bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of Literacy Programs Balancing Reading and Writing Instruction: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Graham Steve , Liu Xinghua , Aitken Angelique , Ng Clarence , Bartlett Brendan , Harris Karen R. , Holzapfel Jennifer
Published: June 2017

Reading and writing are critical to students’ success in and outside of school. Because they draw on common sources of knowledge and cognitive processes, involve meaning making, and can be used conjointly to accomplish important learning goals, it is often recommended that reading and writing should be taught together. This meta‐analysis tested this proposition by examining experimental intervention studies with preschool through high school students to determine whether literacy programs balancing reading and writing instruction strengthen students’ reading and writing performance. To be included in this review, no more than 60% of instruction could be devoted to either reading or writing. As predicted, these programs improved students’ reading, resulting in statistically significant effects when reading measures were averaged in each study (effect size [ES] = .39) or assessed through measures of reading comprehension (ES= .39), decoding (ES= .53), or reading vocabulary (ES= .35). The programs also statistically enhanced writing when measures were averaged in each study (ES= .37) or assessed via writing quality (ES= .47), writing mechanics (ES= .18), or writing output (ES= .69). These findings demonstrated that literacy programs balancing reading and writing instruction can strengthen reading and writing and that the two skills can be learned together profitably.
Luminescence of a Transition Metal Complex Inside a Metamaterial Nanocavity
Authors: Connell Timothy U. , Earl Stuart K. , Ng Charlene , Roberts Ann , Davis Timothy J. , White Jonathan M. , Polyzos Anastasios , Gómez Daniel E.
Published: June 2017

Modification of the local density of optical states using metallic nanostructures leads to enhancement in the number of emitted quanta and photocatalytic turnover of luminescent materials. In this work, the fabrication of a metamaterial is presented that consists of a nanowire separated from a metallic mirror by a polymer thin film doped with a luminescent organometallic iridium(III) complex. The large spin–orbit coupling of the heavy metal atom results in an excited state with significant magnetic‐dipole character. The nanostructured architecture supports two distinct optical modes and their assignment achieved with the assistance of numerical simulations. The simulations show that one mode is characterized by strong confinement of the electric field and the other by strong confinement of the magnetic field. These modes elicit drastic changes in the emitter's photophysical properties, including dominant nanocavity‐derived modes observable in the emission spectra along with significant increases in emission intensity and the total decay rate. A combination of simulations and momentum‐resolved spectroscopy helps explain the mechanism of the different interactions of each optical mode supported by the metamaterial with the excited state of the emitter.
Attitudes and opinions of Italian middle-level elites in the new millennium. Adaptation, innovation, or persistence?
Authors: Bordandini Paola , Mulé Rosa
Published: June 2017

The literature on party politics has generally conceived of party change as party adaptation. Building on the theories of institutional change based on critical juncture analysis, our work contributes to the literature in two ways. Theoretically, by unpacking the concept of party change in three dimensions: adaptation, innovation, and persistence. This multidimensionality has been unduly neglected in the literature, too exclusively focussed on party adaptation. Empirically, the article analyses whether the attitudes and opinions of middle-level elites reveal adaptation, innovation, or persistence in their belief system at the beginning of the third millennium. Drawing upon a unique data set of national party delegates of 15 Italian political parties, regression results suggest that high entry barriers in party organizations may hinder Schumpeterian innovation.
Optimal bulking threshold of batch service queues
Authors: Zeng Yun , Xia Cathy Honghui
Published: June 2017

Batch service has a wide application in manufacturing, communication networks, and cloud computing. In batch service queues with limited resources, one critical issue is to properly schedule the service so as to ensure the quality of service. In this paper we consider an M/G[a,b]/1/N batch service queue with bulking threshold a, max service capacity b, and buffer capacity N, where N can be finite or infinite. Through renewal theory, busy period analysis and decomposition techniques, we demonstrate explicitly how the bulking threshold influences the system performance such as the mean waiting time and time-averaged number of loss customers in batch service queues. We then establish a necessary and sufficient condition on the optimal bulking threshold that minimizes the expected waiting time. Enabled by this condition, we propose a simple algorithm which guarantees to find the optimal threshold in polynomial time. The performance of the algorithm is also demonstrated by numerical examples.
Everybody needs sphingolipids, right! Mining for new drug targets in protozoan sphingolipid biosynthesis
Authors: MINA JOHN G. M. , DENNY P. W.
Published: June 2017

Sphingolipids (SLs) are an integral part of all eukaryotic cellular membranes. In addition, they have indispensable functions as signalling molecules controlling a myriad of cellular events. Disruption of either the de novo synthesis or the degradation pathways has been shown to have detrimental effects. The earlier identification of selective inhibitors of fungal SL biosynthesis promised potent broad-spectrum anti-fungal agents, which later encouraged testing some of those agents against protozoan parasites. In this review we focus on the key enzymes of the SL de novo biosynthetic pathway in protozoan parasites of the Apicomplexa and Kinetoplastidae, outlining the divergence and interconnection between host and pathogen metabolism. The druggability of the SL biosynthesis is considered, alongside recent technology advances that will enable the dissection and analyses of this pathway in the parasitic protozoa. The future impact of these advances for the development of new therapeutics for both globally threatening and neglected infectious diseases is potentially profound.
Routine hospital management of self-harm and risk of further self-harm: propensity score analysis using record-based cohort data
Authors: Steeg S. , Emsley R. , Carr M. , Cooper J. , Kapur N.
Published: June 2017

Background

The care received by people presenting to hospital following self-harm varies and it is unclear how different types of treatment affect risk of further self-harm.

