bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Création d’un espace discursif mondial
Authors: Biersteker Thomas J.
Published: October 2016

La création d’un espace discursif mondial dans l’enseignement des Relations internationales est confrontée à trois défis majeurs : transcender l’unicité d’une discipline, surmonter les chauvinismes et intégrer les savoirs pratiques. Nous vivons dans un univers d’ordres mondiaux multiples, qui coexistent et s’interpénètrent. Il nous faut, par conséquent, approcher l’enseignement des Relations internationales de façon à comprendre et à transcender ces différences bien réelles. Nous envisageons les façons de parvenir à l’interdisciplinarité (plutôt qu’à la multidisciplinarité), nous identifions et problématisons les différentes formes de chauvinisme et nous explorons les possibilités d’intégrer les savoirs pratiques (de lier la théorie et la pratique). Cet article s’achève sur quelques recommandations dans l’espoir d’atteindre une forme critique de cosmopolitisme dans l’enseignement des Relations internationales.
Repenser la politique disciplinaire des Relations internationales
Authors: D’Aoust Anne-Marie , Grondin David
Published: October 2016

Ce qui constitue la discipline des Relations internationales (RI) est aujourd’hui largement débattu. Les remises en question touchent les prétentions scientifiques et les frontières de la discipline en tant que champ distinct, mais également les enjeux éthiques et sociaux qui y sont associés. Ces derniers concernent autant les analyses produites en RI (leur contenu, leur pertinence scientifique, politique et appliquée) que les relations de pouvoir affectant les individus y prenant part. Inspirés par une préoccupation politique et normative particulière quant au rôle constitutif de nos expériences, nous proposons un appel au développement d’une optique « indisciplinée » afin de réfléchir sur la discipline des RI en milieu francophone canadien à l’aune de nos pratiques respectives d’enseignement en Relations internationales à l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) et à l’Université d’Ottawa, plutôt qu’à la lumière des portraits de diverses communautés nationales dessinées par les données du Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP) de l’Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations du College of William and Mary. Notre contribution propose une réflexion en trois temps : 1) lancer un appel quant à la nécessité de l’interdisciplinarité en privilégiant une optique « indisciplinée » ; 2) insister sur l’importance de pouvoir activement pratiquer un « oubli » des théories des RI, pour reprendre la formule consacrée de Roland Bleiker, en mobilisant nos pratiques enseignantes ; et 3) mettre à contribution la curiosité féministe en RI comme méthodologie, notamment dans l’enseignement. Ultimement, cette démarche favorise une pratique d’ouverture sur le monde des relations internationales et, ce faisant, donne une place aux émotions pour donner un sens au monde des/en Relations internationales.
Au-delà des Études internationales : Les cas des Études globales et des Affaires internationales
Authors: Breton Gilles , Arruda Gabriel
Published: October 2016

Quels liens peut-on établir entre les Études globales (EG), les Affaires internationales (AI) et les Études internationales (ÉI) ? S’agit-il de rupture, d’élargissement ou de renouvellement ? Nous souhaitons montrer dans ce texte comment les EG et les AI, deux nouveaux programmes de formation universitaire qui se veulent interdisciplinaires et qui traitent eux aussi des enjeux internationaux, transnationaux et globaux, offrent une solution de rechange aux Études internationales. Si l’apport des Affaires internationales se situe au niveau de la professionnalisation de la formation, celui des Études globales loge du côté des perspectives théoriques et analytiques. À partir d’une étude de vingt programmes de maîtrise, nous montrerons comment les conditions d’émergence, l’organisation et l’évolution de ces programmes leur ont permis de se forger une identité qui les distingue des Études internationales.
Les enjeux de l’expérience chinoise en matière de multilatéralisme : le cas de la Banque asiatique d’investissement dans les infrastructures
Authors: Dieng Moda , Liu Bingyang
Published: October 2016

Ce document analyse les enjeux de l’expérience chinoise en matière de multilatéralisme. L’étude porte sur la Banque asiatique d’investissement dans les infrastructures, une nouvelle institution financière multilatérale créée par la Chine. L’initiative bénéficie d’une large participation internationale, attire l’attention et suscite beaucoup de réactions dans le monde. Elle met en exergue la politique d’affirmation de la Chine et son pouvoir d’attraction. Elle traduit surtout l’insatisfaction de ce pays par rapport aux grandes institutions financières internationales et sa volonté de trouver une plateforme de coopération qui puisse refléter son poids économique et répondre à ses intérêts. Bien que prometteuse sur le papier, la nouvelle banque révèle beaucoup d’incertitudes.
Le projet de loi no 49 et la responsabilité civile en cas de déversement d’hydrocarbures extracôtiers dans le golfe du Saint-Laurent
Authors: Roy Stéphanie
Published: October 2016

