bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
L'Astrologie grecque
Authors: Bouché-Leclercq Auguste
Published: December 2014

The French historian Auguste Bouché-Leclercq (1842–1923) made major contributions to our knowledge of the Hellenistic period. A member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, he was also made an officer of the Légion d'Honneur. Bouché-Leclercq is also considered the first modern historian of astrology: he had developed a long-lasting interest in divination during his extensive researches on ancient Greek civilisation. This field had not been considered worthy of serious scholarly study until he published his Histoire de la divination dans l'antiquité between 1879 and 1882. L'Astrologie grecque, first published in 1899, is another important work, still referred to today. Bouché-Leclercq looks back to the oriental roots of Greek astrology. He delves into the specific influence of the zodiac signs, and explains how the celestial sphere was divided in order to draw horoscopes. Other topics include astrology in Roman culture, as well as astrological medicine.
Strategically Created Treaty Conflicts and the Politics of International Law
Authors: Ranganathan Surabhi
Published: December 2014

Treaty conflicts are not merely the contingent or inadvertent by-products of the increasing juridification of international relations. In several instances, states have deliberately created treaty conflicts in order to catalyse changes in multilateral regimes. Surabhi Ranganathan uses such conflicts as context to explore the role of international law, in legal thought and practice. Her examinations of the International Law Commission's work on treaties and of various scholars' proposals on institutional action, offer a fresh view of 'mainstream' legal thought. They locate, in a variety of writings, a common faith in international legal discourse, built on liberal and constructivist assumptions. Ranganathan's three rich studies of treaty conflict, relating to the areas of seabed mining, the International Criminal Court, and nuclear governance, furnish a textured account of the specific forms and practices that constitute such a legal discourse and permit a grounded understanding of the interactions that shape international law.
The Physics of Ettore Majorana
Authors: Esposito Salvatore
Published: December 2014

Through just a handful of papers, Ettore Majorana left an indelible mark in the fields of physics, mathematics, computer science and even economics before his mysterious disappearance in 1938. It is only now that the importance of Majorana's work is being realised: Majorana fermions are intensely studied today, and his work on neutrino physics has provided possible explanations for the existence of dark matter. In this unique volume, Salvatore Esposito explores not only Majorana's known papers but, even more interestingly, unveils his unpublished works as well. These include powerful methods and results, ranging from the atomic two-centre problem, the Thomas–Fermi model and ferromagnetism to quasi-stationary states, n-component relativistic wave equations and quantum scalar electrodynamics. Featuring biographical notes and contributions from leading experts Evgeny Akhmedov and Nobel Laureate Frank Wilczek, this fascinating book will captivate graduate students and researchers interested in frontier science as well as in the history of science.
Medical Ethics
Authors: Percival Thomas
Published: December 2014

A physician and medical reformer enthused by the scientific and cultural progress of the Enlightenment as it took hold in Britain, Thomas Percival (1740–1804) wrote on many topics, but he was particularly concerned about public health issues arising from the factory conditions of the Industrial Revolution. Calling for improved standards of care, he believed that the working poor should be treated the same as wealthy private clients. Following a disastrous dispute in 1792 which closed the Manchester Infirmary's Fever Hospital during an epidemic, Percival was asked to draft regulations on professional medical conduct. In 1794 he privately circulated a tract, Medical Jurisprudence, which he later revised for this 1803 publication. Based on Hippocratic and Christian principles, Percival's work is considered the first modern formulation of doctor-patient etiquette. His Essays Medical and Experimental (revised edition, 1772–3) and the four volumes of his collected works (1807) are also reissued in this series.
On the Polar Star in the Arctic Sea
Authors: di Savoia Luigi Amedeo
Published: December 2014

Prince Luigi Amedeo of Savoy, a grandson of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy, was well known as a mountaineer and traveller when, in 1899, he organised an expedition to the Arctic, obtaining a steam whaling ship in Oslo which he renamed the Stella Polare. His ambition was to reach the highest possible latitude (and possibly the North Pole itself) by careful logistical arrangements, wintering on the ice in Franz Josef Land and using dog-sledges to travel further north. He also intended a scientific survey of the area in which the team passed the winter. His account of the expedition was published in Italian in 1902 and this two-volume English translation by William Le Queux (better known as the author of sensationalist spy and crime novels) appeared in 1903. Volume 2 gives detailed accounts of the two sledge journeys undertaken by Commander Cagni and Dr Cavalli Molinelli.
Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee
Authors: Bowdich Thomas Edward
Published: December 2014

This work by Thomas Edward Bowdich (1791?–1824) describes the journey he made on behalf of the Royal African Company from Cape Coast Castle in West Africa into the territory of the Ashanti, a warlike tribe which had legendary resources of gold and which had been attacking European settlements along the Gold Coast. The intention was to make a peace and trade treaty with the Ashanti, and also to learn more about their culture and customs. Bowdich, not the original leader of the expedition, took control, and negotiated a treaty of mutual co-operation and trade. He returned to Europe in 1818, publishing this fascinating account in 1819, but he felt that his own efforts, and his book, did not receive the rewards they merited. He died on a second, scientific expedition to West Africa, leaving his widow, naturalist and artist Sarah (later Lee), to edit and publish his last work.
Land and Sea
Authors: Gosse Philip Henry
Published: December 2014

