bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
International Centre for Diffraction Data and American Society for Metals database survey of thermoelectric half-Heusler material systems
Authors: Wong-Ng Winnie , Yang J.
Published: March 2013

Phase diagrams and X-ray powder diffraction patterns provide critical information for thermoelectric (TE) research. We have conducted a survey of phase diagrams and powder diffraction patterns of TE systems in the ASM (American Society for Metals) Metal/Alloy database and ICDD (International Centre for Diffraction Data) PDF (Powder Diffraction File), respectively, for their availability and crystal systems. In this report, we focus on TE materials that have the half-HeuslerXYZstructure, and related compounds, based on a set of materials selection rules. We found that among 306 potentialXYZcompounds that we have surveyed, 234 have powder diffraction patterns in the PDF, but only 28 have phase diagram information, and 67 do not have any crystallographic information. Among the 234 phases with powder patterns, 84 were reported to have cubicF43mhalf-Heusler type structure, and the remainder have hexagonal, orthorhombic or other structure types. SomeXYZcompounds have both cubic and hexagonal phases. This information will provide the basis for future activities for the improvement of the databases. These activities include filling the missing gaps in both phase equilibria database and the PDF, as well as adding TE and pertinent physical properties to the PDF.
Algebraic and analytic Dirac induction for graded affine Hecke
algebras
Authors: Ciubotaru Dan , Opdam Eric M. , Trapa Peter E.
Published: March 2013

We define the algebraic Dirac induction map ${\mathrm{Ind} }_{D} $ for graded affine Hecke algebras. The map ${\mathrm{Ind} }_{D} $ is a Hecke algebra analog of the explicit realization of the
Baum–Connes assembly map in the $K$-theory of the reduced ${C}^{\ast } $-algebra of a real reductive group using Dirac operators. The
definition of ${\mathrm{Ind} }_{D} $ is uniform over the parameter space of the graded affine Hecke
algebra. We show that the map ${\mathrm{Ind} }_{D} $ defines an isometric isomorphism from the space of elliptic
characters of the Weyl group (relative to its reflection representation) to the space
of elliptic characters of the graded affine Hecke algebra. We also study a related
analytically defined global elliptic Dirac operator between unitary representations
of the graded affine Hecke algebra which are realized in the spaces of sections of
vector bundles associated to certain representations of the pin cover of the Weyl
group. In this way we realize all irreducible discrete series modules of the Hecke
algebra in the kernels (and indices) of such analytic Dirac operators. This can be
viewed as a graded affine Hecke algebra analog of the construction of the discrete
series representations of semisimple Lie groups due to Parthasarathy and to Atiyah
and Schmid.
Exploring risk management strategies for organic farmers: A Greek case study
Authors: Tzouramani Irene , Alexopoulos George , Kostianis Giorgos , Kazakopoulos Leonidas
Published: March 2013

This study attempts to enrich the debate on the different forms of risk management strategies that are utilized by organic farmers and to assess the internal dynamics within the organic farming community by examining the attitudes and practices of these farmers. In particular, using a factor analysis, this study determines the attitudes of Greek farmers toward risk management strategies and focuses on the differences in risk attitudes between existing organic farmers and non-organic farmers. Second, using a probit analysis, this study characterizes the key factors that affect Greek farmers' attitudes with respect to risk management strategies. The thorough presentation of this research study provides essential information to policy-makers for understanding the factors that induce farmers to participate in organic agriculture. Moreover, the analysis of the risk management strategies that organic farmers apply is expected to offer valuable insights that will be critical for the timely introduction and efficient application of the forthcoming post-2013 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) measures.
Enhanced endocytosis of acid-sensitive doxorubicin derivatives with intelligent nanogel for improved security and efficacy
Authors: Ding Jianxun , Shi Fenghua , Li Di , Chen Li , Zhuang Xiuli , Chen Xuesi
Published: March 2013

The combination of acid-sensitive doxorubicin derivatives with a pH and reduction dual-responsive nanogel exhibited improved chemotherapy security and efficacy.
Potential role of Toll-like receptors in programming of vascular dysfunction
Authors: Thompson Jennifer A. , Webb R. Clinton
Published: March 2013

The developmental origins of the metabolic syndrome have been established through the consistent observation that small-for-gestational age and large-for-gestational age fetuses have an increased risk for hypertension and related metabolic disorders later in life. These phenotypes have been reproduced in various species subjected to a range of intrauterine insults and ongoing research is directed towards understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms. Current evidence suggests that the creation of a pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant intrauterine milieu is a common thread among prenatal factors that have an impact upon fetal size. Furthermore, studies demonstrate that a shift in fetal redox status consequent to environmental cues persists after birth and drives the progression of vascular dysfunction and hypertension in postnatal life. TLR (Toll-like receptor) signalling has emerged as a key link between inflammation and oxidative stress and a pathogenic contributor to hypertension, insulin resistance and obesity, in both human patients and animal models of disease. Thus TLR activation and dysregulation of its signalling components represent potential molecular underpinnings of programmed hypertension and related disorders in those subjected to suboptimal intrauterine conditions, yet their contributions to developmental programming remain unexplored. We propose that danger signals mobilized by the placenta or fetal tissues during complicated pregnancy activate the fetal innate immune system through TLRs and thereby potentiate the generation of ROS (reactive oxygen species) and orchestrate fetal adaptive responses, including changes in gene expression, which later translate to vascular dysfunction. Furthermore, we suggest that, after birth, continual activation of TLR signalling propagates vascular oxidative stress and thereby accelerates the advancement of hypertension and heart failure.
An artificial muscle computer
Authors: Marc O'Brien Benjamin , Alexander Anderson Iain
Published: March 2013

