bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A study of radical graft copolymerization on polypropylene during extrusion using two peroxide initiators
Authors: Badrossamay Mohammad Reza , Sun Gang
Published: October 2009

Functionalization of polypropylene (PP) during melt extrusion has been explored extensively. In this study, two different radical initiators were employed and compared in grafting acyclic halamine precursors to PP. 2,4‐Diamino‐6‐diallylamino‐1,3,5‐triazine (NDAM) was grafted onto PP during a melt‐extrusion process using either 2,5‐dimethyl‐2,5‐(tert‐butylperoxy)hexyne (DTBHY) or dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as initiator. The results confirmed the radical graft copolymerization of the monomer onto the PP backbone during the reactive extrusion process. It was revealed that, at low monomer concentration, when peroxide initiator concentration was increased, polymer chain scission became dominant. DCP was more efficient than DTBHY as an initiator in the graft polymerization. After exposure to chlorine bleach, the grafted structures could be easily transformed into N‐halamines, which provided powerful, durable and regenerable antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. It is concluded that both DCP and DTBHY could be used as radical initiators in reactive extrusion to graft certain vinyl monomers to PP. The NDAM‐grafted PP could provide expected antibacterial function after chlorination of the grafted product in a chlorine bleach solution. The modified PP showed great potential for use in medical devices and non‐woven textiles. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry
A discriminative approach for identifying domain–domain interactions from protein–protein interactions
Authors: Zhao Xing‐Ming , Chen Luonan , Aihara Kazuyuki
Published: October 2009

Protein domains are functional and structural units of proteins. Therefore, identification of domain–domain interactions (DDIs) can provide insight into the biological functions of proteins. In this article, we propose a novel discriminative approach for predicting DDIs based on both protein–protein interactions (PPIs) and the derived information of non‐PPIs. We make a threefold contribution to the work in this area. First, we take into account non‐PPIs explicitly and treat the domain combinations that can discriminate PPIs from non‐PPIs as putative DDIs. Second, DDI identification is formalized as a feature selection problem, in which it tries to find out a minimum set of informative features (i.e., putative DDIs) that discriminate PPIs from non‐PPIs, which is plausible in biology and is able to predict DDIs in a systematic and accurate manner. Third, multidomain combinations including two‐domain combinations are taken into account in the proposed method, where multidomain cooperations may help proteins to interact with each other. Numerical results on several DDI prediction benchmark data sets show that the proposed discriminative method performs comparably well with other top algorithms with respect to overall performance, and outperforms other methods in terms of precision. The PPI data sets used for prediction of DDIs and prediction results can be found at http://csb.shu.edu.cn/dipd. Proteins 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Si nanowire arrays as anodes in Li ion batteries
Authors: Föll H. , Hartz H. , Ossei‐Wusu E. , Carstensen J. , Riemenschneider O.
Published: October 2009

Si nanowires can incorporate large amounts of Li without fracturing and are thus prime candidates for anodes in Li ion batteries. Anodes made from Si nanowires offer a specific capacity per gram more then 10 times larger than the present graphite standard. It is shown how optimized Si nanowire arrays embedded in Cu can be produced in a relatively simple way employing macropore etching in Si followed by chemical etching and Cu galvanic deposition. First tests of these arrays in half‐cells and batteries demonstrated a substantially increased capacity, small irreversible losses and cycle stability. In particular more than 60 charge/discharge cycles could be realized without loss of capacity. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Photonic Crystal Fibers and Their Applications
Authors: Tohyama Osamu , Yamaguchi Syun‐Ichiro
Published: October 2009

Dramatic advances in research and development on photonic crystal fibers (PCF) have created new properties that had not been achievable using conventional fibers. PCFs have many fascinating features. The very high relative refractive index between the fiber core and air‐hole cladding enables several prominent properties, notably endlessly single‐mode (ESM) operation, high nonlinearity, wide‐ranging dispersion management, and the ability to maintain high polarization. The processes involved in manufacturing PCFs are quite different from those used to manufacture conventional fibers, and this is largely because of the profusion of air holes in the silica glass that comprises PCFs. The authors have optimized the technology to manufacture photonic crystals with the required optical characteristics. This paper describes the properties and application of large‐mode and ESM guidance, nonlinearity, and double cladding. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Effectiveness Evaluation of Pre‐review of Software Developed by Novice Engineers in China
Authors: Wang Zuoqi , Qu Yixiao , Akiyoshi Masanori , Komoda Norihisa
Published: October 2009

This paper quantitatively discusses the pre‐review effectiveness of software developed by novice engineers of offshore development companies in China. Pre‐review process in a Chinese offshore company is applied to the software developed by novice engineers before the test process for enhancing the quality of the software products. Based on the data collected in 2 years, the relationship between the point rate in pre‐review and the bug rate in unit test process is examined from various points of view. It becomes clear that by performing this pre‐review, the quality of the software developed by the lower level engineers can be kept at the same level of the middle level engineers. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Solving Complex Transcendental Equations Based on Swarm Intelligence
Authors: Yu‐Bo Tian
Published: October 2009

