bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of follow‐up reminiscence therapy on autobiographical memory in pathological ageing
Authors: Melendez Juan C. , Torres Marta , Redondo Rita , Mayordomo Teresa , Sales Alicia
Published: September 2015

The objective is to examine the effects of reminiscence therapy (RT) on total, episodic and semantic autobiographical memory in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) groups, testing the effects of RT on different stages of autobiographical memory, and its effectiveness at follow‐up. A sample composed of 43 aMCI (27 treatments, 16 controls) and 30 AD (15 treatments, 15 controls) subjects were evaluated with the Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI) test. The RT consisted of 10 sessions lasting 60 minutes each. Both groups, aMCI and AD, showed significant effects on overall autobiographical memory; aMCI showed significant main effects on episodic and semantic autobiographical memory in the treatment group, increasing scores in both cases. For AD, significant effects were observed on autobiographical episodic memory, showing an increase in the treatment group from Time 1 to follow‐up; semantic memory showed a decrease in the control group from Time 1 to follow‐up. Results show that RT implementation and follow‐up are effective in increasing autobiographical memory in subjects with aMCI and AD.
What is beautiful brings out what is good in you: The effect of facial attractiveness on individuals' honesty
Authors: Wang Jing , Xia Tiansheng , Xu Liling , Ru Taotao , Mo Ce , Wang Ting Ting , Mo Lei
Published: September 2015

This study tested whether the presence of an attractive face would influence individuals' honesty. In 2 experiments, 225 participants were asked to predict the outcome of computerised coin‐flips and to self‐report the accuracy of their predictions. Self‐reports were made in the presence of a facial photo of a female who had been rated before the experiment as high attractive, middle attractive or low attractive by other volunteers. Participants were rewarded based on their self‐reported (not actual) accuracy. The results showed that subjects tended to give more dishonest self‐reports when presented with middle or low attractive facial images than when presented with high attractive images, with self‐reported accuracy being significantly higher than the random level. The results of this study show that presented with an attractive face, subjects tend to engage in behaviours that conform to moral codes.
Zerovalent Fe, Co and Ni nanoparticle toxicity evaluated on SKOV‐3 and U87 cell lines
Authors: Gornati Rosalba , Pedretti Elisa , Rossi Federica , Cappellini Francesca , Zanella Michela , Olivato Iolanda , Sabbioni Enrico , Bernardini Giovanni
Published: September 2015

We have considered nanoparticles (NPs) of Fe, Co and Ni, three transition metals sharing similar chemical properties. NP dissolution, conducted by radioactive tracer method and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, indicated that NiNPs and FeNPs released in the medium a much smaller amount of ions than that released by Co NPs. The two considered methodological approaches, however, gave comparable but not identical results. All NPs are readily internalized by the cells, but their quantity inside the cells is less than 5%. Cytotoxicity and gene expression experiments were performed on SKOV‐3 and U87 cells. In both cell lines, CoNPs and NiNPs were definitely more toxic than FeNPs. Real‐time polymerase chain reaction experiments aimed to evaluate modifications of the expression of genes involved in the cellular stress response (HSP70, MT2A), or susceptible to metal exposure (SDHB1 and MLL), or involved in specific cellular processes (caspase3, IQSEC1 and VMP1), gave different response patterns in the two cell lines. HSP70, for example, was highly upregulated by CoNPs and NiNPs, but only in SKOV‐3 cell lines. Overall, this work underlines the difficulties in predicting NP toxicological properties based only on their chemical characteristics. We, consequently, think that, at this stage of our knowledge, biological effects induced by metal‐based NPs should be examined on a case‐by‐case basis following studies on different in vitro models. Moreover, with the only exception of U87 exposed to Ni, our results suggest that metallic NPs have caused, on gene expression, similar effects to those caused by their corresponding ions. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Applied Toxicology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prediction of Incident Major Osteoporotic and Hip Fractures by Trabecular Bone Score (TBS) and Prevalent Radiographic Vertebral Fracture in Older Men
Authors: Schousboe John T , Vo Tien , Taylor Brent C , Cawthon Peggy M , Schwartz Ann V , Bauer Douglas C , Orwoll Eric S , Lane Nancy E , Barrett-Connor Elizabeth , Ensrud Kristine E ,   for the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study Research Group
Published: September 2015

