bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determination of Fabric Surface Resistance by Van Der Pauw Method in Case of Contacts Distant from the Sample Edge
Authors: Tokarska Magdalena
Published: March 2014

The van der Pauw method can be used to determine the electroconductive properties of textile materials. However, the sample surface resistance can be determined provided that the sample has characteristics typical for the van der Pauw structure. In the paper, a method of evaluating the sample structure is shown. The selected electroconductive woven fabrics are used as an example of van der Pauw structure. An analysis of impact of electrodes placement on the resistance measurements was conducted. Knowing how the resistance of the sample varies with the electrodes distance from the edge, the samples’ surface resistances were calculated in cases when the electrodes are placed at the sample edge. An uncertainty analysis of the samples’ surface resistances was conducted based on the Monte Carlo method.
Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change of 3-Dimensional Scapular Orientation in Individuals With and Without Shoulder Impingement
Authors: Haik Melina N. , Alburquerque-Sendín Francisco , Camargo Paula R.
Published: March 2014

Study Design

Clinical measurement.

Objective

To establish trial-to-trial within-day and between-day reliability, standard error of measurement, and minimal detectable change of scapular orientation during elevation and lowering of the arm, and with the arm relaxed at the side, in individuals with and without shoulder impingement.

Background

Electromagnetic devices are commonly used to measure 3-D scapular kinematics during arm elevation in different conditions and for intervention studies. However, there is a lack of studies that evaluate within- and between-day reliability of these measurements.

Methods

The subjects were allocated to either a control group or an impingement group. Kinematic data were collected using the Flock of Birds electromagnetic device during elevation and lowering of the arm in the sagittal plane on 2 different occasions, separated by 3 to 5 days. Forty-nine subjects were tested for within-day reliability. Forty-three subjects were reassessed for between-day reliability.

Results

Intraclass correlation coefficients for within- and between-day assessment of scapular orientation during elevation and lowering of the arm in both groups ranged from 0.92 to 0.99 and from 0.54 to 0.88, respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficients for assessment of scapular orientation with the arms relaxed at the side in both groups ranged from 0.66 to 0.95. The standard error of measurement for between-day measurements ranged from 3.37° to 7.44° for both groups. The minimal detectable change for between-day measurements increased from 7.81° at the lower to 17.27° at the higher humerothoracic elevation angles.

Conclusion

These results support the use of Flock of Birds to measure scapular orientations in subjects with and without impingement symptoms. The measurements showed excellent within-day reliability but were not highly reliable over time. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2014;44(5):341–349. Epub 27 March 2014. doi:10.2519/jospt.2014.4705
Mass Spectrometry Research at the Laboratory for Organic Chemistry, ETH Zurich
Authors: Barylyuk Konstantin , Frankevich Vladimir , Ibáñez Alfredo J. , Sinues Pablo Martinez-Lozano , Zenobi Renato
Published: March 2014

This contribution covers the most important activities of the Zenobi research group at the Organic Chemistry Laboratory, ETH Zurich. We work in a number of interrelated areas that encompass fundamental/mechanistic research, instrument and methods development, and applications. This
is illustrated with examples from the mass spectrometric study of noncovalent interactions, using both native ESI and MALDI for ionization, the investigation of the gas-phase conformation of ionized bio-macromolecules, the use of ambient mass spectrometry for rapid, on-line analyses of, for
example, exhaled breath, and the use of MALDI and microarray technologies for studying metabolites with extreme sensitivity, sufficient to probe the metabolites from single cells.
Mass Spectrometry in Earth Sciences: The Precise and Accurate Measurement of Time
Authors: Schaltegger Urs , Wotzlaw Jörn-Frederik , Ovtcharova Maria , Chiaradia Massimo , Spikings Richard
Published: March 2014

Precise determinations of the isotopic compositions of a variety of elements is a widely applied tool in Earth sciences. Isotope ratios are used to quantify rates of geological processes that occurred during the previous 4.5 billion years, and also at the present time. An outstanding
application is geochronology, which utilizes the production of radiogenic daughter isotopes by the radioactive decay of parent isotopes. Geochronological tools, involving isotopic analysis of selected elements from smallest volumes of minerals by thermal ionization mass spectrometry, provide
precise and accurate measurements of time throughout the geological history of our planet over nine orders of magnitude, from the accretion of the proto-planetary disk, to the timing of the last glaciation. This article summarizes the recent efforts of the Isotope Geochemistry, Geochronology
and Thermochronology research group at the University of Geneva to advance the U-Pb geochronological tool to achieve unprecedented precision and accuracy, and presents two examples of its application to two significant open questions in Earth sciences: what are the triggers and timescales
of volcanic supereruptions, and what were the causes of mass extinctions in the geological past, driven by global climatic and environmental deterioration?
Vitamin E and Vitamin E Acetate Absorption from Self-assembly Systems under Pancreas Insufficiency Conditions
Authors: Nagy Kornél , Holst Birgit , Santos Javier , Kussmann Martin , Sagalowicz Laurent , Acquistapace Simone , Moulin Julie , Beaumont Maurice , Malagelada Juan Ramón , Azpiroz Fernando , Puig-Divi Valentí , Ramos Laura , Braga-Lagache Sophie , Courtet-Compondu Marie-Claude , Lobo Beatriz , Williamson Gary
Published: March 2014

