bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Germani and the German Provinces of Rome
Authors: von Carnap-Bornheim Claus
Published: July 2015

This chapter focuses on the Germani and the German provinces of the Roman Empire. It first considers the so-called ‘ethnic interpretation’ of the archaeological data in the lands between Danube, Rhine, and Elbe before discussing Germanic settlement and building structures among the German populations of the borderlands in the immediate contact zone of the limes. It then examines the significance of Roman imports into Germanic Barbaricum, along with the rise of Germanic elites under the influence of, in conjunction with, and sometimes dependent on Rome. It also considers the development of the military within western Germanic Barbaricum, with emphasis on patterns in the Germanic context as a driving force of military development up to the Late Roman period; and the exchange of goods as the basis of economic interaction between Rome and Germany. Finally, the chapter describes the militarization of Germanic society and the transition from asymmetric to symmetric warfare.
Paleozoology is Valuable to Conservation Biology
Authors: Lyman R. Lee
Published: July 2015

Some neozoologists (those who study living animals) argue that the palaeozoological record is biased (relative to an existing biological community) and therefore is unsatisfactory for purposes of conservation biology. Indeed, neozoology involves living, dynamic entities whose behaviours, interactions, and ecologies can be directly observed whereas palaeozoology concerns dead, inanimate entities whose behaviours, interactions, and ecologies must be inferred. Biological and ecological principles, however, underpin studies of both living animals and their mortal remains. Knowledge of the ecological and biogeographic histories of taxa and communities revealed by palaeozoology provides insight into how animals may respond to future environmental changes, to anthropogenic processes, and to natural processes. Variables of biodiversity underpinning conservation biology are readily measured in the palaeozoological record, providing unprecedented time depth to monitoring those variables and identifying causes of shifts in their values. The significance of palaeozoological data for conservation biology far outweighs the weaknesses attributed to them.
Interest Groups and American Political Development
Authors: Strolovitch Dara Z. , Tichenor Daniel J.
Published: July 2015

Do interest groups enhance or impede the democratic exercise of power? This chapter addresses this long-debated question by examining what longitudinal and American Political Development (APD) approaches contribute to the study of interest groups and what studies of organized interests illuminate about APD. We survey the dominant approaches to interest groups within political science, examine organized interests and lobbying in the early American republic, and document the rise of the modern interest group system at the beginning of the twentieth century. We then explore the role played by advocacy organizations in the trajectories of progress for marginalized groups. We show that APD scholarship has offered fresh insights about patterns and transformations of American interest group politics, and argue that our understanding of the development of American politics will benefit from more robust conversations between the traditional interest group literature and longitudinal and APD approaches to group politics.
The Actual World
Authors: Rutherford Donald
Published: July 2015

This chapter discusses Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s theory of the actual world as the best of all possible worlds. The chapter opens with Leibniz’s response to the two most basic questions of metaphysics: Why is there something rather than nothing? And, why do certain things exist while other equally possible things do not? It examines Leibniz’s critique of Baruch Spinoza’s metaphysics, with particular reference to the argument that God must make a choice among possible worlds because not all possibles are “compossible.” In addition, it explores Leibniz’s claim that the best of all possible worlds is the world containing the highest level of perfection or reality, intelligibility, order, and harmony. The chapter concludes by looking at three theological doctrines underlying Leibniz’s conception of the best of all possible worlds: divine creation, conservation, and concurrence.
Monads
Authors: Rutherford Donald
Published: July 2015

This chapter discusses the final development of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s metaphysics: the theory of monads. It examines Leibniz’s arguments for monads as mindlike “simple substances,” his description of the properties of monads, and the distinction he draws among different types of monads. The remainder of the article focuses on two problems that attend Leibniz’s claim that reality ultimately consists solely of monads and their internal states (perceptions and appetitions). The first problem is whether a relation among monads can account for the supposed unity of a living body or corporeal substance; the second is whether the metaphysics of monads supports a plausible explanation of the reality of matter. With regard to the second problem, the chapter explores Leibniz’s thesis that monads are, in two senses, “requisites” of matter. It concludes with reflections on the limits of his attempt to explain the physical world in terms of monads alone.
Cosmology
Authors: Meli Domenico Bertoloni
Published: July 2015

This chapter focuses on Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s interest in cosmology in relation to some of his other concerns, including God’s role in the universe, the reunion of the churches, freedom in philosophizing, and the abolition of censorship. It begins with a discussion of Leibniz’s reflections on Copernicanism and the world system, followed by an analysis of his views on the structure of the world and its physical and mathematical properties. It then looks at his correspondence with Landgraf Ernst von Hessen-Rheinfels, his view of lack of freedom concerning the world system as an important factor against the Roman Catholic Church, and his efforts to convince the Catholic hierarchy to lift the ban against Copernicus. It also considers Leibniz’s dispute with Isaac Newton regarding issues such as the nature of gravity and action at a distance.
Medicine
Authors: Smith Justin E. H.
Published: July 2015

