bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diversity‐Oriented Approach to Carbocycles and Heterocycles through Ring‐Rearrangement Metathesis, Fischer Indole Cyclization, and Diels–Alder Reaction as Key Steps
Authors: Kotha Sambasivarao , Ravikumar Ongolu
Published: July 2014

Readily available dicyclopentadiene derivatives were subjected to ring‐rearrangement metathesis in the presence of ruthenium catalysts to deliver a range of fused polycycle frameworks containing carbocycles, oxacycles, and azacycles. We have used atom‐economic processes such as ring‐rearrangement metathesis, Fischer indole cyclization, and the Diels–Alder reaction as key steps.
Stressful Life Events and Binge Eating Disorder
Authors: Degortes Daniela , Santonastaso Paolo , Zanetti Tatiana , Tenconi Elena , Veronese Angela , Favaro Angela
Published: July 2014

Although there is evidence about the role played by stressful life events (SE) in the pathogenesis of eating disorders, few studies to date have explored this problem in binge eating disorder (BED). The aim of the present study was to examine SE preceding the onset of BED. A retrospective interview‐based design was used to compare 107 patients with BED and 107 patients with bulimia nervosa (BN), matched for duration of illness. Compared with patients with BN, those with BED reported a greater number of traumatic events in the 6 months preceding onset, revealing more often three types of events: bereavement, separation from a family member and accidents. The presence of SE before onset showed a dose–response relationship with the severity of psychopathology at the time of referral for treatment. Study of SE in patients with BED may be important for better understanding of the pathogenetic pathway to this disorder and to provide adequate treatment. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Photodegradation of the antihistamine cetirizine in natural waters
Authors: Mead Ralph N. , Barefoot Seth , Helms John R. , Morgan Jeremy B. , Kieber Robert J.
Published: July 2014

The photodegradation rate of the anti-histamine cetirizine (Zyrtec®) was investigated in various water matrices. The average observed first-order photodegradation rate coefficient (kobs), obtained by linear regression of the logarithmic-transformed cetirizine concentrations versus irradiation time in simulated sunlight, was 0.024 h−1 (n = 6; standard deviation ± 0.004) in deionized water corresponding to a half-life of approximately 30 h. There was no statistical difference in the kobs of cetirizine photodegradation in coastal seawater compared with deionized water or deionized water amended with dissolved chromophoric organic matter. The quantum yield of cetirizine photodegradation decreased dramatically with increasing wavelength and decreasing energy of incoming radiation, with the average value ranging from 5.28 × 10−4 to 6.40 × 10−3 in the ultraviolet wavelength range (280–366 nm). The activation energy of cetirizine photodegradation was 10.3 kJ mol−1 with an observed increase in cetirizine photodegradation as temperature increased. This is a significant environmental factor influencing half-life and an important consideration, given that cetirizine has been detected in wastewater and receiving waters from different locations globally. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:2240–2245. © 2014 SETAC
Decrease of free radical concentrations in humans following consumption of a high antioxidant capacity natural product
Authors: Nemzer Boris , Chang Tony , Xie Zhuohong , Pietrzkowski Zbigniew , Reyes Tania , Ou Boxin
Published: July 2014

ORAC and other in vitro methods have to date proved useful in measuring antioxidant potential in foods. In order to better understand the potential relationship between diet and free radical production/mitigation, an in vivo analytic method can provide new insight into directly measuring reactive oxidant species (ROS). Dihydrorhodamine‐6G (DHR6G) is indiscriminate to the various free radicals found in humans, and therefore can be useful in quantifying total ROS in vivo. Our aim was to investigate whether the total ROS in human subjects can be quantified using DHR6G after intake of a blend of antioxidants‐rich fruit and vegetable‐based materials. Twelve participants were given 100 mg of a proprietary blend of fruit, vegetable, and herb powders and concentrates commercially marketed under the trade name “Spectra™”. Blood samples were collected at 0, 60, 120 and 180 min and were subsequently tested for ROS in serum using DHR6G as a fluorescent probe. By quantifying this fluorescence, we were able to measure ROS concentrations in human blood. This method is both reliable and efficient for evaluating the efficacy of antioxidants against ROS in vivo. Our data indicate that eleven participants responded to the intake of Spectra™ by significant decreases of ROS concentrations.
Contribution of sodium channels to lamellipodial protrusion and Rac1 and ERK1/2 activation in ATP‐stimulated microglia
Authors: Persson Anna‐Karin , Estacion Mark , Ahn Hyesook , Liu Shujun , Stamboulian‐Platel Severine , Waxman Stephen G. , Black Joel A.
Published: July 2014