Swarm intelligence (SI) is a kind of intelligence mode enlightened by some intelligent colony behaviors in nature. This paper focuses on the characteristics of global convergence of genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) in SI and the strategy of parameter tracking (PT), and fusing them together effectively forms a new algorithm that can solve complex transcendental equations accurately in electromagnetic field. In the process of developing the algorithm, the searching area is decreased, solution is simplified, and the calculating speed is accelerated due to the PT. Moreover, the precision of the results is enhanced due to the dynamic searching area. The predicting of the new searching center by using 3‐order difference formula speeds up the calculation further. Based on the developed algorithm, some classical eigenvalue equations that are complex transcendental ones are solved. The computing results show that the algorithm can suitably solve the multi‐root problem of complex transcendental equations. Furthermore, the computing result is complete and accurate, and the algorithm is robust. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Energy Saving Speed and Charge/Discharge Control of a Railway Vehicle with On‐board Energy Storage by Means of an Optimization Model
Authors: Miyatake Masafumi , Matsuda Kunihiko
Published: October 2009

The optimal operation of rail vehicle minimizing total energy consumption is discussed in this paper. In recent years, the energy storage devices have enough energy and power density to use in trains as on‐board energy storage. The on‐board storage can assist the acceleration/deceleration of the train and may decrease energy consumption. Many works on the application of the energy storage devices to trains were reported, however, they did not deal enough with the optimality of the control of the devices. The authors pointed out that the charging/discharging command and vehicle speed profile should be optimized together based on the optimality analysis. The authors have developed the mathematical model based on a general optimization technique, sequential quadratic programming. The proposed method can determine the optimal acceleration/deceleration and current commands at every sampling point under fixed conditions of transfer time and distance. Using the proposed method, simulations were implemented in some cases. The electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) is assumed as an energy storage device in our study, because of its high power density etc. The trend of optimal solutions such as values of control inputs and energy consumption is finally discussed. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Color Specification for Structural Colors by Using Reflection Spectrum
Authors: Wakabayashi Hideaki , Yamakita Jiro
Published: October 2009

In this paper, color specification procedure for structural colors by using reflection spectrum in visible wavelength is proposed. The tristimulus values in XYZ color system are obtained from the reflection spectrum calculated by transmission‐line theory, and transformed into tristimulus values in standard red‐green‐blue (sRGB) color system. By using the sRGB, structural color is quantitatively specified. From some numerical results, it is shown that our suggested color specification procedure is valid. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Giant placental chorioangioma: natural history and pregnancy outcome
Authors: Zanardini C. , Papageorghiou A. , Bhide A. , Thilaganathan B.
Published: October 2009

Objectives

Giant placental chorioangiomas are associated with a high prevalence of pregnancy complications and a poor perinatal outcome. The aim of the study was to evaluate the natural history, intrauterine treatment and outcome of pregnancies complicated by giant placental chorioangioma.

Methods

This was a retrospective study of 19 cases of giant placental chorioangioma, in which the natural history, intrauterine treatment and outcome of pregnancy were evaluated.

Results

Eighteen of the 19 cases were associated with a wide variety of fetal complications, including polyhydramnios, growth restriction, hyperdynamic circulation, cardiomegaly, anemia and non‐immune hydrops. Two‐thirds of the cases developed complications that required either elective delivery for fetal growth restriction (n = 6) or intervention for cardiovascular effects (n = 7). Fetal therapy, when required, was tailored to the particular complication and resulted in a successful pregnancy in all cases.

Conclusions

The presence of large placental chorioangioma is associated with the development of fetal growth restriction and hyperdynamic state in a significant number of cases. This series elucidates some of the putative underlying mechanisms for these complications, and reports on a safe and effective treatment modality, percutaneous ultrasound‐guided interstitial laser therapy. Copyright © 2009 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The applicability of virtual interface for inter‐technology handoffs in Proxy Mobile IPv6
Authors: Wakikawa Ryuji , Kiriyama Sawako , Gundavelli Sri
Published: October 2009

Proxy Mobile IPv6 has been standardized by the IETF recently. It is a network‐based mobility management protocol based on Mobile IPv6. There is significant interest from various standards bodies for its adoption in 4G networks as the key mobility management protocol. It is being seen as the protocol for achieving a common mobile core network, accommodating various access technologies such as WiMAX, 3GPP and 3GPP2 radio networks. One of the key aspects of the protocol is the support for inter‐technology handoffs. The Proxy Mobile IPv6 network allows the mobile node to perform handoff between different access technologies and the network will ensure the terminal obtains the same address configuration as before. However there is no study on the required software function on the host for performing inter‐technology handoffs and with the goal of session survivability across handoffs. This paper analyzes from the mobile node's perspective on the potential approaches for achieving this and without requiring any changes to the host. It explores the use of virtual interface support available in Linux as one of the approaches and demonstrates that it is a simple host configuration and does not require any host stack changes. It also provides the results from the inter‐technology handoff experiments running with our Proxy Mobile IPv6 implementation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hydrothermal Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Magnetic Properties of Two New Coordination Polymers [Ni(IHQS)(4,4′‐bipy)0.5(H2O)2]n and [Cu(IHQS)(4,4′‐bipy)0.5H2O]n
Authors: Zhu Xiaofei F. , Zhang Hong , Zhou Yanhong H. , Guan Li
Published: October 2009