This chapter discusses the role of medicine in Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s philosophy. More specifically, it examines Leibniz’s intellectual investment in the study and advancement of medicine as a reflection of his interest in the so-called medical eudaimonism. The chapter first considers Leibniz’s view of medicine as the second most important human art after philosophical theology and the sources and development of his medical thought. It then looks at his commitment to mechanical teleology and support of medical empiricism; medicine as an important foundation of his theory of knowledge and philosophy of science; his beliefs concerning the use of bodily secretions to diagnose a patient’s medical condition; his thoughts on animal experimentation and vivisection; and his study of pharmaceutics. The chapter concludes by discussing Leibniz’s proposals for the organization of medicine, including his ideas on public health.
Insecurity, Unemployment, and Health: A Social Epidemiological Perspective
Authors: Bambra Clare , Eikemo Terje A.
Published: July 2015

This chapter draws on research from social epidemiology to examine the relationships between insecurity, unemployment, and health. It outlines the rise of insecurity at work and provides a working definition. It then describes some of the key longitudinal studies that have described the relationship between job insecurity and health outcomes. The key explanations for this association are also explored. The chapter then summarizes the large literature on unemployment and health, examining mental health and suicide, mortality, self-reported health, and health behaviors. The chapter then examines international variations in the relationships between insecurity, unemployment, and health, with a particular focus on the role of welfare state policies and social safety nets. The chapter concludes by reflecting on the policy implications and highlighting key areas for future research.
World Englishes, Pragmatics, and Discourse
Authors: Kachru Yamuna
Published: July 2015

The central role of English in cross-cultural communication worldwide has made it a unique site for understanding diversity in systems of discourse pragmatics. In contact situations, these differences can help to refine theoretical models, such as the question of how universal speech acts or properties of facework and politeness are. They can also have significant real-world implications in the form of cross-cultural (mis-) communication in globalized contexts. This chapter reviews a selection of examples of speech acts and politeness in World Englishes contexts that use theoretical models to account for variation, but in some instances also challenge elements of such models. The discussion also includes a consideration of variation in surface form as well as variation in discourse other than conversational speech, such as written genres.
English in West Africa
Authors: Gut Ulrike
Published: July 2015

This chapter describes the history, role, and structural properties of English in the West African countries the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, the anglophone part of Cameroon, and the island of Saint Helena. It provides an overview of the historical phases of trading contact, British colonization and missionary activities and describes the current role of English in these multilingual countries. Further, it outlines the commonalities and differences in the vocabulary, phonology, morphology, and syntax of the varieties of English spoken in anglophone West Africa. It shows that Liberian Settler English and Saint Helenian English have distinct phonological and morphosyntactic features compared to the other West African Englishes. While some phonological areal features shared by several West African Englishes can be identified, an areal profile does not seem to exist on the level of morphosyntax.
Music as Shared Space in Mennonite Development Work in Chad
Authors: Dueck Jonathan
Published: July 2015

This chapter highlights negotiations of meanings a Western church worker encountered in a Chadian congregation. For many mainline churches, “missions agencies,” focused on proselytization, are not the sole or even primary mode of outreach; “development agencies,” focused on local economic and social development, complement them. These two types of agencies are tied, through institutional memories in Western and African churches, to the cultural, including musical, practices of missions. The chapter retells the story of a Western development worker who frames her role as “learner” but finds she is understood as missionary “teacher” and is asked to teach and not learn music. Music is a persistent indicator of a history of missionary interactions between Chadian and Western Christians that lends meanings to and constrains present-day transnational interactions between them; it can provide a shared space of practice that is not contiguous with the “meanings” of the music under discussion.
Same/Other versus Friend/Enemy
Authors: Botwinick Aryeh
Published: July 2015

This chapter endeavors to show that the relevant contrasting term to friend in liberal political theory is not enemy but self. Given the skepticism that suffuses liberal theory, the self remains an endlessly problematic construct that gives us ongoing opportunities for reimagining and reconstructing what the behavior of both friends and enemies is truly like. The chapter examines key terms in the liberal epistemological vocabulary such as skepticism, empiricism, nominalism, and conventionalism to clarify their import for the liberal conceptions of personal identity, friend, and enemy. Throughout, the chapter shows how the Levinasian deployment of the same–other distinction with its devolution upon the concept of infinity offers us a revealing guide to liberal political thought and practice and thereby also constitutes an important implicit critique of Schmitt.
The Human-Animal Bond
Authors: Serpell James A.
Published: July 2015

