bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gradient‐based electrical conductivity imaging using MR phase
Authors: Gurler Necip , Ider Yusuf Ziya
Published: January 2016

Purpose

To develop a fast, practically applicable, and boundary artifact free electrical conductivity imaging method that does not use transceive phase assumption, and that is more robust against the noise.

Theory

Starting from the Maxwell's equations, a new electrical conductivity imaging method that is based solely on the MR transceive phase has been proposed. Different from the previous phase based electrical properties tomography (EPT) method, a new formulation was derived by including the gradients of the conductivity into the equations.

Methods

The governing partial differential equation, which is in the form of a convection‐reaction‐diffusion equation, was solved using a three‐dimensional finite‐difference scheme. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method numerical simulations, phantom and in vivo human experiments have been conducted at 3T.

Results

Simulation and experimental results of the proposed method and the conventional phase–based EPT method were illustrated to show the superiority of the proposed method over the conventional method, especially in the transition regions and under noisy data.

Conclusion

With the contributions of the proposed method to the phase‐based EPT approach, a fast and reliable electrical conductivity imaging appears to be feasible, which is promising for clinical diagnoses and local SAR estimation. Magn Reson Med 77:137–150, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Expeditious dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization without glassing agents
Authors: Lama Bimala , Collins James H. P. , Downes Daniel , Smith Adam N. , Long Joanna R.
Published: January 2016

The hyperpolarization of metabolic substrates at low temperature using dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), followed by rapid dissolution and injection into an MRSI or NMR system, allows in vitro or in vivo observation and tracking of biochemical reactions and metabolites in real time. This article describes an elegant approach to sample preparation which is broadly applicable for the rapid polarization of aqueous small‐molecule substrate solutions and obviates the need for glassing agents. We demonstrate its utility for solutions of sodium acetate, pyruvate and butyrate. The polarization behavior of substrates prepared using rapid freezing without glassing agents enabled a 1.5–3‐fold time savings in polarization buildup, whilst removing the need for toxic glassing agents used as standard for dissolution DNP. The achievable polarization with fully aqueous substrate solutions was equal to that observed using standard approaches and glassing agents. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Robust and efficient monolithic fluid‐structure‐interaction solvers
Authors: Langer Ulrich , Yang Huidong
Published: January 2016

We construct new robust and efficient preconditioned generalized minimal residual solvers for the monolithic linear systems of algebraic equations arising from the finite element discretization and Newton's linearization of the fully coupled fluid–structure interaction system of partial differential equations in the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian formulation. We admit both linear elastic and nonlinear hyperelastic materials in the solid model and cover a large range of flows, for example, water, blood, and air, with highly varying density. The preconditioner is constructed in form of, where,, andare proper approximations to the matricesL,D, andUin theLDUblock factorization of the fully coupled system matrix, respectively. The inverse of the corresponding Schur complement is approximated by applying a few cycles of a special class of algebraic multigrid methods to the perturbed fluid sub‐problem, which is obtained by modifying corresponding entries in the original fluid matrix with an explicitly constructed approximation to the exact perturbation coming from the sparse matrix–matrix multiplications. The numerical studies presented impressively demonstrate the robustness and the efficiency of the preconditioner proposed in the paper. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microstructure and fractography of multiwalled carbon nanotube reinforced unsaturated polyester nanocomposites
Authors: Alam A.K.M. Moshiul , Beg M.D.H. , Yunus R.M.
Published: January 2016

In this study unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) was reinforced with different concentration of pre‐dispersed multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). The rheology, structural analysis, fracture behavior, morphology, and thermal analysis of nanocomposites were carried out as a function of MWCNT content. Shear thinning behavior exhibited distinguishable dispersion quality of 0.3 wt% MWCNT in UPR matrix. Structural analysis reveals that MWCNT enhanced the nucleation of nanocomposites. The crystallinity of nanocomposites was increased by 71% after incorporation of 0.3 wt% MWCNT. Bending strength (BS) and bending modulus (BM) of nanocomposites were increased as well as 0.3 wt% MWCNT exhibited crack shielding in nanocomposites. The glass transition (Tg) and melting transition (Tm) of nanocomposites was increased by 6°C and 10°C respectively as compare to neat UPR. Additionally thermal stability of 0.3 wt% MWCNT incorporated nanocomposites was significantly improved as compare to UPR and nanocomposites which contained 0.1 and 0.5 wt% MWCNT. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:E462–E471, 2017. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers
Body temperature triggered shape‐memory polymers with high elastic energy storage capacity
Authors: Meng Yuan , Jiang Jisu , Anthamatten Mitchell
Published: January 2016

