bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Reflexive Art of Richard Wilbur
Authors: Reibetanz
Published: March 2013

Richard Wilbur's critics have charted his `distinctive voice-print' (Leithauser, 286) with considerable, though divided, commentary on what is agreed to be at the heart of his craft — his handling of language. The debate has revolved around the question of whether Wilbur's delight in the urbane wordscape of the poem somehow prevents him from touching the suffering of the world around him. I propose to explore a characteristic signature of his wordscapes which, I think, pre-empts argument on the divergence of word from world, the supposed incongruence between the virtuosity of his verbal mastery and the `lived-in experience' of the heart (Holmes, 75). It is true that Wilbur's is not what Wordsworth would call the ordinary language of men; Wilbur has not so much looked into his heart to write, as he has plumbed the verbal medium. His language declares its fabric, its material presence, in every word. It displays what he calls the `sure / And special signature' of the poet as maker (129). It is self-referential. Wilbur's poems ask to be read as reflexive acts of meditation upon their own essential nature, whatever else they may claim to be about. I propose to explore the reflexivity of Wilbur's poetry, on the assumption that it is explicit in many and implicit in all of his poems, and that it is indispensable to an understanding of `The Mind-Reader' and New Poems.
Reviews
Authors: Kègle Christiane , Chambers Douglas , Curran Stuart , Munk Linda , Deane Patrick
Published: March 2013

Michèle Nevert, Des mots pour décomprendre, reviewed by Christiane Kègle

Michèle Nevert, ed., Les accros du langage, reviewed by Christiane Kègle

N. Jardine, J.A. Secord, and E.C. Spary, eds., Cultures of Natural History, reviewed by Douglas Chambers

David Philip Miller and Peter Hanns Reill, eds., Visions of Empire: Voyages, Botany and Representations of Nature, reviewed by Douglas Chambers

Ann B. Shteir, Cultivating Women, Cultivating Science: Flora's Daughers and Botany in England 1760 to 1860, reviewed by Douglas Chambers

J.R. de J. Jackson, Romantic Poetry by Women, a Bibliography, 1770–1835, reviewed by Douglas Chambers

Paul Morrison, The Poetics of Fascism: Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, Paul de Man, reviewed by Linda Munk

Paul Hills, ed., David Jones, Artist and Poet, reviewed by Patrick Deane
Reviews
Authors: Rasula Jed , Bowden Martha , Nowlin Michael , Kanaganayakam Chelva
Published: March 2013

Marjorie Perloff, Wittgenstein's Ladder. Poetic Language and the Strangeness of the Ordinary, reviewed by Jed Rasula

Melvyn New, ed., The Florida Edition of the Works of Laurence Sterne: The Sermons of Laurence Sterne: The Text, vol 4, reviewed by Martha F. Bowden

Melvyn New, ed., The Florida Edition of the Works of Laurence Sterne; The Sermons of Laurence Sterne: The Notes, vol 5, reviewed by Martha F. Bowden

Philip M. Weinstein, What Else But Love?: The Ordeal of Race in Faulkner and Morrison, reviewed by Michael E. Nowlin

Carol A. Kolmerton, Stephen M. Ross, and Judith Bryant Wittenburg, eds., Unflinching Gaze: Morrison and Faulkner Re-Envisioned, reviewed by Michael E. Nowlin

The Politics of Home: Postcolonial Relocations and Twentieth-Century Fiction, reviewed by Chelva Kanaganayakam
Time and Ethics in Albert Camus's The Plague
Authors: Krapp John
Published: March 2013

Ethical readings of Albert Camus's The Plague have traditionally reflected the criticism, introduced by Jean-Paul Sartre and Roland Barthes, that Camus's text fails to invite serious moral consideration because, representing its subject allegorically, it fails to represent real material history, in which ethical thought serves to inform choice in time. While Sartre's and Barthes's evaluations are strong voices of ethical criticism in the corpus of textual interpretation of The Plague, they are expressions of a specific historical moment in that corpus; hence, they cannot be taken as the last word on the novel's moral significance. Contemporary trends in literary criticism, which specifically include the recent proliferation of theoretical speculation on ethics and literary study, have persuasively argued that an event is not necessarily atemporalized even if it is expressed allegorically; rather, allegorical representation and temporality may be coextensive. A demonstration of The Plague's representation of historical time thus challenges Sartrean and Barthesian prejudices and provides the foundation for an ethical reading that discloses a vital moral dialogue among competing ethical positions at the centre of Camus's text.
An Inquiry into the Success of Tom Thomson's The West Wind
Authors: Machardy Carolyn
Published: March 2013

Tom Thomson's The West Wind (figure 1), painted in 1916–17, is one of the most enduring images in the history of Canadian landscape painting, its position secured through frequent reproduction and a growing body of literature devoted to it (see Bordo; Teitelbaum; Linsley). Both The West Wind and The Jack Pine (figure 2), considered by many to be its companion piece, were among the last large canvases Thomson did before he drowned in Algonquin Park in July of 1917 at the age of thirty-nine. The task of documenting Thomson's work and assessing the significance of his legacy was begun soon after his death by his friends and colleagues, including those who went on to form the Group of Seven in 1920. During the 1920s, The West Wind was frequently singled out by writers who were engaged with the powerful cultural and nationalist arguments of the day. Both the painting itself and the motif on which it is based — a lone pine seen against the waters and distant hills of a northern Ontario lake — were appropriated into the Group of Seven's `cult of the patriotic landscape,' which sought to link national cultural identity to a specific topography. The most succinct and eloquent statement of the seminal role assigned to The West Wind during this period of cultural nationalism came from Arthur Lismer, who in 1934 called it `the spirit of Canada made manifest in a picture' (Lismer, `The West Wind,' 163).
Indian Writing English: Counterrealism as Alternative Literary History
Authors: Kanaganayakam Chelva
Published: March 2013

