bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interannual Variability and Long-Term Changes of Atmospheric Circulation over the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas
Authors: Wu Qigang , Zhang Jing , Zhang Xiangdong , Tao Wei
Published: April 2014

The Beaufort Sea high (BSH) plays an important role in forcing Arctic sea ice and the Beaufort Gyre. This study examines the variability and long-term trends of atmospheric circulation over the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas using the ECMWF Interim Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) for the period 1979–2012. Because of the mobility of the BSH through the year, EOF analysis is applied to the sea level pressure (SLP) field in order to investigate the principal patterns of BSH variability. In each season, the three leading EOF modes explain nearly 90% of the total variance and reflect a strengthened or weakened BSH centered over the western Arctic Ocean (EOF1), a north–south dipole-like SLP anomaly (EOF2), and a west–east dipole-like SLP anomaly (EOF3), respectively. These three EOF modes offer distinct influences on local climate in each season and have different connections with the large-scale climate variability modes in winter. In particular, the second principal component (PC2) associated with EOF2 in the autumn exhibits a tendency toward high-index polarity significant at the 5% level, and is related to strongly reduced sea ice extent.

Further, the authors have detected significant anticyclonic trends among surface wind fields associated with a strengthened BSH during summer and autumn, but significant cyclonic trends associated with a weakened BSH during early midwinter, consistent with significant trends in SLP gradients between western Arctic Ocean and the adjoining landmass. Comparison with forced trends of surface winds from various simulations from the IPCC Fifth Assessement Report (AR5) indicates that summertime changes in atmospheric circulation cannot be explained by natural external forcing or lower boundary forcings and may instead be attributable to external anthropogenic forcing.
Physician Nutrition Education
Authors: Kiraly Laszlo N. , McClave Stephen A. , Neel Dustin , Evans David C. , Martindale Robert G. , Hurt Ryan T.
Published: April 2014

Nutrition education for physicians in the United States is limited in scope, quality, and duration due to a variety of factors. As new data and quality improvement initiatives highlight the importance of nutrition and a generation of nutrition experts retire, there is a need for new physician educators and leaders in clinical nutrition. Traditional nutrition fellowships and increased didactic lecture time in school and postgraduate training are not feasible strategies to develop the next generation of physician nutrition specialists in the current environment. One strategy is the development of short immersion courses for advanced trainees and junior attendings. The most promising courses include a combination of close mentorship and adult learning techniques such as lectures, clinical experiences, literature review, curricular development, research and writing, multidisciplinary interactions, and extensive group discussion. These courses also allow the opportunity for advanced discourse, development of long‐term collaborative relationships, and continued longitudinal career development for alumni after the course ends. Despite these curricular developments, ultimately the field of nutrition will not mature until the American Board of Medical Specialties recognizes nutrition medicine with specialty board certification.
Far infrared study of K+ , Rb+ and Cs+ during their exchange with Na+ and Ca2+ in vermiculite
Authors: Badreddine R. , Le Dred R. , Prost R.
Published: April 2014

All the exchange isotherms of Na+ or Ca2+ in vermiculite for K+, Rb+ or Cs+ show two kinds of exchanges sites: the first corresponds to sites located in phlogopite-like interlamellar spaces and the second to sites located in smectite-like interlamellar spaces. During the exchange, three mineralogical phases are formed: Na- or Ca-vermiculite; K-, Rb- or Cs-vermiculite and a mixed-layer phase. Far infrared absorption bands of K+, Rb+ and Cs+ located in the phlogopite-like interlamellar spaces are at 72, 59 and 53 cm–1, respectively. These frequencies are characteristic of a trioctahedral mixed-layer phase. Selectivity is greater for cations with a low hydration energy (K+, Rb+, Cs+) than for cations with a high hydration energy (Na+, Ca2+). On the other hand, for cations with a low hydration energy, structural parameters such as the tetrahedral rotation angle, α, have to be taken into account.
Genome-wide variations in a natural isolate of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Vergara Ismael A , Tarailo-Graovac Maja , Frech Christian , Wang Jun , Qin Zhaozhao , Zhang Ting , She Rong , Chu Jeffrey SC , Wang Ke , Chen Nansheng
Published: April 2014

Background

Increasing genetic and phenotypic differences found among natural isolates ofC. eleganshave encouraged researchers to explore the natural variation of this nematode species.

Results

Here we report on the identification of genomic differences between the reference strain N2 and the Hawaiian strain CB4856, one of the most genetically distant strains from N2. To identify both small- and large-scale genomic variations (GVs), we have sequenced the CB4856 genome using both Roche 454 (~400 bps single reads) and Illumina GA DNA sequencing methods (101 bps paired-end reads). Compared to previously described variants (available in WormBase), our effort uncovered twice as many single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and increased the number of small InDels almost 20-fold. Moreover, we identified and validated large insertions, most of which range from 150 bps to 1.2 kb in length in the CB4856 strain. Identified GVs had a widespread impact on protein-coding sequences, including 585 single-copy genes that have associated severe phenotypes of reduced viability in RNAi and genetics studies. Sixty of these genes are homologs of human genes associated with diseases. Furthermore, our work confirms previously identified GVs associated with differences in behavioural and biological traits between the N2 and CB4856 strains.