Shape‐memory polymers (SMPs) that respond near body temperature are attracting broad interest, especially in the biomedical fields. In this study, the triggering temperature of poly(caprolactone) SMP networks is precisely adjusted by inclusion of non‐crystallizable molecular linkers and by variation of prepolymer molecular weight. Longer, non‐crystalline linkers and lower molecular weight prepolymers interfere with crystallization, lowering the transition temperature. Networks are prepared with crystallization temperatures that are beneath the human body temperature and yet are above room temperature. Upon cooling such amorphous networks to room temperature, crystallization is sluggish. There, elastomers can be easily strained by several hundred‐percent to induce crystallization, thereby fixing strained states. If subsequently heated, programmed SMPs can release significant amounts of stored strain energy (∼3 MJ/m3). SMPs that combine elastic energy storage and exhibit triggering temperatures near the human body temperature could benefit emerging applications in the biomedical space. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 1397–1404
A Useful Methodology for Determining the Compaction Degree of Single‐Chain Nanoparticles by Conventional SEC
Authors: Latorre‐Sánchez Alejandro , Alegría Angel , Lo Verso Federica , Moreno Angel J. , Arbe Arantxa , Colmenero Juan , Pomposo José A.
Published: January 2016

The folding/collapse of linear single chains to single‐chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) is a field of intense activity. Current synthetic methods allow obtaining from sparse SCNP morphologies in solution – resembling those observed in intrinsically disordered proteins – to compact SCNP conformations, more akin to those displayed by globular enzymes. A useful characterization technique in the field of SCNPs is “conventional” size‐exclusion chromatography (SEC) with differential refractive index (DRI) detection, providing rapid and convincing evidence of SCNP formation through comparison of the SEC traces of the precursor and the SCNPs. Upon SCNP formation, a noticeable shift of the SEC curve toward longer retention times (i.e., lower hydrodynamic sizes) is observed. However, quantitative information embedded in the SEC curve about the actual “compaction degree” of the SCNPs has not yet been extracted to distinguish between sparse and globular SCNPs. Here, a useful methodology for quantifying the compaction degree of SCNPs by SEC with conventional DRI detector is introduced allowing: i) construction of theoretical SEC curves corresponding to the collapse of a linear precursor having a log‐normal molecular weight distribution to either sparse or globular SCNPs and ii) analysis of experimental SEC curves to estimate the actual morphology of synthetic SCNPs in solution.
New Findings on the Effects of Tannic Acid: Inhibition of L‐Type Calcium Channels, Calcium Transient and Contractility in Rat Ventricular Myocytes
Authors: Zhu Fengli , Chu Xi , Wang Hua , Zhang Xuan , Zhang Yuanyuan , Liu Zhenyi , Guo Hui , Liu Hongying , Liu Yang , Chu Li , Zhang Jianping
Published: January 2016

Tannic acid (TA) is a group of water‐soluble polyphenolic compounds that occur mainly in plant‐derived feeds, food grains and fruits. Many studies have explored its biomedical properties, such as anticancer, antibacterial, antimutagenic, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiinflammatory and antihypertensive activities. However, the effects of TA on the L‐type Ca2+ current (ICa‐L) of cardiomyocytes remain undefined. The present study examined the effects of TA on ICa‐L using the whole‐cell patch‐clamp technique and on intracellular Ca2+ handling and cell contractility in rat ventricular myocytes with the aid of a video‐based edge detection system. Exposure to TA resulted in a concentration‐ and voltage‐dependent blockade of ICa‐L, with the half maximal inhibitory concentration of 1.69 μM and the maximal inhibitory effect of 46.15%. Moreover, TA significantly inhibited the amplitude of myocyte shortening and peak value of Ca2+ transient and increased the time to 10% of the peak. These findings provide new experimental evidence for the cellular mechanism of action of TA and may help to expand clinical treatments for cardiovascular disease. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Repetitive responses to nanoparticle albumin‐bound paclitaxel and carboplatin in malignant pleural mesothelioma
Authors: Kanai Osamu , Fujita Kohei , Nakatani Koichi , Mio Tadashi
Published: January 2016

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis. Although cisplatin plus pemetrexed is the standard chemotherapy for patients with unresectable MPM, few agents are available for MPM patients who do not tolerate pemetrexed. Here, we report the first case of an MPM patient for whom the combination of nanoparticle albumin‐bound paclitaxel and carboplatin (nabPC) repetitively achieved tumor regression. A 76‐year‐old man was diagnosed with epithelioid MPM. One cycle of carboplatin plus pemetrexed and two cycles of gemcitabine were administered but failed to inhibit tumor progression. By contrast, four cycles of nabPC resulted in a good response. Upon disease progression, four cycles of nabPC were performed again and resulted in a modest response. In conclusion, based on the present case, nabPC is a potential alternative chemotherapeutic agent for MPM, especially for MPM patients who do not tolerate pemetrexed.
Response pattern analysis: Assuring data integrity in extreme research settings
Authors: Christensen Lisa Jones , Siemsen Enno , Branzei Oana , Viswanathan Madhu
Published: January 2016

Research summary: Strategy scholars increasingly conduct research in nontraditional contexts. Such efforts often require the assistance of third‐party intermediaries who understand local culture, norms, and language. This reliance on intermediation in primary or secondary data collection can elicit agency breakdowns that call into question the reliability, analyzability, and interpretability of responses. Herein, we investigate the causes and consequences of intermediary bias in the form of faked data and we offer Response Pattern Analysis as a statistical solution for identifying and removing such problematic data. By explicating the effect, illustrating how we detected it, and performing a controlled field experiment in a developing country to test the effectiveness of our methodological solution, we encourage researchers to continue to seek data and build theory from unique and understudied settings.