Method

Observational cohort data from the Manchester Self-Harm Project, UK, included 16 456 individuals presenting to an Emergency Department with self-harm between 2003 and 2011. Individuals were followed up for 12 months. We also used data from a smaller cohort of individuals presenting to 31 hospitals in England during a 3-month period in 2010/2011, followed up for 6 months. Propensity score (PS) methods were used to address observed confounding. Missing data were imputed using multiple imputation.

Results

Following PS stratification, those who received a psychosocial assessment had a lower risk of repeat hospital attendance for self-harm than those who were not assessed [RR 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80–0.95]. The risk was reduced most among people less likely to be assessed. Following PS matching, we found no associations between risks of repeat self-harm and admission to a medical bed, referral to outpatient psychiatry or admission to a psychiatric bed. We did not find a relationship between psychosocial assessment and repeat self-harm in the 31 centre cohort.

Conclusions

This study shows the potential value of using novel statistical techniques in large mental health datasets to estimate treatment effects. We found that specialist psychosocial assessment may reduce the risk of repeat self-harm. This type of routine care should be provided for all individuals who present to hospital after self-harm, regardless of perceived risk.
Occult HIV infection in a large sample of health-care users in Lombardy, Italy in 2014–2015: implications for control strategies
Authors: SCUDELLER L. , GENCO F. , BALDANTI F. , COMOLLI G. , ALBONICO G. , PRESTIA M. , MERONI V.
Published: June 2017

We estimated the number of people unaware of their human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in our province, Pavia (population 540 000) in Lombardy, Italy, by means of anonymous unlinked testing of 10 044 serum/plasma samples residual from clinical analyses at the outpatient clinic of Policlinico San Matteo in 2014 and 2015. Ethical and legal approval was obtained prior to study start. Samples were irreversibly anonymised, only retaining gender and 5-year age class. Five sample pools were tested for HIV using LIAISON® XL MUREX HIV Ab/Ag (DiaSorin, Saluggia, Italy). If the pool tested positive, individual samples underwent confirmatory tests, Innotest HIV Antigen mAb (Fujirebio Europe, Gent, Belgium) and HIV BLOT 2·2 (MP Diagnostics, Singapore). Among the 10 044 samples processed, eight were confirmed positive (0·08%, 95% confidence interval 0·03–0·16%), all were males and age was >50 in 3 (37·5%). If projected to the entire population of the Pavia province, this would result in approximately 1000 people unaware of their HIV infection, with age older than expected. In Italy, HIV testing is voluntary, universally free-of-charge and (upon request) anonymous. Nevertheless, this study demonstrates that it is suboptimally employed, and that new strategies and population-level actions will be needed to achieve better implementation of HIV testing and HIV control in our province.
Development and evaluation of the Dutch Healthy Diet index 2015
Authors: Looman Moniek , Feskens Edith JM , de Rijk Mariëlle , Meijboom Saskia , Biesbroek Sander , Temme Elisabeth HM , de Vries Jeanne , Geelen Anouk
Published: June 2017

Objective

To update the Dutch Healthy Diet index, a measure of diet quality, to reflect adherence to the Dutch dietary guidelines 2015 and to evaluate against participants’ characteristics and nutrient intakes with the score based on 24 h recall (24 hR) data and FFQ data.

Design

The Dutch Healthy Diet index 2015 (DHD15-index) consists of fifteen components representing the fifteen food-based Dutch dietary guidelines of 2015. Per component the score ranges between 0 and 10, resulting in a total score between 0 (no adherence) and 150 (complete adherence).

Setting

Wageningen area, the Netherlands, 2011–2013.

Subjects

Data of 885 men and women, aged 20–70 years, participating in the longitudinal NQplus study, who filled out two 24 hR and one FFQ, were used.

Results

Mean (sd) score of the DHD15-index was 68·7 (16·1) for men and 79·4 (16·0) for women. Significant inverse trends were found between the DHD15-index and BMI, smoking, and intakes of energy, total fat and saturated fat. Positive trends were seen across sex-specific quintiles of the DHD15-index score with energy-adjusted micronutrient intakes. Mean DHD15-index score of the FFQ data was 15·5 points higher compared with 24 hR data, with a correlation coefficient of 0·56 between the scores. Observed trends of the DHD15-index based on FFQ with participant characteristics, macronutrient and energy-adjusted micronutrient intakes were similar to those with the DHD15-index based on 24 hR.