Trabecular bone score (TBS) has been shown to predict major osteoporotic (clinical vertebral, hip, humerus, and wrist) and hip fractures in postmenopausal women and older men, but the association of TBS with these incident fractures in men independent of prevalent radiographic vertebral fracture is unknown. TBS was estimated on anteroposterior (AP) spine dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans obtained at the baseline visit for 5979 men aged ≥65 years enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study and its association with incident major osteoporotic and hip fractures estimated with proportional hazards models. Model discrimination was tested with Harrell's C-statistic and with a categorical net reclassification improvement index, using 10-year risk cutpoints of 20% for major osteoporotic and 3% for hip fractures. For each standard deviation decrease in TBS, there were hazard ratios of 1.27 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17 to 1.39) for major osteoporotic fracture, and 1.20 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.39) for hip fracture, adjusted for FRAX with bone mineral density (BMD) 10-year fracture risks and prevalent radiographic vertebral fracture. In the same model, those with prevalent radiographic vertebral fracture compared with those without prevalent radiographic vertebral fracture had hazard ratios of 1.92 (95% CI 1.49 to 2.48) for major osteoporotic fracture and 1.86 (95% CI 1.26 to 2.74) for hip fracture. There were improvements of 3.3%, 5.2%, and 6.2%, respectively, of classification of major osteoporotic fracture cases when TBS, prevalent radiographic vertebral fracture status, or both were added to FRAX with BMD and age, with minimal loss of correct classification of non-cases. Neither TBS nor prevalent radiographic vertebral fracture improved discrimination of hip fracture cases or non-cases. In conclusion, TBS and prevalent radiographic vertebral fracture are associated with incident major osteoporotic fractures in older men independent of each other and FRAX 10-year fracture risks, and these data support their use in conjunction with FRAX for fracture risk assessment in older men. © 2015 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Mice Deficient in CIZ/NMP4 Develop an Attenuated Form of K/BxN‐Serum Induced Arthritis
Authors: Nakamoto Tetsuya , Izu Yayoi , Kawasaki Makiri , Notomi Takuya , Hayata Tadayoshi , Noda Masaki , Ezura Yoichi
Published: September 2015

CIZ/NMP4 (Cas interacting zinc finger protein, Nmp4, Zfp384) is a transcription factor that is known to regulate matrix related‐proteins. To explore the possible pathophysiological role of CIZ/NMP4 in arthritis, we examined CIZ/NMP4 expression in articular cartilage in arthritis model. CIZ/NMP4 was expressed in the articular chondrocytes of mice at low levels while its expression was enhanced when arthritis was induced. Arthritis induction increased clinical score in wild type mice. In contrast, CIZ/NMP4 deficiency suppressed such rise in the levels of arthritis score and swelling of soft tissue. CIZ/NMP4 deficiency also reduced invasion of inflammatory cells in joint tissue. Quantitative PCR analyses of mRNA from joints revealed that arthritis‐induced increase in expressions of IL‐1β was suppressed by CIZ/NMP4 deficiency. CIZ/NMP4 bound to IL‐1β promoter and activated its transcription. The increase in CIZ/NMP4 in arthritis was also associated with enhancement in bone resorption and cartilage matrix degradation. In fact, RANKL, a signaling molecule prerequisite for osteoclastogenesis and, MMP‐3, a clinical marker for arthritis were increased in joints upon arthritis induction. In contrast, CIZ/NMP4 deficiency suppressed the arthritis‐induced increase in bone resorption, expression of RANKL and MMP‐3 mRNA. Thus, CIZ/NMP4 plays a role in the development of arthritis at least in part through regulation of key molecules related to the arthritis. J. Cell. Biochem. 117: 970–977, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The effects of tact training on the development of analogical reasoning
Authors: Miguel Caio F. , Frampton Sarah E. , Lantaya Charisse A. , LaFrance Danielle L. , Quah Kelly , Meyer Careen S. , Elias Nassim C. , Fernand Jonathan K.
Published: September 2015

This study assessed whether tact training would establish analogies as measured by equivalence–equivalence relations. In Experiment 1, six college students were trained to tact “same” or “different” in the presence of AB and BC compounds based on component class membership (e.g., A1B1 as “same”, and A1B2 as “different”), and then tested on emergent tacts (BA, CB, AC, CA) and equivalence–equivalence relations. Only one of six participants passed all tests without remedial training. In Experiment 2, six college students were trained to tact only compounds belonging to the same class as “same”. Three of six participants passed all tests without remedial training. In Experiment 3, six college students were trained to tact stimuli belonging to the same class with a common name prior to exposure to relational tact training. All participants passed tests without remedial training. In Experiment 4, eight college students were trained to tact stimuli belonging to the same class with a common name. Six participants passed without remedial training, while two, who did not tact the relation of the compounds, did not. Results from these studies suggest that simple discrimination of individual components and their relation in the form of tacts is related with equivalence performance.
Silica Supported and Conventional Approaches for the Synthesis of Carbonyl Diimidazole Type of Ionic Liquids and Its Catalytic Activities
Authors: Ramanathan Naveenkumar , Pandurangan Ganapathi , Kilivelu Ganesan
Published: September 2015

Synthesis of carbonyl diimidazole type of ionic liquids via silica supported and conventional methodologies under muffle furnace and refluxing condition, respectively, to give shorter reaction time and higher yield. We have studied the catalytic activities of our synthesized ionic liquids for polymerization reactions.
Synthesis and Regioselectivity in the Alkylation of 1,3,4‐Oxadiazolethiones with Dihaloalkanes and Epichlorohydrin
Authors: El Ashry El Sayed H. , Boraei Ahmed T. A. , Duerkop Axel
Published: September 2015