Managerial summary: Any form of survey research contains the risk of interviewers faking data. This risk is particularly difficult to mitigate in Base‐of‐Pyramid or developing country contexts where researchers have to rely on intermediaries and forms of control are limited. We provide a statistical technique to identify a faking interviewer's ex post data collection, and remove the associated data prior to analysis. Using a field experiment where we instruct interviewers to fake the data, we demonstrate that the algorithm we employ achieves a 90 percent accuracy in terms of differentiating faking from nonfaking interviewers. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Transition‐Metal‐Doped p‐Type ZnO Nanoparticle‐Based Sensory Array for Instant Discrimination of Explosive Vapors
Authors: Qu Jiang , Ge Yuru , Zu Baiyi , Li Yuxiang , Dou Xincun
Published: January 2016

The development of portable, real‐time, and cheap platforms to monitor ultratrace levels of explosives is of great urgence and importance due to the threat of terrorism attacks and the need for homeland security. However, most of the previous chemiresistor sensors for explosive detection are suffering from limited responses and long response time. Here, a transition‐metal‐doping method is presented to remarkably promote the quantity of the surface defect states and to significantly reduce the charge transfer distance by creating a local charge reservoir layer. Thus, the sensor response is greatly enhanced and the response time is remarkably shortened. The resulting sensory array can not only detect military explosives, such as, TNT, DNT, PNT, PA, and RDX with high response, but also can fully distinguish some of the improvised explosive vapors, such as AN and urea, due to the huge response reaching to 100%. Furthermore, this sensory array can discriminate ppb‐level TNT and ppt‐level RDX from structurally similar and high‐concentration interfering aromatic gases in less than 12 s. Through comparison with the previously reported chemiresistor or Schottky sensors for explosive detection, the present transition‐metal‐doping method resulting ZnO sensor stands out and undoubtedly challenges the best.
New record of Egertonia (Elopiformes, Phyllodontidae) from the Late Cretaceous of South India
Authors: Halliday Thomas J. D. , Cuff Andrew R. , Prasad Guntupalli V. R. , Thanglemmoi Mechek S. , Goswami Anjali
Published: January 2016

We report a new occurrence of the phyllodontid teleost fish Egertonia from the Late Cretaceous Kallamedu Formation of the Cauvery Basin, South India. This is the oldest occurrence of Phyllodontidae in India, and only the second Cretaceous Gondwanan occurrence of this genus, following a toothplate previously described from the Late Cretaceous Maevarano Formation, Madagascar. The presence of phyllodontid fish supports a fluvial–deltaic or brackish environment for the lower part of the Kallamedu Formation, a rich deposit including typically Gondwanan taxa, such as simosuchid crocodiles, bothremydid turtles and abelisaurid dinosaurs, as well as an anomalous troodontid dinosaur. Egertonia adds another taxon of primarily Laurasian distribution to the Kallamedu fauna and further expands the list of taxa known from the Late Cretaceous of both India and Madagascar, strengthening the degree of faunal similarity between the two landmasses in the latest Cretaceous.
Surgical treatment of Cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy: efficacy and safety of ultrasound‐guided suction curettage
Authors: Jurkovic D. , Knez J. , Appiah A. , Farahani L. , Mavrelos D. , Ross J. A.
Published: January 2016

Objectives

To assess the efficacy of ultrasound‐guided suction curettage for management of pregnancies implanted into the lower uterine segment Cesarean section scar.

Methods

This was a retrospective study including women diagnosed with Cesarean section scar pregnancy at two large tertiary referral early pregnancy units between 1997 and 2014. Surgical evacuation was offered to selected women presenting in the first trimester ≤ 14 weeks' gestation. All procedures were performed transcervically under ultrasound guidance using suction curettage. A modified Shirodkar cervical suture was used in women who required additional measures to secure hemostasis.

Results

A total of 232 women with Cesarean section scar pregnancy were seen at the referral units; 191/232 (82.3%) women were treated surgically. The median intraoperative blood loss was 100 mL (range, 10–3000 mL); 9/191 (4.7% (95% CI, 1.7–7.7%)) women required blood transfusion and, in one (0.5% (95% CI, 0–1.5%)), life‐saving hysterectomy had to be performed because of uncontrollable intraoperative bleeding. Of the women who attended for follow‐up, 7/116 (6.0% (95% CI, 1.7–10.3%)) required a repeat surgical procedure because of retained products of conception. Multivariable analysis showed that the gestational sac diameter (odds ratio (OR), 1.10 (95% CI, 1.03–1.17)) and pregnancy vascularity on Doppler examination (OR, 3.41 (95% CI, 1.39–8.33)) were significant predictors of heavy intraoperative blood loss (> 1000 mL).

