bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deliberation interrupted
Authors: Rummens Stefan
Published: April 2008

In this article I confront Jürgen Habermas' deliberative model of democracy with Claude Lefort's analysis of democracy as a regime in which the locus of power remains an empty place. This confrontation reveals several structural similarities between the two authors and explains how the proceduralization of popular sovereignty provides a discourse-theoretical interpretation of the empty place of power. At the same time, Lefort's insistence on the open-ended nature of the democratic struggle also points towards an unresolved tension at the core of Habermas' model between the cognitive nature of deliberation on the one hand and the freedom of moral and political agents on the other. A proper solution of this tension requires a full appreciation of the ineliminable gap between actual and ideal deliberation. Because actual deliberation can never result in an ideal consensus, the actual exercise of democratic power should be understood as an unavoidable interruption of deliberation.
`If the Man Says you Must Sit, Then you Must Sit': The Relational Construction of Woman Abuse: Gender, Subjectivity and Violence
Authors: Boonzaier Floretta
Published: April 2008

Woman abuse and other forms of gender-based violence are key obstacles to gender equity across the globe. Researchers have examined the problem of woman abuse from a multitude of perspectives. However, little research has focused specifically on both partners' constructions of their relationships. This article is based upon a study that examined how women and men in intimate heterosexual relationships attribute meaning to the man's perpetration of violence against a woman partner. Narrative interviews were conducted with women and men who constituted 15 heterosexual couples. In this study participants' narratives of self, other, relationship and violence included ambiguous constructions of victims and perpetrators; constructions of violent relationships as cyclical in nature; constructions of woman abuse as a problem of the self; narrations of violence as a mutual endeavour and all-encompassing narratives of power and control. This study provided insight into the subjective, relational and gendered dynamics of abusive relationships, illustrated the significance of the context in shaping the ways in which experiences are narrated, and showed the value of poststructuralist theorizing to feminist psychology.
Prediction of human pharmacokinetics—biliary and intestinal clearance and enterohepatic circulation
Authors: Fagerholm Urban
Published: April 2008

The main objective was to evaluate and propose methods for predicting biliary clearance (CLbile) and enterohepatic circulation (EHC) of intact drugs in man. Another aim was to evaluate to role of intestinal drug secretion and propose a method for prediction of intestinal secretion CL (CLi). Animal data poorly predict the CL and CLbile of biliary excreted drugs, and the suggested molecular weight threshold for bile excretion as the dominant elimination route does not seem to hold. Active transport, low metabolic intrinsic CL (CLint) and, as an approximation, permeability (Pe) less than that of metoprolol is required for substantial CLbile to occur. The typical EHC plasma concentration vs time profile (multiple peaks) is demonstrated for many low metabolic CLint-compounds with efflux and moderate to high intestinal Pe and fraction absorbed. Physiologically-based in-vitro to in-vivo (PB-IVIV) methodology with in-vitro intrinsic CLbile-data obtained with sandwich-cultured human hepatocytes has generated 2- and 5-fold underpredictions for two compounds with intermediate to high CLbile. This is despite not considering the unbound fraction. Possible explanations include low transporter activity and diffusion limitations in the in-vitro experiments. Intestinal reabsorption and EHC were also neglected in these predictions and in-vivo CLbile estimations. The sandwich model and these reference data are still very useful. Consideration of an empirical scaling factor and a newly developed approach that accounts for intestinal reabsorption and EHC could potentially lead to improved PB-IVIV predictions of CLbile. Apparently, no attempts have been made to predict CLi. Elimination via the intestinal route does not appear to be of great importance for the few compounds with available data, but could be equally as important as bile excretion. Net secretion in-vitro Pe and newly estimated in-vivo intrinsic CLi data for digoxin and rosuvastatin could be useful for approximation of CLi of other compounds.
Differentiation of 2-Alkylthioorotic Acids, Methyl and Ethyl 2-Alkylthioorotates and Hydrazides of 2-Alkylthioorotic Acids by Using Electron Ionization Mass Spectra
Authors: Bartkowiak Grazyna
Published: April 2008

Electron ionization mass spectra of 12 derivatives of 2-thioorotic acid have been discussed and general fragmentation routes of their molecular ions have been proposed. The compounds under discussion were three groups of four chemical species (2-alkylthioorotic acid, methyl 2-alkylthioorotate, ethyl 2-alkylthioorotate and 2-alkylthioorotic hydrazide) each with the same relative molecular mass. The comparison of selected ions relative abundances and their correlation with the abundance of molecular ions enable differentiation between isomeric or isobaric species in this class of compounds.
Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry of β-Nitroalkenyl Meso-Tetraphenylporphyrins
Authors: Silva Eduarda M.P. , Domingues Pedro , Tomé João P.C. , Faustino M. Amparo F. , Neves M. Graça P.M.S. , Tomé Augusto C. , Dauzonne Daniel , Silva Artur M.S. , Cavaleiro José A.S. , Ferrer-Correia António J. , Domingues M. Rosário M.
Published: April 2008

