bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pour un bilan de l'historiographie sur le Moyen Âge portugais au XXe siècle
Authors: Vasconcelos e Sousa Bernardo , Boisselier Stéphane
Published: June 2012

Au XXe s., l'historiographie médiévistique portugaise est passée par plusieurs phases contrastées. Un long XIXe s., jusqu'aux années 1920, dominé par la figure d'A. Herculano, assure à la recherche méthodique de solides bases heuristiques et conceptuelles, fortement inspirées par l'historiographie allemande. Mais, par la suite, jusqu'aux années 1970, ce capital n'est pas valorisé comme il aurait pu l'être : le médiévisme portugais se replie sur une histoire nationaliste (les « origines de la nation », les « grands hommes », les événements militaires glorieux) et fortement marquée par les approches juridico-institutionnelles en histoire sociale, les universitaires sont contraints de se rapprocher du régime salazariste et se coupent donc des évolutions en cours dans le reste de l'Europe. Malgré la pénétration, dès les années 1960, des courants historiographiques « français » (issus des Annales), c'est la décennie 1980 qui, à la suite de la « révolution des œillets », développe la recherche historique universitaire et ouvre la réflexion à de nouvelles perspectives, moins historicistes ; l'histoire des villes (avec A. H. Oliveira Marques) ou l'histoire de la noblesse (avec J. Mattoso) deviennent des domaines de pointe de la recherche, à l'échelle européenne ; les chercheurs portugais, entre autres par l'usage de la langue française, s'intègrent dans les grands chantiers internationaux ; et des chercheurs étrangers, principalement français, commencent à s'intéresser au Moyen Âge portugais.
L'histoire des croisades et des pèlerinages au XXe siècle
Authors: Cardini Franco
Published: June 2012

II est difficile de parler conjointement des pèlerinages et des croisades, car sous de nombreux aspects — depuis les différentes sortes de sources jusqu'à leurs critiques et leur problématique respective inhérente à chacun de ces deux « domaines » historiques — ces deux sujets, bien que très proches, se sont séparés au sein de la recherche historique. Dans cet article de bibliographie critique, l'A. a décidé de ne prendre en considération, parmi les travaux généraux, que les plus significatifs. Il s'excuse donc auprès des collègues dont les publications n'ont pas été citées et auxquels il présente un exposé trop rapide, par manque de temps et d'espace.

Les recherches sur les pèlerinages, quoique fluctuantes, ont été surtout menées, au cours du XXe s., vers l'édition des récits de voyages, une attention particulière étant portée aux thèmes spécifiques de nature soit socio-économique (coût, moyens de transport, étapes et phases du voyage), soit religio-culturelle (signification mystique de Jérusalem, critique du pèlerinage, rapports avec les Orientaux).

Quant aux recherches sur les croisades, elles semblent suivre, durant le XXe s., la ligne déjà tracée par les grands travaux du XIXe et qui mène aux études générales désormais classiques de Grousset, Runciman et du standard work dirigé aux États-Unis par K.M. Setton. Mais, au milieu du XXe s., des chercheurs comme P. Alphandéry, C. Erdmann, A. Dupront, P. Rousset ont profondément modifié et amplifié l'horizon des études consacrées aux croisades, avec par ailleurs une contribution originale et bienvenue des historiens israéliens (J. Prawer, E. Ashtor, D. Jacoby, B.Z. Kedar et leur école). Cela a permis l'émergence d'une nouvelle phase dans la recherche avec les travaux de chercheurs comme J. Flori, M. Balard, J. Riley-Smith et C. Tyerman. Ces dernières années, même si les médiévistes ont pu échapper au climat engendré par les événements du Proche et du Moyen-Orient, ils n'ont pas pour autant renoncé à leur jugement d'hommes et de femmes de leur époque, tout en maintenant par rapport au temps présent la nécessaire et légitime distance critique.
L'épithaphe d'Henri II Plantagenêt à Fontevraud
Authors: Favreau Robert
Published: June 2012

Three English chroniclers have passed on the epitaph of Henry Plantagenêt's tomb at Fontevraud. Half the epitaph recalls the glory of the king, new Alexander ; the other half reminds the dead that happens unexpectedly ; and it invites to do good during our life. These verses give an account of the impact of a suddenly interrupted career that was exceptionally brilliant.
Le rapport au gain illicite dans la sculpture romane. Entre réalités socio-économiques, contacts de culture et réseaux métaphoriques
Authors: Leclercq-Marx Jacqueline
Published: June 2012

A comparative study of the Romanesque iconography of certain figures such as the miser, the moneylender, the counterfeiter, the dishonest merchant, Dives, the Jew and of Judas, allows us to better understand some of the transfers from one theme to another ; at the same time it brings forth the fundamental unity of the symbolical expressions based on the idea of ill-gotten wealth or illegally-hoarded one. This approach also reveals implicitly what Romanesque sculpture owes to the environment in which it developped and the external factors which influenced it. Thus, it appears that the figure of the « miser/moneylender « was probably born of an encounter between Christianity and Islam ; its traditional attribute — the purse — when associated to a moneycounter or to the person of Dives or to a hanged person could be taken as the expression of a more or less virulent anti-Judaism. This approach, moreover, gives a measure of the importance of the metaphorical relation based on the link between « dirty » money and oral sexuality. This association is to be found quite early in sculpture where it is just as richly represented as it is in literature, religious or didactic.
Captifs et rachat de captifs. Du miracle à l'institution
Authors: Buresi Pascal
Published: June 2012