Conclusions

Ultrasound‐guided suction curettage is an effective method for the treatment of pregnancies implanted into a lower uterine segment Cesarean section scar and is associated with a low risk of blood transfusion and hysterectomy. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
pH‐Sensitive stimulus‐responsive nanocarriers for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents
Authors: Karimi Mahdi , Eslami Masoud , Sahandi‐Zangabad Parham , Mirab Fereshteh , Farajisafiloo Negar , Shafaei Zahra , Ghosh Deepanjan , Bozorgomid Mahnaz , Dashkhaneh Fariba , Hamblin Michael R.
Published: January 2016

In recent years miscellaneous smart micro/nanosystems that respond to various exogenous/endogenous stimuli including temperature, magnetic/electric field, mechanical force, ultrasound/light irradiation, redox potentials, and biomolecule concentration have been developed for targeted delivery and release of encapsulated therapeutic agents such as drugs, genes, proteins, and metal ions specifically at their required site of action. Owing to physiological differences between malignant and normal cells, or between tumors and normal tissues, pH‐sensitive nanosystems represent promising smart delivery vehicles for transport and delivery of anticancer agents. Furthermore, pH‐sensitive systems possess applications in delivery of metal ions and biomolecules such as proteins, insulin, etc., as well as co‐delivery of cargos, dual pH‐sensitive nanocarriers, dual/multi stimuli‐responsive nanosystems, and even in the search for new solutions for therapy of diseases such as Alzheimer's. In order to design an optimized system, it is necessary to understand the various pH‐responsive micro/nanoparticles and the different mechanisms of pH‐sensitive drug release. This should be accompanied by an assessment of the theoretical and practical challenges in the design and use of these carriers. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2016, 8:696–716. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1389

This article is categorized under:

Biology-Inspired Nanomaterials > Lipid-Based Structures

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Infectious Disease
Effects of a higher dose of alglucosidase alfa on ventilator‐free survival and motor outcome in classic infantile Pompe disease: an open‐label single‐center study
Authors: van Gelder C. M. , Poelman E. , Plug I. , Hoogeveen‐Westerveld M. , van der Beek N. A. M. E. , Reuser A. J. J. , van der Ploeg A. T.
Published: January 2016

Background

Though enzyme‐replacement therapy (ERT) with alglucosidase alfa has significantly improved the prospects for patients with classic infantile Pompe disease, some 50 % of treated infants do not survive ventilator‐free beyond the age of 3 years. We investigated whether higher and more frequent dosing of alglucosidase alfa improves outcome.

Methods

Eight cross‐reactive immunological material (CRIM) positive patients were included in the study. All had fully deleterious mutations in both GAA alleles. Four received a dose of 20 mg/kg every other week (eow) and four received 40 mg/kg/week. Survival, ventilator‐free survival, left‐ventricular mass index (LVMI), motor outcome, infusion‐associated reactions (IARs), and antibody formation were evaluated.

Results

All eight patients were alive at study end, seven of them remained ventilator‐free. The patient who became ventilator dependent was treated with 20 mg/kg eow. Three of the four patients receiving 20 mg/kg eow learned to walk; two of them maintained this ability at study end. All four patients receiving 40 mg/kg/week acquired and maintained the ability to walk at study end (ages of 3.3–5.6 years), even though their baseline motor functioning was poorer. There were no apparent differences between the two dose groups with respect to the effect of ERT on LVMI, the number of IARs and antibody formation.

Conclusions

Our data may suggest that a dose of 40 mg/kg/week improves outcome of CRIM positive patients over that brought by the currently recommended dose of 20 mg/kg eow. Larger studies are needed to draw definite conclusions.
U-Pb SHRIMP Ages of Detrital Zircons from Hiriyur Formation in Chitradurga Greenstone Belt and its Implication to the Neoarchean Evolution of Dharwar Craton, South India
Authors: Nasheeth A. , Okudaira T. , Horie K. , Hokada T. , Satish-Kumar M.
Published: January 2016

We report newly obtained U-Pb SHRIMP ages of detrital zircons from metagreywackes in the Hiriyur Formation (Chitradurga Group, Dharwar Supergroup) from the central eastern part of the Chitradurga greenstone belt. U-Pb analyses yield three major Neoarchean age populations ranging from 2.70–2.54 Ga with some minor age population of Mesoarchean. The maximum age of deposition is constrained by the youngest detrital zircon population at 2546 Ma. This is the first report of the occurrence of supracrustal rocks less than 2.58 Ga in the central part of Chitradurga greenstone belt. Close evaluation of detrital ages with the published ages of surrounding igneous rocks suggest that the youngest detrital zircons might be derived from rocks of the Eastern Dharwar craton and the inferred docking of the western and eastern Dharwar cratons happened prior to the deposition of the Hiriyur Formation. The Chitradurga shear zone, dividing the Dharwar craton into western and eastern blocks, probably developed after the deposition. Furthermore, the lower intercept is interpreted as evidence for the Pan-African overprints in the study area.
A Note on Chemical Composition and Origin of Ferromanganese Oxide Coated and Uncoated Pumice Samples from Central Indian Ocean Basin
Authors: Pattan J. N. , Parthiban G. , Moraes C. , Rajalakshmi R. , Lekshmi S. , Athira S. , Sankar S. Jai
Published: January 2016