β-Nitroalkenyl meso-tetraphenylporphyrins [β-TPPCHC(NO2)R)], as free-bases and Zn(II) complexes, were studied by electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Under this ionisation condition the [M + H]+ ions are formed. The fragmentation pattern of the resulting [M + H]+ ions were studied by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). The ESI-MS/MS of β-nitroalkenylporphyrins, either as free-bases or as Zn(II) complexes, show several interesting features, distinct from the typical behaviour of nitro compounds. For the studied compounds, common main fragmentation patterns are observed, namely characteristic losses of NO2•, HNO2, 2OH•, RNO2, RCNO, RCNO2, RCH2NO2, C6H5• plus NO2• and the formation of the protonated macrocycle, [TPP + H]+ or [ZnTPP + H]+. However, depending on the presence or absence of the metal and the nature of the R substituent, important differences are observed on the relative abundances of the ions formed by the same fragmentation pathway. The presence of bromine in the alkenyl group leads to a peculiar behaviour, since the main fragmentation pattern corresponds to the combined elimination of the bromine atom with the typical nitro group fragments. When R = Br, the loss of the nitro group occurs in low relative abundance (11-16%). However, when R = CH3, the relative abundance of the ion due to the loss of HNO2 changes drastically from 100%, observed for the free-base porphyrin, to 29% in the case of the Zn(II) complex. These variations of the relative abundance of the fragment corresponding to the loss of the nitro moiety (typically considered as a diagnostic fragment) can induce to an erroneous interpretation of their MS/MS spectra. Some fragmentations are observed only for the free-base porphyrins, namely the loss of •CH(NO2)R and HNO2 plus C2H2, while the loss of OH•, H2O, OH• plus H2O and RCCH plus H2O is observed only for the complexes. Unusual and unexpected fragmentations are also observed, namely the losses of RCNO, RCNO2 and HNO2 plus C2H2. This work demonstrates that valuable structural information about the β-nitroalkenyl substituents linked to meso-tetraarylporphyrins can be achieved using MS/MS. These results can also be useful for the interpretation of the mass spectra of other nitroalkenyl substituted compounds.
Framework for effective collaborative working in construction
Authors: Shelbourn M. A. , Bouchlaghem D. , Anumba C. J. , Carrillo P.
Published: April 2008

The potential benefits of collaborative working in construction projects have yet to be fully realised in the sector. This is in part due to the misunderstanding of the use of the information and communication technologies (ICT) and tools associated with working collaboratively. There are, however, isolated pockets of experts that have realised that in order to fully embrace the potential of collaborative working in their businesses, the role of ICT has to be closely aligned with the people that use it, and should relate to the overall goals of the business. The aim of the Planning and Implementation of Effective Collaboration in Construction (PIECC) project is to develop a decision-making framework that enables organisations to fully integrate ICT and its associated people and business issues into their projects and individual businesses. This paper reports on the development processes used to develop the framework, and its evaluation and testing within the UK construction sector. The paper presents the different processes that should be followed to develop a joint collaboration strategy, and the results and implications of using the PIECC framework to manage collaborative working.
Carbon protection and fire risk reduction: toward a full accounting of forest carbon offsets
Authors: Hurteau Matthew D , Koch George W , Hungate Bruce A
Published: April 2008

Management of forests for carbon uptake is an important tool in the effort to slow the increase in atmospheric CO2and global warming. However, some current policies governing forest carbon credits actually promote avoidable CO2release and punish actions that would increase long‐term carbon storage. In fire‐prone forests, management that reduces the risk of catastrophic carbon release resulting from stand‐replacing wild‐fire is considered to be a CO2source, according to current accounting practices, even though such management may actually increase long‐term carbon storage. Examining four of the largest wildfires in the US in 2002, we found that, for forest land that experienced catastrophic stand‐replacing fire, prior thinning would have reduced CO2release from live tree biomass by as much as 98%. Altering carbon accounting practices for forests that have historically experienced frequent, low‐severity fire could provide an incentive for forest managers to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire and associated large carbon release events.
An assessment of endocrine disruption in mollusks and the potential for developing internationally standardized mollusk life cycle test guidelines
Authors: Matthiessen Peter
Published: April 2008

This paper summarizes what is known about the endocrine systems of mollusks and how they can be disrupted by exogenous substances. It then examines the various possibilities for using mollusk-based toxicity tests to detect and assess the environmental risks of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). It is concluded that there are no internationally standardized tests with mollusks available at present that are suitable for assessing the risks of long-term exposure to EDCs but that several published methods show potential. At the present state of knowledge, the most promising mollusk species for use in partial life cycle testing is probably the fresh- and brackish-water mesogastropod, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, which is known to be responsive to both direct and indirect androgens and to estrogens (and their mimics). Less experience of full life cycle testing exists with mollusks, but the freshwater pulmonate gastropod Lymnaea stagnalis at present offers the best possibility for a practical procedure. In both cases, there is a need for substantial test optimization and validation before these procedures could form the basis of international guidelines.
Seasonal Variation of Group a Streptococcus (GAS) – Related Necrotising Fasciitis Cases in a UK Teaching Hospital
Authors: Gkrania-Klotsas E. , Chew R.C. , Vrotsou K.
Published: April 2008

Objectives:

Necrotizing fasciitis is a diverse syndrome primarily involving the fascia but also occasionally the
overlying skin and underlying muscles. Non-necrotising lower limb cellulitis has been reported to have a marked seasonal
variation in our area. We are describing the seasonal variation of our necrotising fasciitis cases.