Two new one‐dimensional coordination polymers [Ni(IHQS)(4,4′‐bipy)0.5(H2O)2]n (1) and [Cu(IHQS)(4,4′‐bipy)0.5H2O]n (2) [IHQS = 7‐iodo‐8‐hydroxyquinoline‐5‐sulfonic acid (Ferron); 4,4′‐bipy = 4,4′‐bipyridyl] were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. The crystal structures were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and further been characterized by IR spectra and thermal gravimetric analysis. Compound 1 exhibits one dimensional infinite chain‐like structure and compound 2 displays the one dimensional sheet‐like framework, where the copper bichains are bridged by 4,4′‐bipy ligands. Moreover, the two compounds show different magnetic properties because of their different crystal structures.
Cell Creeping and Controlled Migration by Magnetic Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Raffa V , Vittorio O , Ciofani G , Pensabene V , Cuschieri A
Published: October 2009

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are tubular nanostructures that exhibit magnetic properties due to the metal catalyst impurities entrapped at their extremities during fabrication. When mammalian cells are cultured in a CNT-containing medium, the nanotubes interact with the cells, as a result of which, on exposure to a magnetic field, they are able to move cells towards the magnetic source. In the present paper, we report on a model that describes the dynamics of this mammalian cell movement in a magnetic field consequent on CNT attachment. The model is based on Bell’s theory of unbinding dynamics of receptor-ligand bonds modified and validated by experimental data of the movement dynamics of mammalian cells cultured with nanotubes and exposed to a magnetic field, generated by a permanent magnet, in the vicinity of the cell culture wells. We demonstrate that when the applied magnetic force is below a critical value (about F
c ≈ 10−11 N), the cell ‘creeps’ very slowly on the culture dish at a very low velocity (10–20 nm/s) but becomes detached from the substrate when this critical magnetic force is exceeded and then move towards the magnetic source.
n‐3 PUFA as Regulators of Cardiac Gene Transcription: A New Link between PPAR Activation and Fatty Acid Composition
Authors: Di Nunzio Mattia , Danesi Francesca , Bordoni Alessandra
Published: October 2009

The fatty acids regulate gene expression directly binding to nuclear receptors or affecting the protein content of transcription factors. In this work, supplementing primary cultures of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes with 60 µM EPA or DHA, we demonstrated by an ELISA assay an increased PPAR β/δ binding to DNA. n‐3 PUFA supplementation deeply changed the acyl composition of both cytosolic and nuclear fractions. The high content of total fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA, and its increase following supplementation suggested a selective accumulation of n‐3 PUFAs in the nucleus, supporting the direct interaction of n‐3 PUFA with PPAR. The activity of acyl‐CoA thioesterase (ACOT), catalyzing the reaction leading to NEFA from acyl‐CoA, increased in n‐3 PUFA supplemented cells. The NEFA/acyl‐CoA ratio is an important regulator of the fatty acid transport to the nucleus and consequent modulation of gene transcription, and although ACOT activity is not the only parameter of this ratio, it is important for the control of the NEFA pool composition. Our data further clarify what happens in cardiomyocytes following n‐3 PUFA supplementation, linking the modification of acyl composition to ACOT activity and PPAR activation.
A Modified Amino Acid Analysis Using PITC Derivatization for Soybeans with Accurate Determination of Cysteine and Half‐Cystine
Authors: Kwanyuen Prachuab , Burton Joseph W.
Published: October 2009

Breeding efforts to change the amino acid profile of seed protein and the assessment of genetic variation for amino acid composition among soybean germplasm resources have been hampered by lack of a rapid and inexpensive method for amino acid determination. A modified procedure presented here is partly based on a gas‐phase hydrolysis and precolumn derivatization for HPLC analysis. The procedure accurately measured cysteine and half‐cystine in samples. The method was also proven to be accurate using a reference protein with known amino acid composition. It is reliable and can be automated for daily analysis with a large number of samples. The method was also tested with soybean seeds harvested from a two‐replicate multi‐location soybean field experiment. It was found that no soybean cultivar by location interaction was significant for any of the amino acids which demonstrate that amino acid compositions were generally stable across a range of environments, and that the repeatability of the measurement itself was high. The error associated with the determination was also low as demonstrated by the analysis of variance.
Cholesterol Removal from Squid Liver Oil by Crosslinked β‐Cyclodextrin
Authors: Lee Jeong Eun , Seo Mi Hwa , Chang Yoon Hyuk , Kwak Hae‐Soo
Published: October 2009