We have built an artificial muscle computer based on Wolfram's “2, 3” Turing machine architecture, the simplest known universal Turing machine. Our computer uses artificial muscles for its instruction set, output buffers, and memory write and addressing mechanisms. The computer is very slow and large (0.15 Hz, ∼1 m3); however by using only 13 artificial muscle relays, it is capable of solving any computable problem given sufficient memory, time, and reliability. The development of this computer shows that artificial muscles can think—paving the way for soft robots with reflexes like those seen in nature.
A fully variational spin-orbit coupled complete active space self-consistent field approach: Application to electron paramagnetic resonance g-tensors
Authors: Ganyushin Dmitry , Neese Frank
Published: March 2013

In this work, a relativistic version of the state-averaged complete active space self-consistent field method is developed (spin-orbit coupled state-averaged complete active space self-consistent field; CAS-SOC). The program follows a “one-step strategy” and treats the spin-orbit interaction (SOC) on the same footing as the electron-electron interaction. As opposed to other existing approaches, the program employs an intermediate coupling scheme in which spin and space symmetry adapted configuration space functions are allowed to interact via SOC. This adds to the transparency and computational efficiency of the procedure. The approach requires the utilization of complex-valued configuration interaction coefficients, but the molecular orbital coefficients can be kept real-valued without loss of generality. Hence, expensive arithmetic associated with evaluation of complex-valued transformed molecular integrals is completely avoided. In order to investigate the quality of the calculated wave function, we extended the method to the calculation of electronic g-tensors. As the SOC is already treated to all orders in the SA-CASSCF process, first order perturbation theory with the Zeeman operator is sufficient to accomplish this task. As a test-set, we calculated g-tensors of a set of diatomics, a set of d1 transition metal complexes MOX4n−, and a set of 5f1 actinide complexes AnX6n−. These calculations reveal that the effect of the wavefunction relaxation due to variation inclusion of SOC is of the same order of magnitude as the effect of inclusion of dynamic correlation and hence cannot be neglected for the accurate prediction of electronic g-tensors.
Perturbative wave-packet spawning procedure for non-adiabatic dynamics in diabatic representation
Authors: Izmaylov Artur F.
Published: March 2013

I present a new formulation of wave-packet spawning procedure based on a second order perturbation theory expression for population transfer between different diabatic electronic states. The employed perturbation theory (PT) expansion is based on an assumption that diabatic states can be represented locally with their Taylor series up to quadratic terms in nuclear coordinates (local harmonic approximation). The corresponding local harmonic basis of vibrational states makes infinite summation over excited states in PT expressions possible, and thus, it provides a complete basis set expression for the population transfer. This allows me to detect when a finite basis set expansion employed in variational wave packet propagation does not adequately describe the interstate population transfer. Also, it suggests a rigorous criterion for basis set expansion (spawning). The proposed procedure is illustrated for the variational multiconfigurational Gaussian wave packet method applied to 1D and 2D model examples, and it also can be extended to direct on-the-fly dynamics with any Gaussian wave packet propagation method.
Theory of reversible diffusion-influenced reactions with non-Markovian dissociation in two space dimensions
Authors: Prüstel Thorsten , Meier-Schellersheim Martin
Published: March 2013

We investigate the reversible diffusion-influenced reaction of an isolated pair in the presence of a non-Markovian generalization of the backreaction boundary condition in two space dimensions. Following earlier work by Agmon and Weiss, we consider residence time probability densities that decay slower than an exponential and that are characterized by a single parameter 0 < σ ⩽ 1. We calculate an exact expression for a Green's function of the two-dimensional diffusion equation subject to a non-Markovian backreaction boundary condition that is valid for arbitrary σ and for all times. We use the obtained expression to derive the survival probability for the initially unbound pair and we calculate an exact expression for the probability S(t|*) that the initially bound particle is unbound. Finally, we obtain an approximate solution for long times. In particular, we show that the ultimate fate of the bound state is complete dissociation, as in the Markovian case. However, the limiting value is approached quite differently: Instead of a ∼t−1 decay, we obtain 1 − S(t|*) ∼ t−σln t. The derived expressions should be relevant for a better understanding of reversible membrane-bound reactions in cell biology.
Tricritical behavior of the nematic to smectic-A phase transition in the binary mixture of liquid crystal
Authors: Mukherjee Prabir K. , Tamarit Josep Ll.
Published: March 2013