Methods:

The medical records of all the patients that were admitted to our institution with a diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis,
from January 1994 to December 2003, were retrospectively reviewed.

Results:

The necrotising fasciitis infections peaked every year in the spring time, as previously described for cellulitis.
The increased incidence was only apparent for group A streptococcus related necrotising fasciitis cases. The diagnosis
carried 21% mortality during the same admission. Overall, 39% of the patients had a bad outcome, defined as either death
during the same admission, limb amputation or severe disability. 73% of patients who experienced a bad outcome were
found to have Group A streptococcus compared to only 41% of the patients in the good outcome group.

Conclusions:

A seasonal variation was noted for Group A streptococcus associated necrotising fasciitis, that remains a lethal
condition. As patients with Group A streptococcus associated necrotising fasciitis tend to have a worse outcome in
our series, increased awareness and targeted antibiotic therapy may enhance clinical outcomes. Knowledge of microbiology
might also inform infection control decisions.
The first record of Macrogyrodactylus species (Monogenea, Gyrodactylidae) on freshwater fishes in Senegal with the description of Macrogyrodactylus simentiensis sp. nov., a parasite of Polypterus senegalus Cuvier
Authors: Přikrylová Iva , Gelnar Milan
Published: April 2008

The first record of monogenean parasites of the genus Macrogyrodactylus Malmberg, 1957 on freshwater fish in Senegal is presented. Macrogyrodactylus congolensis Prudhoe, 1957 from the skin and Macrogyrodactylus heterobranchii N’Douba et Lambert, 1999 from the gills of Clarias anguillaris L. were found, representing new host records for these parasites. On Polypterus senegalus Cuvier, three Macrogyrodactylus species were identified, Macrogyrodactylus polypteri Malmberg, 1957, Macrogyrodactylus simentiensis sp. nov. and Macrogyrodactylus sp. M. simentiensis sp. nov. can be readily distinguished from the other Macrogyrodactylus species by the size of its hamuli and the shape of its marginal hook sickles. The marginal hooks on the anterolateral lobes of M. simentiensis differ in size and shape from those on the posterior margin of the haptor. Measurements and drawings of the haptoral sclerites of all five identified species are provided.
Induction of apoptosis in SF21 cell line by conditioned medium of the entomopathogenic fungus, Nomuraea rileyi, through Sf‐caspase‐1 signaling pathway
Authors: Tseng Yu‐Kai , Wu Meng‐Shiue , Hou Roger F.
Published: April 2008

The apoptosis in SF‐21 cell line can be induced by the conditioned medium (CM) of the entomopathogenic fungus, Nomuraea rileyi, based on changes in morphology and formation of apoptotic bodies in cultured cells, and with the onset of DNA fragmentation as shown by TUNEL staining and agarose electrophoresis. Moreover, the induction of apoptosis in SF‐21 cells was inhibited by adding the inhibitor of effector caspase, viz. z‐DEVD‐fmk, to the CM, indicating that Sf‐caspase‐1 is involved in this apoptosis. Similarly, the inhibitor of initiator caspase, viz., z‐VAD‐fmk, inhibited apoptosis. Therefore, both initiator and effector caspases are possibly involved in the apoptosis of SF‐21 cells. In addition, we detected Sf‐caspase‐1 activity in the process of apoptosis in SF‐21 cells, suggesting that the effector caspase in SF‐21 is similar to that found in mammalian cells. Our results also indicated that the apoptosis found in this line is accomplished through a Sf‐caspase‐1 signaling pathway. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Uncovering the dark Web: A case study of Jihad on the Web
Authors: Chen Hsinchun , Chung Wingyan , Qin Jialun , Reid Edna , Sageman Marc , Weimann Gabriel
Published: April 2008

While the Web has become a worldwide platform for communication, terrorists share their ideology and communicate with members on the “Dark Web”—the reverse side of the Web used by terrorists. Currently, the problems of information overload and difficulty to obtain a comprehensive picture of terrorist activities hinder effective and efficient analysis of terrorist information on the Web. To improve understanding of terrorist activities, we have developed a novel methodology for collecting and analyzing Dark Web information. The methodology incorporates information collection, analysis, and visualization techniques, and exploits various Web information sources. We applied it to collecting and analyzing information of 39 Jihad Web sites and developed visualization of their site contents, relationships, and activity levels. An expert evaluation showed that the methodology is very useful and promising, having a high potential to assist in investigation and understanding of terrorist activities by producing results that could potentially help guide both policymaking and intelligence research.
Neurturin suppresses injury‐induced neuronal activating transcription factor 3 expression in cultured guinea pig cardiac ganglia
Authors: Young Beth A. , Girard Beatrice M. , Parsons Rodney L.
Published: April 2008

