bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Divergence and Convergence in the New Zealand Bicultural Model
Authors: David Corinne
Published: February 2017

Lorsque les gouvernements néo-zélandais se sont orientés vers une politique de réconciliation au début des années 1980, ils cherchèrent à se confronter au problème de la dualité d’une nation née en 1840 de l’alliance de deux peuples : les Maoris et les Britanniques.Peut-être le résultat le plus spectaculaire de ce processus fut-il l’adoption graduelle d’un modèle biculturel qui accordait aux maoris le statut officiel de peuple natif tangata whenua, ceci en vue de restaurer l’unité et l’harmonie tout en promouvant la différence culturelle. Le biculturalisme en Nouvelle Zélande se voulait le signal du passage à une phase de développement post-colonial qui aurait donné une ascendance à la population indigène. Cependant, il a également reflété les tensions et les contradictions de telles orientations politiques, car le contenu pratique en restait vague et les applications hésitantes, de sorte qu’il est resté un sujet polémique dans le débat public. La contestation s’est ravivée lors des dernières élections générales où les diverses factions se sont affrontées avec une pugnacité sans précédent : la priorité donnée à la question Maori y est apparue comme un enjeu central qui déciderait de l’issue du scrutin. Le défi que la nation doit relever reste donc encore à ce jour celui d’une convergence qui préserverait la diversité.
Le Guyana: "Land of Six Peoples" ou "One People, One Nation" ?
Authors: Loza Léna
Published: February 2017

Guyana is referred to as both "Land of Six Peoples," a phrase extracted from the national anthem, or "One People, One Nation, One Destiny," the national motto. Using such opposite expressions to talk about one and the same country highlights meaningful divergences as regards Guyanese people’s viewpoints about what their society should be. Although top officials rejoice in the cohesiveness of Guyanese society, the latter is seemingly struggling to overcome the painful legacy of the colonial era. Examining postcolonial questions about Guyana entails transcending the traditional dichotomy "former colonizers/former colonized people." Indians and Blacks, who were both subject to colonial power, have indeed developed antagonistic relationships. In the face of a proclaimed unity which nevertheless fails to conceal real divisions, it is worth exploring what problems Guyanese society has faced since it gained independence in 1966 and what strategies it has resorted to in order to solve these issues
Copies and (Ab)originals: The Problem of Authenticity in Jane Urquhart’s Away (1993)
Authors: Omhovère Claire
Published: February 2017

Cet article a pour objet la représentation de l’aboriginalité dans Away (1993) de Jane Urquhart. La construction de ce roman repose sur une triple intrigue qui se répète en Irlande puis au Canada au sein d’une même famille irlandaise, de la grande famine à la période contemporaine. Les boucles itératives du récit incitent le lecteur à adopter une lecture analogique, c’est-à-dire à mettre en relation des espaces coloniaux différents comme la spoliation subie par deux populations autochtones : les Irlandais puis les Indiens Ojibway. Les dédoublements ironiques qui fondent l’intrigue nous amènent donc à réfléchir aux fondements des récits, historiques et imaginaires, qui scellent une appartenance territoriale.
Power and Authority Issues in the Editorship of Certain Women’s Experimental Publications
Authors: Gonzalez Matilde Martin , Brito Manuel
Published: February 2017

Le présent essai examine la façon dont certaines femmes éditrices américaines approchent la question du pouvoir et du genre. Quelques considérations émanant du Forum "Le Genre et l’Édition", développé dans la revue Chain, y sont évoquées et montrent comment certaines directrices de revues d’art et de poésie ont assumé le rôle important que joue ce type de publication par rapport au défi des modèles de soumission propres à la culture de masse. Leur intérêt pour la présentation d’une pensée critique et d’un activisme politique en art et littérature correspond à une perspective féministe hétérogène qui remplacerait le cadre discursif plus limité des féminismes précédents, basés sur le paradigme simpliste oppresseur/opprimée. Ce travail éditorial a fourni aux femmes des outils de pouvoir et d’influence dans la société. Des revues comme M/E/A/N/I/N/G, Digital Artifact, et Texture sont un reflet de cet exercice de pouvoir que leurs éditrices ont développé. Ces directrices sont devenues les pionnières d’un art et d’une écriture d’avant-garde qui analysent la perspective des femmes concernant des questions esthétiques et sociales, y compris des sujets tels que la visibilité des artistes, la sexualité et les divers arts, le racisme dans le domaine intellectuel, le legs du modernisme, les rapports artistes-mères, et le féminisme contemporain de l’ère numérique.
Questions of Empowerment in Zulu Love Letter and Yesterday
Authors: Starfield Penny
Published: February 2017