Philip Henry Gosse (1810–88) is best remembered today for the portrait given by his son Edmund in his autobiographical Father and Son. In his own day, he was famous as a natural historian, and his books were extremely popular. (His Naturalist's Sojourn in Jamaica is also reissued in this series.) In 1857, Gosse moved from London to Devon, where he spent the rest of his life. This 1865 book offers essays about various aspects of the geography and natural history of the West Country. There are some digressions (one chapter is on the woods of Jamaica), and reminders of the two great Victorian crazes, for ferns and for seashore life, which Gosse's writings partly instigated. In his final essay, on Dartmoor, is an appendix which argues that Britain is the biblical Tarshish - a reminder that Gosse was also a fundamentalist Christian who struggled with many aspects of contemporary science.
Technocracy and Democracy in Latin America
Authors: Dargent Eduardo
Published: December 2014

Praised by some as islands of efficiency in a sea of unprofessional, politicized and corrupt states, and criticized by others for removing wide areas of policy making from the democratic arena, technocrats have become prominent and controversial actors in Latin American politics. Nonelected state officials with advanced educations from top universities, technocrats achieve considerable autonomy from political and economic actors and exert great influence over their countries' fates. This finding poses an intriguing paradox. These experts lack an independent base of authority, such as popular election, and the tenure enjoyed by professional bureaucrats. What, then, explains the power of technocrats in democratic Latin America? Why do they enjoy and maintain greater policy influence in some areas than in others? Through analysis of economic and health policy in Colombia from 1958 to 2011 and in Peru from 1980 to 2011, Technocracy and Democracy in Latin America answers these and other questions about experts in Latin America.
In Pursuit of a Shadow
Authors: Brown Elizabeth
Published: December 2014

The title page calls the author of this 1888 work 'A Lady Astronomer'. She was Elizabeth Brown (1830–99), and the shadow she was pursuing was the eclipse of the sun on 19 August 1887, which could be best observed in northern Russia. Brought up by her father to make weather observations and to use a telescope, she became a member of the Liverpool Astronomical Society - on behalf of which she undertook her Russian expedition - and was later active in founding the British Astronomical Association. (The Royal Astronomical Society did not at this point admit women.) The book describes her journey, from her arrival at Hull to meet her travelling companion, to Russia, and home again. The actual viewing of the eclipse, at Kineshma, 200 miles north-east of Moscow, was spoiled by cloud cover, but her lively and observant account of her adventures is a fascinating record by a pioneering female scientist.
Memoirs, Miscellanies and Letters of the Late Lucy Aikin
Authors: Aikin Lucy
Published: December 2014

The writer Lucy Aikin (1781–1864) was the daughter of the physician and author John Aikin and the niece of Anna Laetitia Barbauld, whose works she edited after Barbauld's death in 1825. Given this literary background, it is not surprising that Lucy should have begun to write: her early works were poems, but she is best known for her two-volume Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth (1818), also reissued in this series. This 1864 work, edited by her niece's husband, contains a memoir of Aikin, a collection of her essays, and letters in which she expresses frequently humorous and often trenchant opinions on the literary and social topics of the day, such as the influence of wider knowledge of the German language on English writing, or the morally elevating effect of the British Museum. It will be appreciated by those interested in early nineteenth-century literature and women's writing.
The Voyage of the Discovery
Authors: Scott Robert F. , Wilson E. A.
Published: December 2014

At the outset of the twentieth century, Antarctica was scarcely explored or understood. Penetrating the pack ice in the purpose-built Discovery, the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–4) established a base in McMurdo Sound, enabling scientists and sledging parties to significantly push back the boundaries of the unknown. Published in 1905, this acclaimed two-volume work by the naval officer and expedition leader Robert Falcon Scott (1868–1912) recounts the trials, errors and achievements of an undertaking which laid the foundations for future research and Scott's later journey to the South Pole. The work is greatly enhanced by many photographs as well as illustrations by the doctor, zoologist and artist Edward A. Wilson (1872–1912). Volume 1 traces the expedition's preparatory phases and the voyage from England to Antarctica via New Zealand. Scott discusses the location of winter quarters and the first polar winter. Chapters on sledging conclude the volume.
The North-West Passage and the Plans for the Search for Sir John Franklin
Authors: Brown John
Published: December 2014

When John Brown (1797–1861) developed a defect in his eyesight, he could no longer embark on extended voyages for the East India Company. After making a fortune selling gold and diamonds, he cultivated his geographical interests, and was elected to the Royal Geographical Society in 1837. Brown was especially interested in the Arctic, and he became concerned about the missing Franklin expedition to find the North-West Passage. In this substantial work, first published in 1858 and reissued here in one volume with its 1860 sequel, Brown provides a detailed account of previous polar expeditions before turning to the efforts to find Franklin and his men. The sequel is devoted to the 1857–9 search expedition arranged by Lady Franklin and led by Leopold McClintock. A number of other works on Franklin's last expedition and the subsequent searches have also been reissued in this series.
A Voyage into the Levant
Authors: Tournefort Joseph Pitton de
Published: December 2014

Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708) was originally destined for the church, but his interest in botany led him to become professor of botany at the Jardin des plantes in Paris, and to travel all over Europe and beyond in search of interesting specimens. He was chiefly interested in the classification of plants, but is now best remembered for the accounts he wrote of voyages undertaken for the purpose of scientific discovery. This illustrated two-volume work, published posthumously in French in 1717 and translated into English the following year, recounts a journey begun in 1700, around the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, visiting Crete and other Greek islands, Istanbul, Armenia and Georgia. Tournefort notes not only plants, but geographical features, antiquities, the people he encounters, and their way of life, agriculture and industry. Volume 1 begins with a biography of Tournefort, and ends with an account of Constantinople.
Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics
Authors: Feynman Richard P. , Weinberg Steven
Published: December 2014

Perhaps the two most important conceptual breakthroughs in twentieth century physics are relativity and quantum mechanics. Developing a theory that combines the two seamlessly is a difficult and ongoing challenge. This accessible book contains intriguing explorations of this theme by the distinguished physicists Richard Feynman and Steven Weinberg. Richard Feynman's contribution examines the nature of antiparticles, and in particular the relationship between quantum spin and statistics. In his essay, Steven Weinberg speculates on how Einstein's theory of gravitation might be reconciled with quantum theory in the final laws of physics. Both these Nobel laureates have made huge contributions to fundamental research in physics, as well as to the popularization of science. Anyone interested in the development of modern physics will find this a fascinating book.
Mestizo International Law
Authors: Becker Lorca Arnulf
Published: December 2014

The development of international law is conventionally understood as a history in which the main characters (states and international lawyers) and events (wars and peace conferences) are European. Arnulf Becker Lorca demonstrates how non-Western states and lawyers appropriated nineteenth-century classical thinking in order to defend new and better rules governing non-Western states' international relations. By internalizing the standard of civilization, for example, they argued for the abrogation of unequal treaties. These appropriations contributed to the globalization of international law. With the rise of modern legal thinking and a stronger international community governed by law, peripheral lawyers seized the opportunity and used the new discourse and institutions such as the League of Nations to dissolve the standard of civilization and codify non-intervention and self-determination. These stories suggest that the history of our contemporary international legal order is not purely European; instead they suggest a history of a mestizo international law.
Aperiodic Order
Authors: Baake Michael , Grimm Uwe
Published: December 2014

Quasicrystals are non-periodic solids that were discovered in 1982 by Dan Shechtman, Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry 2011. The underlying mathematics, known as the theory of aperiodic order, is the subject of this comprehensive multi-volume series. This first volume provides a graduate-level introduction to the many facets of this relatively new area of mathematics. Special attention is given to methods from algebra, discrete geometry and harmonic analysis, while the main focus is on topics motivated by physics and crystallography. In particular, the authors provide a systematic exposition of the mathematical theory of kinematic diffraction. Numerous illustrations and worked-out examples help the reader to bridge the gap between theory and application. The authors also point to more advanced topics to show how the theory interacts with other areas of pure and applied mathematics.
The Ethics of Insurgency
Authors: Gross Michael L.
Published: December 2014

As insurgencies rage, a burning question remains: how should insurgents fight technologically superior state armies? Commentators rarely ask this question because the catchphrase 'we fight by the rules, but they don't' is nearly axiomatic. But truly, are all forms of guerrilla warfare equally reprehensible? Can we think cogently about just guerrilla warfare? May guerrilla tactics such as laying improvised explosive devices (IEDs), assassinating informers, using human shields, seizing prisoners of war, conducting cyber strikes against civilians, manipulating the media, looting resources, or using nonviolence to provoke violence prove acceptable under the changing norms of contemporary warfare? The short answer is 'yes', but modern guerrilla warfare requires a great deal of qualification, explanation, and argumentation before it joins the repertoire of acceptable military behavior. Not all insurgents fight justly, but guerrilla tactics and strategies are also not always the heinous practices that state powers often portray them to be.
Regimes of Ethnicity and Nationhood in Germany, Russia, and Turkey
Authors: Aktürk Şener
Published: December 2014

Akturk discusses how the definition of being German, Soviet, Russian and Turkish radically changed at the turn of the twenty-first century. Germany's ethnic citizenship law, the Soviet Union's inscription of ethnic origins in personal identification documents and Turkey's prohibition on the public use of minority languages, all implemented during the early twentieth century, underpinned the definition of nationhood in these countries. Despite many challenges from political and societal actors, these policies did not change for many decades, until around the turn of the twenty-first century, when Russia removed ethnicity from the internal passport, Germany changed its citizenship law and Turkish public television began broadcasting in minority languages. Using a new typology of 'regimes of ethnicity' and a close study of primary documents and numerous interviews, Sener Akturk argues that the coincidence of three key factors – counterelites, new discourses and hegemonic majorities – explains successful change in state policies toward ethnicity.
Bilingual Language Acquisition
Authors: Silva-Corvalán Carmen
Published: December 2014