Conclusions

The identified GVs provide a rich resource for future studies that aim to explain the genetic basis for other trait differences between the N2 and CB4856 strains.
Functional polymorphism in aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 gene associated with risk of tuberculosis
Authors: Park Seung Kyu , Park Choon-Sik , Lee Hyo-Suk , Park Kyong Soo , Park Byung Lae , Cheong Hyun Sub , Shin Hyoung Doo
Published: April 2014

Background

The well-known genetic polymorphisms in ADH1B(His47Arg) and ALDH2(Glu487Lys) have dramatic effects on the rate of metabolizing alcohol and acetaldehyde. We investigated possible involvement of these functional polymorphisms in other common complex-trait diseases.

Methods

The genetic effects of these two polymorphisms on hepatitis, asthma, type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and tuberculosis (TB) were examined in a Korean population.

Results

We demonstrated that the well-known functional polymorphism of a primary alcohol-metabolizing enzyme (ALDH2 Glu487Lys) has a strong genetic association with the risk of TB. The frequency of the minor allele (ALDH2*487Lys) was found to be much lower in TB patients (freq. = 0.099/n = 477) than among controls (freq. = 0.162/n = 796) (P = 0.00001, OR (95% confidential interval) = 0.57 (0.45-0.74)). Our data may indicate that TB was once an endemic disease, which exerted selection pressure for higher frequencies of ALDH2*487Lys in Asian populations. In addition, the calculated attributable fraction (AF) indicates that 39.5% of TB patients can attribute their disease to the detrimental effects of ALDH2Glu487Glu.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that this polymorphism is one of the genetic components of TB, at least in the Korean population.
A hierarchical classification method for finger knuckle print recognition
Authors: Kong Tao , Yang Gongping , Yang Lu
Published: April 2014

Finger knuckle print has recently been seen as an effective biometric technique. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical classification method for finger knuckle print recognition, which is rooted in traditional score-level fusion methods. In the proposed method, we firstly take Gabor feature as the basic feature for finger knuckle print recognition and then a new decision rule is defined based on the predefined threshold. Finally, the minor feature speeded-up robust feature is conducted for these users, who cannot be recognized by the basic feature. Extensive experiments are performed to evaluate the proposed method, and experimental results show that it can achieve a promising performance.
Engagement of immune effector cells by trastuzumab induces HER2/ERBB2 downregulation in cancer cells through STAT1 activation
Authors: Shi Yun , Fan Xuejun , Meng Weixu , Deng Hui , Zhang Ningyan , An Zhiqiang
Published: April 2014

Introduction

Trastuzumab has been widely used for the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpressing breast cancer for more than a decade. However, reports on the involvement of HER2 downregulation in trastuzumab’s mechanism of action are inconsistent. The aim of this study is to investigate if the dependence of trastuzumab-mediated cancer cell HER2 downregulation on immune effector cells represents a novel mechanism of action for trastuzumab.

Methods

HER2 expression was evaluated by Western blotting, flow cytometry, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in cell lysates from co-cultures of multiple cancer cell lines with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in the presence or absence of trastuzumab. The engagement of immune cells by trastuzumab through Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs) was tested using three trastuzumab variants with compromised or no Fc (fragment crystallizable) functions and FcγRs blocking experiments. The engagement of immune cells by trastuzumab in HER2 downregulation was also evaluated in in vivo mouse xenograft tumor models.

Results

HER2 downregulation of cancer cells by trastuzumab occurred only when trastuzumab was actively engaged with immune cells and cancer cells, as demonstrated consistently in co-cultures of cancer cell lines with PBMCs and in vivo mouse xenograft tumor models. We further demonstrated that HER2 downregulation in cancer cells by immune-cell-engaged trastuzumab was at the transcriptional level, not through the HER2 degradation pathway. Activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) in cancer cells by the increased interferon gamma (IFN-γ) production in immune cells played an important role in downregulating HER2 in cancer cells upon engagement of immune cells by trastuzumab. Furthermore, HER2 downregulation in cancer cells induced by trastuzumab engagement of immune cells was correlated with the antibody’s antitumor efficacy in vivo.

Conclusions

This study reveals that engagement of immune effector cells by trastuzumab induces HER2 downregulation in HER2-expressing cancer cells, which represents a new function of immune cells in trastuzumab-mediated antitumor efficacy and serves as a novel mechanism of action for trastuzumab. Our results imply that HER2 downregulation in cancer cells treated by trastuzumab may predict active engagement of immune effector cells in tumor microenvironment.
Hypermethylation in the ZBTB20 gene is associated with major depressive disorder
Authors: Davies Matthew N , Krause Lutz , Bell Jordana T , Gao Fei , Ward Kirsten J , Wu Honglong , Lu Hanlin , Liu Yuan , Tsai Pei-Chein , Collier David A , Murphy Therese , Dempster Emma , Mill Jonathan ,   UK Brain Expression Consortium, Battle Alexis , Mostafavi Sara , Zhu Xiaowei , Henders Anjali , Byrne Enda , Wray Naomi R , Martin Nicholas G , Spector Tim D , Wang Jun
Published: April 2014

Background

Although genetic variation is believed to contribute to an individual’s susceptibility to major depressive disorder, genome-wide association studies have not yet identified associations that could explain the full etiology of the disease. Epigenetics is increasingly believed to play a major role in the development of common clinical phenotypes, including major depressive disorder.