À l’annonce du dépôt par le gouvernement québécois du projet de loi no 49 concernant la Loi assurant la mise en oeuvre de l’Accord entre le gouvernement du Canada et le gouvernement du Québec sur la gestion conjointe des hydrocarbures dans le golfe du Saint-Laurent, plusieurs groupes citoyens affirment leur mécontentement et leur crainte quant à l’éventualité de l’exploitation des hydrocarbures extracôtiers du golfe du Saint-Laurent. Leurs inquiétudes sont notamment liées aux risques environnementaux et à leurs répercusions économiques sur les régions qui dépendent directement des ressources contenues dans les eaux du golfe, notamment les Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Le projet de loi no 49 propose des mesures pour encadrer l’exploitation, mais il suggère également un régime de responsabilité civile pour pollution, à l’instar de la loi en vigueur dans la province voisine de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador. Ce régime comporte toutefois certaines lacunes, à la lumière du principe du pollueur-payeur et de l’expérience internationale en matière d’accidents rattachés aux hydrocarbures. Ces lacunes sont susceptibles d’avoir un impact sur la protection de l’environnement et l’indemnisation des personnes qui subiraient la pollution. L’auteure exposera ci-dessous les éléments du régime de responsabilité civile pour déversement institué par le projet de loi no 49 et les comparera avec ceux du régime en vigueur à Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador et de la Convention de 1992 sur la responsabilité civile pour les dommages dus à la pollution par les hydrocarbures, afin d’y suggérer des améliorations en vue de favoriser une compensation suffisante des dommages susceptibles d’être causés par un tel déversement.
Les approches critiques du droit administratif
Authors: Mockle Daniel
Published: October 2016

La parution en février 2015 de l’ouvrage intitulé L’État du droit administratif permet de renouer en partie, dans le contexte de la France, avec l’analyse critique du droit, notamment par l’étude de dimensions qui relèvent de la surdétermination. Ce qui serait déterminant en dernière instance, au point de surdéterminer une structure dominante comme celle du droit administratif, relève désormais des sciences économiques, des sciences de la gestion et des théories contemporaines de la nouvelle gouvernance publique. Ces dimensions conditionnent désormais la production du droit administratif, au même titre que les figures de l’État managérial. Cet ouvrage introduit ainsi des perspectives qui vont bien au-delà d’un seul modèle national, comme c’est le cas de la France. Dans ce contexte, il est utile de faire une rétrospective des approches critiques du droit administratif en France, la contrepartie étant l’évolution des réflexions sur ce point en monde anglo-américain. L’analyse qui suit montre qu’il est légitime de s’interroger sur ce qui peut être considéré comme de l’analyse critique du droit, et ce, en prenant pour contrepoint l’échec relatif des approches trop externes au droit.
Redonner visage aux gueules cassées. Sculpture et chirurgie plastique pendant et après la Première Guerre mondiale
Authors: Ackerman Ada
Published: October 2016

During the First World War, French, British, and US sculptors dedicated their creative practice and knowledge to making masks for soldiers with facial injuries, thus allying art and science in an attempt to restore the most essential aspect of the soldiers’ identities. As artistic resources were mobilized to counter the destructive effects of the war, this new kind of sculpture engendered myths and fantasies about the artists’ power. This article argues that ultimately, though, the practice of mask-making was used as a strategy that benefitted the preservation of the prevailing economic and social order.
Atomic mutagenesis in ion channels with engineered stoichiometry
Authors: Lueck John D , Mackey Adam L , Infield Daniel T , Galpin Jason D , Li Jing , Roux Benoît , Ahern Christopher A
Published: October 2016

C-type inactivation of potassium channels fine-tunes the electrical signaling in excitable cells through an internal timing mechanism that is mediated by a hydrogen bond network in the channels' selectively filter. Previously, we used nonsense suppression to highlight the role of the conserved Trp434-Asp447 indole hydrogen bond in Shaker potassium channels with a non-hydrogen bonding homologue of tryptophan, Ind (Pless et al., 2013). Here, molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the Trp434Ind hydrogen bonding partner, Asp447, unexpectedly 'flips out' towards the extracellular environment, allowing water to penetrate the space behind the selectivity filter while simultaneously reducing the local negative electrostatic charge. Additionally, a protein engineering approach is presented whereby split intein sequences are flanked by endoplasmic reticulum retention/retrieval motifs (ERret) are incorporated into the N- or C- termini of Shaker monomers or within sodium channels two-domain fragments. This system enabled stoichiometric control of Shaker monomers and the encoding of multiple amino acids within a channel tetramer.
Hva er det med Irma?
Authors: Reinertsen Anne Beate
Published: October 2016

Abstract: This article is about formative quality assessment in a posthuman or newmaterial perspective; embodied knowledges.  Theory and method are written together in immanence to envision complexity.  The aim and scope of the article is to follow the flow of events Irma produces opening up for affirmative poetical critique praxis. Quality is forwarded as an intensity and force in a moment only.  The moment is therefore the only structure of the text, as moving quality. The intention and inner logic of the text is therefore designed to work against fixed definitions and conceptualizations of what quality and quality assessment is.  This way I hope to show what posthuman and newmaterial approaches can contribute with to build cultures of innovation in which quality is assessed and produces again and again. They put differences to work and open up for creating moments of educational justice. Sammendrag: Artikkelen handler om kvalitetsvurdering i et nymaterielt perspektiv: Kroppslig kunnskap og viten. Teori og metode skrives sammen i immanent samtidighet for å gi et bilde på kompleksitet. Både hensikt og mål med artikkelen er å følge den flyten som Irma som hendelse eller event produserer, for å åpne opp potensialitet for en bekreftende eller affirmativ poetiserende kritikkpraksis og en ny forståelse av- og vurdering for kvalitet. Kvalitet skrives fram som en hendelse, intensitet eller kraft i et øyeblikk. Øyeblikket er derfor tekstens eneste og bærende struktur, som kvalitet i bevegelse. Tekstens indre logikk har slik til hensikt å motvirke forsøk på å skape definerte, faste eller bestemte oppfatninger av hva kvalitet er og hvordan kvalitet kan vurderes. På denne måten håper jeg å vise hva nymaterielle perspektiver kan gjøre for å bygge kulturer for innovasjon hvor kvalitet vurderes og produseres igjen og igjen. De setter forskjellighet i bevegelse og åpner opp for å skape rettferdige utdanningsøyeblikk.
Positive effect of dietary lutein and cholesterol on the undirected song activity of an opportunistic breeder
Authors: Casagrande Stefania , Pinxten Rianne , Zaid Erika , Eens Marcel
Published: October 2016