Social bonds between people and their pets are more popular than they have ever been. Yet archaeological and anthropological evidence suggests that human-pet bonds have existed throughout history, enduring despite their relative lack of practical utility or material value for humans and, in this sense, presenting a challenge to evolutionary theory. Citing abundant research, the chapter shows that the human-pet relationship should be regarded as “mutualistic,” conferring adaptive benefits on both participants For humans, animal companionship promotes social engagement and alleviates the debilitating mental and physiological effects of psychosocial stress. Animal-assisted therapeutic interventions for people with a variety of cognitive, emotional, and physical disabilities are also becoming increasingly widespread. For animals, the human-animal bond has opened a new ecological niche and allowed dramatic increases in population size. However, the chapter also raises a number of ethical concerns related to animal welfare, public health, and environmental impact.
Animals in Political Theory
Authors: Donaldson Sue , Kymlicka Will
Published: July 2015

Western political theorists have largely ignored the animal question, assuming that animals have no place in our theories of democracy, citizenship, membership, sovereignty, and the public good. Conversely, animal ethicists have largely ignored political theory, assuming that we can theorize the moral status and moral rights of animals without drawing on the categories and concepts of political theory. This chapter traces the history of this separation between animals and political theory, examines the resulting intellectual blind spots for animal ethics, and reviews recent attempts to bring the two together. Situating animal rights within political theory has the potential to identify new models of justice in human-animal relations, and to open up new areas of scholarship and research.
Roaming Dogs
Authors: Arluke Arnold , Atema Kate
Published: July 2015

This chapter describes an original and much-needed approach to understanding worldwide efforts among disadvantaged communities to deal with roaming and unhealthy dogs. Rather than focus on the ways these efforts impact dogs and public health, as is typical of such interventions, we explore how people, too, are socially, psychologically, and economically affected by the dogs. More specifically, we examine the community impact that roaming or unhealthy dog populations can have, including negative or indifferent human-canine interactions; decreased quality of life because of dog nuisances, lack of safety, and disturbing encounters with injured, dead, or suffering dogs; weakened or fractured social ties; and economic losses from reduced tourism, livestock predation, and disease management. Lastly, we review how dog population management can have residual communitywide impact.
Responsive Regulation
Authors: Rorie Melissa
Published: July 2015

This article reviews the literature inspired by Ayres and Braithwaite’s (1992b) Responsive Regulation. It discusses the theoretical underpinnings of the responsive regulation approach, as well as its theoretical and policy contributions. After outlining the aspects of responsive regulation that have been studied extensively, special attention is paid to those aspects of the original theory that remain neglected. In addition to theoretical inattention, it is clear that agencies in the United States have failed to formally adopt this regulatory strategy—reasons for this are discussed. The article also reviews strengths and weakness of the original formulation, noting attempts to revise and improve it in recent years. To conclude, it evaluates the current state of Responsive Regulation and offers suggestions for future research.
Western Theologies and Islam in the Early Modern World
Authors: Colombo Emanuele
Published: July 2015

This essay provides an overview of Western theological engagements with Islam between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Three main features are highlighted: first, internal divisions within Christianity supported the use of Islam as a pretext for debates among Catholics, Protestants, and other Christian groups; second, the development of extra–European missions supported attempts to find a common ground between Christianity and Islam, developing forms of accommodation; third, the growth of Arabic and Islamic studies in Europe and the invention of the printing press facilitated the circulation of more precise information and substantial progress in the knowledge of Islam. Without completely detaching from the Christian medieval tradition, these new approaches, which culminated in works by Ludovico Marracci and George Sale, opened the door to the possibility for a reconsideration of Islam, a process that was actually accomplished in Western theologies only during the twentieth century.
Rinzai Zen Kōan Training
Authors: Hori Victor Sōgen
Published: July 2015

The well-known dictum that Zen is “not founded on words and letters” would seem to make Zen Buddhism inaccessible to philosophy, yet scholars have applied Western philosophical concepts to Zen. Do these philosophical concepts accurately characterize Zen kōan training as it is actually practiced in the Rinzai monastery? Introducing an autoethnography of the author’s own experience in Rinzai kōan practice, this essay provides an account of the moment of “seeing a kōan” and of the considerable literary study required at advanced stages of kōan practice. This autoethnography provides the basis for evaluating some of the philosophical concepts that have been used to characterize Rinzai kōan practice, including J. L. Austin’s notion of a performative speech act and the concept of a pure experience. Finally, Robert Sharf’s charges of phenomenological reductionism are evaluated.
Miki Kiyoshi
Authors: Curley Melissa Anne-Marie
Published: July 2015

Miki Kiyoshi (1897–1945) worked at the intersection of Marxism and Kyoto School philosophy. His later work explored the place of imagination in the historical dialectic. Miki held that the power of imagination was apparent in myths, institutions, and technologies, each of which represented the mediation of subjective will and objective reason. This subjective will could be either individual or collective—in his discussion of the institution, Miki posited that a collective subject he referred to as “creative society” drove the creation of new historical forms. Miki described creative society moving toward a new form of egalitarian fellowship that would transcend the existing state; Iwasaki Minoru points out, however, that Miki’s logic was used by the state to support its imperialist projects in Asia. The chapter closes by suggesting the possibility of rehabilitating Miki’s logic of imagination by refocusing on his treatment of affect and desire.
The Komaba Quartet
Authors: Kobayashi Yasuo
Published: July 2015