Results

Genome-wide MeDIP-Sequencing was carried out on a total of 50 monozygotic twin pairs from the UK and Australia that are discordant for depression. We show that major depressive disorder is associated with significant hypermethylation within the coding region of ZBTB20, and is replicated in an independent cohort of 356 unrelated case-control individuals. The twins with major depressive disorder also show increased global variation in methylation in comparison with their unaffected co-twins. ZBTB20 plays an essential role in the specification of the Cornu Ammonis-1 field identity in the developing hippocampus, a region previously implicated in the development of major depressive disorder.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that aberrant methylation profiles affecting the hippocampus are associated with major depressive disorder and show the potential of the epigenetic twin model in neuro-psychiatric disease.
Associations Between Insulin Resistance, Free Fatty Acids, and Oocyte Quality in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome During In Vitro Fertilization
Authors: Niu Zhihong , Lin Nan , Gu Ruihuan , Sun Yijuan , Feng Yun
Published: April 2014

Context:

Both polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and obesity are associated with specific reproductive health complications, including lower oocyte quality and clinical pregnancy rates in assisted conception cycles, which may be a result of metabolism-induced changes in the oocyte through the microenvironment of follicular fluid. Free fatty acids (FFAs) are important biomedical indicators of abnormal lipid metabolism and have pronounced effects on cells, leading to changes in metabolism, cell growth, and differentiation

Objective:

Our objective was to determine the effect of FFA metabolism in plasma and follicular fluid on oocyte quality in the women with PCOS undergoing in vitro fertilization.

Design and Setting:

Ninety-three women undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment, including 55 with PCOS and 38 age-matched controls, were recruited. PCOS patients were divided into obese and nonobese subgroups on the basis of their body mass index.

Main Outcome Measures:

Embryo quality was morphologically assessed, and serum sex hormone and insulin levels were measured. FFAs in plasma and follicular fluid were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Results:

PCOS was found to be associated with significantly higher LH/FSH, total T, free androgen index (FAI), and lower SHBG levels, independent of obesity(P < .05). Obese women with PCOS had a significantly higher total T level, FAI, fasting insulin, insulin resistance index as determined by homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance, and lower SHBG levels than the nonobese women with PCOS (P < .05). The embryo fragmentation score was significantly positively correlated with the oleic acid concentration in all PCOS patients (r = 0.22, P = .04, for nonobese patients and r = 0.25, P = .03, for obese patients).

Conclusions:

Our findings clearly demonstrated that PCOS is associated with significantly higher FAI and insulin resistance levels and decreased plasma SHBG levels, independent of body mass index. Obese PCOS patients had higher palmitoleic acid and oleic acid levels in both the plasma and follicular fluid than did the control subject and nonobese PCOS patients. Our results indicated that developmental competence is associated with oleic and stearic acid concentrations, which may contribute to the poor pregnancy outcomes in patients with PCOS.
Effects of Long-term Growth Hormone Replacement in Adults With Growth Hormone Deficiency Following Cure of Acromegaly: A KIMS Analysis
Authors: Tritos Nicholas A. , Johannsson Gudmundur , Korbonits Márta , Miller Karen K. , Feldt-Rasmussen Ulla , Yuen Kevin C. J. , King Donna , Mattsson Anders F. , Jonsson Peter J. , Koltowska-Haggstrom Maria , Klibanski Anne , Biller Beverly M. K.
Published: April 2014

Context:

GH deficiency (GHD) may occur in adults with cured acromegaly (acroGHD).

Objective:

Our objective was to examine the effectiveness and safety of GH replacement in acroGHD.

Design:

This study was a retrospective analysis of data from KIMS (Pfizer International Metabolic Database).

Setting:

Data were extracted from a pharmaco-epidemiological survey of >16 000 GHD adults from 31 countries.

Patients:

The effectiveness population included 115 adults with acroGHD and 142 age-, gender-, and body mass index-matched GHD adults with nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) followed up to 5 years on GH. The safety population included 164 adults with acroGHD and 2469 with NFPA, all GH-replaced. Both acroGHD and NFPA were compared with several cohorts from the general population (including the World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease).

Outcome Measures:

Outcome measures included quality of life (QoL-AGHDA), lipids, serious adverse events, and additional safety endpoints.

Results:

Median GH dose was 0.3 mg/d in acroGHD and NFPA at 5 years. There were comparable improvements in QoL-AGHDA and total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in acroGHD and NFPA. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased only in acroGHD. Cardiovascular mortality was increased in acroGHD vs NFPA (standardized mortality ratio = 3.03, P = .02). All-cause mortality was similar in acroGHD (ratio between observed/expected cases [95% confidence interval] = 1.32 [0.70–2.25]) and lower in NFPA [observed/expected = 0.58 [0.48–0.70]) in comparison with the general population. There was no difference in incidence of all cancers, benign or malignant brain tumors, or diabetes mellitus between acroGHD and NFPA.