Song is a sexually selected trait that is thought to be an honest signal of the health condition of an individual in many bird species. For species that breed opportunistically, the quantity of food may be a determinant of singing activity. However, it is not yet known whether the quality of food plays an important role in this respect. The aim of the present study was to experimentally investigate the role of two calorie-free nutrients (lutein and cholesterol) in determining the expression of a sexually selected behavior (song rate) and other behaviors (locomotor activity, self-maintenance activity, eating and resting) in male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). We predicted that males supplemented with lutein and cholesterol would sing at higher rates than controls because both lutein and cholesterol have important health-related physiological functions in birds and birdsong mirrors individual condition. To control for testosterone secretion that may upregulate birdsong, birds were exposed to a decreasing photoperiod. Our results showed that control males down-regulated testosterone in response to a decreasing photoperiod, while birds treated with lutein or cholesterol maintained a constant singing activity. Both lutein- and cholesterol-supplemented groups sang more than control groups by the end of the experiment, indicating that the quality of food can affect undirected song irrespective of circulating testosterone concentrations. None of the other measured behaviors were affected by the treatment, suggesting that, when individuals have full availability of food, sexually selected song traits are more sensitive to the effect of food quality than other behavioral traits. Overall the results support our prediction that undirected song produced by male zebra finches signals access to high-quality food.
Higher central fat and poor self-body image in short-stature overweight/obese women living in Brazilian shantytowns
Authors: Bueno Nassib Bezerra , Florêncio Telma Toledo , Cavalcante Fabiana Albuquerque , Lins Isabela Lopes , Clemente Ana Grotti , Sawaya Ana Lydia
Published: October 2016

Background

Short stature in adult life, a possible consequence of poor perinatal conditions, is associated with higher risk of mortality and social disabilities. We aimed to determine whether low-income, overweight/obese, short-stature (SS) women show alterations in body composition, self-body-image perception, and biochemical profile compared to their non-short (NS) counterparts.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted with women living in shantytowns and mother or relatives to undernourished children treated in a center for recuperation and nutritional education. Inclusion criteria were: (1) age, 19–45 years; (2) stature < 152.3 cm or > 158.7 cm; and (3) body mass index > 25 kg/m2. Socioeconomic, anthropometric, biochemical, and body image data were collected. We analyzed 56 SS and 57 NS women.

Results

The SS group showed a higher waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) (mean: 0.63; standard deviation: 0.06 for SS and mean: 0.60; standard deviation: 0.07 for the NS group; p = 0.02), and, in the adjusted analysis, showed lower fat-free mass (Estimated Marginal Mean for the SS group: 45.7 kg 95% confidence intervals (CI) (45.2–46.2) and for the NS group: 46.9 kg 95% CI (46.4–47.4); p < 0.01) and higher fat mass (Estimated Marginal Mean for the SS group: 32.5 95% CI (31.9–33.0) and for the NS group: 31.4 kg 95% CI (30.9–31.9); p < 0.01). Body mass index was a better predictor of current self-body-image perception for NS women. The SS coefficient values were β = 0.141,SE= 0.059, and R2-Nagelkerke = 0.107, and the NS coefficients values were β = 0.307,SE= 0.058, and R2-Nagelkerke = 0.491 (Z= 2.006; p < 0.05). Considering the obese subgroup, six out of 32 (18.8%) SS women and 14 out of 33 (42.4%) NS women perceived themselves as obese (χ2= 4.27; p = 0.03). This difference remained significant even after adjustment by age, schooling, and number of children (p = 0.04). Only the total thyroxin showed significant differences between groups, lower in SS women (p = 0.04).

Discussion

Overweight/obese, low-income SS women have more central adiposity and impaired self-body image perception, and the body mass index is a weaker predictor of it, compared to NS women. Misperception about body size may be linked with an overestimation of health and underestimation of risk, which may lead to a lower utilization of the health care system and inadequate physician counseling. These features may account, at least partially, for the higher mortality risk seen in SS adults.
Synthese und Reaktivität von diskreten Calciumimiden
Authors: Wolf Benjamin M. , Maichle‐Mössmer Cäcilia , Anwander Reiner
Published: October 2016