From Tenth to Thirteenth century, the relations between Christians and Muslims around the Mediterranean Sea multiplied, competition was on the increase and confrontations became more and more regular and violent. This growing militarization of the contact included the beginnings of professionalisation and, on the Christian side, formalisation and institutionalisation. The capture of the enemy and the System of ransom were included in this process : at the beginning of the 13th century, the first specialised instances of redemption appeared in the Iberian Peninsula (Trinitarian and Mercederian). These did not appear like a boit from the blue : it had been in the Iberian background, in the dividing line between Christendom and Islam. These specialised institutions took root at the crossroad of the municipal law (conceived to ensure the extension and the survey of the frontier concejos), and at the crossroad of the economie, commercial and religious preoccupations of the different protagonists of this frontier : the Church, military orders (secular or eccle- siastical), the monarchy and the inhabitants of the towns themselves.
L'apparition des attributs individuels des saints dans l'art médiéval
Authors: Denoël Charlotte
Published: June 2012

Cet article a pour objet de cerner le contexte religieux et social dans lequel sont apparus les attributs individuels des saints. Ces signes iconographiques ont commencé à se répandre dans l'art occidental durant la seconde moitié du XIIe s., à une époque où la propagation des hérésies rendait de plus en plus nécessaire l'évangélisation des fidèles. Cette insistance nouvelle sur la condition terrestre des saints s'inscrit ainsi au cœur même de l'œuvre pastorale entreprise par l'Église et de la réflexion théologique qui s'est développée à la même époque sur les images ornant les églises et d'autres monuments figurés. Cette « individualisation » des saints participe également d'un phénomène social plus large, celui de l'émergence de signes de reconnaissance destinés à affirmer l'identité des individus au sein de la société. Les saints sont ainsi dotés comme les autres membres du corps social d'emblèmes qui, à l'instar du patronyme ou des armoiries, permettent d'identifier ceux-ci avec certitude dans les images.
Re-creare Troiam. Du poète roman au romancier français
Authors: Galderisi Claudio
Published: June 2012

The question surrounding the differences between poetry and narrative is largely that of verse and prose, the song and the tale, which, according to an inversion which constitutes one of the two specificities of French studies on the invention of romance, becomes that of the shift of the narrative towards the individual reading, and the song towards the dit, as the divorce between poetry and music manifests itself in literary productions.

In trying to recreate Troiam in Broceliande, the Romanic poet metamorphosed himself into a French writer of romance ; the aesthetics of that which is explicit, specifie in French medieval prose, abolished the time of the mystery and saturated the necessary interstices in poetics. Scholars have often insisted on the process of second structuralization of the romance. But from a strictly poetic point of view, the romance appears as both the sign and the vehicle of the first real discontinuity between "Belles Lettres" and "Gothic letters". It is from this break that a redefining of the French literary panorama ensues, and, in the end, of the aesthetic specialization of prose and verse : the formal divorce between narrative and poetry within the aesthetic space of the romance, and their indissolubility in that of poetry.
La conversio de Jean de Salisbury : la Bible au service de Thomas Becket ?
Authors: Barrau Julie
Published: June 2012

Jean de Salisbury est souvent considéré comme le meilleur humaniste du XIIe s. ; homme de lettres et curialis, il n'a pas laissé d'ouvrages de théologie, et la plupart de ses écrits réservent à la Bible une place presque subalterne, au profit des auteurs classiques et des références juridiques. Cet article cherche à montrer que ses années d'exil en France, entre 1163 et 1170, furent l'occasion d'un profond bouleversement de son rapport à l'Écriture. Dans sa correspondance d'exilé, la sacra pagina devint quasiment son unique référence. Faisant appel à une grande variété de textes scripturaires et d'outils exégétiques, Jean les mit au service d'un combat, celui de Thomas Becket contre Henri II. Loin de l'image modérée que l'on lui a souvent donnée, l'auteur du Policraticus adopta volontiers des accents prophétiques ; il fit de la Bible son arme maîtresse, loin des subtilités des philosophes païens et des canonistes, dans ce qu'il chercha avant tout à présenter comme une lutte eschatologique du bien contre le mal.
De l'intempérance alimentaire à l'abstinence : contribution à l'étude du péché de Perceval dans le Conte du Graal
Authors: Baril Agnès
Published: June 2012

Until recently, Perceval's greed at the beginning of the work has been perceived to have a comic function and has been considered to be a simple demonstration of adolescent bad manners. However, until his stay with the hermit, the hero is torn between a complete expression of greed and relative fasting. The study of the numerous passages in which his attitude toward food is revealed, shows that this is, in fact, an additional factor in determining whether his trials will result in glory and validation or in the act of sin. This study equally contributes to our understanding of Perceval's accused sins by the hermit and of the significance of his nickname, which he cornes to understand only after his failed trial at the Castle of the Grail. There is a clear ontological dimension here : the quest for the grail can only be undertaken by Perceval, because this mythical object, chosen by the author for his hero, is precisely what reveals the latter's psychological constitution and weaknesses. It explains his inopportune silences and could prove that Chretien de Troyes' ultimate work is deeply resonant of the strong devotional practices common at the end of the twelfth c.
Le Conte du Graal de Chrétien de Troyes, une « œuvre ouverte » ?
Authors: Le Briz-Orgeur Stéphanie
Published: June 2012

