bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Counseling Services Among Chinese International Students: Acculturation, Ethnic Identity, and English Proficiency
Authors: Li Jiaqi , Marbley Aretha Faye , Bradley Loretta J. , Lan William
Published: January 2016

The authors examined the help‐seeking attitudes of 109 Chinese international students studying in the United States. Results revealed that significant relationships exist among acculturation, ethnic identity, English proficiency, and attitudes toward seeking professional counseling services. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Los autores examinaron las actitudes hacia la búsqueda de ayuda de 109 estudiantes internacionales chinos cursando estudios en Estados Unidos. Los resultados revelaron que existen relaciones significativas entre la aculturación, la indentidad étnica, el dominio del idioma y las actitudes hacia la búsqueda de servicios profesionales de consejería. Se discuten las limitaciones y recomendaciones para investigaciones futuras.
Case‐control study evaluating competing risk factors for angioedema in a high‐risk population
Authors: Kamil Rebecca J. , Jerschow Elina , Loftus Patricia A. , Tan Melin , Fried Marvin P. , Smith Richard V. , Foster David , Ow Thomas J.
Published: January 2016

Objectives/Hypothesis

Black race is a risk factor for angioedema. The primary aim was to examine the relationship between race–ethnicity and risk factors for angioedema.

Study Design

Using a retrospective case‐control study design, data was extracted with the Clinical Looking Glass utility, a data collection and management tool that captures data from electronic medical record systems within the Montefiore Healthcare System. Cases were emergency department (ED) visits with primary or secondary International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, code diagnoses of angioedema in adults aged ≥ 18 years from January 2008 to December 2013 at three Montefiore centers in Bronx, New York. Controls were a random sampling of adult ED visits during the same period.

Methods

In primary analyses, angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE‐I) and black race were evaluated for synergy. The influence of different risk factors in the development of angioedema was evaluated using logistic regression models. Finally, race–ethnicity was further explored by evaluating for effect modification by stratification of models by race–ethnicity categories.

Results

There were 1,247 cases and 6,500 controls randomly selected from a larger control pool. ACE‐I use (odds ratio [OR] 3.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.98, 4.60), hypertension (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.55, 2.29), and black race (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.86, 2.72) were the strongest risk factors. ACE‐I use and black race were not synergistic (OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.80, 1.51). Race–ethnicity was an effect modifier for certain risk factors.

Conclusion

Race–ethnicity acts as an effect modifier for particular angioedema risk factors. The two strongest risk factors, ACE‐I use and black race, were not synergistic.

Level of Evidence

3b. Laryngoscope, 126:1823–1830, 2016
Hypercube emulation of interconnection networks topologies
Authors: Alahmadi Adel , Alhazmi Husain , Ali Shakir , Deza Michel , Sikirić Mathieu Dutour , Solé Patrick
Published: January 2016

We address various topologies (de Bruijn, chordal ring, generalized Petersen, and meshes) in various ways (isometric embedding, embedding up to scale, and embedding up to a distance) in a hypercube or a half‐hypercube. Example of obtained embeddings: infinite series of hypercube embeddable bubble sort and double chordal rings topologies, as well as of regular maps. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Von Menschen gemachte Erdbeben
Authors: Ritter Joachim
Published: January 2016

Mit induzierter Seismizität bezeichnet man Erdbebenprozesse, die durch äußere, meist menschliche, Eingriffe in den Untergrund verursacht werden. Die zunehmende Nutzung von Bodenschätzen hat weltweit zu vermehrter induzierter Seismizität geführt. Auch Deutschland ist davon betroffen. Besonders Fluidinjektionen in die Erdkruste, etwa beim Hydraulic Fracking, können direkt Bruchvorgänge erzeugen. Sie können zudem auf Verwerfungen stärkere Erdbeben auslösen, wenn tektonische Spannungszustände dies begünstigen. Entscheidend ist hierbei, dass der Porendruck des Fluids die stabilisierende Normalspannung auf einer Verwerfungsfläche reduziert und bruchhaftes Versagen fördert. Ein künstlicher Fluideintrag in das Gebirge kann daher zum Hebel für getriggerte Erdbeben werden, die deutlich spürbar sind.
Sichere Kommunikation per Quantenrepeater
Authors: Becher Christoph , Meschede Dieter , Michler Peter , Werner Reinhard
Published: January 2016

Die Quantenschlüsselverteilung bietet eine physikalische Methode, die eine fundamental abhörsichere Kommunikation mit Photonen als Quantenbits (Qubits) ermöglicht. Allerdings beschränken Verluste in Glasfasern die Punkt‐zu‐Punkt‐Verbindungen auf circa 100 km Entfernung. Der Quantenrepeater überwindet diese Schranke, indem er zwei oder mehr Strecken durch Quantenoperationen verknüpft. Die einzelnen Komponenten, mit denen ein Quantenrepeater gebaut werden kann, sind derzeit ein aktives Forschungsfeld. Quantenoptik und Halbleiterphysik tragen dazu bei, diese Komponenten zu realisieren. Sie umfassen effiziente Photonenquellen, Photonentransformatoren und Quantenspeicher.
Von der Jagd zum Sport
Authors: Thaller Sigrid , Mathelitsch Leopold
Published: January 2016