How do children develop bilingual competence? Do bilingual children develop language in the same way as monolinguals? Set in the context of findings on language development, this book examines the acquisition of English and Spanish by two brothers in the first six years of their lives. Based on in-depth and meticulous analyses of naturalistic data, it explores how the systems of both languages affect each other as the children develop, and how different levels of exposure to each language influence the nature of acquisition. The author demonstrates that the children's grammars and lexicons follow a developmental path similar to that of monolinguals, but that cross-linguistic interactions affecting lexical, semantic and discourse-pragmatic aspects arise in Spanish when exposure to it diminishes around the age of four. The first of its kind, this original study is a must-read for students and researchers in bilingualism, child development, language acquisition and language contact.
The Social Foundations of World Trade
Authors: Cho Sungjoon
Published: December 2014

As highlighted by Pascal Lamy, the former head of the WTO, world trade traditionally involves state-to-state contracts and is based on an anachronistic 'monolocation' production/trade model. It therefore struggles to handle new patterns of trade such as global value chains, which are based on a 'multilocation' model. Although it continues to provide world trade on a general level with a powerful heuristic, the traditional 'rationalist' approach inevitably leaves certain descriptive and normative blind spots. Descriptively, it fails to explain important ideational factors, such as culture and norms, which can effectively guide the behaviour of trading nations with or without material factors such as interests and utilities. Normatively, the innate positivism of the traditional model makes it oblivious to the moral imperatives of the current world trading system, such as development. This book emphatically redresses these blind spots by reconstructing the WTO as a world trade community from a social perspective.
New Centers of Global Evangelicalism in Latin America and Africa
Authors: Offutt Stephen
Published: December 2014

This book shows that new centers of Christianity have taken root in the global south. Although these communities were previously poor and marginalized, Stephen Offutt illustrates that they are now socioeconomically diverse, internationally well connected, and socially engaged. Offutt argues that local and global religious social forces, as opposed to other social, economic, or political forces, are primarily responsible for these changes.
Representation Theory
Authors: Prasad Amritanshu
Published: December 2014

This book discusses the representation theory of symmetric groups, the theory of symmetric functions and the polynomial representation theory of general linear groups. The first chapter provides a detailed account of necessary representation-theoretic background. An important highlight of this book is an innovative treatment of the Robinson–Schensted–Knuth correspondence and its dual by extending Viennot's geometric ideas. Another unique feature is an exposition of the relationship between these correspondences, the representation theory of symmetric groups and alternating groups and the theory of symmetric functions. Schur algebras are introduced very naturally as algebras of distributions on general linear groups. The treatment of Schur–Weyl duality reveals the directness and simplicity of Schur's original treatment of the subject. In addition, each exercise is assigned a difficulty level to test readers' learning. Solutions and hints to most of the exercises are provided at the end.
Risk Factors for Central Line–Associated Bloodstream Infections in the Era of Prevention Bundles
Authors: Callister Devin , Limchaiyawat Pauline , Eells Samantha J. , Miller Loren G.
Published: December 2014

Little is known about central line–associated bloodstream infection risk factors in the bundle era. In our case-control investigation, we found that independent risk factors for central line–associated bloodstream infection at our center included the number of recent lab tests, catheter duration, and lack of hemodynamic monitoring as the insertion indication.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;00(0): 1–3
Clostridium difficile Recurrence Is a Strong Predictor of 30-Day Rehospitalization Among Patients in Intensive Care
Authors: Zilberberg Marya D. , Shorr Andrew F. , Micek Scott T. , Kollef Marin H.
Published: December 2014

Objective

While incidence, mortality, morbidity, and recurrence rates of C. difficile infection (CDI) among the critically ill have been investigated, the impact of its recurrence on 30-day rehospitalization (ReAd), an important policy focus, has not been examined.

Design

Secondary analysis of a multicenter retrospective cohort study

Patients

Adult critically ill patients who survived their index hospitalization complicated by CDI

Methods

CDI was defined by diarrhea or pseudomembranous colitis and a positive assay for C. difficile toxins A and/or B. CDI recurrence (rCDI) was defined as diarrhea, positive C. difficile toxin and need for retreatment after cessation of therapy. Descriptive statistics and a logistic regression examined ReAd rates and characteristics, and factors that impact it.

Results

Among 287 hospital survivors, 76 (26.5%) required ReAd (ReAd+). At baseline, the ReAd+ group did not differ significantly from the ReAd– group based on demographics, comorbidities, APACHE II scores, or ICU type. ReAd+ patients were more likely to have hypotension at CDI onset (48.7% vs 34.1%, P=.025) and to require vasopressors (40.0% vs 27.1%, P=.038); they were less likely to require mechanical ventilation (56.0% vs 77.3%, P<.001). A far greater proportion of ReAd+ than ReAd– had developed a recurrence either during the index hospitalization or within 30 days after discharge (32.89% vs 2.84%, P<.001). In a logistic regression, rCDI was a strong predictor of ReAd+ (adjusted odd ratio, 15.33, 95% confidence interval, 5.68–41.40).