Conclusions:

GH replacement has comparable effects on quality of life and lipids in acroGHD and NFPA. Further investigation is needed to examine whether the increased cardiovascular mortality may be attributed to the history of previous GH excess in acroGHD.
Bodies of Knowledge
Authors: Bloom Lynn Z.
Published: April 2014

This prototypical disability studies course raises unusual issues of ethics and engagement because of its focus on sensitive, sometimes taboo matters of bodies and minds by autobiographers, physicians, theorists, and artists. These works enhance awareness of disability and human rights and help inculcate an ethic of care, concern, and social activism. The University of Connecticut has made human rights a university priority, enrolling eighty to one hundred students annually in its human rights minor, one of the largest in the country; a human rights major was inaugurated in 2012-13.
Reimagining the Literature Survey Through Team Teaching
Authors: Olson Rebecca , Williams Tara
Published: April 2014

This coauthored article argues that a team-taught format can make the literature survey more engaging and meaningful for students while also addressing some of the course’s traditional challenges. The article fills a gap in team-teaching scholarship, which emphasizes interdisciplinary and/or loosely collaborative arrangements over intensely collaborative models like the one the authors propose.
Investment Dispersion and the Business Cycle
Authors: Bachmann Rüdiger , Bayer Christian
Published: April 2014

The cross-sectional dispersion of firm-level investment rates is procyclical. This makes investment rates different from productivity, output, and employment growth, which have countercyclical dispersions. A calibrated heterogeneous-firm business cycle model with nonconvex capital adjustment costs and countercyclical dispersion of firm-level productivity shocks replicates these facts and produces a correlation between investment dispersion and aggregate output of 0.53, close to 0.45 in the data. We find that small shocks to the dispersion of productivity, which in the model constitutes firm risk, suffice to generate the mildly procyclical investment dispersion in the data but do not produce serious business cycles. (JEL D42, D92, E32, G31, G32)
"Culture and Civilization" as the Central Issue for Sociology and Cultural Anthropology
Authors: Кортунов Вадим , Kortunov Vadim
Published: April 2014

The concepts of culture and civilization are regarded by the general public as identical, and language-in-use affords them the status of synonyms. However, philosophy and cultural studies insist on a differentiation between the two concepts claiming that the opposition between culture and civilization was at the core of a vast majority of culturology theories elaborated in the 19th and the 20th centuries, and, more importantly, that the very process of historical development in Europe and Russia testifies to the fact that cultural and civilization values do not coincide, moreover, they are polar value systems. Humanity has repeatedly witnessed the modern civilization ousting the age-long gains in the spiritual plain.

When viewed as polar, civilization and culture allow of a ´spirit versus savage/beast´ juxtaposition in studying human nature, of a duality and contradictory tendencies in human spiritual being.

The article views the concepts of civilization and culture as a set of material values (civilization) and a set of spiritual values (culture). The author claims that such an interpretation of the systems brings up their tragic facets. With the challenges that civilization poses going ignored, humans risk being transformed into pure specialists, having their life dominated by work. The framework of ´civilized´ relationships is fraught with human degradation to the extent of becoming a moulding product, a social erzflts. It jeopardizes human qualities proper, individuality, uniqueness, and identity. One of the menacing implications of the development of industrial civilization to the detriment of culture is the neutralization of age-long spiritual values, turning human history into a road to nowhere.
Social Entrepreneurship Development: International Practices and Russian Pattern
Authors: Давронов Бобиржон , Davronov Bobirzhon , Чикова Ольга , Chikova Olga
Published: April 2014

The article considers the high variability of the international social-entrepreneurship conceptual framework and reviews the experience of social entrepreneurship development as conditioned by the modern economic environment (case study 1: America; case study 2: Poland). The article sets Great Britain as an example of a state which demonstrates exemplary practice in social entrepreneurship and legal support for social entrepreneurship as a tertiary sector of economy. The authors provide supporting data, such as the most remarkable examples of social entrepreneurship practices in the focus-countries. The authors also identify Russian social entrepreneurship development trends, which they see as having shown an increasingly upward direction locally over the past few years.
Commissions and Sales Targets Under Competition
Authors: Gallego Guillermo , Talebian Masoud
Published: April 2014

We consider a game between two capacity providers that compete for customers through a broker who earns commissions on sales and sells to both loyal and nonloyal customers. The providers compete by selecting commission margins and sales targets above which the margins on total sales increase. We study the contract form in equilibrium and the effect that sales targets have on the profit split between the providers and the broker. We show that in equilibrium, contracts require positive sales targets that can be best described as a mechanism for the larger provider to profit at the expense of the smaller provider. The effect of sales targets is different when commission margins are exogenous and the providers compete by setting targets. In this case, it is the low-margin provider who benefits from sales targets at the expense of the broker, who in this context resists the imposition of targets.