Cultured guinea pig atrial whole mounts containing the intrinsic cardiac ganglia were used as an in vitro model to investigate the induction of the stress/injury marker activating transcription factor 3 (ATF‐3). ATF‐3 expression was quantified by using immunocytochemical labeling and real‐time PCR. In freshly isolated ganglia, no neuronal or Schwann cell nuclei exhibited ATF‐3 immunoreactivity. In 2‐hour cultures, the induction of ATF‐3 expression was evident in many Schwann cell nuclei, whereas no neuronal nuclei were ATF‐3 immunoreactive. Beginning at 4 hours, the percentage of neurons with ATF‐3‐immunoreactive nuclei increased progressively, and, by 48 hours in culture, ∼95% of the cardiac neurons had ATF‐3‐immunoreactive nuclei. Neurturin significantly suppressed ATF‐3 expression in 48‐hour‐cultured neurons without effect on ATF‐3 expression in Schwann cell nuclei. Neuturin also could reverse neuronal ATF‐3 expression after its induction. The suppression of ATF‐3 induction by neurturin was mediated by activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase and mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathways. Glial‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) also suppressed neuronal ATF‐3 induction during culture. However, culture in serum‐free media, presence of nerve growth factor, or addition of pituitary adenylate cyclase‐activating polypeptide had no effect on ATF‐3 induction in the 48‐hour‐cultured cardiac neurons. By 4 hours in culture, there was a significant increase in ATF‐3 transcript levels, and neurturin partially suppressed ATF‐3 transcript levels in 48‐hour cultures. It is proposed that the loss of target‐derived neurturin is a potential mechanism stimulating injury‐induced expression of ATF‐3 in cardiac neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 508:795–805, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Microchip capillary electrophoresis for frontal analysis of free bilirubin and study of its interaction with human serum albumin
Authors: Nie Zhou , Fung Ying Sing
Published: April 2008

To meet the need for bedside monitoring of free bilirubin for neonates under critical conditions, a microfluidic chip was fabricated and tested for its coupling with CE/frontal analysis (FA) to determine free bilirubin and study of its binding interaction with HSA, which regulated its concentration in plasma. The poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) multichannel chip was fabricated by CO2 laser ablation and bonded with a fused‐silica separation capillary for CE/FA separation with UV detection. The chip was designed to allow a complete assay of four electrophoretic runs using preconditioned channels to speed up the determination of free bilirubin and to deliver quick results for bedside monitoring. Under optimized conditions, the linear working range for free bilirubin was from 10 to 200 μmol with RSDs from 2.1 to 5.0% for n = 3, and the LOD at 9 μmol for S/N = 3. From a binding study between bilirubin and HSA under FA condition, the second binding constant for bilirubin–HSA was determined as 1.07×105 L/mol and the number of binding sites per HSA as 3.46. The results enabled the calculation of free bilirubin for jaundiced infants based on the clinically significant level of total bilirubin, producing a range of 118.3–119.4 μmol/L. The developed method is shown to meet the clinical requirement with additional margin of protection to detect the early rising level of free bilirubin prior to jaundice condition. The low‐cost microchip CE/FA device is shown to produce quick results with high potential to deliver a suitable bed‐side monitoring method for bilirubin management in neonates.
Does strong linkage disequilibrium guarantee redundant association results?
Authors: Nielsen Dahlia M. , Suchindran Sunil , Smith Christopher P.
Published: April 2008

A substantial amount of effort has been expended recently towards the identification and evaluation of tag single nucleotide polymorphisms; markers that, due to linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns in the genome, are able to act as “proxies” for other polymorphic sites. As such, these tag markers are assumed to capture, on their own, a large proportion of the genetic variation contributed by a much greater number of polymorphic sites. One important consequence of this is the potential ability to reduce the cost of genotyping in an association study without a corresponding loss of power. This application carries an implicit assumption that strong LD between markers implies high correlation between the accompanying association test results, so that once a tag marker is evaluated for association, its outcome will be representative of all the other markers for which it serves as proxy. We examined this assumption directly. We find that in the null hypothesis situation, where there is no association between the markers and the phenotype, the relationship between LD and the correlation between association test outcomes is clear, though it is not always ideal. In the alternative case, when genetic association does exist in the region, the relationship becomes much more complex. Here, reasonably high LD between markers does not necessarily imply that the association test result of one marker is a direct substitute for that of the other. In these cases, eliminating one of these markers from the set to be genotyped in an association study will lead to a reduction in overall power. Genet. Epidemiol. 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Early healing of nanothickness bioceramic coatings on dental implants. An experimental study in dogs
Authors: Coelho Paulo G. , Cardaropoli Giuseppe , Suzuki Marcelo , Lemons Jack E.
Published: April 2008