Conclusions

Greater than 25% of all survivors of critical illness complicated by CDI require readmission within 30 days of discharge. CDI recurrence is a strong predictor of such rehospitalizations.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;00(0): 1–7
A scaling analysis of transient natural convection in a reservoir model induced by iso-flux heating
Authors: Yu Peng , Patterson John C. , Lei Chengwang
Published: December 2014

This study presents a detailed scaling analysis quantifying the transient behaviour of natural convection in a reservoir model induced by iso-flux surface heating. It is found that horizontal conduction, which has often been neglected in previous analyses, plays an important role in the development of the flow. Depending on the Rayleigh number, three possible pathways through which the flow develops towards the final steady state are identified. A thermal boundary layer initially grows downwards from the surface. When the thermal boundary layer reaches the sloping bottom and becomes indistinct, a horizontal temperature gradient establishes due to the increasing water depth in the offshore direction. A flow is then driven towards the offshore direction by a buoyancy-induced horizontal pressure gradient, which convects away the heat input from the water surface. On the other hand, the horizontal temperature gradient also conducts heat away. The flow behaviour is determined by the interaction between the horizontal conduction and convection. An interesting flow feature revealed by the present scaling analysis is that the region across which the thermal boundary layer encompasses the full water depth shrinks over time at a certain stage of the flow development. The shrinking process eventually stops when this region coincides with a conduction-dominated subregion. The present scaling results are verified by corresponding numerical simulations.
Lateral and depth patterns of soil organic carbon fractions in a mountain Mediterranean agrosystem
Authors: QUIJANO L. , GASPAR L. , NAVAS A.
Published: December 2014

The spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) can be affected by environmental factors such as land use change, type of vegetation, soil redistribution processes and soil management practices. Because data are scarce in mountain agroecosystems, improving knowledge on the relationships between land use, soil redistribution processes and SOC fractions is of interest, especially in rapidly changing Mediterranean landscapes. Typically, SOC is divided into two distinct carbon fractions: the active and decomposable fraction (ACF) with rapid turnover rates, which acts as a short-term carbon reservoir, and the stable carbon fraction (SCF) with lower turnover rates that acts as a long-term reservoir. In the present study SOC, ACF and SCF contents were measured by the dry combustion method and converted to inventories expressed as mass per unit surface area (kg/m2). The SOC distribution patterns were related to land use and soil redistribution processes in soil profiles along a representative mountain agroecosystem toposequence in northeast Spain. The soil depth profiles were identified as stable, eroded and depositional sites using fallout137caesium (Cs). Significantly higher amounts of SOC were found in forest soils (36 ± 20·2 g/kg) compared to abandoned (21 ± 14·3 g/kg) and cultivated arable land (11 ± 6·3 g/kg), suggesting that cultivation decreases SOC content. In addition, stable soil profiles had significantly higher SOC content (42 ± 24·3 g/kg) than at depositional and eroded profiles (18 ± 14·5 and 17 ± 13·1 g/kg, respectively). A positive and statistically significant relationship between SOC and137Cs inventories suggested that both are moved and associated with similar soil redistribution processes.
A heavy burden on young minds: the global burden of mental and substance use disorders in children and youth
Authors: Erskine H. E. , Moffitt T. E. , Copeland W. E. , Costello E. J. , Ferrari A. J. , Patton G. , Degenhardt L. , Vos T. , Whiteford H. A. , Scott J. G.
Published: December 2014

Background

Mental and substance use disorders are common and often persistent, with many emerging in early life. Compared to adult mental and substance use disorders, the global burden attributable to these disorders in children and youth has received relatively little attention.

Method

Data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 was used to investigate the burden of mental and substance disorders in children and youth aged 0–24 years. Burden was estimated in terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), derived from the sum of years lived with disability (YLDs) and years of life lost (YLLs).

Results

Globally, mental and substance use disorders are the leading cause of disability in children and youth, accounting for a quarter of all YLDs (54.2 million). In terms of DALYs, they ranked 6th with 55.5 million DALYs (5.7%) and rose to 5th when mortality burden of suicide was reattributed. While mental and substance use disorders were the leading cause of DALYs in high-income countries (HICs), they ranked 7th in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to mortality attributable to infectious diseases.

Conclusions

Mental and substance use disorders are significant contributors to disease burden in children and youth across the globe. As reproductive health and the management of infectious diseases improves in LMICs, the proportion of disease burden in children and youth attributable to mental and substance use disorders will increase, necessitating a realignment of health services in these countries.
The etiologic role of genetic and environmental factors in criminal behavior as determined from full- and half-sibling pairs: an evaluation of the validity of the twin method
Authors: Kendler K. S. , Lönn S. L. , Maes H. H. , Sundquist J. , Sundquist K.
Published: December 2014

Background

Twin studies have shown that criminal behavior (CB) is influenced by both genetic and shared environmental factors. Could these results be replicated using full-siblings and half-siblings?

Method

In 911 009 full-siblings reared together (FSRT), 41 872 half-siblings reared together (HSRT) and 52 590 half-siblings reared apart (HSRA), CB was assessed from the Swedish Crime Register. Modeling, including testing for age differences and rearing status, was performed using the OpenMx package.

Results

Five sibling models were fitted examining FSRT and HSRT 0–2 years different in age, and both FSRT and HSRT, and FSRT, HSRT and HSRA 0–10 years different in age with and without a specified shared environment indexing age differences. Heritability estimates for CB ranged from 33 to 55% in females and 39 to 56% in males, similar to those found in our prior twin study on the same population. Estimates for the shared environment varied from 1 to 14% in females and 10 to 23% in males, lower than those estimated in the twin study. The specified shared environment indexed by sibling age differences was significant in all models tested.