In Chrétien de Troyes' Conte du Graal, a great power is given to the narrator, who often shows it or even uses it in order to make predictions and to pass his own uncompromising jugdement. However, this obtrusive narrator may fail, for different reasons : either he contradicts himself, or events or characters show that he was wrong, or other characters take the story in charge and make it more precise or more complete. But even these casual narrators may be wrong, so that Chrétien de Troyes seems to have made a point of the following idea : to tell the truth, a global and permanent truth, is quite impossible. Facing up this tough and fundamental question, most of the novelists who wanted to continue Chrétien's Conte during the 13th century completely put aside the authors considerations on truth's relativity : their narrators became absolutely omniscient and got helped by hermits or wizards who could give a single precise and steady sense to every sign. Such conclusions either failed to recognise or rejected the original issue contained in the Conte du Graal. In this novel, the ambiguous position of the narrator and also the choice of a « novel » knight like Perceval herald from the beginning the major importance of mystery, the need to seek the truth (which is subtle and always changing), and actually suggest that the Conte must remain unfinished. To compare Perceval's episodes to Gauvain's episodes reinforces this idea. Better than the famous knight Gauvain, the changing young Perceval allows Chrétien de Troyes to express his original conception of the « voir dire », which does not suffer any certainty. However, the narrative peculiarities of Perceval's episodes may be found in a few Gauvain's episodes too. Thus, none of those heroes seems to be destined to end his own quest, and none of them will end the narrator's quest either.
Unprecedented deoxygenation at C-7 of the ansamitocin core during mutasynthetic biotransformations
Authors: Knobloch Tobias , Dräger Gerald , Collisi Wera , Sasse Florenz , Kirschning Andreas
Published: June 2012

We describe the unprecedented formation of six ansamitocin derivatives that are deoxygenated at C-7 of the ansamitocin core, obtained during fermentation experiments by employing a variety of Actinosynnema pretiosum mutants and mutasynthetic approaches. We suggest that the formation of these derivatives is based on elimination at C-7/C-8 followed by reduction(s) of the intermediate enone. In bioactivity tests, only ansamitocin derivatives bearing an ester side chain at C-3 showed strong antiproliferative activity.
Helicobacter pylori-associated gastroenterological diseases: genetic features and probiotic treatment
Authors: Baryshnikova N.V.
Published: June 2012

This article presents the results of original research conducted in St. Petersburg, Russia, which showed that the Helicobacter pylori strains isolated from patients with duodenal ulcer and chronic gastroduodenitis possess significantly higher levels of the pathogenicity islands (cag-PAI) genes than the strains isolated from healthy volunteers. The most frequently detected cag-PAI genes were cagA and cagH in the strains isolated from patients with chronic gastroduodenitis, and cagA and cagE in the strains isolated from patients with duodenal ulcer. A comparison of the clinical strains isolated from patients from St. Petersburg, Russia and patients from Dushanbe, Tajikistan showed that cagA gene was more prevalent in the strains from St. Petersburg. These findings demonstrate the necessity of implementation of molecular genetic identification of H. pylori in the clinical diagnostics practice reflecting the virulent genes profile of the strain. Addition of probiotics to the standard eradication therapy of H. pylori significantly improves the results of this therapy.
Salmonella spp. in poultry carcass: evaluation of sample preparation methods and effect of storage under refrigeration on pathogen recovery
Authors: Yamatogi Ricardo Seiti , Padovani Carlos Roberto , Galvão Julia Arantes , Bersot Luciano Dos Santos , Pinto Jose Paes de Almeida Nogueira
Published: June 2012

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of different analytical units and the influence of storage under refrigeration on the detection of Salmonella sp. in naturally contaminated poultry carcasses. One hundred and thirty samples were collected during the production process soon after chilling (postchiller phase). Fifty-five samples were analyzed in up to 2 h after collection and 65 samples were analyzed after 72 h of storage. Pathogen screening was based on three different analytical units and a comparison was made between them. Carcasses were initially rinsed with 400 mL of diluent, and three different analytical units were incubated: total rinsing volume (TRV), a single 30 mL aliquot of the rinsing volume, and 25 g of skin from different areas of the carcass. Of all samples analyzed, 60% were positive for Salmonella sp. From the samples collected at the post-chiller phase, 57% were positive for the pathogen and 52.31% of these were detected by TRV; a better statistical performance (P<0.05) when compared to the other analytical units. Of the refrigerated samples, 63% were contaminated, but there were no significant differences between analytical units (P>0.05). There were no significant differences between the number of positive samples from the post-chiller phase and after 72 h of refrigeration. It was also seen that the use of different analytical units (one for the post-chiller phase and another for the refrigerated samples) in samples coming from the same production lot may give different results.
Absorptive capacity: Relevancy for large and small enterprises
Authors: Ndiege Joshua R. , Herselman Marlien E. , Flowerday Stephen V.
Published: June 2012