In the 1970s, Hiromatsu Wataru, Sakabe Megumi, Ōmori Shōzō, and Inoue Tadashi each taught at Komaba, a campus of the University of Tokyo. Retrospectively, we can view these four figures as sources of our philosophical thinking in contemporary Japan. They did not form a “school,” having as they did different tendencies and styles, yet their relatively independent philosophies cohere in a manner analogous to a musical quartet. They were each aware, for example, of using the Japanese language as a resource for their philosophy. Specifically, each of the four philosophers developed his thinking by reflecting on the association between koto (こと, occurrence) and koto (こと, word or language), an association enabled by the homonymy of the two words in Japanese. The “philosophy of koto,” in which occurrence and language are inseparable, can be considered the common horizon of their thinking.
Biblical Narrative Analysis from the New Criticism to the New Narratology
Authors: Moore Stephen D.
Published: July 2015

This chapter chronicles the emergence and consolidation of biblical narrative criticism in the 1970s and 1980s and traces its development down to the present. It details the debts of narrative criticism to Anglo-American New Criticism, on the one hand (a debt exemplified by the work of Robert Alter), and to French structural narratology, on the other hand (a debt exemplified by the work of Adele Berlin, Alan Culpepper, and others). It also describes early alternatives (exemplified by the work of Mieke Bal) to the formalist model of biblical narrative criticism. It then recounts the movement in secular narrative theory from “classical” narratology to “postclassical” narratologies that began in the late 1980s, structural narratology gradually being transformed by such discourses as poststructuralism, feminism, postcolonial studies, cultural studies, and cognitive psychology. The final section ponders the possible contours of a postclassical narrative criticism in biblical studies.
The Narrative Identities of the Gospel of John
Authors: Lozada Francisco
Published: July 2015

This chapter aims to take the narrative identity of the Gospel of John seriously by providing an overview of the scholarly landscape of Johannine research from a literary perspective. Its focus is on how Johannine literary studies from an ideological perspective has reached where it is today, how it got there, and where the field may be heading in the future. The chapter concludes with a literary-ideological reading of John 13:1–11 from the perspective of hospitality. This reading of John 13:1–11 is a small glimpse of an alternative reality in the story world of John—one that exhibits genuine hospitality. Employing point of view as a literary device, the characters allow some vulnerability and discomfort to exist among themselves to allow hospitality to exist.
Telling and Retelling the Bible’s First Story
Authors: Gunn David M.
Published: July 2015

This chapter explores ways readers have interpreted Genesis–Kings treated as a single work (Primary History or “Enneateuch”), a continuous narrative, as argued by Spinoza and, more recently, David Noel Freedman. Modern scholars have analyzed in detail the work’s putative sources and redaction history; much less so what the story as a whole might mean. Among the exceptions are David Clines, Dan Jacobson, Jack Miles, and Danna Nolan Fewell and David Gunn. An account of their readings brings into focus God as a character, his motivation, and his predicament at the story’s destructive end. A view of this singular God given to dominion, jealousy, and violence is related to Regina Schwartz’s argument that such a monotheistic god’s legacy will be violence. Such extensive, variegated, and ambiguous literature is also open to other readings. In practice, however, the First Story has usually been told in fragments.
Death, Dying, and the Disabled
Authors: Silvers Anita , Francis Leslie
Published: July 2015

This article examines the debate concerning the ability of disabled individuals to decide when to die. It begins with the presumption that disability abrogates freedom before turning to a discussion of the kinds of cognitive disability that are widely believed to hinder one’s autonomous decision-making. It then considers how disability may affect the autonomy of decision-making at the end of life, along with ethical problems that arise when disabled people make choices at the end of life. It also describes procedures that reject the old assumptions about the link between disability and decision-making at the end of life and instead supports decisions about dying by both disabled and nondisabled individuals.
Talking and Working with Dying Patients
Authors: Humphrey Lisa
Published: July 2015

This article reflects on the lessons about grief and dying acquired by a palliative care and hospice physician over the course of her training and career. The article describes how she views, engages, and incorporates grief into her work as a health-care provider based on her personal experiences and lessons learned from mentors, patients, and families. It describes ways to better understand the types of loss one can personally experience and need to “tag your baggage” as a way of loss experiences before patient discussions. The article then emphasizes the importance of managing one’s expectations when working with a patient and/or family facing end-of-life issues, citing a pervasive concept in palliative and hospice care known as the “good death.” Finally, it discusses the role of communication and supportive skills in dealing with dying patients and their families, along with debriefing and self-care.
High-resolution spectroscopic studies of ultra metal-poor stars found in the LAMOST survey
Authors: Li Haining , Aoki Wako , Zhao Gang , Honda Satoshi , Christlieb Norbert , Suda Takuma
Published: July 2015