Conclusions

Heritability estimates for CB from full- and half-siblings closely approximated those found from twins in the same population, validating the twin method. Shared environmental estimates were lower, suggesting the presence of shared environmental factors for CB specific to twins. When rearing status can be assessed, full- and half-siblings offer an additional method for assessing the role of genetic and environmental factors in complex disorders. However, age differences in siblings may need to be included in the models.
Design, kinematic and dynamic modeling of a novel tripod based manipulator
Authors: Zhang Dan , Wei Bin
Published: December 2014

This paper proposes a novel three-degrees-of-freedom (3-DOF) hybrid manipulator, 3PU*S-PU, which evolves from the general function (Gf) set theory. After discussing the advantages of this new type of hybrid manipulator, this report analyzes the kinematic and Jacobian matrix of the manipulator. Subsequently, the kinematic performances, including stiffness/compliance, and workspace, undergo analysis, followed by the multi-objective optimization of the compliance and workspace. The Lagrangian method provides the framework for briefly analyzing the dynamics of the proposed manipulator. Finally, the results of this assessment comprise a guideline for controlling the manipulator.
The construction of identity and rights: race and gender in Brazil
Authors: Ikawa Daniela
Published: December 2014

The recognition of individual identity as multilayered and circumstance based leads to a shift from a theory of general rights to a theory of specific rights connected to structural social change. General rights, such as the right to health and the right to work, must be interpreted according to the circumstance of differently situated women, so that rights are specific enough to ensure that they are actually enforced for different groups, including groups that, due to discrimination, are made invisible to the law. In this sense, the different circumstances that help develop the identity of women, Black women or poor Black women in Brazil will be studied to give specific content to general rights recognised by Brazilian law and by International human rights law.
Equality through precarious work regulation: lessons from the domestic work debates in defence of the Standard Employment Relationship
Authors: McCann Deirdre
Published: December 2014

Precarious work is a crucial impediment to substantive equality. This paper examines the regulation of precariousness in the light of two recent trends: the casualisation of employment in the wake of the crisis, and global efforts to regulate domestic work (e.g. ILO Domestic Workers Convention (No 189)). It takes these developments as an opportunity to explore the effective regulation of contemporary labour markets, and in particular the role of the Standard Employment Relationship (SER). The paper returns to two prominent accounts of the SER: Vosko's critique of SER-centrism in non-standard work regulation and Bosch's notion of the flexible-SER. It argues that the domestic work debates confirm the value of a modernised SER in its temporal dimensions. Yet the literature on precarious work tends to focus on regulatory settings in which the standard model remains dominant. The key contemporary challenge is to identify strategies that will embed this model in settings in which it is in decline or was never deep-rooted. Drawing on the notion of ‘reconstructive labour law’, the paper argues for innovative legal mechanisms that prompt the construction of flexibilised SER-type relationships. It concludes, however, that for these strategies to be effective, casualisation must be identified not only in contractual arrangements but also in working-time practices.
Herzinsuffizienz: Diagnostische und therapeutische Probleme in der Praxis
Authors: Hurni Christoph
Published: December 2014

Die Herzinsuffizienz ist eine progressive Erkrankung mit den häufigsten Ursachen koronare Herzkrankheit und arterielle Hypertonie. Die Diagnostik bei Verdacht auf Herzinsuffizienz und die Therapie der systolischen Herzinsuffizienz sind gut etabliert und haben einen hohen Evidenzgrad. Im Praxisalltag ist man häufig mit speziellen Situationen und multimorbiden Patienten konfrontiert, wo ein standardmäßiges Vorgehen nicht möglich ist.
Promiscuous Foxp3‐cre activity reveals a differential requirement for CD28 in Foxp3+ and Foxp3− T cells
Authors: Franckaert Dean , Dooley James , Roos Evelyne , Floess Stefan , Huehn Jochen , Luche Herve , Fehling Hans Joerg , Liston Adrian , Linterman Michelle A , Schlenner Susan M
Published: December 2014

Costimulatory signals by CD28 are critical for thymic regulatory T‐cell (Treg) development. To determine the functional relevance of CD28 for peripheral Treg post thymic selection, we crossed the widely used Forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3)‐CreYFP mice to mice bearing a conditional Cd28 allele. Treg‐specific CD28 deficiency provoked a severe autoimmune syndrome as a result of a strong disadvantage in competitive fitness and proliferation of CD28‐deficient Tregs. By contrast, Treg survival and lineage integrity were not affected by the lack of CD28. This data demonstrate that, even after the initial induction requirement, Treg maintain a higher dependency on CD28 signalling than conventional T cells for homeostasis. In addition, we found the Foxp3‐CreYFP allele to be a hypomorph, with reduced Foxp3 protein levels. Furthermore, we report here the stochastic activity of the Foxp3‐CreYFP allele in non‐Tregs, sufficient to recombine some conditional alleles (including Cd28) but not others (including R26‐RFP). This hypomorphism and ‘leaky’ expression of the Foxp3‐CreYFP allele should be considered when analysing the conditionally mutated Treg.
A new class of marine Euryarchaeota group II from the mediterranean deep chlorophyll maximum
Authors: Martin-Cuadrado Ana-Belen , Garcia-Heredia Inmaculada , Moltó Aitor Gonzaga , López-Úbeda Rebeca , Kimes Nikole , López-García Purificación , Moreira David , Rodriguez-Valera Francisco
Published: December 2014

