bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Connexin43 plays diverse roles in co-ordinating cell migration and wound closure events
Authors: Lorraine Claire , Wright Catherine S. , Martin Patricia E.
Published: May 2015

Chronic wounds are not only debilitating to patients, but also impose a huge financial burden on healthcare providers, as current treatments are not particularly effective. Wound healing is a highly co-ordinated process involving a vast array of signalling molecules and different cell types, therefore a substantial amount of research has been carried out in the quest to develop new therapies. The gap junction (GJ) protein connexin43 (Cx43) is one of the many molecules whose expression has been found to be up-regulated in chronic wounds and as a result targeting it may have therapeutic potential. Two different approaches have been adopted to investigate this: knockdown of Cx43 using antisense oligonucleotides and connexin mimetic peptides (CMPs) which inhibit the function of Cx43 without affecting gene expression. These peptides are targeted to the C-terminal domain or the extracellular loops of Cx43 and thus are likely to function by different means. However, both block channel function and have been shown to enhance cell migration rates. In recent years, non-channel functions have emerged for Cx43, many of which are linked to cytoskeletal dynamics and the extracellular matrix (ECM), showing that Cx43 plays diverse roles in co-ordinating wound closure events. It is clear that both CMPs and antisense oligonucleotides hold therapeutic potential, however maintaining Cx43 expression may be beneficial to the cell by preserving other non-channel functions of Cx43. Recent data in the field will be discussed in this article.
On the spectrum of the lattice spin-boson Hamiltonian for any coupling: 1D case
Authors: Muminov M. , Neidhardt H. , Rasulov T.
Published: May 2015

A lattice model of radiative decay (so-called spin-boson model) of a two level atom and at most two photons is considered. The location of the essential spectrum is described. For any coupling constant, the finiteness of the number of eigenvalues below the bottom of its essential spectrum is proved. The results are obtained by considering a more general model H for which the lower bound of its essential spectrum is estimated. Conditions which guarantee the finiteness of the number of eigenvalues of H below the bottom of its essential spectrum are found. It is shown that the discrete spectrum might be infinite if the parameter functions are chosen in a special form.
Excitonic condensation in spatially separated one-dimensional systems
Authors: Abergel D. S. L.
Published: May 2015

We show theoretically that excitons can form from spatially separated one-dimensional ground state populations of electrons and holes, and that the resulting excitons can form a quasicondensate. We describe a mean-field Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory in the low carrier density regime and then focus on the core-shell nanowire giving estimates of the size of the excitonic gap for InAs/GaSb wires and as a function of all the experimentally relevant parameters. We find that optimal conditions for pairing include small overlap of the electron and hole bands, large effective mass of the carriers, and low dielectric constant of the surrounding media. Therefore, one-dimensional systems provide an attractive platform for the experimental detection of excitonic quasicondensation in zero magnetic field.
Ground and river water quality monitoring using a smartphone-based pH sensor
Authors: Dutta Sibasish , Sarma Dhrubajyoti , Nath Pabitra
Published: May 2015

We report here the working of a compact and handheld smartphone-based pH sensor for monitoring of ground and river water quality. Using simple laboratory optical components and the camera of the smartphone, we develop a compact spectrophotometer which is operational in the wavelength range of 400-700 nm and having spectral resolution of 0.305 nm/pixel for our equipment. The sensor measures variations in optical absorption band of pH sensitive dye sample in different pH solutions. The transmission image spectra through a transmission grating gets captured by the smartphone, and subsequently converted into intensity vs. wavelengths. Using the designed sensor, we measure water quality of ground water and river water from different locations in Assam and the results are found to be reliable when compared with the standard spectrophotometer tool. The overall cost involved for development of the sensor is relatively low. We envision that the designed sensing technique could emerge as an inexpensive, compact and portable pH sensor that would be useful for in-field applications.
EcoRV catalysis with a pre-bent substrate
Authors: Sanchez Daniel S. , Zocchi Giovanni
Published: May 2015

Enzymes are deformable molecules which often adapt their conformation to the substrate’s geometry. In the case of restriction enzymes acting on DNA, the substrate (DNA) is deformable also. While it is well established that external mechanical stress exerted on an enzyme modulates the enzymatic activity, the effect of mechanically stressing the substrate is less explored. Here we present the restriction enzyme EcoRV with a series of pre-bent DNA substrates and observe modulation of the overall speed of the enzymatic reaction by up to a factor 50. While in all cases the reaction is slowed down compared to the unstressed substrate, we observe peaks in the reaction rate as we vary the state of stress of the DNA substrate. Both bending moments and torsional moments on the DNA substrate affect the reaction rate.
The Sensory Experiences of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Analysis
Authors: Robertson Ashley E , Simmons David R
Published: May 2015