This essay is at least partially a belated response to a significant, polemical, and neglected monograph entitled Indian Writing in English: Is There Any Worth in It? written by Subha Rao and published in 1976. The monograph is a reworking and elaboration of a paper presented, appropriately, at the University of Mysore, then the centre of Indo-Anglian and postcolonial studies in India. Had this trenchant critique of Indo-Anglian writing been written from the perspective of what has been dubbed the `colonial cringe,' namely, an uncritical defence of a canonical, largely British, tradition, a response would be an unprofitable exercise in that it would seek to resolve on a literary plane what is clearly an expression of cultural bias. Rao's work, admittedly, does not exclude references to British literature — in fact, an instance of comparison, one that is used to judge the only Indo-Anglian text that the author refers to, namely, B. Rajan's The Dark Dancer (1958), is Middlemarch. But the core of the argument is derived from socio-cultural premises that have a specific and local significance for India, and by extension for countries and regions where alternative linguistic traditions have been revived and foregrounded as an auxiliary to decolonization and nationalism. The failure of Indian writing in English, according to this view, is seen to be a consequence of factors more complex than that of a duality based on authenticity versus imitation.
The Plight of Canadian Fiction? A Reply
Authors: Grove Frederick Philip
Published: March 2013

I confess myself as among the admirers of Mr. Callaghan's work, his novels as well as his short stories. And I also agree that there is a deal of truth in his statement of "The Plight of Canadian Fiction;" but I cannot chime in with the conclusions he seems to draw. More, the statement seems to me, in spite of Mr. Callaghan's obvious desire to be fair to publishers and editors of magazines, to leave the smudge of a blame where it does not belong: it is much too lenient in its appraisal of the Canadian public; it ignores the critic; and, finally, it views the Canadian writer in far too rosy a light.
New-Canadian Letters
Authors: Kirkconnell Watson
Published: March 2013

Reviews of English-Canadian books published in Canada in 1937.
Reviews
Authors: Knox  , Giese  , Brown  , Davis Herbert
Published: March 2013

H. B. Charlton, Shakespearian Comedy, reviewed by R. S. Knox

E. M. W. Tillyard, Shakespeare's Last Plays, reviewed by R. S. Knox

C. Narayana Menon, Shakespeare's Criticism: An Essay in Synthesis, reviewed by R. S. Knox

F. C. Green, Stendhal, reviewed by W. F. Giese

Arthur W. Patrick, Lionel Johnson (1867–1902) poé et critique, reviewed by E. K. Brown

Hugh Kingsmill, D. H. Lawrence, reviewed by Herbert Davies

Paul de Reul, L'Oeuvre de D. H. Lawrence, reviewed by Herbert Davis
The Achievement of Santayana
Authors: Brett
Published: March 2013

George Santayana attained popular recognition when he became a novelist. Before that time Santayana had been known to a more select audience as a man of letters and a philosopher. To suggest any striking contrast between the earlier and the later work is perhaps a little unfair to the author. As philosopher he was never quite exempt from the accusation of being sensitive about refinements of style and contemptuous about the kind of profundity which a Frenchman or a Spaniard is accustomed to damn with the adjective Teutonic: on the other hand, as a novelist Santayana preserved very definite traces of philosophic caution and described The Last Puritan as A Memoir in the Form of a Novel. That Santayana's novel should become a best-seller was in no way contrary to the nature of things. In spite of the opinions commonly held, experience has proved more than once that there is still a large class of readers who can appreciate the language of intelligent reflection: for philosophy in its more technical form such readers may have little enthusiasm, but the combination of philosophy and literature achieved by Santayana was abundantly welcomed. The time was obviously approaching when a book on the life and work of Santayana would be useful, and now it has appeared. Mr George W. Howgate has spared no pains to make his volume a complete and adequate account of Santayana's achievement; as a biographical and literary record it has the field to itself, and probably will continue to have it for some time to come.
Racine: 1639–1699
Authors: Clark
Published: March 2013

Everyone knows the story of the English school-boy who, on a tour of Italy with his tutor, showed a disconcerting apathy before the great historical monuments, until it was announced that the next day they would visit the tomb of Virgil. To the tutor's surprise and joy the boy's eyes shone with enthusiasm. But the tutorial joy was dashed when, on arrival at the tomb, the boy spat upon it with gusto, exclaiming, “I've waited a long time to get even with that fellow.”
Poland and the Present War
Authors: de Sherbowitz-Wetzor Olgerd
Published: March 2013

Even in time of peace it is not easy to discuss and analyse the conflicting problems arising between States and national groups, with an abstract and dispassionate aloofness. In time of war it becomes still more difficult. One may keep to a neutral attitude as far as one's actions are concerned, but a human soul can hardly remain in cool detachment when vital issues are at stake. As the President of the United States has expressed it in his neutrality announcement of September 4, “even a neutral has a right to take account of facts. Even a neutral cannot be asked to close his mind and conscience.” Indeed, such an absolute “neutrality in thought” would be the manifestation of a totally heartless indifference, particularly in our days when the political events of which we are all witnesses deploy before our bewildered eyes such an unfathomable depth of cold cynicism, base political lust and cruel hypocrisy.
James Joyce and His New Work
Authors: Edel Leon
Published: March 2013