The regioselectivity in the alkylation of 1,3,4‐oxadiazolethiones with dihaloalkanes was found that it depends mainly on the length of the alkyl chain connecting the two halides; moreover, the formation of thiirane ring instead of epoxide ring during the alkylation with epichlorohydrin was surprising.
Molecular epidemiology and surveillance of circulating rotavirus and adenovirus in Congolese children with gastroenteritis
Authors: Mayindou Gontran , Ngokana Berge , Sidibé Anissa , Moundélé Victoire , Koukouikila‐Koussounda Felix , Christevy Vouvoungui Jeannhey , Kwedi Nolna Sylvie , Velavan Thirumalaisamy P. , Ntoumi Francine
Published: September 2015

Infectious Diarrhea caused by rotavirus and adenovirus, is a leading cause of death in children in sub‐Sahara Africa but there is limited published data on the diverse rotavirus genotypes and adenovirus serotypes circulating in the Republic of Congo. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of severe diarrhea caused by rotavirus A (RVA) and Adenovirus serotype 40 and 41 in Congolese children hospitalized with severe gastroenteritis. Stool samples were collected from 655 Congolese children less than 60 months of age hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis between June 2012 and June 2013. Rotavirus and adenovirus antigens were tested using commercially available ELISA kits and the RVA G‐ and P‐ genotypes were identified by seminested multiplex RT‐PCR. Three hundred and four (46.4%) children were tested positive for RVA. Adenovirus infection was found in 5.5% of the 564 tested children. Rotavirus infection was frequently observed in children between 6–12 months (55.9%). The dry season months recorded increased RVA infection while no seasonality of adenovirus infection was demonstrated. The most common RVA genotypes were G1 (57.5%), G2 (6.4%), G1G2 mixture (15.5%), P[8] (58%), P[6] (13.2%), and P[8]P[6] mixture (26%). Additionally, the genotype G12P[6] was significantly associated with increased vomiting. This first study on Congolese children demonstrates a high prevalence and clinical significance of existing rotavirus genotypes. Adenovirus prevalence is similar to that of other Central African countries. This baseline epidemiology and molecular characterization study will contribute significantly to the RVA surveillance after vaccine implementation in the country. J. Med. Virol. 88:596–605, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Microstrip bandpass filter design using split‐path method and optimized curvature corrections
Authors: Chakravorty Pragnan , Mandal Durbadal
Published: September 2015

Bandpass filters with wide pass‐band are an essential requirement in various equipments of satellite and defence communication sectors. Here a method of split‐path interactions is proposed to approximately predict the resonant frequency and topology of bandpass filters which otherwise fall under the category of heuristic designs. Curved transmission lines are often required to make filter structures physically compact; however, curvature effects create errors in the theoretical (design) prediction of resonant or central frequencies for bandpass filter design. Earlier propositions on curvature corrections had been considerably precise, but recent design standards demand even higher accuracies. The prime feature of this work is the use of a meta‐heuristic optimization (i.e. Particle Swarm Optimization) technique in curvature corrections for the first time which brings accuracies of over 99% in the corrected results. The split paths used in this design are suitably curved, with the proposed optimized curvature correction technique, so as to attain a compact size of the filter. The resulting filter has a low insertion loss of around −1.00 dB and a sharp stopband cut‐off. Fabrication was done on a FR4 microstrip substrate with a good agreement between measured and simulated results. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermodynamic configurations associated with heavy rainfall in Eastern Romania
Authors: Cărbunaru Daniel , Burcea Sorin
Published: September 2015

Worldwide, meteorological events associated with severe weather affect life, property and infrastructure. Lately, heavy rainfalls led to loss of life and produced damage in various areas of Romania. The main aim of the article is to investigate the dynamic and thermodynamic, both synoptic and mesoscale, configurations associated with severe weather in eastern Romania. Using the empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) analysis, simultaneously applied to daily average geopotential field at different pressure levels (300, 500 and 850 hPa), a number of severe weather events were clustered into classes. At European scale, the analysis showed the existence of three eigenvectors which describe up to 73% of the data. Using the projections of these vectors on 62 days with severe weather, eight classes of synoptic configurations resulted. For each class, the main dynamic characteristics were highlighted. Repeating the EOF analysis on the same geopotential fields, but using reanalysis data at 6 h interval, it was revealed that each class has a limited number of eigenvectors which can be used to explain the dynamic similarity between different baroclinic evolutions. The mesoscale feature analysis was performed using Doppler weather radar data. The increase from south to north of the thermodynamic instability and dynamic organizational factors is highlighted for all the classes. The occurrence of certain classes takes place in different times of the convective season, while the most persistent classes are positioned in the middle of the convective season. An important finding is that by projecting the first three eigenvectors on the numerical weather prediction models outputs, one can infer the most likely dynamic behaviour to expect in a synoptic time interval. The climatological evolution of the projection on the data of each class, for the 1980–2014 interval, shows a change in the baroclinic dynamic configuration associated with heavy rainfall.
pH‐dependence of single‐protein adsorption and diffusion at a liquid chromatographic interface
Authors: Kisley Lydia , Poongavanam Mohan‐Vivekanandan , Kourentzi Katerina , Willson Richard C. , Landes Christy F.
Published: September 2015