We determined the bioavailability of vitamin E from self-assembly structures in patients with diagnosed chronic pancreas insufficiency. Vitamin E solubilized in dispersed inverted bicontinuous cubic phase and in micellar formulation was delivered directly to the small intestine by tube-feeding.
A cross-over study with randomization of 6 subjects and 2 treatments including a combined dose of 18 mg (27 IU) of vitamin E (RRR-[5,7-methyl-(2H6)]-?-tocopherol) and 27 mg (27 IU) vitamin E acetate (RRR-[5-methyl-2H3]-?-tocopheryl
acetate) was applied over a time period of 1 h. Plasma samples were collected for 56 h and analyzed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Appearance of labeled tocopherols originating from the treatment started at 25 h and reached Cmax (0.6–4.6 ?M depending
on subject) in the 7–9 h window. From the Tmax onwards, both forms of tocopherols diminished slowly to 30–50% of their maxima within 56 h. Strong inter-individual variation was observed in the plasma appearance curves (relative standard deviation varied between 38–45%).
No significant discrimination was found between the absorption of free or acetylated forms of deuterated ?-tocopherol confirming that application of acetylated ?-tocopherol provides the same bioavailability as free ?-tocopherol. This observation is valid in both dispersed
inverted bicontinuous cubic phase and micellar formulations. Furthermore, since the area-under-the-curve values from cubic phase and from micellar formulations are similar, the cubic phase formulation could represent an alternative delivery system for lipophilic micronutrients in conditions
or studies where polysorbate-based micelles cannot be generated.
Elucidation of Nucleic Acid–Drug Interactions by Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Hari Yvonne , Nyakas Adrien , Stucki Silvan R. , Schürch Stefan
Published: March 2014

In continuation of the long tradition of mass spectrometric research at the University of Bern, our group focuses on the characterization of nucleic acids as therapeutic agents and as drug targets. This article provides a short overview of our recent work on platinated single-stranded
and higher-order nucleic acids. Nearly three decades ago the development of soft ionization techniques opened a whole new chapter in the mass spectrometric analysis of not only nucleic acids themselves, but also their interactions with potential drug candidates. In contrast to modern next
generation sequencing approaches, though, the goal of the tandem mass spectrometric investigation of nucleic acids is by no means the complete sequencing of genetic DNA, but rather the characterization of short therapeutic and regulatory oligonucleotides and the elucidation of nucleic acid–drug
interactions. The influence of cisplatin binding on the gas-phase dissociation of nucleic acids was studied by the means of electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Experiments on native and modified DNA and RNA oligomers confirmed guanine base pairs as the preferred platination site
and laid the basis for the formulation of a gas-phase fragmentation mechanism of platinated oligonucleotides. The study was extended to double-stranded DNA and DNA quadruplexes. While duplexes are believed to be the main target of cisplatin in vivo, the recently discovered DNA quadruplexes
constitute another promising target for anti-tumor drugs owing to their regulatory functions in the cell cycle.
Azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in the environment of northern Italy, May 2011 to June 2012
Authors: Prigitano A , Venier V , Cogliati M , De Lorenzis G , Esposto M C , Tortorano A M
Published: March 2014

In recent years acquired azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus has been increasingly reported and a dominant mechanism of resistance (TR34/L98H) was found in clinical and environmental isolates. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of azole resistance in environmental A. fumigatus isolates collected in northern Italy. A. fumigatus grew from 29 of 47 soil samples analysed. Azole-resistant isolates were detected in 13% (6/47) of the soil samples and in 21% (6/29) of the soil samples containing A. fumigatus. High minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of itraconazole (≥16 mg/L) and posaconazole (≥0.5 mg/L) were displayed by nine isolates from six different soil samples, namely apple orchard (1 sample), rose pot compost (2 samples), and cucurbit yields (3 samples). Seven isolates had a MIC=2 mg/L of voriconazole. Seven of nine itraconazole and posaconazole resistant isolates harboured the same TR34/L98H mutation of cyp51A. These findings, together with the occurrence of resistant clinical isolates, suggest that azole resistance should be considered in primary patient care.
Mitigating the Dangers of a Single Story
Authors: Behizadeh Nadia
Published: March 2014

The dangers of a single story in current U.S. large-scale writing assessment are that assessment practice does not align with theory and this practice has negative effects on instruction and students. In this article, I analyze the connections or lack of connections among writing theory, writing assessment, and writing instruction, critique the construct and consequential validity of direct writing assessment and portfolio assessment, and reframe reliability as local consensus among experts. A new vision of large-scale sociocultural writing portfolios in K–12 education is offered that builds on the practices of past large-scale portfolio assessment but also encourages students to write in multiple languages/dialects and modes for multiple purposes. Another key feature of sociocultural portfolios is that students are encouraged to write for impact. These additional components will mitigate the dangers of a single story by ensuring that (a) assessment practice matches sociocultural writing theory, resulting in high construct validity, and (b) teachers are encouraged to utilize culturally sustaining pedagogy, resulting in high consequential validity.
Resolution of papilledema after endoscopic third ventriculostomy versus cerebrospinal fluid shunting in hydrocephalus: a comparative study
Authors: Koktekir Ender , Koktekir Bengu Ekinci , Karabagli Hakan , Gedik Sansal , Akdemir Gokhan
Published: March 2014

Object

In this study the authors compare the efficacy of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) versus CSF shunting for resolution of papilledema in hydrocephalus.