Background: Over the years, there has been a growing interest in organisational research in the absorptive capacity (AC) construct, but only a few theoretical and empirical studies on this topic have been carried out over the last decade. However, a number of scholars and practitioners have continued to cite AC as a significant factor in determining the success or failure of organisations. With the dramatic changes in business environments, there has been a growing rise in the use of knowledge by organisations to help improve and maintain their competitiveness and consequently their survival. AC is a fundamental element that helps organisations to gain competitive advantage by producing commercial products or services through the transformation of knowledge.Objective: The purpose of this article is thus to provide a review of the literature on this subject with the aim of finding out how both large and small enterprises stand to benefit from AC. We intend to affirm that, by successfully carrying out a learning process that is characterised by the exploration and exploitation of external knowledge and the organisation’s current knowledge base, organisations can realise competitive advantage irrespective of their size.Method: In the literature search, three approaches were employed, namely academic databases, online search engines and a review of references of related studies which led to more relevant articles and works whose references were further reviewed and analysed. Content analysis was done on all collected articles for quality appraisal and synthesis, the results of which we present as discussions on various sections of this paper leading to answering of our study objective. Only peer-reviewed articles were used.Results: Our findings reveal that, irrespective of the organisation’s size, it can benefit significantly from AC. The study further reveal that AC is a strong predictor of an organisation’s performance and hence a strategic asset for the organisation. Organisations with high AC are able to learn how to utilise new knowledge within their processes and come up with changes that improve their competitive advantage.Conclusion: We submit that, because AC is a strong predictor of an organisation’s performance, it is imperative that the necessary measures are taken to improve the levels of AC for all firms, irrespective of their size.
PhyloTempo: A Set of R Scripts for Assessing and Visualizing Temporal Clustering in Genealogies Inferred from Serially Sampled Viral Sequences
Authors: Norström Melissa M. , Prosperi Mattia C.F. , Gray Rebecca R. , Karlsson Annika C. , Salemi Marco
Published: June 2012