pH is a common mobile phase variable used to control protein separations due to the tunable nature of amino acid and adsorbent charge. Like other column variables such as column density and ligand loading density, pH is usually optimized empirically. Single‐molecule spectroscopy extracts molecular‐scale data to provide a framework for mechanistic optimization of pH. The adsorption and diffusion of a model globular protein, α‐lactalbumin, was studied by single‐molecule microscopy at a silica–aqueous interface analogous to aqueous normal phase and hydrophilic interaction chromatography and capillary electrophoresis interfaces at varied pH. Electrostatic repulsion resulting in free diffusion was observed at pH above the isoelectric point of the protein. In contrast, at low pH strong adsorption and surface diffusion with either no (D ∼ 0.01 μm2/s) or translational (D ∼ 0.3 μm2/s) motion was observed where the protein likely interacted with the surface through electrostatic, hydrophobic, and hydrogen bonding forces. The fraction of proteins immobilized could be increased by lowering the pH. These results show that retention of proteins at the silica interface cannot be viewed solely as an adsorption/desorption process and that the type of surface diffusion, which ultimately leads to ensemble chromatographic separations, can be controlled by tuning long‐range electrostatic and short‐range hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding forces with pH.
Bypasses in intracellular glucose metabolism in iron‐limited Pseudomonas putida
Authors: Sasnow Samantha S. , Wei Hua , Aristilde Ludmilla
Published: September 2015

Decreased biomass growth in iron (Fe)‐limited Pseudomonas is generally attributed to downregulated expression of Fe‐requiring proteins accompanied by an increase in siderophore biosynthesis. Here, we applied a stable isotope‐assisted metabolomics approach to explore the underlying carbon metabolism in glucose‐grown Pseudomonas putida KT2440. Compared to Fe‐replete cells, Fe‐limited cells exhibited a sixfold reduction in growth rate but the glucose uptake rate was only halved, implying an imbalance between glucose uptake and biomass growth. This imbalance could not be explained by carbon loss via siderophore production, which accounted for only 10% of the carbon‐equivalent glucose uptake. In lieu of the classic glycolytic pathway, the Entner–Doudoroff (ED) pathway in Pseudomonas is the principal route for glucose catabolism following glucose oxidation to gluconate. Remarkably, gluconate secretion represented 44% of the glucose uptake in Fe‐limited cells but only 2% in Fe‐replete cells. Metabolic 13C flux analysis and intracellular metabolite levels under Fe limitation indicated a decrease in carbon fluxes through the ED pathway and through Fe‐containing metabolic enzymes. The secreted siderophore was found to promote dissolution of Fe‐bearing minerals to a greater extent than the high extracellular gluconate. In sum, bypasses in the Fe‐limited glucose metabolism were achieved to promote Fe availability via siderophore secretion and to reroute excess carbon influx via enhanced gluconate secretion.
Targeting Yes‐associated Protein with Evolved Peptide Aptamers to Disrupt TGF‐β Signaling Pathway: Therapeutic Implication for Bone Tumor
Authors: Ji Wei‐Ping , Dong Yang
Published: September 2015

The binding of transcription coactivator Yes‐associated protein (YAP) to Smad transcription factors is an important event in activating transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) signaling pathway, which is involved in the tumorigenicity and metastasis of bone tumor. Design of peptide aptamers to disrupt YAPSmad interaction has been established as a promising approach for bone tumor therapy. Here, an evolution strategy was used to optimize Smad‐derived peptides for high potency binding to YAP WW2 domain, resulting in an improved peptide population, from which those high‐scoring candidates were characterized rigorously using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and interaction free energy calculations. With the computational protocol we were able to generate a number of potential domain binders, which were then substantiated by using fluorescence spectroscopy assay. Subsequently, the complex structure of YAP WW2 domain with a high‐affinity peptide was modeled and examined in detail, which was then used to guide structure‐based peptide optimization to obtain several strong domain binders. Structural and energetic analysis revealed that electrostatic complementarity is primarily responsible for domainpeptide recognition, while other nonbonded interactions such as hydrogen bonding and salt bridges can contribute significantly to the recognition specificity.
Dual Catalyst Model Describing the Effect of Branching on the Molecular Architecture of Polyolefins
Authors: Konstantinov Ivan , Villa Carlos , Karjala Thomas , Jain Pradeep
Published: September 2015

Analytical solutions for the impact of branching on the polymer molecular architecture in the presence of two catalysts are developed. One catalyst forms only linear chains while the other produces linear as well as branched species. Emphasis is placed on the average molecular weight and polydispersity index of the populations associated with each catalyst rather than the overall quantities. By defining the cross‐incorporation number, x, which represents the relative value of the β‐hydride elimination and terminal double bond polymerization rate coefficients of each catalyst, we map the effect of branching on the molecular architecture of the polymer in order to understand the underlying kinetics and guide system design.
On the RF heating of coronary stents at 7.0 Tesla MRI
Authors: Winter Lukas , Oberacker Eva , Özerdem Celal , Ji Yiyi , von Knobelsdorff‐Brenkenhoff Florian , Weidemann Gerd , Ittermann Bernd , Seifert Frank , Niendorf Thoralf
Published: September 2015

Purpose

Examine radiofrequency (RF) induced heating of coronary stents at 7.0 Tesla (T) to derive an analytical approach which supports RF heating assessment of arbitrary stent geometries and RF coils.