Microglia are motile resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS) that continuously explore their territories for threats to tissue homeostasis. Following CNS insult (e.g., cellular injury, infection, or ischemia), microglia respond to signals such as ATP, transform into an activated state, and migrate towards the threat. Directed migration is a complex and highly‐coordinated process involving multiple intersecting cellular pathways, including signal transduction, membrane adhesion and retraction, cellular polarization, and rearrangement of cytoskeletal elements. We previously demonstrated that the activity of sodium channels contributes to ATP‐induced migration of microglia. Here we show that TTX‐sensitive sodium channels, specifically NaV1.6, participate in an initial event in the migratory process, i.e., the formation in ATP‐stimulated microglia of polymerized actin‐rich membrane protrusions, lamellipodia, containing accumulations of Rac1 and phosphorylated ERK1/2. We also examined Ca2+ transients in microglia and found that blockade of sodium channels with TTX produced a downward shift in the level of [Ca2+]i during the delayed, slower recovery of [Ca2+]i following ATP stimulation. These observations demonstrate a modulatory role of sodium channels on Ca2+ transients in microglia that are likely to affect down‐stream signaling cascades. Consistent with these observations, we demonstrate that ATP‐induced microglial migration is mediated via Rac1 and ERK1/2, but not p38α/β and JNK, dependent pathways, and that activation of both Rac1 and ERK1/2 is modulated by sodium channel activity. Our results provide evidence for a direct link between sodium channel activity and modulation of Rac1 and ERK1/2 activation in ATP‐stimulated microglia, possibly by regulating Ca2+ transients. GLIA 2014;62:2080–2095
Synthesis of New Sulfonium Ylides Bearing the Chiral Diazaphospholidine Group as Reagents for Asymmetric Cyclopropanation
Authors: Owsianik Krzysztof , Wieczorek Wanda , Balińska Agnieszka , Mikołajczyk Marian
Published: July 2014

Sulfonium ylides derived from chiral N,N'‐substituted (benzyl, isopropyl, neopentyl) phosphonamides were prepared by reacting appropriate chiral diamidophosphites with potassium hydride and chloromethyl methyl sulfide, and then with methyl iodide in the presence AgBF4 to give the corresponding sulfonium salts in high yields. One of them was analyzed by X‐ray crystallography. The salts upon treatment with different bases (LithiumDiisopropylAmine, BuLi, K2CO3) were converted in situ into ylides, which were reacted with activated olefins to produce phosphonocyclopropanes as a mixture of two diastereoisomers with moderate‐to‐high diastereoselectivities.
Calcineurin phosphatase as a negative regulator of fear memory in hippocampus: Control on nuclear factor‐κB signaling in consolidation and reconsolidation
Authors: de la Fuente Verónica , Federman Noel , Fustiñana María Sol , Zalcman Gisela , Romano Arturo
Published: July 2014

Protein phosphatases are important regulators of neural plasticity and memory. Some studies support that the Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent phosphatase calcineurin (CaN) is, on the one hand, a negative regulator of memory formation and, on the other hand, a positive regulator of memory extinction and reversal learning. However, the signaling mechanisms by which CaN exerts its action in such processes are not well understood. Previous findings support that CaN negatively regulate the nuclear factor kappaB (NF‐κB) signaling pathway during extinction. Here, we have studied the role of CaN in contextual fear memory consolidation and reconsolidation in the hippocampus. We investigated the CaN control on the NF‐κB signaling pathway, a key mechanism that regulates gene expression in memory processes. We found that post‐training intrahippocampal administration of the CaN inhibitor FK506 enhanced memory retention one day but not two weeks after training. Accordingly, the inhibition of CaN by FK506 increased NF‐κB activity in dorsal hippocampus. The administration of the NF‐κB signaling pathway inhibitor sulfasalazine (SSZ) impeded the enhancing effect of FK506. In line with our findings in consolidation, FK506 administration before memory reactivation enhanced memory reconsolidation when tested one day after re‐exposure to the training context. Strikingly, memory was also enhanced two weeks after training, suggesting that reinforcement during reconsolidation is more persistent than during consolidation. The coadministration of SSZ and FK506 blocked the enhancement effect in reconsolidation, suggesting that this facilitation is also dependent on the NF‐κB signaling pathway. In summary, our results support a novel mechanism by which memory formation and reprocessing can be controlled by CaN regulation on NF‐κB activity. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ESTIMATING FISCAL LIMITS: THE CASE OF GREECE
Authors: Bi Huixin , Traum Nora
Published: July 2014

This paper uses Bayesian methods to estimate a real business cycle model that allows for interactions among fiscal policy instruments, the stochastic ‘fiscal limit’ and sovereign default. Using the particle filter to perform likelihood‐based inference, we estimate the full nonlinear model with post‐EMU data until 2010:Q4. We find that (i) the probability of default on Greek debt was in the range of 5–10% in 2010:Q4 and (ii) the 2011 surge in the Greek real interest rate is within model forecast bands. The results suggest that a nonlinear rational expectations environment can account for the Greek interest rate path. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Elevated levels of antibodies against xenobiotics in a subgroup of healthy subjects
Authors: Vojdani Aristo , Kharrazian Datis , Mukherjee Partha Sarathi
Published: July 2014