Beim Bogenschießen spielen mechanische Eigenschaften von Pfeil und Bogen wie Schwingungen, Energieübertragung und Widerstände eine große Rolle. Zusätzlich sind aber auch neurologische und physiologische Eigenschaften des Schützen von Bedeutung. Dazu zählen Ansteuerung und Ermüdung der Muskulatur beim Zielen und rechtzeitige Aktivierung der Muskulatur zum Stabilisieren des Bogens beim Abschuss.
Schneeflocken mal hell, mal dunkel
Authors: Schlichting H. Joachim
Published: January 2016

Je nachdem, ob Schneeflocken vor einem hellen oder dunklen Hintergrund gesehen werden, erscheinen sie dunkel oder hell. Ist dieser Farbunterschied real oder eingebildet?
Die Frau in der zweiten Reihe
Authors: Loos Andreas
Published: January 2016

Sie wird nur relativ berühmt: als die physikalische Muse in der zweiten Reihe, als zunächst sehr, dann wenig geliebte Ehefrau eines relativ bekannten Physikers, mit dem sie eine Tochter und zwei Söhne bekommt. Dass sie selbst eine intelligente Physikstudentin war, ist relativ wenig bekannt.
Exzitonen unter dem Mikroskop
Authors: Kuhnke Klaus , Große Christoph , Merino Pablo , Roslawska Anna , Kern Klaus
Published: January 2016

Von Leuchtdioden abgestrahltes Licht entsteht, wenn positive und negative Ladungsträger aufeinander treffen und für kurze Zeit Elektron‐Loch‐Paare, sogenannte Exzitonen, bilden. Unserer Gruppe am Max‐Planck‐Institut für Festkörperforschung ist es gelungen, die Zeitstruktur dieser Lichtemission aus einem C60‐Molekülfilm mit bisher unerreichter räumlicher Trennschärfe zu untersuchen.
Signale aus dem Nichts – Abtasten von Vakuum‐Fluktuationen
Authors: Riek Claudius , Seletskiy Denis V. , Leitenstorfer Alfred
Published: January 2016

Vakuum‐Fluktuationen sind eine grundlegende Konsequenz der Heisenbergschen Unschärferelation. Motiviert durch die Tatsache, dass elektrische und magnetische Feldamplituden nicht gleichzeitig verschwinden können, beschreibt die Quantenelektrodynamik (QED) sie als Photonen, die spontan aus dem Nichts entstehen und wieder zerfallen. Die Lebensdauer dieser virtuellen Anregungen ist dabei durch die Oszillationsperiode der Strahlung im jeweiligen Frequenzbereich gegeben. Mit einer Zeitauflösung besser als eine Lichtschwingung ist es uns an der Universität Konstanz gelungen, diese “Signale aus dem Nichts” direkt zu messen.
Migration of 17 Photoinitiators from Printing Inks and Cardboard into Packaged Food – Results of a Belgian Market Survey
Authors: Van Den Houwe K. , Van Heyst A. , Evrard C. , Van Loco J. , Bolle F. , Lynen F. , Van Hoeck E.
Published: January 2016

Photoinitiators are widely used to cure ink on packaging materials used in food applications such as carton boards and can contaminate the food by migrating into the food. In this contribution, a fast and reliable confirmation method for the determination of photoinitiators in dry foodstuffs is described: benzophenone (BP), 4,4′‐bis(diethylamino)benzophenone (DEAB), 2‐chloro‐9H‐thioxanthen‐9‐one (CTX), 1‐chloro‐4‐ropoxy‐9H‐thioxanthen‐9‐one (CPTX), 2,2‐dimethoxy‐ 2‐phenyl acetophenone (DMPA), 4‐(dimethylamino)benzophenone (DMBP), 2‐ethylanthraquinone (EA), 2‐ethylhexyl‐4‐dimethylaminobenzoate (EDB), ethyl‐4‐dimethylaminobenzoate (EDMAB), 4‐hydroxybenzophenone (4‐HBP), 1‐hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone (HCPK), 2‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxybenzophenone (HMBP), 2‐hydroxy‐4′‐(2‐hydroxyethoxy)‐2‐methylpropiophenone (HMMP), 2‐isopropyl‐9H‐thioxanthen‐9‐one (ITX), 4‐methylbenzophenone (MBP), 4,4′‐bis(dimethylamino)benzophenone (MK) and 4‐phenylbenzophenone (PBZ).

Dry foodstuffs were extracted using acetonitrile, followed by the addition of inorganic salts to precipitate fatty residues. After filtration, the extract was analysed using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography in combination with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS). Quantification was carried out using benzophenone‐d10 (BP‐d10) as internal standard. The presented method was successfully validated in‐house. Afterwards, the procedure was applied in a marketing study, investigating 97 dry foodstuffs purchased on the Belgian market. In 89% of the samples, at least one photoinitiator was detected. The photoinitiators BP, EDMA and DMPA were most frequently found, while some photoinitiators (CPTX, DEAB, DMBP, HCPK, HMBP and MK) were never detected. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesizing structural and behavioral control for reconfigurations in component-based systems
Authors: Khakpour Narges , Arbab Farhad , Rutten Eric
Published: January 2016