Methods

Simulations are performed to detail electromagnetic fields (EMF), local specific absorption rates (SAR) and temperature changes. For validation E‐field measurements and RF heating experiments are conducted. To progress to clinical setups RF coils tailored for cardiac MRI at 7.0T and coronary stents are incorporated into EMF simulations using a human voxel model.

Results

Our simulations of coronary stents at 297 MHz were confirmed by E‐field and temperature measurements. An analytical solution which describes SAR(1g tissue voxel) induced by an arbitrary coronary stent interfering with E‐fields generated by an arbitrary RF coil was derived. The analytical approach yielded a conservative estimation of induced SAR(1g tissue voxel) maxima without the need for integrating the stent into EMF simulations of the human voxel model.

Conclusion

The proposed analytical approach can be applied for any patient, coronary stent type, RF coil configuration and RF transmission regime. The generalized approach is of value for RF heating assessment of other passive electrically conductive implants and provides a novel design criterion for RF coils. Magn Reson Med, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Magn Reson Med 74:999–1010, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Insights triggered by textual micro‐counseling dialogues of restructuring orientation in experts and students
Authors: Yu Fei , Zhang Wencai , Zhang Zhijie , Zhang Jianxin , Luo Jing
Published: September 2015

Insight is a salient psychotherapeutic progress but has rarely been measured in a controlled experimental setting. This study aimed to assess whether textual micro‐counseling dialogue could validly evoke insight and to explore the characteristics of insight. The guessing riddle of cognitive psychology was used as a reference of the experimental paradigm. Specifically, textual micro‐counseling dialogues applying cognitive restructuring techniques were presented. The participant first read a description of a psychological distress (“problem”) and then an explanation (“solution”). Zero‐, low‐, and high‐restructuring solutions were randomly matched to the problems and it was expected that they would trigger different levels of insight experiences. Experts and students evaluated the adaptability and emotional valence of problems, and the insightfulness, novelty, adaptability, and emotional valence of solutions. For both experts and students, different intensities of insightfulness were produced across high‐, low‐ and zero‐restructuring solutions. Novelty significantly discriminated the high‐restructuring solutions from the other two solution types. Adaptability and emotional valence could discriminate the high‐ and low‐restructuring solutions types from the zero‐restructuring solution. Insightfulness had high correlations with novelty and adaptability. These results indicated that textual micro‐counseling dialogues with a high‐restructuring solution could validly produce the greatest insightfulness and the features of high‐restructuring solutions may have reference meaning for improving psychotherapeutic effect.
Tai Chi Chuan modulates heart rate variability during abdominal breathing in elderly adults
Authors: Wei Gao‐Xia , Li You‐Fa , Yue Xiao‐Lin , Ma Xiao , Chang Yu‐Kai , Yi Long‐Yan , Li Jing‐Cheng , Zuo Xi‐Nian
Published: September 2015

Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) practice is currently intentionally applied in clinical populations, especially those with cardiovascular diseases because of its potential benefits on the autonomic nervous system. The long‐term effect of TCC practice on heart rate variability (HRV) remains largely unknown. In this study, we recruited 23 TCC practitioners whose experience averaged approximately 21 years and 19 controls matched by age, sex and education to examine the effect of TCC practice on the autonomic nervous system during a resting state and during an abdominal breathing state. HRV was measured by traditional electrocardiogram (ECG) recording. The results showed that the low frequency, total power frequency, and normalized low frequency components and the low‐frequency/high‐frequency ratio were significantly higher, whereas the normalized high frequency was significantly lower in the TCC practitioners relative to controls during the abdominal breathing state. However, we did not detect any significant difference in the HRV measures during the resting state between the two groups. Additionally, TCC experience did not correlate with HRV components either in the abdominal state or the resting state in the TCC group. Considering all of these findings, we suggest that TCC improves vagal activity and the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity during the relaxation state. This study also provides direct physiological evidence for the role of TCC practice in relaxation.
MOCVD growth and structural characterization of In–Sb–Te nanowires
Authors: Selmo S. , Cecchi S. , Cecchini R. , Wiemer C. , Fanciulli M. , Rotunno E. , Lazzarini L. , Longo M.
Published: September 2015

In this work, the self‐assembly of In3Sb1Te2 and In‐doped Sb4Te1 nanowires (NWs) for phase change memories application was achieved by metal organic chemical vapor deposition, coupled with vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism, catalyzed by Au nanoparticles. Single crystal In3Sb1Te2 and In‐doped Sb4Te1 NWs were obtained for different reactor pressures at 325 °C. The parameters influencing the NW self‐assembly were studied and the compositional, morphological, and structural analysis of the grown structures was performed, also comparing the effect of the used substrate (crystalline Si and SiO2). In both cases, NWs of several micrometer in length and with diameters as small as 15 nm were obtained.
Retrogradation property of starch nanoparticles prepared by pullulanase and recrystallization
Authors: Gong Min , Li Xiaojing , Xiong Liu , Sun Qingjie
Published: September 2015