In spite of numerous research efforts, the exact etiology of autoimmune diseases remains largely unknown. Genetics and environmental factors, including xenobiotics, are believed to be involved in the induction of autoimmune disease. Some environmental chemicals, acting as haptens, can bind to a high‐molecular‐weight carrier protein such as human serum albumin (HSA), causing the immune system to misidentify self‐tissue as an invader and launch an immune response against it, leading to autoimmunity. This study aimed to examine the percentage of blood samples from healthy donors in which chemical agents mounted immune challenges and produced antibodies against HSA‐bound chemicals. The levels of specific antibodies against 12 different chemicals bound to HSA were measured by ELISA in serum from 400 blood donors. We found that 10% (IgG) and 17% (IgM) of tested individuals showed significant antibody elevation against aflatoxin‐HSA adduct. The percentage of elevation against the other 11 chemicals ranged from 8% to 22% (IgG) and 13% to 18% (IgM). Performance of serial dilution and inhibition of the chemical–antibody reaction by specific antigens but not by non‐specific antigens were indicative of the specificity of these antibodies. Although we lack information about chemical exposure in the tested individuals, detection of antibodies against various protein adducts may indicate chronic exposure to these chemical haptens in about 20% of the tested individuals. Currently the pathological significance of these antibodies in human blood is still unclear, and this protein adduct formation could be one of the mechanisms by which environmental chemicals induce autoimmune reactivity in a significant percentage of the population. Copyright © 2014. The Authors. Journal of Applied Toxicology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Resveratrol protects against homocysteine‐induced cell damage via cell stress response in neuroblastoma cells
Authors: Currò Monica , Trovato‐Salinaro Angela , Gugliandolo Agnese , Koverech Guido , Lodato Francesca , Caccamo Daniela , Calabrese Vittorio , Ientile Riccardo
Published: July 2014

Recent findings underscore that some natural compounds are responsible for specific biochemical effects, i.e., the activation of redox‐sensitive intracellular pathways and modulation of different stress proteins, such as heat shock proteins and sirtuins. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenol widely present in plants, has been shown to display various beneficial effects, including neuroprotection, in several pathological conditions.

In the present study, by using differentiated SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, we investigated the potential protective effects of resveratrol against homocysteine‐induced neurotoxicity. We observed that homocysteine (100 µM) decreased cell viability while at the same time significantly increasing intracellular reactive oxygen species and DNA fragmentation. Cell pretreatment with resveratrol concentrations ranging from 1 to 5 µM elicited protective effects through the reduction of oxidative stress and genotoxic damage. In addition, we observed that resveratrol produced significant changes in the expression of both Hsp70 and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). After homocysteine treatment in the presence of resveratrol, SIRT1 protein was found abundantly not only in the cytosol but also in the nucleus, as demonstrated by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The results of this study suggest that resveratrol is a potential protective agent against homocysteine‐induced neurotoxicity and that beneficial effects are accompanied by changes in cell stress response. Taken together, these features contribute to our knowledge of underlying mechanisms involved in resveratrol‐induced cell survival. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Physiological effects of temperature on turfgrass tolerance to amicarbazone
Authors: Yu Jialin , McCullough Patrick E , Grey Timothy
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND

Amicarbazone effectively controls annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) in bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt‐Davy] and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) with spring applications, but summer applications may excessively injure tall fescue. The objective of this research was to investigate physiological effects of temperature on amicarbazone efficacy, absorption, translocation and metabolism in annual bluegrass, bermudagrass and tall fescue.

RESULTS

At 25/20 °C (day/night), annual bluegrass absorbed 58 and 40% more foliar‐applied amicarbazone than bermudagrass and tall fescue, respectively, after 72 h. Foliar absorption increased at 40/35 °C in all species, compared with 25/20 °C, and tall fescue had similar absorption to annual bluegrass at 40/35 °C. At 6 days after treatment, annual bluegrass metabolized 54% of foliar‐applied amicarbazone, while bermudagrass and tall fescue metabolized 67 and 64% respectively.

CONCLUSION

Tall fescue is more tolerant to amicarbazone than annual bluegrass at moderate temperatures (≈25/20 °C) owing to less absorption and greater metabolism. However, tall fescue susceptibility to amicarbazone injury at high temperatures (40/35 °C) results from enhanced herbicide absorption compared with lower temperatures (25/20 °C). Bermudagrass is more tolerant to amicarbazone than annual bluegrass and tall fescue owing to less herbicide absorption, regardless of temperature. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Synthesis and disaggregation of asparagine repeat‐containing peptides
Authors: Lu Xiaomeng , Murphy Regina M.
Published: July 2014