The present study was designed to optimize the different conditions for β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) crosslinked by adipic acid on cholesterol removal from squid liver oil. Different factors were concentrations of crosslinked β‐CD, mixing temperature, ratio of squid liver oil to distilled water, mixing time and mixing speed. It was found that cholesterol removal from squid liver oil was significantly affected by concentrations of crosslinked β‐CD, mixing temperature, ratio of squid liver oil to distilled water, mixing time and mixing speed. In a recycling study, cholesterol removal from the squid liver oil with recycled crosslinked β‐CD in the first recycling trial was 81.05%, which was slightly lower than that with new crosslinked β‐CD (87.06%). In up to three time trials, over 70% of cholesterol removal was observed. The present study indicated that the optimum conditions for cholesterol removal from squid liver oil using crosslinked β‐CD were a 1:3 ratio of squid liver oil to distilled water, 25% (crosslinked β‐CD/distilled water, w/v) crosslinked β‐CD concentration, 20 min mixing time, 800 rpm mixing speed and 55 °C mixing temperature with about 87% cholesterol removal.
Thermodynamic analysis of substrate induced domain closure of 3‐phosphoglycerate kinase
Authors: Varga Andrea , Szabó Judit , Flachner Beáta , Gugolya Zoltán , Vonderviszt Ferenc , Závodszky Péter , Vas Mária
Published: October 2009

The energetic changes accompanying domain closure of 3‐phosphoglycerate kinase, a typical hinge‐bending enzyme, were assessed. Calorimetric titrations of the enzyme with each substrate, both in the absence and presence of the other one, provide information not only about the energetics of substrate binding, but of the associated conformational changes, including domain closure. Our results suggest that conformational rearrangements in the hinge generated by binding of both substrates provide the main driving force for domain closure overcoming the slightly unfavourable contact interactions between the domains.
The role of glycophosphatidylinositol anchor in the amplification of the scrapie isoform of prion protein in vitro
Authors: Kim Jae-Il , Surewicz Krystyna , Gambetti Pierluigi , Surewicz Witold K.
Published: October 2009

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are associated with an autocatalytic conversion of normal prion protein, PrPC, to a protease‐resistant form, PrPres. This autocatalytic reaction can be reproduced in vitro using a procedure called protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). Here we show that, unlike brain‐derived PrPC, bacterially‐expressed recombinant prion protein (rPrP) is a poor substrate for PrPres amplification in a standard PMCA reaction. The differences between PrPC and rPrP appear to be due to the lack of the glycophosphatidylinositol anchor in the recombinant protein. These findings shed a new light on prion protein conversion process and have important implications for the efforts to generate synthetic prions for structural and biophysical studies.
Public opinion and biotechnological innovation
Authors: Weldon Steven , Laycock David
Published: October 2009

This article examines public support for genomic and modern biotechnological innovations with an eye to developing a general model of public opinion formation in this area. The burgeoning field of genomic science has seen rapid advances in recent years with a host of new applications in medicine, agriculture, and related fields. From genetic testing for hereditary diseases and DNA fingerprinting in criminal cases, to the introduction of genetically modified crops, genetic innovations are transforming our understanding of science and its potential for altering human society. The sequencing of the human genome and breakthroughs in stem cells and cloning research promise to push the frontiers of this science.
On principal bundles over a projective variety defined over a finite field
Authors: Biswas Indranil
Published: October 2009

Let M be a geometrically irreducible smooth projective variety, defined over a finite field k, such that M admits a k-rational point x0. Let (M,x0/ denote the corresponding fundamental group-scheme introduced by Nori. Let EG be a principal G-bundle over M, where G is a reduced reductive linear algebraic group defined over the field k. Fix a polarization ξ on M. We prove that the following three statements are equivalent:

1. The principal G-bundle EG over M is given by a homomorphism (M,x0)→G.

2. There are integers b > a ≥ 1, such that the principal G-bundle (FbM)* EG is isomorphic to (FaM) * EG where FM is the absolute Frobenius morphism of M.

3. The principal G-bundle EG is strongly semistable, the degree(c2(ad(EG))c1 (ξ)d−2 = 0, where d = dimM, and the degree(c1(EG(χ))c1(ξ)d−1) = 0 for every character χ of G, where EG(χ) is the line bundle over M associated to EG for χ.