We report on the observations of two ultra metal-poor (UMP) stars with [Fe/H] ∼ −4.0, including one new discovery. The two stars are studied in the on-going and quite efficient project to search for extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars with LAMOST and Subaru. Detailed abundances or upper limits of abundances have been derived for 15 elements from Li to Eu based on high-resolution spectra obtained with the High Dispersion Spectrograph (HDS) mounted in the Subaru Telescope. The abundance patterns of both UMP stars are consistent with the “normal population” among the low-metallicity stars. Both of the two program stars show carbon-enhancement without any excess of heavy neutron-capture elements, indicating that they belong to the subclass of (carbon-enhanced metal-poor) CEMP-no stars, as is the case of most UMP stars previously studied. The [Sr/Ba] ratios of both CEMP-no UMP stars are above [Sr/Ba] ∼ −0.4, suggesting the origin of the carbon-excess is not compatible with the mass transfer from an asymptotic giant branch companion where the s-process has operated. Lithium abundance is measured in the newly discovered UMP star LAMOST J125346.09+075343.1, making it the second UMP turnoff star with Li detection. The Li abundance of LAMOST J125346.09+075343.1 is slightly lower than the values obtained for less metal-poor stars with similar temperatures, and provides a unique data point at [Fe/H] ∼ −4.2 to support the “meltdown” of the Li Spite plateau at extremely low metallicity. Comparison with the other two UMP and HMP (hyper metal-poor, with [Fe/H] < −5.0) turnoff stars suggests that the difference in lighter elements such as CNO and Na might cause notable difference in lithium abundances among CEMP-no stars.
Numerical studies of nitric oxide formation in nanosecond-pulsed discharge-stabilized flames of premixed methane/air
Authors: Bak Moon Soo , Cappelli Mark A.
Published: July 2015

A simulation is developed to investigate the kinetics of nitric oxide (NO) formation in premixed methane/air combustion stabilized by nanosecond-pulsed discharges. The simulation consists of two connected parts. The first part calculates the kinetics within the discharge while considering both plasma/combustion reactions and species diffusion, advection and thermal conduction to the surrounding flow. The second part calculates the kinetics of the overall flow after mixing the discharge flow with the surrounding flow to account for the effect that the discharge has on the overall kinetics. The simulation reveals that the discharge produces a significant amount of atomic oxygen (O) as a result of the high discharge temperature and dissociative quenching of excited state nitrogen by molecular oxygen. This atomic oxygen subsequently produces hydroxyl (OH) radicals. The fractions of these O and OH then undergo Zel’dovich reactions and are found to contribute to as much as 73% of the total NO that is produced. The post-discharge simulation shows that the NO survives within the flow once produced.
New diagnostic methods for laser plasma- and microwave-enhanced combustion
Authors: Miles Richard B , Michael James B , Limbach Christopher M , McGuire Sean D , Chng Tat Loon , Edwards Matthew R , DeLuca Nicholas J , Shneider Mikhail N , Dogariu Arthur
Published: July 2015

The study of pulsed laser- and microwave-induced plasma interactions with atmospheric and higher pressure combusting gases requires rapid diagnostic methods that are capable of determining the mechanisms by which these interactions are taking place. New rapid diagnostics are presented here extending the capabilities of Rayleigh and Thomson scattering and resonance-enhanced multi-photon ionization (REMPI) detection and introducing femtosecond laser-induced velocity and temperature profile imaging. Spectrally filtered Rayleigh scattering provides a method for the planar imaging of temperature fields for constant pressure interactions and line imaging of velocity, temperature and density profiles. Depolarization of Rayleigh scattering provides a measure of the dissociation fraction, and multi-wavelength line imaging enables the separation of Thomson scattering from Rayleigh scattering. Radar REMPI takes advantage of high-frequency microwave scattering from the region of laser-selected species ionization to extend REMPI to atmospheric pressures and implement it as a stand-off detection method for atomic and molecular species in combusting environments. Femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging (FLEET) generates highly excited molecular species and dissociation through the focal zone of the laser. The prompt fluorescence from excited molecular species yields temperature profiles, and the delayed fluorescence from recombining atomic fragments yields velocity profiles.
The effects of hydrodynamic stretch on the flame propagation enhancement of ethylene by addition of ozone
Authors: Pinchak Matthew , Ombrello Timothy , Carter Campbell , Gutmark Ephraim , Katta Viswanath
Published: July 2015