Die Protonolysereaktion von Dibenzylcalcium mit Triphenylsilylamin liefert ein THF‐stabilisiertes, tetrameres Calciumimid. Der Einsatz von Calcium‐bis(tetramethylaluminat) in einer Salzmetathese‐Protonolyse‐Reaktionsfolge mit den Alkalimetallamiden von 2,6‐Diisopropylamin und Triphenylsilylamin ermöglicht den Zugang zu monomeren, Lewis‐Säure‐stabilisierten Calciumimiden des Typs [(THF)4Ca(μ2‐NR)(μ2‐Me)AlMe2]. Während die Reaktion von [(THF)4Ca(μ2‐NSiPh3)(μ2‐Me)AlMe2] mit Phenylsilan unter Addition der H‐Si‐Bindung an die Ca‐N‐Imidbindung zur Bildung eines homoleptischen Calciumamidoaluminats und putativem CaH2 führt, entsteht bei der Reaktion mit Phenylacetylen unter Protonierung einer AlMe‐Einheit der dimere Komplex [(THF)Ca{NSiPh3}{AlMe2(CCPh)}]2.
Cooking fuel from Jatropha Curcas feedstock: An experiment based techno‐economic analysis
Authors: Baral Nawa Raj , Adhikari Narayan Prasad , Neupane Pratikshya
Published: October 2016

Jatropha Curcas is a promising feedstock for biofuel production, which can be grown in tropical and subtropical regions globally. Utilization of oil produced from the Jatropha seed can reduce the use of common cooking fuels in developing countries such as firewood, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Thus, many developing countries including Nepal are promoting Jatropha‐based biofuel production plants. However, before the commercial establishment of such a facility, a thorough techno‐economic analysis is required. Thus, this study conducted a techno‐economic analysis of a commercial‐scale Jatropha oil production facility with a nameplate capacity of 23.87 million liter/year. Jatropha seeds collected from different regions of Nepal were used to determine the oil yield and other required input materials for the oil extraction process. Thermal efficiency of a conventional kerosene stove blending with Jatropha oil was also determined. These experimental data and other data associated with process equipment collected from the literature were used to conduct the techno‐economic analysis. The estimated Jatropha oil costs ($/L) with and without oil cake revenue were 0.64 and 0.76, respectively. Additionally, Jatropha oil production cost ($/L) including oil cake revenue at 90% confidence interval was 0.38–1.02. Feedstock cost, oil yield, oil cake revenue, and plant size were the most sensitive parameters to oil production cost. Further, thermal efficiency of 38.8 ± 0.18% was obtained when 20% (v/v) Jatropha oil was blended with kerosene and the efficiency was inversely proportional to blending ratio. Overall, 20% (v/v) Jatropha oil‐kerosene blend could be a viable cooking fuel for developing countries. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Recombinant flavin‐dependent halogenases are functional in tobacco chloroplasts without co‐expression of flavin reductase genes
Authors: Fräbel Sabine , Krischke Markus , Staniek Agata , Warzecha Heribert
Published: October 2016

Halogenation of natural compounds in planta is rare. Herein, a successful engineering of tryptophan 6‐halogenation into the plant context by heterologous expression of the Streptomyces toxytricini Stth gene and localization of its enzymatic product in various tobacco cell compartments is described. When co‐expressed with the flavin reductase rebF from Lechevalieria aerocolonigenes, Stth efficiently produced chlorinated tryptophan in the cytosol. Further, supplementation of KBr yielded the brominated metabolite. More strikingly, targeting of the protein to the chloroplasts enabled effective halogenation of tryptophan even in absence of the partner reductase, providing crucial evidence for sufficient, organelle‐specific supply of the FADH2 cofactor to drive halogen integration. Incorporation of an alternative enzyme, the 7‐halogenase RebH from L. aerocolonigenes, into the metabolic set‐up resulted in the formation of 6,7‐dichlorotryptophan. Finally, expression of tryptophan decarboxylase (tdc) in concert with stth led to the generation of 6‐chlorotryptamine, a new‐to‐nature precursor of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids. In sum, the report highlights the tremendous application potential of plants as a unique chassis for the engineering of rare and valuable halogenated natural products, with chloroplasts as the cache of reduction equivalents driving metabolic reactions.
Polyester hydrolysis is enhanced by a truncated esterase: Less is more
Authors: Biundo Antonino , Ribitsch Doris , Steinkellner Georg , Gruber Karl , Guebitz Georg M.
Published: October 2016

An esterase from Clostridium botulinum (Cbotu_EstA) previously reported to hydrolyze the biodegradable polyester poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) was redesigned to improve the hydrolysis of synthetic polyesters. Increased activity was indeed observed for del71Cbotu_EstA variant, which performed activity on the widespread polyester polyethylene terephthalate, which was not able to be attacked by the wild‐type enzyme Cbotu_EstA. Analysis of the 3D structure of the enzyme showed that removing 71 residues at the N‐terminus of the enzyme exposed a hydrophobic patch on the surface and improved sorption of hydrophobic polyesters concomitantly facilitating the access of the polymer to the active site. These results show a new route for enhancing enzyme activity for hydrolysis and modification of polyesters.
Engineering Halomonas spp. as A Low‐Cost Production Host for Production of Bio‐surfactant Protein PhaP
Authors: Lan Lu‐Hong , Zhao Han , Chen Jin‐Chun , Chen Guo‐Qiang
Published: October 2016