Of all amino acid repeats in eukaryotes, polyglutamine (polyQ) is the most frequent, followed by polyasparagine (polyN). Glutamine repeats are expanded in proteins associated with several neurodegenerative disorders. The expanded polyQ domain is known to induce aggregation, and it is hypothesized that aggregation is directly causative of pathology. Despite the widespread presence of asparagine repeats in invertebrate eukaryotes, polyN is curiously quite rare in vertebrates. Several investigators have characterized the conformational and aggregation properties of polyQ‐containing peptides and proteins, and to a lesser extent, peptides containing mixed glutamine and asparagine, but to our knowledge, there is no detailed characterization of polyN‐containing peptides. Such a comparison could elucidate reasons for the paucity of asparagine repeats in humans. In this study, we synthesized a peptide containing a 24‐asparagine repeat (N24). For aggregation studies, it is critical to start with monomeric unaggregated peptide. A protocol involving dissolution in mixed trifluoroacetic acid and hexafluoroisopropanol (TFA + HFIP) solvents is widely used for disaggregation of polyQ peptides. We used the same protocol for N24 but discovered that there was both oxidative damage and insufficient disaggregation. Oxidation of tryptophan, used as a flanking residue, was common. Moreover, we found evidence of Förster resonance energy transfer between Trp and its oxidation product N‐formylkynurenine, even in chemical denaturants. This suggested that N24 was insufficiently disaggregated, a conclusion that was further supported by gel electrophoresis analysis. Oxidation was reduced, but not eliminated, by addition of methionine to the buffer. Formic acid proved to be a better disaggregator and caused no oxidative damage. The glutamine repeat peptide Q24 also underwent some oxidation after extended incubation in TFA + HFIP, but there was no evidence of Förster resonance energy transfer, and samples appeared monomeric by gel electrophoresis. This result indicates that polyN‐containing peptides self‐associate more strongly than polyQ‐containing peptides. Circular dichroism spectra reveal a greater propensity for β‐turn formation in polyN than polyQ, providing an explanation for the increased stability of polyN aggregates relative to polyQ. Copyright © 2014 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prevalence estimation subject to misclassification: the mis‐substitution bias and some remedies
Authors: Zhang Zhiwei , Liu Chunling , Kim Sungduk , Liu Aiyi
Published: July 2014

We consider the problem of estimating the prevalence of a disease under a group testing framework. Because assays are usually imperfect, misclassification of disease status is a major challenge in prevalence estimation. To account for possible misclassification, it is usually assumed that the sensitivity and specificity of the assay are known and independent of the group size. This assumption is often questionable, and substitution of incorrect values of an assay's sensitivity and specificity can result in a large bias in the prevalence estimate, which we refer to as the mis‐substitution bias. In this article, we propose simple designs and methods for prevalence estimation that do not require known values of assay sensitivity and specificity. If a gold standard test is available, it can be applied to a validation subsample to yield information on the imperfect assay's sensitivity and specificity. When a gold standard is unavailable, it is possible to estimate assay sensitivity and specificity, either as unknown constants or as specified functions of the group size, from group testing data with varying group size. We develop methods for estimating parameters and for finding or approximating optimal designs, and perform extensive simulation experiments to evaluate and compare the different designs. An example concerning human immunodeficiency virus infection is used to illustrate the validation subsample design. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fragments of Modernization: Domestic Spaces Indicating Traditional Dialects in a Modern Speech
Authors: Merzali Celikoglu Ozge
Published: July 2014

This article examines the change in Turkish domestic space through modernization and, in particular, the artifact of lace, as a nonchanging object in Turkish home in its relationship with the “traditional” and the “modern” domestic settings. Thereby it investigates how traditional and modern settings are defined in Turkish society and, this leads to a further analysis of the modernization process in Turkey within the scope of Turkish house and its domestic settings. The aim of the article is to analyze lace as an agent, which is an actant of the change in domestic settings, to read the connection between the daily life of people and social lives of artifacts. Therefore, examining the dialogue of lace with traditional and modern domestic settings provides to deconstruct the network of the artifact, the house and the individual during the modernization process that Turkish society has been through. The theoretical perspective of the article relies on a material‐semiotic approach with an emphasis on Latour's Actor‐Network Theory and, the methodology of the article is based on ethnography: It includes observations and semi‐structured interviews conducted with people from different social environments focusing on the meaning and the use of lace in domestic environment.
Informed selection of future climates
Authors: Arndt Channing , Fant Charles , Robinson Sherman , Strzepek Kenneth
Published: July 2014

Analysis of climate change is often computationally burdensome. Here, we present an approach for intelligently selecting a sample of climates from a population of 6800 climates designed to represent the full distribution of likely climate outcomes out to 2050 for the Zambeze River Valley. Philosophically, our approach draws upon information theory. Technically, our approach draws upon the numerical integration literature and recent applications of Gaussian quadrature sampling. In our approach, future climates in the Zambeze River Valley are summarized in 12 variables. Weighted Gaussian quadrature samples containing approximately 400 climates are then obtained using the information from these 12 variables. Specifically, the moments of the 12 summary variables in the samples, out to order three, are obliged to equal (or be close to) the moments of the population of 6800 climates. Runoff in the Zambeze River Valley is then estimated for 2026 to 2050 using the CliRun model for all 6800 climates. It is then straightforward to compare the properties of various subsamples. Based on a root of mean square error (RMSE) criteria, the Gaussian quadrature samples substantially outperform random samples of the same size in the prediction of annual average runoff from 2026 to 2050. Relative to random samples, Gaussian quadrature samples tend to perform best when climate change effects are stronger. We conclude that, when properly employed, Gaussian quadrature samples provide an efficient and tractable way to treat climate uncertainty in biophysical and economic models.
Improved Solubility and Emulsification of Wet‐Milled Corn Germ Protein Recovered by Ultrafiltration–Diafiltration
Authors: Hojilla‐Evangelista Mila P.
Published: July 2014