The effect of O
3
on C
2
H
4
/synthetic-air flame propagation at sub-atmospheric pressure was investigated through detailed experiments and simulations. A Hencken burner provided an ideal platform to interrogate flame speed enhancement, producing a steady, laminar, nearly one-dimensional, minimally curved, weakly stretched, and nearly adiabatic flame that could be accurately compared with simulations. The experimental results showed enhancement of up to 7.5% in flame speed for 11 000 ppm of O
3
at stoichiometric conditions. Significantly, the axial stretch rate was also found to affect enhancement. Comparison of the flames for a given burner exit velocity resulted in the enhancement increasing almost 9% over the range of axial stretch rates that was investigated. Two-dimensional simulations agreed well with the experiments in terms of flame speed, as well as the trends of enhancement. Rate of production analysis showed that the primary pathway for O
3
consumption was through reaction with H, leading to early heat release and increased production of OH. Higher flame stretch rates resulted in increased flux through the H+O
3
reaction to provide increased enhancement, due to the thinning of the flame that accompanies higher stretch, and thus results in decreased distance for the H to diffuse before reacting with O
3
.
Dielectric barrier discharge for multi-point plasma-assisted ignition at high pressures
Authors: Shcherbanev S. A , Stepanyan S. A , Popov N. A. , Starikovskaia S. M
Published: July 2015

Nanosecond surface dielectric barrier discharge (nSDBD) is an efficient tool for a multi-point plasma-assisted ignition of combustible mixtures at elevated pressures. The discharge develops as a set of synchronously propagated from the high-voltage electrode charged channels (streamers), with a typical density up to a few streamers per millimetre of the length of the electrode. In combustible mixtures, nSDBD initiates numerous combustion waves propagating from the electrode. Very little is known about nSDBD at high pressures. This work presents a comparative experimental study of the surface dielectric barrier discharge initiated by high-voltage pulses (
U
=±(20–60) kV) of different polarities in air at elevated pressures (
P
=1–6 atm). Discharge morphology, deposited energy and velocity of the discharge front propagation are analysed. Differences between the discharges of positive and negative polarity, as well as the changes in the discharge morphology with changing of a gas mixture composition,
A Max-margin Model for Predicting Residue–base Contacts in Protein–RNA Interactions
Authors: Kashiwagi Shunya , Sato Kengo , Sakakibara Yasubumi
Published: July 2015

Protein–RNA interactions (PRIs) are essential for many biological processes, so understanding aspects of the sequences and structures involved in PRIs is important for unraveling such processes. Because of the expensive and time-consuming techniques required for experimental determination of complex protein–RNA structures, various computational methods have been developed to predict PRIs. However, most of these methods focus on predicting only RNA-binding regions in proteins or only protein-binding motifs in RNA. Methods for predicting entire residue–base contacts in PRIs have not yet achieved sufficient accuracy. Furthermore, some of these methods require the identification of 3D structures or homologous sequences, which are not available for all protein and RNA sequences. Here, we propose a prediction method for predicting residue–base contacts between proteins and RNAs using only sequence information and structural information predicted from sequences. The method can be applied to any protein–RNA pair, even when rich information such as its 3D structure, is not available. In this method, residue–base contact prediction is formalized as an integer programming problem. We predict a residue–base contact map that maximizes a scoring function based on sequence-based features such ask-mers of sequences and the predicted secondary structure. The scoring function is trained using a max-margin framework from known PRIs with 3D structures. To verify our method, we conducted several computational experiments. The results suggest that our method, which is based on only sequence information, is comparable with RNA-binding residue prediction methods based on known binding data.
Fundamental Structure and Modulation of Neuronal Excitability: Synaptic Control of Coding, Resonance, and Network Synchronization
Authors: Kirst Christoph , Ammer Julian , Felmy Felix , Herz Andreas , Stemmler Martin
Published: July 2015

Neuronal encoding and collective network activity depend on the precise mechanism for generating action potentials. A dynamic switch in this mechanism could greatly expand the functional repertoire of neurons and circuits. Here we show that changes in neuronal biophysics control a complex, yet fundamental, sequence of dynamic transitions in neuronal excitability in which neurons switch from integrators to resonators near the spike threshold, from simple voltage dynamics to the bistable co-existence of action potentials and quiescence, and from continuous class-I to discontinuous class-II firing rate encoding. Using multiple bifurcation theory, we prove that this transition sequence is universal in conductance-based neurons. Using dynamic-clamp and pharmacology, we show experimentally that an increase in leak conductance or application of the inhibitory agonist GABA can dynamically induce these transitions in hippocampal and brainstem neurons. Our results imply that synaptic activity can flexibly control resonance, excitability and bistability of neurons. In simulated neuronal networks, we show that such synaptically induced transitions provide a mechanism for the dynamic gating of input signals and the targeted synchronization of sub-networks with a tunable number of neurons.