Halomonas spp. have been studied as a low cost production host for producing bulk materials such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) bioplastics, since they are able to grow at high pH and high NaCl concentration under unsterile and continuous conditions without microbial contamination. In this paper, Halomonas strain TD is used as a host to produce a protein named PHA phasin or PhaP which has a potential to be developed into a bio‐surfactant. Four Halomonas TD expression strains are constructed based on a strong T7‐family expression system. Of these, the strain with phaC deletion and chromosomal expression system resulted in the highest production of PhaP in soluble form, reaching 19% of total cellular soluble proteins and with a yield of 1.86 g/L in an open fed‐batch fermentation process. A simple ”heat lysis and salt precipitation“ method is applied to allow rapid PhaP purification from a mixture of cellular proteins with a PhaP recovery rate of 63%. It clearly demonstrated that Halomonas TD could be used for high yield expression of a bio‐surfactant protein PhaP for industrial application in an economical way.
Outcomes after extended pancreatectomy in patients with borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic cancer
Authors: Hartwig W , Gluth A , Hinz U , Koliogiannis D , Strobel O , Hackert T , Werner J , Büchler M W
Published: October 2016

Background

In the recent International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS) consensus on extended pancreatectomy, several issues on perioperative outcome and long-term survival remained unclear. Robust data on outcomes are sparse. The present study aimed to assess the outcome of extended pancreatectomy for borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Methods

A consecutive series of patients with primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma undergoing extended pancreatectomies, as defined by the new ISGPS consensus, were compared with patients who had a standard pancreatectomy. Univariable and multivariable analysis was performed to identify risk factors for perioperative mortality and characteristics associated with survival. Long-term outcome was assessed by means of Kaplan–Meier analysis.

Results

The 611 patients who had an extended pancreatectomy had significantly greater surgical morbidity than the 1217 patients who underwent a standard resection (42·7 versus 34·2 per cent respectively), and higher 30-day mortality (4·3 versus 1·8 per cent) and in-hospital mortality (7·5 versus 3·6 per cent) rates. Operating time of 300 min or more, extended total pancreatectomy, and ASA fitness grade of III or IV were associated with increased in-hospital mortality in multivariable analysis, whereas resections involving the colon, portal vein or arteries were not. Median survival and 5-year overall survival rate were reduced in patients having extended pancreatectomy compared with those undergoing a standard resection (16·1 versus 23·6 months, and 11·3 versus 20·6 per cent, respectively). Older age, G3/4 tumours, two or more positive lymph nodes, macroscopic positive resection margins, duration of surgery of 420 min or above, and blood loss of 1000 ml or more were independently associated with decreased overall survival.

Conclusion

Extended resections are associated with increased perioperative morbidity and mortality, particularly when extended total pancreatectomy is performed. Favourable long-term outcome is achieved in some patients.
Systematic review to establish absolute standards for technical performance in surgery
Authors: Goldenberg M G , Garbens A , Szasz P , Hauer T , Grantcharov T P
Published: October 2016

Background

Standard setting allows educators to create benchmarks that distinguish between those who pass and those who fail an assessment. It can also be used to create standards in clinical and simulated procedural skill. The objective of this review was to perform a systematic review of the literature using absolute standard-setting methodology to create benchmarks in technical performance.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted by searching MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Abstracts of retrieved studies were reviewed and those meeting the inclusion criteria were selected for full-text review. The quality of evidence presented in the included studies was assessed using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI), where a score of 14 or more of 18 indicates high-quality evidence.

Results

Of 1809 studies identified, 37 used standard-setting methodology for assessment of procedural skill. Of these, 24 used participant-centred and 13 employed item-centred methods. Thirty studies took place in a simulated environment, and seven in a clinical setting. The included studies assessed residents (26 of 37), fellows (6 of 37) and staff physicians (17 of 37). Seventeen articles achieved a MERSQI score of 14 or more of 18, whereas 20 did not meet this mark.

Conclusion

Absolute standard-setting methodologies can be used to establish cut-offs for procedural skill assessments.
Promotional Role of Surface Defects on Carbon‐Supported Ruthenium‐Based Catalysts in the Transfer Hydrogenation of Furfural
Authors: Gao Zhi , Yang Lan , Fan Guoli , Li Feng
Published: October 2016

The synthesis of highly efficient supported metal catalysts is of vital importance for the modern development of the production of chemicals. In this regard, biomass‐based chemical transformation holds potential promise through many heterogeneous catalytic processes. Herein, we report surface defect engineering on a carbon‐supported, Ru‐based catalyst by a two‐step hybridization–self‐reduction route, which involves the assembly of a hybrid composite of ternary Co‐Al‐Ru layered double hydroxide (CoAlRu‐LDH) and amorphous carbon through the carbonization of glucose and a subsequent in situ self‐reduction process. The results revealed that Ru3+ species in the resulting CoAlRu‐LDH‐C composite could be reduced in situ to Ru0 species by the carbon component in the hybrid composite, and Co‐containing spinels with a large quantity of surface oxygen vacancies could be formed simultaneously on the surface. The as‐fabricated Ru‐based catalyst showed a superior catalytic performance in the liquid‐phase transfer hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol using benzyl alcohol as hydrogen donator to other Ru‐based catalysts derived from LDH‐C composite precursors. It was proven that surface defects (i.e., oxygen vacancies, Co2+ species) could enable the chemisorption of furfural spatially and ensure the activation of its carbonyl groups, which promoted the transfer hydrogenation greatly.
Determination of an optimally sensitive and specific chemical exchange saturation transfer MRI quantification metric in relevant biological phantoms
Authors: Ray Kevin J. , Larkin James R. , Tee Yee K. , Khrapitchev Alexandre A. , Karunanithy Gogulan , Barber Michael , Baldwin Andrew J. , Chappell Michael A. , Sibson Nicola R.
Published: October 2016

The purpose of this study was to develop realistic phantom models of the intracellular environment of metastatic breast tumour and naïve brain, and using these models determine an analysis metric for quantification of CEST MRI data that is sensitive to only labile proton exchange rate and concentration. The ability of the optimal metric to quantify pH differences in the phantoms was also evaluated.