Conclusions

The DHD15-index score assesses adherence to the Dutch dietary guidelines 2015 and indicates diet quality. The DHD15-index score can be based on 24 hR data and on FFQ data.
Organic food consumption during pregnancy and its association with health-related characteristics: the KOALA Birth Cohort Study
Authors: Simões-Wüst Ana Paula , Moltó-Puigmartí Carolina , Jansen Eugene HJM , van Dongen Martien CJM , Dagnelie Pieter C , Thijs Carel
Published: June 2017

Objective

To investigate the associations of organic food consumption with maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, hypertension and diabetes in pregnancy, and several blood biomarkers of pregnant women.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Pregnant women were recruited at midwives’ practices and through channels related to consumption of food from organic origin.

Subjects

Pregnant women who filled in FFQ and donated a blood sample (n 1339). Participant groups were defined based on the share of consumed organic products; to discriminate between effects of food origin and food patterns, healthy diet indicators were considered in some statistical models.

Results

Consumption of organic food was associated with a more favourable pre-pregnancy BMI and lower prevalence of gestational diabetes. Compared with participants consuming no organic food (reference group), a marker of dairy products intake (pentadecanoic acid) and trans-fatty acids from natural origin (vaccenic and rumenic acids) were higher among participants consuming organic food (organic groups), whereas elaidic acid, a marker of the intake of trans-fatty acids found in industrially hydrogenated fats, was lower. Plasma levels of homocysteine and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were lower in the organic groups than in the reference group. Differences in pentadecanoic acid, vaccenic acid and vitamin D retained statistical significance when correcting for indicators of the healthy diet pattern associated with the consumption of organic food.

Conclusions

Consumption of organic food during pregnancy is associated with several health-related characteristics and blood biomarkers. Part of the observed associations is explained by food patterns accompanying the consumption of organic food.
Response of a Multiple-Resistant Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) Population to Four HPPD-Inhibiting Herbicides Applied Alone and with Atrazine
Authors: Kohrt Jonathon R. , Sprague Christy L.
Published: June 2017

Control of multiple-resistant Palmer amaranth populations in corn will rely heavily on the use of POST 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting herbicides. Therefore, field and greenhouse experiments were conducted to: (1) evaluate Palmer amaranth control with four HPPD inhibitors alone and in combination with atrazine at two application timings and (2) investigate the joint activity of HPPD-inhibiting herbicides and atrazine in atrazine-resistant (AR) and atrazine-susceptible (AS) Palmer amaranth populations. Control of the AR Palmer amaranth population varied among the HPPD-inhibiting herbicides with tolpyralate>tembotrione=topramezone>mesotrione based on GR50values in the greenhouse. In the field, Palmer amaranth control was lower when the HPPD-inhibiting herbicides, with the exception of tolpyralate, were applied to 15- vs. 8-cm-tall Palmer amaranth. Tolpyralate controlled Palmer amaranth ≥95% at both application timings. The addition of atrazine (560 g ai ha−1) improved Palmer amaranth control with mesotrione and topramezone at the 8-cm application timing and with mesotrione and tembotrione at the 15-cm application timing. In the greenhouse, joint activity of mesotrione and atrazine and tembotrione and atrazine was synergistic with both the AR and AS Palmer amaranth populations. In the AR population, an additional 980 g ai ha−1of atrazine (8X) was needed to cause a synergistic response compared with the AS population. Synergistic responses with mesotrione were detected with all atrazine rates for the AS population and for atrazine rates ranging from 280 to 2,240 g ai ha−1for the AR population. Only additive responses were observed when atrazine was applied with tolpyralate and topramezone, indicating that joint activity in the form of synergism occurs more readily with the triketones compared with the benzopyrazoles. When faced with an AR Palmer amaranth population, the addition of atrazine to HPPD inhibitors may increase the overall success of weed management due to joint activity.
Imaging quasiperiodic electronic states in a synthetic Penrose tiling
Authors: Collins Laura C. , Witte Thomas G. , Silverman Rochelle , Green David B. , Gomes Kenjiro K.
Published: June 2017

Quasicrystals possess long-range order but lack the translational symmetry of crystalline solids. In solid state physics, periodicity is one of the fundamental properties that prescribes the electronic band structure in crystals. In the absence of periodicity and the presence of quasicrystalline order, the ways that electronic states change remain a mystery. Scanning tunnelling microscopy and atomic manipulation can be used to assemble a two-dimensional quasicrystalline structure mapped upon the Penrose tiling. Here, carbon monoxide molecules are arranged on the surface of Cu(111) one at a time to form the potential landscape that mimics the ionic potential of atoms in natural materials by constraining the electrons in the two-dimensional surface state of Cu(111). The real-space images reveal the presence of the quasiperiodic order in the electronic wave functions and the Fourier analysis of our results links the energy of the resonant states to the local vertex structure of the quasicrystal.
The gender difference and mortality-to-incidence ratio relate to health care disparities in bladder cancer: National estimates from 33 countries
Authors: Wang Shao-Chuan , Sung Wen-Wei , Kao Yu-Lin , Hsieh Tzuo-Yi , Chen Wen-Jung , Chen Sung-Lang , Chang Horng-Rong
Published: June 2017