We have analyzed metagenomic fosmid clones from the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM), which, by genomic parameters, correspond to the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA)-defined marine Euryarchaeota group IIB (MGIIB). The fosmid collections associated with this group add up to 4 Mb and correspond to at least two species within this group. From the proposed essential genes contained in the collections, we infer that large sections of the conserved regions of the genomes of these microbes have been recovered. The genomes indicate a photoheterotrophic lifestyle, similar to that of the available genome of MGIIA (assembled from an estuarine metagenome in Puget Sound, Washington Pacific coast), with a proton-pumping rhodopsin of the same kind. Several genomic features support an aerobic metabolism with diversified substrate degradation capabilities that include xenobiotics and agar. On the other hand, these MGIIB representatives are non-motile and possess similar genome size to the MGIIA-assembled genome, but with a lower GC content. The large phylogenomic gap with other known archaea indicates that this is a new class of marine Euryarchaeota for which we suggest the name Thalassoarchaea. The analysis of recruitment from available metagenomes indicates that the representatives of group IIB described here are largely found at the DCM (ca. 50 m deep), in which they are abundant (up to 0.5% of the reads), and at the surface mostly during the winter mixing, which explains formerly described 16S rRNA distribution patterns. Their uneven representation in environmental samples that are close in space and time might indicate sporadic blooms.
An error-resilient non-volatile magneto-elastic universal logic gate with ultralow energy-delay product
Authors: Biswas Ayan K. , Atulasimha Jayasimha , Bandyopadhyay Supriyo
Published: December 2014

A long-standing goal of computer technology is to process and store digital information with the same device in order to implement new architectures. One way to accomplish this is to use nanomagnetic logic gates that can perform Boolean operations and then store the output data in the magnetization states of nanomagnets, thereby doubling as both logic and memory. Unfortunately, many of these nanomagnetic devices do not possess the seven essential characteristics of a Boolean logic gate : concatenability, non-linearity, isolation between input and output, gain, universal logic implementation, scalability and error resilience. More importantly, their energy-delay products and error rates tend to vastly exceed that of conventional transistor-based logic gates, which is unacceptable. Here, we propose a non-volatile voltage-controlled nanomagnetic logic gate that possesses all the necessary characteristics of a logic gate and whose energy-delay product is two orders of magnitude less than that of other nanomagnetic (non-volatile) logic gates. The error rate is also superior.
Retinal structure and function preservation by polysaccharides of wolfberry in a mouse model of retinal degeneration
Authors: Wang Ke , Xiao Jia , Peng Bo , Xing Feiyue , So Kwok-Fai , Tipoe George L. , Lin Bin
Published: December 2014

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders caused by mutations in a variety of genes that are mostly expressed by rod cells, which results in initial death of rod photoreceptors followed by gradual death of cone photoreceptors. RP is currently untreatable and usually leads to partial or complete blindness. Here, we explored the potential neuroprotective effects of polysaccharides of wolfberry, which are long known to possess primary beneficial properties in the eyes, on photoreceptor apoptosis in the rd10 mouse model of RP. We found that these polysaccharides provided long-term morphological and functional preservation of photoreceptors and improved visual behaviors in rd10 mice. Moreover, we demonstrated that polysaccharides exerted neuroprotective effects through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic mechanisms. Furthermore, we identified that polysaccharides modulated inflammation and apoptosis partly through inhibition of NF-κB and HIF-1α expressions, respectively. Overall, we demonstrated the synergistic protective effects of polysaccharides in preserving photoreceptors against degeneration in rd10 mice. Our study provides rationale and scientific support on using polysaccharides of wolfberry as one supplementary treatment of RP patients in the future.
Highly sensitive electrochemical sensor based on pyrrolidinium ionic liquid modified ordered mesoporous carbon paste electrode for determination of carbendazim
Authors: Ya Yu , Wang Tianshun , Xie Liping , Zhu Junjie , Tang Li , Ning Dejiao , Yan Feiyan
Published: December 2014

A novel electrochemical sensor based on pyrrolidinium ionic liquid-ordered mesoporous carbon composite system for the determination of carbendazim was developed.
Multi-commutation flow system with on-line solid phase extraction exploiting the ion-imprinted polymer and FAAS detection for chromium speciation analysis in sewage samples
Authors: Leśniewska Barbara , Trzonkowska Laura , Zambrzycka Elżbieta , Godlewska-Żyłkiewicz Beata
Published: December 2014

A multi-commutation flow analysis system using on-line solid phase extraction and flame atomic absorption spectrometric detection (MCFA-FAAS) was developed for the study of chromium speciation in sewage samples.
Preparation of a restricted access material–macroporous hybrid monolithic column – for on-line solid-phase extraction of the sulfonamides residues from honey
Authors: Lv Yun-Kai , Guo Zhi-Yong , Wang Jin-Zhi , Guo Meng-Meng , Yu Lin-Kang , Fang Hui
Published: December 2014