Methods

This comparative case series study recruited 12 patients (24 eyes) with hydrocephalus who underwent either an ETV (Group 1, 6 patients [12 eyes]) or CSF shunt treatment (Group 2, 6 patients [12 eyes]). A complete ophthalmological examination including retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) evaluation by optical coherence tomography was provided for all patients before surgery and in the 1st week, 1st month, and 3rd month postoperatively. The 2 groups were compared for quantitative changes in RNFL thickness and, thereby, resolution of papilledema. Statistical evaluation was performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test with the aid of SPSS version 16.0.

Results

The mean preoperative RNFL thickness was 259.7 ± 35.8 μm in Group 1 and 244.5 ± 53.4 μm in Group 2 (p = 0.798). The mean decrease in RNFL thickness was 101.3 ± 38.8 μm, 141.2 ± 34.6 μm, and 162.0 ± 35.9 μm in Group 1 versus 97.0 ± 44.6 μm, 143 ± 45.6 μm, and 130.0 ± 59.8 μm in Group 2 for the postoperative 1st week, 1st month, and 3rd month, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to decrease in RNFL thickness during the 1st week, 1st month, and 3rd month (p = 0.563, p = 0.753, and p = 0.528, respectively).

Conclusions

This is the first study to quantitatively evaluate papilledema in assessing the success of ETV and CSF shunting. The authors' results indicated that ETV is as effective as CSF shunting with respect to decreasing intracranial pressure and resolution of papilledema.
Surgical management of pediatric brainstem cavernous malformations
Authors: Li Da , Hao Shu-Yu , Tang Jie , Xiao Xin-Ru , Jia Gui-Jun , Wu Zhen , Zhang Li-Wei , Zhang Jun-Ting
Published: March 2014

Object

The goal of this study was to evaluate surgical outcomes of pediatric brainstem cavernous malformations (CMs) and identify the risk factors associated with postoperative full recovery and rebleeding.

Methods

The clinical charts and radiographs from a series of 52 pediatric patients (37 male and 15 female; mean age 12.2 years; range 1–17 years) who underwent surgery for brainstem CMs between 1996 and 2011 were reviewed. Follow-up evaluation measures were obtained retrospectively. Neurological function was evaluated using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score.

Results

The lesion locations among the 52 patients included the midbrain (n = 7, 13.5%), pons (n = 38, 73.1%), and medulla (n = 7, 13.5%). The mean duration of symptoms was 18.5 months, and the preoperative annual hemorrhage and rebleeding rates were 12.3% and 32.5% per patient-year, respectively. The mean lesion size was 2.1 cm. Gross-total resection without surgery-related death was achieved in 49 patients (94.2%). Immediate postoperative reduced neurological function was observed in 17 patients (32.7%). Surgical morbidities developed in 25 patients (48.1%) and remained in 11 patients (21.2%) after 7.9 years of follow-up. The mean mRS scores at admission, discharge after surgery, 3 and 6 months postsurgery, and recent evaluation were 2.0, 2.3, 2.0, 1.5, and 1.0, respectively. The postoperative mRS scores at 6 months (p < 0.001) and on recent evaluation (p < 0.001) were significantly lower than those at admission. Postoperative rebleeding occurred in 2 patients, and the postoperative annual rebleeding rate was 0.5% per patient-year. By the most recent evaluation, 10 patients (19.2%) had achieved full recovery and all patients were either improved (n = 32, 61.5%) or unchanged (n = 20, 38.5%). The adverse predictors for full recovery included age ≥ 12 years (HR 0.230, p = 0.021), ≥ 2 preoperative hemorrhages (HR 0.124, p = 0.048), and poor preoperative status (HR 0.197, p = 0.040). An HR < 1 predicted poor complete recoveries. The single risk factor predicting postoperative rebleeding was incomplete resection (χ2 = 4.340, p = 0.037).

Conclusions

Fair outcomes for pediatric brainstem CMs could be obtained through surgery, but only a few patients achieved full recovery. Thus, to minimize surgical morbidity, surgical planning must be tailored to individual patients in all cases in which an operation is warranted. Complete resection must be attempted to reduce the risk of postoperative rebleeding. The predictors associated with complete postoperative recovery were referential for determining treatment.
Hypertension in Obese Type 2 Diabetes Patients is Associated with Increases in Insulin Resistance and IL-6 Cytokine Levels: Potential Targets for an Efficient Preventive Intervention
Authors: Lukic Ljiljana , Lalic Nebojsa , Rajkovic Natasa , Jotic Aleksandra , Lalic Katarina , Milicic Tanja , Seferovic Jelena , Macesic Marija , Gajovic Jelena
Published: March 2014