The variation in the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) between countries and genders reflects the complex etiology and intervention of bladder cancer. In this study, we investigated the MIR variation between genders and health care disparities among countries. Cancer incidence and mortality were obtained from the GLOBOCAN 2012 database. The ranking and the total expenditure on health of countries were obtained from the World Health Organization. Linear regression was used to estimate the significance between variables. We estimated the role of MIRs from 33 countries. Bladder cancer incidence and mortality rates were higher in more developed regions, Europe, and the Americas. The MIRs were higher in less developed regions. Analysis according to country revealed Germany to have the lowest MIR. High relative MIRs (female MIR/male MIR) for bladder cancer were noted in many developed countries. A correlation between MIR and health care disparities among countries was indicated by a significant association between the World Health Organization ranking and total expenditure on health/GDP with the MIR and relative MIR. Low bladder cancer MIR is prone to be more prevalent in countries with good health care system.
The life-course impact of smoking on hypertension, myocardial infarction and respiratory diseases
Authors: Gao Kaiye , Shi Xin , Wang Wenbin
Published: June 2017

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of smoking on respiratory diseases, hypertension and myocardial infarction, with a particular focus from a life-course perspective. In this study, 28,577 males from a Chinese longitudinal survey were analysed. The effects of smoking on the risk of respiratory diseases, hypertension and myocardial infarction were assessed from a life-course perspective and a current view separately. No significant associations were found between smoking and the risk of incident respiratory diseases, hypertension and myocardial infarction in the group younger than 35. Among study participants aged between 36–55 and 56–80, smoking was positively associated with the risk of incident respiratory diseases, hypertension and myocardial infarction from the life-course perspective, and the risk increased with age. In contrast, the results from a current view showed inverse associations between smoking and the risk of the diseases mentioned above. Our findings highlight that it is essential to quantify the effects of smoking from a life-course perspective in future research and to suggest that smokers quit smoking as soon as possible, regardless of the temporary side effects of quitting.
Improving bioassay sensitivity through immobilization of bio-probes onto reactive micelles
Authors: Jiménez-Sánchez Gloria , Terrat Céline , Verrier Bernard , Gigmes Didier , Trimaille Thomas
Published: June 2017

We report a straightforward approach based on reactive copolymer micelles to improve bioassay sensitivity through enhanced probe accessibility.
Real-time activity monitoring of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 in living bacterial cells by UV-Vis spectroscopy
Authors: Yang Ke-Wu , Zhou Yajun , Ge Ying , Zhang Yuejuan
Published: June 2017

A novel UV-Vis method for monitoring the reactions of the β-lactam antibiotics inside living bacterial cells.
ESIPT-active organic compounds with white luminescence based on crystallization-induced keto emission (CIKE)
Authors: Liu Huapeng , Cheng Xiao , Zhang Houyu , Wang Yue , Zhang Hongyu , Yamaguchi Shigehiro
Published: June 2017

Crystalline-induced keto emissions (CIKE) endow structurally simple organic compounds with bright white luminescence.
Catalyst-free N-formylation of amines using BH3NH3 and CO2 under mild conditions
Authors: Zhao Tian-Xiang , Zhai Gao-Wen , Liang Jian , Li Ping , Hu Xing-Bang , Wu You-Ting
Published: June 2017

Formamides were produced by the catalyst-free N-formylation of amines using CO2 as the C1 source and BH3NH3 as the reductant under mild conditions in good to excellent yields.
New PCBM/carbon based electron transport layer for perovskite solar cells
Authors: Mamun Abdullah Al , Ava Tanzila Tasnim , Zhang Kai , Baumgart Helmut , Namkoong Gon
Published: June 2017

Perovskite solar cells with PCBM/C60 showed a power conversion efficiency of 14% while perovskite solar cells with PCBM/carbon increased to 16%.
The role of non-covalent interactions in the self-healing mechanism of disulfide-based polymers
Authors: Formoso Elena , Asua José M. , Matxain Jon M. , Ruipérez Fernando
Published: June 2017

We have established a theoretical protocol with the aim of predicting the self-healing capacity of disulfides and related materials.
Theory of 2D crystals: graphene and beyond
Authors: Roldán Rafael , Chirolli Luca , Prada Elsa , Silva-Guillén Jose Angel , San-Jose Pablo , Guinea Francisco
Published: June 2017

This tutorial review presents an overview of the basic theoretical aspects of two-dimensional (2D) crystals.
Chalcogen bonding in synthesis, catalysis and design of materials
Authors: Mahmudov Kamran T. , Kopylovich Maximilian N. , Guedes da Silva M. Fátima C. , Pombeiro Armando J. L.
Published: June 2017

This Perspective highlights the use of chalcogen bonding as a versatile synthon for the synthesis, catalysis and construction of both organic and inorganic materials.
Chemically recyclable polymers: a circular economy approach to sustainability
Authors: Hong Miao , Chen Eugene Y.-X.
Published: June 2017

Developing recyclable polymers provides a solution to materials' end-of-life issues and also an approach to establish a circular materials economy.
Production of levoglucosenone and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from cellulose in polar aprotic solvent–water mixtures
Authors: He Jiayue , Liu Mingjie , Huang Kefeng , Walker Theodore W. , Maravelias Christos T. , Dumesic James A. , Huber George W.
Published: June 2017