Pumice are explosive volcanic product, occur as uncoated or coated with ferromanganese (Fe-Mn) oxide and resides in association with ferromanganese nodules on the seabed in Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB). The older Fe-Mn oxide coated and younger uncoated pumice clasts were leached with 6N HCl to remove Fe-Mn oxide coatings as well as the calcium carbonate present within the vesicles. The main objective of the present study is to understand the origin of these pumice by utilizing their chemical composition. Both coated and uncoated pumice samples are rhyolite- and medium K calc-alkaline series. Major, trace, rare earth elements (ΣREE) concentration and chondrite-normalized REE patterns of both coated and uncoated pumice are nearly similar to each other suggesting a same source. Tectonomagmatic discrimination diagrams (Nb vs Y: Yb vs. Ta), triangular plot (TiO2-Zr-Y) and High Field Strength Element ratios (La/Ta- 25; Ta/Hf- 0.2; Nb/Ta- 9; Zr/Nb- 22 and Ba/Ta-1084) indicate volcanic arc origin. These were probably sourced from the nearest Indonesian volcanic arc and drifted to the CIOB by currents.
Postoperative pain documentation in a hospital setting: A topical review
Authors: Heikkilä Kristiina , Peltonen Laura-Maria , Salanterä Sanna
Published: January 2016

Background and aims

Nursing documentation supports continuity of care and provides important means of communication among clinicians. The aim of this topical review was to evaluate the published empirical studies on postoperative pain documentation in a hospital setting.

Methods

The review was conducted through a systematic search of electronic databases: Web of Science, PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, Embase, Ovid/Medline, Scopus and Cochrane Library. Ten studies were included. Study designs, documented postoperative pain information, quality of pain documentation, reported quality of postoperative pain management and documentation, and suggestions for future research and practice improvements were extracted from the studies.

Results

The most commonly used study design was a descriptive retrospective patient record review. The most commonly reported types of information were pain assessment, use of pain assessment tools, useof pain management interventions, reassessment, types of analgesics used, demographic information and pain intensity. All ten studies reported that the quality of postoperative pain documentation does not meet acceptable standards and that there is a need for improvement. The studies found that organization of regular pain management education for nurses is important for the future.

Conclusions

Postoperative pain documentation needs to beimproved. Regular educational programmes and development of monitoring systems for systematic evaluation of pain documentation are needed. Guidelines and recommendations should be based on the latest research evidence, and systematically implemented into practice.

Implications

Comprehensive auditing tools for evaluation of pain documentation can make quality assessment easier and coherent. Specific and clear documentation guidelines are needed and existing guidelines should be better implemented into practice. There is a need to increase nurses’ knowledge of postoperative pain management, assessment and documentation. Studies evaluating effectiveness of high quality pain documentation are required.
The Long and Winding Road to Gamma-Amino-Butyric Acid as Neurotransmitter
Authors: Avoli Massimo , Krnjević Krešimir
Published: January 2016

This review centers on the discoveries made during more than six decades of neuroscience research on the role of gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) as neurotransmitter. In doing so, special emphasis is directed to the significant involvement of Canadian scientists in these advances. Starting with the early studies that established GABA as an inhibitory neurotransmitter at central synapses, we summarize the results pointing at the GABA receptor as a drug target as well as more recent evidence showing that GABAAreceptor signaling plays a surprisingly active role in neuronal network synchronization, both during development and in the adult brain. Finally, we briefly address the involvement of GABA in neurological conditions that encompass epileptic disorders and mental retardation.

RESUMÉ: Le chemin long et sinueux pour que le GABA soit reconnu comme un neurotransmetteur.Cette revue est axée sur les découvertes réalisées durant plus de six décennies de recherche en neurosciences sur l’acide gamma-aminobutyrique (GABA) comme neurotransmetteur. À cet effet, nous mettons une emphase particulière sur le rôle significatif de chercheurs canadiens dans ce domaine de recherche. En prenant comme point de départ les premières études qui ont établi que le GABA était un neurotransmetteur au niveau de synapses centrales, nous faisons le sommaire des résultats identifiant le récepteur GABA comme étant une cible thérapeutique ainsi que des données plus récentes montrant que la signalisation du récepteur GABAA joue, de façon surprenante, un rôle actif dans la synchronisation du réseau neuronal, tant au cours du développement que dans le cerveau adulte. Finalement, nous traitons brièvement du rôle de GABA dans les maladies neurologiques incluant les troubles épileptiques et l’arriération mentale.
Jet-noise control by fluidic injection from a rotating plug: linear and nonlinear sound-source mechanisms
Authors: Kœnig Maxime , Sasaki Kenzo , Cavalieri André V. G. , Jordan Peter , Gervais Yves
Published: January 2016

We present a study of the turbulent and acoustic fields of subsonic jets, controlled by means of a novel actuator that introduces perturbations via steady-fluidic actuation from a rotating centrebody. The actuation can produce louder or quieter jets, and these are analysed using time-resolved stereoscopic particle image velocimetry and a hot-wire anemometer. We place the analysis in the framework of wavepackets and linear stability theory, whence we show, using solutions of the linear parabolised stability equations, that the quieter flows can be understood to result from a mean-flow deformation that modifies wavepacket dynamics, and in particular their phase velocities, which are significantly reduced. The mean-flow deformation is shown, by a triple decomposition, to be due to the generation of Reynolds stresses associated with incoherent turbulence (rather than coherent structures) which arises when the actuation energises the flow with a frequency–azimuthal wavenumber (${\it\omega}$–$m$) combination to which the mean flow is stable. When the actuation excites the flow with an ${\it\omega}$–$m$ combination to which the mean flow is unstable, the response is dominated by coherent structures, whose rapid growth takes them beyond the linear limit, where they undergo quadratic wave interactions and lead, consequently, to a louder flow.
Spinoza’s Dream
Authors: Goetschel Willi
Published: January 2016