Retrogradation behavior of starch nanoparticles (SNPs) prepared by the recrystallization of short‐chain amylose (SCA) debranched from amylopectin‐rich waxy proso millet starch was investigated. In differential scanning calorimetry thermograms, the SCA: water ratio of 1:2 (w/w) led to a remarkable increase in enthalpy at 4 or 25°C compared with that corresponding to the ratios of 1:1 and 1:5, indicating better recrystallization and higher crystallinity of SCA. Morphology analysis showed that nanoparticles measuring 10–30 nm in diameter were formed when SCA solution (1:5, w/v) was retrograded for 15, 30, and 60 min. As the retrogradation duration was increased to 120 and 240 min, larger SNPs appeared. X‐ray diffraction patterns of all SNPs were of the B‐type, and the degree of crystallinity increased when retrogradation time was prolonged.
Characterization of starch from bamboo seeds
Authors: Ai Yongfeng , Gong Lingxiao , Reed Michael , Huang Juqing , Zhang Ying , Jane Jay‐lin
Published: September 2015

This study aimed to characterize structures, physical properties, and enzymatic‐hydrolysis rate of starch isolated from bamboo seeds (Phyllostachys heterocycla var. pubescens (Mazel) Ohwi) in comparison with that of indica and japonica‐rice starch. The bamboo seeds consisted of 68.2% starch (dry basis, db), which was lower than the indica and japonica‐rice kernels (85.1 and 87.1%, respectively). The bamboo‐seed starch also had compound granules, with morphology and sizes comparable to the rice starches. The bamboo‐seed amylopectin had a similar branch‐chain‐length distribution to the indica‐rice amylopectin, and both had longer average branch‐chain length (DP = 19.1 and 19.7, respectively) than the japonica‐rice amylopectin (DP = 17.1). The bamboo‐seed and indica‐rice starches showed higher onset gelatinization temperatures (To = 68.9 and 71.9°C, respectively) and gelatinization enthalpy changes (ΔH = 14.2 and 15.3 J/g), larger percentages of retrogradation (57.1 and 55.4%), but slower enzymatic‐hydrolysis rates (50.6 and 46.3% at 24 h) than the japonica‐rice starch (56.4°C, 14.0 J/g, 11.4%, and 66.2%, respectively). The bamboo‐seed starch displayed a higher pasting temperature but substantially lower viscosity than the rice starches, which could be attributed to its larger amylose content and smaller molecular weight and gyration‐radius of the amylopectin.
ACE study provides key takeaways on race‐based admissions
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: September 2015

In July 2015, the American Council on Education's Center for Policy Research and Strategy released a report on how race‐conscious admissions practices are used in colleges and universities nationwide. It was created in partnership with the Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles and the Center for College and Career Readiness in Pearson's Research and Innovation Network, and with support from the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, the College Board and EducationCounsel.
Surgical training in Saudi Arabia: Trainees' perspectives and the role of simulation
Authors: Alotaibi Naif H. , Oker Natalie , Zafar Muhammed , AL-Qahtani Khalid Hussain , Higham Helen
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACT

The surgical training program in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is still evolving. In order to improve future programs, we conducted a study of trainees' perspectives to explore their views on the value of simulation and the perception of non-technical skills developed during the current training program.

The structural survey was distributed among surgical trainees from all surgical specialties in KSA. Additionally, another survey was conducted regarding the point of view of surgical program directors, educators, senior surgical faculty and medical education leaders.

Results revealed weak aspects in acquiring non-technical skills. Regarding simulation, Saudi trainers and trainees strongly support the use of simulation to remedy these issues. Both groups studied strongly believe that simulation can improve the current training program (trainers: agree 100%; trainees: strongly agree, 89%).

We believe that surgical training in the KSA would benefit from further use of surgical simulation as a powerful addition to classical surgical training. It offers the opportunity to train both complex technical skills and non-technical skills in a safe environment.

Both trainers and trainees agree that it would greatly improve the training that is currently available and there is growing evidence in the literature that simulation improves technical skills and team work with the concomitant improvement in patient safety and outcome.

Highlights:
Dancing/Writing Transmodernism: Toward a Theorization of Recent Choreographic Histories
Authors: Farrugia-Kriel Kathrina
Published: September 2015

In this paper, I explore recent theoretical offerings on transmodernism in literature and critical studies and its appropriation and transference into the field of dance studies Through writing transmodernism in dance, I offer a model that is timely and necessary. This framework is articulated through historical trajectories focused on a case study, notably through the work of French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj. Drawing upon Annonçiation (1995), the concept of dancing /writing transmodernism reflects the epistemological values from the interstitial transference of composite/nonlinear/scaffolded texts, including the rethinking of the biblical narratives, musical textures, and corporeal/physical textures.
Writings as Operations of Disenfranchisement, Investigating Manuscripts, and Choreographer's Notes from the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries: Advantages and Problems in Reconstructing from the Papers
Authors: Ganesh Swarnamalya
Published: September 2015

Bharatanatyam has manifold systems of writing/documentation. They are in the form of sculptures, paintings, inscriptions, and treatises. They are also in the form of personal notes by dance masters (Nattuvanars), notated descriptions by scholars, by wealthy merchants, travellers, and the court and temple dancers (Devadasis) themselves.

