bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Descriptions of drill cores and thin sections from lower Paleozoic strata, southeastern Baffin Island shelf, Nunavut
Authors: Bingham-Koslowski N
Published: June 2018

Drill cores from the southeastern Baffin Island shelf offer rare insights into the lower Paleozoic bedrock geology that underlies the northern Baffin-Labrador Seaway Mesozoic to Cenozoic rift stratigraphy. Six seabed drill cores (Cruise 75-009 Phase V, Stations
4, 5, 8A, 8B and Cruise 77027, Stations 026A, and 028) were recovered from offshore Baffin Island by the Geological Survey of Canada during marine cruises in the 1970s. The lithology (sedimentology and paleontology) of the drill cores and their associated thin sections is analyzed to provide
information on the depositional environments that existed in the Iapetus Ocean during the Middle to Upper Ordovician. The drill cores are predominantly composed of fine, lime mud, with evidence of bioturbation observed in four of the six cores. The drill cores exhibit varying degrees of
dolomitization, with the drill core from 75-009, Phase V Station 4 being the most diagenetically altered. Disseminated pyrite is found throughout the drill cores and thin sections, and the cores from Stations 8A and 8B contain finely macerated organic matter dispersed in the matrix. Fossils
identified in the drill cores and thin sections include bivalves, trilobites, crinoids, sponge spicules, gastropods, brachiopods, corals, cephalopods, dasycladacean green algae, ostracods, bryozoans, and radiolarians, as well as possible calcispheres. Undifferentiated echinoderm and shell fragments
are also common throughout the strata. Initial interpretations based on observations from the drill cores and thin sections suggest depositional milieus ranging from shallow, photic zone environments to deeper, open marine settings.
Models and perspectives concerning the identity of Jesus as healer
Authors: Dube Zorodzai
Published: June 2018

This study reviews various perspectives into the identity of Jesus as healer. There are two main perspectives – those that approach the identity of Jesus as healer from a theological perspective focusing on his personhood as messiah and those that use social scientific perspectives from sociology, psychology and anthropology. This study does not aim to evaluate or direct the reader towards a conclusion of Jesus’ identity, but only to review various perspectives. Based on analogies from Zimbabwe and comparative insights from the Mediterranean context from which the memory of Jesus survived, it is plausible that the identity of Jesus as healer should be found from the larger Greco-Roman context. Furthermore, given the various healers that existed during Jesus time both within the Jewish and Greco-Roman villages, the explanation of Jesus as healer is plausible from the various social scientific perspectives discussed.
Ramification of the Eigencurve at Classical RM Points
Authors: Betina Adel
Published: June 2018

J. Bellaïche and M. Dimitrov showed that the$p$-adic eigencurve is smooth but not étale over the weight space at$p$-regular theta series attached to a character of a real quadratic field$F$in which$p$splits. In this paper we prove the existence of an isomorphism between the subring fixed by the Atkin–Lehner involution of the completed local ring of the eigencurve at these points and a universal ring representing a pseudo-deformation problem. Additionally, we give a precise criterion for which the ramification index is exactly 2. We finish this paper by proving the smoothness of the nearly ordinary and ordinary Hecke algebras for Hilbert modular forms over$F$at the overconvergent cuspidal Eisenstein points, being the base change lift for$\text{GL}(2)_{/F}$of these theta series. Our approach uses deformations and pseudo-deformations of reducible Galois representations.
Activity of Ceftolozane–Tazobactam against Burkholderia pseudomallei
Authors: Slack Andrew , Parsonson Fiona , Cronin Katie , Engler Cathy , Norton Robert
Published: June 2018

We investigated the in vitro activity of a novel fifth-generation cephalosporin–tazobactam combination, ceftolozane–tazobactam against Burkholderia pseudomallei, the etiological agent of melioidosis. Using both disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) strip techniques against 56 clinical isolates and an national collection of type cultures (NCTC) strain, the MIC to ceftolozane–tazobactam was found to be between 0.75 and 4 mcg/mL. The MIC50 was found to be 1.5 mcg/mL and MIC90 was 2.0 mcg/mL. This study provides initial evidence of ceftolozane–tazobactam as a novel agent in the management of melioidosis.
Safety, Immunogenicity, and Protective Efficacy against Controlled Human Malaria Infection of Plasmodium falciparum Sporozoite Vaccine in Tanzanian Adults
Authors: Jongo Said A. , Shekalaghe Seif A. , Church L. W. Preston , Ruben Adam J. , Schindler Tobias , Zenklusen Isabelle , Rutishauser Tobias , Rothen Julian , Tumbo Anneth , Mkindi Catherine , Mpina Maximillian , Mtoro Ali T. , Ishizuka Andrew S. , Kassim Kamaka Ramadhani , Milando Florence A. , Qassim Munira , Juma Omar A. , Mwakasungula Solomon , Simon Beatus , James Eric R. , Abebe Yonas , KC Natasha , Chakravarty Sumana , Saverino Elizabeth , Bakari Bakari M. , Billingsley Peter F. , Seder Robert A. , Daubenberger Claudia , Sim B. Kim Lee , Richie Thomas L. , Tanner Marcel , Abdulla Salim , Hoffman Stephen L.
Published: June 2018