It has been well established that individuals with autism spectrum disorder report unusual experiences with sensory stimuli compared with typically developing individuals. However, there is a paucity of research exploring the nature of such experiences. A focus group was conducted with six adults with a diagnosis of autism or Asperger syndrome. Data were coded and analysed using an inductive, qualitative thematic analysis. Four main themes encompassing both positive and negative sensory experiences emerged from these data: (a) the importance of particular aspects of stimuli in their perception, (b) the importance of having control over stimuli, (c) how emotions/mental states could impact/be impacted by sensory stimuli, and (d) physical responses to stimuli. These data are discussed alongside extant literature. Limitations, possible implications, and potential directions of future research are also discussed.
Northern Ascriptions in MS Lansdowne 1033
Authors: Ruano-García Javier
Published: May 2015

This paper examines the contribution of theDictionariolum Islandicumto White Kennett’s (1660–1728) unpublishedEtymological Collections of English Words and Provincial Expressions(BL MS Lansdowne 1033). An expanded version of Franciscus Junius’s (1591–1677) Icelandic wordlist (Bodl. MS Junius 36), itself based on Runólfur Jónsson’s (c.1620–1654)Grammaticae Islandicae Rudimenta(1651), theDictionariolumwas included in George Hickes’ (1642–1715)Institutiones Grammaticae Anglo-Saxonicae et Moeso-Gothicae(1689). Comparison of the manuscript entries with theDictionariolumsuggests that Kennett relied on this work for a portion of the northern material contained in his manuscript. This paper aims to further our knowledge about the compilation of Kennett’s dictionary, casting some light on the sources behind the regional dialect material included, and on the history of northern English lexicon more generally as recorded in 17th-century dictionaries.
On the Possibility of Pidgin English Toponyms in Pacific Missions
Authors: Nash Joshua
Published: May 2015

This paper speculates about the possible existence of Pidgin English toponyms on the Melanesian Mission on Norfolk Island. The argument considers why modern historians and linguists studying the social and linguistic history of the Melanesian Mission missionaries, and why missionaries from earlier periods, who were documenting and studying local Melanesian languages spoken within the Mission’s activities, did not provide possible available information on Pidgin English toponyms. This noted absence of an explicit focus on the toponymic lexicon of Pidgin English and other marginalised languages highlights certain metalinguistic and social priorities held by linguists.
How to treat GUI Options in IT Technical Texts for Authoring and Machine Translation
Authors: Roturier Johann , Lehmann Sabine
Published: May 2015

This paper focuses on one aspect of controlled authoring in a localization and Machine-Translation context: the treatment of GUI options, which abound in the procedural sections of IT technical documentation. GUI options are technical terms that refer to the Software User Interface. The length and complexity of GUI options is a major problem for numerous NLP tasks, including MT. GUI options which have not been identified by NLP applications typically lead to erroneous analyses of sentences. However, few authors have focused on the identification and tagging of GUI options in IT documentation. This paper delineates an approach based on a controlled language checker that benefits both the human authoring process and Machine Translation.
The evaluation of pragmatic and functionalist aspects in localization
Authors: Jiménez-Crespo Miguel A.
Published: May 2015

Current localization QA models are based on componential error-based approaches to quality evaluation. However, as it is more complex to objectively measure pragmatic issues than language or functionality problems, the communicative-pragmatic adequacy of the target text is normally ignored while assuring that a text "look[s] like it has been developed in-country" (LISA, 2004, p. 11). Consequently, most QA models do not incorporate a category for this type of issue. This paper presents a critical review of the notion of quality in localization and its implications in current QA practices from a functionalist perspective (Nord, 1997). The main goal is to set the foundation for an evaluation process that can account for functionalist and pragmatic inadequacies through the use of localization evaluation corpora. The main issues and applications are illustrated through examples extracted from the 40,000 webpage Spanish Web Evaluation Corpus compiled by the author (Jiménez-Crespo, 2008a).
Soundtrack Localisation
Authors: O’Keeffe Ian R.
Published: May 2015

This paper focuses on the localisation and adaptation of one particular aspect of the computer game: the soundtrack. Sometimes bespoke, sometimes selected from commercial releases, it provides a background, supporting role in creating atmosphere and supporting the emotive state of the game space. But how often is the target market considered when selecting appropriate musical content? Is it possible to use this almost subliminal channel into the game player’s consciousness to increase his awareness of what is happening around him, and give him a feel for his character’s emotional and physical wellbeing? This paper presents a novel approach for transforming the soundtrack - via a system the author originally created for the purposes of capturing and recreating emotive content in music.
Telling and acting identity
Authors: Poopuu Birgit
Published: May 2015

This article proposes a theoretical approach to investigate the European Union’s identity as a provider of peace operations, i.e. its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) identity. Analysing the discursive construction of the EU’s CSDP identity enables to understand (i) what kind of actor the EU is in terms of conducting peace operations vis-à-vis other actors in the field; and (ii) how the EU affects and is affected by the character of the global “enterprise” of peacebuilding. The EU’s CSDP identity is seen as a process of becoming that is continuously told and acted. Taking cue from a pluralist approach to discourse analysis I explore how through the twin-processes of telling and acting identity it is possible to unravel the EU’s role identity in conducting peace operations. The purpose of this paper is to lay the theoretical groundwork for studying the EU’s CSDP identity, utilising operation Artemis as a case study.
Aberrant actin depolymerization triggers the pyrin inflammasome and autoinflammatory disease that is dependent on IL-18, not IL-1β
Authors: Kim Man Lyang , Chae Jae Jin , Park Yong Hwan , De Nardo Dominic , Stirzaker Roslynn A. , Ko Hyun-Ja , Tye Hazel , Cengia Louise , DiRago Ladina , Metcalf Donald , Roberts Andrew W. , Kastner Daniel L. , Lew Andrew M. , Lyras Dena , Kile Benjamin T. , Croker Ben A. , Masters Seth L.
Published: May 2015