Increased body weight as well as type 2 diabetes (T2D) are found to be associated with increased incidence of hypertension, although the mechanisms facilitating hypertension in T2D or nondiabetic individuals are not clear. Therefore, in this study we compared the levels of insulin resistance (IR:OGIS), plasma insulin (PI:RIA) levels, and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α: ELISA), being risk factors previously found to be associated with hypertension, in T2D patients showing increased body weight (obese and overweight, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) with hypertension (group A, N = 30), or without hypertension (group B, N = 30), and in nonobese (BMI < 25 kg/m2), normotensive controls (group C, N = 15). We found that OGIS index was the lowest (A: 267 ± 35.42 vs. B: 342.89 ± 32.0, p < 0.01) and PI levels were the highest (A: 31.05 ± 8.24 vs. B: 17.23 ± 3.23, p < 0.01) in group A. In addition, IL-6 levels were higher in group A (A: 15.46 ± 5.15 vs. B: 11.77 ± 6.09; p < 0.05) while there was no difference in TNF-α levels. Our results have shown that appearance of hypertension in T2D patients with increased body weight was dependent on further increase in IR which was associated with the rise in pro-inflammatory IL-6 cytokine. The results imply that lifestyle intervention aimed to decrease IR might be beneficial in reducing the risk for hypertension in those T2D individuals.
Effect of Wnt3a on Keratinocytes Utilizing in Vitro and Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Nam Ju-Suk , Chakraborty Chiranjib , Sharma Ashish , Her Young , Bae Kee-Jeong , Sharma Garima , Doss George , Lee Sang-Soo , Hong Myung-Sun , Song Dong-Keun
Published: March 2014

Wingless-type (Wnt) signaling proteins participate in various cell developmental processes. A suppressive role of Wnt5a on keratinocyte growth has already been observed. However, the role of other Wnt proteins in proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes remains unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of the Wnt ligand, Wnt3a, on proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes. Keratinocytes from normal human skin were cultured and treated with recombinant Wnt3a alone or in combination with the inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Furthermore, using bioinformatics, we analyzed the biochemical parameters, molecular evolution, and protein–protein interaction network for the Wnt family. Application of recombinant Wnt3a showed an anti-proliferative effect on keratinocytes in a dose-dependent manner. After treatment with TNFα, Wnt3a still demonstrated an anti-proliferative effect on human keratinocytes. Exogenous treatment of Wnt3a was unable to alter mRNA expression of differentiation markers of keratinocytes, whereas an altered expression was observed in TNFα-stimulated keratinocytes. In silico phylogenetic, biochemical, and protein–protein interaction analysis showed several close relationships among the family members of the Wnt family. Moreover, a close phylogenetic and biochemical similarity was observed between Wnt3a and Wnt5a. Finally, we proposed a hypothetical mechanism to illustrate how the Wnt3a protein may inhibit the process of proliferation in keratinocytes, which would be useful for future researchers.
Immobilization of Methyltrioxorhenium on Mesoporous Aluminosilicate Materials
Authors: Stekrova Martina , Zdenkova Radka , Vesely Martin , Vyskocilova Eliska , Cerveny Libor
Published: March 2014

The presented report focuses on an in-depth detailed characterization of immobilized methyltrioxorhenium (MTO), giving catalysts with a wide spectra of utilization. The range of mesoporous materials with different SiO2/Al2O3 ratios, namely mesoporous alumina (MA), aluminosilicates type Siral (with Al content 60%–90%) and MCM-41, were used as supports for immobilization of MTO. The tested support materials (aluminous/siliceous) exhibited high surface area, well-defined regular structure and narrow pore size distribution of mesopores, and therefore represent excellent supports for the active components. Some of the supports were modified by zinc chloride in order to obtain catalysts with higher activities for instance in metathesis reactions. The immobilization of MTO was optimized using these supports and it was successful using all supports. The success of the immobilization of MTO and the properties of the prepared heterogeneous catalysts were characterized using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), physical adsorption of N2, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) using pyridine as a probe molecule and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Furthermore, the catalytic activity of the immobilized MTO on the tested supports was demonstrated on metathesis reactions of various substrates.
Seven New and Two Known Lipopeptides as well as Five Known Polyketides: The Activated Production of Silent Metabolites in a Marine-Derived Fungus by Chemical Mutagenesis Strategy Using Diethyl Sulphate
Authors: Wu Chang-Jing , Li Chang-Wei , Cui Cheng-Bin
Published: March 2014

AD-2-1 is an antitumor fungal mutant obtained by diethyl sulfate mutagenesis of a marine-derived Penicillium purpurogenum G59. The G59 strain originally did not produce any metabolites with antitumor activities in MTT assays using K562 cells. Tracing newly produced metabolites under guidance of MTT assay and TLC analysis by direct comparison with control G59 extract, seven new (1–7) and two known (8–9) lipopeptides were isolated together with five known polyketides 10–14 from the extract of mutant AD-2-1. Structures of the seven new compounds including their absolute configurations were determined by spectroscopic and chemical evidences and named as penicimutalides A–G (1–7). Seven known compounds were identified as fellutamide B (8), fellutamide C (9), 1′-O-methylaverantin (10), averantin (11), averufin (12), nidurufin (13), and sterigmatocystin (14). In the MTT assay, 1–14 inhibited several human cancer cell lines to varying extents. All the bioassays and HPLC-photodiode array detector (PDAD)-UV and HPLC-electron spray ionization (ESI)-MS analyses demonstrated that the production of 1–14 in the mutant AD-2-1 was caused by the activated production of silent metabolites in the original G59 fungal strain. Present results provided additional examples for effectiveness of the chemical mutagenesis strategy using diethyl sulphate mutagenesis to discover new compounds by activating silent metabolites in fungal isolates.
NMR-Based Metabolomic Analysis of Spatial Variation in Soft Corals
Authors: He Qing , Sun Ruiqi , Liu Huijuan , Geng Zhufeng , Chen Dawei , Li Yinping , Han Jiao , Lin Wenhan , Du Shushan , Deng Zhiwei
Published: March 2014