It seemed a little sad to many who read James Joyce's Work in Progress, when it was appearing in transition that this great Irish genius should spend years fashioning an apparently exaggerated, if energetic, jeu d'esprit. They asked themselves why he refused to turn his pen to the world about him and concerned himself exclusively with the past. Democracies tumbled; ideals were shattered; new generations sought to efface history. But James Joyce remained securely locked in the Dublin of the turn of the century.
The French Press and War Aims
Authors: Pickersgill
Published: March 2013

Briefly, French opinion on the subject of war aims can be divided. into three simple categories, all three of which stand together on one point, that “we must put an end to Hitlerism.” the differences appear after one has assumed the victory of the Allies and the end of Naziism.
Fabrication of raw and oxidized saw dust reinforced low density polyethylene (LDPE) composites and investigation of their physico-mechanical properties
Authors: Sultana S , Nur HP , Saha T , Saha M
Published: March 2013

In this research work, cellulosic waste mango (Mangifera indica) saw dust used as the reinforcing material with low density polyethylene (LDPE). A number of samples of saw dust reinforced low density polyethylene (LDPE) composites were prepared by compression moulding technique. In order to improve the mechanical properties of saw dust-LDPE composites, unbleached raw saw dust fibers were modified by oxidation using sodium hypochlorite. FT-IR spectroscopic and scanning electron micrograph (SEM) analyses were done and the results showed the evidence of positive oxidation reaction. The effects of oxidized saw dust on the performance of oxidized saw dust reinforced LDPE composites were studied comparing with the raw saw dust-LDPE composites. The effects of fiber content on the physico-mechanical properties of composites were also studied by preparing the composites with different percentage of fiber loading (from 7.5 wt% to 30 wt%) for each type of composite. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, elongation at break, flexural strength, flexural modulus of the resulting composite were measured. Better results were obtained from oxidized saw dust-LDPE composites. Scanning electron micrograph and water absorption tests were carried out for all composites and improved results were found for oxidized saw dust-LDPE composites. Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 47(4), 365-372, 2012 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v47i4.14065
Studies on nutritional composition and characterization of lipids of Lates calcarifer (Bhetki)
Authors: Pervin T , Yeasmin S , Islam R , Kamruzzaman - , Rahman A , Sattar A
Published: March 2013

Physico chemical characteristics of lipids extracted from Lates calcarifer and nutritional composition of that fish were analyzed by standard method. The coefficient of viscosity was 447.69 millipoise at 30°C and specific gravity and refractive index were 0.98 and 1.37 at 30°C respectively. Saponification value, saponification equivalent, iodine value, peroxide value, acid value, ester value and reichert-meissel value were found 95.50, 286.96, 62.81, 52.59, 1.83, 193.67 and 2.94 respectively. Percentage of free fatty acid, unsaponificable matter and cholesterol were found 0.92, 1.86 and 13.74 respectively. Further, carbohydrate, protein, lipid, moisture, ash and dry matter content of L. calcarifer were found 0.93, 23.5, 5.7, 70, 5 and 30 % respectively. The fish was found to contain 580, 270,140, 120 and 9 mg of Na, K, Ca, Mg and Fe per 100 g respectively. However Cu and Zn were found to present in negligible amount. The fatty acid profiles L. calcarifer were identified by GLC method. Among fatty acid lauric, palmitic, oleic and stearic were found to present 4.49, 52.86, 36.88 and 5.75% respectively. Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 47(4), 393-400, 2012 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v47i4.14068
In vitro antioxidant and antinociceptive potentialities of methanolic extract of Litsea glutinosa
Authors: Rumzhum NN , Rahman MM , Sharukh AA , Chowdhury SA , Pervin MN
Published: March 2013

The methanolic extract of Litsea glutinosa (Lauraceae) was evaluated for in vitro antioxidant activity by determination of hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, total antioxidant capacity, assay of nitric oxide scavenging activity and reducing power test and in vivo antinociceptive effect in acetic acid induced writhing model in swiss albino mice. The results revealed the presence of pronounced antioxidant property as compared with ascorbic acid used as standard and a dose-dependent (250 and 500 mg/kg) analgesic effect. The antioxidant and antinociceptive properties observed seem to be in good accordance with the traditional uses of Litsea glutinosa. Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 47(4), 401-406, 2012 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v47i4.14069
Height growth, wood density and molecular markers to distinguish five tree species of Dipterocarpaceae grown at same site
Authors: Rana R , Villarin RA , Gailling O , Finkeldey R , Polle A
Published: March 2013

The dipterocarps are of economic and ecological significance. To determine if simple traits can be used to distinguish wood of five representative species (Dipterocarpus kerrii, Hopea plagata, Parashorea malaanoman, Shorea almon and Shorea contorta), we determined tree height, wood density and chloroplastic (cp) DNA restriction patterns as a molecular fingerprint. Wood was obtained from trees of the same age grown at the same plantation (Leyte, Philippines). Data were subjected to cluster analysis (tree height, wood density) and used for the construction of a phylogenetic tree (cpDNA-PCR). Comparison of the result of cluster analysis with the phylogeny of the taxa based on cpDNA variation showed similar differentiation patterns. D. kerrii and H. plagata were always clearly separated from the other three species. Cluster analyses on tree characters revealed a clear grouping of all samples according to species, except for S. contorta, which was partly mixed with the subcluster of P. malaanoman. Since the formation of clades obtained by cpDNA-PCR analysis of samples was similar to that found by cluster analysis, our data indicate that wood traits can be used for taxonomic purposes to distinguish distantly related tree species of the same family. Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 47(4), 407-414, 2012 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v47i4.14070
Antimicrobial cytotoxicity and phytochemical activities of Spilanthes acmella
Authors: Ahmed S , Rahman A , Muslim T , Sohrab MH , Akbor MA , Siraj S , Sultana N , Al-Mansur MA
Published: March 2013