Correctness of the behavior of an adaptive system during dynamic adaptation is an important challenge to realize correct adaptive systems. Dynamic adaptation refers to changes to both the functionality of the computational entities that comprise a composite system, as well as the structure of their interconnections, in response to variations in the environment, e.g., the load of requests on a server system. In this research, we view the problem of correct structural adaptation as a supervisory control problem and synthesize a reconfiguration controller that guides the behavior of a system during adaptation. The reconfiguration controller observes the system behavior during an adaptation and controls the system behavior by allowing/disallowing actions in a way to ensure that a given property is satisfied and a deadlock is avoided. The system during adaptation is modeled using a graph transition system and properties to be enforced are specified using a graph automaton. We adapt a classical theory of supervisory control for synthesizing a controller for controlling the behavior of a system modeled using graph transition systems. This theory is used to synthesize a controller that can impose both behavioral and structural constraints on the system during an adaptation. We apply a tool that we have implemented to support our approach on a case study involving https servers.
Component-wise incremental LTL model checking
Authors: Molnár Vince , Vörös András , Darvas Dániel , Bartha Tamás , Majzik István
Published: January 2016

Efficient symbolic and explicit-state model checking approaches have been developed for the verification of linear time temporal logic (LTL) properties. Several attempts have been made to combine the advantages of the various algorithms. Model checking LTL properties usually poses two challenges: one must compute the synchronous product of the state space and the automaton model of the desired property, then look for counterexamples that is reduced to finding strongly connected components (SCCs) in the state space of the product. In case of concurrent systems, where the phenomenon of state space explosion often prevents the successful verification, the so-called saturation algorithm has proved its efficiency in state space exploration. This paper proposes a new approach that leverages the saturation algorithm both as an iteration strategy constructing the product directly, as well as in a new fixed-point computation algorithm to find strongly connected components on-the-fly by incrementally processing the components of the model. Complementing the search for SCCs, explicit techniques and component-wise abstractions are used to prove the absence of counterexamples. The resulting on-the-fly, incremental LTL model checking algorithm proved to scale well with the size of models, as the evaluation on models of the Model Checking Contest suggests.
Impact of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) on Skeletal Muscle Metabolism
Authors: Kim Yoo , Kim Jonggun , Whang Kwang‐Youn , Park Yeonhwa
Published: January 2016

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has garnered special attention as a food bioactive compound that prevents and attenuates obesity. Although most studies on the effects of CLA on obesity have focused on the reduction of body fat, a number of studies have demonstrated that CLA also increases lean body mass and enhances physical performances. It has been suggested that these effects may be due in part to physiological changes in the skeletal muscle, such as changes in the muscle fiber type transformation, alteration of the intracellular signaling pathways in muscle metabolism, or energy metabolism. However, the mode of action for CLA in muscle metabolism is not completely understood. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge of the effects of CLA on skeletal muscle metabolism. Given that CLA not only reduces body fat, but also improves lean mass, there is great potential for the use of CLA to improve muscle metabolism, which would have a significant health impact.
Sterol O‐Acyltransferase 2‐Driven Cholesterol Esterification Opposes Liver X Receptor‐Stimulated Fecal Neutral Sterol Loss
Authors: Warrier Manya , Zhang Jun , Bura Kanwardeep , Kelley Kathryn , Wilson Martha D. , Rudel Lawrence L. , Brown J. Mark
Published: January 2016

Statin drugs have proven a successful and relatively safe therapy for the treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, even with the substantial low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol lowering achieved with statin treatment, CVD remains the top cause of death in developed countries. Selective inhibitors of the cholesterol esterifying enzyme sterol‐O acyltransferase 2 (SOAT2) hold great promise as effective CVD therapeutics. In mouse models, previous work has demonstrated that either antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) or small molecule inhibitors of SOAT2 can effectively reduce CVD progression, and even promote regression of established CVD. Although it is well known that SOAT2‐driven cholesterol esterification can alter both the packaging and retention of atherogenic apoB‐containing lipoproteins, here we set out to determine whether SOAT2‐driven cholesterol esterification can also impact basal and liver X receptor (LXR)‐stimulated fecal neutral sterol loss. These studies demonstrate that SOAT2 is a negative regulator of LXR‐stimulated fecal neutral sterol loss in mice.
The Nature and Effectiveness of Sponsorship Performance Measurement Systems
Authors: Delaney Deborah , McManus Lisa , Lamminmaki Dawne
Published: January 2016

Sponsorship represents a unique component of an organisation's integrated marketing strategy. There is increasing pressure from senior management to account for the contribution made by sponsorship to firm performance. This study examines the nature of sponsorship performance measurement systems (PMS) and antecedents’ factors that may contribute to its effectiveness. An empirical study is conducted using survey data collected from 57 public companies in Australia. The results show that senior management support the adoption of formal sponsorship performance measurement systems comprising financial and non-financial performance measures but that “intuition” and “trust” were used in 98% of organisations. The antecedent variables of relational marketing strategy and size were found to have a relationship with the sponsorship performance measurement system. This underscores the importance of directing attention to sponsorship investment via the formalisation of the measurement process and the value of sponsorship PMSs in the eyes of senior management.
What's Not in On Liberty: The Pacific Theory of Freedom of Discussion in the Early Nineteenth Century
Authors: Conti Gregory
Published: January 2016