This paper was accepted by Yossi Aviv, operations management.
Mineralogy of Egyptian Bentonitic Clays II: Geologic Origin
Authors: Agha Mohamed A. , Ferrell Ray E. , Hart George F. , Abu El Ghar Mohamed S. , Abdel-Motelib A.
Published: April 2014

Reconstructing the origin of bentonitic clays is often a challenging and rather complicated undertaking, but the analysis of certain predictor clay minerals is proving to be an excellent method to simplify this process. The goal of the present investigation was to use abundance changes of five X-ray diffraction (XRD) predictor minerals to determine the relative contributions of weathering and parent-rock changes to the origin of clay minerals in Egyptian bentonitic clays as the test case. The XRD predictor minerals, selected in an earlier discriminant function analysis of quantitative abundances of 14 minerals, provided a simpler approach to the interpretation of clay-mineral origins because they are the minerals that were most responsible for statistically significant differences among the samples. Changes in mineral composition were basically a function of parent-rock lithology, drainage, and climate interactions. A Paleo-Climate Index (CI; the ratio of coarsely crystalline kaolinite to Fe-rich smectite), and a Parent-Rock Index (PI; the ratio of the illitic phases and quartz abundances to pure smectite) were established to track the paleo-climate and parent-rock changes, respectively. Low CI values indicated that a long, seasonally dry climate prevailed during the Middle Eocene, uppermost Eocene, Lower Miocene, and Upper Pliocene bentonitic clay deposition. Lowermost Upper Eocene and the Middle Miocene bentonitic clays were produced when a wet climate prevailed throughout the year. Moderate to high PI values suggested derivation of the clays from the acidic basement crystalline rocks at Uweinat-Bir Safsaf uplift and Lower Paleogene shales during the Middle Eocene and lowermost Upper Eocene. The youngest Upper Eocene and Lower Miocene materials contained abundant Fe-smectite and low PIs indicating derivation from tholeiitic basalts. Diagenetic and sedimentary segregation modifications were not apparent. Direct evidence for in situ derivation from volcanic precursor materials was lacking in general, but volcanic eruptions were common in the region. The minerals in the Egyptian bentonitic clays formed as weathering products on land and have been transported by north-flowing streams and rivers to the sites of accumulation.
Redox Chemistry in Two Iron-Bentonite Field Experiments at Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, Sweden: An XRD and Fe K-Edge Xanes Study
Authors: Svensson Per Daniel , Hansen Staffan
Published: April 2014

Excavated bentonite from two large iron-bentonite field experiments at Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory in Sweden was investigated with respect to iron redox chemistry and mineralogy. The iron redox chemistry was studied by Fe K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy and the mineral phases were studied using X-ray diffraction. Bentonite is to be used as a buffer material in high-level radioactive waste repositories to protect the waste containers from their surroundings. Montmorillonite, which is responsible for the sealing properties in the bentonite, is susceptible to redox reactions. A change in the montmorillonite iron redox chemistry may affect its layer charge and hence its properties. The experiments included are the first Alternative Buffer Material test (ABM1) and the Temperature Buffer Test (TBT). The clays were heated to a maximum of ~130°C (ABM1) or ~150°C (TBT) for 2.5 and 7 y, respectively. In the central part of the compacted clay blocks was placed an iron heater and the distance from the heater to the rock was ~10 cm (ABM1) and ~50 cm (TBT), respectively. Eleven different clay materials were included in the ABM1 experiment and five were analyzed here. In the ABM1 experiment, the Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio was increased in several samples from the vicinity of the heater. Kinetic data were collected and showed that most of the Fe(II)-rich samples oxidized rapidly when exposed to atmospheric oxygen. In the TBT experiment the corrosion products were dominated by Fe(III) and no significant increase in Fe(II) was seen. In ABM1, reducing conditions were achieved, at least in parts of the experiment; in TBT, reducing conditions were not achieved. The difference was attributed to the larger scale of the TBT experiment, providing more oxygen after the installation, and to the longer time taken for water saturation; oxidation of the samples during excavation cannot be ruled out. Minor changes in the bentonite mineral phases were found in some cases where direct contact was made with the iron heater but no significant impact on the bentonite performance in high-level radioactive waste applications was expected as a result.
Framework for Achieving Sustainability in Investment Decisions: Reflections on Rio+20
Authors: Emeseh Engobo , Aboah Akua , Barmakhshad Hamideh
Published: April 2014

The quest for environmental protection alongside economic development has been one of the prominent themes of political and legal discourse for several decades. This article examines the extent to which the principle of sustainable development (introduced under the Rio Declaration 1992) as a conceptual framework for balancing these competing goals has been integrated within the international investment law regime. It does this by examining decisions of investment tribunals on disputes relating to the legitimacy of government measures on environmental grounds. The analysis evidenced a lack of clear principles and mechanisms for balanced consideration of all competing interests; with the outcome being generally the subordination of environmental concerns to the protection of investors' economic interests under international investment law. This supports criticism that although sustainable development has become one of society's most sought-after goals, progress towards achieving this has been frustratingly slow. Against this background, the article goes on to determine whether the outcomes from the hugely anticipated Rio+20 Conference provided a framework or mechanisms that could promote sustainability integration in investment arbitrations. The article finds that while the outcome document from the main Rio+20 Conference did not provide such a framework, the Declaration from the Judge's Conference, which was organised by UNEP and held simultaneously in Rio, provided some principles and mechanisms that, if fleshed out, could contribute towards better integration of sustainability in the investment regime.
Immunoglobulin G Measurement in Blood Plasma Using Infrared Spectroscopy
Authors: Hou Siyuan , McClure J. Trenton , Shaw R. Anthony , Riley Christopher B.
Published: April 2014