?-Sitosterone was isolated from the dichloromethane extract of the leaves of Spilanthes acmella. Stigmasterol was isolated from the petroleum and dichloromethane extract respectively. The structures of compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectral analysis as well as by comparison with available literature data. Pet-ether & DCM extract and two column fractions of DCM and one pure compound were subjected to antimicrobial screening & brine shrimp lethality. All of the fractions showed moderate to strong inhibitory activity to microbial growth. On the other hand, the pet ether extract and pure compound (stigmasterol) showed strongest cytotoxicity having LC50 1.2 ?g/mL and 2.02 ?g/mL respectively. Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 47(4), 437-440, 2012 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v47i4.14073
Preparation and characterization of rice husk ash (RHA)-TiO2 / ZnO composites and its application in treating effluents from textile industries
Authors: Kabir MH , Kabir MF , Nigar F , Ahmed S , Mustafa AI , Ahsan M
Published: March 2013

Photocatalytic composite materials incorporating the photocatalysts (TiO2, ZnO) with rice husk ash (RHA) have been developed to investigate the photodegradation of real textile dye effluent. The structural characterization of the composite materials was performed using XRD (X-Ray Diffractometer). The characteristic XRD peaks together with the 2? values for both TiO2 and ZnO were in excellent agreement with the standard JCPDS d-values. The efficacy of these composites was examined through the degradation of a textile dye, collected from a local dye house. The sun light was used as the source of illumination for the preceding degradation reaction. Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 47(4), 445-448, 2012 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v47i4.14075
Plantlet regeneration from nodal explants of Ocimum citriodorum Vis.
Authors: Janarthanam Balasundaram , Ethiraj Sumathi
Published: March 2013

A protocol for multiple shoot induction and plant regeneration from nodal explants of Ocimum citriodorum has been developed. Nodal explants inoculated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/l Benzyl adenine (BAP) and 0.025 mg/l indole -3- acetic acid (IAA) showed better growth response (80%) and produced 15.2 ± 1.28 shoots per explant with an average length of 6.17 ± 0.29 cm after 35 days. Roots were induced after transfer to half strength MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l Indole -3- butyric acid (IBA) produced 6.0 ± 1.0 roots with an average height of 4.9 ± 0.26 cm after 30 days. Plantlets with well developed root and shoot systems were successfully acclimated (80 %) and established in earthen pots containing mixture of soil, vermiculite and farm yard manure (1:1:1). Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 47(4), 433-436, 2012 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v47i4.8547
Ultra-Intense, High Spatio-Temporal Quality Petawatt-Class Laser System and Applications
Authors: Kiriyama Hiromitsu , Shimomura Takuya , Mori Michiaki , Nakai Yoshiki , Tanoue Manabu , Kondo Shuji , Kanazawa Shuhei , Pirozhkov Alexander , Esirkepov Timur , Hayashi Yukio , Ogura Koichi , Kotaki Hideyuki , Suzuki Masayuki , Daito Izuru , Okada Hajime , Kosuge Atsushi , Fukuda Yuji , Nishiuchi Mamiko , Kando Masaki , Bulanov Sergei , Nagashima Keisuke , Yamagiwa Mitsuru , Kondo Kiminori , Sugiyama Akira , Bolton Paul , Matsuoka Shinichi , Kan Hirofumi
Published: March 2013

This paper reviews techniques for improving the temporal contrast and spatial beam quality in an ultra-intense laser system that is based on chirped-pulse amplification (CPA). We describe the design, performance, and characterization of our laser system, which has the potential for achieving a peak power of 600 TW. We also describe applications of the laser system in the relativistically dominant regime of laser-matter interactions and discuss a compact, high efficiency diode-pumped laser system.
Preparation and Evaluation of Dental Resin with Antibacterial and Radio-Opaque Functions
Authors: He Jingwei , Söderling Eva , Vallittu Pekka , Lassila Lippo
Published: March 2013

In order to prepare antibacterial and radio-opaque dental resin, a methacrylate monomer named 2-Dimethyl-2-dodecyl-1-methacryloxyethyl ammonium iodine (DDMAI) with both antibacterial and radio-opaque activities was added into a 2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxypropyl)-phenyl]propane (Bis-GMA)/methyl methacrylate (MMA) dental resin system. Degree of conversion (DC), flexural strength (FS) and modulus (FM), water sorption (WS) and solubility (WSL), antibacterial activity, and radio-opacity (ROX) of the obtained dental resin system were investigated. Bis-GMA/MMA resin system without DDMAI was used as a control. The results showed that DDMAI could endow BIS-GMA/MMA resin system with good antibacterial (p < 0.05) and radio-opaque function without influencing the DC (p > 0.05). However, incorporating DDMAI into Bis-GMA/MMA resin could reduce mechanical properties (p < 0.05) and increase WS and WSL (p < 0.05), thus further work is needed in order to optimize the resin formulation.
Repeated Oral Administration of Oleanolic Acid Produces Cholestatic Liver Injury in Mice
Authors: Lu Yuan-Fu , Wan Xiao-Li , Xu Yasha , Liu Jie
Published: March 2013