This study evaluated Ultrafiltration–Diafiltration (UFDF) as a means to improve the extractability of wet‐milled corn germ protein and determined its effects on the functional properties of the recovered protein product. Wet germ and dried germ proteins were extracted by using 0.1 M NaCl at 50 °C. Major steps in the method were stirring, centrifugation, UFDF and freeze‐drying. For dried germ, the UFDF method showed marginal increase in protein extraction efficiency, while that of wet germ remained similar to what we observed for the baseline method (saline extraction with dialysis instead of UFDF). UFDF protein extracts from both germ samples were significantly more soluble than extracts recovered by the baseline method and showed atypical solubility profiles; i.e., the amount of soluble protein was essentially unchanged under acidic, neutral, and alkaline pH. UFDF‐dried germ protein was markedly more soluble than UFDF‐wet germ protein (80 vs 50 % soluble protein, respectively) between pH 2 and pH 10. Both of these UFDF‐germ proteins also had emulsifying capacities and water‐holding capacities that were superior to those of proteins extracted by the baseline method, but this favorable effect by UFDF was not observed for emulsion stability, foaming properties, and heat stability.
Guidelines and tools for organizing and conducting maternal death reviews
Authors: De Brouwere Vincent , Zinnen Véronique , Delvaux Thérèse , Leke Robert
Published: July 2014

Maternal death reviews (MDRs) provide the multidisciplinary maternity care team with a process to conduct in‐depth review of the health care and circumstances surrounding maternal deaths. From these reviews, recommendations to improve care in primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare settings can be made. Practical guidelines and training curricula for MDRs are lacking. To fill this gap, a manual comprising guidelines and tools to help health professionals conduct structured MDRs was developed through the FIGO LOGIC initiative.
Development of a strategic plan by the Mozambican Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists: Direct and indirect effects
Authors: Osman Nafissa B. , Almeida Maria L. , Ustá Momade B. , Bique Cassimo , David Ernestina
Published: July 2014

The Mozambican Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (AMOG) received support from the FIGO Leadership in Obstetrics and Gynecology for Impact and Change (LOGIC) Initiative in Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) to strengthen its organizational capacity and to assume leadership in MNH through the development of a strategic plan. The planning process involved identification of key stakeholders; analysis of strengths and weaknesses; stakeholder consultation; consultation with AMOG members; and ratification at the annual general meeting. The participatory process led to the development of vision and mission statements. Furthermore, core values and strategic goals were identified: (1) to contribute to the implementation of governmental plans for improving MNH; (2) to assume leadership in advancing the practice of obstetrics and gynecology through education and training; and (3) to continue to strengthen organizational capacity. Consequently, relationships among members were reinforced and the visibility and recognition of AMOG as a key stakeholder in MNH increased.
Quotas for Men: Reframing Gender Quotas as a Means of Improving Representation for All
Authors: MURRAY RAINBOW
Published: July 2014

Gender quotas traditionally focus on the underrepresentation of women. Conceiving of quotas in this way perpetuates the status of men as the norm and women as the “other.” Women are subject to heavy scrutiny of their qualifications and competence, whereas men's credentials go unchallenged. This article calls for a normative shift in the problem of overrepresentation, arguing that the quality of representation is negatively affected by having too large a group drawn from too narrow a talent pool. Curbing overrepresentation through ceiling quotas for men offers three core benefits. First, it promotes meritocracy by ensuring the proper scrutiny of politicians of both sexes. Second, it provides an impetus for improving the criteria used to select and evaluate politicians. Third, neutralizing the overly masculinized environment within parliaments might facilitate better substantive and symbolic representation of both men and women. All citizens would benefit from these measures to increase the quality of representation.
Reduction of Homogeneous Riemannian Structures
Authors: López M. Castrillón , Luján I.
Published: July 2014

The goal of this paper is the study of homogeneous Riemannian structure tensors within the framework of reduction under a group H of isometries. In a first result, H is a normal subgroup of the group of symmetries associated with the reducing tensor . The situation when H is any group acting freely is analyzed in a second result. The invariant classes of homogeneous tensors are also investigated when reduction is performed. It turns out that the geometry of the fibres is involved in the preservation of some of them. Some classical examples illustrate the theory. Finally, the reduction procedure is applied to fibrings of almost contact manifolds over almost Hermitian manifolds. If the structure is, moreover, Sasakian, the obtained reduced tensor is homogeneous Kähler.
Was there a Cambrian ocean in South China? – Insight from detrital provenance analyses
Authors: YAO WEI-HUA , LI ZHENG-XIANG , LI WU-XIAN
Published: July 2014

We use detrital provenance data from Cambrian sandstones to examine whether the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks in South China were separated by an ocean during the Cambrian period. Zircons from the Cambrian sandstones exhibit a dominant ~ 800 Ma age peak in the central Yangtze Block, being sourced from the western Yangtze Block, whereas a ~ 980 Ma peak dominates in the northwestern Cathaysia Block, being sourced from an exotic continent once connected to Cathaysia. A mixed provenance with both age peaks is found in Cambrian sandstones from the southeastern Yangtze Block, indicating that detritus can travel from the Cathaysia Block to the Yangtze Block, and therefore arguing against the existence of a broad Cambrian ocean.
Between Others and Brothers
Authors: Campos Michelle U.
Published: July 2014