Significance

Neuronal function depends on the mechanism by which neurons transform synaptic input into action potentials (APs). It is unclear how neurons might control the AP mechanism to systematically modulate their responses to input signals or their collective behavior. Here we identify a complex, but model-independent, universal sequence of transitions in the dynamics of AP generation. Using patch-clamp recordings, we show that synaptic receptor activation can flexibly change the AP dynamics, confirming our theoretical predictions: non-resonant neurons develop a sub-threshold resonance, become bistable, and develop an abrupt jump in onset AP frequency. Our results explain how synapses or neuro-modulators could control neuronal excitability, influence information processing, and processing during collective network dynamics.
Is there any point in making co-crystals?
Authors: Aakeröy Christer
Published: July 2015

Many aspects of co-crystals, including their synthesis, characterization and possible applications, are receiving considerable attention from academia and industry alike. The question is, can this interdisciplinary activity be translated into new fundamental insight and new solid forms of high-value materials with improved performances.
Polymorphism of dinitro[tris(2-aminoethyl)amine]cobalt(III) chloride
Authors: Guzei Ilia A. , Arderne Charmaine
Published: July 2015

Three polymorphs of bis(nitrito-κN)[tris(2-aminoethyl)amine-κ4N,N′,N′′,N′′′]cobalt(III) chloride, [Co(NO2)2(C6H18N4)]Cl, have been structurally characterized in the 100–300 K temperature range. Two orthorhombic polymorphs are related by a solid-state enantiotropic order–disorder k2 phase transition atca152 K. The third, monoclinic, polymorph crystallizes as a nonmerohedral twin. In the structure of the high-temperature (300 K) orthorhombic polymorph, the CoIIIcomplex cation resides on a crystallographic mirror plane, whereas the Cl−anion occupies a crystallographic twofold axis. In the unit cell of the monoclinic polymorph, the cationic CoIIIcomplex is in a general position, whose charge is balanced by two halves of two Cl−anions, each residing on a crystallographic twofold axis.
Crystal structure of 2-cyano-N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)-3-(3-nitrophenyl)propanamide
Authors: Subhadramma Shivanna , Siddaraju Budanur Papaiah , Chandra Naveen , Saravanan Janardhanan , Gayathri Dasararaju
Published: July 2015

In the title compound, C15H11N3O4, the acetamide group is inclined to the furan ring by 66.5 (1)°. The dihedral angle between the furan ring and the benzene ring is 66.8 (1)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked by pairs of N—H...N hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers with anR22(12) ring motif. The dimers are linkedviatwo pairs of C—H...O hydrogen bonds to the same acceptor oxygen atom, enclosingR21(6) ring motifs, forming chains along the [101] direction.
Crystal structure of 8-bromo-4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carbaldehyde
Authors: Ishikawa Yoshinobu
Published: July 2015

In the title compound, C10H5BrO3, a brominated 3-formylchromone, all atoms are essentially coplanar (r.m.s. = 0.0104 Å for the non-H atoms), with the largest deviation from the least-squares plane [0.028 (5) Å] being for one of the benzene C atoms. In the crystal, molecules are linked through C—H...O hydrogen bonds, which are further assembled by face-to-face π–π stacking interactions [centroid–centroid distance between the pyran rings = 3.854 (4) Å]. Shorter contacts than the sum of van der Waals radii are observed between the Br and formyl O atoms [Br...O = 3.046 (4) Å, C—Br...O = 175.23 (18)° and Br...O—C = 132.6 (3)°], features that do indicate halogen bonding.
Academia and document supply: unsustainable contradictions at INIST?
Authors: Berard Raymond , Fleuret Etienne , Gillet Jacqueline , Mougel Jean-Yves
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of the paper is to describe the current situation at the Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (INIST) the French document supply centre after their difficulties with open access articles during 2013.

Design/methodology/approach

– A narrative and analytical explanation by the director of INIST.

Findings

– That INIST will no longer service the commercial sector and will provide documents to researchers in CNRS for free and priced to French higher education establishments. The growth in open access will mean that INIST is ceasing to be an industrial scale operation and will be concerned primarily with “long tail” requests.

Originality/value

– Certainly, the only account in English of the difficulties that INIST has faced in the past three years and how they have been dealt with.
Social identity, collective self esteem and country reputation: the case of Pakistan
Authors: Yousaf Salman , Li Huaibin
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to show how the relative global status of a country influences its internal country reputation and resulting social cognitions of citizens.

Design/methodology/approach

– The theories of social identity and collective self-esteem were employed to explain how self-assessment and evaluations of a country’s reputation are regulated by social concepts and vice versa. The structural equation modeling technique was employed to estimate the conjectural relations.

Findings

– The groups which people belong to are their primary source of pride and self-esteem. But if a country is negatively stereotyped on the global stage, it weakens the ability of people to live their nation’s brand. A formidable nation’s brand can only be constructed if people are deeply involved and committed to it.

Practical implications

– The results of this study have implications for policymakers, nation’s branding experts and researchers to focus on internal branding of nations. The academicians and researchers should focus more on the internal audiences in their role as a “communication medium” to external audiences. A more purposeful internal branding will promote community strengthening and enable people to act as a mouth piece in communicating a desired experience to external audiences.