Thick bioceramic coatings like plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite have been shown to increase the overall tissue response and biomechanical fixation of dental implants. However, the presence and potential fracture of a bone‐coating‐metallic substrate interface at long times after implantation led these implants to fall from favor in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical fixation and biological response of Ca‐ and P‐based, 20–50 nm thickness bioceramic deposition on a previously alumina‐blasted/acid‐etched Ti‐6Al‐4V implant surface in a dog model. Cylindrical alumina‐blasted/acid‐etched (AB/AE) (Control, n = 16), and Nanothickness bioceramic coated AB/AE(Nano, n = 16) implant surfaces were surgically placed in dogs proximal tibia and remained for 2 and 4 weeks in vivo. Following euthanization, the implants‐in‐bone were mounted in epoxy and pullout at a 0.5 mm/min rate. Following mechanical testing, the specimens were decalcified and processed (Hematoxylin and Eosin) for standard transmitted light microscopy evaluation. Percent bone‐to‐implant contact (BIC) to the pulled out implant surface was determined through computer software. Statistical analyses were performed by one‐way ANOVA at 95% level of significance and Tukey's post‐hoc multiple comparisons. No significant differences in pullout force were observed (p > 0.88): 2W Control (212.08 ± 42.96 N), 2W Nano (224.35 ± 42.97 N), 4W Control (207.07 ± 42.97 N), and 4W Nano (190.15 ± 45.94 N). No significant differences in %BIC were observed (p > 0.94): 2W Control (72.66 ± 8.51), 2W Nano (69.44 ± 8.51), 4W Control (70.44 ± 8.51), and 4W Nano (69.11 ± 9.09). It is shown that 20–50 nm thickness bioceramic depositions onto previously alumina‐blasted/acid‐etched substrates did not improve the biomechanical fixation and the BIC at early implantation times, and studies concerning shorter and longer implantation times are recommended for confirmation or before a conclusion can be made. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2009
The use of nanoindentation for characterizing the properties of mineralized hard tissues: State‐of‐the art review
Authors: Lewis Gladius , Nyman Jeffry S.
Published: April 2008

The use of nanoindentation to determine nanomechanical properties of mineralized tissues has been investigated extensively. A detailed, critical, and comprehensive review of this literature is the subject of the present work. After stating the motivation for the review, a succinct presentation of the challenges, advantages, and disadvantages of the various quasi‐static nanoindentation test methods (to obtain elastic modulus, E, and hardness, H) and dynamic test methods (to obtain storage and loss moduli and/or loss/damping factor) is given in the form of a primer. Explicative summaries of literature reports on various intrinsic and extrinsic factors that significantly influence E and H, followed by 15 suggested topics for future research, are included additionally. This review is designed to present a compact guide to the principles of the nanoindentation technique and to emphasize considerations when determining material properties of mineralized tissues. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 2008
Duodenal duplication cyst: A rare cause of acute pancreatitis in children
Authors: Ozel Alper , Uysal Ender , Tufaner Oznur , Erturk Sukru Mehmet , Yalcin Mehmet , Basak Muzaffer
Published: April 2008

Duodenal duplication is a rare cause of acute pancreatitis in children. We report a case of acute pancreatitis in which abdominal sonography revealed an enlarged hypoechoic edematous pancreas with mildly dilated main pancreatic duct and a cystic structure with layered wall in the second part of duodenum. Abdominal CT yielded similar findings. The diagnosis of duodenal duplication was confirmed at surgery and subsequent histopathologic examination. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2008.
Attitudes to mysticism: relationship with personality in Western and Eastern mystical traditions
Authors: Edwards Anthony C. , Lowis Michael J.
Published: April 2008

Conceptually, attitudes to mysticism, is related to, but distinguishable from, mystical experience. Empirical data that attitudes to mysticism and mystical experience bear different relationships with personality traits such as psychoticism will provide good grounds for distinguishing these variables. Personality correlates of these two variables were assessed in this study; the latter was more directly linked with psychoticism. Comparisons were also made of how Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Pagans scored on measures of attitudes to mysticism and of mystical experience. Buddhists and Pagans scored significantly higher on the attitudes scale than did Christians or Jews, whereas scores on the mystical experience measure produced significantly different findings between Pagans and all other groups, and between Buddhists and Jews, but not between Buddhists and Christians. Between‐groups differences therefore suggested further grounds for distinguishing between mystical experience and attitudes to mysticism. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Scheduling sensor activity for information coverage of discrete targets in sensor networks
Authors: Wang Bang , Chua Kee Chaing , Srinivasan Vikram , Wang Wei
Published: April 2008

In this paper, we study the problem of scheduling sensor activity to cover a set of targets with known locations such that all targets can be monitored all the time and the network can operate as long as possible. A solution to this scheduling problem is to partition all sensors into some sensor covers such that each cover can monitor all targets and the covers are activated sequentially. In this paper, we propose to provide information coverage instead of the conventional sensing disk coverage for target. The notion of information coverage is based on estimation theory to exploit the collaborative nature of geographically distributed sensors. Due to the use of information coverage, a target that is not within the sensing disk of any single sensor can still be considered to be monitored (information covered) by the cooperation of more than one sensor. This change of the problem settings complicates the solutions compared to that by using a disk coverage model. We first define the target information coverage (TIC) problem and prove its NP‐completeness. We then propose a heuristic to approximately solve our problem. Simulation results show that our heuristic is better than an existing algorithm and is close to the upper bound when only the sensing disk coverage model is used. Furthermore, simulation results also show that the network lifetime can be significantly improved by using the notion of information coverage compared with that by using the conventional definition of sensing disk coverage. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The unsaponifiables ofVernonia anthelmintica seed oil
Authors: Fioriti Joseph A. , Kanuk Margaret J. , Sims Rex J.
Published: April 2008