In 1664, in a letter to a friend, Spinoza shares a dream he had of a “black, scabby Brazilian.” At the historical moment of a fierce race among Europe’s colonial powers, when the Amsterdam Jewish community’s vested interests in the Dutch colonial enterprise have reached a formidable status, Spinoza’s dream reflects an early awareness of the postcolonial predicament. The dream figures this awareness as the moment of the awakening—inseparable from the imagining—of the modern subject. Although the dream has been discussed with regard to its significance for understanding the role of the imagination for Spinoza as well as the issues of freedom, slavery, and question of race, the paper addresses the specifically postcolonial juncture that Spinoza’s dream and the letter marks. Spinoza’s dream figures the philosopher’s awakening to the precarious status of the postcolonial subject position as recognition of the constitutive significance of the postcolonial constellation for the formation of modern awareness.
Linking Party Preferences and the Composition of Government: A New Standard for Evaluating the Performance of Electoral Democracy
Authors: Blais André , Guntermann Eric , Bodet Marc A.
Published: January 2016

We propose a new standard for evaluating the performance of electoral democracies: the correspondence between citizens’ party preferences and the party composition of governments that are formed after elections. We develop three criteria for assessing such correspondence: the proportion of citizens whose most preferred party is in government, whether the party that is most liked overall is in government, and how much more positively governing parties are rated than non-governing parties. We pay particular attention to the last criterion, which takes into account how each citizen feels about each of the parties as well as the intensity of their preferences. We find that proportional representation systems perform better on the first criterion. Majoritarian systems do better on the other two.
The Nine Huntings
Authors: Peate Iorwerth C.
Published: January 2016

In his appendix (pages 84–5) to his Changes in the Fauna of Wales within Historic Times, Mr Colin Matheson, refers to ‘ the old Welsh text known as Y Naw Helwriaeth or The Nine Huntings [which] has been generally regarded as setting forth the hunting customs among the early Welsh ’. This text has been published in the Myvyrian Archaiology (2nd edition, pp. 872-3) and in Dr John Davies’s Dictionarium duplex (1632). Both these printed texts however differ in various details from the three known manuscript versions, and while the versions of two of the manuscripts are fairly similar, that of the third differs markedly from the other two. An edition with annotations in Welsh of the three manuscript texts was published (for the first time) by the present writer in 1933. It was thought that since the texts presented problems of interest to students of British history, a collated translation of the two texts together with a translation of the third, and differing, text would prove to be of value to those unacquainted with Welsh.
The Topography of Saxon London
Authors: Wheeler R. E. M.
Published: January 2016

In this note on Saxon London I am not concerned in detail with the wearisome question whether London did or did not survive through the Dark Ages of the 5th and 6th centuries. Were it not for the vague generalities of an obsessed 6th-century ‘Welshman’, writing a moral thesis probably in Brittany under difficulties which he himself deplores, no one would ever have suggested that London ceased to exist at the time of the Saxon invasions. Yet, it may be recalled, Gildas does not so much as mention London; he was not concerned with London; he was not indeed concerned with history save in so far as it could be subordinated to his propaganda against the sinners of western Britain. Whatever may have happened to the cities of the west, there is in truth no valid historical reason for supposing that London perished after the Roman period, to be born all over again in a Saxon England.
Britannia
Authors: Mattingly Harold
Published: January 2016

The storied name which stands at the head of this paper has an immense range of association and interest. Lest the gentle reader be frightened at the outset by too extensive a prospect let us define at once the limits we have set to our present inquiry.

There is a knowledge of Britain that is characteristic of this and the last century. It is a knowledge founded on the results of numberless excavations on surveys of roads, forts and cities, on intensive study of stratification and of the evidence hidden in broken pots and half obliterated coins. It is a knowledge that must have made up a remarkable whole in the mind of a scholar like the late Professor Haverfield; that still makes up such a whole in the minds of a handful of scholars still living today. For most of us this knowledge is only to be gained at second-hand from the summarized reports of the experts; at best we may be able to add a personal acquaintance with some small part of the subject. It is a knowledge that advances progressively and comprises most of the hope for the future.
Some Thoughts on the Topography of Saxon London
Authors: Myres J. N. L.
Published: January 2016