Serially-sampled nucleotide sequences can be used to infer demographic history of evolving viral populations. The shape of a phylogenetic tree often reflects the interplay between evolutionary and ecological processes. Several approaches exist to analyze the topology and traits of a phylogenetic tree, by means of tree balance, branching patterns and comparative properties. The temporal clustering (TC) statistic is a new topological measure, based on ancestral character reconstruction, which characterizes the temporal structure of a phylogeny. Here, PhyloTempo is the first implementation of the TC in the R language, integrating several other topological measures in a user-friendly graphical framework. The comparison of the TC statistic with other measures provides multifaceted insights on the dynamic processes shaping the evolution of pathogenic viruses. The features and applicability of PhyloTempo were tested on serially-sampled intra-host human and simian immunodeficiency virus population data sets. PhyloTempo is distributed under the GNU general public license at https://sourceforge.net/projects/phylotempo /.
Uncertainties of parameterized surface downward clear-sky shortwave and all-sky longwave radiation.
Authors: Gubler S. , Gruber S. , Purves R. S.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. As many environmental models rely on simulating the energy balance at the Earth's surface based on parameterized radiative fluxes, knowledge of the inherent model uncertainties is important. In this study we evaluate one parameterization of clear-sky direct, diffuse and global shortwave downward radiation (SDR) and diverse parameterizations of clear-sky and all-sky longwave downward radiation (LDR). In a first step, SDR is estimated based on measured input variables and estimated atmospheric parameters for hourly time steps during the years 1996 to 2008. Model behaviour is validated using the high quality measurements of six Alpine Surface Radiation Budget (ASRB) stations in Switzerland covering different elevations, and measurements of the Swiss Alpine Climate Radiation Monitoring network (SACRaM) in Payerne. In a next step, twelve clear-sky LDR parameterizations are calibrated using the ASRB measurements. One of the best performing parameterizations is elected to estimate all-sky LDR, where cloud transmissivity is estimated using measured and modeled global SDR during daytime. In a last step, the performance of several interpolation methods is evaluated to determine the cloud transmissivity in the night. We show that clear-sky direct, diffuse and global SDR is adequately represented by the model when using measurements of the atmospheric parameters precipitable water and aerosol content at Payerne. If the atmospheric parameters are estimated and used as a fix value, the relative mean bias deviance (MBD) and the relative root mean squared deviance (RMSD) of the clear-sky global SDR scatter between between −2 and 5%, and 7 and 13% within the six locations. The small errors in clear-sky global SDR can be attributed to compensating effects of modeled direct and diffuse SDR since an overestimation of aerosol content in the atmosphere results in underestimating the direct, but overestimating the diffuse SDR. Calibration of LDR parameterizations to local conditions reduces MBD and RMSD strongly compared to using the published values of the parameters, resulting in relative MBD and RMSD of less than 5% respectively 10% for the best parameterizations. The best results to estimate cloud transmissivity during nighttime were obtained by linearly interpolating the average of the cloud transmissivity of the four hours of the preceeding afternoon and the following morning. Model uncertainty can be caused by different errors such as code implementation, errors in input data and in estimated parameters, etc. The influence of the latter (errors in input data and model parameter uncertainty) on model outputs is determined using Monte Carlo. Model uncertainty is provided as the relative standard deviation σrel of the simulated frequency distributions of the model outputs. An optimistic estimate of the relative uncertainty σrel resulted in 10% for the clear-sky direct, 30% for diffuse, 3% for global SDR, and 3% for the fitted all-sky LDR.
Influence of a Carrington-like event on the atmospheric chemistry, temperature and dynamics
Authors: Calisto M. , Verronen P. T. , Rozanov E. , Peter T.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. We have modeled the atmospheric impact of a major solar energetic particle event similar in intensity to what is thought of the Carrington Event of 1–2 September 1859. Ionization rates for the August 1972 solar proton event, which had an energy spectrum comparable to the Carrington Event, were scaled up in proportion to the fluence estimated for both events. We have assumed such an event to take place in the year 2020 in order to investigate the impact on the modern, near future atmosphere. Effects on atmospheric chemistry, temperature and dynamics were investigated using the 3-D Chemistry Climate Model SOCOL v2.0. We find significant responses of NOx, HOx, ozone, temperature and zonal wind. Ozone and NOx have in common an unusually strong and long-lived response to this solar proton event. The model suggests a 3-fold increase of NOx generated in the upper stratosphere lasting until the end of November, and an up to 10-fold increase in upper mesospheric HOx. Due to the NOx and HOx enhancements, ozone reduces by up to 60–80% in the mesosphere during the days after the event, and by up to 20–40% in the middle stratosphere lasting for several months after the event. Total ozone is reduced by up to 20 DU in the Northern Hemisphere and up to 10 DU in the Southern Hemisphere. Free tropospheric and surface air temperatures show a significant cooling of more than 3 K and zonal winds change significantly by 3–5 m s−1 in the UTLS region. In conclusion, a solar proton event, if it took place in the near future with an intensity similar to that ascribed to of the Carrington Event of 1859, must be expected to have a major impact on atmospheric composition throughout the middle atmosphere, resulting in significant and persistent decrease in total ozone.
Momentum flux determination using the multi-beam Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar
Authors: Nicolls M. J. , Fritts D. C. , Janches D. , Heinselman C. J.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. In this paper, we develop an estimator for the vertical flux of horizontal momentum with arbitrary beam pointing, applicable to the case of arbitrary but fixed beam pointing with systems such as the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR). This method uses information from all available beams to resolve the variances of the wind field in addition to the vertical flux of both meridional and zonal momentum, targeted for high-frequency wave motions. The estimator utilises the full covariance of the distributed measurements, which provides a significant reduction in errors over the direct extension of previously developed techniques and allows for the calculation of an error covariance matrix of the estimated quantities. We find that for the PFISR experiment, we can construct an unbiased and robust estimator of the momentum flux if sufficient and proper beam orientations are chosen, which can in the future be optimized for the expected frequency distribution of momentum-containing scales. However, there is a potential trade-off between biases and standard errors introduced with the new approach, which must be taken into account when assessing the momentum fluxes. We apply the estimator to PFISR measurements on 23 April 2008 and 21 December 2007, from 60–85 km altitude, and show expected results as compared to mean winds and in relation to the measured vertical velocity variances.
Application of titanium-in-quartz thermobarometry to greenschist facies veins and recrystallized quartzites in the Hsüehshan range, Taiwan
Authors: Kidder S. , Avouac J.-P. , Chan Y.-C.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. The accuracy, reliability and best practices of Ti-in-quartz thermobarometry ("TitaniQ") in greenschist facies rocks have not been established. To address these issues we measured Ti concentrations in rutile-bearing samples of moderately deformed, partially recrystallized quartzite and vein quartz from Taiwan's Hsüehshan range. The spread of Ti concentrations of recrystallized grains in quartzite correlates with recrystallized grain size. Recrystallized quartz (grain size ~300 μm) that formed during early deformation within the biotite stability field shows a marked increase in intermediate Ti-concentration grains (~1–10 ppm) relative to detrital porphyroclasts (Ti ~0.1–200 ppm). Fine recrystallized quartz (~5% of the samples by area, grain size ~10–20 μm) has a further restricted Ti concentration peaking at 0.8–2 ppm. This trend suggests equilibration of Ti in recrystallized quartz with a matrix phase during deformation and cooling. Vein emplacement and quartzite recrystallization are independently shown to have occurred at 250–350 °C and 300–410 °C respectively, lithostatic pressure ~5 kbar, and hydrostatic fluid pressure. Estimates of the accuracy of TitaniQ at these conditions depend on whether lithostatic or fluid pressure is used in the TitaniQ calibration. Using lithostatic pressure, Ti concentrations predicted by the Thomas et al. (2010) TitaniQ calibration are within error of Ti concentrations measured by SIMS. If fluid pressure is used, predicted temperatures are ~30–40 °C too low. TitaniQ has potential to yield accurate PT information for vein emplacement and dynamic recrystallization of quartz at temperatures as low as ~250 °C, however clarification of the relevant pressure term and further tests in rutile-present rocks are warranted.
Community adherence support improves programme retention in children on antiretroviral treatment: a multicentre cohort study in South Africa
Authors: Grimwood Ashraf , Fatti Geoffrey , Mothibi Eula , Malahlela Mokgadi , Shea Jawaya , Eley Brian
Published: June 2012

Background

HIV‐positive children in low‐income settings face many challenges to adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) and have increased mortality on treatment compared to children in developed countries. Adult ART programmes have demonstrated benefit from community support to improve treatment outcomes; however, there are no empirical data on the effectiveness of this intervention in children. This study compared clinical, virological and immunological outcomes between children who received and who did not receive community‐based adherence support from patient advocates (PAs) in four South African provinces.