We propose a phenomenological model to describe the tricritical behavior of the nematic to smectic-A (N-SmA) phase transition in liquid crystal mixture. To describe the mesophase transitions in binary mixture, nematic and smectic order parameters have been coupled with the concentration. We show that a tricritical point on the N-SmA phase transition line can be achieved under certain conditions. The predictive capability of the present model for determining the tricritical point of a binary mixture displaying the N-SmA transition has been demonstrated by testing with reported phase diagrams sharing both phases.
Design of a lens table for a double toroidal electron spectrometer
Authors: Liu Xiao-Jing , Nicolas Christophe , Miron Catalin
Published: March 2013

We report here on the method we developed to build a lens table for a four-element electrostatic transfer lens operated together with a double toroidal electron energy analyzer designed by one of us, and whose original design and further improvements are described in detail in Miron et al. [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 68, 3728 (1997)10.1063/1.1148017] and Le Guen et al. [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 73, 3885 (2002)10.1063/1.1511799]. Both computer simulations and laboratory instrument tuning were performed in order to build this lens table. The obtained result was tested for a broad range of electron kinetic energies and analyzer pass energies. Based on this new lens table, allowing to easily computer control the spectrometer working conditions, we could routinely achieve an electron energy resolution ranging between 0.6% and 0.8% of the analyzer pass energy, while the electron count rate was also significantly improved. The establishment of such a lens table is of high importance to relieve experimentalists from the tedious laboring of the lens optimization, which was previously necessary prior to any measurement. The described method can be adapted to any type of electron/ion energy analyzer, and will thus be interesting for all experimentalists who own, or plan to build or improve their charged particle energy analyzers.
Heat transfer and friction characteristics of double pass solar air heater having V-shaped roughness on the absorber plate
Authors: Sharma Avdhesh , Varun  , Kumar Prashant , Bharadwaj Gaurav
Published: March 2013

An experimental study has been carried out for double pass solar air heater having V-shaped roughness elements on both sides of the absorber plate to examine its effect on heat transfer and friction factor. The results of roughened absorber plates were also compared with those of the smooth absorber plate. Rectangular duct is used for experimentation purpose, which is having an aspect ratio of 10. The operating and roughness parameters are relative roughness pitch (p/e) varies from 5 to 20, angle of attack (α) varies from 30° to 75°, and Reynolds number varies from 4900 to 15 000. The relative roughness height varies from 0.022 to 0.033. It is found that by providing artificial roughness, heat transfer and friction factor both enhanced considerably in comparison to the smooth one.
Grain size effect on magnetic and electric properties of LuMnO3 nanocrystalline materials
Authors: Han Tai-Chun , Chen Jia-Wern , Liu Yuan-Hsun , Hu Yu-Min
Published: March 2013

Magnetic and electric properties are investigated for the nanosized LuMnO3 samples with different grain sizes (30 nm to 500 nm) synthesized by a modified Pechini method. It shows that magnetic and electric properties are strongly dependent on the grain size. The magnetic characterization indicates that with increasing grain size, the antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition temperature increases from 72 to 89 K. The temperature-dependent dielectric measurements show an anomaly in the dielectric constant at temperatures close to the AFM ordering temperature for all samples. A corresponding shift of the peak-positions of dielectric anomaly and magnetic ordering indicates a strong correlation between the magnetic ordering and the electric polarization. Further analysis suggests that the rising of AFM transition temperature with increasing grain size should be from the structural origin, in which the strength of AFM interaction as well as the electrical polarization is dependent on the in-plane lattice parameters.
Ultrathin magnetic oxide EuO films on Si(001) using SiOx passivation—Controlled by hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy
Authors: Caspers C. , Flade S. , Gorgoi M. , Gloskovskii A. , Drube W. , Schneider C. M. , Müller M.
Published: March 2013

We present the chemical and structural optimization of ultrathin magnetic oxide EuO films on silicon. By applying a controlled in situ passivation of the Si(001) surface with SiOx in the monolayer regime, metallic silicide contaminations at the interface can be effectively reduced down to a sub-monolayer coverage, as was carefully quantified by interface-sensitive hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Heteroepitaxial growth of EuO on Si(001) is sustained for this ultrathin SiOx-passivation, and bulk-near magnetic properties are observed for the 4 nm-thin EuO films. Our successful combination of chemically and structurally optimized EuO/Si(001) heterostructures by ultrathin in situ SiOx passivation makes this system promising for an application as alternative spin functional tunnel contacts in spin-FETs.
Wave attenuation and dissipation mechanisms in viscoelastic phononic crystals
Authors: Hwan Oh Joo , Jae Kim Yoon , Young Kim Yoon
Published: March 2013