The unsaponifiable fraction ofVernonia anthelmintica seed oil has been studied in detail. Preparative thin layer chromatography (TLC) on argentated plates has revealed that the hydrocarbon fraction contains squalene as well as normal odd chain alkanes among which C31 predominates. A small fraction containing C18–C28n‐alcohols was also found. The sterol fraction made up the bulk of the unsaponifiables (66%). This fraction contained at least six sterols but two of these accounted for over 90% of the total. The sterols occur in the oil in the esterified form; gas liquid chromatography shows that they are preferentially esterified to linoleic acid. These esters have been isolated by column chromatography on silica gel and have been separated by preparative TLC. Purification by preparative TLC followed by high resolution mass spectrometry has shown that empirical formulas of the two most abundant sterols are C29H46O and C29H48O. The latter corresponds to the already reported Δ7‐avenasterol. The former is a new sterol having three double bonds and a stigmastane backbone.
Filters and filtration systems for the vegetable oil industry
Authors: Passalaqua Frank H.
Published: April 2008

This paper discusses new innovations in the use of filtering equipment in various vegetable oil processes. The ultimate goals are reduction in plant space requirements, lower operating costs, upgrading of product being processed, reduced labor expense, increase of in‐plant cleanliness.
The mechanism of color reversion in soybean salad oil
Authors: Lai Ming‐Tain , Lin Woan‐Meei , Chu Yan‐Hwa , Chen Shih‐Ling Y. , Kong Kwan‐Shean , Chen Chieh‐Wu
Published: April 2008

An enzymatic reaction might be the major cause of color reversion in soybean oil. During the soybean flaking process, enzymatic reactions take place to convertγ‐tocopherol to 5‐(tocopheryloxy)‐γ‐tocopherol (γ‐TED), and then further convertγ‐TED to the precursors which are the cause of color reversion. The variations ofγ‐tocopherol andγ‐TED contents in soybean oil are accompanied by an inverse change in the precursors’ concentration. Therefore, the contents ofγ‐tocopherol orγ‐TED in crude soybean oil could be used as an index for predicting the color quality (color reversion) of soybean salad oil.

Almost all the precursors (such as tocored) were converted to color‐reverted substances under catalysis after bleaching treatment, and they were converted back to the precursors during deodorization. Those precursors might be gradually reconverted into the color reverted substances during storage to cause the color reversion in soybean salad oil.
Regeneration of silicic acid following adsorption of soybean oil pigments
Authors: Proctor Andrew , Snyder Harry E.
Published: April 2008

The effectiveness of sequential washes (isopropanol/hexane) of increasing polarity for desorbing soybean oil pigment (lutein) from silica was studied. Increasing the polarity promoted desorption of pigment, as the amount of adsorbed pigment increased. The evidence suggests that silicic acid has adsorption sites of variable accessibility. Lutein adsorption isotherms show that much of the adsorption capacity was regained after desorption.
Correlation of heats of combustion with empirical formulas for fatty alcohols
Authors: Freedman B. , Bagby M. O. , Khoury H.
Published: April 2008

Gross heats of combustion (Hg) for the homologous series of saturated fatty alcohols C10–C22 were measured in a Parr adiabatic calorimeter according to ASTM D240 and D2015. The measured values for these alcohols ranged from 1582 to 3453 kg‐cal/mole. We developed equations that related carbon number (CN) or chain length, electron number (EN) or number of valence electrons and molecular weight (MW) to calculated Hg by linear regression analysis (LINREG). These equations are: Hg=26.00+155.60 CN; Hg=26.00+25.94 EN; and Hg=−172.2+11.00 MW. R squared values for all three equations were 0.99. The results obtained with LINREG were compared to a literature method. Comparisons were made for both the fatty alcohols above and C1–C5, C7, C8 and C16 alcohols of the literature method. For the former alcohols there was no difference in accuracy or precision between the two methods. For the latter alcohols LINREG was both more accurate and precise. Measured Hg vs. chain length for C1–C22 alcohols showed a perfect linear relationship. Thus, knowing chain length, Hg can be predicted accurately for alcohols in this range.
Disorders caused by deficiency of succinate‐CoA ligase
Authors: Ostergaard E.
Published: April 2008

Succinate‐CoA ligase catalyses the reversible conversion of succinyl‐CoA and ADP or GDP to succinate and ATP or GTP. It is a mitochondrial matrix enzyme and at least the ADP‐forming enzyme is part of the Krebs cycle. The substrate specificity is determined by the β subunit of succinate‐CoA ligase, which is encoded by either SUCLA2 or SUCLG2. In patients with severe hypotonia, deafness and Leigh‐like syndrome, mutations have been found in SUCLA2. Mutations have also been reported in SUCLG1, which encodes the α subunit found in both enzymes, in patients with severe infantile acidosis and lactic aciduria. Elevated methylmalonate and methylcitrate and severe mtDNA depletion were found in both disorders. The mtDNA depletion may be explained by the interaction of succinate‐CoA ligase with nucleoside diphosphate kinase, which is involved in mitochondrial nucleotide metabolism.
Endoscopic approach to juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma: our experience at a tertiary care centre
Authors: Gupta A K , Rajiniganth M G , Gupta A K
Published: April 2008

Objective:

To evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic exposure and excision for juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma.