Methods

A multicentre cohort study of ART‐naïve children was conducted at 47 public ART facilities. Outcome measures were mortality, patient retention, virological suppression and CD4 percentage changes on ART. PAs are lay community health workers who provide adherence and psychosocial support for children's caregivers, and they undertake home visits to ascertain household challenges potentially impacting on adherence in the child. Corrected mortality estimates were calculated, correcting for deaths amongst those lost to follow‐up (LTFU) using probability‐weighted Kaplan‐Meier and Cox functions.

Results

Three thousand five hundred and sixty three children were included with a median baseline age of 6.3 years and a median baseline CD4 cell percentage of 12.0%. PA‐supported children numbered 323 (9.1%). Baseline clinical status variables were equivalent between the two groups. Amongst children LTFU, 38.7% were known to have died. Patient retention after 3 years of ART was 91.5% (95% CI: 86.8% to 94.7%) vs. 85.6% (95% CI: 83.3% to 87.6%) amongst children with and without PAs, respectively (p =0.027). Amongst children aged below 2 years at baseline, retention after 3 years was 92.2% (95% CI: 76.7% to 97.6%) vs. 74.2% (95% CI: 65.4% to 81.0%) in children with and without PAs, respectively (p=0.053). Corrected mortality after 3 years of ART was 3.7% (95% CI: 1.9% to 7.4%) vs. 8.0% (95% CI: 6.5% to 9.8%) amongst children with and without PAs, respectively (p=0.060). In multivariable analyses, children with PAs had reduced probabilities of both attrition and mortality, adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) 0.57 (95% CI: 0.35 to 0.94) and 0.39 (95% CI: 0.15 to 1.04), respectively.

Conclusion

Community‐based adherence support is an effective way to improve patient retention amongst children on ART. Expanded implementation of this intervention should be considered in order to reach ART programmatic goals in low‐income settings as more children access treatment.
Synergistic Improvement of Actuation Properties with Compatibilized High Permittivity Filler
Authors: Risse Sebastian , Kussmaul Björn , Krüger Hartmut , Kofod Guggi
Published: June 2012

Electroactive polymers can be used for actuators with many desirable features, including high electromechanical energy density, low weight, compactness, direct voltage control, and complete silence during actuation. These features may enable personalized robotics with much higher ability to delicately manipulate their surroundings than can be achieved with currently available actuators; however, much work is still necessary to enhance the electroactive materials. Electric field‐driven actuator materials are improved by an increase in permittivity and by a reduction in stiffness. Here, a synergistic enhancement method based on a macromolecular plasticizing filler molecule with a combination of both high dipole moment and compatibilizer moieties, synthesized to simultaneously ensure improvement of electromechanical properties and compatibility with the host matrix is presented. Measurements show an 85% increase in permittivity combined with 290% reduction in mechanical stiffness. NMR measurements confirm the structure of the filler while DSC measurements confirm that it is compatible with the host matrix at all the mixture ratios investigated. Actuation strain measurements in the pure shear configuration display an increase in sensitivity to the electrical field of more than 450%, confirming that the filler molecule does not only improve dielectric and mechanical properties, it also leads to a synergistic enhancement of actuation properties by simple means.
Absolute lymphocyte count at day 28 independently predicts event‐free and overall survival in adults with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Sun Di , Elson Paul , Liedtke Michaela , Medeiros Bruno C. , Earl Marc , Alizadeh Ash , Bates Jennifer , Sekeres Mikkael A. , Coutre Steven , Kalaycio Matt , Sobecks Ronald , Copelan Edward , Advani Anjali S.
Published: June 2012

We investigated the prognostic impact of absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) following induction chemotherapy in newly diagnosed adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Patients with ALC ≥350 cells/μL at day 28 had a median overall survival (OS) of 47.4 months when compared with 17.6 months for those with an ALC <350 cells/μL (HR = 1.98, P = 0.007). Among patients who achieved a complete remission, median event‐free survival (EFS) for those with ALC ≥350 cells/μL on day 28 was 42.1 months when compared with 13.9 months in those with ALC <350 cells/μL (HR = 2.08, P = 0.006). In multivariable analysis, the ALC on day 28 (<350 cells/μL vs. ≥350 cells/μL, P ≤ .0004 for OS and EFS) along with WBC at diagnosis (≤6.0 or >30.0 K/μL vs. >6.0–30.0 K/μL, P ≤ 0.002 for OS and EFS) and cytogenetics (abnormal vs. normal, P = 0.002 for OS and P = 0.02 for EFS) were independent prognostic factors of both OS and EFS. Combining these three factors segregates patients in three well‐defined risk groups. These data suggest that ALC can be used in combination with other prognostic features to better predict outcome and that targeting the immune system to improve ALC may be a worthwhile strategy in ALL. Am. J.Hematol. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Prolonged subcutaneous administration of 852A, a novel systemic toll‐like receptor 7 agonist, to activate innate immune responses in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies
Authors: Weigel Brenda J. , Cooley Sarah , DeFor Todd , Weisdorf Daniel J. , Panoskaltsis‐Mortari Angela , Chen Wei , Blazar Bruce R. , Miller Jeffrey S.
Published: June 2012