Oleanolic acid (OA) is a triterpenoid and a fantastic molecule with many beneficial effects. However, high-doses and long-term use can produce adverse effects. This study aimed to characterize the hepatotoxic potential of OA. Mice were given OA at doses of 100–3,000 µmol/kg (45–1,350 mg/kg), po for 10 days, and the hepatotoxicity was determined by serum biochemistry, histopathology, and toxicity-related gene expression via real-time RT-PCR. Animal body weight loss was evident at OA doses of 1,000 µmol/kg and above. Serum alanine aminotransferase activities were increased in a dose-dependent manner, indicative of hepatotoxicity. Serum total bilirubin concentrations were increased, indicative of cholestasis. OA administration produced dose-dependent pathological lesions to the liver, including inflammation, hepatocellular apoptosis, necrosis, and feathery degeneration indicative of cholestasis. These lesions were evident at OA doses of 500 µmol/kg and above. Real-time RT-PCR revealed that OA produced dose-dependent increases in acute phase proteins (MT-1, Ho-1, Nrf2 and Nqo1), decreases in bile acid synthesis genes (Cyp7a1 and Cyp8b1), and decreases in liver bile acid transporters (Ntcp, Bsep, Oatp1a1, Oatp1b2, and Ostβ). Thus, the clinical use of OA and OA-type triterpenoids should balance the beneficial effects and toxicity potentials.
Cell Wall Composition, Biosynthesis and Remodeling during Pollen Tube Growth
Authors: Mollet Jean-Claude , Leroux Christelle , Dardelle Flavien , Lehner Arnaud
Published: March 2013

The pollen tube is a fast tip-growing cell carrying the two sperm cells to the ovule allowing the double fertilization process and seed setting. To succeed in this process, the spatial and temporal controls of pollen tube growth within the female organ are critical. It requires a massive cell wall deposition to promote fast pollen tube elongation and a tight control of the cell wall remodeling to modify the mechanical properties. In addition, during its journey, the pollen tube interacts with the pistil, which plays key roles in pollen tube nutrition, guidance and in the rejection of the self-incompatible pollen. This review focuses on our current knowledge in the biochemistry and localization of the main cell wall polymers including pectin, hemicellulose, cellulose and callose from several pollen tube species. Moreover, based on transcriptomic data and functional genomic studies, the possible enzymes involved in the cell wall remodeling during pollen tube growth and their impact on the cell wall mechanics are also described. Finally, mutant analyses have permitted to gain insight in the function of several genes involved in the pollen tube cell wall biosynthesis and their roles in pollen tube growth are further discussed.
Sustainable Urban (re-)Development with Building Integrated Energy, Water and Waste Systems
Authors: Schuetze Thorsten , Lee Joong-Won , Lee Tae-Goo
Published: March 2013

The construction and service of urban infrastructure systems and buildings involves immense resource consumption. Cities are responsible for the largest component of global energy, water, and food consumption as well as related sewage and organic waste production. Due to ongoing global urbanization, in which the largest sector of the global population lives in cities which are already built, global level strategies need to be developed that facilitate both the sustainable construction of new cities and the re-development of existing urban environments. A very promising approach in this regard is the decentralization and building integration of environmentally sound infrastructure systems for integrated resource management. This paper discusses such new and innovative building services engineering systems, which could contribute to increased energy efficiency, resource productivity, and urban resilience. Applied research and development projects in Germany, which are based on integrated system approaches for the integrated and environmentally sound management of energy, water and organic waste, are used as examples. The findings are especially promising and can be used to stimulate further research and development, including economical aspects which are crucial for sustainable urban (re-)development.
Cultured Hepatocytes Adopt Progenitor Characteristics and Display Bipotent Capacity to Repopulate the Liver
Authors: Krause Petra , Unthan-Fechner Kirsten , Probst Irmelin , Koenig Sarah
Published: March 2013

Clinical studies have proved the therapeutic potential of hepatocyte transplantation as a promising alternative to whole organ liver transplantation in the treatment of hereditary or end-stage liver disease. However, donor shortage seriously restricts cell availability, and the lack of appropriate cell culture protocols for the storage and maintenance of donor cells constitutes a significant obstacle. The aim of this study was to stimulate mature hepatocytes in culture to multiply in vitro and track their fate on transplantation. Rat hepatocytes isolated nonenzymatically were cultured serum free for up to 10 days. They were stimulated into proliferation in the presence of growth factors and conditioned media from nonparenchymal and hepatocyte culture supernatants, as well as 10 mM lithium chloride (LiCl). Cell proliferation was assessed by determining DNA content. Additionally, the extent of cell differentiation was estimated using immunofluorescence staining of hepatic, biliary, progenitor, and mesenchymal markers and gene expression analyses. Transplantation studies were performed on the Fischer CD26-mutant rat following pretreatment with retrorsine and partial hepatectomy. Proliferating hepatocytes increasingly adopted precursor characteristics, expressing progenitor (OV6, CD133), hepatic lineage (CK18), biliary (CD49f, CK7, CK19), and mesenchymal (vimentin) markers. The supplement of LiCl further enhanced the proliferative capacity by 30%. Transplantation studies revealed extensive repopulation by large donor hepatocyte clusters. Furthermore, bile duct-like structures deriving from donor cells proved to be immunoreactive to ductular markers and formed in close proximity to endogenous bile ducts. Mature hepatocytes reveal their potential to “switch” between phenotypes, adopting progenitor characteristics during proliferation in vitro. Following transplantation, these “retrodifferentiated” cells further expanded in vivo, thereby generating bipotentially differentiated progenies (hepatocytes and bile duct-like structures). This apparent plasticity of mature hepatocytes may open new approaches for cell-based strategies to treat liver disease.
Transplantation of Human Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Restores the Neurobehavioral Disorders of Rats with Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy
Authors: Park Dongsun , Lee Sun Hee , Bae Dae Kwon , Yang Yun-Hui , Yang Goeun , Kyung Jangbeen , Kim Dajeong , Choi Ehn-Kyoung , Hong Jin Tae , Shin Il Seob , Kang Sung Keun , Ra Jeong Chan , Kim Yun-Bae
Published: March 2013