In [16], the equivalence between the first statement and the third statement was proved under the extra assumption that dimM = 1 and G is semisimple.
Calcium requirements for bone growth in Canadian boys and girls during adolescence
Authors: Vatanparast Hassanali , Bailey Donald A. , Baxter-Jones Adam D. G. , Whiting Susan J.
Published: October 2009

Adequate dietary intake during the growth period is critical for bone mineral accretion. In 1997, an adequate intake (AI) of 1300 mg/d Ca was set for North American adolescents aged 9–18 years based on best available data. We determined bone Ca accrual values from age 9 to 18 years taking into account sex and maturity. Furthermore, we used the accrual data to estimate adolescents' Ca requirements. Total body bone mineral content (TBBMC) of eighty-five boys and sixty-seven girls participating in the Saskatchewan Paediatric Bone Mineral Accrual Study were used to determine annual TBBMC accumulation over the pubertal growth period. Using a similar factorial approach as the AI, we estimated Ca requirements of adolescent boys and girls for two age groups: 9–13 and 14–18 years. Between 9 and 18 years, boys accrued 198·8 (sd74·5) g bone mineral content (BMC) per year, equivalent to 175·4 (sd65·7) mg Ca per d with the maximum BMC accrual of 335·9 g from age 13 to 14 years. Girls had 138·1 (sd64·2) g BMC per year, equalling121·8 (sd56·6) mg Ca per d with the maximum annual BMC accrual of 266·0 g from age 12 to 13 years. Differences were observed between both sex and age groups with respect to Ca needs: boys and girls aged 9–13 years would require 1000–1100 mg/d Ca, and from age 14 to 18 years, the mean Ca requirements would be relatively stable at 1000 mg/d for girls but would rise to 1200 mg/d for boys.
“WE ARE HERE TO BRING THE WEST, NOT ONLY TO OURSELVES”: ZIONIST OCCIDENTALISM AND THE DISCOURSE OF HYGIENE IN MANDATE PALESTINE
Authors: Hirsch Dafna
Published: October 2009

Thus wrote Dr. Asher Goldstein in the Hebrew daily paperHaʾaretz(The Land) in 1935, lamenting the disregard for hygiene among Palestine's Jews. In Goldstein's text, hygiene is metonymic to Western progress, which the Jews were to bring with them to Palestine. Yet the Jews in this text occupy an ambivalent position: they are not only to bring the West to the “entire backward Orient” but also to themselves. A hygienic way of life, far from being a secured component in their cultural compendium, is presented as a goal yet to be achieved. Indeed, it constituted a project in which Dr. Goldstein—author of several hygiene manuals and editor of the health column inHaʾaretz—played an important role.
PROPHETS AND PRIESTS OF THE NATION: NAGUIB MAHFOUZ'SKARNAK CAFÉAND THE 1967 CRISIS IN EGYPT
Authors: Geer Benjamin
Published: October 2009

This quote from a character in the 1974 novelAl-Karnak(Karnak Café) by Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz (1911–2006) sums up the reaction of millions of people in Egypt and the Arab world to the June 1967 Arab–Israeli war. Why did this war shatter their worldviews? A military defeat may occur for purely military reasons, in this case the better preparation of Israeli troops. Why should it cast doubt on a whole way of life? The answer to this question lies in the social and cognitive structure of nationalism, which I examine in a moment of crisis, after the 1967 war, when it became necessary for nationalist intellectuals to debate issues that had previously been taken for granted.Al-Karnak, which was made into a highly profitable and controversial film, provides a good starting point for studying these debates. However, it is important to understand them as products of the nationalist project of which Mahfouz was a part. I first analyze the history of that project, explaining its raison d'être and its success by the 1960s.
“WE ARE HERE TO BRING THE WEST, NOT ONLY TO OURSELVES”: ZIONIST OCCIDENTALISM AND THE DISCOURSE OF HYGIENE IN MANDATE PALESTINE
Authors: Hirsch Dafna
Published: October 2009

During the British Mandate period Zionist health organizations and professional groups made an extensive effort to educate the Jewish public in health and hygiene. This article analyzes the Hebrew popular-scientific discourse of hygiene. It looks at the inculcation of hygienic models of conduct as part of a project of modernization and Westernization. As the analysis demonstrates, Zionist identity was constructed as modern and Western in opposition to the Orient and Oriental ways of life. At the same time, “Occidental” and “Oriental” were unstable and sometimes ambivalent categories in the hygienic discourse. Not only the value of the categories sometimes differ (as Jews were depicted both as European settlers and as natives of the Orient), but also East European Jews appeared both as objects and as subjects of a “civilizing mission.” As a consequence, the construction of difference between European Jews and Orientals was not always grounded in different practices attributed to each of these groups but sometimes in the different value attached to the same practices when performed by members of different groups.
FROM DIFĀʿ AL-NISĀʾ TO MASʾALAT AL-NISĀʾ IN GREATER SYRIA: READERS AND WRITERS DEBATE WOMEN AND THEIR RIGHTS, 1858–1900
Authors: Zachs Fruma , Halevi Sharon
Published: October 2009

In this article we present a threefold argument—chronological, geographical, and sociocultural—in order to demonstrate that interest in the woman question and the lively, and at times charged, debate that it stimulated began in Greater Syria in the early nahḍa (awakening) period and persisted throughout, drawing into its orbit leading intellectuals as well as members of the general public and permeating even peripheral areas of Greater Syria. The study is based on an analysis of Hadiqat al-Akhbar, Al-Jinan, Al-Muqtataf, Thamarat al-Funun, and Al-Hilal, whose articles, editorials, regular columns, op-ed items, and readers' letters provide a sense of the breadth, richness, coherence, and continuity of the debate and its accompanying “community of discourse.” We conclude with a consideration of the ramifications of the argument on future understandings of the nahḍa as a sociocultural phenomenon and on the study of the place of women in modern Arab societies.
USING A REPRODUCTIVE LIFE COURSE APPROACH TO UNDERSTAND CONTRACEPTIVE METHOD USE IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: GRAY EDITH , McDONALD PETER
Published: October 2009