It is often assumed that John Stuart Mill's On Liberty (1859) is representative of the major lines of thought on the freedoms of discussion and the press in the period. In fact, however, Mill's treatise was selective about the kinds of reasons it admitted in support of these liberties. This essay depicts one set of arguments that Mill omitted and that has subsequently been overlooked in the history of political thought. An important element of liberal thought in early nineteenth-century Britain was that the liberty of the press made indispensable contributions to domestic peace and stability. These pacific arguments were elaborated in a wide variety of forms by a number of authors. More specifically, the view that unrestricted liberty of discussion was necessary for peace and political stability drew on an older tradition of thinking about religious toleration as well as newer ideas about the functioning of economic markets and the place of public opinion in the politics of modern societies. In the hands of its proponents, the view assumed psychological, historical, sociological, or metaphysical dimensions. Even though prominent thinkers, including his own father, were associated with this pacific outlook on the liberty of the press, John Stuart Mill rejected it both as an empirically dubious proposition and as an insufficient moral basis on which to build an enduring commitment to open public discussion.
Involving the Public: Parliament, Petitioning, and the Language of Interest, 1688–1720
Authors: Loft Philip
Published: January 2016

This article examines the nature of petitioning to the Westminster Parliament from the beginnings of the “rage of party” to the establishment of the whig oligarchy. It uses the largely unused archive of the House of Lords, which survived the parliamentary fire in 1834, to provide systematic evidence of public subscription to petitions produced in response to legislation. A total of 330 “large responsive petitions,” signed by fifty-six thousand people, were presented to the Lords between 1688 and 1720. This enabled a wide range of social and geographical groups to lobby Parliament. Parliamentarians actively sought to direct the public into voicing opinion through petitioning on matters of policy. The intervention of the language of “interest” from the mid-seventeenth century helped to legitimize and control public involvement in politics in the eyes of elites, and offered an alternative to political mobilization based on party allegiances and conceptions of society organized by ranks or sorts. The participation of the public through a regulated process of petitioning ensured that the whig oligarchy was porous and open to negotiation, despite the passage of the Septennial Act and declining party and electoral strife after 1716.
War of the British Worlds: The Anglo-Argentines and the Falklands
Authors: Mercau Ezequiel
Published: January 2016

The 1982 Falklands War was shrouded in symbolism, bringing to the fore divergent conceptions of Britishness, kinship, and belonging. This article casts light on the persistent purchase of the idea of Greater Britain long after the end of empire, addressing a case that would normally be deemed outside its spatial and temporal boundaries. By highlighting the inherent contradictions of this transnational bond, the South Atlantic conflict had a profound effect on an underexposed British community with a lingering attachment to a “British world”: the Anglo-Argentines. As they found themselves wedged between two irreconcilable identities, divisions threatened to derail this already enfeebled grouping. Yet leaders of the community, presuming a common Britishness with the Falkland Islanders and Britons in the United Kingdom, sought to intervene in the conflict by reaching out to both. That their efforts were met with indifference, and sometimes scorn, only underlines how contingent and frail the idea of Greater Britain was by 1982. Yet this article also reveals how wide ranging the consequences of the crisis of Greater Britain were, and how its global reach was acutely put to the test by pitting different “British worlds” against each other.
BETWEEN BLASPHEMY AND CRITIQUE: FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH
Authors: Green M. Christian
Published: January 2016

On Valentine's Day, 1989, novelist Salman Rushdie was driven into hiding in England by a fatwa issued by the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran decrying his 1988 novel,The Satanic Verses, as “blasphemy against Islam” and demanding Rushdie's execution. Twenty years later, Yale University Press refused to publish cartoon representations of the Prophet Muhammad in political scientist Jytte Klausen's book,The Cartoons That Shook the World.That book analyzed the controversy spawned by a Danish newspaper's publication of the cartoons in 2005 and the republication of the cartoons in several European newspapers in 2008, which led to protests by Muslims around the world. In 2010, Terry Jones, a Christian pastor in Florida, announced plans to publicly burn a Qur'an on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Under protest, he cancelled his book-burning plans for the 9/11 anniversary, but he made good on his promise six months later in March 2011, in an incident whose online video dissemination around the world is said to have motivated riots in Afghanistan that resulted in the deaths of twelve people. Throughout this period, with the regularity of a drumbeat, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) (formerly the Organization of the Islamic Conference), a coalition of majority Muslim nations at the United Nations, introduced resolutions each year—first in the Human Rights Council (HRC) from 1999 forward and then in the General Assembly from 2005 forward—on “combating defamation of religions” at the UN and in wider global discourse.
Does resource availability affect host manipulation? – an experimental test with Schistocephalus solidus
Authors: HAFER NINA , BENESH DANIEL P.
Published: January 2016