Improving the effects of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) on the demyelination and neurobehavioral function was investigated in an experimental model of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Seven-day-old male rats were subjected to hypoxia-ischemia-lipopolysaccharide and intracere-broventricularly transplanted with human ASCs (4 × 105 cells/rat) once at postnatal day 10 (PND10) or repeatedly at PND10, 17, 27, and 37. Neurobehavioral abnormalities (at PND20, 30, and 40) and cognitive functions (at PND41–44) were evaluated using multiple test systems. Human ASCs recovered the using ratio of forelimb contralateral to the injured brain, improved locomotor activity, and restored rota-rod performance of HIE animals, in addition to showing a marked improvement of cognitive functions. It was confirmed that transplanted human ASCs migrated to injured areas and differentiated into oligodendrocytes expressing myelin basic protein (MBP). Moreover, transplanted ASCs restored production of growth and neurotrophic factors and expression of decreased inflammatory cytokines, leading to attenuation of host MBP loss. The results indicate that transplanted ASCs restored neurobehavioral functions by producing MBP as well as by preserving host myelins, which might be mediated by ASCs' anti-inflammatory activity and release of growth and neurotrophic factors.
An Adoption Contract from Tell Taban, the Kings of the Land of Hana, and the Hana-style Scribal Tradition
Authors: Yamada Shigeo
Published: March 2013

Une des rares découvertes épigraphiques de la saison 2009 des fouilles japonaises sur le Tell Taban est une tablette fragmentaire scellée, comportant un contrat d’adoption (Tab T09-47). Le texte, rédigé dans le style caractéristique des documents de « Hana » et scellé par Ahuni, « roi du pays de Hana », peut être daté des 15e-14e siècles. Il s’agit du second texte de type « Hana » découvert à Tell Taban, après la donation royale du 18e siècle (Tab T06-4). Ces textes montrent que la ville de Ṭabatum (Tell Taban) suivait la tradition scribale de « Hana » qui domina dans le Moyen Euphrate et le Bas Habur durant une longue période. La contribution présente l’édition du contrat d’adoption, et discute plusieurs points : la lignée royale du royaume de « Hana », la distribution géographico-chronologique de la tradition scribale de « Hana », et les particularités des deux contrats de type « Hana » de Tell Taban ainsi que leurs implications historiques.
The god Itūr-Mēr in the middle Euphrates region during the Old Babylonian period
Authors: Nakata Ichiro
Published: March 2013

L’article veut attirer l’attention sur le fait que le dieu tutélaire de Mari, Itūr-Mēr, continua en tant que dieu du serment à exercer un rôle prééminent dans la région du Moyen Euphrate, même après la destruction de la ville de Mari. Un survol de la documentation paléobabylonienne de Mari montre clairement qu’Itūr-Mēr était un des dieux principaux à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur du culte officiel de la ville de Mari. Néanmoins deux questions restent ouvertes. Premièrement, pourquoi le dieu Itūr-Mēr continua-t-il à exercer sa fonction de dieu du serment dans le royaume de Hana et sa capitale Terqa même après la destruction de Mari, son lieu de culte. Ensuite, pourquoi Ikrub-El, le dieu tutélaire de Terqa, qui avait été la divinité la plus haut placée de Terqa après Dagan, disparaît-il des textes paléo-babyloniens tardifs découverts à Terqa et ses environs ? L’auteur propose à titre d’hypothèse l’explication suivante. Il faut supposer qu’une partie du clergé d’Itūr-Mēr s’était réfugiée à Terqa. Puisque Itūr-Mēr jouissait auprès de la population du Moyen Euphrate d’une popularité plus grande que le dieu Ikrub-El, dieu tutélaire de Terqa, Itūr-Mēr aurait pu prendre sa place ou avoir eu gain de cause sur lui.
The second military conflict between ‘Assyria' and ‘Ḫatti' in the reign of Tukulti-Ninurta I
Authors: Yamada Masamichi
Published: March 2013

S’intéressant à l’expansion territoriale de l’Assyrie à l’époque moyenne, cette étude porte sur la région du Moyen Euphrate à l’époque de Tukulti-Ninurta I. Après avoir présenté les sources assyriennes et hittites ainsi que des textes d’Emar, l’auteur démontre qu’après la bataille de Nihriya, dans laquelle Tukulti-Ninurta et Tudḫaliya IV s’étaient affrontés, un deuxième conflit militaire avait éclaté au milieu du règne de Tukulti-Ninurta dans la région du Moyen Euphrate, opposant encore une fois l’Assyrie et le Hatti. Il s’agit d’une guerre entre leurs deux royaumes satellites Ḫanigalbat (dépendant de l’Assyrie) et Karkemiš (obéissant au Ḫatti) et durant laquelle le premier (appelé « Hourrites » dans plusieurs textes d’Emar) réussit à s’emparer des villes de Karkemiš situées dans la Boucle de l’Euphrate et au nord de celle-ci. Ces conquêtes du Hanigalbat firent l’objet de négociations diplomatiques entre Assyrie et Hatti et Tudḫaliya réussit à obtenir de Tukulti-Ninurta, occupé à une guerre de conquête en Babylonie, que les villes soient rendues à Karkemiš. En échange, Tudḫaliya s’engagea aux côtés de l’Assyrie.
La négociation sectorielle dans l'enseignement
Authors: Kwaschin Sylvie
Published: March 2013