A rapid, simple, and inexpensive method to measure the immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations in blood samples in human and veterinary medicine is highly desired. Infrared spectroscopy (coupled with chemometric manipulation of spectral data) has the advantages of simple sample preparation, rapid implementation of analysis, and low cost. Here a method that exploits infrared spectroscopy as the basis to measure IgG concentration in animal plasma samples is reported, with radial immunodiffusion (RID) used as the reference test method for partial least squares (PLS) calibration model development. Smoothed non-derivative and the second-order derivative spectra were used to develop calibration models. Various additional spectral preprocessing steps were evaluated to optimize the calibration models, and the possible benefits of using an internal standard (potassium thiocyanate [KSCN]) were investigated. Monte Carlo cross-validation was used to determine the optimal number of PLS factors, and an independent prediction set was used to test the predictive performances of provisional models. The effects of various preprocessing options (spectral smoothing, derivation, normalization, region selection, mean-centering, and standard deviation scaling) on quantification accuracy were investigated. The root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) for different combinations of spectra preprocessing steps was 394 ± 36 mg/dL for the non-derivative spectra and 427 ± 101 mg/dL for the second-order derivative spectra. Immunoglobulin G concentrations produced by the optimized PLS model for the non-derivative spectra (RMSEP = 352 mg/dL) were found to be stable with respect to different splits of the samples among the calibration, validation, and prediction sets. The precision of the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) method is found to be slightly superior to that of the RID method. The results of this work indicate that infrared spectroscopy is a promising technique for economically and rapidly determining the IgG concentrations of plasma and plasma-derived samples.
Derivatization Technique to Increase the Spectral Selectivity of Two-Dimensional Fourier Transform Infrared Focal Plane Array Imaging: Analysis of Binder Composition in Aged Oil and Tempera Paint
Authors: Zumbühl Stefan , Scherrer Nadim C. , Eggenberger Urs
Published: April 2014

The interpretation of standard Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) on oil-based paint samples often suffers from interfering bands of the different compounds, namely, binder, oxidative aging products, carboxylates formed during aging, and several pigments and fillers. The distinction of the aging products such as ketone and carboxylic acid functional groups pose the next problem, as these interfere with the triglyceride esters of the oil. A sample preparation and derivatization technique using gaseous sulfur tetrafluoride (SF4), was thus developed with the aim to discriminate overlapping signals and achieve a signal enhancement on superposed compounds. Of particular interest in this context is the signal elimination of the broad carboxylate bands of the typical reaction products developing during the aging processes in oil-based paints, as well as signal interference originating from several typical pigments in this spectral range. Furthermore, it is possible to distinguish the different carbonyl-containing functional groups upon selective alteration. The derivatization treatment can be applied to both microsamples and polished cross sections. It increases the selectivity of the infrared spectroscopy technique in a fundamental manner and permits the identification and two-dimensional (2D) localization of binder components in aged paint samples at the micrometer scale. The combination of SF4 derivatization with high-resolution 2D FT-IR focal plane array (FPA) imaging delivers considerable advances to the study of micro-morphological processes involving organic compounds.
Globalization, Democracy, and Open Communication: Can We Have All Three?
Authors: Carey James W.
Published: April 2014

This article asks the questions: are the desires for globalization, democracy, and open communication mutually supportive, or are they contradictory? Can we get all three at the same time or does one of the triad have to be sacrificed to the other? The author suggests that there is an inherent contradiction between globalization of movement, communication, and markets and the nation-state; essentially, the contradiction is one between nation-states, globalization, and democracy. The globe is not as yet and perhaps cannot be the site of democratic forms of governance. In the aftermath of September 11, the dream of nonspatial communities where we could live in friendly comity turned out to be an illusion, for the Internet gave rise to communities, old and new, that were lodged in a new dimension of space beyond control or communication. Applying an historical approach to an analysis of the relationship between nation states, communication, and globalization, the author concludes that we are in some ways back where we started, trying to figure out how to live freely, democratically and globally while avoiding the carnage and repression that made, for all the achievements, the 20th century such an ambiguous period in human affairs.
Notions of Progress
Authors: Waite C.
Published: April 2014

The very idea of progress, or lack of it, indicates something about the role machines can play in one’s life. Notions about how technology can be used—to improve, subvert, destroy, extend, or interrogate—reveal the interplay of human and machine. What notion of progress might adequately capture the complex interdependence of human and machine in a way that illuminates our current predicament? To ask whether specific events make things better or worse does not reveal what guides our notion of better and worse, what crucial premises, to quote Robert Nisbet (1979), guide our assumptions. In the 21st century, a notion of progress that captures current experience must in some way address randomness, as well as design. We must think again about past and future, about what it might mean to make progress in a world defined by randomness, characterized by uncertainty—a world rich with possibilities and shadowed by dread.
Exhibiting the Future: New Technology on Public Display
Authors: Barbrook Richard
Published: April 2014