Design:

Prospective analysis of the outcomes of endoscopic removal of the angiofibroma at a tertiary care centre, using endoscopic and radiological parameters.

Subjects:

Twenty-eight consecutive patients with angiofibroma were included. These patients underwent endonasal endoscopic excision of the lesion, following pre-operative computed tomography and digital subtraction angiography. Post-operative endoscopy and radiology were performed at six weeks to detect any residual lesion, and thereafter at six-monthly intervals to detect recurrence.

Results:

Twenty-one patients (75 per cent) were new cases and seven patients (25 per cent) had recurrent tumour. Pre-operative embolisation was performed in 21 patients (75 per cent). An endoscopic endonasal approach was used to access the pterygopalatine fossa. The average blood loss was 228 ml. Residual lesion was noted in one patient (initially with recurrent stage II C pathology). The remaining 27 patients (initially with stage I, II A and II B pathology) were free of residual pathology or recurrence after a minimum follow-up period of 12 months.

Conclusion:

Endoscopic exposure and excision of angiofibroma was found to be effective.
Evaluation of adenoidal obstruction in children: clinical symptoms compared with roentgenographic assessment
Authors: Orji F T , Ezeanolue B C
Published: April 2008

Background:

Obstructive adenoid enlargement is commonly implicated as the major cause of chronic nasal obstruction in children. Although clinical assessment is considered essential, there is little consensus over its reliability. This study was conducted to determine the correlation between graded symptomatology assessment and roentgenographic assessment of adenoidal obstruction.

Method:

Symptoms assessed included snoring, mouth-breathing and obstructive breathing during sleep. Each symptom was rated on a four-point scale (absent = zero, mild = one, moderate = two and severe = three). We summed the ratings for each child to obtain the symptomatology score. We used an adenoidal–nasopharyngeal ratio parameter to classify roentgenographic assessment into minimal, moderate or marked obstruction.

Results:

Sixty-four children, 42 boys and 22 girls, aged one to 12 years were enrolled. The clinical symptomatology scores correlated significantly with the roentgenographic ratings of nasopharyngeal airway obstruction (r = 0.419;p = 0.001). The correlation was significant at roentgenographic ratings of minimal obstruction (p < 0.05) and gross obstruction (p < 0.001). Both the symptomatology score and the roentgenographic rating showed significant correlations with patient age (r = −0.657,p < 0.01 andr = −0.340,p < 0.01, respectively).

Conclusion:

Clinical rating of adenoidal symptoms in children provides a reasonably reliable assessment of the presence and severity of nasopharyngeal airway obstruction. This technique of assessment is easy to use and is particularly valid when obstruction is either minimal or gross.
Lifting measures to inducing schemes
Authors: PESIN YA. B. , SENTI S. , ZHANG K.
Published: April 2008

In this paper we study the liftability property for piecewise continuous maps of compact metric spaces, which admit inducing schemes in the sense of Pesin and Senti [Y. Pesin and S. Senti. Thermodynamical formalism associated with inducing schemes for one-dimensional maps. Mosc. Math. J.5(3) (2005), 669–678; Y. Pesin and S. Senti. Equilibrium measures for maps with inducing schemes. Preprint, 2007]. We show that under some natural assumptions on the inducing schemes—which hold for many known examples—any invariant ergodic Borel probability measure of sufficiently large entropy can be lifted to the tower associated with the inducing scheme. The argument uses the construction of connected Markov extensions due to Buzzi [J. Buzzi. Markov extensions for multi-dimensional dynamical systems. Israel J. Math.112 (1999), 357–380], his results on the liftability of measures of large entropy, and a generalization of some results by Bruin [H. Bruin. Induced maps, Markov extensions and invariant measures in one-dimensional dynamics. Comm. Math. Phys.168(3) (1995), 571–580] on relations between inducing schemes and Markov extensions. We apply our results to study the liftability problem for one-dimensional cusp maps (in particular, unimodal and multi-modal maps) and for some multi-dimensional maps.
Swedish Narratives of the Second World War: A European Perspective
Authors: ÖSTLING JOHAN
Published: April 2008

This paper outlines the dominant post-war narratives of the Second World War in Europe. Drawing from the expanding fields of memory and history, a general pattern in the European interpretations of the war years emerges: whereas the experiences and recollections of the war were narrated within a patriotic framework until the 1980s, a significant shift towards a universalistic interpretation has occurred in the last two decades. Although Sweden's wartime experiences differed profoundly from most other similar countries, it is argued that the transformation of Swedish narratives of the Second World War reflected general European tendencies after 1945. Special attention is paid to the emergence in the 1990s of a universalistic understanding of the war, and how this change interplayed with a more general criticism of the foundations of post-war Swedish society.
The Transnational Reaction to 1968: Neo-fascist Fronts and Political Cultures in France and Italy
Authors: MAMMONE ANDREA
Published: April 2008