We are using controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) by direct venous inoculation (DVI) of cryopreserved, infectious Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) sporozoites (SPZ) (PfSPZ Challenge) to try to reduce time and costs of developing PfSPZ Vaccine to prevent malaria in Africa. Immunization with five doses at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 20 weeks of 2.7 × 105 PfSPZ of PfSPZ Vaccine gave 65% vaccine efficacy (VE) at 24 weeks against mosquito bite CHMI in U.S. adults and 52% (time to event) or 29% (proportional) VE over 24 weeks against naturally transmitted Pf in Malian adults. We assessed the identical regimen in Tanzanians for VE against PfSPZ Challenge. Twenty- to thirty-year-old men were randomized to receive five doses normal saline or PfSPZ Vaccine in a double-blind trial. Vaccine efficacy was assessed 3 and 24 weeks later. Adverse events were similar in vaccinees and controls. Antibody responses to Pf circumsporozoite protein were significantly lower than in malaria-naïve Americans, but significantly higher than in Malians. All 18 controls developed Pf parasitemia after CHMI. Four of 20 (20%) vaccinees remained uninfected after 3 week CHMI (P = 0.015 by time to event, P = 0.543 by proportional analysis) and all four (100%) were uninfected after repeat 24 week CHMI (P = 0.005 by proportional, P = 0.004 by time to event analysis). Plasmodium falciparum SPZ Vaccine was safe, well tolerated, and induced durable VE in four subjects. Controlled human malaria infection by DVI of PfSPZ Challenge appeared more stringent over 24 weeks than mosquito bite CHMI in United States or natural exposure in Malian adults, thereby providing a rigorous test of VE in Africa.
Mixed Infection with Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus and Two Genotypes of Scrub Typhus in a Patient, South Korea, 2017
Authors: Yoo Jeong Rae , Heo Sang Taek , Kang Ji-Hoon , Park Dahee , Kim Jeong Soon , Bae Jeong Hoon , Woo Jong Jin , Kim Suhyun , Lee Keun Hwa
Published: June 2018

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne viral disease with a high mortality rate. Infection can also occur through close contact with an infected patient. Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, a bacterium transmitted to humans through chigger mite bites. South Korea is an endemic region of SFTS and scrub typhus. In this study, we confirmed that a patient was coinfected with SFTS virus and two (Boryong and Taguchi) genotypes of O. tsutsugamushi.
Human Strongyloidiasis in Hawaii: A Retrospective Review of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Serodiagnostic Testing
Authors: Akiyama Matthew J. , Brown Joel D.
Published: June 2018

Human strongyloidiasis is widely prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide but is not endemic in Hawaii. Subclinical, chronic infections may be lifelong; immunosuppressive therapy, particularly with glucocorticoids, may lead to serious or fatal disseminated disease, which is preventable. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients tested for Strongyloides immunoglobulin G antibody in an academic medical center in Honolulu, Hawaii, from 2005 to 2012. Of the 475 patients tested, 78 (16%) were seropositive. The largest proportion of seropositive cases was found among Micronesians (30%), Polynesians (26%), Filipinos (13%), and Southeast Asians (11%). Among the seropositive patients, the most likely reason for clinicians to order testing was blood eosinophilia. Stool parasite examination results were available for 58% of seropositive patients of which 11% were positive for Strongyloides stercoralis larvae. Antihelminthic therapy, usually ivermectin, was ordered for 71% of patients. After treatment, blood eosinophilia and Strongyloides serology results were reassessed for 76% and 35% of patients, respectively; both tests tended to show improvement. Travelers and immigrants from Strongyloides-endemic areas, including Micronesia and Polynesia, should have serodiagnostic testing for latent strongyloidiasis, and if positive, treated empirically with ivermectin, particularly when corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive therapies are anticipated.
Homogenizing and estimating the uncertainty in NOAA's long-term vertical ozone profile records measured with the electrochemical concentration cell ozonesonde
Authors: Sterling Chance W. , Johnson Bryan J. , Oltmans Samuel J. , Smit Herman G. J. , Jordan Allen F. , Cullis Patrick D. , Hall Emrys G. , Thompson Anne M. , Witte Jacquelyn C.
Published: June 2018

Abstract. NOAA's program of long-term monitoring of the vertical distribution of ozone
with electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesondes has undergone a
number of changes over the 50-year record. In order to produce a homogenous
data set, these changes must be documented and, where necessary, appropriate
corrections applied. This is the first comprehensive and consistent
reprocessing of NOAA's ozonesonde data records that corrects for these
changes using the rawest form of the data (cell current and pump temperature)
in native resolution as well as a point-by-point uncertainty calculation that
is unique to each sounding. The reprocessing is carried out uniformly at all
eight ozonesonde sites in NOAA's network with differences in sensing solution
and ozonesonde types accounted for in the same way at all sites. The
corrections used to homogenize the NOAA ozonesonde data records greatly
improve the ozonesonde measurements with an average one sigma uncertainty of
±4–6 % in the stratosphere and ±5–20 % in the troposphere.
A comparison of the integrated column ozone from the ozonesonde profile with
co-located Dobson spectrophotometers total column ozone measurements shows
agreement within ±5 % for > 70 % of the profiles. Very
good agreement is also found in the stratosphere between ozonesonde profiles
and profiles retrieved from the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) instruments.
Comparisons of bispectral and polarimetric retrievals of marine boundary layer cloud microphysics: case studies using a LES–satellite retrieval simulator
Authors: Miller Daniel J. , Zhang Zhibo , Platnick Steven , Ackerman Andrew S. , Werner Frank , Cornet Celine , Knobelspiesse Kirk
Published: June 2018