Le décret du 15 décembre 2010 introduit une importante nouveauté dans le secteur de l’enseignement en Communauté française. Jusqu’alors, la négociation sectorielle réunissait l’autorité publique et les organisations syndicales représentant le personnel des réseaux publics. Aujourd’hui, elle est élargie et est devenue tripartite : elle associe le gouvernement de la Communauté française, les organisations syndicales représentant les personnels de l’ensemble des réseaux et, enfin, les pouvoirs organisateurs de l’enseignement subventionné libre et officiel. L’objectif de cette configuration atypique est de mettre fin à une situation où le réseau libre ne pouvait prendre part à des négociations dont les résultats s’imposaient pourtant à lui. Sylvie Kwaschin analyse la mise en place, la spécificité et le fonctionnement du nouveau dispositif, ainsi que ses effets. Elle souligne les difficultés nées de l’articulation de deux logiques, l’une publique et l’autre privée, et met en perspective les critiques adressées à un processus qui n’est en réalité que partiellement tripartite. Elle montre également combien les projets de révision du nouveau système mettent en cause le rôle de l’autorité publique dans la concertation sociale. Plus largement, ce Courrier hebdomadaire constitue une synthèse des relations collectives de travail dans le domaine de l’enseignement, centrée sur les acteurs et les lieux institutionnels de négociation.
Ámbar en la Meseta Oriental durante el Bronce Final: yacimientos locales e importaciones bálticas
Authors: Luisa Cerdeño M.ª , Martínez José Antonio , Agua Fernando , Sagardoy Teresa , Monasterio Manuel
Published: March 2013

En el presente trabajo se dan a conocer los resultados de los análisis de espectroscopía infrarroja realizados a dos cuentas de ámbar procedentes de la fase II de la necrópolis de Herrería (Molina de Aragón, Guadalajara), fechada a finales del Bronce Final y precedente inmediato de la primera fase celtibérica de dicho cementerio. Los resultados confirman la procedencia báltica de esta materia prima. Ello la convierte en una nueva evidencia +de la llegada de elementos continentales hasta la Meseta oriental, donde dicho substrato cultural desempeñó un papel importante en la gestación de los posteriores pueblos prerromanos.
Aspectos comerciales acerca de dos fragmentos de cerámica ática procedentes del Puerto de Ibiza
Authors: Torres Joan Ramon , Heinrich Hermanns Marcus
Published: March 2013

En este artículo se presentan y estudian un cuenco y un plato de pescado de cerámica ática, hallados ambos en aguas del puerto de Ibiza. El primero tiene dos grafitos, uno griego y el otro púnico, que resultan difíciles de clasificar como administrativos, comerciales o, simplemente como marcas personales de propiedad. Los dos vasos, que se enmarcan claramente el ámbito del comercio de cerámicas de producción áticas desde el Mediterráneo central hacia el extremo Occidente, permiten sin embargo retomar el tema de sus modos de transmisión, actualmente vinculados más bien con el mundo púnico, que con un comercio griego de carácter directo y se discute al mismo tiempo el denominado doble circuito mercantil. En cualquier caso, esta corriente comercial afectó Ibiza, como reflejan, no sólo los materiales áticos encontrados en la isla, sino también su imitación local, observándose, además, en ambos fenómenos, que se producen en paralelo, un carácter selectivo. A nivel insular y hasta la fecha, las dos formas aquí estudiadas, apenas se hallaban representadas en el repertorio publicado, resultado evidente de una investigación enfocada de modo casi exclusivo al mundo funerario, a expensas del estudio de los contextos de la vida cotidiana, que en el sentido indicado introducen variables más que significativas.
Photocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide by Water: A Step towards Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals
Authors: Jeyalakshmi V. , Mahalakshmy R. , Krishnamurthy K.R. , Viswanathan B.
Published: March 2013

Photo catalytic reduction of carbon dioxide orartificial photo synthesisto yield hydrogen and hydrocarbons like methane, methanol etc., has emerged as a subject/process of intensive study due to its potential applications towards abatement of atmospheric CO2levels and conversion to fuels and chemicals. This Chapter provides a comprehensive picture of the process that has posed several scientific and technological challenges, like activation of most stable molecules-CO2and water, extremely low conversion rates, complex reaction pathways involving multi electron transfer steps and short catalyst life. All the major aspects/developments on this process like, the salient features and technological aspects, thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics, various types of photo-active catalysts-, like, titania based catalysts and titania with various dopants and modifiers, various metal oxides/sulfides/nitrides/ layered titanates, binary and ternary oxides of Nb, Ta, Ga & In mixed oxide catalysts, metal complexes, and supra molecular catalysts-, sensitization by macro cylic ligands, influence of process parameters, catalyst structure-property-activity correlations, aspects of deactivation of catalysts, reaction mechanistic aspects and sequential surface reaction pathways, recent trends and future directions have been covered. Design and development of efficient catalyst systems and achieving higher yield of desired products (higher selectivity) and extending the catalyst life are the key issues being pursued by the researchers. The process is in nascent stage and further improvements are needed as CO2conversion rates are extremely small, with products formed in terms of 1-10 micro moles/hr. One of the means of improving the process efficiency is to carry out electrochemical reduction of CO2using solar electric power, with an integrated Photo electrochemical cell (PEC). Yet another option is to reduce CO2to methanol with hydrogen produced using solar powered PEC.
Degradation of Tannic Acid Powered by TiO2 Nanoparticles
Authors: Kruthika N. Lakshmi , Raju G. Bhaskar , Prabhakar S.
Published: March 2013