A novel RAM–HMC with superior enrichment and clean-up efficiency was prepared by an in situ method in a stainless-steel column, and used as a pre-column for on-line solid-phase extraction of sulfonamides residues from honey.
Tuning the pore sizes of novel silica membranes for improved gas permeation properties via an in situ reaction between NH3 and Si–H groups
Authors: Kanezashi Masakoto , Matsugasako Rui , Tawarayama Hiromasa , Nagasawa Hiroki , Yoshioka Tomohisa , Tsuru Toshinori
Published: December 2014

The tuning of pore sizes in triethoxysilane (TRIES)-derived membranes via an in situ reaction between NH3 and Si–H groups at high temperatures.
Combining silver- and organocatalysis: an enantioselective sequential catalytic approach towards pyrano-annulated pyrazoles
Authors: Hack Daniel , Chauhan Pankaj , Deckers Kristina , Mizutani Yusuke , Raabe Gerhard , Enders Dieter
Published: December 2014

A one-pot sequential bicatalytic asymmetric Michael addition/hydroalkoxylation provides a new series of pyrano-annulated enantioenriched pyrazole derivatives.
Non-innocent ligands
Authors: Berben Louise A. , de Bruin Bas , Heyduk Alan F.
Published: December 2014

Guest editors Louise Berben, Bas de Bruin and Alan Heyduk introduce this web collection focusing on recent achievements within the field of non-innocent ligands.
Interaction of alcohols with the calcite surface
Authors: Bovet N. , Yang M. , Javadi M. S. , Stipp S. L. S.
Published: December 2014

XPS spectra for adsorption of ethanol on clean calcite (left) and snapshot of MD simulations for monolayer adsorption of various alcohols on calcite.
Cu2+-doped zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8): efficient and stable catalysts for cycloadditions and condensation reactions
Authors: Schejn Aleksandra , Aboulaich Abdelhay , Balan Lavinia , Falk Véronique , Lalevée Jacques , Medjahdi Ghouti , Aranda Lionel , Mozet Kevin , Schneider Raphaël
Published: December 2014

Condensations and cycloadditions can be catalyzed by newly synthesized Cu-doped zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs). The catalysts were well characterized and reusable.
Effects of auxiliary ligands of Pd(ii) dimers on induction of chiral nematic phases: chirality inversion and the photo-responsive structural change
Authors: Tamura Kenji , Yoshida Jun , Taniguchi Masahiro , Kitazawa Takafumi , Yamagishi Akihiko , Sato Hisako
Published: December 2014

An axially chiral Pd(ii) dimer changed its CD spectrum reversibly under irradiation at either 350 nm or 460 nm when it was doped in liquid crystals.
Recent advances towards the fabrication and biomedical applications of responsive polymeric assemblies and nanoparticle hybrid superstructures
Authors: Hu Xianglong , Liu Shiyong
Published: December 2014

We highlight recent developments, microstructural control, and biomedical applications of stimuli-responsive polymeric assemblies and responsive hybrid superstructures.
One-pot synthesis of functionalized germanium nanocrystals from a single source precursor
Authors: Purkait Tapas K. , Swarnakar Anindya K. , De Los Reyes Glenda B. , Hegmann Frank A. , Rivard Eric , Veinot Jonathan G. C.
Published: December 2014

A general single-pot synthesis of hydrophilic and hydrophobic germanium NCs from single source precursor is reported.
LNA units present in the (2′-OMe)-RNA strand stabilize parallel duplexes (2′-OMe)-RNA/[All-RP-PS]-DNA and parallel triplexes (2′-OMe)-RNA/[All-RP-PS]-DNA/RNA. An improved tool for the inhibition of reverse transcription
Authors: Maciaszek Anna , Krakowiak Agnieszka , Janicka Magdalena , Tomaszewska-Antczak Agnieszka , Sobczak Milena , Mikołajczyk Barbara , Guga Piotr
Published: December 2014

LNA units stabilize (RNA/LNA)/RP-PS-DNA/RNA triplexes and efficiently inhibit reverse transcription of target RNA.
A chiral bicyclo[2.2.2]octa-2,5-diene ligand substituted with the ferrocenyl group and its use for rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-addition reactions
Authors: Zhou Bo , Ming So Chau , Lu Yixin , Hayashi Tamio
Published: December 2014

New chiral diene ligand, Fc,Ph-bod, showed higher enantioselectivity than Ph-bod in the rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-addition of aryl- and alkenylboronic acids.
Photoelectrochemical activities and low content Nb-doping effects on one-dimensional self-ordered Nb2O5–TiO2 nanotubes
Authors: Pei Linjuan , Yang Min , Zhang Dan , Zhang Lei , Chen Peng , Song Yanyan , Gan Yang
Published: December 2014

Nb2O5-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays were fabricated by anodization. Nb's beneficial effects exhibit an improved charge separation efficiency, resulting in higher photocatalytic/photoelectrocatalytic activities.