Host manipulation is a common strategy of parasites employed to increase their fitness by changing the phenotype of their hosts. Whether host manipulation might be affected by environmental factors such as resource availability, has received little attention. We experimentally infected laboratory-bred copepods with the cestodeSchistocephalus solidus, submitted infected and uninfected copepods to either a high or a low food treatment, and measured their behaviour. Infection reduced host activity and speed in both feeding treatments. However, the difference between the infected and uninfected copepods was smaller under low food conditions, because uninfected, but not infected, copepods moved slower under these conditions. We suggest that these differences are mediated by the physical condition of copepods rather than changes in how strongly the parasite manipulated host behaviour. Additionally, we measured three fitness-relevant traits (growth, development and infection rate in the next host) of the parasite to identify potential trade-offs with host manipulation. The largest parasites in copepods appeared the least manipulative, i.e. their hosts showed the smallest behavioural alterations, but this may again reflect variation in copepod condition, rather than life history trade-offs between parasite growth and host manipulation. Our results point to the possibility that parasite transmission depends on environmental conditions.
“Nor Mind Nor Body of Me Can Be Touched”: The Politics of Passivity in Moyshe Kulbak’sMontogand Samuel Beckett’sMurphy
Authors: Caplan Marc
Published: January 2016

This article will compare two novels: Moyshe Kulbak’sMontog(“Monday”) and Samuel Beckett’sMurphy. Each novel ends with the death of its protagonist, figured as both a senseless act and the apotheosis of its hero’s self-reflexive, ironic rejection of community, faith, and purpose. Drawing on theories of Hannah Arendt, this comparison proposes to read the two narratives and their preoccupation with incarceration, institutionalization, revolutionary activity, religion, and the family as profound yet oblique parables on the nature of privation, resistance, and commitment in the multiple senses. Indeed, by arguing on behalf of a “politics of failure,” this comparison proposes a methodology for reading Beckett and Kulbak postcolonially that in turn invites further consideration of the postcolonial status of expatriate Irish and early-Soviet Jewish cultures, respectively. This essay creates for the two narratives a community of elective affinity that neither author would have envisioned for himself, and thus demonstrates that their respective critiques of ideological progress—via their shared strategies of parody, linguistic marginality, and exile—fulfill an explicitly political function.
Revising the Broad Spectrum Revolution: and its role in the origins of Southwest Asian food production
Authors: Edwards Phillip C.
Published: January 2016

During the last two decades the Broad Spectrum Revolution, a proposed food-getting adaptation of the terminal Pleistocene, has been generally accepted as an explanatory factor in the accomplishment of food production in Early Holocene Southwest Asia. A survey of faunal and other prehistoric data from the Levant is employed here to argue that wide-ranging exploitation of plants and animals had been persistent in the region from at least the Middle Palaeolithic, and that the issue of taxonomic diversity is unrelated to trends toward food production at the end of the Pleistocene.
From butterboxes to wooden shoes: the shift in English popular sentiment from anti-Dutch to anti-French in the 1670s
Authors: Pincus Steven C. A.
Published: January 2016

While Restoration historians have traditionally assumed that there was little public interest in foreign affairs, and that English attitudes towards Europe were determined either by religious or domestic concerns, this essay argues that there was a lively and sophisticated English debate about Europe which turned on the proper identification of the universal monarch rather than religion. In the later 1660s the English political nation was deeply divided in its understanding of European politics. Enthusiastic supporters of the restored monarchy thought that the republican United Provinces sought universal dominion, while the monarchy's radical critics identified absolutist France as an aspirant to universal monarchy. French success in the early phases of the third Anglo-Dutch war, the failure of the French navy to support the English fleet at sea, and the overthrow of the Dutch republican regime in favour of William III, Prince of Orange, convinced the vast majority of the English that France represented the greater threat. Ultimately popular pressure compelled Charles II to abandon the French alliance. In addition, the popular conviction that Louis XIV had succeeded in corrupting the English court resulted in a new-found desire for popular accountability in foreign affairs, and a consequent diminution of the royal prerogative in that sphere.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC RIGHTS DURING ECONOMIC CRISES: A CHANGED APPROACH TO NON-RETROGRESSION
Authors: Warwick Ben TC
Published: January 2016

When the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) released a letter in early 2012 addressing the financial and economic crises, it was long overdue. Finally, and around four and a half years after the crises began, the body responsible for monitoring those rights that had been most severely impacted had spoken. But what had been said? This article examines the alterations to the doctrine of non-retrogression that the 2012 Letter instigated. It does so by reference to the ‘Business as Usual’ and ‘accommodation’ theories of emergency response. The Letter to States is argued to have taken the Committee away from an approach to non-retrogression that treated times of normality and emergency in a similar way, and towards an approach that allows derogation-style deviations from the Covenant. This, it is argued, could have detrimental effects for the protection of economic and social rights. The difficulties in applying such an approach are considered.
Freedom of Proof and the Reform of Criminal Evidence
Authors: Twining William
Published: January 2016

In recent years reform of the Law of Evidence has been the subject of renewed interest in many common law countries. Since the adoption of the Federal Rules, debate about wholesale reform has been relatively muted in the United States. But this is exceptional. Major reports have been produced in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Scotland, and England. With the exception of Canada, most of these have led, or are likely to lead, to significant legislative changes. This period of reformist activity has coincided with a greatly increased interest in theoretical aspects of evidence and proof, sometimes referred to as “The New Evidence Scholarship”. The historical origins of these two movements are rather different, but their ways of talking and thinking about the subject are, of course, intimately connected.
The Suez Canal and World Shipping, 1869-1914
Authors: Fletcher Max E.
Published: January 2016