In the modern world, our understanding of the present is often shaped by science fiction fantasies about what is to come. Ironically, the most influential of these visions of the future are already decades old. We are already living in the times when they were supposed to have come true. In this article, the author analyses the origins and evolution of the imaginary future of artificial intelligence in the 1950s and 1960s. By showing that the future is what it used to be, he argues that it is time for us to invent new futures.
Disney’s High School Musical: Music makes the world go ‘round’
Authors: Lustyik Katalin
Published: April 2014

This article examines the Walt Disney Company’s contemporary globalization strategies, primarily focusing on Disney’s customization efforts for the media franchise, High School Musical, in various parts of the world, including the customization of songs and the soundtrack(s); the customization of the marketing and promotional campaign in India and South East Asia; and the customization of the musical itself in Latin-America and China. The article concludes that perhaps for the first time, Disney’s musical-based multimedia global franchises allow the company to customize its brands to appeal even more to teen fans across the world cost-­effectively while further contributing to the standardization and commercialization of children’s mediated cultures worldwide.
Neither here nor there: Consumption of US media among pre-adolescent girls in Ecuador
Authors: Avila-Saavedra Guillermo
Published: April 2014

Through in-depth interview research, this article examines how pre-adolescent Ecuadorian girls who are avid consumers of US media and material culture negotiate their national and gender identities. Exploring media consumption, gender and class in the specific context of Ecuador and its history of mestizaje, this article brings an audience-specific case study to debates concerning cultural imperialism and cultural hybridity in the role of media in Latin America. It argues that middle-class girls in Ecuador engage with American media content in ways that produce a hybrid brand of girlhood – one that illustrates the complexities of postcolonial identities in a globalized media environment.
Relationship between Artemia population dynamics and chlorophyll a fluctuations in Urmia Lake (Iran)
Authors: Dahesht Latif Esmaeili , Mustafayev Qara , Mohebbi Fereidun , Ahmadi Reza
Published: April 2014

Determination of chlorophyll a is one of the most common methods for measuring the primary production in the lakes and sea water. We studied Artemia Leach. dynamics and chlorophyll a fluctuation and their relationship in Urmia Lake. Sampling was performed monthly during one year (2007) at eleven sampling stations in Urmia Lake. Population dynamics analysis of Artemia from Urmia Lake suggested that the highest diversity in various Artemia morphological stages was present from May to July and the highest densities in March. On the other hand, no morphological stages were observed, at all stations in the lake, from January to April. The mean chlorophyll a concentration in Urmia Lake was 0.8 Âµg.L-1, and the highest and the lowest concentrations of chlorophyll a were measured in June and July with 2.53 Âµg.L-1 and 0.1 Âµg.L-1 respectively. According to the Carlson classification Urmia Lake was oligothrophic. Artemia biomass appeared in the mid spring and bloomed in the summer. Generally, there was a negative relationship between Artemia population and chlorophyll a.
Relação entre a estrutura, a estratégia e a arquitetura estratégica como fator de sucesso: um estudo de caso
Authors: Pinto Ricardo Aurélio Q. , Ramos Mário César de , Corso Jansen Maia Del
Published: April 2014

Muitas organizações nascem e morrem todos os anos. Mais de 50% delas sequer completa 3 anos de existência. O objetivo deste estudo é entender como o gerenciamento estratégico de uma organização pode levá-la a sobreviver em um mercado extremamente exigente e competitivo, que costuma não perdoar os erros das pequenas empresas. A estratégia da empresa em estudo a levou a atingir a posição de liderança do seu segmento em apenas 10 anos após sua fundação. Será observado como o gerenciamento do desdobramento da arquitetura estratégica em um planejamento estratégico composto de um conjunto bem coordenado e flexível de práticas e procedimentos que permearam toda a corporação, permitiu que a empresa mantivesse o passo de crescimento acelerado que a marcou até o momento. Apesar das limitações desta pesquisa, no que tange sua abrangência, as idéias básicas poderão ser extrapoladas para outras organizações, sem o risco de incorrer-se em erro teórico. O método de pesquisa adotado é o estudo de caso único, descritivo, com pesquisa estruturada; as conclusões são baseadas em análise qualitativa.
Transferência de tecnologia aplicada ao gerenciamento de risco logístico
Authors: Picinin Claudia Tania , Kovaleski João Luiz
Published: April 2014

Este artigo visa explicar as formas de transferência de tecnologia no gerenciamento de risco logístico, sendo este o principal objetivo. O desenvolvimento de um planejamento estratégico para uma área isolada da empresa depende de informações no negócio da empresa no âmbito geral. O problema de pesquisa delimita-se em relatar as formas de transferência de tecnologia para o segmento logístico. O gerenciamento de risco é utilizado para administrar riscos reais e potencias para o negócio da empresa, bens materiais e vidas envolvidas, o gerenciador dos riscos deve estar informado de todos os processos decorrentes do planejamento estratégico do gerenciamento. Justifica-se a importância da pesquisa devida a necessidade de transferência de informação ao gerenciador de risco para que o processo seja seguro. O referencial teórico aborda o gerenciamento de risco logístico e suas fases, transferência de tecnologia, e análise da empresa avaliada, reportando-se a autores como Lima, Reis, Ribeiro, Santos e Vasconcelos.
Seleção de técnicas de manutenção para processo de armazenagem através do Método de Análise Hierárquica
Authors: Ramos Filho Jaime André , Atamanczuk Mauricio João , Martins Marçal Rui Francisco
Published: April 2014