This work investigates wave attenuation and dissipation mechanisms in viscoelastic phononic crystals (VPCs) having different inclusion types in a long-wavelength regime. After investigating the intrinsic damping properties of VPCs for different inclusion sizes and materials, we carried out wave simulations revealing the energy dissipation by a finite VPC structure inserted inside an elastic medium. The simulations, supported by physical reasoning, showed that air- and metal-embedded VPCs can indeed dissipate more wave energy than pure viscoelastic media in low and high frequency ranges, respectively.
In-situ post-annealing technique for improving piezoelectricity and ferroelectricity of Li-doped ZnO thin films prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering system
Authors: Lin Chun-Cheng , Chang Chia-Chiang , Wu Chin-Jyi , Tseng Zong-Liang , Tang Jian-Fu , Chu Sheng-Yuan , Chen Yi-Chun , Qi Xiaoding
Published: March 2013

Li-doped zinc oxide (L0.03Z0.97O) thin films are deposited onto Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates via the radio frequency magnetron sputtering method. The structure evolution with annealing temperature of the predominantly (002)-oriented Li-doped ZnO (LZO) films after in-situ post-annealing process is determined. The largest values of the piezoelectric coefficient (d33) and the remnant polarization (Pr) (22.85 pm/V and 0.655 μC/cm2, respectively) are obtained for LZO films post-annealed at 600 °C, which can be attributed to the predominant (002)-oriented crystalline structure, the release of intrinsic residual compressive stress, and less non-lattice oxygen.
Antiresonant reflecting microstructured optical fibers for the mid-infrared
Authors: Lewi T. , Ofek J. , Katzir A.
Published: March 2013

We report on the demonstration of silver halide (AgClxBr1−x) microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) based on the antiresonant reflecting optical waveguide (ARROW) model, for the mid-infrared. MOFs with low index core surrounded by an octagonal structure of high index rods were designed and fabricated. The fibers exhibited transmission spectra with narrow stopband frequencies in the 9–11 μm range. The location of the transmission minima matched the theoretical predictions by the ARROW model. The measured propagation losses in the maximum transmission range were ∼60 dB/m. Imaging the output of the MOFs at the passband wavelengths revealed single mode guidance in the core.
Microwave complex permittivity of voltage-tunable nematic liquid crystals measured in high resistivity silicon transducers
Authors: Kowerdziej Rafał , Krupka Jerzy , Nowinowski-Kruszelnicki Edward , Olifierczuk Marek , Parka Janusz
Published: March 2013

A split post dielectric resonator is used to determine the effect of AC bias voltage on the microwave complex permittivity of nematic liquid crystals. High resistivity silicon transducers separated by 100 μm are bridged by nematic liquid crystals and their properties determined. The in-plane permittivity of liquid crystals can be effectively tuned (change of effective permittivity of up to 8%) by increasing the AC bias voltage from 0 to 6 V. Using high resistivity silicon allowed us to obtain tunable dielectric stacks with relatively small dielectric losses at microwave frequencies.
Network Societies and Internet Studies: Rethinking Time, Space, and Class
Authors: Chi Jack Linchuan
Published: March 2013

This chapter concentrates on a new perspective of ‘network society’. It offers a convincing case for the need for a global perspective on the social role of the Internet that will counter the potential for ethnocentric universal claims. The chapter then concentrates on research results in Internet Studies along with the three basic dimensions of the network society theory: time, space, and class. The Internet brings a flat world free of serious social problems. However, its promise as a decentralising and flattening force does not defy empirical examination. The types of ‘space of places’ are explained. The network labor and the new information and communications technology (ICT)-based working class highlight the class-making process and the rare chance of social change. The network society and its many insights and critiques about the contemporary world have remained important since the publication of Manuel Castells' triology in 1996–98.
New Businesses and New Business Models
Authors: Cusumano Michael A. , Goeldi Andreas
Published: March 2013

This chapter shows one of the most significant issues facing old and new businesses in the digital age – the development of new business models – and determines a wide range of business models enabled by new platforms for computing and communications over the Internet. It reviews the general impact of the Internet on firm-level strategy (how to compete in particular markets) and business models (how to generate revenues and profits), and then describes how the Internet has caused entrepreneurship and innovation. Entrepreneurs around the world believed that the Internet would develop magical scale economies as millions of users flocked to their websites. Online advertising is a ‘winner-takes-most’ market. The Internet has brought an almost unlimited ability to search the globe for the best products and services at the lowest prices.
Studies of the Internet in Learning and Education: Broadening the Disciplinary Landscape of Research
Authors: Davies Chris , Eynon Rebecca
Published: March 2013

This chapter investigates the role of the Internet in reshaping learning and education. It describes distinctions between formal education, where the Internet has made few inroads, and informal learning, where it seems to have excelled. Moreover, the chapter explores how the Internet has – via the World Wide Web – enabled an expansion in informal and incidental learning opportunities. Online courses are dealt through learning management systems, or virtual learning environments. The Internet's contribution to formal learning has been considerably less transformative than its contribution to informal learning. The Internet is not primarily an educational tool, but it self-evidently offers unique and unparalleled scope for the exploration of new forms of exploration and collaboration in the development and sharing of knowledge.
Tradition and Transformation in Online News Production and Consumption
Authors: Mitchelstein Eugenia , Boczkowski Pablo J.
Published: March 2013