The female mind, body, and voice were used to embody the choreographies envisioned by the male Nattuvanars. But the qualitative fulcrum of this dance remained in extempore exposition. Every repertoire had a pedagogy that was fundamentally dynamic in its transfer and performance but also written and preserved. The Devadasi envisioned compositions as a representation of her psyche each time, both in practice and performance. Therefore the same repertoire gets reinterpreted every time by her, but within the structured pedagogy accorded by the composition and the choreographer. Let us investigate if the term choreography is useful in representing this unique process.
Rewriting Skolt Sámi Dance History
Authors: Hoppu Petri
Published: September 2015

The paper examines the role of traditional couple and group dances of the Skolt Sámi in negotiating their history and identity. The research is based on archival and literal material from Finnish folklore archives as well as ethnographic fieldwork among the Skolts in 2014. It is addressed that the Skolts, despite their dramatic history, have been able to revive and preserve their dance traditions in many ways, and today they are reflecting their dance history from new perspectives, rewriting it and integrating it to their contemporary hybrid identities. Having lived between many different cultures for centuries, their identities are characterized by many points in their social and personal histories, and dancing is a part of the routes they have traveled within these experiences. Today, dancing provides them a strategy to negotiate both with their history and identity in contemporary society.
Texts, Bodies, Multimodality: Dance Literacy in Context
Authors: Riggs Leyva Rachael
Published: September 2015

Crossing between texts, bodies, and the senses, dance literacies bring fresh perspectives on how new literacies can function, especially non-alphabetic or non-text-based literacies. Reading and writing in an expanded understanding of literacy are interpretive means of interacting with texts, of embedding and discerning meaning, of making sense of movement or choreographic information, of composing and performing, and of creating documentation and archive. Makers and viewers of dances act as readers, and writers, and authors. These roles are permeable in dance literacy, shifting with the context of the dance phenomenon or artistic practice. This paper engages with the dance practices of two dance companies to explore issues of shared-authorship, documentation, multimodality, body-text relationships, and reader-writer permeability: the Bebe Miller Company during their creation ofA Historyand RikudNetto, who composes through Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation. What literacy events and practices are present in the studio? What range of written literacies are used and how? Where and how were these literacies learned? In what ways might they cross the so-called literacy-orality divide? Drawing from questions and frameworks of the New Literacy Studies, this paper invites a critical look at dance literacy in context.
Writing for Posterity: A Reassessment of Arbeau'sOrchésographie(1589)
Authors: Monahin Nona
Published: September 2015

Many of Arbeau's step descriptions lack the embellishments described in Italian treatises, leading to the assumption that his instructions are incomplete and need to be augmented in reconstructions. However, arguments that may apply to other manuals—that certain elements were taken for granted by the dancers of the time—are not necessarily applicable in Arbeau's case, for he was not writing for a contemporary audience alone. In my paper, I reassess Arbeau's manual in terms of his claim to optimal transparency and comprehensiveness, and show how taking him at his word affects our understanding of the dance movements he describes.
The Shape and Form of South Korea's Twenty-First Century Dance Landscape
Authors: Nasti Kathleen
Published: September 2015

The twentieth century Korean dance landscape began in a state of near eradication following perennial unrest that spanned a thirty-five year Japanese Annexation, the Korean War, and eighteen years of dictatorial rule by President Park Chung-hee. However, despite these years of turmoil, oppression, censorship, poverty, war, and isolation, the last quarter of Korea's twentieth century prompted a dance renaissance. This paper explores the archival modalities used to import Western dance forms and ideals to Korea, the cultural changes in Korea that created an opening for different philosophies and aesthetics in dance, and the new interest in dance scholarship and science, and supposes ideas for Korea's dance future.
The Show Must Go On: A Participatory Rewriting of Euro-American Folk Dance
Authors: Pappas Rebecca
Published: September 2015

My participatory paper considers Jérôme Bel's seminal work The Show Must Go On as a rewriting of folk dance tradition, drawing from and reinventing popular tropes of the Euro-American relationship to pop music and the popular body. I look at both the piece, and also Bel's methods of restaging it worldwide, as a means of regularizing, reinventing, and reperforming popular dance. I compare his practice to that of national folkdance ensembles that choreograph indigenous traditions for theatrical performance. I am fascinated with this process of fixing “cultural dance” for recognition and consumption by an audience. Bel's work depends on the audience's ability to recognize themselves within its music, imagery, and performing ensemble. Does this make it folk dance? My paper mines the category of “folk dance,” asking whether there is, in fact, a distinction between folk, social, and popular dance and arguing that in the recognizability and participatory nature of his work, he has inadvertently created a contemporary Euro-American folk dance. In addition, I will develop the presentation choreographically, directing the bodies of the listeners in ways meant to evoke Bel's participatory community.
Written Out of History: Black Square Dance Traditions
Authors: Spalding Susan Eike
Published: September 2015