Soft corals are common marine organisms that inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans. They are shown to be rich source of secondary metabolites with biological activities. In this work, soft corals from two geographical locations were investigated using 1H-NMR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate statistical analysis at the metabolic level. A partial least-squares discriminant analysis showed clear separation among extracts of soft corals grown in Sanya Bay and Weizhou Island. The specific markers that contributed to discrimination between soft corals in two origins belonged to terpenes, sterols and N-containing compounds. The satisfied precision of classification obtained indicates this approach using combined 1H-NMR and chemometrics is effective to discriminate soft corals collected in different geographical locations. The results revealed that metabolites of soft corals evidently depended on living environmental condition, which would provide valuable information for further relevant coastal marine environment evaluation.
N-Substituted 2-Isonicotinoylhydrazinecarboxamides — New Antimycobacterial Active Molecules
Authors: Rychtarčíková Zuzana , Krátký Martin , Gazvoda Martin , Komlóová Markéta , Polanc Slovenko , Kočevar Marijan , Stolaříková Jiřina , Vinšová Jarmila
Published: March 2014

This report presents a new modification of the isoniazid (INH) structure linked with different anilines via a carbonyl group obtained by two synthetic procedures and with N-substituted 5-(pyridine-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-amines prepared by their cyclisation. All synthesised derivatives were characterised by IR, NMR, MS and elemental analyses and were evaluated in vitro for their antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, Mycobacterium avium 330/88, Mycobacterium kansasii 235/80 and one clinical isolated strain of M. kansasii 6509/96. 2-Isonicotinoyl-N-(4-octylphenyl)hydrazinecarboxamide displayed an in vitro efficacy comparable to that of INH for M. tuberculosis with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 1–2 μM. Among the halogenated derivatives, the best anti-tuberculosis activity was found for 2-isonicotinoyl-N-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)hydrazinecarboxamide (MIC = 4 μM). In silico modelling on the enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase InhA confirmed that longer alkyl substituents are advantageous for the interactions and affinity to InhA. Most of the hydrazinecarboxamides, especially those derived from 4-alkylanilines, exhibited significant activity against INH-resistant nontuberculous mycobacteria.
Evaluation of Diffusive Transport and Cellular Uptake of Nutrients in Tissue Engineered Constructs Using a Hybrid Discrete Mathematical Model
Authors: Aristotelous Andreas , Haider Mansoor
Published: March 2014

Tissue engineering systems for orthopedic tissues, such as articular cartilage, are often based on the use of biomaterial scaffolds that are seeded with cells and supplied with nutrients or growth factors. In such systems, relationships between the functional outcomes of the engineered tissue construct and aspects of the initial system design are not well known, suggesting the use of mathematical models as an additional tool for optimal system design. This study develops a reaction-diffusion model that quantitatively describes the competing effects of nutrient diffusion and the cellular uptake of nutrients in a closed bioreactor system consisting of a cell-seeded scaffold adjacent to a nutrient-rich bath. An off-lattice hybrid discrete modeling framework is employed in which the diffusion equation incorporates a loss term that accounts for absorption due to nutrient uptake by cells that are modeled individually. Numerical solutions are developed based on a discontinuous Galerkin finite element method with high order quadrature to accurately resolve fine-scale cellular effects. The resulting model is applied to demonstrate that the ability of cells to absorb nutrients over time is highly dependent on both the normal distance to the nutrient bath, as well as the nutrient uptake rate for individual cells.
Mounting Debt in a World in Overshoot: An Analysis of the Link between the Mediterranean Region’s Economic and Ecological Crises
Authors: Galli Alessandro , Halle Martin
Published: March 2014

During the period of 1961–2008, demand for renewable resources and ecological services (as measured through the Ecological Footprint methodology) in the Mediterranean region grew by 52% (from 2.06 to 3.12 global hectares per capita), while availability of such resources and services (or biocapacity (BC)) decreased by 16% (from 1.49 to 1.26 global hectares per capita). As all economic activities ultimately depend on ecological assets—such as productive land and marine areas, and the services and resources they produce—this paper presents a reflection on the economic implications of such resource and service overconsumption in the Mediterranean region. Our conclusion is that, in a world characterized by the existence of biophysical limits, risks may exist for Mediterranean economies due to the concurrence of: (1) resource scarcity; (2) increasing resource prices; and (3) challenging national economic situations.
A Combination of TsHARP and Thin Plate Spline Interpolation for Spatial Sharpening of Thermal Imagery
Authors: Chen Xuehong , Li Wentao , Chen Jin , Rao Yuhan , Yamaguchi Yasushi
Published: March 2014