This chapter covers the stability and change in patterns of news production and consumption with the advent of online news, and explores online news production and consumption. It also deals with the limitations in the research about Internet journalists and audiences. Historical conditions and market forces have affected the development of online journalism. As journalists and audiences have acted out their roles in the networked environment, they have straddled between tradition and innovation. The dearth of ethnographic research on online media audiences may be connected to insufficiently conclusive findings on the changing status of journalism as a profession and on the experiences of users as content producers. In general, the limitations presented arise from long-dated conceptual and methodological settings in the study of news production and consumption.
Analyzing Freedom of Expression Online: Theoretical, Empirical, and Normative Contributions
Authors: Nash Victoria
Published: March 2013

This chapter highlights the most significant ways in which research from across Internet Studies combines thematically to offer a picture of the challenges facing freedom of expression in the twenty-first century, as well as the need for broader theoretical frameworks. It suggests that a broader theoretical framework is required to catch the full range of law and policies shaping expression online, and to develop responses for policy and practice. The Internet presents just as many opportunities for digital surveillance or censorship as it does for free expression. The most helpful contribution of Internet Studies has been to expose and illuminate the many different forces that restrict or expand the opportunities to speak and communicate. The Internet has become central to communication and it plays a role in helping multiple actors to obtain their various goals.
Religion and Violence in the Jewish Traditions
Authors: Hassner Ron E. , Aran Gideon
Published: March 2013

This chapter reports the traditional violent themes in religious Judaism as they seem in sacred texts, rites, customs, and chronicles, and provides a survey of the components of Jewish religion relating to violence while evaluating and illustrating their development and influence through history. It then describes the violent implications of two religious elements that are distinct and central in the Jewish legacy: Mysticism and Messianism. The case of Jewish violence is especially complicated, since Judaism is characterized by a close relationship and a substantial overlap between religious association and ethno-nationalist ties. The essence of Judaism became the interpretation and application of the Bible to historical realities. The Kabbalah presents historical reality as a mirror and integral component of a larger cosmic drama. A distinct minority of Jews use their own victimhood as a license to inflict violence upon others by way of compensation or revenge.
Religion and Violence in Pacific Island Societies
Authors: Strathern Andrew , Stewart Pamela J.
Published: March 2013

This chapter examines the associations between religion and violence. The Bellonese case reveals that the ideology of honor drove the pattern of vengeance killings; that this ideology primarily pertained to men and their agnatic kin; that it was supported by appeals to gods and ancestors; and that peace rituals did not produce permanent effects. In the Fijian case, it is shown that war-chief and land-chief were ideally balanced with each other, the one standing for external violence, the other for internal peace. In Bau, this balance was upset and inverted due to the sea-going war-chiefs who came to engage a pre-eminent position by terminating the land-chiefs. In the New Guinea Highlands societies, a higher development of an ideology of wealth used is observed as a life-giving replacement for persons, whether for bridewealth payments, payments to allies, or compensation to enemies.
Religion and Political Violence
Authors: Toft Monica Duffy
Published: March 2013

This chapter, which describes why religion is resurging in the political sphere and the conditions under which religion is most likely to cause troubling violence, also places the source of the problem at the intersection of local politics and three global trends: modernization, democratization, and globalization. The urbanization that accompanied modernization is largely an artifact of the increasing industrialization of production, including especially agricultural production. A greater voice for religion and religious actors is assisted by the global movement toward greater democratization. When globalization accelerated, religious actors are in a position to harness its associated technologies. In the current era, the transnational dimensions of religion, and in particular Islam, explain why religious civil wars have the character of starting out local and then becoming more global. Solving religiously inspired violence demands the combination of religious authority with a better idea.
Cities as One Site for Religion and Violence
Authors: Sassen Saskia
Published: March 2013

This chapter covers the question of organized religions in the complex global modernity. It explores a range of interactions between the rise of cities as key global spaces for economic, political, and cultural conditions, and the rise of religion as a major force in setting where it was not quite so in the twentieth century, which saw the rise of the secularizing state. The chapter develops the urbanizing of war, as it feeds a particularly acute and violent bridging of cities with religious conflicts, and then takes two specific instances of asymmetric war, one in Mumbai and one in Gaza, to investigate the variable and contradictory elements in this bridging. Religion has emerged as one key organizing and legitimating passion, even as it is often not the cause. The Mumbai attacks had succeeded in drawing a conventional inter-state conflict into the specifics and momentary event that was that attack. Gaza displays the limits of power and the limits of war. The chapter makes visible the territorial conflict driving some of the current religious conflict, even as both sides make use of this long history to justify their actions.
Religion and Scarcity
Authors: Avalos Hector
Published: March 2013