The opening of the Suez Canal took place in a century crowded revolutionary changes in the shipping world. In sharp contrast to the slow pace of change and development in the preceding era, major changes occurred in almost every sector of the shipping industry in the nineteenth century. While many of the new departures can be explained, at least in part, by the application of the techniques of the Industrial Revolution to shipping, the opening of Suez went far to accelerate and give direction to these changes. The canal significantly altered shipbuilding techniques and practices and contributed to the precipitous decline in the importance of the sailing ship as a major world carrier. Suez helped to bring about die realignment and relative decline of the European entrepot trade. And the new channel led to significant shifts in the patterns of Eastern and Australasian trade.
Seasonal biochemical composition of tissues from Cucumaria frondosa collected in the Bay of Fundy, Canada: feeding activity and reproduction
Authors: David V.M.M. , MacDonald B.A.
Published: January 2016

This is the first study to examine the seasonal biochemical composition of tissues from male and female Cucumaria frondosa. Gonad and body wall tissues were analysed for their protein, lipid, and glycogen content. Lipids were the single most abundant component in gonad tissues, followed by proteins and glycogen, for both males and females. However, only protein and glycogen in the gonad tissues differed between feeding and non-feeding periods as well as between pre- and post-spawning periods. Proteins and lipids were both more abundant than glycogen in the body wall tissues. In this case, only protein and glycogen were found to differ between spawning states. All differences observed in the gonad tissues were attributed to the annual reproductive cycle, which produces a need for nutrient storage to allow the production of gametes throughout the year. The body wall was thought to be responsible for the build up of reserves during the feeding period in order to support maintenance and reproduction during non-feeding months.
History of the Press in Equatorial Guinea in the 20th Century: Periodicals Published in Equatorial Guinea 1901–2000
Authors: González Echegaray Carlos
Published: January 2016

No one today doubts that the press is an essential tool to know and understand recent history of countries and nations. And not just from the standpoint of politics and economics but also of everyday life, reflected in these types of publications, sometimes undervalued by historians and others. The evolution of the press in developed countries has been the subject of several studies. A parallel action is needed for the still recently established African states, paying special attention to the post-independence period. For this research an inventory of the titles of those publications is essential, as well as bibliographic data that can be documented.
1. Notice of New Fishes from West Africa
Authors: Smith John Alexander
Published: January 2016

The fishes now exhibited were brought by the Rev. Alexander Robb; D.D., from Old Calabar; West Africa. They were taken in the fresh water of the great Old Calabar River, near Ikorofiong, about a hundred miles or so, by the windings of the river, from the bar near its mouth. The Rev. Dr Robb resides at Ikorofiong, which is one of the stations of the Calabar mission of the United Presbyterian Church.
On Active and Passive Testing
Authors: ALON NOGA , HOD RANI , WEINSTEIN AMIT
Published: January 2016

Given a property of Boolean functions, what is the minimum number of queries required to determine with high probability if an input function satisfies this property or is ‘far’ from satisfying it? This is a fundamental question in property testing, where traditionally the testing algorithm is allowed to pick its queries among the entire set of inputs. Balcan, Blais, Blum and Yang have recently suggested restricting the tester to take its queries from a smaller random subset of polynomial size of the inputs. This model is called active testing, and in the extreme case when the size of the set we can query from is exactly the number of queries performed, it is known as passive testing.

We prove that passive or active testing of k-linear functions (that is, sums of k variables among n over $\mathbb{Z}$2) requires Θ(k log n) queries, assuming k is not too large. This extends the case k = 1, (that is, dictator functions), analysed by Balcan, Blais, Blum and Yang.

We also consider other classes of functions including low-degree polynomials, juntas, and partially symmetric functions. Our methods combine algebraic, combinatorial, and probabilistic techniques, including the Talagrand concentration inequality and the Erdős–Rado theorem on Δ-systems.
Out-of-Hospital Deliveries: A Five-Year Experience
Authors: Verdile Vincent P. , Tutsock Gregory , Paris Paul M. , Kennedy Robert A.
Published: January 2016

Introduction:

Prehospital providers regularly encounter patients with obstetrical emergencies. This study determined the frequency and outcome of out-of-hospital deliveries in an urban, all advanced life support (ALS) emergency medical services (EMS) system.

Methods:

Retrospective review of all out-of-hospital records that involved women delivering babies in the care of prehospital providers from 1984–1988. The EMS system answered an average of 62,000 calls during the study period. The records of these patients were identified through a computer database.

Results:

A total of 81 out-of-hospital deliveries (1.4/month) occurred during the study years. The average age of the mothers was 24 years, and the average gestation period was 30 weeks. The women had an average of three previous pregnancies and two previous deliveries, and 10 were primagravida. Seventy-two (89%) of the deliveries occurred in the home. The paramedia encountered a variety of obstetrical and neonatal complications in 34% of the patient encounters. Nine neonates were delivered prior to the arrival of the paramedic team. Twenty-four neonates had Apgar scores calculated, and the one- and five-minute scores averaged eight and nine respectively. Five of the mothers had no prenatal care. Maternal complications included four patients noted to be hypertensive with the delivery, nine patients had some degree of vaginal bleeding, and in 33 patients, the prehospital providers did not deliver the placenta in the field. An EMS physician was in attendance for only two of the out-of-hospital deliveries.