We demonstrate a process to produce levoglucosenone (LGO) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from cellulose in up to 65% carbon yield using H2SO4as catalyst and a solvent consisting of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and H2O.
A new turn-on benzimidazole-based greenish-yellow fluorescent sensor for Zn2+ions at biological pH applicable in cell imaging
Authors: Maji Abhishek , Pal Siddhartha , Lohar Somenath , Mukhopadhyay Subhra Kanti , Chattopadhyay Pabitra
Published: June 2017

A newly designed and structurally characterized non-cytotoxic benzimidazole containing quinazoline derivative (HL) acts as a ‘turn-on’ greenish-yellow fluorescent sensor selective for Zn2+ions at as low as 39.91 nM in 5 mM HEPES buffer (DMSO/water: 1/5, v/v) at biological pH.
Condition assessment of various regions within non‐uniformly aged cellulosic insulation of power transformer using modified Debye model
Authors: Verma Hari Charan , Baral Arijit , Pradhan Arpan K. , Chakravorti Sivaji
Published: June 2017

During normal operation, power transformer insulation always experiences a temperature gradient along radial direction with respect to core axis. Over time, this gradient creates non‐uniform ageing within cellulosic insulation. Recent development such as Modified Debye Model (MDM) is found to be capable of modelling such non‐uniformity. Owing to non‐uniform ageing, measured tan δ value only provides the average of dielectric loss associated with various regions within the insulation. Researchers have observed tan δ value to be quite high (due to conductive ageing by‐products) in heavily degraded areas such as regions closer to winding. Also, the rate of deterioration of various regions within the insulation cannot be assumed to be constant. In fact, rate of degradation for regions with comparatively high tan δ values are expected to be much higher. tan δ measurement fails to assess the individual condition of different regions. A technique, based on MDM, is introduced in the present work that can identify the change in ageing severity of various regions within a non‐uniformly aged insulation between two consecutive testing. The proposed method is first successfully tested on multiple series connected laboratory samples. Thereafter, the methodology is applied to data recorded from real life power transformer.
Brugada Syndrome and Exercise Practice: Current Knowledge, Shortcomings and Open Questions
Authors: Mascia Giuseppe , Arbelo Elena , Hernandez-Ojeda James , Solimene Francesco , Brugada Ramon , Brugada Josep
Published: June 2017

Since its recognition as a clinical entity in 1992, the Brugada Syndrome (BrS), a hereditary disease characterized by a typical electrocardiogram (ECG) pattern potentially predisposing to sudden cardiac death (SCD), has attracted the attention of many physicians for its circadian pattern of ventricular arrhythmias (VA), mostly occurring at rest. Exercise may potentially worsen the ECG abnormalities in BrS patients, resulting in higher peak J-point amplitudes during the vasovagal reaction of the recovery period, possibly leading to an increased risk of cardiac events. Moreover, the enhanced vagal tone in athletes could be both a BrS risk factor and an exercise effect. Therefore, the true risk of a BrS patient during exercise is still unclear. This review summarizes current knowledge, shortcomings and open questions on BrS and exercise. The paper, in particular, underlines specific considerations including BrS diagnostic criteria and differential diagnosis in athletes, the genetic basis, the autonomic imbalance during exercise practice and the recommendations for athletic participation in this patient group.
Self-assembly and molecular packing in cholesteryl esters at interfaces
Authors: Sarkar Arup , Suresh K. A.
Published: June 2017

To understand the self-assembly and molecular packing in cholesteryl esters relevant to biological processes, we have studied them at the air-water and air-solid interfaces. Our phase and thickness studies employing imaging ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy along with surface manometry show that the molecular packing of cholesteryl esters at interfaces can be related to Craven’s model of packing, given for bulk. At the air-water interface, following Craven’s model, cholesteryl nonanoate and cholesteryl laurate exhibit a fluidic bilayer phase. Interestingly, we find the fluidic bilayer phase of cholesteryl laurate to be unstable and it switches to a crystalline bilayer phase. However, according to Craven, only cholesteryl esters with longer chain lengths starting from cholesteryl tridecanoate should show the crystalline bilayer phase. The thickness behavior of different phases was also studied by transferring the films onto a silicon substrate by using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Texture studies show that cholesterol, cholesteryl acetate, cholesteryl nonanoate, cholesteryl laurate, and cholesteryl myristate exhibit homogeneous films with large size domains, whereas cholesteryl palmitate and cholesteryl stearate exhibit less homogeneous films with smaller size domains. We suggest that such an assembly of molecules can be related to their molecular structures. Simulation studies may confirm such a relation.
High resolution quantum cascade laser spectroscopy of the simplest Criegee intermediate, CH2OO, between 1273 cm−1 and 1290 cm−1
Authors: Chang Yuan-Pin , Merer Anthony J. , Chang Hsun-Hui , Jhang Li-Ji , Chao Wen , Lin Jim Jr-Min
Published: June 2017