Gain-of-function mutations that activate the innate immune system can cause systemic autoinflammatory diseases associated with increased IL-1β production. This cytokine is activated identically to IL-18 by an intracellular protein complex known as the inflammasome; however, IL-18 has not yet been specifically implicated in the pathogenesis of hereditary autoinflammatory disorders. We have now identified an autoinflammatory disease in mice driven by IL-18, but not IL-1β, resulting from an inactivating mutation of the actin-depolymerizing cofactor Wdr1. This perturbation of actin polymerization leads to systemic autoinflammation that is reduced when IL-18 is deleted but not when IL-1 signaling is removed. Remarkably, inflammasome activation in mature macrophages is unaltered, but IL-18 production from monocytes is greatly exaggerated, and depletion of monocytes in vivo prevents the disease. Small-molecule inhibition of actin polymerization can remove potential danger signals from the system and prevents monocyte IL-18 production. Finally, we show that the inflammasome sensor of actin dynamics in this system requires caspase-1, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain, and the innate immune receptor pyrin. Previously, perturbation of actin polymerization by pathogens was shown to activate the pyrin inflammasome, so our data now extend this guard hypothesis to host-regulated actin-dependent processes and autoinflammatory disease.
Finite electric boundary-layer solutions of a generalized Poisson–Boltzmann equation
Authors: Clarke Bon M. N. , Stiles Peter J.
Published: May 2015

We solve the nonlinear Poisson–Boltzmann (P–B) equation of statistical thermodynamics for the external electrostatic potential of a uniformly charged flat plate immersed in an unbounded strong aqueous electrolyte. Our rather general variational formulation yields new solutions for the external potential derived from both the classical Boltzmann distribution and its heuristic Eigen–Wicke modification for concentrated symmetric electrolytes. Electrostatic potentials of these mean-field solutions satisfy a homogeneous condition at a free boundary plane parallel to the electrically conducting plate. The preferred position of this plane, characterizing the outer limit of the charged electrolyte, is determined by minimizing electrostatic free energy of the electrolyte. For a given uniform density of surface charge exceeding a well-defined and experimentally accessible threshold, we show that the generalized nonlinear P–B equation predicts a unique sharp interface separating a charged boundary layer or double layer from electroneutral bulk electrolyte. Sharp electric boundary layers are shown to be an essentially nonlinear phenomenon. In the super-threshold regime, the diffuse Gouy–Chapman solution is inapplicable and thus the Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek analysis, predicting electrostatic repulsion between two sufficiently separated and identically charged parallel plates must be rejected. Similar limitations restrict the applicability of the Grahame equation relating surface charge density to surface potential.
Levodopa-induced plasticity: a double-edged sword in Parkinson's disease?
Authors: Calabresi Paolo , Ghiglieri Veronica , Mazzocchetti Petra , Corbelli Ilenia , Picconi Barbara
Published: May 2015

The long-term replacement therapy with the dopamine (DA) precursor 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (L-DOPA) is a milestone in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Although this drug precursor can be metabolized into the active neurotransmitter DA throughout the brain, its therapeutic benefit is due to restoring extracellular DA levels within the dorsal striatum, which lacks endogenous DA as a consequence of the neurodegenerative process induced by the disease. In the early phases of PD, L-DOPA treatment is able to restore both long-term depression (LTD) and long-term potentiation (LTP), two major forms of corticostriatal synaptic plasticity that are altered by dopaminergic denervation. However, unlike physiological DA transmission, this therapeutic approach in the advanced phase of the disease leads to abnormal peaks of DA, non-synaptically released, which are supposed to trigger behavioural sensitization, namely L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. This condition is characterized by a loss of synaptic depotentiation, an inability to reverse previously induced LTP. In the advanced stages of PD, L-DOPA can also induce non-motor fluctuations with cognitive dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms such as compulsive behaviours and impulse control disorders. Although the mechanisms underlying the role of L-DOPA in both motor and behavioural symptoms are still incompletely understood, recent data from electrophysiological and imaging studies have increased our understanding of the function of the brain areas involved and of the mechanisms implicated in both therapeutic and adverse actions of L-DOPA in PD patients.
Extrasynaptic release of GABA and dopamine by retinal dopaminergic neurons
Authors: Hirasawa Hajime , Contini Massimo , Raviola Elio
Published: May 2015