A transnational analysis of neo-fascism in France and Italy can elucidate historical processes that are usually only analysed within a specific national context or deemed to be by-products of individual nation-states. This article highlights the crucial importance of 1968 in the development of neo-fascist electoral and political strategies in both countries, as well as in the rise of extremist cultural activism. It reveals similar reactions to the hegemony of the political left over popular and youth culture as well as a striking commonality of ideals. Through the examination of a relatively brief period (1968 to the end of the 1970s), this article attempts to demonstrate patterns of cross-fertilisation, ideological transfer and the prominence of the Movimento Sociale Italiano which strongly influenced the French neo-fascists in the establishment of the Front national. The importance, and the trans-border impact, of the Nouvelle Droite in the cultural milieu and its attempt to update neo-fascist and racist ideals is also highlighted.
Legal pre-event nutritional supplements to assist energy metabolism
Authors: Spriet Lawrence L. , Perry Christopher G.R. , Talanian Jason L.
Published: April 2008

Physical training and proper nutrition are paramount for success in sport. A key tissue is skeletal muscle, as the metabolic pathways that produce energy or ATP allow the muscles to complete the many activities critical to success in sport. The energy-producing pathways must rapidly respond to the need for ATP during sport and produce energy at a faster rate or for a longer duration through training and proper nutrition which should translate into improved performance in sport activities. There is also continual interest in the possibility that nutritional supplements could further improve muscle metabolism and the provision of energy during sport. Most legal sports supplements do not improve performance following oral ingestion. However, three legal supplements that have received significant attention over the years include creatine, carnitine and sodium bicarbonate. The ingestion of large amounts of creatine for 4–6 days increases skeletal muscle creatine and phosphocreatine contents. The majority of the experimental evidence suggests that creatine supplementation can improve short-term exercise performance, especially in sports that require repeated short-term sprints. It may also augment the accretion of skeletal muscle when taken in combination with a resistance-exercise training programme. Supplementary carnitine has been touted to increase the uptake and oxidation of fat in the mitochondria. However, muscle carnitine levels are not augmented following oral carnitine supplementation and the majority of well-controlled studies have reported no effect of carnitine on enhancing fat oxidation, V̇o2max or prolonged endurance exercise performance. The ingestion of sodium bicarbonate before intense exercise decreases the blood [H+] to potentially assist the efflux of H+ from the muscle and temper the metabolic acidosis associated with intense exercise. Many studies have reported performance increases in laboratory-based cycling tests and simulated running races in the field following sodium bicarbonate ingestion where the need for ATP from substrate phosphorylation is high. However, other studies have reported no benefit and the incidence of negative side effects is high.
Sensing local inhomogeneity in electrical steels by the drag force method
Authors: Garshelis Ivan J. , Kari Ryan J. , Tollens Stijn P. L. , Sergeant Peter , Vandenbossche Lode P. , Dupré Luc R.
Published: April 2008

Variations in the longitudinal drag force on a magnet close to a slowly moving strip sample of electrical steel are shown to provide sensitive, nondestructive indications of local inhomogeneity in the permeability, dimensions, and hysteresis loss of the sample. Measurements of both grain-oriented and nonoriented electrical steels showed drag force variations of unexpectedly large amplitude for movements of just a few millimeters, often with quasiperiodic features. Hysteresis variations were smaller and less drastic.
Temperature-dependent crossover of dimensionality in ultrathin nickel films
Authors: Bramfeld Timothy S. , Willis Roy F.
Published: April 2008

We report experimental results for nickel films which examine finite-size nanoscaling of the magnetic-order exponent β with temperature as a function of thickness. The data confirm the trends predicted by Monte Carlo calculations of an Ising spin lattice for thicknesses L much less than in-plane dimensions. A crossover in dimensionality D is seen in the magnetization M(T) at a rescaled reduced temperature txo, which delineates a change in the order parameter from three dimensional to two dimensional. This crossover temperature is a feature of ultrathin films over a wide range of thicknesses L.
Photofragmentation of SiF4 upon Si 2p and F 1s core excitation: Cation and anion yield spectroscopy
Authors: Piancastelli M. N. , Stolte W. C. , Guillemin R. , Wolska A. , Lindle D. W.
Published: April 2008

We have studied the fragmentation dynamics of core-excited SiF4 by means of soft-x-ray photoexcitation and partial positive and negative ion yield measurements around the Si L2,3-shell and F K-shell ionization thresholds. All detectable ionic fragments are reported and we observe significant differences between the various partial ion yields near the Si 2p threshold. The differences are similar to our previous results from CH3Cl showing more extended fragmentation in correspondence to transitions to Rydberg states. At variance with smaller systems, we observe negative ion production in the shape resonance region. This can be related to the possibility in a relatively large system to dissipate positive charge over several channels.
Influence of global beta, shape, and rotation on the H-mode pedestal structure in DIII-D
Authors: Leonard A. W. , Groebner R. J. , Osborne T. H. , Snyder P. B.
Published: April 2008

The scaling of pedestal pressure with global beta, shaping, and toroidal rotation is examined. The pedestal pressure is observed to increase with higher global beta and increased shaping, but is not significantly affected by changes to toroidal rotation. Stability analysis of the pedestal is utilized to extract the respective contributions of pedestal gradient and pedestal width to the scaling of the pedestal pressure. An increase in pedestal width accounts for approximately half of the observed increase in pedestal pressure with improved edge stability. The pedestal width is observed to scale with the normalized pedestal pressure as Δ∝βped1∕2. No ion gyroradius dependence of the pedestal width is observed.