The toll‐like receptor (TLR) 7 agonist 852A, a small‐molecule imidazoquinoline, stimulates plasmacytoid dendritic cells to produce multiple cytokines. We conducted a Phase II study of 852A in patients with recurrent hematologic malignancies. The primary objective was assessing the activity of 852A administered subcutaneously twice weekly for 12 weeks. Secondary objectives were assessing the safety of 852A and its ability to activate the immune system with prolonged dosing. Patients with relapsed hematologic malignancies of any age with adequate organ function were eligible. Patients initiated dosing at 0.6 mg/m2 twice weekly and escalated by 0.2 mg/m2 after every two doses as tolerated to a target dose of 1.2 mg/m2. Patients with responses or stable disease were eligible for additional cycles. Seventeen patients (15 males) entered the study: 6 with AML, 5 ALL, 4 NHL, 1 Hodgkin's lymphoma, and 1 multiple myeloma. The mean age was 41 years (12–71 years). The median number of prior chemotherapy regimens was 5 (range = 1–14). Thirteen patients completed all 24 injections. Grade 3‐4 toxicities included nausea, dyspnea, fever, myalgia, malaise, and cough. Responses included one complete response (ALL), one partial response (AML), two stable disease (AML and NHL), and 9 progressive disease. This is the first in‐human hematologic malignancy trial of a subcutaneously (SC) delivered TLR7 agonist using a prolonged dosing schedule. 852A was safely administered up to 1.2 mg/m2 twice weekly with evidence of sustained tolerability and clinical activity in hematologic malignancies. Systemic TLR agonists for the treatment of hematologic malignancies warrant further study. Am. J. Hematol. 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Chronic myeloid leukemia: 2012 update on diagnosis, monitoring, and management
Authors: Jabbour Elias , Kantarjian Hagop
Published: June 2012

Disease overview:

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm with an incidence of one–two cases per 100,000 adults and accounts for ∼15% of newly diagnosed cases of leukemia in adults.

Diagnosis:

CML is characterized by a balanced genetic translocation, t(9;22)(q34;q11.2), involving a fusion of the Abelson oncogene (ABL) from chromosome 9q34 with the breakpoint cluster region (BCR) gene on chromosome 22q11.2. This rearrangement is known as the Philadelphia chromosome. The molecular consequence of this translocation is the generation of a BCR‐ABL fusion oncogene, which in turn translates into a Bcr‐Abl oncoprotein.

Frontline therapy:

Three tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib, have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the first‐line treatment of patients with newly diagnosed CML in chronic phase (CML‐CP). Clinical trials with 2nd generation TKIs reported significantly deeper and faster responses; their impact on long‐term survival remains to be determined.

Salvage therapy:

For patients who fail standard‐dose imatinib therapy, imatinib dose escalation is a second‐line option. Alternative second‐line options include 2nd generation TKIs. Although both are potent and specific BCR‐ABL TKIs, dasatinib and nilotinib exhibit unique pharmacological profiles and response patterns relative to different patient characteristics, such as disease stage and BCR‐ABL mutational status. Patients who develop the T315I “gatekeeper” mutation display resistance to all currently available TKIs and are candidate for clinical trials. Allogeneic transplantation remains an important therapeutic option for CML‐CP harboring the T315I mutation, patients who fail 2nd generation TKIs, and for all patients in advanced phase disease. Am. J. Hematol., 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Preparation and characterization of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and cadmium sulfide nanoparticle mixed matrix membranes for gas separation
Authors: Moghadassi A. R. , Filsoof A. H. , Hosseini S. M. , Ghanbari D.
Published: June 2012

In order to improve permeability and selectivity of membranes, especially for gas separation applications, a mixed matrix membrane was prepared from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles with 1, 1.5, 2.5 %wt. Gas permeation and separation characteristics of the membranes for nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide and helium have been studied. Scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction analysis were also utilized in nanoparticles and membranes characterizations. The results showed an increase in permeability for mixed matrix membranes in comparison with neat ABS membrane. Furthermore, as the nanoparticle content increased, membrane gas permeability was enhanced. The selectivity for (CO2/CH4), (CO2/N2) and (He/CH4) initially were increased by increasing CdS nanoparticle concentration up to 1 %wt in the prepared membrane and then began to decrease with more additives loading. The membrane with 2.5 %wt CdS nanoparticle content showed the highest permeability compared with others. Also, the membrane with 2.5 %wt CdS nanoparticles showed appropriate selectivity compared with the neat ABS membranes. Obtained results revealed that membranes with 1 %wt CdS nanoparticle content had the best selectivity for (CO2/CH4), (CO2/N2) and (He/CH4). Moreover, membrane thermal stability was improved in the presence of cadmium sulfide nanoparticles. © 2012 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Activity and Deactivation Mechanism of Ag3PO4 Spherical Particles
Authors: Wang Wenguang , Cheng Bei , Yu Jiaguo , Liu Gang , Fan Wenhong
Published: June 2012