In the mouse retina, dopaminergic amacrine (DA) cells synthesize both dopamine and GABA. Both transmitters are released extrasynaptically and act on neighbouring and distant retinal neurons by volume transmission. In simultaneous recordings of dopamine and GABA release from isolated perikarya of DA cells, a proportion of the events of dopamine and GABA exocytosis were simultaneous, suggesting co-release. In addition, DA cells establish GABAergic synapses onto AII amacrine cells, the neurons that transfer rod bipolar signals to cone bipolars. GABAAbut not dopamine receptors are clustered in the postsynaptic membrane. Therefore, dopamine, irrespective of its site of release—synaptic or extrasynaptic—exclusively acts by volume transmission. Dopamine is released upon illumination and sets the gain of retinal neurons for vision in bright light. The GABA released at DA cells' synapses probably prevents signals from the saturated rods from entering the cone pathway when the dark-adapted retina is exposed to bright illumination. The GABA released extrasynaptically by DA and other amacrine cells may set a ‘GABAergic tone’ in the inner plexiform layer and thus counteract the effects of a spillover of glutamate released at the bipolar cell synapses of adjacent OFF and ON strata, thus preserving segregation of signals between ON and OFF pathways.
Effect of amyloids on the vesicular machinery: implications for somatic neurotransmission
Authors: Das Anand Kant , Pandit Rucha , Maiti Sudipta
Published: May 2015

Certain neurodegenerative diseases are thought to be initiated by the aggregation of amyloidogenic proteins. However, the mechanism underlying toxicity remains obscure. Most of the suggested mechanisms are generic in nature and do not directly explain the neuron-type specific lesions observed in many of these diseases. Some recent reports suggest that the toxic aggregates impair the synaptic vesicular machinery. This may lead to an understanding of the neuron-type specificity observed in these diseases. A disruption of the vesicular machinery can also be deleterious for extra-synaptic, especially somatic, neurotransmission (common in serotonergic and dopaminergic systems which are specifically affected in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), respectively), though this relationship has remained unexplored. In this review, we discuss amyloid-induced damage to the neurotransmitter vesicular machinery, with an eye on the possible implications for somatic exocytosis. We argue that the larger size of the system, and the availability of multi-photon microscopy techniques for directly visualizing monoamines, make the somatic exocytosis machinery a more tractable model for understanding the effect of amyloids on all types of vesicular neurotransmission. Indeed, exploring this neglected connection may not just be important, it may be a more fruitful route for understanding AD and PD.
Muscarinic inhibition of nicotinic transmission in rat sympathetic neurons and adrenal chromaffin cells
Authors: He Lin-Ling , Zhang Quan-Feng , Wang Lie-Cheng , Dai Jing-Xia , Wang Chang-He , Zheng Liang-Hong , Zhou Zhuan
Published: May 2015

Little is known about the interactions between nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs and mAChRs). Here we report that methacholine (MCh), a selective agonist of mAChRs, inhibited up to 80% of nicotine-induced nAChR currents in sympathetic superior cervical ganglion neurons and adrenal chromaffin cells. The muscarine-induced inhibition (MiI) substantially reduced ACh-induced membrane currents through nAChRs and quantal neurotransmitter release. The MiI was time- and temperature-dependent. The slow recovery of nAChR current after washout of MCh, as well as the high value of Q10 (3.2), suggested, instead of a direct open-channel blockade, an intracellular metabotropic process. The effects of GTP-γ-S, GDP-β-S and pertussis toxin suggested that MiI was mediated by G-protein signalling. Inhibitors of protein kinase C (bisindolymaleimide–Bis), protein kinase A (H89) and PIP2 depletion attenuated the MiI, indicating that a second messenger pathway is involved in this process. Taken together, these data suggest that mAChRs negatively modulated nAChRs via a G-protein-mediated second messenger pathway. The time dependence suggests that MiI may provide a novel mechanism for post-synaptic adaptation in all cells/neurons and synapses expressing both types of AChRs.
Are cyclooxygenase-2 and nitric oxide involved in the dyskinesia of Parkinson's disease induced byl-DOPA?
Authors: Bortolanza Mariza , Padovan-Neto Fernando E. , Cavalcanti-Kiwiatkoski Roberta , dos Santos-Pereira Maurício , Mitkovski Miso , Raisman-Vozari Rita , Del-Bel Elaine
Published: May 2015

Inflammatory mechanisms are proposed to play a role inl-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) contributes to inflammation pathways in the periphery and is constitutively expressed in the central nervous system. Considering that inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) formation attenuatesl-DOPA-induced dyskinesia, this study aimed at investigating if a NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor would change COX2 brain expression in animals withl-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. To this aim, male Wistar rats received unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine microinjection into the medial forebrain bundle were treated daily withl-DOPA (21 days) combined with 7-nitroindazole or vehicle. All hemi-Parkinsonian rats receivingl-DOPA showed dyskinesia. They also presented increased neuronal COX2 immunoreactivity in the dopamine-depleted dorsal striatum that was directly correlated with dyskinesia severity. Striatal COX2 co-localized with choline-acetyltransferase, calbindin and DARPP-32 (dopamine-cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein-32), neuronal markers of GABAergic neurons. NOS inhibition preventedl-DOPA-induced dyskinesia and COX2 increased expression in the dorsal striatum. These results suggest that increased COX2 expression afterl-DOPA long-term treatment in Parkinsonian-like rats could contribute to the development of dyskinesia.
ATP release through pannexon channels
Authors: Dahl Gerhard
Published: May 2015

Extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) serves as a signal for diverse physiological functions, including spread of calcium waves between astrocytes, control of vascular oxygen supply and control of ciliary beat in the airways. ATP can be released from cells by various mechanisms. This review focuses on channel-mediated ATP release and its main enabler, Pannexin1 (Panx1). Six subunits of Panx1 form a plasma membrane channel termed ‘pannexon’. Depending on the mode of stimulation, the pannexon has large conductance (500 pS) and unselective permeability to molecules less than 1.5 kD or is a small (50 pS), chloride-selective channel. Most physiological and pathological stimuli induce the large channel conformation, whereas the small conformation so far has only been observed with exclusive voltage activation of the channel. The interaction between pannexons and ATP is intimate. The pannexon is not only the conduit for ATP, permitting ATP efflux from cells down its concentration gradient, but the pannexon is also modulated by ATP. The channel can be activated by ATP through both ionotropic P2X as well as metabotropic P2Y purinergic receptors. In the absence of a control mechanism, this positive feedback loop would lead to cell death owing to the linkage of purinergic receptors with apoptotic processes. A control mechanism preventing excessive activation of the purinergic receptors is provided by ATP binding (with low affinity) to the Panx1 protein and gating the channel shut.
Serotonin release from the neuronal cell body and its long-lasting effects on the nervous system
Authors: De-Miguel Francisco F. , Leon-Pinzon Carolina , Noguez Paula , Mendez Bruno
Published: May 2015

Serotonin, a modulator of multiple functions in the nervous system, is released predominantly extrasynaptically from neuronal cell bodies, axons and dendrites. This paper describes how serotonin is released from cell bodies of Retzius neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) of the leech, and how it affects neighbouring glia and neurons. The large Retzius neurons contain serotonin packed in electrodense vesicles. Electrical stimulation with 10 impulses at 1 Hz fails to evoke exocytosis from the cell body, but the same number of impulses at 20 Hz promotes exocytosis via a multistep process. Calcium entry into the neuron triggers calcium-induced calcium release, which activates the transport of vesicle clusters to the plasma membrane. Exocytosis occurs there for several minutes. Serotonin that has been released activates autoreceptors that induce an inositol trisphosphate-dependent calcium increase, which produces further exocytosis. This positive feedback loop subsides when the last vesicles in the cluster fuse and calcium returns to basal levels. Serotonin released from the cell body is taken up by glia and released elsewhere in the CNS. Synchronous bursts of neuronal electrical activity appear minutes later and continue for hours. In this way, a brief train of impulses is translated into a long-term modulation in the nervous system.
The structures of the isomorphous potassium and rubidium salts of 4-nitrobenzoic acid and an overview of the metal complex stereochemistries of the alkali metal salt series with this ligand
Authors: Smith Graham
Published: May 2015

4-Nitrobenzoic acid (PNBA) has proved to be a useful ligand for the preparation of metal complexes but the known structures of the alkali metal salts of PNBA do not include the rubidium salt. The structures of the isomorphous potassium and rubidium polymeric coordination complexes with PNBA, namely poly[μ2-aqua-aqua-μ3-(4-nitrobenzoato)-potassium], [K(C7H4N2O2)(H2O)2]n, (I), and poly[μ3-aqua-aqua-μ5-(4-nitrobenzoato)-rubidium], [Rb(C7H4N2O2)(H2O)2]n, (II), have been determined. In (I), the very distorted KO6coordination sphere about the K+centres in the repeat unit comprise two bridging nitro O-atom donors, a single bridging carboxylate O-atom donor and two water molecules, one of which is bridging. In Rb complex (II), the same basicMO6coordination is found in the repeat unit, but it is expanded to RbO9through a slight increase in the accepted Rb—O bond-length range and includes an additional Rb—Ocarboxylatebond, completing a bidentateO,O′-chelate interaction, and additional bridging Rb—Onitroand Rb—Owaterbonds. The comparative K—O and Rb—O bond-length ranges are 2.7352 (14)–3.0051 (14) and 2.884 (2)–3.182 (2) Å, respectively. The structure of (II) is also isomorphous, as well as isostructural, with the known structure of the nine-coordinate caesium 4-nitrobenzoate analogue, (III), in which the Cs—O bond-length range is 3.047 (4)–3.338 (4) Å. In all three complexes, common basic polymeric extensions are found, including two different centrosymmetric bridging interactions through both water and nitro groups, as well as extensions alongcthrough thepara-related carboxylate group, giving a two-dimensional structure in (I). In (II) and (III), three-dimensional structures are generated through additional bridges involving the nitro and water O atoms. In all three structures, the two water molecules are involved in similar intra-polymer O—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions to both carboxylate and water O-atom acceptors. A comparison of the varied coordination behaviour of the full set of Li–Cs salts with 4-nitrobenzoic acid is also made.
A structural study of (1RS,2SR,3RS,4SR,5RS)-2,4-dibenzoyl-1,3,5-triphenylcyclohexan-1-ol chloroform hemisolvate and (1RS,2SR,3RS,4SR,5RS)-2,4-dibenzoyl-1-phenyl-3,5-bis(2-methoxyphenyl)cyclohexan-1-ol
Authors: Minyaev Mikhail E. , Roitershtein Dmitrii M. , Nifant'ev Ilya E. , Ananyev Ivan V. , Minyaeva Tatyana V. , Mikhaylyev Timofey A.
Published: May 2015