Discussion:

In this urban EMS system, out-of-hospital deliveries, especially pre-term deliveries, are a common event. There appears to be a significant number of neonatal complications that confront paramedics. Generally, the paramedics were deficient in their documentation of the neonatal assessment. Continuing educational programs for paramedics should include reviewing normal and complicated vaginal deliveries as well as ALS measures for neonates. Protocols for obstetrical emergencies need to be developed and subjected to quality improvement measures.

Conclusions:

Paramedics, especially those in urban settings, are likely to encounter obstetrical and neonatal emergencies and a significant number of associated complications. Emergency medical services systems and medical directors should have in place continuing educational programs, patient-care protocols, and continuous quality improvement measures to evaluate the care rendered to patients having out-of-hospital deliveries.
The Link Between Glutamate and Migraine
Authors: Ramadan Nabih M.
Published: January 2016

Migraine pain-relay centers, including the trigeminal ganglion, trigeminal nucleus caudalis, and thalamus, contain glutamate-positive neurons, and glutamate activates the trigeminal nucleus caudalis. Glutamate is implicated in cortical spreading depression, trigeminovascular activation, and central sensitization. Glutamate receptor-subtype antagonists are effective in preclinical models of migraine, and in the clinic. These preclinical and clinical observations argue for a strong link between migraine and the glutamatergic system, a link that is important to further characterize in an effort to better understand migraine mechanisms and deliver effective therapies.
Bio-recognitive photonics of a DNA-guided organic semiconductor
Authors: Back Seung Hyuk , Park Jin Hyuk , Cui Chunzhi , Ahn Dong June
Published: January 2016

Incorporation of duplex DNA with higher molecular weights has attracted attention for a new opportunity towards a better organic light-emitting diode (OLED) capability. However, biological recognition by OLED materials is yet to be addressed. In this study, specific oligomeric DNA–DNA recognition is successfully achieved by tri (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminium (Alq3), an organic semiconductor. Alq3 rods crystallized with guidance from single-strand DNA molecules show, strikingly, a unique distribution of the DNA molecules with a shape of an ‘inverted’ hourglass. The crystal’s luminescent intensity is enhanced by 1.6-fold upon recognition of the perfect-matched target DNA sequence, but not in the case of a single-base mismatched one. The DNA–DNA recognition forming double-helix structure is identified to occur only in the rod’s outer periphery. This study opens up new opportunities of Alq3, one of the most widely used OLED materials, enabling biological recognition.
Quasi one-dimensional band dispersion and surface metallization in long-range ordered polymeric wires
Authors: Vasseur Guillaume , Fagot-Revurat Yannick , Sicot Muriel , Kierren Bertrand , Moreau Luc , Malterre Daniel , Cardenas Luis , Galeotti Gianluca , Lipton-Duffin Josh , Rosei Federico , Di Giovannantonio Marco , Contini Giorgio , Le Fèvre Patrick , Bertran François , Liang Liangbo , Meunier Vincent , Perepichka Dmitrii F.
Published: January 2016

On-surface covalent self-assembly of organic molecules is a very promising bottom–up approach for producing atomically controlled nanostructures. Due to their highly tuneable properties, these structures may be used as building blocks in electronic carbon-based molecular devices. Following this idea, here we report on the electronic structure of an ordered array of poly(para-phenylene) nanowires produced by surface-catalysed dehalogenative reaction. By scanning tunnelling spectroscopy we follow the quantization of unoccupied molecular states as a function of oligomer length, with Fermi level crossing observed for long chains. Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy reveals a quasi-1D valence band as well as a direct gap of 1.15 eV, as the conduction band is partially filled through adsorption on the surface. Tight-binding modelling and ab initio density functional theory calculations lead to a full description of the band structure, including the gap size and charge transfer mechanisms, highlighting a strong substrate–molecule interaction that drives the system into a metallic behaviour.
Integrative analysis of breast cancer reveals prognostic haematopoietic activity and patient-specific immune response profiles
Authors: Varn Frederick S. , Andrews Erik H. , Mullins David W. , Cheng Chao
Published: January 2016

Transcriptional programmes active in haematopoietic cells enable a variety of functions including dedifferentiation, innate immunity and adaptive immunity. Understanding how these programmes function in the context of cancer can provide valuable insights into host immune response, cancer severity and potential therapy response. Here we present a method that uses the transcriptomes of over 200 murine haematopoietic cells, to infer the lineage-specific haematopoietic activity present in human breast tumours. Correlating this activity with patient survival and tumour purity reveals that the transcriptional programmes of many cell types influence patient prognosis and are found in environments of high lymphocytic infiltration. Collectively, these results allow for a detailed and personalized assessment of the patient immune response to a tumour. When combined with routinely collected patient biopsy genomic data, this method can enable a richer understanding of the complex interplay between the host immune system and cancer.
F-actin mechanics control spindle centring in the mouse zygote
Authors: Chaigne Agathe , Campillo Clément , Voituriez Raphaël , Gov Nir S. , Sykes Cécile , Verlhac Marie-Hélène , Terret Marie-Emilie
Published: January 2016