The region 1273–1290 cm−1 of the ν4 fundamental of the simplest Criegee intermediate, CH2OO, has been measured using a quantum cascade laser transient absorption spectrometer, which offers greater sensitivity and spectral resolution (<0.004 cm−1) than previous works based on thermal light sources. Gas phase CH2OO was generated from the reaction of CH2I + O2 at 298 K and 4 Torr. The analysis of the absorption spectrum has provided precise values for the vibrational frequency and the rotational constants, with fitting errors of a few MHz. The determined ratios of the rotational constants, A′/A″ = 0.9986, B′/B″ = 0.9974, and C′/C″ = 1.0010, and the relative intensities of the a- and b-type transitions, 90:10, are in good agreement with literature values from a theoretical calculation using the MULTIMODE approach, based on a high-level ab initio potential energy surface. The low-K (=Ka) lines can be fitted extremely well, but rotational perturbations by other vibrational modes disrupt the structure for K = 4 and K ≥ 6. Not only the spectral resolution but also the detection sensitivity of CH2OO IR transitions has been greatly improved in this work, allowing for unambiguous monitoring of CH2OO in kinetic studies at low concentrations.
Plasmonic nanochannel structure for narrow-band selective thermal emitter
Authors: Wang Zhiyu , Clark J. Kenji , Huang Li-Chung , Ho Ya-Lun , Delaunay Jean-Jacques
Published: June 2017

A plasmonic structure consisting of a periodic arrangement of vertical silicon nanochannels connected by U-shaped gold layers is demonstrated as a spectrally selective thermal emitter. The plasmonic nanochannel structure sustains a coupled mode between a surface plasmon polariton and a stationary surface plasmon resonance, which induces a strong and sharp resonance observed in the form of a reflectance dip in the far field. Upon heating the structure, a strong and narrow-bandwidth thermal emittance peak is observed with a maximum emittance value of 0.72 and a full-width-at-half-maximum of 248 nm at a wavelength of 5.66 μm, which corresponds to the reflectance dip wavelength. Moreover, we demonstrate the control of the emission peak wavelength by varying the period of the structure. The plasmonic nanochannel structure realizes a small-size and selective infrared thermal emitter, which is expected to be applicable as an infrared light source.
Realization of solution-processed semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes thin film transistors with atomic layer deposited ZrAlOx gate insulator
Authors: Huang Chuan-Xin , Li Jun , Zhong De-Yao , Zhao Cheng-Yu , Zhang Jian-Hua , Jiang Xue-Yin , Zhang Zhi-Lin
Published: June 2017

In this study, the semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube (semi-SWCNT) thin film transistors (TFTs) with high dielectric constant (κ) atomic layer deposited ZrAlOx gate insulator are fabricated by the drop-casted method. The hysteresis characteristic, negative gate voltage stress stability, and thermal stability are studied, and the semi-SWCNT TFTs with ZrAlOx gate insulators show a small hysteresis of 0.2 V, a little threshold voltage shift of 2.5 V under the negative gate voltage stress, and a threshold voltage shift of 2 V under the thermal stress. Such advantages are due to the amorphous structure and smooth surface of the atomic layer deposited ZrAlOx gate insulator, which induces less trap states. In addition, the thermal stress stability of semi-SWCNT TFTs is investigated. It is found that the behavior of semi-SWCNT TFTs under thermal stress obeys the thermally activated hopping model obviously. This model explains the threshold voltage shift of the device under thermal stress, which is very reasonable.
Notch1 maintains dormancy of olfactory horizontal basal cells, a reserve neural stem cell
Authors: Herrick Daniel B. , Lin Brian , Peterson Jesse , Schnittke Nikolai , Schwob James E.
Published: June 2017

Significance

Self-renewing tissues require both facultative and injury-activated reserve stem cells to maintain integrity. Horizontal basal cells (HBCs), dormant reserve stem cells of the olfactory epithelium, are roused when tissue damage leads to the suppression of the transcription factor ΔNp63, and regenerate all epithelial cell types, including sensory neurons. We show that the targeted death of the sustentacular cells, but not of neurons, leads to activation. Signaling via Notch1 receptors, possibly driven by Jagged1 on sustentacular cells, holds HBCs dormant by maintaining
p63
expression; Notch 2 does not regulate
p63
here. In contrast,
p63
is suppressed by Notch signaling in skin and other tissues. Understanding p63 regulation in olfactory epithelium may inform efforts to alleviate the age-related decline in olfactory function.
The space for strategic manoeuvring in adjudicating a freedom of speech case in the Netherlands
Authors: Jansen Henrike
Published: June 2017

In this article it is shown that the institutional preconditions of the activity type adjudicating a freedom of speech case leave much room for strategic manoeuvring with topical selection. To this end, an analysis is presented of the argumentation of the District Court in a case against the Dutch anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders. In order to show the space for manoeuvring, this argumentation, resulting in acquittal, is compared with the argumentation put forward by the Court of Appeal, which had ordered, after the Public Prosecution Service’s refusal to do so, that Wilders be prosecuted. The analysis shows that the District Court made ample use of the space for manoeuvring provided at the normative level concerning the interpretation of legal rules and case law, and the space provided at the factual level of classifying the contested facts in light of the previously identified meaning of a rule.
Processing time and comprehensibility judgments in non-native listeners’ perception of L2 speech
Authors: Ludwig Anja , Mora Joan C.
Published: June 2017