(1RS,2SR,3RS,4SR,5RS)-2,4-Dibenzoyl-1,3,5-triphenylcyclohexan-1-ol or (4-hydroxy-2,4,6-triphenylcyclohexane-1,3-diyl)bis(phenylmethanone), C38H32O3, (1), is formed as a by-product in the NaOH-catalyzed synthesis of 1,3,5-triphenylpentane-1,5-dione from acetophenone and benzaldehyde. Single crystals of the chloroform hemisolvate, C38H32O3·0.5CHCl3, were grown from chloroform. The structure has triclinic (P-1) symmetry. One diastereomer [as a pair of (1RS,2SR,3RS,4SR,5RS)-enantiomers] of (1) has been found in the crystal structure and confirmed by NMR studies. The dichoromethane hemisolvate has been reported previously [Zhanget al.(2007).Acta Cryst.E63, o4652]. (1RS,2SR,3RS,4SR,5RS)-2,4-Dibenzoyl-3,5-bis(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-phenylcyclohexan-1-ol or [4-hydroxy-2,6-bis(2-methoxyphenyl)-4-phenylcyclohexane-1,3-diyl]bis(phenylmethanone), C40H36O5, (2), is also formed as a by-product, under the same conditions, from acetophenone and 2-methoxybenzaldehyde. Crystals of (2) have been grown from chloroform. The structure has orthorhombic (Pca21) symmetry. A diastereomer of (2) possesses the same configuration as (1). In both structures, the cyclohexane ring adopts a chair conformation with all bulky groups (benzoyl, phenyl and 2-methoxyphenyl) in equatorial positions. The molecules of (1) and (2) both display one intramolecular O—H...O hydrogen bond.
Changes in the contents of corporate codes of ethics: an institutional interpretation
Authors: Singh Jang B.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to examine changes in the contents of Canadian corporate codes of ethics over a period of two decades from an institutionalization perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper tracks changes in the contents of the codes of large Canadian corporations longitudinally by analyzing their contents at two points over two decades, in 1992 and 2012. In particular, the paper tests three hypotheses related to the institutionalization of codes.

Findings

– It was found that the codes have become more prescriptive, they are more concerned with social responsibility and are more likely to identify their moral and legal authority. Overall, the findings support an institutional interpretation of the observed changes.

Research limitations/implications

– While large corporations are critical in establishing new and innovative management practices, their selection as the study population limits the generalizabilty of the findings. Another limitation of this paper is that it used an a priori determined set of items to analyze the contents of the codes and while this was needed to facilitate the comparison across time, it also meant that some important items were not clearly identified.

Originality/value

– Codes of ethics are the foundation of ethics programs in corporations and their contents could be critical in the development of a culture of ethics in corporations. This paper makes a valuable contribution to research on business ethics by analyzing the codes of ethics of the largest corporations in Canada at two points over two decades. The need to track changes in corporate codes of ethics over time has been advocated by several researchers, but longitudinal studies in this area are rare.
Lessons on knowledge creation in supply chain management
Authors: Eriksson David
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to convey lessons learned from a long-term research project and present a coherent approach for researching relevant areas, ranging from ontology to quality.

Design/methodology/approach

– A PhD process is used as a case to present conceptual ideas on performing research in logistics/supply chain management (SCM).

Findings

– The research integrates different views on knowledge and the world and how to perform research in logistics/SCM. Models explaining micro and macro abduction, and the relationship between research, the context and researcher subjectivity are suggested.

Research limitations/implications

– Knowledge on why and how critical realism can be used in logistics/SCM research is advanced. Abduction is presented as a micro/macro process, which should not have any specific “finish line”, and is supported with both ontological and epistemological arguments.

Practical implications

– Research in logistics/SCM can be improved by connecting different aspects of viewing and creating knowledge. Reflecting on how exactly a publication is related to a project, researchers can better describe how they contribute to knowledge creation, and also understand the relationship between micro and macro abduction.