This chapter demonstrates the viability of a new theory for the role of religion in violence by applying it to cases ranging from the ancient to the modern world, and in the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity). It also describes how scarce resource theory can help elaborate religious violence. Moreover, the chapter reports how religion produces scarce resources, and then concentrates on: 1) access to the divine will, particularly through inscripturation, 2) sacred space, 3) group privileging, and 4) salvation. It is noted that religion is not the cause of all violence. Violence against scriptures can engage all sorts of permutations within the Abrahamic traditions. Sacred space is the source of violence in Abrahamic religions. The fact that religious violence is always immoral, and the fact that non-religious violence is not always immoral, is the key ethical distinction between religious and non-religious violence.
New macroecological insights into functional constraints on mammalian geographical range size
Authors: Agosta Salvatore J. , Bernardo Joseph
Published: March 2013

Understanding the determinants of variation in the extent of species distributions is a fundamental goal of ecology. The diversity of geographical range sizes (GRSs) in mammals spans 12 orders of magnitude. A long-standing macroecological model of this diversity holds that as body size increases, species are increasingly restricted to occupying larger GRS. Here, we show that the body size–GRS relationship is more complex than previously recognized. Our study reveals that the positive relationship between body size and GRS does not hold across the entire size range of mammals. Instead, there is a break point in the relationship around the modal mammal body size. For species smaller than the mode, GRS actually decreases with body size. We discuss mechanisms to account for these observations in the context of the energetics of body size. We also examine the possibility that the patterns are the result of a statistical artefact from combining two random, uni-modal, skewed distributions, but conclude that the patterns we describe are not artefactual. Our results redefine our view of the functional relationship between body size, energetics and GRS in mammals with implications for assessing vulnerability to extinction resulting from range size reductions driven by large-scale environmental change.
Electron diffraction characterization of a new metastable Al2Cu phase in an Al–Cu friction stir weld
Authors: Ji Gang , Morniroli Jean-Paul
Published: March 2013

The space group of a new metastable orthorhombic Al2Cu phase, located in the Al-rich interfacial region of an Al–Cu friction stir weld, was unambiguously identified asIc2mby a recently developed systematic method combining precession electron diffraction and convergent-beam electron diffraction. This metastable phase has the same tetragonal lattice as its stable θ-Al2Cu counterpart (tetragonal,I4/mcm, No. 140). The tetragonal-to-orthorhombic symmetry lowering is due to slight modifications of the atomic positions in the unit cell. This metastable phase can be transformed into the stable θ-Al2Cu phase byin situirradiation within the transmission electron microscope.
Adaptive reconstruction method for three-dimensional orientation imaging
Authors: Li S. F. , Suter R. M.
Published: March 2013

An adaptive orientation reconstruction algorithm is developed for near-field high-energy X-ray diffraction microscopy. When combined with a spatially adaptive extension the algorithm results in a factor of 10–1000 speed-up over the existing forward modeling reconstruction method while preserving most of the spatial and orientation resolution characteristics. Tests of the reconstruction code based on simulated structures and real data on a complex microstructure are presented. Simulated structures include intra-granular orientation gradients and noisy detector images. It is shown that resolution in both real space and orientation space degrades gracefully as complexity and detector noise increase.
Two newXP(O)[NHC(CH3)3]2phosphoramidates, withX= (CH3)2N and [(CH3)3CNH]2P(O)(O). Corrigendum
Authors: Pourayoubi Mehrdad , Tarahhomi Atekeh , Karimi Ahmadabad Fatemeh , Fejfarová Karla , Lee Arie van der , Dušek Michal
Published: March 2013

The chemical name of one of the title compounds in the paper by Pourayoubiet al.[Acta Cryst.(2012), C68, o164–o169] is corrected.
Monoclinic structure and nonstoichiometry of `KAlSiO4-O1'
Authors: Kremenović Aleksandar , Lazic Biljana , Krüger Hannes , Tribus Martina , Vulić Predrag
Published: March 2013

Crystals of KAlSiO4-O1(potassium aluminium silicate) were synthesized using a flux method and analysed utilizing single-crystal X-ray diffraction and electron microprobe analysis. Both methods confirm that the crystals are nonstoichiometric according to K1−xAl1−xSi1+xO4withx= 0.04 (1). KAlSiO4-O1is closely related to the stuffed derivatives of tridymite, although the topology of the Si/Al-ordered framework is different. Six-membered rings of UUDDUD and UUUDDD (U = up and D = down; ratio 2:1) configurations are present in layers parallel to theabplane. In contrast, the framework of tridymite exhibits UDUDUD rings. The crystals are affected by inversion, pseudo-orthorhombic and pseudo-hexagonal twinning.
Pathogens of Interest to the Pork Industry: A Review of Research on Interventions to Assure Food Safety
Authors: Baer Arica A. , Miller Michael J. , Dilger Anna C.
Published: March 2013

