermore, B7.2 expressed on skin CD8+ T cells supports the survival of Tregs, likely through interaction with its receptor CTLA-4, which is highly expressed on skin Tregs. Our findings provide novel insights into T cell homeostatic regulation in the skin and may improve our understanding of the pathobiology of tissue inflammatory diseases.
Reassessment of vertebrate ichnotaxa from the Upper Carboniferous ‘Fern Ledges’, Lancaster Formation, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Authors: Stimson Matthew R. , Miller Randall F. , Lucas Spencer G.
Published: May 2016

Vertebrate ichnotaxa described by George Frederic Matthew in 1910 from the Upper Carboniferous (Lower Pennsylvanian) ‘Fern Ledges’ of Saint John, New Brunswick, were dismissed as dubious trackways by previous authors. Thus, three new ichnospecies Matthew described appeared in the 1975 Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology as “unrecognized or unrecognizable” and were mostly forgotten by vertebrate ichnologists. These traces include Hylopus (?) variabilis, Nanopus (?) vetustus and Bipezia bilobata. One ichnospecies, Hylopus (?) variabilis, here is retained as a valid tetrapod footprint ichnotaxon and reassigned to the ichnogenus Limnopus as a new combination, together with other poorly preserved specimens Matthew labeled, but never described. Nanopus (?) vetustus and Bipezia bilobata named by Matthew in the same paper, have been reexamined and remain as nomina dubia.
Magnetic fields on resistance spaces
Authors: Hinz Michael , Rogers Luke G.
Published: May 2016

On a metric measure space

X

that supports a regular, strongly local resistance form we consider a magnetic energy form that corresponds to the magnetic Laplacian for a particle confined to

X

. We provide sufficient conditions for closability and self-adjointness in terms of geometric conditions on the reference measure without assuming energy dominance.
An rK28-Based Immunoenzymatic Assay for the Diagnosis of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis in Latin America
Authors: Lauricella Marta Alicia , Maidana Cristina Graciela , Frias Victoria Fragueiro , Romagosa Carlo M. , Negri Vanesa , Benedetti Ruben , Sinagra Angel J. , Luna Concepcion , Tartaglino Lilian , Laucella Susana , Reed Steven G. , Riarte Adelina R.
Published: May 2016

Direct observation of Leishmania parasites in tissue aspirates has shown low sensitivity for the detection of canine visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Therefore in the last quarter century immunoenzymatic tests have been developed to improve diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to develop a fast recombinant K28 antigen, naked-eye qualitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (VL Ql-ELISA) and a quantitative version (VL Qt-ELISA), and to display it in a kit format, whose cutoff value (0.156) was selected as the most adequate one to differentiate reactive from nonreactive samples. Considering 167 cases and 300 controls, sensitivity was 91% for both assays and specificity was 100% and 98.7% in Ql-ELISA and Qt-ELISA, respectively. Positive predictive values were 100% and 97.4% for Ql-ELISA and Qt-ELISA, respectively, and negative predictive values were 95.2% for both ELISAs. Reagent stability, reliability studies, including periodic repetitions and retest of samples, cutoff selection, and comparison of rK28 ELISAs with rK39 immunochromatographic test, were the international criteria that supported the quality in both kits. The performance of both ELISA kits in this work confirmed their validity and emphasized their usefulness for low-to-medium complexity laboratories.
Thick Smear is a Good Substitute for the Thin Smear in Parasitological Confirmation of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis
Authors: de Mello Cintia Xavier , Figueiredo Fabiano Borges , Mendes Júnior Artur Augusto Velho , Miranda Luciana de Freitas Campos , de Oliveira Raquel de Vasconcellos Carvalhaes , Madeira Maria de Fátima
Published: May 2016

Although direct examination methods are important for diagnosing leishmaniasis, such methods are often neglected because of their low sensitivity relative to other techniques. Our study aimed to evaluate the performance of bone marrow (BM) thick smears and cytocentrifugation tests as alternatives to direct examination for diagnosing canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL). Ninety-two dogs exhibiting leishmaniasis seroreactivity were evaluated. The animals were euthanized; and healthy skin, spleen, popliteal lymph node, and BM puncture samples were cultured. BM cultures were used as the reference standard. Of the 92 dogs studied, 85.9% exhibited positive cultures, and Leishmania infantum (synonym Leishmania chagasi) was confirmed in all positive culture cases. The sensitivity rates for cytocentrifugation as well as thin and thick smears were 47.1%, 52.8%, and 77%, respectively. However, no association between the dogs' clinical status and culture or direct examination results was found. To our knowledge, this was the first study to use thick smears and cytocentrifugation for diagnosing CVL. Our results indicate that BM thick smears have a good sensitivity and their use reduces the time required to read slides. Therefore, thick smears can provide a rapid and safe alternative to parasitological confirmation of seroreactive dogs.