This study investigated the relationship between processing time and comprehensibility judgments in non-native listeners’ perception of L2 speech as a function of an L1- match between speaker and listener and non-native listeners’ proficiency. Instructed L2-English learners differing in L1 (Catalan, German) and L2-proficiency (Low, High), and native-English listeners performed speeded speech processing tasks with English word and sentence stimuli spoken by L1-Catalan, L1-German and native English speakers, and rated the sentence stimuli for comprehensibility. The results showed significant moderate correlations between processing times and comprehensibility judgments mediated by an interaction between listeners’ L1 and their L2 proficiency. Non-native English was processed faster and judged to be more comprehensible by non-native listeners if produced by L1-matched speakers. When non-native English was produced by L1-matched speakers, low-proficiency listeners found it easier to process and understand than native English, whereas high-proficiency listeners showed a processing advantage over native English listeners
Individual developmental trajectories in the L2 acquisition of Spanish spirantization
Authors: Nagle Charles L.
Published: June 2017

In Spanish, voiced stops weaken to approximants and display variables degrees of lenition according to the context in which the stop occurs, making them a complex pronunciation feature. Accumulated findings from cross-sectional research on second language (L2) speakers suggests that many L2 learners struggle to produce the approximants even at the most advanced levels of study. The present study offers a new perspective on the approximants by studying individual learners’ production of Spanish [β] over time and across phonetic contexts. Twenty-six English-speaking learners of L2 Spanish recorded two speaking tasks five times over a yearlong period corresponding to their second and third semesters of college-level language instruction. Mixed-effects models were fit to learners’ C:V intensity ratio data to examine development, and stress and task type were included as substantive predictors. Although the group trajectory was flat, many learners displayed substantial change over time, including positive and negative trajectories.
Linguistic landscaping and the assertion of twenty-first century Māori identity
Authors: Johnson Diane
Published: June 2017

The Base, one of New Zealand’s largest retail and commercial centres, is situated approximately 7 km north-west of the central business district of Hamilton, New Zealand’s fourth largest city. It is built on a block of land which was requisitioned by the New Zealand government prior to World War II and used as an Air Force Base during the war. The land was returned to the Waikato-Tainui Māori tribal confederation in 1995 as part of a package of reparations relating to the Crown’s mistreatment of the tribe, including its misappropriation of tribal lands. The research reported here, located theoretically within the domain of critical discourse theory, suggests that the semiotoscape of The Base, including, in particular, its linguistic landscape, plays a role in the formation and assertion of contemporary Māori indigenous identity.
Variation and change in Norwegianwh-questions
Authors: Westergaard Marit , Vangsnes Øystein A. , Lohndal Terje
Published: June 2017

In this paper, we consider variation in Verb Second (V2) word order inwh-questions across Norwegian dialects by investigating data from the Nordic Syntax Database (NSD), which consists of acceptability judgments collected at more than 100 locations in Norway. We trace the geographical distribution of the two main variables: phrasal vs. monosyllabicwh-elements (the latter argued to be heads) and subject vs. non-subject questions. In subject questions, non-V2 is realized by inserting the complementizersomin second position instead of the verb. We also discuss the connection between non-V2 and the possibility of inserting the complementizersomunder extraction of awh-subject from an embedded clause, i.e. inthat-trace contexts. Based on synchronic data, we propose a diachronic account of the geographical distribution and argue that the development from V2 to non-V2 has started in subject questions, thus allowing us to relate the loss of the V2 requirement to changes in the properties of the complementizersom.
How bare are bare quantifiers?
Authors: Garzonio Jacopo , Poletto Cecilia
Published: June 2017

In this article we analyze the internal structure of bare universal and negative quantifiers in Italian varieties, taking into consideration both synchronic and diachronic variation. It is proposed that bare quantifiers are not standard QPs with a null DP restrictor, but deficient items where the Q-portion is paired with a classifier expressing the [+/− human]-feature, more specifically a special type of light noun. Items of this type are overtly realized in languages like English and in some Italian varieties. The overt realization of these items appears to be related to the surface position of the QP, as is crucially shown by some varieties that allow both variants. The paper also discusses some cases where these classifiers are still lexically ambiguous between a full noun and a light noun.
Effects of Danger, Usefulness, and Body-Object Interaction in picture naming
Authors: Van Havermaet Lisa R. , Wurm Lee H.
Published: June 2017

Several previous studies have shown that the time-course of word recognition is determined in part by an interaction between connotations of Danger and Usefulness. A small, mostly separate literature has investigated the role of Body-Object Interaction (BOI) in lexical processing. BOI is defined as the ease with which one can interact with an object. To date the lexical decision study of Van Havermaet and Wurm (2014) is the only study to include all three of these constructs. Stimuli in the current study were black-and-white line drawings corresponding to the common nouns used by Van Havermaet and Wurm (2014). Participants viewed the stimuli one at a time in a random order and had to name them as quickly as possible. Naming times revealed a significant three-way interaction between Danger, Usefulness, and BOI similar to that found for visual lexical decision: The familiar Danger x Usefulness interaction, observed in many previous studies, was observed only for items relatively lower on BOI. The interaction between semantic and embodied processing variables is not restricted to purely linguistic stimuli.
The influence of grammatical gender and suffix transparency in processing Italian written nouns
Authors: De Martino Maria , Bracco Giulia , Postiglione Francesca , Laudanna Alessandro
Published: June 2017

In some languages the grammatical gender of nouns can be probabilistically detected using formal cues; for instance, in Italian, the majority of feminine nouns end in ‘-a’(e.g., casa, ‘home’) and the majority of masculine nouns end in ‘-o’ (e.g., albero, ‘tree’). It has been hypothesized that the match/mismatch between the formal information of the suffix and the abstract grammatical information on gender affects lexical processing of nouns. An alternative account is that a default option available for gender poses constraints to mechanisms of lexical access for words exhibiting gender markers in the surface form.