This paper examines contraceptive method use at different stages of the reproductive life course. Previous research on contraceptive practice in developed countries typically applies age as a proxy for reproductive history. While age is an essential and useful life course measure for understanding contraceptive use, investigations of contraceptive practice should also consider parity and fertility intentions, as they may be more accurate measures of reproductive life course stage. Analysis is based on data collected in the 2005 Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, a nationally representative sample of women of reproductive age (18–44). For women at risk of pregnancy, the most commonly used methods are easily reversed methods such as the oral contraceptive pill (30%) and condom (23%), medium-term methods such as the intrauterine device and implantation (5%) and permanent methods (7% tubal ligation and 9% vasectomy of partner). Logistic regression models are used to investigate the use of four popular contraceptive methods by parity, age and fertility intentions controlling for socio-demographic factors. The main findings indicate that the use of these methods varies substantially by the stage of a woman's reproductive life course: age, parity and fertility intentions are all associated with method use.
EFFECT OF INBREEDING ON WEIGHT GAIN OF OFFSPRING FROM BIRTH TO 12 MONTHS AFTER BIRTH: A STUDY FROM IRAN
Authors: NAFISSI SAMANE , ANSARI-LARI MARYAM , SAADAT MOSTAFA
Published: October 2009

Consanguinity, the marriage between relatives, has been associated with adverse child health outcomes. The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of consanguinity on offspring weight gain from birth to 12 months after birth. Data were collected on 250 consecutive live-born singleton newborns referred to a local health centre in Shiraz (Fars province, southern Iran). Collected data covered socio-demographic characteristics (such as parental age at delivery and parental education), sex, birth order, weights from birth to 12 months after birth and consanguinity of marriages of parents. Considering the low prevalence of double first cousin, first cousin once removed, second cousin, and beyond second cousin marriages, only first cousin and unrelated marriages were included in the study. The study population consisted of a total of 207 newborns (57 offspring of first cousins, 150 offspring of unrelated marriages). Based on the results of repeated measurements analysis of variance, weight gain was associated with type of marriage (p=0.018), sex of offspring (p=0.001) and paternal education (p<0.001). There was no interaction between type of marriage and sex (p=0.831). Birth weight was not affected by type of marriage (p=0.46). There was significant interaction between inbreeding and time (p=0.034). Offspring of consanguineous marriages showed lower weight gain in comparison with those of unrelated marriages during 3–12 months after birth.
Results for audiology and distortion product and transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Karabulut H , Dagli M , Ates A , Karaaslan Y
Published: October 2009

The aim of the current study was to investigate hearing loss and cochlear function in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, using audiology, distortion product otoacoustic emissions and transient evoked otoacoustic emissions.

Study design:

Prospective, case–control study.

Methods:

The study included 26 randomised patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (52 ears) and 30 healthy control subjects (60 ears). Pure tone audiometry was performed at 250 and 500 Hz and at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 kHz. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions and transient evoked otoacoustic emissions were measured using Biologic System equipment with Scout Acoustic Emissions System software.

Results:

The distortion product otoacoustic emission signal responses were significantly different only at 750 Hz, while the distortion product otoacoustic emission signal–noise ratios were significantly different at 750 Hz and 6 kHz (p < 0.05), comparing patients and controls. The transient evoked otoacoustic emission signal–noise ratios were significantly different at 2 and 3 kHz, comparing patients and controls (p < 0.05). The transient evoked otoacoustic emission total signal–noise ratios were significantly different, comparing patients and controls (p < 0.05). In addition, the pure tone audiometry thresholds were significantly different at 250 and 500 Hz and at 1, 2, 10 and 12 kHz, comparing patients and controls (p < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Our findings do not completely agree with those of previous temporal bone histopathological studies. However, our results do support a general picture of low frequency hearing loss in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. We consider these results to be related to endolymphatic and cochlear hydrops, and we suggest that electrocochleography could be performed in further studies for clarification of this subject.
With diversity in mind: Freeing the language sciences from Universal Grammar
Authors: Evans Nicholas , Levinson Stephen C.
Published: October 2009