Pork is the most consumed meat in the world and is a source of foodborne diseases. To develop effective food safety interventions for pork, it is crucial to understand the nature of the important pathogens affecting the pork industry, their prevalence at different phases of pork production, and interventions against pathogens in pork. The purpose of this study was to outline the significance ofSalmonella,Campylobacter,Trichinella spiralis,Toxoplasma gondii,Listeria monocytogenes, and methicillin‐resistantStaphylococcus aureusto the pork industry.TrichinellaandToxoplasmaare historically relevant pathogens to pork and represent the effectiveness that preharvest intervention strategies can accomplish for the control of toxoplasmosis and trichinellosis.SalmonellaandCampylobacterare common inhabitants of swine intestines causing a high prevalence of these pathogens on the farm as well as potential contamination during slaughter. However, bothSalmonellaandCampylobactercan be reduced through on‐farm strategies, hygienic slaughter practices, and processing technologies. Methicillin‐resistantS. aureusis an emerging pathogen with increasing focus on the livestock industry and interventions pre and postharvest have been considered for reduction of this microorganism. The greatest challenge for processors isL. monocytogenesas contamination of the further processing environment requires adequate interventions for both pork and the environment. Novel technologies such as use of bacteriophages, feed additives, and high‐pressure processing are being explored as interventions against pathogens of pork. Overall, pork does contribute to foodborne diseases and various interventions are now being used against the different pathogens found in pork.
Supplementation of Spirulina platensis and Chlorella vulgaris Algae into Probiotic Fermented Milks
Authors: Beheshtipour H. , Mortazavian A. M. , Mohammadi R. , Sohrabvandi S. , Khosravi‐Darani K.
Published: March 2013

Viability of probiotic bacteria during the production and storage of fermented milks is the most important topic of discussion in the dairy industry. Addition of microalgae into milk for the production of fermented milk in order to enhance the viability of probiotics has been the subject of recent research. Spirulina and Chlorella are the most widely noted microalgae for fermented milks. They affect not only the viability of probiotics in final product but also the sensory attributes of them. Incorporation of microalgae into probiotic fermented milks along with enhancing the viability of probiotics would increase their functional characteristic. This is because they contain a wide range of nutrients and nutraceuticals and are considered as “functional food.” This article reviews the effects of supplementation of Spirulina platensis and Chlorella vulgaris into probiotic fermented milks on their different quality characteristics.
Effect of Tumor Necrosis Factor‐α on the Intracellular Ca2+ Homeostasis in Human Sperm
Authors: Carrasquel Gabriela , Camejo Maria I. , Michelangeli Fabian , Ruiz Marie C.
Published: March 2013

Problem

Inflammation and genital infections promote the increase in leukocytes, pro‐inflammatory cytokines, and oxygen reactive species, impairing sperm functions such as motility, capacitation, and acrosome reaction. All these functions are primarily regulated by cytoplasmic concentration of Ca2+ ([Ca2+]cyto). This study evaluated the effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α on the [Ca2+]cyto and its regulation in human sperm.

Method of study

Sperm loaded with fura‐2 were incubated with or without TNF‐α (0–500 pg/mL) from 0 to 120 min. After incubation, the basal [Ca2+]cyto and membrane permeability to Ca2+ were evaluated by spectrofluorometry, before and after Ca2+ addition to the extracellular medium.

Results

Without TNF‐α, the addition of Ca2+ promotes an transitory increase in [Ca2+]cyto in the spermatozoa, that returns in a few minutes to a basal level, indicating calcium regulation activation. TNF‐α decreases the Ca2+ permeation and increases the basal level of [Ca2+]cyto after a Ca2+ pulse (P < 0.04); affecting calcium regulation in a way that is time and concentration dependent. TNF‐α effect was partially prevented by the addition of an antioxidant (butylated hydroxytoluene) (P < 0.03).

Conclusion

Tumor necrosis factor‐α decreases membrane permeability to Ca2+ and affects Ca2+ regulation in sperm cells in vitro, probably via lipid peroxidation, which may explain the decrease in sperm fertilizing capacity during inflammatory and infectious processes.
Randomised clinical trial: macrogol/PEG 3350+electrolytes versus prucalopride in the treatment of chronic constipation ‐ a comparison in a controlled environment
Authors: Cinca R. , Chera D. , Gruss H.‐J. , Halphen M.
Published: March 2013

Background

Constipation is a common condition for which PEG 3350 is an established treatment and prucalopride has recently been approved for this indication.

Aim

To compare the efficacy, safety and impact on quality of life (QoL) of PEG 3350 plus electrolytes (PEG 3350+E) vs. prucalopride in females with chronic constipation (CC) in whom laxatives have previously failed to provide adequate relief.

Methods

In this single‐centre, randomised, double‐blind, double‐dummy study, patients with CC [<3 spontaneous complete bowel movements (SCBM)/week] remained in a controlled environment and received either a 26 g split dose of PEG 3350+E (N = 120) or 1–2 mg prucalopride (N = 120) daily for 28 days following a 14‐day run‐in period. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients having ≥3 SCBMs during the last treatment week.