Some fifteen years ago, the Israel Museum exhibition “To the East: Orientalism in the Arts in Israel” featured a photograph by the Israeli artist Meir Gal entitled “Nine Out of Four Hundred: The West and the Rest.” At the center of the photograph was Gal, holding the nine pages that dealt with the history of Jews in the Middle East in a textbook of Jewish history used in Israel's education system. As Gal viscerally argued, “these books helped establish a consciousness that the history of the Jewish people took place in Eastern Europe and that Mizrahim have no history worthy of remembering.” More damningly, he wrote that “the advent of Zionism and the establishment of the Israeli State drove a wedge between Mizrahim and their origins, and replaced their Jewish-Arab identity with a new Israeli identity based on European ideals as well as hatred of the Arab world.”
“To the Arab Hebrew”: On Possibilities and Impossibilities
Authors: Gribetz Jonathan Marc
Published: July 2014

“To the Arab Hebrew [la-ʿivriyah ha-ʿarviyah]! If you are a Hebrew, you are not an Arab. If an Arab, not a Hebrew. So, you are neither a Hebrew nor an Arab . . . C.Q.F.D.” This paid announcement, published by an anonymous reader of the Jerusalem-based Hebrew newspaper ha-Tsevi on 27 November 1908, reminds us that the idea of an Arab Jew (or, in the parlance of Palestinian Hebrew in the early 20th century, an Arab Hebrew) has been at once present and contested from the early years of Zionist settlement in Palestine. Moreover, the contestation was (as it remains) often more emotional than logical (ce qu'il fallait démontrer notwithstanding). But the category of Arab Hebrew was not constructed simply to be attacked; for some, including another personal advertiser on the very same page of ha-Tsevi, Arab Hebrew was a self-proclaimed identity. “To M. M.,” he or she wrote, “I saw you, I knew you, I respected you. I will leave you, I will remember you, and I will not forget you.” This mysterious, otherwise anonymous, apparent break-up letter—a succinct, public tweet a century before Twitter—was signed by “Arab Hebrew [ʿivri ʿarvi].”
“The Virtual Genizah”: Emerging North African Jewish and Muslim Identities Online
Authors: Boum Aomar
Published: July 2014

After the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist narrative dominated the histories and historiographies of Middle Eastern and North African Jewries. Accordingly, Jews and Arabs were largely kept as distinct binaries divided by the intellectual walls that separated Middle East studies and Jewish studies programs. Local North African and Middle Eastern scholars also silenced or overlooked the Jewish dimension of Middle Eastern societies in the same manner that Israeli scholars ignored the historical connections between Arabs and Jews that existed both before and after 1948. The exclusive, sacred yet ebbing, nationalist paradigm has been plagued with historiographical fissures in recent decades, allowing a new wave of intellectual engagement by a young generation of Jewish and Muslim scholars who began to put the Jew and the Arab back into local and global histories formed through complex social, cultural, economic, and political networks.
Macronutrients released during the decomposition of pruning residues used as plant cover and their effect on soil fertility
Authors: ORDÓÑEZ-FERNÁNDEZ R. , REPULLO-RUIBÉRRIZ DE TORRES M. A. , ROMÁN-VÁZQUEZ J. , GONZÁLEZ-FERNÁNDEZ P. , CARBONELL-BOJOLLO R.
Published: July 2014

The arrival on the market of various types of mulchers and chippers has boosted the use of pruning residues as plant cover among olive growers. In order to increase knowledge regarding the decomposition of these types of residues and their effect on soil fertility, an experiment was performed using different doses and sizes of pruning residues applied on the areas between the lines of olive trees in an organic olive grove.

Experiments were conducted over a period of two growing seasons (2009/10 and 2010/11). Treatments consisted of fine (⩽8 cm in diameter) and thick (>8 cm in diameter) pruning residues in the amounts indicated, I=2·65 kg/m2fine; II=2·65 kg/m2fine+1·12 kg/m2thick; III=5·30 kg/m2fine; IV=5·30 kg/m2fine+2·24 kg/m2thick; and a control without residues.

As regards the loss of biomass and nutrients during the decomposition of residues, two phases were observed. First, soluble compounds were degraded during a rapid initial phase, while in a second and slower phase, lignocellulosic compounds were decomposed. As a result, the pattern over time of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) release fitted a double exponential model better, regardless of the treatment considered, registering in most cases determination coefficients close to one.