Old time square dancing (in a big circle) was an early-twentieth-century home- and community-based recreation among all ethnicities in the Central Appalachian region. It disappeared in most places by the 1940s, re-emerging in white rural communities in the 1960s. By contrast, one Virginia African American community continued square dancing until the early 1970s, much longer than others. Their last dances were held just as square dancing again became popular in white communities. The movement of the dance itself, its context and meaning to the dancers, and elements of regional and national society and culture may have contributed both to its longevity and to its demise. The presentation is based on interviews and movement analysis as well as on bibliographic research. It is based upon research for the author's book Appalachian Dance: Creativity and Continuity in Six Communities (University of Illinois Press, 2014).
CORD Awards Panel 2014: “Celebrating the Scholarship of Deidre Sklar”: Rigor: A Personal Essay
Authors: Sklar Deidre
Published: September 2015

This talk was given at the panel in honor of the author who was recipient of the CORD 2014 Award for Outstanding Scholarly Research in Dance. Having been encouraged to continue in the tradition of “thoughtful, rigorous and engaging” work, the author takes on the concept of “rigor,” reframing the word to apply to the rigorous pursuit of intellectual, aesthetic, and inherent passion, curiosity, and learning grounded in academic discipline that drove her own research, fieldwork, and writing.
Uncovering the Histories and Pre-Histories of Queer Tango: Contextualizing and Documenting an Innovative Form of Social Dancing
Authors: Batchelor Ray
Published: September 2015

Attempting to uncover and document the history, or rather histories and pre-histories, of queer tango is difficult. Superficially, the history ought to be easy. The term “queer tango” barely existed before 2001 when it was first used by LGBT dancers in Hamburg, Germany. It was perceived of by them as a riposte to “hetero-normative” leader-follower relationships in mainstream Argentinian tango, proposing instead women as leaders, men as followers, same sex couples and “active” rather than passive followers. Queer tango has subsequently been characterized by the emergence around the world of queer tango organizations, of international festivals, and an international community of dancers, thriving by contact through social media. Yet as the author, who is collaborating with writers and dancers Birthe Havmøller and Olaya Aramo in editingThe Queer Tango Book, an online anthology of writings about queer tango, has found out, there is still no settled agreement as to what, precisely, the term means; there is disagreement about the premise that “hetero-normative” tango was quite as oppressive to women in the ways it was originally made out to be, and there is no agreement—indeed so far, precious little discussion—as to which dance practices in Buenos Aires and beyond from the late nineteenth century onward might legitimately be enlisted as forming the pre-history. Were the men-only prácticas, which ran for decades, a part of it? Or women teaching each other at home? When so little was written down, how is one to find out?
Mississippi Stories in Motion: Authorship and the Construction of Meaning in a Museum-Based Movement Installation
Authors: Bower Krista
Published: September 2015

In February of 2014, a contemporary dance company based in Jackson, Mississippi, created a movement installation within the Mississippi Museum of Art. This paper examines how words shaped the experience of the participant-researcher as a docent spoke over the performers, as the dancers physically responded to words spoken by spectators, and as the performers recited text found on the museum walls. Through a process of critical reflection, the author considers how the presence of text within the museum performance space functioned to create meaning and to awaken the awareness of the performers and spectators.
Ballet and Beer: Discursive Multiplicity Mediated by Text
Authors: Clark Caroline Sutton
Published: September 2015

Through the focus of historical inquiry into the monthly performances of Austin Ballet Theatre in Austin, Texas, a local amateur company, at the Armadillo World Headquarters, a psychedelic and “outlaw country” music hall, from 1972–1980, this paper explores an example of dance phenomena surviving outside of normative discursive support through the textual mediation provided by specific newspaper reviewers. The frequency and unique nature of these ballet performances created the circumstances that generated a more open, reciprocal, and diachronic conversation between the participants involving dance and text—a conversation that generated functioning narratives of identity.
The Actuarial Practices of British Insurance Companies in Peripheral Markets: The Case of Spain (1890–1936)
Authors: PONS PONS JERÒNIA , GUTIÉRREZ GONZÁLEZ PABLO
Published: September 2015

The backwardness of actuarial techniques in Spain and the lack of Spanish mortality tables had a bearing on the development of life insurance in Spain. The actuaries of the domestic and foreign companies operating in this country used other countries’ mortality tables, corrected upwards, to draw up their policies. With actuarial reports from the Gresham Life Assurance Society, established in Spain in the 1890s, the difficulties actuaries had to confront to adjust expectations to Spanish reality can be followed for decades. On the basis of statistical information from 1896 to 1937, a comparison is made between expected and actual death rates. Furthermore, the information from this company enables a comparison with other countries in which it operated (more developed and less developed than Spain) and with the profit and loss results of other domestic and foreign companies operating in the country. Moreover, the problems caused for actuaries by unforeseen events that affected the Spanish population in particular, such as the “Spanish Influenza” or the Civil War, can also be studied. On the basis of this valuable documentation, certain patterns of the difficulties faced by actuaries operating in economically backward countries before World War II can be established.