Abstract. Many passive remote-sensing techniques have been
developed to retrieve cloud microphysical properties from satellite-based
sensors, with the most common approaches being the bispectral and
polarimetric techniques. These two vastly different retrieval techniques
have been implemented for a variety of polar-orbiting and geostationary
satellite platforms, providing global climatological data sets. Prior
instrument comparison studies have shown that there are systematic
differences between the droplet size retrieval products (effective radius)
of bispectral (e.g., MODIS, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)
and polarimetric (e.g., POLDER, Polarization and Directionality of Earth's
Reflectances) instruments. However, intercomparisons of airborne bispectral
and polarimetric instruments have yielded results that do not appear to be
systematically biased relative to one another. Diagnosing this discrepancy
is complicated, because it is often difficult for instrument intercomparison
studies to isolate differences between retrieval technique sensitivities and
specific instrumental differences such as calibration and atmospheric
correction. In addition to these technical differences the polarimetric
retrieval is also sensitive to the dispersion of the droplet size
distribution (effective variance), which could influence the interpretation
of the droplet size retrieval. To avoid these instrument-dependent
complications, this study makes use of a cloud remote-sensing retrieval
simulator. Created by coupling a large-eddy simulation (LES) cloud model
with a 1-D radiative transfer model, the simulator serves as a test bed for
understanding differences between bispectral and polarimetric retrievals.
With the help of this simulator we can not only compare the two techniques
to one another (retrieval intercomparison) but also validate retrievals
directly against the LES cloud properties. Using the satellite retrieval
simulator, we are able to verify that at high spatial resolution (50 m) the
bispectral and polarimetric retrievals are highly correlated with one
another within expected observational uncertainties. The relatively small
systematic biases at high spatial resolution can be attributed to different
sensitivity limitations of the two retrievals. In contrast, a systematic
difference between the two retrievals emerges at coarser resolution. This
bias largely stems from differences related to sensitivity of the two
retrievals to unresolved inhomogeneities in effective variance and optical
thickness. The influence of coarse angular resolution is found to increase
uncertainty in the polarimetric retrieval but generally maintains a
constant mean value.
An 83 000 year old ice core from Roosevelt Island, Ross Sea,
Antarctica
Authors: Lee James E. , Brook Edward J. , Bertler Nancy A. N. , Buizert Christo , Baisden Troy , Blunier Thomas , Ciobanu V. Gabriela , Conway Howard , Dahl-Jensen Dorthe , Fudge Tyler J. , Hindmarsh Richard , Keller Elizabeth D. , Parrenin Frédéric , Severinghaus Jeffrey P. , Vallelonga Paul , Waddington Edwin D. , Winstrup Mai
Published: June 2018

Abstract. In 2013, an ice core was recovered from Roosevelt Island in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, as part of the Roosevelt Island Climate Evolution (RICE) project. Roosevelt Island is located between two submarine troughs carved by paleo-ice-streams. The RICE ice core provides new important information about the past configuration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and its retreat during the most recent deglaciation. In this work, we present the RICE17 chronology and discuss preliminary observations from the new records of methane, the isotopic composition of atmospheric molecular oxygen (δ18O-Oatm), the isotopic composition of atmospheric molecular nitrogen (δ15N-N2) and total air content (TAC). RICE17 is a composite chronology combining annual layer interpretations, gas synchronization, and firn modeling strategies in different sections of the core. An automated matching algorithm is developed for synchronizing the high-resolution section of the RICE gas records (60–720 m, 1971 CE to 30 ka) to corresponding records from the WAIS Divide ice core, while deeper sections are manually matched. Ice age for the top 343 m (2635 yr BP, before 1950 C.E.) is derived from annual layer interpretations and described in the accompanying paper by Winstrup et al. (2017). For deeper sections, the RICE17 ice age scale is based on the gas age constraints and the ice age-gas age offset estimated by a firn densification model. Novel aspects of this work include: 1) stratigraphic matching of centennial-scale variations in methane for pre-anthropogenic time periods, a strategy which will be applicable for developing precise chronologies for future ice cores, 2) the observation of centennial-scale variability in methane throughout the Holocene which suggests that similar variations during the late preindustrial period need not be anthropogenic, and 3) the observation of continuous climate records dating back to ∼ 65 ka which provide evidence that the Roosevelt Island Ice Dome was a constant feature throughout the last glacial period.
Arctic Climate: Changes in Sea Ice Extent Outweigh Changes in
Snow Cover
Authors: Letterly Aaron , Key Jeffrey , Liu Yinghui
Published: June 2018