There have been many studies and much attention paid to spatial sharpening for thermal imagery. Among them, TsHARP, based on the good correlation between vegetation index and land surface temperature (LST), is regarded as a standard technique because of its operational simplicity and effectiveness. However, as LST is affected by other factors (e.g., soil moisture) in the areas with low vegetation cover, these areas cannot be well sharpened by TsHARP. Thin plate spline (TPS) is another popular downscaling technique for surface data. It has been shown to be accurate and robust for different datasets; however, it has not yet been attempted in thermal sharpening. This paper proposes to combine the TsHARP and TPS methods to enhance the advantages of each. The spatially explicit errors of these two methods were firstly estimated in theory, and then the results of TPS and TsHARP were combined with the estimation of their errors. The experiments performed across various landscapes and data showed that the proposed combined method performs more robustly and accurately than TsHARP.
Assessment of Coarse-Resolution Land Cover Products Using CASI Hyperspectral Data in an Arid Zone in Northwestern China
Authors: Wang Zhihui , Liu Liangyun
Published: March 2014

The accuracy of different coarse-resolution land cover products is an important consideration for product users at the regional or global scale, and different evaluation methods inevitably result in discrepancies in accuracy for the same land cover product. The remote sensing community has responded to this increased interest by improving methodologies for more accurately evaluating the correctness of land cover information. In this study, a pixel-based hierarchical classification strategy followed by an object-based classification method was applied to compact airborne spectrographic imager (CASI) hyperspectral data in order to produce highly accurate, high spatial resolution classification reference data. Some aspects of the fuzzy/conventional evaluation of MODIS land cover (MODISLC) (500 m) and GlobCover (300 m) data based on sub-pixel class fractions derived from high spatial resolution reference data at different thematic resolutions are also discussed. Relationships between homogeneity and fuzzy accuracy for two land cover products were obtained at different thematic resolutions. Additionally, the influences on the relationship resulting from the thematic resolution were also studied, and these are reported in this paper. Attempts were made to establish fuzzy/conventional evaluation rules for fuzzy classes, and the different performances of the fuzzy and conventional evaluations for hard/fuzzy labels were compared. The adjusted GlobCover accuracy after theoretical removal of the effect caused by spatial resolution was calculated based on the relationship between homogeneity and accuracy; the result was a higher accuracy than for MODISLC at the same thematic resolution. In addition, the different performance characteristics of the relationships between homogeneity and adjusted GlobCover accuracy/MODISLC accuracy at different thematic resolutions were compared and analyzed over the area where the CASI transects were obtained.
2.5D Multi-View Gait Recognition Based on Point Cloud Registration
Authors: Tang Jin , Luo Jian , Tjahjadi Tardi , Gao Yan
Published: March 2014

This paper presents a method for modeling a 2.5-dimensional (2.5D) human body and extracting the gait features for identifying the human subject. To achieve view-invariant gait recognition, a multi-view synthesizing method based on point cloud registration (MVSM) to generate multi-view training galleries is proposed. The concept of a density and curvature-based Color Gait Curvature Image is introduced to map 2.5D data onto a 2D space to enable data dimension reduction by discrete cosine transform and 2D principle component analysis. Gait recognition is achieved via a 2.5D view-invariant gait recognition method based on point cloud registration. Experimental results on the in-house database captured by a Microsoft Kinect camera show a significant performance gain when using MVSM.
Quartz-Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy: A Review
Authors: Patimisco Pietro , Scamarcio Gaetano , Tittel Frank , Spagnolo Vincenzo
Published: March 2014

A detailed review on the development of quartz-enhanced photoacoustic sensors (QEPAS) for the sensitive and selective quantification of molecular trace gas species with resolved spectroscopic features is reported. The basis of the QEPAS technique, the technology available to support this field in terms of key components, such as light sources and quartz-tuning forks and the recent developments in detection methods and performance limitations will be discussed. Furthermore, different experimental QEPAS methods such as: on-beam and off-beam QEPAS, quartz-enhanced evanescent wave photoacoustic detection, modulation-cancellation approach and mid-IR single mode fiber-coupled sensor systems will be reviewed and analysed. A QEPAS sensor operating in the THz range, employing a custom-made quartz-tuning fork and a THz quantum cascade laser will be also described. Finally, we evaluated data reported during the past decade and draw relevant and useful conclusions from this analysis.
Enhancement of the Wear Particle Monitoring Capability of Oil Debris Sensors Using a Maximal Overlap Discrete Wavelet Transform with Optimal Decomposition Depth
Authors: Li Chuan , Peng Juan , Liang Ming
Published: March 2014

Oil debris sensors are effective tools to monitor wear particles in lubricants. For in situ applications, surrounding noise and vibration interferences often distort the oil debris signature of the sensor. Hence extracting oil debris signatures from sensor signals is a challenging task for wear particle monitoring. In this paper we employ the maximal overlap discrete wavelet transform (MODWT) with optimal decomposition depth to enhance the wear particle monitoring capability. The sensor signal is decomposed by the MODWT into different depths for detecting the wear particle existence. To extract the authentic particle signature with minimal distortion, the root mean square deviation of kurtosis value of the segmented signal residue is adopted as a criterion to obtain the optimal decomposition depth for the MODWT. The proposed approach is evaluated using both simulated and experimental wear particles. The results show that the present method can improve the oil debris monitoring capability without structural upgrade requirements.
A Wearable System for Gait Training in Subjects with Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Casamassima Filippo , Ferrari Alberto , Milosevic Bojan , Ginis Pieter , Farella Elisabetta , Rocchi Laura
Published: March 2014