Ag3PO4 spherical particles were synthesized by a facile precipitation method using silver nitrate and Na2HPO4 as precursors. The as‐prepared samples had a high photocatalytic activity toward Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under visible‐light illumination. With increasing recycling times the photocatalytic activity first increased and then decreased. Based on systematic characterization of particles by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), a possible mechanism responsible for the improvement and subsequent decline of the photocatalytic performance of Ag3PO4 is proposed. Ag3PO4 spherical particles recycled for four times showed the highest photocatalytic activity because, according to our mechanism, Ag nanoparticles deposited on Ag3PO4 acted as electron trapping centers to prevent photogenerated electron‐hole pairs from recombination. A further increase in the recycle times decreases the photocatalytic activity owing to the shielding effect by Ag layers on the surface of Ag3PO4. The results presented herein shed new light on the photostability of Ag3PO4 spherical particles and are potentially applicable to other photocatalytically active composites.
Synthesis and Self‐Assembly of Dihydroxyperylene Bisimides for the Tuning of Photophysical Properties
Authors: Li Yongjun , Qing Zhihong , Yu Yanwen , Liu Taifeng , Jiang Runsheng , Li Yuliang
Published: June 2012

The synthesis of 1,10‐dihydroxyperylene bisimides by nucleophilic substitution of brominated perylene bisimide is described. 1,10‐Dihydroxyperylene bisimides formed J aggregates in nonpolar solvents and showed a clearly redshifted absorption band. The solvent polarity also influenced the hydrogen bond with the hydroxyl group, and thus, the photophysical properties of perylene bisimide. The photophysical properties of these dihydroxyperylene perylene bisimides can also be tuned by changing charge transfer from the hydroxyl groups to the perylene core through the introduction of metal ions.
A study of economic efficiency in port security inspection
Authors: Yoon Daegwun , Gim Jingoo
Published: June 2012

The purpose of this paper is to study an economic efficiency for the prediction of additional truck turnaround time and for determining the number of the port security inspection equipment required at a terminal inspection station. The economic efficiency with six base models was developed to assist terminal operators' decision‐making. In addition, this study developed an optimal procedure that terminal operators could use to optimally run in terms of various statistics processes including exponential, deterministic, and others, seeking a solution that was beneficial for both terminal operators and truckers.

As a result of this research of the additional cargo turnaround time for port security delay, the following conclusion can be drawn and made. The average additional delay time in the inspection station is very dependent on the inspection rate of the lower stage. The higher weighted inspection time based on raising security level allows less number of trucks to be inspected, which will derive high delay in the inspection station. Increase of rate of Green Lane usage will allow a decrease in the arrival rate, which may derive improvement of inspection equipment efficiency and average delay time at the inspection station. In multiple stage model, total number of trucks and delay time very closely follow those of low inspection stage rate and number of inspection units. Free Lane is to be followed by Customs‐Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and standardization of customs, packing, loading and unloading, documents, procedure, and exchange working in each country. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Funding for teratology information services: Up, down, and all around
Authors: Quinn Dee
Published: June 2012

Funding for Teratology Information Services has been an ongoing struggle over the 25 years of its existence. Traditional and novel funding mechanisms have been explored with varying success. The importance of providing teratology risk assessment and counseling to all women of reproductive age is now an established health care objective. Sufficient and stable funding for these services is essential. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 94:660–663, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A novel mutation in PRG4 gene underlying camptodactyly‐arthropathy‐coxa vara‐pericarditis syndrome with the possible expansion of the phenotype to include congenital cataract
Authors: Akawi Nadia A. , Ali Bassam R. , Al‐Gazali Lihadh
Published: June 2012

BACKGROUND

Camptodactyly‐arthropathy‐coxa vara‐pericarditis syndrome (CACP) is a clinically heterogenous congenital disorder caused by mutations in proteoglycan 4 (PRG4), a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan that acts as a lubricant for the cartilage surface. Although CACP is a rare genetic disorder, several cases were described in the literature from ethnically different populations including Caucasian, Egyptian, Saudi Arabian, Pakistani, and Korean. We report CACP for the first time in United Arab Emirates.

METHODS

Direct sequencing of all the coding exons and splice sites of the PRG4 gene was performed for all the members of the affected family.

RESULTS

The studied family is consanguineous and has multiple affected members from different branches showing congenital camptodactyly with arthropathy, the hallmarks of CACP. All the affected family members lack pericarditis, but one of them was born with cataract, which has never been documented in any of the previously reported cases of CACP. Molecular analysis revealed a novel homozygous insertion of a cytosine nucleotide (c.1320dupC) in the highly repetitive portion of the coding sequence of the PRG4 gene. The detected mutation caused a frameshift in the cDNA sequence and created a premature termination codon (p.P440fsX197), which is likely to result in a nonfunctional protein.

CONCLUSION

We report a family from the United Arab Emirates with typical features of CACP in whom one of the children had in addition, a bilateral congenital cataract. We also report the identification of a novel null mutation in PRG4 confirming the genetic homogeneity of CACP. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.