The wastewater from the coir, pharmaceutical, leather, paper and pulp industries is contaminated with water-soluble poly phenolic compounds (tannins). Among various tannins, tannic acid is a typical hydrolysable tannin prevalent in wastewater. The degradation of tannic acid using TiO2 nanoparticles as photocatalyst was investigated. The effect of catalyst concentration, pH of aqueous suspension and also electron acceptors such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and ozone (O3) on the degradation of tannic acid was studied. The degradation of tannic acid was found to be more efficient and complete in the presence of UV/TiO2/O3 compared to UV/TiO2/H2O2. The kinetics of degradation was observed to follow first order rate equation which indicates that the mineralization process is diffusion controlled.
Facile Fabrication of Single Crystalline Ceria Nanoparticles for Photo-Responsive Applications
Authors: Das D.P. , Dash Armita , Mishra B.K.
Published: March 2013

The present investigation is about fabrication of single-crystalline ceria (CeO2) nanoparticle by a hydrothermal route. High surface area CeO2 was synthesized with transformation of morphology from nanofibers to nanocubes in response to processing conditions. A steady variation of average nanocrystallite size ca. in the range 3.0-16.9 nm and a range of band gap energy from 2.6 to 2.9 eV were measured. The surface area of the nanoparticles varied in the range 16.0136.1 m2/g and the variation in surface area is attributed to the nature of packing of particles. The ceria nanofibers could generate 870.5 µmol of H2 in 3 h of irradiation.
Photocatalytic Degradation of Dyes by Al2O3-TiO2 and ZrO2-TiO2 Nanocomposites
Authors: Karunakaran C. , Magesan P. , Gomathisankar P. , Vinayagamoorthy P.
Published: March 2013

Al2O3-TiO2 and ZrO2-TiO2 nanocomposites have been prepared by sol-gel method using polyvinylpyrrolidone-polyethylene glycol (PVP-PEG) as templating agents. While Al2O3 in the former is of end-centered monoclinic crystal structure ZrO2 in the latter is a 4:1 blend of monoclinic and tetragonal phases. In both the composites TiO2 is present as anatase. The energy dispersive X-ray spectra provide the compositions of the composites as Al:Ti::1:12 and Zr:Ti::1:1. Scanning electron micrographs display the sizes of Al2O3-TiO2 and ZrO2-TiO2 particles as 30-77 and 38-57 nm, respectively. The diffuse reflectance spectra of both the composites show band gap excitation in the UV-A region. Both the composites display similar photoluminescence and the observed near band gap emission and deep level emission agree with those of TiO2. The impedance spectral studies reveal that the charge-transfer resistance of ZrO2-TiO2 is less than that of Al2O3-TiO2. Both the composites exhibit photoconductance. The photocatalytic activities of the prepared nanocomposites depend on the dye employed. While both the composites degrade methylene blue and rhodamine B effectively under UV-A light the photodegradation of methyl orange is slow. Rhodamine B degrades on both the nanocomposites under visible light also, which is through dye-sensitized photocatalytic mechanism.
Improving Thickness Uniformity of Ti3Al Sheet Metal SPF by Preforming
Authors: Xu Hui Yuan , Zhang Rong Xia , Zeng Yuan Song , Liu Jia Jia
Published: March 2013

Ti3Al intermetallic alloy is a hard formed material with many advantages for aviation and aerospace applications. Superplastic forming (SPF) is an ideal process for Ti3Al alloy to form sheet metal component. The thickness distribution of U cross-section circular parts, which were superplastically formed in two different female die cavity, were predicted by FEM software. According to female die forming thickness distribution, preforming die cavity was designed and was optimized by FEM software. Superplastic bugling tests with and without preforming were carried out. The thickness of parts were measured and compared with predictions by FEM software. The results showed that preforming can promote thickness uniformity efficiently in female die forming. In this experiment, the thickness difference range of the part formed with preforming reduced 75.8% compared with part formed without preforming.
Superplasticity of AlCoCrCuFeNi High Entropy Alloy
Authors: Kuznetsov Andrey V. , Shaisultanov Dmitry G. , Stepanov Nikita , Salishchev Gennady A. , Senkov Oleg N.
Published: March 2013

An AlCoCrCuFeNi high entropy alloy was multiaxially isothermally forged at 950°C to produce a fine equiaxed structure with the average grain/particle size of ~1.5 µm. The forged alloy exhibited superplastic behavior in the temperature range of 800-1000°C. For example, during deformation at a strain rate of 10-3 s-1, tensile ductility increased from 400% to 860% when the temperature increased from 800°C to 1000°C. An increase in strain rate from 10-4 to 10-2 s-1 at T = 1000°C did not affect ductility: elongation to failure was about 800%. The strain rate sensitivity of the flow stress was rather high, m = 0.6, which is typical to the superplastic behavior. The equiaxed morphology of grains and particles retained after the superplastic deformation, although some grain/particle growth was observed.
Application of SPF/DB New Structure to Titanium Main-Load Carrying Components
Authors: Shao Jie , Li Zhi Qiang , Han Xiu Quan , Han Xiao Ning , Deng Ying
Published: March 2013

In this paper, we proposed a new superplastic forming and diffusion bonding (SPF/DB) structure and processed validation between traditional SPF/DB four sheets structure and the new structure at the coincidence boundary conditions by FEM method. The calculation results show that the new structure can decreases the maximum stress at the joining part by 82% and decreases the maximum displacement at the aerofoil tip by 51% at the cost of the mass increases less than 20%. It induces that the new structure presents better stiffness and greater load carrying capacity than traditional ones, therefore, it could be used in titanium main load-carrying structure especially the structure which has the assembling and lose weight requirement very effectively.