In the September number of ANTIQUIT (VIII, 290–302) Dr Wheeler analysed with characteristic brilliance the topographical and archaeological evidence for the relation of Roman and Saxon in Dark-Age London. He pointed out that the 330 acres enclosed by the Roman Walls were divided almost centrally by the Walbrook into two areas of rising ground, the eastern which we may term Cornhill, and the western Ludgate Hill. He showed that there is undeniable evidence epitomized in the position of the central basilica and of London Bridge to prove that the eastern of these was the nucleus of the Roman City, and that the inclusion of the western within the walls was intended ‘to provide generously for a development which only in part materialized’. He noted further that the evidence for the earliest Saxon settlement within the walls pointed with hardly less emphasis to their preference for the western area, where the foundation of St. Paul's, the less certain suggestion of early church dedications, the traditional site of the Royal Palace, the certain position of the Folk Moot, and the more frequent occurrence of small objects of the early Saxon period combine to indicate the focus of their settlement. So far we may tread securely in his footsteps; we may agree with his summary of the contrast— ‘Roman London began on the Hill above London Bridge and spread westwards; Saxon London emerged on the western hilltop and spread eastwards’.
The Rise and Decline of the Medieval Community
Authors: Darlington R. R.
Published: January 2016

The accumulation of specialized work and the publication of more texts calls for the constant modification of current conceptions of the history of medieval England. Of the means of achieving this readjustment the most satisfactory is probably the lecture, which affords scope for the individual interpretation of development over a wide field and yet does not lose its flexibility or arrogate to itself an authoritative character to which, owing to its very nature, no general survey can rightly lay claim. It is not suggested that the twentieth-century medievalist should ignore the printing-press altogether, but there is much to be said for concentrating on the printing of such works-in the main, editions of texts-as may possibly be of some value to future generations of scholars. To the demand for ‘brighter’ history it is we11 to turn a deaf ear, but the exigencies of time to some extent justify the publication of re-interpretations by those competent to undertake them, whether such text-books assume the form of the co-operative work with almost every chapter from a different pen, the many-volumed history with an expert in charge of each century or so, or a general survey of one or other of the compartments into which history is commonly divided. Of these the last might be deemed the least satisfactory, for the treatment of ‘constitutional’, ‘economic’ or ‘ecclesiastical’ history as a self-contained entity may seem a vicious and outworn practice, leading inevitably to distortion.
Pliska
Authors: Welkow Iwan
Published: January 2016

West of the Provadia hills in Bulgaria is the valley of Shumen. The northern part of this valley belongs to the basin of the Provadia river, the southern to that of the river Kamtchia. The present railway line from Shumen to Kaspitchan serves as an ideal boundary between these two regions, but the two valleys are best known because of two historical sites, Preslav and Aboba (now Pliska).

The rivers of the Aboba plain have very little water during the summer season, but during winter and in time of heavy rains they overflow and cover great parts of the barren valley. The winter there is cold and severe, the surnmer dry and hot. In the plain, north of Kaspitchan railway station, are the ruins of Aboba. Eshberiich or Isperich (Asparuch), the younger son of Kurt (644–702), in his march southwards stopped there, and founded the first capital of the Bulgarian khans, later to become the magnificent Pliska.
Ras Shamra, 1929–39
Authors: Gaster T. H.
Published: January 2016

It is now ten years since the French archaeological expedition under M. Claude Schaeffer first started digging at Ras Shamra, on the north coast of Syria. The present is therefore a suitable moment in which to take stock of what has so far been discovered.

Our best point of departure is provided by the series of annual volumes in which the excavator’s reports and the epigraphists’ primary studies have been conveniently gathered together from the pages of the periodical SYRIA. It must be borne in mind, however, that these excellent publications represent a preliminary and not a final stage in the interpretation of the materials. The literature grows from day to day, and the contributions made by other scholars are equally important for a correct appreciation of the subject. Among these special mention should be made of the work of Albright, Montgomery, Harris, Goetze and Gordon in America, of Ginsberg and de Vaux in Palestine, of Friedrich and Eissfeldt in Germany, of Hrozný in Prague, Aistleitner in Budapest and Cassuto in Italy. In this country studies have been published by the late Father Burrows, Dr J. W. Jack, of Edinburgh, Professor S. H. Hooke and the present writer.
Aetites or the Eagle-stone
Authors: Bromehead C. N.
Published: January 2016

An Aetites may be defined as any hollow stone containing loose matter, a smaller stone or sand, which rattles when shaken. Such objects are of little interest to the modern geologist, who usually breaks them open in order to examine the interior for crystals or impressions of fossils. Their importance to the archaeologist and student of folk-lore may be gauged by the fact that they are mentioned by Dioscorides about A.D. 69 and in the fourteenth edition of Quincey's Pharmacopoeia, published in 1769. A series of at least a hundred references between these dates could be compiled ; only those necessary to elucidate the history of the Eagle-stone need be given.
The Bronze Lion of St. Mark at Venice
Authors: Perkins J. B. Ward
Published: January 2016