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo selecionar técnicas de manutenção adequadas ao processo de armazenagem de grãos, mais especificamente soja, segundo seus sistemas e respectivas características através do Método de Análise Hierárquica - MAH. Figuraram como alternativas as técnicas de manutenção: corretiva, preventiva, baseada na condição e preditiva. Por sua vez como parâmetros de análise foram utilizados: segurança, produtividade, qualidade, freqüência do problema, taxa de ocupação e mantenabilidade. Os sistemas avaliados que fazem parte do processo de armazenagem foram: recebimento, limpeza, secagem, ensilagem, carregamento. Concluiu que a técnica mais adequada para todo processo é a preditiva, uma vez que suas características prevaleceram. Porém, é prática inviável a utilização da técnica preditiva em todo processo, assim, argumentou-se sobre o uso das técnicas de manutenção preventiva e baseada na condição.
Definição de portifólio de projetos de investimentos em uma empresa usando análise multicriterial – non - traditional capital investiment criteria – e programação linear
Authors: De Souza Joana Siqueira , Kliemann Neto Francisco José , Filomena Tiago Pascoal
Published: April 2014

A definição de um portfólio de projetos de investimentos é um processo de vital importância para uma organização, pois envolve o orçamento de capital da empresa na busca de um conjunto de projetos que traga rentabilidade, perpetuidade, além de ter ligação direta com os objetivos estratégicos traçados. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar um modelo prático para a definição de portfólio de projetos de investimentos fazendo uso de métodos tradicionais de análise de investimentos como o Valor Presente Líquido (VPL) e incorporando atributos qualitativos da análise através do método de análise multicriterial chamado Non-Traditional Capital Investment Criteria. A otimização do portfólio de projetos foi feita a partir de programação linear. Restrições orçamentárias, impostas pelo mercado e pela capacidade disponível, também foram consideradas. O modelo proposto foi validado em uma empresa do ramo automotivo, gerando informações suficientes para apoiar a tomada de decisão da organização quanto aos projetos a serem implementados no período de um ano.
Relação entre estrutura para a melhoria contínua e desempenho e estrutura organizacional
Authors: Oprime Pedro Carlos , Lizarelli Fabiane Letícia
Published: April 2014

O objetivo geral deste artigo é analisar a relação entre a estrutura organizacional (design) para a melhoria contínua e o desempenho das empresas. Tendo por referência um conjunto de variáveis organizacionais, um grupo de empresas amostradas aleatoriamente foi classificado em quatro clusters com diferentes níveis de habilidades para a melhoria contínua. Com base nesse resultado foi possível identificar os comportamentos/habilidades que mais dissimilam os grupos de empresas, bem como a relação entre as habilidades organizacionais e o desempenho das empresas. Outra relação estabelecida foi entre os comportamentos/habilidades organizacionais para a MC e os sistemas de produção predominante. O método de pesquisa aplicado foi o estudo de campo através de survey e estudos de caso.  Análises estatísticas multivariada indicaram correspondência entre a estrutura organizacional, desempenho e sistemas de produção. Testes de significância estatística mostraram que o grupo de empresas com melhores habilidades para a MC obteve melhores desempenhos, e que empresas com um sistema de produção contínua/ seriada estão mais avanças nas atividades de melhoria contínua que empresas que possuem processos intermitentes.
O trabalho dos músicos: análise das queixas musculoesqueléticas e suas relações com a prática instrumental
Authors: Teixeira Clarissa Stefani , Kothe Fausto , Pereira Érico Felden , Gontijo Leila Amaral , Merino Eugenio Andrés Díaz
Published: April 2014

Os acometimentos musculoesqueléticos estão presentes na profissão dos músicos. Muitas vezes, as queixas de dor e desconforto são relacionadas aos afastamentos das atividades instrumentais. Porém, essas associações ainda não são esclarecidas pela literatura, principalmente em âmbito nacional. Logo, o presente estudo buscou analisar as associações entre as queixas musculoesqueléticas e os afastamentos em função dessas queixas em músicos de orquestra. O estudo foi realizado com 20 músicos de uma orquestra da região Sul do Brasil. Os instrumentistas responderam ao questionário Nórdico e a um questionário com perguntas abertas que identificou os aspectos sociodemográficos, de saúde e de trabalho. Os aspectos foram associados às queixas musculoesqueléticas nos últimos 12 meses, 7 dias e aos afastamentos da profissão em função das queixas. Os resultados ilustram relações moderadas entre a idade, gênero, tempo e freqüência de prática instrumental com as queixas musculoesqueléticas relatadas pelos músicos. Além disso, o tipo de instrumento tocado também está relacionado às queixas, sendo os músicos de cordas aqueles com maiores tendências de ter queixas.