Originality/value

– The existing nations branding literature does not show how relative global status of a country influences self-assessment and evaluations of people’s associations with that country. The present study aims to fill this gap by drawing on the theories of social identity, self-categorization and collective self-esteem to show how people’s self-perception in negatively perceived countries is regulated in relation to their country’s relative global status and its influence on resulting social cognitions.
Reconstruction of large wounds using a combination of negative pressure wound therapy and punch grafting after excision of acral lentiginous melanoma on the foot
Authors: Seo Jimyung , Kim Jihee , Nam Kyoung Ae , Zheng Zhenlong , Oh Byung Ho , Chung Kee Yang
Published: July 2015

Melanoma in darker‐pigmented individuals often develops in an acral lentiginous fashion on the foot. After surgical removal of a tumor at this site, repair of the wound can be challenging. This is because there is an insufficient local skin pool and lack of mobility of the skin in this area. Moreover, functional aspects such as walking and weight bearing should be considered. We performed a combination treatment of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and punch grafting on 15 patients, after wide excision of acral lentiginous melanomas on the foot, and compared these to 26 patients who underwent either secondary intention healing (SIH, n = 13) or NPWT (n = 13) alone. The punch grafting with NPWT group showed significantly shorter healing times than those of the other two groups. Evaluation of completely healed wounds using the Vancouver Burn Scar Assessment Scale revealed that the punch grafting group had mean values better, or comparable, to the SIH or NPWT group in four of the five scales (except pigmentation). As for complications, only one patient developed a wound infection after punch grafting. Further, by utilizing NPWT for fixation of punch grafts, it was possible to treat all subjects as outpatients after punch grafting. These results show that a combination treatment of NPWT and punch grafting is an excellent therapeutic option for post‐wide excision wounds on the feet, with significantly shortened healing times and favorable cosmetic outcomes.
A regularized Wiener–Hopf filter for inverting models with magnetic susceptibility
Authors: Ganguli Shib Sankar , Nayak Goutam Kumar , Vedanti Nimisha , Dimri V.P.
Published: July 2015

For a magnetic target, the spatial magnetic signal can be expressed as a convolutional integral over Green's function of an assumed model with susceptibility as its parameter. A filter can be used to obtain the susceptibility by minimizing the mismatch between observed and the computed magnetic anomalies. In this perspective, we report the development of an advanced digital filter, which is efficient and can be used to map rock susceptibility from the acquired magnetic data. To design the new filter, we modified the space‐domain standard Wiener–Hopf filter by imposing two different constraints: (i) the filter energy constraint; and (ii) normalization of the filter coefficients. These constraints make it capable to characterize source bodies from their produced magnetic anomalies. We assume that the magnetic data are produced by induced magnetization only and interpretation can be as good as the subsurface model.

Our technique is less sensitive to the data noise, which makes it efficient in enhancing the interpretation model. The modified filter demonstrates its applicability over the synthetic data with additive white Gaussian noise. In order to check the efficacy and adaptivity of this tool in a more realistic perspective, it is also tested on the real magnetic data acquired over a kimberlitic district adjoining to the western margin of the Cuddapah Basin in India to identify the source bodies from the anomalies. Our result shows that the modified Wiener–Hopf filter with the constraint for the magnetic data is more stable and efficient than the standard Wiener–Hopf filter.
Algae alleviate carbon limitation of heterotrophic bacteria in a boreal peatland
Authors: Wyatt Kevin H. , Turetsky Merritt R.
Published: July 2015

In most high‐latitude wetlands, carbon accumulation as peat represents a balance between plant net primary productivity and heterotrophic decomposition. We hypothesized that this assessment of ecosystem metabolism is incomplete as it does not include information on energy inputs from microalgae, which form complex biofilms with heterotrophic micro‐organisms on the peat surface.

To investigate the potential for algae (and associated exudates) to support heterotrophic metabolism under ambient and elevated nutrient levels, we conducted a factorial enrichment of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and carbon (glucose) in mesocosms with and without the presence of algae (using light‐transparent and dark treatments, respectively) in an Alaskan fen. We measured respiration rates and changes in bacterial biomass to characterize the response of heterotrophic bacteria to our experimental treatments.

During incubation assays, algae released up to 38% of their net productivity as exudates and there was a positive relationship between algal production and concentrations of dissolved organic carbon inside mesocosms.

Elevated algal productivity in the presence of nutrient enrichment stimulated heterotrophic bacterial respiration and biomass. These responses did not occur with nutrient enrichment in the dark (without algae). The response of bacteria to algae was similar in magnitude to bacterial responses to glucose enrichment.

Synthesis. We conclude that bacteria in this boreal fen were primarily limited by labile carbon, and this constraint was alleviated in the presence of elevated algal production. Consequently, algae may facilitate hotspots of microbial activity in northern peatlands, especially in conditions of greater nutrient availability associated with more variable hydrology expected for this region with ongoing climate change.