Abstract. Recent declines in Arctic sea ice and snow extent have led to an increase in the absorption of solar energy at the surface, resulting in additional surface heating and a further decline in snow and ice. Using 34 years of satellite data, 1982–2015, we found that the trend of solar absorption over the Arctic Ocean is more than double that over Arctic land, and the magnitude of the ice-albedo feedback is four times that of the snow-albedo feedback in summer. The time of the high-to-low albedo transition each year is moving toward the high sun of the summer solstice over ocean but moving away from the summer solstice over land. Therefore, decreasing sea ice cover, not changes in terrestrial snow cover, have been the dominant radiative feedback mechanism over the last few decades and may play an even bigger role in future Arctic climate change.
Branding in B2B Marketing
Authors: Akbari Monireh , Hakimpour Hossein
Published: June 2018

As far as marketing is concerned, brands have received much attention and become a key player in modern society. In fact, they are everywhere and they have penetrated all spheres of our life including economic, social, cultural, sporting, even religious aspects of our life.In spite of their pervasiveness and widespread use, brands have been also the subject of growing criticism (Klein, 1999). Brands are intangible assets that produce added benefits for the business. This issue pertains to the domain of strategic brand management whose focal concern is how to create value with proper brand management. Branding is crucial in B2B marketing and has attracted much attention. Business sectors have to differentiate themselves from the competitors, not only on the basis of their product but also on the basis of aspects such as management competencies, technologies, services and infrastructure.Industrial product marketers, whether large or small, should formulate their branding strategies effectively so that they can compete with the global competitors. The purpose of the current paper is to briefly discuss branding process. Moreover, it also examines the issues involved in the branding of B2B organizations. Finally, the paper concludes by introducing the strategies for business branding in the contemporary global environment. Paper is based on secondary information sources, ranging from print to electronic media.
Confronting “Disunity”: Indigenous Religions as Critics of Politics in Africa
Authors: Debele Serawit Bekele
Published: June 2018

In this article, I present visions of political unity as imagined by Faith of Unity from Uganda and the Waqqeeffana Followers Association from Ethiopia. I describe how politics is mobilized through notions of disunity and unity. The organizations' critique of politics is articulated using the vocabulary of religion, which is central to political dis/unity. Drawing on ethnographic data generated from Ethiopia and Uganda, I show that indigenous religions are, in their own right, spaces for the production of political thought attuned to the time and context of their existence. Their engagement expands the domains of the “political” from its usual confines—for instance, civil society associations, parties, NGOs, and states. Paying attention to such spaces uncovers more sites in which political subjectivities are formed, shaped, and reshaped.
Nationhood and Resistance: New World A-Coming and the (Re)making of Race, Religion, and Nation in African American History
Authors: Wenger Tisa
Published: June 2018

This essay compares Weisenfeld's “religio-racial” movements to contemporaneous Jewish nationalist and Zionist movements, suggesting that the axis of nation is just as important as race and religion for understanding their various efforts to reconfigure communal identities and to position themselves in relation to global systems of race and empire.
Delivering Patient Data to Patients Themselves
Authors: Ancker Jessica S.
Published: June 2018

Physicians need nearly a decade of training to understand complex patient data
such as laboratory tests and genomic data. How can these data possibly be delivered to
patients in ways that they can understand and use?
Mentoring and First-Year Teacher Supports: How Do Music Educators Measure Up?
Authors: Gallo Donna J.
Published: June 2018

Professional development for early career educators was examined to determine potential differences in the quality of mentorship and school-provided supports for music and nonmusic disciplines. A nationally representative sample of early career educators (N = 6,134) drawn from the most current restricted-use Schools and Staffing Survey 2011–12 data was used to compare these engagements by discipline. Data were analyzed using ordinary least squares multiple regressions with state fixed effects to control for potential differences in educational polices. Results indicated that first-year music educators received significantly lower-quality mentorship and induction supports. Implications of this study include the need for school policy makers to strengthen the support provided to early career music educators such as offering partnerships with local music teacher mentors and music-specific induction programs.
An Examination of Music Student Teaching Practices Across Institutions Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music
Authors: Juchniewicz Jay
Published: June 2018

The purpose of the present study was to examine music student teaching practices from music education institutions accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music across the United States. One-hundred sixty (N = 160) respondents completed an online questionnaire that addressed: (a) What prerequisites do institutions require prior to beginning student teaching? (b) What similarities or differences exist regarding student teacher placements? (c) Who do institutions use as university supervisors? (d) To what extent are orientation meetings and seminars utilized during the internship? (e) What are the requirements for the successful completion of the student teaching experience? and (f) Upon successful completion of student teaching, program completion, and license requirements, what initial teaching licensure will students receive? Findings indicate more similarities than differences across institutions with respect to student teaching policies and procedures. Additionally, results appear to be consistent with nearly 5 decades of previous research examination on music student teaching practices.
“I Am the Greatest Boxer”: Articulating Group Identity through Chinese Folk Drama
Authors: Guodong Zhang , Green Thomas A.
Published: June 2018

Practitioners of the variant of Plum Blossom Boxing preserved in Zhuzhai village, Henan province, China, include in their repertoires, along with choreographed sequences designed to enhance martial prowess, a comic routine that parodies genuine fighting techniques while “combatants” exchange taunts and boasts. The article argues that this performance is a folk drama that symbolically recounts folk history, focuses group identity, and establishes prestige within the regional martial arts hierarchy.
Mobile and Temporary: Women and Workplace Precarity in Appalachian Kentucky
Authors: Hayes Lauren A.
Published: June 2018