Originality/value

– Through presenting an approach to knowledge creation in the context of a PhD thesis, this research distinguishes itself in a field with a growing need to define its own views of the world and of knowledge. The paper advances current understanding of knowledge creation in logistics/SCM, expanding on earlier models and presenting a broader view of the research process and the associated dilemmas. The paper also contains novel considerations of the differences between publication types and how these affect the presentation of the research.
Improving financial services data quality – a financial company practice
Authors: Shi Chuan , Jugulum Rajesh , Joyce Harold Ian , Singh Jagmet , Granese Bob , Ramachandran Raji , Gray Donald , Heien Christopher H , Talburt John R.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to propose a funnel methodology that selects business data elements for data quality improvement practices at a financial company. Data quality is crucial in post-crisis recovery of the financial services industry. This allows the bank to monitor its critical data assets and improve its business operation by Six Sigma engagement that benefits from the good quality of data.

Design/methodology/approach

– A funnel methodology is invented. It utilizes a rationalization matrix and statistical methods to identify critical data elements (CDEs) for data quality efforts from numerous candidates across business functions. The “Voice of the Customer” is achieved by including subject matter experts, whose knowledge and experience contribute to the entire process.

Findings

– The methodology eliminates redundancy and reduces the number of data elements to be monitored, so that attention becomes focused on the right elements. In addition, the methodology ensures that the conduct of the data quality assessment is framed within a context of the functional area’s business objectives.

Originality/value

– Measuring and improving data quality form a solid foundation of every Six Sigma engagement. When presented with large data elements, determining what to measure can be an arduous task. Having a proven systematic and valid process to reduce the CDE candidate pool becomes an operational necessity of paramount importance, and this justifies the value of the proposed methodology. Its implementation is described by a Basel II case study. The methodology is not restricted to financial services industry, and can be used readily in any other industry that requires data quality improvement.
Underwater robots: a review of technologies and applications
Authors: Bogue Robert
Published: May 2015

Purpose

This paper aims to provide details of underwater robot technology and its applications.

Design/methodology/approach

Following an introduction, this article first discusses remotely operated vehicle (ROV) technology and applications and then considers their use in the emerging field of deep-sea mining. It then discusses autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) technology and its applications, including sub-sea gliders. Finally, brief concluding comments are drawn.

Findings

ROVs were first developed in the 1950s for military applications. They are now widely used by the offshore oil and gas sector and other industries and are being developed for deep-sea mining. AUV technology has progressed rapidly in recent years and AUVs, including sub-sea gliders, are now emerging from their original role in oceanographic research and finding growing uses in the defence and offshore energy sectors.

Originality/value

This provides a detailed insight into underwater robot technologies, products and applications.
Hotel valuations earning multipliers – terminal value: Malta’s scenario
Authors: Camilleri Denis
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to establish whether a terminal value is a substantial amount of the final figure in a hotel’s valuation. Malta’s scenario has been delved into. This due to the fact that owing to Malta’s high population density and its restrictive land area, land values attract a high premium as compared with larger developed countries. Other matters such as earnings’ multipliers derived from a cap rate (initial yield), CAPEX has also been delved into.

Design/methodology/approach

– The methodologies adopted in hotel valuation practice has been delved into. An extensive literature review is undertaken to analyse the earnings multiplier adopted by various authors over the past 30-year period. The hotel cap rate (initial yield) has been compared with similar yields adopted in the institutional and property markets and then compares to market-based data. A discussion is undertaken on the validity of adopting discounted cash flow, as against the short cut market appraisal approach. Capitalization rates, cap rates have also been referred to as obtained from the academic and practitioners field and compared. Depreciation and the anticipated annual accommodation charges have been analysed. A database of hotel rooms value over the past 20-year period has been referred.

Findings

– A table outlines the earnings’ multipliers in perpetuity or for the limited expected design life for various cap rates. This data will act as a guide in guiding practitioners to establish an earnings’ multiplier to be applied in their valuation methodology. An example in the Appendix clarifies the manner in which this data table is to be utilized. The finding of this example notes that for this hotel in Malta, as constructed on private land, the terminal value for this development hovers around the 30 per cent of the market value.

Research limitations/implications

– This analysis is based on five valuations as undertaken on five hotels in Malta with classification grades varying from III to V. This notes that the terminal value varies within a range of 9-45 per cent of the total value. This analysis has to be undertaken for other countries for a global range of land terminal values percentages to be established.

Practical implications

– Establishing the terminal value of a hotel business, will offer greater security for secured lending facilities required. It will further act as an important tool to establish the feasibility of a hotel development.

Originality/value

– Updated insight is given to existing hotel valuation methodologies by delving into the workings of the earnings’ multiplier and establishes that in today’s market the terminal value of the hotel basis has to be accounted for. The above findings are based on a link between theory and practice.
The ecological foundations of transmission potential and vector‐borne disease in urban landscapes
Authors: LaDeau Shannon L. , Allan Brian F. , Leisnham Paul T. , Levy Michael Z.
Published: May 2015

Urban transmission of arthropod‐vectored disease has increased in recent decades. Understanding and managing transmission potential in urban landscapes requires integration of sociological and ecological processes that regulate vector population dynamics, feeding behaviour and vector–pathogen interactions in these unique ecosystems. Vectorial capacity is a key metric for generating predictive understanding about transmission potential in systems with obligate vector transmission. This review evaluates how urban conditions, specifically habitat suitability and local temperature regimes, and the heterogeneity of urban landscapes can influence the biologically relevant parameters that define vectorial capacity: vector density, survivorship, biting rate, extrinsic incubation period and vector competence.