Mitotic spindle position relies on interactions between astral microtubules nucleated by centrosomes and a rigid cortex. Some cells, such as mouse oocytes, do not possess centrosomes and astral microtubules. These cells rely only on actin and on a soft cortex to position their spindle off-centre and undergo asymmetric divisions. While the first mouse embryonic division also occurs in the absence of centrosomes, it is symmetric and not much is known on how the spindle is positioned at the exact cell centre. Using interdisciplinary approaches, we demonstrate that zygotic spindle positioning follows a three-step process: (1) coarse centring of pronuclei relying on the dynamics of an F-actin/Myosin-Vb meshwork; (2) fine centring of the metaphase plate depending on a high cortical tension; (3) passive maintenance at the cell centre. Altogether, we show that F-actin-dependent mechanics operate the switch between asymmetric to symmetric division required at the oocyte to embryo transition.
Mechanism of FGF receptor dimerization and activation
Authors: Sarabipour Sarvenaz , Hristova Kalina
Published: January 2016

Fibroblast growth factors (fgfs) are widely believed to activate their receptors by mediating receptor dimerization. Here we show, however, that the FGF receptors form dimers in the absence of ligand, and that these unliganded dimers are phosphorylated. We further show that ligand binding triggers structural changes in the FGFR dimers, which increase FGFR phosphorylation. The observed effects due to the ligands fgf1 and fgf2 are very different. The fgf2-bound dimer structure ensures the smallest separation between the transmembrane (TM) domains and the highest possible phosphorylation, a conclusion that is supported by a strong correlation between TM helix separation in the dimer and kinase phosphorylation. The pathogenic A391E mutation in FGFR3 TM domain emulates the action of fgf2, trapping the FGFR3 dimer in its most active state. This study establishes the existence of multiple active ligand-bound states, and uncovers a novel molecular mechanism through which FGFR-linked pathologies can arise.
Regulation of miR-200c/141 expression by intergenic DNA-looping and transcriptional read-through
Authors: Batista Luciana , Bourachot Brigitte , Mateescu Bogdan , Reyal Fabien , Mechta-Grigoriou Fatima
Published: January 2016

The miR-200 family members have been implicated in stress responses and ovarian tumorigenesis. Here, we find that miR-200c/141 transcription is intimately linked to the transcription of the proximal upstream gene PTPN6 (SHP1) in all physiological conditions tested. PTPN6 and miR-200c/141 are transcriptionally co-regulated by two complementary mechanisms. First, a bypass of the regular PTPN6 polyadenylation signal allows the transcription of the downstream miR-200c/141. Second, the promoters of the PTPN6 and miR-200c/141 transcription units physically interact through a 3-dimensional DNA loop and exhibit similar epigenetic regulation. Our findings highlight that transcription of intergenic miRNAs is a novel outcome of transcriptional read-through and reveal a yet unexplored type of DNA loop associating two closely located promoters. These mechanisms have significant relevance in ovarian cancers and stress response, pathophysiological conditions in which miR-200c/141 exert key functions.
Impact of multiple bird partners on the seed dispersal effectiveness of China’s relic trees
Authors: Li Ning , Li Xin-hai , An Shu-qing , Lu Chang-hu
Published: January 2016

Frugivorous birds generally exhibit an unequal contribution to dispersal effectiveness of plant species as a function of their habitat adaptation and body size. In our study, we compared the effectiveness of multiple bird species that contribute to the dispersal of the endangered relic Chinese yew, Taxus chinensis. Seven bird species dispersed T. chinensis seeds, with Picus canus, Turdus hortulorum and Urocissa erythrorhyncha being the main dispersers. The quantity part of dispersal effectiveness was strongly influenced by two inherent characteristics of disperser species: body size and habitat adaptation. However, the quality part of dispersal effectiveness was only influenced by disperser type. For instance, small generalist birds and large specialist birds removed more seeds than other type dispersers. Moreover, small birds and specialist birds contributed slightly more to the dispersal quality of T. chinensis than large birds and generalist birds respectively; however, these differences were not significant. Our results suggest that dispersal effectiveness is affected by variety in the body size and habitat adaptation of different dispersers. Therefore, such variation should be incorporated into spatial and temporal management actions of relic plant species in patchy, human-disturbed habitats.
Evaluation of force generation mechanisms in natural, passive hydraulic actuators
Authors: Le Duigou A. , Castro M.
Published: January 2016

Pine cones are well known natural actuators that can move their scales upon humidity gradient. The mechanism manifests itself through a displacement easily observable by the naked eye, but coupled with stress generation. In ancient Egypt, wooden wedges were used to break soft blocks of stone by the generated swelling stress. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the ability of pine cone scales to generate forces while being wetted. In our experiments, a blocking force of around 3N is measured depending on the position on the pine cone where the scales are extracted. A fairly good agreement is obtained when theoretical results based on bimetallic strip systems are compared with experimental data, even if overestimation is observed arising from the input data considered for dry tissues. Inspired by a simplified pine cone microstructure, a biocomposite analogue is manufactured and tested. Although an adequate blocking force can be generated, it has a lower value compared to natural pine cones which benefit from optimized swelling tissue content and interfacial bond strength between them. This study provides new insights to understand the generation of force by pine cones as well as to develop novel biocomposite functionalities.