Current attention to local economic development in Central Appalachia frequently centers on integrating rural entrepreneurs into a global market. Less consideration has been given, however, to the rising challenges of a rapidly changing waged workplace that is increasingly characterized by temporary employment, expectations of geographic mobility, and decreasing worker protections. Such issues are often exacerbated by continued efforts to attract low-wage and precarious industries to the region. This article draws on ethnographic research with women in service and manufacturing sectors in Kentucky to examine the gendered effects of such work precarity. Taking the edges of Appalachia as its geographic focus—an area between urban centers and rural towns where much of the region’s population finds work—this article explores how women navigate a rapidly changing employment market.
Perceptions of Appalachian English in Kentucky
Authors: Cramer Jennifer
Published: June 2018

This paper examines how non-Appalachians in Kentucky position the varieties of English spoken in Appalachia. In examining the language attitudes held by Louisvillians, I highlight the extent to which stereotypes associated with Appalachia (i.e., ignorance, lack of education) are widely held and explore how urban Kentuckians distinguish themselves from Appalachians. The study utilizes the tools of perceptual dialectology to explore how non-Appalachians distance themselves from what they perceive to be incorrect, nonstandard ways of speaking. The analysis includes an examination of individual and composite maps, a qualitative discussion of the labels employed for the Appalachian region, and a quantitative analysis of language attitudes about Appalachian Englishes held by non-Appalachians in terms of social characteristics like correctness, pleasantness, and beauty. This paper shows that despite positive transformations in the region, negative stereotypes about Appalachian speech are, unfortunately, alive and well.
Oral Health Interventions in Appalachian States
Authors: Boydstun Jamie , Cossman Jeralynn S. , Krause Denise
Published: June 2018

The purpose of this study was to identify common themes among interventions that seek to improve oral health in Appalachia. We interviewed oral health stakeholders in each of the thirteen states in Appalachia, obtaining information on 134 oral health interventions. Using a content analysis approach, we identified eight themes from the stakeholder-provided descriptions of these interventions: access to care, adult services, education and outreach, Medicaid initiatives, preventive services, tobacco initiatives, water fluoridation, and workforce. Results indicated that interventions designed to increase access to care, preventive services, and oral health education were discussed most frequently by stakeholders and illustrate a variety of practices to improve oral health in Appalachian states. Our research highlights the complexity of reducing oral health disparities and the resourcefulness of existing interventions for reducing oral health disparities in Appalachia.
Dislocation and Nostalgia: Jazz and Classical Music in Hollywood Postwar Readjustment Films, 1946–1949
Authors: Slowik Michael
Published: June 2018

This essay examines how Hollywood from 1946 to 1949 used the contrasting styles of jazz and classical music—often via foregrounded onscreen musical performances—as a key means for articulating both the nation’s postwar adjustment difficulties and the possibility of moving forward after the war.
Blurred Lines: The Use of Diegetic and Nondiegetic Sound in Atonement (2007)
Authors: Watts Catrin
Published: June 2018

This paper will focus on Atonement and how the sound world is so inexplicably linked to our interpretation of events. In particular, I will investigate how the typewriter acts as a pivot between diegetic sound and nondiegetic music. What becomes clear in Atonement is that the typewriter sound is indicative of an imagination running wild. It is initially connected to Briony in the opening scene, but it is also used when Robbie types his explicit letter to Cecilia, Briony’s older sister. To aid his writing, Robbie puts Puccini’s “O Soave Fanciulla” on the record player, but as he pours his desire onto the page, the sound of the typewriter and the record blur the lines between diegetic and nondiegetic sound, thereby calling into question what Robbie can and cannot hear. This is not the only occurrence of this technique, and just as the typewriter acts to blur the lines between diegetic sound and nondiegetic music, so too does the film blur the lines between reality and fiction.
A Characterization and Recurrence Relations of Moments of the Size-Biased Power Function Distribution by Lower Record Values
Authors: Bashir Shakila , Rasul Mujahid
Published: June 2018

A variety of research papers have been published on record values from various continuous distributions. This paper investigated lower record values from the size-biased power function distribution (LR-SPFD). Some basic properties including moments, skewness, kurtosis, Shannon entropy, cumulative distribution function, survival function and hazard function of the lower record values from SPFD have been discussed. The joint probability density function (pdf) of $n^{th}$ and $m^{th}$ lower record values from SPFD is developed. Recurrence relations of the single and product moments of the LR-SPFD have been derived. A characterization of the lower record values from SPFD is also developed.
Reading Rahner’s Evolutionary Christology with Bonaventure
Authors: Rubbelke Michael ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: June 2018