Novel phantom models were produced, by adding perchloric acid extracts of either metastatic mouse breast carcinoma cells or healthy mouse brain to bovine serum albumin. The phantom model was validated using 1H NMR spectroscopy, then utilized to determine the sensitivity of CEST MRI to changes in pH, labile proton concentration, T1 time and T2 time; six different CEST MRI analysis metrics (MTRasym, APT*, MTRRex, AREX and CESTR* with and without T1/T2 compensation) were compared.

The new phantom models were highly representative of the in vivo intracellular environment of both tumour and brain tissue. Of the analysis methods compared, CESTR* with T1 and T2 time compensation was optimally specific to changes in the CEST effect (i.e. minimal contamination from T1 or T2 variation). In phantoms with identical protein concentrations, pH differences between phantoms could be quantified with a mean accuracy of 0.6 pH units.

We propose that CESTR* with T1 and T2 time compensation is the optimal analysis method for these phantoms. Analysis of CEST MRI data with T1/T2 time compensated CESTR* is reproducible between phantoms, and its application in vivo may resolve the intracellular alkalosis associated with breast cancer brain metastases without the need for exogenous contrast agents.
Short and long time MR signal behavior of randomly distributed water and fat—numerical simulations
Authors: Lam Mie K. , Bakker Chris J.G. , Moonen Chrit T.W. , Viergever Max A. , Bartels Lambertus W.
Published: October 2016

The MR time‐signal behavior of water has been reported to be different on short and long time scales for systems of randomly distributed perturbers in water in the static dephasing regime. Up to now, the signal of the perturbers in such systems has not been taken into consideration. Water–fat emulsions are macroscopically homogeneous systems and can be considered as microscopically randomly distributed perturbing fat spheres embedded in water. In such water–fat systems, the signal of the perturber, fat, cannot be ignored. Since water and fat are within the same system, the fat signal behavior may show similarities with water, with differences in short and long time scales. This could complicate fat‐referenced MR thermometry (MRT) methods such as multi‐gradient echo‐based (MGE) MRT. Simulations were performed using a numerical phantom comprising spherical fat objects embedded in a spherical water medium. To characterize the fat signal, the theoretical signal description of water was fitted to the simulated fat signal. The simulated signals were sampled as an MGE signal and MGE MRT was used to calculate temperatures. The sampling was done with and without delay, to investigate the effect on the temperature error of the time ranges in which the signal was sampled. It was confirmed that the fat signal behavior was similar to that of water and consisted of two regimes. The separation between the short and long time scales was approximately at 55 ms for fat, as compared with 8.9 ms for water. Without delayed signal sampling, the MGE MRT temperature error was about 2.5°C. With delayed sampling such that both the water and the fat signals were either in the short or in the long time scale the error was reduced to 0.2°C.
Preparation of Cu nanoparticles with controlled particle size and distribution via reaction temperature and sonication
Authors: Lee Sangyoon , Jeong Hakyung , Noh Youngwook , Hyun Soong Keun , Lee Dongjin , Jin Changhyun
Published: October 2016

This paper presents metallic copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) that differ according to the process parameters used, such as bath temperature and sonication. The effect of different reactions on the size and distribution of CuNPs that had been formed in ethylene glycol solvent were characterized by the X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses after extraction from the solvent. The optimal dimensional properties, including size, distribution, and agglomeration, of CuNPs were determined by controlling the reaction temperature. On the other hand, the mechanically induced sonication process enhances the formation of the selective CuNPs because of the many homogeneous interactions among precursors, reducing agents, and capping agents related to the nucleation and growth of CuNPs. The mechanics of the origin of the diverse CuNPs of different size and distribution are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Item Cloning Variation and the Impact on the Parameters of Response Models
Authors: Lathrop Quinn N. , Cheng Ying
Published: October 2016

Item cloning is increasingly used to generate slight differences in tasks for use in psychological experiments and educational assessments. This paper investigates the psychometric issues that arise when item cloning introduces variation into the difficulty parameters of the item clones. Four models are proposed and evaluated in simulation studies with conditions representing possible types of variation due to item cloning. Depending on the model specified, unaccounted variance in the item clone difficulties propagates to other parameters in the model, causing specific and predictable patterns of bias. Person parameters are largely unaffected by the choice of model, but for inferences related to the item parameters, the choice is critical and can even be leveraged to identify problematic item cloning.
Detection of Haemophilus influenzae type b, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis in CSF specimens of children suspicious of Meningitis in Ahvaz, Iran
Authors: Amin Mansour , Ghaderpanah Mozhgan , Navidifar Tahereh
Published: October 2016