The measures taken for the protection of the monuments and works of art of Europe during the recent war, besides saving an incalculable number from damage or destruction, have also made available for detailed study many that are normally difficult or impossible of access. One such has been the bronze lion of St. Mark, familiar indeed to every visitor to Venice but only at a respectable distance, from the loggia of the Doge's Palace or from the foot of its lofty column by the waterfront of the Piazzetta di San Marco. In 1941, together with its companion figure of St. Theodore, the four bronze horses from the facade of St. Mark's, the great equestrian bronze of Colleoni, and numerous lesser works, it was lowered to safety and stored throughout the war in the vaults of the Doge's Palace. Shortly after the liberation of Venice in 1945 it re-emerged to form part of a unique temporary exhibition in the courtyard of the Palace, after which it was replaced once more upon its column. The writer is indebted to Commendatore Forlati, Superintendent of Monuments for the Veneto, for permitting publication and for much courteous help in eliciting facts and photographs ; and to many colleagues in Rome for criticism and comment—helpful not least by its variety. While venturing some comment on what is evidently a provocative and controversial animal, it must be stressed that the primary purpose of this article is the presentation of a detailed description of the statue, accompanied by the known historical facts and by adequate illustration. These will at least enable others, better qualified, to pass long-overdue judgment on one of the select company of ancient works of art that have never been below ground since the day they were made.
A Find of the Early Iron Age From Llyn Cerrig Bach, Anglesey
Authors: Grimes W. F.
Published: January 2016

In this publication the Director of the National Museum of Wales describes in detail a highly important find of Early Iron Age objects, made on a remote site in Anglesey in 1943 during wartime building operations. As its significance deserved, the discovery was given a good press at the time and readers of ANTIQUITY will already be familiar with it from the article reprinted in the June, 1944, number. But the title records that this too is an interim report: the final account, in which presumably will appear additional objects, one at least of which is of astounding quality, will be awaited with interest.
Ethiopian Rock-hewn Churches
Authors: Buxton D. R.
Published: January 2016

While engaged in locust investigations in Ethiopia between 1942 and 1945 I found ample opportunity to indulge my favourite hobby—the study of Christian architecture and antiquities. I knew, before coming to the country, that Ethiopia was little-explored and probably a fruitful field. I had heard of the pre-Christian monuments at Aksum, and of the extraordinary rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, both of which have been long (if not widely) known. But in the end the antiquities that came to light far surpassed my expectations, and I had the satisfaction of visiting many remarkable monuments, which have rarely been seen by Europeans, hidden away in the mountain fastnesses of the northern highlands. One or two Italian archaeologists had, it is true, begun to pay attention to some of these buildings, but I believe no connected account of the early Ethiopian style of architecture has yet been attempted, I propose in this summary article to confine myself mainly to the internal history of the monuments, only touching upon the more difficult question of the ultimate sources of the style.
Excavation of a Ring-fort at Garryduff, Co. Cork
Authors: O'Kelly M. J.
Published: January 2016

The excavation here briefly described was carried out at the end of the summer of 1945 and though not yet completed, the results already are of such interest as to make publication of this short report desirable. The work is being conducted by Michael J. O'Kelly, M.A., Curator of the Cork Public Museum, and is being financed by means of a special grant made by the Governing Body of University College, Cork.

The fort lies on the shoulder of a prominent knoll in the range of hills which divides the eastern part of Cork Harbour from a rich agricultural hinterland extending northward to include the valleys of the rivers Bride and Blackwater. Nearby modern towns of importance are Fermoy, 12 miles to the northwest, and Midleton, 9 miles to the south. The latter stands at the head of a narrow estuary which runs northward out of the eastern bight of Cork Harbour and probably marks the point at which seafarers-possibly arriving direct from the continent-disembarked to trade with the established settlers of the district, or to found bridge-heads for subsequent marauding incursions into the rich terrain of the interior. That the latter was a possibility forseen by the early agriculturalists of east Cork is shown by their careful selection of a strategic site. The builders, who were members of a peaceful farming community (as is shown by the presence of agricultural implements on the site), placed their outpost so that it dominated the main pass which gave access to their territory from the south and the sea-the direction from which they believed their enemies were most likely to come.
The Dorset Cursus
Authors: Atkinson R. J. C.
Published: January 2016

Of all the early prehistoric monuments of Britain the Dorset Cursus is both the largest and at the same time one of the least known. Its claim to pre-eminence in terms of mere size is sufficiently established by the facts that it is six miles in length, contains an area of two hundred and twenty acres, and in its original state comprised a volume of earthwork amounting to some six-and-a-half million cubic feet. The significance of these figures may better be appreciated by a comparison with Avebury, which had originally an earthwork volume of about three-and-a-half million cubic feet, or with the Stonehenge Cursus, which is a little less than one-and-three-quarter miles in length, and encloses only seventy acres.
Athens in the Late Bronze Age
Authors: Broneer Oscar
Published: January 2016

The Athenians of the classical era were deeply conscious of the fact that the history of their city was different from that of the rest of Greece. They were the autochthonous settlers of the land, and their orators and writers kept forever reminding them that Athens and Attica were not subdued when the Dorian invaders gained possession of most of the Peloponnesus at the end of the Bronze Age. Was this an empty boast, the kind of historical error that Thucydides (1, 20) attributes to a people's readiness to accept uncritically the old traditions about their own country or those of others? The historian (1, 2) makes it clear that he himself believed in the tradition that Attica was the original home of the Athenians of his day, and he found an explanation for this phenomenon in the poverty of the soil which made the conquerors pass by Attica for richer sections of the country. Archaeological research has confirmed Thucydides' conclusions.