In his evolutionary Christology, Karl Rahner shares some surprising affinities with Bonaventure. Both envision human beings as microcosmic, that is, as uniquely representative of the whole of creation. Both describe creation Christocentrically, oriented in its design and goal toward the Incarnate Word. Both understand humans as radically responsible for the non-human world. These similarities point to a more foundational congruence in their Trinitarian theologies. Rahner and Bonaventure connect the Father’s personal character as fontal source of Son and Spirit to God’s unoriginated and free relation to creation. If the Word expresses the Father fully, creation expresses God in a real but incomplete way. This grounds a series of analogous relationships between created spirit and matter, human freedom and nature, as well as grace and human nature. From this perspective, Rahner’s evolutionary Christology can be seen as ecologically significant, appreciatively critical of evolution, and ultimately rooted in the Trinity.
Prostitution and the Good of Sex
Authors: Settegast Sascha ,   Department of Philosophy, Florida State University
Published: June 2018

On some accounts, prostitution is just another form of casual sex and as such not particularly harmful in itself, if regulated properly. I claim that, although casual sex in general is not inherently harmful, prostitution in fact is. To show this, I defend an account of sex as joint action characteristically aimed at sexual enjoyment, here understood as a tangible experience of community among partners, and argue that prostitution fails to achieve this good by incentivizing partners to mistreat each other. To substantiate this claim, I explore ways in which prostitution fails on the virtues of temperance, respect, and sincerity.
Les motivations d’achat et les leviers pour redynamiser l’offre des marques de distributeurs cœur de gamme
Authors: Belaid Samy , Lacœuilhe Jérôme
Published: June 2018

L’érosion de la part de marché des marques de distributeurs (MDD dites cœur de gamme, englobant marques d’enseigne, marques drapeau et certaines marques propres) conduit à s’interroger sur les raisons de leurs moindres performances. Une étude de la littérature et des arguments avancés par les praticiens pour expliquer la baisse de performances de ces trois types de MDD permet d’identifier les déterminants de l’attitude à leur égard, et ce faisant, de fournir aux détaillants autant de leviers d’actions pour repenser et redynamiser leur offre de MDD cœur de gamme.
Competências docentes mapeadas em publicações do Brasil, da Espanha e Suécia na transição do século XX para o XXI
Authors: Zwierewicz Marlene , Moraes Cruz Roberto , Garrote Ramon
Published: June 2018

Na década de 1970, passaram a ser requisitados dos trabalhadores novos domínios teóricos, técnicos e relacionais, fazendo emergir o paradigma das competências, que se inseriu no mundo laboral, delimitando um campo difuso e aberto a novas descobertas relativas ao seu conceito, a sua constituição e aplicabilidade. Constitui-se como objetivo desta pesquisa classificar as competências profissionais por meio da análise de publicações realizadas no Brasil, na Espanha e Suécia, na transição do século XX para o século XXI, distinguindo, a partir de dimensões identificadas, as competências transversais atribuídas aos trabalhadores de forma geral daquelas vinculadas especificamente aos docentes. Tendo como suporte as pesquisas bibliográfica e documental e a abordagem qualitativa, os dados foram coletados mediante a análise de autores de referência, de documentos de órgãos governamentais e de entidades dos três países. Os resultados indicam que as competências transversais destacadas são vinculadas a dez dimensões e que, na definição das competências específicas da docência, existe a necessidade de incluir a dimensão conceitual, em função de o docente ter, entre suas exigências profissionais, a compreensão de diferentes perspectivas pedagógicas e sua repercussão nos processos de ensino e aprendizagem.
Comunidade de prática online à luz do pensamento complexo: uma experiência no SESC São Paulo
Authors: Pesce Lucila , Oliveira Werley Carlos de , Di Grado Hessel Ana Maria
Published: June 2018

Este artigo aborda as interações vivenciadas por alunos em uma comunidade de prática online criada para dar sustentação a um curso no formato e-Learning, para funcionários da área de logística do Serviço Social do Comércio do Estado de São Paulo (Sesc SP). Trata-se de um estudo de caso etnográfico, cujo objetivo foi investigar o papel do fórum de discussões online tendo como fio condutor reflexões oriundas da teoria da  complexidade, por meio de conceitos como autopoiese, auto-eco-organização e circularidade, usados como fundamentos explicativos dos aspectos observados. Os resultados mostram a utilização da educação online como meio de criar redes que podem contribuir para o fortalecimento de uma cidadania planetária, uma vez que explora uma proposta pedagógica ativa, dialógica e interativa, capaz de fomentar malhas solidárias de cooperação e a promoção de ambientes polissêmicos, que são favorecidos pelas reflexões advindas de problemas emergentes e suas possíveis soluções que podem ser instigadas por meio do protagonismo na formação.
A dinâmica não linear da educação a distância: um olhar a partir da complexidade
Authors: Martinazzo Celso José
Published: June 2018

Neste texto temos como objetivo identificar e analisar possíveis pontos de convergência entre o processo de Educação a Distância e o princípio da não linearidade da teoria da complexidade. Busca-se compreender a Educação a Distância (EaD) a partir de um olhar do pensamento complexo, sobretudo tendo o princípio da não linearidade como uma das categorias de análise. O princípio da complexidade permite tecer considerações muito férteis sobre o processo de educação e do ensino a distância. Os cursos de EaD são organizados e ministrados com base em Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs) que, embora se caracterizem por movimentos lineares, permitem ações e criações complexas não lineares. O texto foi elaborado com base na metodologia de pesquisa descritiva e interpretativa, com apoio em referências bibliográficas e eletrônicas, tendo como fonte os autores que abordam e analisam essa temática.
Conselhos municipais de educação: participação, qualidade e gestão democrática como objeto de recorrência
Authors: Gomes Lima Paulo , Vasques Rodrigues Almenara Gilsemara , Marthendal Oliveira Santos Jociane
Published: June 2018