Meningitis is a life‐threatening infection associated with a high mortality and morbidity worldwide. Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae are the most prevalent infectious agents that cause bacterial meningitis (BM). The objective of this study was to determine the frequencies of these three bacteria using bacterial cultures and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In our cross‐sectional study, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens were obtained from 196 patients who were suspected of having BM and referred to the pediatric ward of Abuzar Hospital (Ahvaz, Iran). The samples were monitored by gram stain, cultures, and the PCR method. The patients' age mean was 23 ± 0.56 months. The 196 patients comprised 92 (46.9%) boys and 104 (53.06%) girls. Based on bacterial cultures, just three isolates of H. influenzae were detected. However, PCR detected this bacterium in eight patients. Streptococcus pneumoniae was detected in five (2.5%) patients by the amplification of the lytA gene and in one (0.5%) patient by ply. In this study, no N. meningitidis isolate was in the CSF samples, based on the bacterial culture or PCR results. Streptococcus agalactiae was detected only in one patient, based on PCR. In conclusion, in the present study, the PCR method was more sensitive and rapid than culture for detecting the infectious agents in BM. For this reason, this diagnosis method is recommended for BM.
Is Punishment Morally Justified? Developing Nietzsche's Critique of Compatibilism inThe Wanderer and His Shadow, Section 23
Authors: ELGAT GUY
Published: October 2016

Nietzsche is mostly known for denying moral responsibility on account of lack of libertarian free will, thus betraying an incompatibilist approach to moral responsibility. In this paper, however, I focus on a different, less familiar argument by Nietzsche, one that I interpret as a critique of a compatibilist conception of moral responsibility. The critique shows why punishment and our moral sanctions in general are morally unjustified by the compatibilist's own lights. In addition, I articulate what I call Nietzsche's explanatory challenge, which challenges the compatibilist to explain the performance of an immoral action without appealing to conditions that would exempt or excuse the wrongdoer or otherwise relieve the wrongdoer from responsibility and would thus make punishing the wrongdoer morally unjustified. By drawing on the work of R. Jay Wallace, I reconstruct Nietzsche's anticompatibilist argument and defend it against four possible objections.
Content and Methods used to Train Tobacco Cessation Treatment Providers: An International Survey
Authors: Kruse Gina R. , Rigotti Nancy A. , Raw Martin , McNeill Ann , Murray Rachael , Piné-Abata Hembadoon , Bitton Asaf , McEwen Andy
Published: October 2016

Introduction: There are limited existing data describing the training methods used to educate tobacco cessation treatment providers around the world.

Aims: To measure the prevalence of tobacco cessation treatment content, skills training, and teaching methods reported by tobacco treatment training programmes around the world.

Methods: Web-based survey in May–September 2013 amongst tobacco cessation training experts across six geographic regions and four World Bank income levels. In total, 104 individual training programmes responded.

Results: Of 104 individual programmes, most reported teaching brief advice (78%) and one-to-one counselling (74%); telephone counselling was uncommon (33%). Overall, teaching of knowledge topics was more commonly reported than skills training. Programmes in lower income countries less often reported teaching about medications, behavioural treatments and biomarkers and less often reported skills-based training about interviewing clients, medication management, biomarker measurement, assessing client outcomes, and assisting clients with co-morbidities. Programmes reported a median 15 hours of training. Face-to-face training was common (85%); online programmes were rare (19%). Almost half (47%) included no learner assessment. Most (65%) offered no continuing education.

Conclusions: Nearly all programmes reported teaching evidence-based treatment modalities in a face-to-face format. Few programmes delivered training online or offered continuing education. Skills-based training was less common amongst low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There is an unmet need for tobacco treatment training protocols which emphasise practical skills and which are more rapidly scalable than face-to-face training in LMICs.
Thermo-mechanical numerical model of the transition from continental rifting to oceanic spreading: the case study of the Alpine Tethys
Authors: MAROTTA ANNA MARIA , RODA MANUEL , CONTE KATYA , SPALLA MARIA IOLE
Published: October 2016

We develop a two-dimensional thermo-mechanical numerical model in which the formation of oceanic crust and serpentinite due to the hydration of the uprising mantle peridotite has been implemented, with the aim of discussing the behaviour of the lithosphere of the Alps and Northern Apennines during the transition from continental rifting to ocean spreading of the Alpine Tethys. The predictions of the model are compared with natural data related to the Permian–Triassic high-temperature – low-pressure (HT-LP) metamorphism affecting the continental lithosphere and data from the JurassicP–Tevolution of the oceanic lithosphere from the Alps and the Northern Apennines. Our analysis indicates that a thinned continental crust, an ocean–continent transition zone and an oceanic lithosphere characterize the final structure of the system in a poor magma rift pre-Alpine configuration. We also find that mantle serpentinization starts before crustal break-up and that denudation occurs before ocean spreading. The mantle denudation starts several million years before the gabbros/basalt formation, generating an ocean–continent transition zone from the passive continental margin to the oceanic lithosphere of size 160–280 km. The comparative analysis shows that the extension of a hot and weak lithosphere, which promotes the development of hyperextended Alpine margins, better agrees with the natural data. Finally, our comparative analysis supports the hypothesis that the lithospheric extension preceding the opening of the Alpine Tethys did not start in a stable continental lithosphere, but developed by recycling part of the old Variscan collisional suture.
Claw disorders in dairy cattle – an unexpected association between energy metabolism and sole haemorrhages
Authors: Wilhelm Katrin , Wilhelm Jürgen , Fürll Manfred
Published: October 2016