In the present study, nouns with highly predictive gender suffix (regular), nouns whose gender cannot be recovered from surface form (opaque) and nouns with misleading gender suffix (irregular) were compared in two reading aloud and two lexical decision experiments. Results confirmed that regular nouns are processed better than irregular nouns. No difference was detected between masculine and feminine opaque nouns.

The results allow the conclusion that a formal gender feature (the gender orthographic regularity) is more likely to affect lexical processing of bare nouns than the activation of a gender default option.
Translation from L1 to L2 vs. direct writing
Authors: Jahangard Ali , Holderread Shari
Published: June 2017

This study explores the issue of non-native speakers writing a text in their first language (L1) and then translating the text to the second language (L2) to enhance the final text in L2. Writing samples taken from 25 Iranian engineering students in an intermediate level compulsory general English as a foreign language class served as data. The students were provided with a form which instructed them to write their first essay in Farsi (L1) and then translate it into the foreign language, English. The compositions were suggested to be two paragraphs long to provide enough text to analyze. The second composition done by the same group of students a week later on a second topic was written directly in the target language (English). Each student’s work was evaluated in detail using a rating scale divided into two main sections, writing skills and effective writing. This study showed that intermediate level EFL students writing in L1 and then using a translation strategy did not produce better writing samples in L2 than when they wrote directly in L2.
Racial slurs in Italian film dubbing
Authors: Giampieri Patrizia
Published: June 2017

This paper explores how racial slurs are dealt with in Anglo-American films and rendered in films dubbed in Italian. It focuses on the racist epithets ‘nigger’, ‘gook’ and ‘zipper head’ with a view to unveiling the linguistic choices made by Italian audiovisual translators. Furthermore, it supports the claim that taboo topics vary from culture to culture and sheds some light on self-censorship, which has allegedly shifted from sexual and religious topics to ethnic slurs (Allan and Burridge 2006; Hughes 2006). In some cases the analysis reveals a wide spectrum of translation choices accompanied by subtle linguistic manipulations. In other cases translation choices tend to be fixed owing to the limited range of corresponding slurs in Italian. Also, the paper discusses self-censorship in contemporary Anglo-American films. In this regard, it is observed that ‘the n-word’ has characterized the majority of Anglo-American films since 2000 and has hallmarked a shift in self-censorship. The final question that this paper addresses is whether Italian culture is ready or not for this change.
Women of the Wall
Authors: Jobani Yuval , Perez Nahshon
Published: June 2017

For more than twenty-five years, the Women of the Western Wall (WoW) have been leading a groundbreaking struggle, attempting to gain permission from Israeli authorities to pray according to their manner at Judaism’s holiest prayer site, the Western Wall. The WoW’s determined activism has gained widespread media coverage. This book is the first comprehensive academic study of their struggle, and it seeks to place it in a comparative and theoretical context. It explores various dimensions of the group’s struggle, including an analysis of the women’s attempts to modify Jewish Orthodox mainstream religious practice from within and invest it with a new, egalitarian content; a comprehensive survey of the numerous legal rulings of various courts about the case; and considerations of the broader political and social significance of the WoW struggle. This analysis in turn makes it possible to address several wider questions in religion-state relations: How should governments manage religious plurality within their borders? How should governments respond to the requests of minorities—in this case, religious women—that conflict with the mainstream interpretation of a given tradition? How should governments manage disputed sacred spaces located in the public sphere? Women of the Wall: Navigating Religion in Sacred Sites critically explores several theories of religion-state relations, and concludes that a context-sensitive privatization is the most adequate governmental response, for the WoW struggle as well as for similar current religious conflicts over sacred sites and public spaces.
The Philosophical Imagination
Authors: Moran Richard
Published: June 2017

A collection of philosophical articles on subjects ranging from aesthetics, the philosophy of mind and action, the first person, to engagements with various contemporary philosophers.
Unfortunate Destiny
Authors: Ohnuma Reiko
Published: June 2017

This chapter examines the animal realm of rebirth in early Buddhist doctrine and cosmology and shows that the animal rebirth was characterized very negatively in comparison to rebirth as a human. Rebirth as an animal was seen as an “unfortunate destiny” (Skt. durgati) brought about by negative karma and afflicted by extreme suffering. Constantly engaged in preying upon one another and pursuing mindless sex and violence, animals are distinguished from human beings by their lack of the higher mental faculties (Skt. prajñā), their lack of moral agency, and their inability to engage in spiritual cultivation. The distinction between human beings and animals is categorical in nature and might be described as a form of speciesism.