Our response takes advantage of the wide-ranging commentary to clarify some aspects of our original proposal and augment others. We argue against the generative critics of our coevolutionary program for the language sciences, defend the use of close-to-surface models as minimizing cross-linguistic data distortion, and stress the growing role of stochastic simulations in making generalized historical accounts testable. These methods lead the search for general principles away from idealized representations and towards selective processes. Putting cultural evolution central in understanding language diversity makes learning fundamental in the cognition of language: increasingly powerful models of general learning, paired with channelled caregiver input, seem set to manage language acquisition without recourse to any innate “universal grammar.” Understanding why human language has no clear parallels in the animal world requires a cross-species perspective: crucial ingredients are vocal learning (for which there are clear non-primate parallels) and an intention-attributing cognitive infrastructure that provides a universal base for language evolution. We conclude by situating linguistic diversity within a broader trend towards understanding human cognition through the study of variation in, for example, human genetics, neurocognition, and psycholinguistic processing.
On formal universals in phonology
Authors: Nevins Andrew
Published: October 2009

Understanding the universal aspects of human language structure requires comparison at multiple levels of analysis. While Evans & Levinson (E&L) focus mostly on substantive variation in language, equally revealing insights can come from studying formal universals. I first discuss how Artificial Grammar Experiments can test universal preferences for certain types of abstract phonological generalizations over others. I then discuss moraic onsets in the language Arrernte, and how its apparent substantive variation ultimately rests on a formal universal regarding syllable-weight sensitivity.
Language universals: Abstract but not mythological
Authors: Baker Mark C.
Published: October 2009

I present the so-called Verb-Object Constraint as a serious proposal for a true linguistic universal. It provides an example of the kind of abstraction in linguistic analysis that seems warranted, of how different languages can confirm such a universal in different ways, and why approaches that avoid all abstractness miss important linguistic generalizations.
Unveiling phonological universals: A linguist who asks “why” is (inter alia) an experimental psychologist
Authors: Berent Iris
Published: October 2009

Evans & Levinson (E&L) are right to hold theories of language accountable for language diversity, but typological data alone cannot determine the structure of mental phonological grammars. Grammatical universals are nonetheless testable by formal and experimental methods, and the growing research in experimental phonology demonstrates the viability of a comparative experimental evaluation of the Universal Grammar (UG) hypothesis.
Language evolution: Two tracks are not enough
Authors: Catania A. Charles
Published: October 2009

This commentary argues that Evans & Levinson (E&L) should expand their two-track model to a three-track model in which biological and cultural evolution interact with the evolution of an individual's language repertories in ontogeny. It also comments on the relevance of the argument from the poverty of the stimulus and offers a caveat, based on analogous issues in biology, on the metaphor of language as a container, whether of meanings or of other content.
The myth of language universals and the myth of universal grammar
Authors: Christiansen Morten H. , Chater Nick
Published: October 2009

Evans & Levinson (E&L) argue that language universals are a myth. Christiansen and Chater (2008) have recently suggested that innate universal grammar is also a myth. This commentary explores the connection between these two theses, and draws wider implications for the cognitive science of language.
A note on methodology in linguistics
Authors: Freidin Robert
Published: October 2009

Evans & Levinson's (E&L's) critique of Universal Grammar fails because their methodology is flawed, as illustrated in their discussion of the Subjacency Condition. The lack of explicit analysis leads the authors to a false conclusion that is refuted by work published in this journal twenty years ago. They miss the point that unanalyzed data cannot disprove grammatical hypotheses.
Animal comparative studies should be part of linguistics
Authors: Margoliash Daniel , Nusbaum Howard C.
Published: October 2009

Universal Grammar promotes the study of an idealization of language behavior and language learning. In examining the diversity of actual behavioral strategies used to achieve linguistic goals, Evans & Levinson (E&L) move towards studying language as a behavior. This approach can benefit from studying communicative and cognitive capacities more broadly – across species. We exhort like-minded linguists to cast off the remaining intellectual shackles of linguistic speciesism.
Returning language to culture by way of biology
Authors: Merker Bjorn
Published: October 2009

Conflation of our unique human endowment for language with innate, so-called universal, grammar has banished language from its biological home. The facts reviewed by Evans & Levinson (E&L) fit the biology of cultural transmission. My commentary highlights our dedicated learning capacity for vocal production learning as the form of our language endowment compatible with those facts.
The neglected universals: Learnability constraints and discourse cues
Authors: Waterfall Heidi , Edelman Shimon
Published: October 2009

Converging findings from English, Mandarin, and other languages suggest that observed “universals” may be algorithmic. First, computational principles behind recently developed algorithms that acquire productive constructions from raw texts or transcribed child-directed speech impose family resemblance on learnable languages. Second, child-directed speech is particularly rich in statistical (and social) cues that facilitate learning of certain types of structures.
Variability in languages, variability in learning?
Authors: McMurray Bob , Wasserman Edward
Published: October 2009

In documenting the dizzying diversity of human languages, Evans & Levinson (E&L) highlight the lack of universals. This suggests the need for complex learning. Yet, just as there is no universal structure, there may be no universal learning mechanism responsible for language. Language is a behavior assembled by many processes, an assembly guided by the language being learned.
Security and emancipation
Authors: Booth Ken
Published: October 2009