The present study investigated whether changes of energy metabolism post-partum (pp) are associated with claw health. For this purpose, back-fat-thickness (BFT) was measured and blood samples were taken from 146 cows at four examination times. The serum levels of free fatty acids (FFA), ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and glucose were measured. Furthermore, in the first week postpartum (pp) and at 8 weeks pp, a claw trimming was done and the presence and extent of sole haemorrhages (SH) was recorded. Animals with high BFT at calving and therefore high fat mobilisation and whose FFA and BHB levels in the first week pp exceeded the reference values had fewer pathological changes of the claws than thinner animals whose FFA and BHB levels stayed within reference ranges. The body condition before calving, represented in this study by BFT, plays an important role in non-infectious claw disorders. Poorer body condition was found to be associated with the SH that develop in the first 2 months of lactation.
Six new species of Hesionura (Phyllodocidae, Annelida) and redescription of H. laubieri (Hartmann-Schröder, 1963) from southern and south-eastern Brazil
Authors: de Oliveira Verônica , Eibye-Jacobsen Danny , Lana Paulo
Published: October 2016

Six new species of Hesionura are described from estuarine and continental shelf bottoms off southern and south-eastern Brazil. Hesionura laubieri (Hartmann-Schröder, 1963) is redescribed based on newly collected material. Hesionura ceciliae sp. nov. is diagnosed by conical ventral cirri on anterior and median segments, with tapered distal ends, and by four bidentate chaetae throughout the body, except in the last segments, which have an additional supracicular unidentate chaeta. The ventral cirri on median parapodia of Hesionura biformata sp. nov. are more than 1.5 times as long as the neuropodial lobes, abruptly tapering on posterior segments; posterior parapodia have one bidentate and two unidentate subacicular chaetae. Hesionura variodentata sp. nov. has conical tentacular ventral cirri, anterior and median parapodia with first dorsal chaeta tridentate and the other three bidentate, and posterior parapodia with four chaetae, the three most dorsal bidentate and the most ventral unidentate. The ventral tentacular cirri of Hesionura carioca sp. nov. are cylindrical and elongated, with tapered distal ends; dorsal cirri are oval, and posterior parapodia have one tridentate, three bidentate and one unidentate chaetae. Adults of Hesionura longissima sp. nov. reach up to 21 mm, a length not previously been reported for the otherwise meiofaunal genus Hesionura; their first supracicular chaeta is quadridentate and dorsal and ventral cirri are rounded in reproductive stages. Hesionura lupina sp. nov. has cylindrical and elongated ventral tentacular cirri, with tapered distal ends, oval dorsal cirri, cylindrical ventral cirri, and posterior parapodia with five bidentate chaetae.
Aggregation of cloned embryos in empty zona pellucida improves derivation efficiency of pig ES-like cells
Authors: Lee Dong-Kyung , Park Chi-Hun , Choi Kwang-Hwan , Jeong Yeon-ik , Uh Kyung-Jun , Hwang Jae Yeon , Lee Sang-Goo , Lee Chang-Kyu
Published: October 2016

The development of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from large animal species has become an important model for therapeutic cloning using ESCs derived by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). However, poor embryo quality and blastocyst formation have been major limitations for derivation of cloned ESCs (ntESCs). In this study, we have tried to overcome these problems by treating these cells with histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) and aggregating porcine embryos. First, cloned embryos were treated with Scriptaid to confirm the effect of HDACi on cloned embryo quality. The Scriptaid-treated blastocysts showed significantly higher total cell numbers (29.50 ± 2.10) than non-treated blastocysts (22.29 ± 1.50, P < 0.05). Next, cloned embryo quality and blastocyst formation were analyzed in aggregates. Three zona-free, reconstructed, four-cell-stage SCNT embryos were injected into the empty zona of hatched parthenogenetic (PA) blastocysts. Blastocyst formation and total cell number of cloned blastocysts increased significantly for all aggregates (76.4% and 83.18 ± 8.33) compared with non-aggregates (25.5% and 27.11 ± 1.67, P < 0.05). Finally, aggregated blastocysts were cultured on a feeder layer to examine the efficiency of porcine ES-like cell derivation. Aggregated blastocysts showed a higher primary colony formation rate than non-aggregated cloned blastocysts (17.6 ± 12.3% vs. 2.2 ± 1.35%, respectively, P < 0.05). In addition, derived ES-like cells showed typical characters of ESCs. In conclusion, the aggregation of porcine SCNT embryos at the four-cell stage could be a useful technique for improving the development rate and quality of porcine-cloned blastocysts and the derivation efficiency of porcine ntESCs.
Cue-Weighting mechanism and bilingualism
Authors: TREMBLAY ANNIE , COUGHLIN CAITLIN E.
Published: October 2016

Cunnings’ proposed theory can explain why second language (L2) learners have difficulty resolving certain types of dependencies (i.e., backward-looking dependencies) but not others (i.e., forward-looking dependencies). However, his theory should be more explicit about the mechanism underlying late L2 learners’ and native speakers’ different weightings of retrieval cues, and research framed within his theory should strive to tease apart age-of-acquisition effects from bilingualism effects.