In this paper, a system for gait training and rehabilitation for Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients in a daily life setting is presented. It is based on a wearable architecture aimed at the provision of real-time auditory feedback. Recent studies have, in fact, shown that PD patients can receive benefit from a motor therapy based on auditory cueing and feedback, as happens in traditional rehabilitation contexts with verbal instructions given by clinical operators. To this extent, a system based on a wireless body sensor network and a smartphone has been developed. The system enables real-time extraction of gait spatio-temporal features and their comparison with a patient’s reference walking parameters captured in the lab under clinical operator supervision. Feedback is returned to the user in form of vocal messages, encouraging the user to keep her/his walking behavior or to correct it. This paper describes the overall concept, the proposed usage scenario and the parameters estimated for the gait analysis. It also presents, in detail, the hardware-software architecture of the system and the evaluation of system reliability by testing it on a few subjects.
Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis and Its Dipteran-Specific Toxins
Authors: Ben-Dov Eitan
Published: March 2014

Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) is the first Bacillus thuringiensis to be found and used as an effective biological control agent against larvae of many mosquito and black fly species around the world. Its larvicidal activity resides in four major (of 134, 128, 72 and 27 kDa) and at least two minor (of 78 and 29 kDa) polypeptides encoded respectively by cry4Aa, cry4Ba, cry11Aa, cyt1Aa, cry10Aa and cyt2Ba, all mapped on the 128 kb plasmid known as pBtoxis. These six δ-endotoxins form a complex parasporal crystalline body with remarkably high, specific and different toxicities to Aedes, Culex and Anopheles larvae. Cry toxins are composed of three domains (perforating domain I and receptor binding II and III) and create cation-selective channels, whereas Cyts are composed of one domain that acts as well as a detergent-like membrane perforator. Despite the low toxicities of Cyt1Aa and Cyt2Ba alone against exposed larvae, they are highly synergistic with the Cry toxins and hence their combinations prevent emergence of resistance in the targets. The lack of significant levels of resistance in field mosquito populations treated for decades with Bti-bioinsecticide suggests that this bacterium will be an effective biocontrol agent for years to come.
Rapid Identification of Alleles at the Soybean Maturity Gene E3 using genotyping by Sequencing and a Haplotype‐Based Approach
Authors: Tardivel Aurélie , Sonah Humira , Belzile François , O'Donoughue Louise S.
Published: March 2014

In eastern Canada, earliness is an important trait for soybean given the short growing season. The aim of this work was to develop tools for breeders to rapidly identify alleles present in their germplasm at the recently cloned maturity locus E3 (GmPhyA3). The tremendous throughput of modern DNA sequencing technology has allowed the use of genotyping by sequencing (GBS) approaches to identify and genotype thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the entire genome. We have used a GBS protocol and SNP‐calling pipeline optimized for soybean to characterize 53 near‐isogenic lines (NILs) contrasting for maturity loci. Results obtained clearly showed the suitability of GBS to provide a dense SNP coverage and very accurate information on the location and size of introgressed regions. We then developed a GBS haplotype method to characterize 91 plant introductions (PIs) as well as a set of 305 lines representative of the Eastern Canadian germplasm for their allelic status at the GmPhyA3 gene. Six distinct haplotypes in and around the E3 locus were observed. Subsequent tests on two genotypes per haplotype (PCR test for a previously reported allele, sequencing entire gene), and validation on a subset of lines, allowed to determine that each of these corresponded to a different allele of this gene. We found that the functional allele E3Ha and the loss of function allele e3‐tr were the two most prevalent in the Eastern Canadian germplasm, while the e3‐fs allele was found at low frequency and e3‐ns was absent. These results show that this approach is a powerful method for rapid allelic characterization, and its application to other maturity genes will be useful for breeding purposes.
THE PARADOXES OF PUBLIC SPACE
Authors: Marcuse Peter
Published: March 2014

This paper deals with one particular purpose for public space, the role it plays in permitting popular public participation in in democratic governance, democratic governance in a very political sense. For the United States, it might be called “First Amendment Space”, after the provision in the U.S.A. Constituting establishing the rights of free speech and free assembly. In a broader sense, public space should also be available democratically and based on equality of rights for a full range of social interchanges, for recreation, sports, picnicking, hiking, running, sitting, chatting, simply enjoyment, by all people, equally. Such uses, carried out democratically, are in turn necessary for democratic governance, but in a different way. Let me call them “Social Spaces”. And they may be divided between Convening spaces, where convening for the purposes of political effectiveness may be planned, and Encounter Spaces, where chance meetings and discussion may be take place without prior planning/convening. “Infrastructural Spaces” are also social spaces but in a different sense, not directly political: spaces for transportation, streets, sidewalks, recreational areas, parks, hiking trails, bicycles partially. he term “Third Space” is sometimes in fashion in a similar sense, and often defined as somewhere between public and private1. More on social spaces elsewhere. When public space is referred to here, it is in the sense of political public space, First Amendment space in the United States. Tahrir Square in Cairo, the Playa of Mothers in Buenos Aires, the Mall in Washington, D.C., Zuccotti Park in New York City, perhaps Central Park or Fifth Avenue, with its parades and marches, but also the fenced in space under the West Side highway at the time of the Republican Convention, and perhaps the indoor space of the Convention Center, as used for convening for discussions of alternate proposals for rebuilding after 9/11.
AN URBAN PARTISAN: CARL SCHMITT’S AND JACOB TAUBES’ GUIDE FOR URBAN REVOLUTION
Authors: Nawratek Krzysztof
Published: March 2014