The favourable results observed in terms of augmentation in N, P and K soil content following the application of pruning residues confirmed a greater improvement in soil fertility than the soil covered by spontaneous weeds, which is the option most frequently adopted by organic olive growers. The initial amount of pruning residues has influenced the amount of soil nutrients. Considering the entirety of the soil profile (0–40 cm) and the content of these elements in the soil, treatment III, which contained the largest amount of fine residues, was the most efficient in terms of improving soil fertility, recording increases in the concentration of N, P and K of 1805·4, 53·1 and 598·7 kg/ha, respectively. The most unfavourable results were recorded by treatment I, with increases of 480·9 kg/ha in the case of N and a decrease in P content with regard to the control sample. Treatment II increased K (recording 215·2 kg/ha) which was the least in comparison to the control sample.
Characterization of tetraploid wheat landraces for cold tolerance and agronomic traits under rainfed conditions of Iran
Authors: MOHAMMADI R. , AMRI A. , AHMADI H. , JAFARZADEH J.
Published: July 2014

Abiotic stresses such as cold and drought are major limiting factors of durum wheat production in the highlands of Iran. A total of 641 tetraploid wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) accessions, selected from wheat collections conserved at ICARDA gene-bank, were evaluated under rainfed conditions at three highland research stations in cold and moderately cold areas of Iran. The main objectives were to (i) compare the different tetraploid wheats for cold tolerance and agronomic performance in relation to their growth habit (spring, facultative and winter) and (ii) examine the potential of accessions to combine cold and drought tolerance with high yield and good agronomic traits, for their further use in durum wheat breeding. Plant height, thousand-kernel weight and grain yield were the traits that best differentiated the accessions. The winter types had better agronomic performance, higher chlorophyll content (SPAD) and cold tolerance, compared to facultative and spring types. Most of the cold-tolerant accessions belonged to T. turgidum subsp. durum and T. turgidum subsp. carthalicum. Some of the accessions combined high yield with the level of cold and drought tolerance that is needed for the development of cultivars adapted to the highlands of Iran. The results indicated that related species could be used to improve winter hardness and cold tolerance in durum wheat and selection for earliness, high chlorophyll content and grain yield may lead to better cold tolerance and adaptation to the highland areas of Iran.
Using satellite telemetry and environmental niche modelling to inform conservation targets for a long-distance migratory raptor in its wintering grounds
Authors: Limiñana Ruben , Arroyo Beatriz , Terraube Julien , McGrady Michael , Mougeot François
Published: July 2014

Understanding the ecology of migratory birds during the non-breeding season is necessary for ensuring their conservation. Using satellite telemetry data we describe winter ranging behaviour and movements of pallid harriersCircus macrourusthat bred in Kazakhstan. We developed an ecological niche model for the species in Africa, to identify the most suitable wintering areas for pallid harriers and the importance of habitat in determining the location of those areas. We also assessed how well represented suitable areas are in the network of protected areas. Individual harriers showed relatively high fidelity to wintering areas but with potential for interannual changes. The ecological niche model highlighted the importance of open habitats with natural vegetation. Most suitable areas for the species were located in eastern Africa. Suitable areas had a patchy distribution but were relatively well included in the network of protected areas. The preferential use of habitats with natural vegetation by wintering pallid harriers and the patchiness of the most suitable areas highlight the harrier's vulnerability to land-use changes and the associated loss of natural vegetation in Africa. Conservation of harriers could be enhanced by preserving natural grasslands within protected areas and improving habitat management in the human-influenced portions of the species’ core wintering areas.
The impact of migration experiences and migration identities on the experiences of services and caring for a family member with dementia for Sikhs living in Wolverhampton, UK
Authors: JUTLLA KARAN
Published: July 2014

This article is based upon qualitative research carried out with members of the Sikh community caring for a person with dementia. Previous research with South Asian carers of people with dementia has reported problems with both access to, and use of, health and social care services namely due to cultural and language barriers within existing services. The research reported in this article sought for an in-depth understanding of the experiences of Sikhs caring for their family member with dementia. The aim of the research was to explore how migration experiences and life histories impact on perceptions and experiences of caring for a family member with dementia for Sikhs living in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. The research, undertaken by the author, applied a biographical approach using narrative interviews. Twelve Sikh carers of a family member with dementia were interviewed. Findings highlighted that migration experiences and migration identities are important for understanding participants’ experiences of services and experiences of caring for a family member with dementia. Person-centred dementia care as a model for practice highlights the importance of understanding life histories to support people to live well with dementia, including their family carers. This paper reinforces this message, demonstrating the impact of specific migration experiences on the experiences of caring for a family member with dementia.
Previous employment histories and quality of life in older ages: sequence analyses using SHARELIFE
Authors: WAHRENDORF MORTEN
Published: July 2014

This article summarizes previous employment histories and studies associations between types of histories and quality of life in older ages. Retrospective information from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) was used and the occupational situation for each age between 30 and 65 of 4,808 men and 4,907 women aged 65 or older in Europe was considered. Similar histories were regrouped using sequence analyses, and multi-level modelling was applied to study associations with quality of life. To avoid reverse causality, individuals with poor health prior to or during their working life were excluded. Men's employment histories were dominated by long periods of paid employment that ended in retirement (‘regular’ histories). Women's histories were more diverse and also involved domestic work, either preceding regular careers (‘mixed’ histories) or dominating working life (‘home-maker’ histories). The highest quality of life was found among women with mixed histories and among men with regular histories and late retirement. In contrast, retirement between 55 and 60 (but not earlier) and regular histories ending in unemployment or domestic work (for men only) were related to lower quality of life, as well as home-maker histories in the case of women. Findings remain significant after controlling for social position, partnership and parental history, as well as income in older ages. Results point to the importance of continuous employment for health and wellbeing, not only during the working life, but also after labour market exit.
A catalogue of losses for a high power, high intensity accelerator
Authors: Nghiem P.A.P. , Chauvin N. , Comunian M. , Oliver C. , Uriot D.
Published: July 2014