A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo discutir o papel dos Conselhos Municipais de Educação quanto à autonomia, à participação, à qualidade e à construção da consciência coletiva no processo de gestão democrática. A metodologia utilizada, de cunho qualitativo, recorre de forma compreensiva às interlocuções com o objeto. Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória, por meio de revisão de literatura especializada. Nesse trabalho autores como Cury (2002; 2004; 2006), Bordignon (2009; 2010), Lima (2013), Gohn (2002; 2006; 2007) e Vasconcelos (2003) dentre outros, apresentam uma discussão aprofundada acerca dos Conselhos Municipais de Educação sobre a força, a mobilização social e a participação como eixos transversais necessários às mudanças sociais. A pesquisa explicita que os canais de legitimação instituídos são pontos de partida para a dimensão mais ampla e necessária do instituinte, ou seja, do papel efetivo dos conselheiros e sociedade em constante recorrência para o estabelecimento de suas expectativas quanto a educação desejada, as transformações necessárias, a constituição de políticas democratizadoras e a abertura ao diálogo.
Critical Perspectives on Perceptions and Practices of Diversity in Education
Authors: Burner Tony , Nodeland Tuva Skjelbred , Aamaas Åsmund
Published: June 2018

The term diversity has been a topic of discussion in educational research and has received increased attention in recent years. Often, the focus has been on the use of the term at policy level. In this article, teacher educators’ and school teachers’ perceptions of diversity in education and self-perceived practices of work with diversity are explored. Five teacher educators and 87 school teachers participated in the study. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data. The findings indicate that teacher educators and school teachers discuss and reflect on diversity at different levels of operationalization, that they rarely associate socioeconomic and structural issues with the topic of diversity, and that they hardly mention national minorities and the Norwegian indigenous people as part of their understanding and work with diversity. This study suggests stable and long-term arenas for discussion and reflection for both teacher educators and school teachers. Further, the need for a more critical perspective on diversity in education, and an emphasis on learning from historical experiences with education and minorities is needed.
Association of Crohn’s disease-related chromosome 1q32 with ankylosing spondylitis is independent of bowel symptoms and faecal calprotectin
Authors: Roberts Rebecca L. , Wallace Mary C. , Harrison Andrew A. , White Douglas , Dalbeth Nicola , Stamp Lisa K. , Ching Daniel , Highton John , Merriman Tony R. , Robinson Philip C. , Brown Matthew A. , Stebbings Simon M.
Published: June 2018

Background

Genome-wide association studies have identified a plethora of risk genes for both Crohn’s disease (CD) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). A subset of genes found to be risk factors for CD have also been found to be risk factors for AS. The objective of our study was to assess whether CD risk genes were associated with non-invasive clinical markers of gut inflammation in patients with AS, indicating a potential subset of patients with clinical as well as genetic overlap.

Methods

A total of 308 Caucasian patients who fulfilled the modified New York Criteria for AS, were assessed for bowel symptoms using the Dudley Inflammatory Bowel Symptom Questionnaire (DISQ). Of these patients, 157 also had faecal calprotectin measured. All AS patients and 568 healthy controls were genotyped for 10 CD risk loci using predesigned single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping assays. Chi-square analysis was used to test for association between genotype and DISQ score and faecal calprotectin level.

Results

The minor allele of two SNPs, one in chromosome region 1q32 SNP (rs11584383), and one in the gene coding for IL23R (rs11209026) conferred protection against AS. Only the association of 1q32 remained significant after Bonferroni correction for multiple testing. Stratification by DISQ score and faecal calprotectin did not influence the association of 1q32 with AS.

Conclusion

In patients with AS, the association of the CD 1q32 SNP was independent of non-invasive markers of bowel inflammation. Other CD related SNPs were not found have a significant association with AS.
Huperzine A attenuates nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by regulating hepatocyte senescence and apoptosis: an in vitro study
Authors: Hu Xiao-na , Wang Jiao-feng , Huang Yi-qin , Wang Zheng , Dong Fang-yuan , Ma Hai-fen , Bao Zhi-jun
Published: June 2018

Objective

This study was undertaken to detect if free fatty acids (FFA) induce hepatocyte senescence in L-02 cells and if huperzine A has an anti-aging effect in fatty liver cells.

Methods

L-02 cells were treated with a FFA mixture (oleate/palmitate, at 3:0, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2 and 0:3 ratios) at different concentrations. Cell viability and fat accumulation rate were assessed by a Cell Counting Kit 8 and Nile Red staining, respectively. The mixture with the highest cell viability and fat accumulation rate was selected to continue with the following experiment. The L-02 cells were divided into five groups, including the control group, FFA group, FFA + 0.1 μmol/L huperzine A (LH) group, FFA + 1.0 μmol/L huperzine A (MH) group and FFA + 10 μmol/L huperzine A (HH) group, and were cultured for 24 h. The expression of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) was detected by an SA-β-gal staining kit. The expression levels of aging genes were measured by qRT-PCR. The expression levels of apoptosis proteins were detected by a Western blot. ELISA kits were used to detect inflammatory factors and oxidative stress products. The expression of nuclear factor (NF-κB) and IκBα were detected by immunofluorescence.