Incidence of vector‐borne disease in urban host populations is rarely, if ever, evenly distributed across an urban area. The persistence and quality of vector habitat can vary significantly across socio‐economic boundaries to influence vector species composition and abundance, often generating socio‐economically distinct gradients of transmission potential across neighbourhoods.

Urban regions often experience unique temperature regimes, broadly termed urban heat islands (UHI). Arthropod vectors are ectothermic organisms, and their growth, survival and behaviour are highly sensitive to environmental temperatures. Vector response toUHIconditions is dependent on regional temperature profiles relative to the vector's thermal performance range. In temperate climates,UHIcan facilitate increased vector development rates while having countervailing influence on survival and feeding behaviour. Understanding how urban heat island (UHI) conditions alter thermal and moisture constraints across the vector life cycle to influence transmission processes is an important direction for both empirical and modelling research.

There remain persistent gaps in understanding of vital rates and drivers in mosquito‐vectored disease systems, and vast holes in understanding for other arthropod‐vectored diseases. Empirical studies are needed to better understand the physiological constraints and socio‐ecological processes that generate heterogeneity in critical transmission parameters, including vector survival and fitness. Likewise, laboratory experiments and transmission models must evaluate vector response to realistic field conditions, such as variability in sociological and environmental conditions.
Biological pest control and yields depend on spatial and temporal crop cover dynamics
Authors: Schneider Gudrun , Krauss Jochen , Riedinger Verena , Holzschuh Andrea , Steffan‐Dewenter Ingolf
Published: May 2015

Modern agricultural landscapes are dynamic systems with interannually changing proportions of different crop types. However, the effects of spatiotemporal changes in crop area on crop yields and crop–herbivore–antagonist interactions have been rarely considered, in contrast to documented beneficial effects of semi‐natural habitats on biological pest control at local and landscape scales. In this study, we examined how the proportion of oilseed rape (OSR) fields in a landscape and the annual increase or decrease in OSR cover due to crop rotation affect OSR herbivores, their natural enemies and crop yield.

During two study years, we examined the abundance of adult and larval pollen beetles, parasitism of pollen beetle larvae by a parasitic ichneumonid and crop yields (seed weight per plant) in the edge and centre of 36 OSR fields. The fields differed in the proportion of OSR in the surrounding landscape at 1‐km radius and in the interannual change in the proportion of OSR from the previous year to the respective study year.

Adult pollen beetle abundance decreased in one study year and larval pollen beetle abundance and parasitism rates decreased in both study years with spatially increasing OSR proportion in the landscape, indicating dilution effects on both trophic levels. Crop yield was positively affected by spatially increasing proportions of OSR. An interannual increase in the proportion of OSR led to the dilution of pest species, but had no significant effect on yield or parasitism rate.

Synthesis and applications. The negative effects of pollen beetles on yields despite regular insecticide applications underpin the need for improved techniques for controlling this pest. Our results emphasize the potential to enhance crop yields by the management of spatiotemporal crop cover dynamics within landscapes. We recommend that future management schemes should coordinate the spatial aggregation and annual dynamics of oilseed rape (OSR) cover in a landscape as a potential way to reduce pest impacts in intensively managed OSR fields.
Labile Labour – Gender, Flexibility and Creative Work
Authors: Morgan George , Nelligan Pariece
Published: May 2015

The growth of the new economy and creative work has posed a range of challenges for young workers in the West. Creativity has come to signify something more than simply performing symbolic and knowledge work. To be creative is now also to exhibit an entrepreneurial savviness and a readiness to endure the vagaries of precarious work and the scrutiny of creative gatekeepers. In this paper, based on research in Australia amongst creative aspirants, we suggest that young men from working-class backgrounds, who are steeped in the traditions of communities of practice, are less able than young women to endure the rigours of the creative career. They are disinclined to ‘sell themselves’ and their skills, in churning creative labour markets, preferring the stable and cooperative forms of the work group to the individualistic and competitive structures of the new economy.
Instantiating Vision at the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary
Authors: Mangan Patricia Hart
Published: May 2015

This article examines the how the educational ideals of Mary Lyon, founder of the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, were instantiated in the built environment of the seminary she founded in the early nineteenth century. It is an exploration of how Lyon's vision of place contributed to the creation and transformation of gendered lives for middle‐ and lower‐class women from rural New England. While working within the restraints of a male‐dominated social and economic climate, Lyon both conforms to and resists the accepted gender roles that expected women to be subservient and obedient. Intent on changing the nature of women's educational and professional lives, Lyon refashioned notions of what it meant to be dependent yet dedicated to developing a life of the mind. Specific attention is given to how the built environment of the seminary served to further inculcate Lyon's belief in order, routine, and familial harmony all in the service of educating young women in preparation for both domestic and professional lives.