For a Megawatt class accelerator, classical safety measures may not be sufficient. Precise knowledge of beam loss location and power deposition in the most various scenarios is crucial for the definition of appropriate protection systems. In this work, the case of the Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator is studied, where, due to its very high continuous wave beam intensity, the high power part concerns almost the whole accelerator. Beam dynamics simulations are performed to allow the ability to estimate beam losses in all the different situations of the accelerator lifetime: starting from scratch, beam commissioning, tuning or exploration, routine operation, sudden failures. All the results of these studies are given, establishing the catalogue of losses. Recommendations for hot point protection, beam stop speed, beam power limitation are given accordingly.
La critique perelmanienne de la théorie pure du droit: Essai de synthèse
Authors: Hardy Hugo
Published: July 2014

Chaim Perelman's critique of Kelsen's pure theory of law concerns mainly two elements: his theory of interpretation and his conception of court decision. Although a court decision is never formally deduced from the law, one cannot say neither that it is “arbitrary”: it leans on reasons, which cannot be reduced to the judge's individual motives and whose value can thus be assessed by the “science of law.” As for interpretation, it is not limited to establishing the meaning of the law's terms, but contributes also to specifying the meaning of the law itself in relation to cultural values—even if these values are not explicitly mentioned by the law. In confining the judge's role to the strict application of the law, the Kelsenian conception of judicial power defies the Kelsenian epistemological imperative, which is to describe “how the law is, not how it ought to be.”
On Territory as Relationship and Law as Territory
Authors: Brighenti Andrea
Published: July 2014

Contre les conceptions traditionnelles qui confondent le territoire avec sa prolongation spatiale physique, cet article fait une proposition antiréductionniste. Il explore les caractéristiques d'une conception radicale et non intuitive du territoire, et les applique au droit. Au coeur du concept du territoire, il identifie des relations plutôt que des espaces, de sorte que territoires spatiaux et non spatiaux puissent être vus superposés les uns sur les autres, dotés de raccordements multiples, selon différentes échelles et degrés de visibilité. Le territoire peut alors être envisagé à la fois comme une activité de tracement de frontières et comme un processus qui crée des positions subjectives pré-assignées, toutes deux étant des soucis primaires pour le droit. De ce point de vue, le droit est un effort éminemment territorial. Le centre de l'enquête est par conséquent décalé sur les acteurs qui, en établissant et en formant leurs rapports sociaux, tracent différents types de frontières, sur les technologies qu'ils appliquent et les objectifs qu'ils essayent de réaliser en traçant des frontières.
Droit et justice constitutionnelle de Habermas à Luhmann
Authors: Bernatchez Stéphane
Published: July 2014

In the debate over the legitimacy of judicial review, Jürgen Habermas put forward two justifications for the role of constitutional judges within deliberative democracy. Judicial review must examine the procedural conditions of the legislative process and participate within a learning process that would ensure the continuous redefinition of the Constitution. This procedural concept of constitutional justice remains subject to the scrutiny of the other procedural theories. Whereas the theory of contextual proceduralization questions the concept of the legal judgment and more specifically the habermassian conception of the application of a legal norm, the systemic theory offers the conceptual framework required to explain this learning process and the function of judicial review in the legal system. Therefore, Habermas' procedural theory is extended in line with alternative theories of the proceduralization of law.
The Meaning of “Short” Sentences of Imprisonment and Offences Against the Administration of Justice: A Perspective from the Court
Authors: Marinos Voula
Published: July 2014

La prolifération de périodes relativement courtes d'emprisonnement, de 30 jours ou moins, au Canada est un sujet peu traité. Une analyse des données de determination de la peine suggère que les infractions contre l'administration de la justice sont le plus souvent reliées à des périodes d'emprisonnement de un à 15 jours. Les données suggèrent que les tribunaux répondent à la sévérité des infractions, ou selon un modèle de proportionnalité. Au-delà de l'analyse quantitative cependant, très peu est connu des objectifs et significations que ces sentences revêtent pour les procureurs de la Couronne et les juges. L'analyse se penche sur ces acteurs, qui forment ce que Eisenstein et Jacob ont appelé uncourtroom workgroup, en tant que producteurs de discours et de significations, dans le cadre de la littérature existante, des theories de determination de la peine et des contraintes organisationnelles. Je suggère que la valeur explicative des theories existantes – notamment celles voulant que la Couronne et les juges réagiraient à la sévérité des infractions contre l'administration de la justice, et visent la dissuasion générale et la dénonciation – est limitée. Les entrevues et l'observation des négociations de culpabilité, révèlent que la gestion du risque ainsi que le travail sur le caractère sont des objectifs importants tant pour les procureurs que les juges. L'étude démontre aussi que que le processus de plea bargaining ne devrait pas être analysé séparément du résultat de la determination de la peine.