Results

Non‐inferiority of PEG 3350+E to prucalopride was demonstrated in the per‐protocol population [difference, 10.1% (66.67% vs. 56.52%), 97.5% lower confidence interval (CI) −2.7%, above the preset margin of −20%] and approached superiority in the modified intent‐to‐treat population (difference, 9.8%, 97.5% lower CI, −3.1%). Statistically significant differences in favour of PEG 3350+E were observed for most secondary variables (bowel movements, stool weight, consistency, time to next SCBM, patient perception of straining and completeness of defecation). Colonic transit time was dramatically reduced in both arms. Both treatments were well tolerated.

Conclusion

PEG 3350+E was at least as effective as and generally better tolerated than prucalopride as a treatment for chronic constipation in this study population (NCT01251822; http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).
Quantile Regression for Recurrent Gap Time Data
Authors: Luo Xianghua , Huang Chiung‐Yu , Wang Lan
Published: March 2013

Evaluating covariate effects on gap times between successive recurrent events is of interest in many medical and public health studies. While most existing methods for recurrent gap time analysis focus on modeling the hazard function of gap times, a direct interpretation of the covariate effects on the gap times is not available through these methods. In this article, we consider quantile regression that can provide direct assessment of covariate effects on the quantiles of the gap time distribution. Following the spirit of the weighted risk‐set method by Luo and Huang (2011, Statistics in Medicine 30, 301–311), we extend the martingale‐based estimating equation method considered by Peng and Huang (2008, Journal of the American Statistical Association 103, 637–649) for univariate survival data to analyze recurrent gap time data. The proposed estimation procedure can be easily implemented in existing software for univariate censored quantile regression. Uniform consistency and weak convergence of the proposed estimators are established. Monte Carlo studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. An application to data from the Danish Psychiatric Central Register is presented to illustrate the methods developed in this article.
Trends in surgery for upper urinary tract calculi in the USA using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample: 1999–2009
Authors: Ghani Khurshid R. , Sammon Jesse D. , Karakiewicz Pierre I. , Sun Maxine , Bhojani Naeem , Sukumar Shyam , Peabody James O. , Menon Mani , Trinh Quoc‐Dien
Published: March 2013

Objective

To determine trends in demographics and treatment for inpatient upper urinary tract calculi in the USA using a population‐based cohort.

Patients and Methods

All patients with a primary or secondary diagnosis of kidney or ureteric calculus between 1999 and 2009 in the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample were extracted and weighted.

Temporal trend analyses were used to determine trends in gender, race and age presentation, as well as utilization rates of interventions.

Temporal trends were quantified using the estimated annual percent change (EAPC) using least squares linear regression analysis.

Results

Overall, 2 109 455 patients were hospitalized with upper urinary tract calculi over the 11‐year period. The majority of admissions were for ureteric calculi (63.4%).

Admissions for renal calculus increased by 12.1% during the study period (EAPC + 0.92%, P = 0.039, 95% CI: 0.17–1.66), whilst discharges for ureteric calculus remained stable.

A significant increase (25.4%) in hospitalizations for women was found (EAPC + 2.21%, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 1.40–3.03); by 2006, more women than men were admitted to hospital (95 953 vs. 94 556, respectively).

There were significant increases in hospitalization for black, Hispanic and older patients.

Significant changes in the use of all studied interventions were found except for ureteroscopy, extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy and nephrectomy.

Conclusions

In this nationally representative sample of inpatient discharges, significant increases were found in admissions for renal compared with ureteric calculi, and for black, Hispanic and older patients.

With regard to surgical intervention, the largest increase was found in the use of procedures for kidney calculi.

Women now comprise the majority in the inpatient management of stone disease.
Exome sequencing detection of two untranslated GFPT1 mutations in a family with limb‐girdle myasthenia
Authors: Maselli R.A. , Arredondo J. , Nguyen J. , Lara M. , Ng F. , Ngo M. , Pham J.M. , Yi Q. , Stajich J.M. , McDonald K. , Hauser M.A. , Wollmann R.L.
Published: March 2013

The term ‘limb‐girdle myasthenia’ (LGM) was first used to describe three siblings with proximal limb weakness without oculobulbar involvement, but with EMG decrement and responsiveness to anticholinesterase medication. We report here that exome sequencing in the proband of this family revealed several sequence variations in genes linked to proximal limb weakness. However, the only mutations that cosegregated with disease were an intronic IVS7‐8A>G mutation and the previously reported 3′‐UTR c.*22C>A mutation in
GFPT1, a gene linked to LGM. A minigene assay showed that IVS7‐8A>G activates an alternative splice acceptor that results in retention of the last seven nucleotides of intron 7 and a frameshift leading to a termination codon 13 nucleotides downstream from the new splice site. An anconeus muscle biopsy revealed mild reduction of the axon terminal size and postsynaptic fold simplification. The amplitudes of miniature endplate potentials and quantal release were also diminished. The DNA of the mildly affected father of the proband showed only the intronic mutation along with sequence variations in other genes potentially relevant to LGM. Thus, this study performed in the family originally described with LGM showed two GFPT1 untranslated mutations, which may cause disease by reducing GFPT1 expression and ultimately impairing protein glycosylation.