The contemporary neoliberal city exists within the context of the immateriality of the contemporary economy, the dominance of financial speculation over commodity exchange and the transition of the city from the political subject to a mere resource used by global corporations and institutions (Hirst 2005; Harvey 2012; Marazzi 2010). There is an obvious conflict between the city as a material entity, and the immaterial forces of global capitalism. In this context, Carl Schmitt and Jacob Taubes provide useful tools with which to create a theoretical framework to re-establish discussion of the city as a political and economic subject. I will begin by referring to Schmitt’s considerations of territory and the conflict between the telluric logic, the sea logic and the air logic as presented in his work ‘The Nomos of the Earth in the International Law of the Jus Publicum Europaeum’ (Schmitt 2003). I will continue by discussing Jacob Taubes, who in his Occidental Eschatology (Taubes 2009) provided the tools with which to reject the Heideggerean, reactionary understanding of place, and invented a new type of place – the ‘Taubesian place’, a place where a revolution could be started. As a theoretical context for these considerations, I have referenced the Partisan figure presented by Schmitt (2004), through Taubes considerations of space and history.
ARCHITECT-ACTIVIST. THE SOCIO-POLITICAL ATTITUDE BASED ON THE WORKS OF WALTER SEGAL
Authors: Gierszon Mateusz
Published: March 2014

Architecture is a public activity, it is political. This truth is particularly strongly manifested in modern architecture, which through merging with political agenda of a welfare state, has been recognized as a tool for shaping the community, both by improving the standard of housing and disciplining people. In this way, architect has been assigned an important social role. The work attempts to capture a moment in the history of the twentieth century, in which a wave of criticism of modernism led to creating a new paradigm of architecture and a new model of architect: social design and architect-activist. As a model of architect’s attitude might serve the activity of Walter Segal, his socialized designing and model of constructing houses with the use of self-build method. Segal method is interesting because, on the one hand, it is derived from the ideas and achievements of modern architecture, and on the other hand, it creatively forms part of criticicism of modernist building practices. Libertarian and, at the same time, communal aspects of Segal’s methods, together with the ambivalent attitude of the architect, make his work and attitude as co-designer and organiser of the process associated with anarchist idea. Segal method and his attitude of the architect-activist included within it, may be considered as mature model of a modern, strong trend of construction based on the principles of participation and sustainability.
HOW BRAVE CAN WE BE? THE CITY AS A POLITICAL EXPERIMENT
Authors: Nawratek Krzysztof
Published: March 2014

Editorial "How brave can we be? The city as a political experiment". Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 38(1), p. 1-2
Politique étrangère de la République islamique : le rôle du président
Authors: Djalili Mohammad-Reza
Published: March 2014

En République islamique, le président de la républiqueest plus chef de gouvernement que chef d’Etat. Toutes les structures de l’Etat fonctionnent sous la direction du Guide suprême dont le pouvoir a une prééminence sur tous les autres pouvoirs. En ce qui concerne la sécurité du régime ainsi que la politique étrangère, le Guide établit les lignes directrices de la politique. Cela étant, depuis la disparition de l’ayatollah Khomeyni, les présidents qui se sont succédés ont essayé de profiter de la marge de manœuvre limitée dont ils disposaient en matière de questions internationales afin de gérer la politique extérieure du pays selon leur tempérament et conformément aux circonstances du moment.
L'économie iranienne après l'élection de Hassan Rohani
Authors: Coville Thierry
Published: March 2014

Les sanctions internationales ont conduit à une situationde crise économique en Iran en 2012. Le commerce extérieur s’est adapté à travers une réorientation des échanges vers l’Asie et le Moyen-Orient. Néanmoins, l’accélération de l’inflation à près de 50 % et la montée du chômage qui serait supérieur à 20 % ont aggravé les tensions sociales. L’amorce d’un règlement de la crise du nucléaire a déjà permis d’enregistrer une réappréciation de la monnaie nationale, ce qui a permis une légère décélération de l’inflation. A plus long terme, l’objectif des autorités est de mener une politique « classique » de libéralisation de l’économie.
Probiotic ‘glow of health’: it's more than skin deep
Authors: Erdman S.E. , Poutahidis T.
Published: March 2014

Radiant skin and hair are universal indicators of good health. It was recently shown that feeding of probiotic bacteria to aged mice rapidly induced youthful vitality characterised by thick lustrous skin and hair, and enhanced reproductive fitness, not seen in untreated controls. Probiotic-treated animals displayed integrated immune and hypothalamic-pituitary outputs that were isolated mechanistically to microbe-induced anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 and neuropeptide hormone oxytocin. In this way, probiotic microbes interface with mammalian physiological underpinnings to impart superb physical and reproductive fitness displayed as radiant and resilient skin and mucosae, unveiling novel strategies for integumentary health.