Our work Is our words, but our words do not work any more. They have not worked for some time. We can obviously start with the misleading label—‘International Politics’—which is given to our subject. As a result of this problem, I have wanted to use increasing numbers of inverted commas; but most have never seen the light of day because copy-editors have regarded them as an over-indulgence. Even so, the very temptation of these little scratches indicates that words at the heart of the subject are i n trouble:
The Other in European self-definition: an addendum to the literature on international society
Authors: Neumann Iver B. , Welsh Jennifer M.
Published: October 2009

The dominant role of the realist paradigm in international relations theory has left little room for the study of the role of cultural variables in world politics. The two central tenets of the realist theoretical game-plan—the primacy of the sovereign state system, and the autonomy of that system, from domestic political, social and moral considerations—focus our attention on the vertical division of the world into sovereign states, rather than on the horizontal forces and ties that cut across state frontiers. The result is the metaphor for the interaction of states as the mechanical one of the billiard table, with power politics as the primary dynamic.
Beware of gurus: structure and action In International relations
Authors: Hollis Martin , Smith Steve
Published: October 2009

The agent-structure problem is not settled by deciding what proportions to put in the blender. Agents and structures do not blend easily in any proportions, and solutions to the problem tend to be unstable. Alexander Wendt's thoughtful review article makes this clear, identifies some of the difficulties, and boldly sketches a possible resolution of them. Since his relections are addressed in part to our recent book Explaining and Understanding International Relations, we welcome the chance to pursue them further. Greatly encouraged by his many friendly comments, we shall concentrate on those suggestive or critical points which have prompted us to think afresh.
Life and death in the South Atlantic
Authors: Danchev Alex
Published: October 2009

Hold hard. Ten years on, the second wave is about to break. The ultimate Channel 4 documentary series is already in the can. It seems that the tributary of personal reminiscence from high and low (but chiefly high) has not run dry after all Recollected in tranquillity, it turns turbulent once more—as witness the fascinating collective testimony elicited by Michael Charlton in The Little Platoon (1989), at once pointer and landmark for the new wave. Already we have the Carrington memoirs, the Whitelaw memoirs, and even that most unlikely artefact, the Tebbit memoirs. From Washington come the Haig memoirs and the Weinberger memoirs, not to mention a shoal of smaller fry. Our man in Buenos Aires author of a prophetic complaint about the typical British approach to the Falklands, that is, ‘to have no strategy at all beyond a general Micawberism’ talked at length to Michael Charlton and to Peter Kosminsky (for the excellent Yorkshire TV documentary ‘Falklands—The Untold Story’). Our men in Washington and at the UN, both writers of distinction, have published revealing accounts of their stewardships. These British accounts can now be matched against the waspish reflections of Jeane Kirkpatrick, the dissentient US Representative at the UN, an exercise full of interpersonal and international interest. The generals and admirals of each side continue to be remarkably forthcoming, in one case from prison, in the other from retirement—such are the spoils of war.
Weak states and national security: the case of South Africa in the era of total strategy
Authors: Johnston Alexander
Published: October 2009

Introduction

The Idea of national security is pervasive because it lies at the heart of the condition of statehood and the nature of the international system. But although the idea of national security is universally on the political agenda, it is difficult to find an unambiguous or uncontested usage of the concept.

Working definitions exist, of course:

a nation is secure to the extent which it is not in danger of having to sacrifice core values, if it wishes to avoid war, and is able if challenged, to maintain them by victory in such a war.
Eurotexts and Eurothought: changing approaches to the study of the European Community
Authors: Cohan A. S.
Published: October 2009

If it is possible to measure interest in the European Community by the numbers of scholarly publications about that topic then interest today is probably greater than it has been at any time since the end of the Second World War, particularly among European political scientists. But in the absence of any reliable counts of the numbers of such publications it is my guess that the increase is not much more than marginal. Indeed, those advocating or examining the prospects of a united Europe since the war ended could not have been called shrinking violets. And coincidentally, political scientists, particularly those interested in the problem of international integration have had a special interest in the European Community. It was, after all, when in the form of the European Coal and Steel Community 9 the first major attempt at regional integration which involved not only economic, but ultimately, political commitments. Such a research horn of plenty could not fail to interest the scores of political scientists, especially in the expanding American academic environment in the 1950s, looking for new questions to answer, as well as direct routes to tenure and promotion.
NSC 68 and the Soviet threat: a new perspective on Western threat perception and policy making
Authors: Heuser Beatrice
Published: October 2009

Late in the summer of 1950, after the outbreak of the Korean War, the US administration adopted a policy paper entitled NSC 68. This paper was drafted in February and March and it paved the way for the most comprehensive re-armament programme the United States had ever undertaken in time of peace. US defence expenditure was increased from 6.9% of the US GNP in Fiscal 1951 to 12.7% in Fiscal 1952, rising to 13.8% in Fiscal 1953; NSC 68 thus ushered in the post-World War II peak of US defence spending as percentage of GNP. In his admirable work on US defence strategy, John Lewis Gaddis has called NSC 68 ‘a deeply flawed document’. He concludes his analysis of NSC 68 by saying that the US Administration adopted measures which