Results

The FFA mixture (oleate/palmitate, at a 2:1 ratio) of 0.5 mmol/L had the highest cell viability and fat accumulation rate, which was preferable for establishing an in vitro fatty liver model. The expression of inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-6) and oxidants Malonaldehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) also increased in the L-02 fatty liver cells. The expression levels of aging markers and aging genes, such as SA-β-gal, p16, p21, p53 and pRb, increased more in the L-02 fatty liver cells than in the L-02 cells. The total levels of the apoptosis-associated proteins Bcl2, Bax, Bax/Bcl-2, CyCt and cleaved caspase 9 were also upregulated in the L-02 fatty liver cells. All of the above genes and proteins were downregulated in the huperzine A and FFA co-treatment group. In the L-02 fatty liver cells, the expression of IκBα decreased, while the expression of NF-κB increased. After the huperzine A and FFA co-treatment, the expression of IκBα increased, while the expression of NF-κB decreased.

Conclusion

Fatty liver cells showed an obvious senescence and apoptosis phenomenon. Huperzine A suppressed hepatocyte senescence, and it might exert its anti-aging effect via the NF-κB pathway.
Dynamics of loops at the substrate entry channel determine the specificity of iridoid synthases
Authors: Sandholu Anand S. , Mohole Madhura , Duax William L. , Thulasiram Hirekodathakallu V. , Sengupta Durba , Kulkarni Kiran
Published: June 2018

Iridoid synthases belong to the family of short‐chain dehydrogenase/reductase involved in the biosynthesis of iridoids. Despite having high sequence and structural homology with progesterone 5β‐reductase, these enzymes exhibit differential substrate specificities. Previously, two loops, L1 and L2 at substrate‐binding pocket, were suggested to be involved in generating substrate specificity. However, the structural basis of specificity determinants was elusive. Here, combining sequence and structural analysis, site‐directed mutagenesis, and molecular dynamics simulations, we have shown that iridoid synthase contains two channels for substrate entry whose geometries are altered by L1‐L2 dynamics, primarily orchestrated by interactions of residues Glu161 and Gly162 of L1 and Asn358 of L2. A complex interplay of these interactions confer the substrate specificity to the enzyme.
Enhancement of n‐Type Organic Field‐Effect Transistor Performances through Surface Doping with Aminosilanes
Authors: Shin Nara , Zessin Jakob , Lee Min Ho , Hambsch Mike , Mannsfeld Stefan C. B.
Published: June 2018

Dopants, i.e., electronically active impurities, are added to organic semiconductor materials to control the material's Fermi level and conductivity, to improve injection at the device contacts, or to fill trap states in the active device layers and interfaces. In contrast to bulk doping as achieved by blending or co‐deposition of dopant and semiconductor, surface doping has a lower propensity to introduce additional traps or scattering centers or to even alter the layer morphology relative to the undoped active material layers. In this study, the electrical effects of a very simple, post‐device‐fabrication surface doping process involving various amine group–containing alkoxysilanes on the performance of organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) made from the well‐known n‐type materials PTCDI‐C8 and N2200 are researched. It is demonstrated that OFETs doped in such a way generally show enhanced characteristics (up to 10 times mobility increase and a significant reduction in threshold voltage) without any adverse effects on the devices' on/off ratio. It is also shown that the efficiency of the doping process is linked to the number of amine groups.
Capacitively Coupled Hybrid Ion Gel and Carbon Nanotube Thin‐Film Transistors for Low Voltage Flexible Logic Circuits
Authors: Choi Yongsuk , Kang Joohoon , Secor Ethan B. , Sun Jia , Kim Hyoungjun , Lim Jung Ah , Kang Moon Sung , Hersam Mark C. , Cho Jeong Ho
Published: June 2018

The lamination of a high‐capacitance ion gel dielectric layer onto semiconducting carbon nanotube (CNT) thin‐film transistors (TFTs) that are bottom‐gated with a low‐capacitance polymer dielectric layer drastically reduces the operating voltage of the devices resulting from the capacitive coupling effect between the two dielectric layers sandwiching the CNT channel. As the CNT channel has a network structure, only a compact area of ion gel is required to make the capacitive coupling effect viable, unlike the planar channels of previously reported transistors that required a substantially larger area of ion gel dielectric layer to induce the coupling effect. The capacitively coupled CNT TFTs possess superlative electrical characteristics such as high carrier mobilities (42.0 cm2 (Vs)−1 for holes and 59.1 cm2 (Vs)−1 for electrons), steep subthreshold swings (160 mV dec−1 for holes and 100 mV dec−1 for electrons), and low gate leakage currents (<1 nA). These devices can be further integrated to form complex logic circuits on flexible substrates with high mechanical resilience. The layered geometry of the device coupled with scalable solution‐based fabrication has significant potential for large‐scale flexible electronics.