Le cinéma sud-africain traite rarement de la condition des femmes. Deux films de la Nouvelle Afrique du Sud, Zulu Love Letter (Ramadan Suleman, 2004) et Yesterday (Darrell James Roodt, 2003), se concentrent sur les personnages féminins. Dans les deux cas, il s’agit d’une prise de pouvoir de la femme ordinaire qui, dans sa vie quotidienne, doit s’affirmer en tant que sujet.
Entre conflits et pouvoir : le rôle des Africaines-Américaines dans la création des associations féminines noires (1890-1960)
Authors: Dualé Christine
Published: February 2017

From the very beginning, the racial hierarchy structured African American women’s lives. They were persuaded they were inferior beings thus, they integrated such incapacity. By reacting against gendered violence slave women and former slaves created a dynamic that allowed them to take their oppression as Black beings and as females into account. Then, by the end of the nineteenth century, the creation of the first black women’s clubs gave them more opportunities to enlarge their first objectives.The creation of black women’s clubs brought them respectability while improving their lot. But their fight was not immune from conflicts with women themselves and with black males. While producing new definitions of themselves, they also created new tools of resistance. Therefore, all these aspects will allow us to deal with the themes of power and conflict as positive elements and to consider African American women as the mistresses of their lot and not as victims anymore.
Women and Politics in post devolution Scotland
Authors: Thiec Annie
Published: February 2017

La question de la représentation des femmes fut au cœur du débat public en Ecosse dans les années qui précédèrent la mise en œuvre du projet de dévolution du gouvernement de Tony Blair au lendemain de la victoire travailliste aux élections du 1er mai 1997, comme en témoignent les travaux de la Convention constitutionnelle écossaise dont les propositions donnèrent lieu à deux publications, la première en novembre 1990, ta seconde cinq ans plus tard, qui servit de base au projet du gouvernement travailliste.Contrairement à ce qui se produisit dans le reste du Royaume-Uni, le mouvement des femmes en Ecosse demeura très actif dans les années 80-90, manifestant, outre l’attention portée à des questions telles que celle des violences faites aux femmes, un intérêt particulier pour celle de leur représentation politique. Aussi entendait-il bien être partie prenante dans le débat sur l’avenir constitutionnel de l’Ecosse au sein du Royaume-Uni, estimant en effet que le déficit démocratique dont étaient victimes les électeurs écossais d’une manière générale, puisqu’ils étaient gouvernés depuis 1979 par un parti qu’ils n’avaient pas porté au pouvoir, se doublait d’une seconde injustice en ce qui concernait les femmes, à savoir qu’elles étaient sous-représentées dans la sphère politique.Sur ce point, les résultats des premières élections au Parlement écossais, le 6 mai 1999, suscitèrent un enthousiasme considérable : si la parité hommes-femmes réclamée par les féministes n’était pas atteinte, les 48 femmes élues au Parlement représentaient tout de même 37,2 % de l’ensemble des nouveaux députés, résultat tout à fait remarquable, notamment si l’on compare ce chiffre à celui des femmes siégeant à la Chambre des Communes (18,2 % en 1997). Ces premières élections marquaient-elles le début d’une nouvelle ère dans la représentation politique des femmes ? Au vu des résultats des élections de 2003, la tendance semblait bel et bien se confirmer, et même s’accentuer légèrement (39,5 %), mais lors du dernier scrutin législatif, au mois de mai 2007, l’on a enregistré un fléchissement sensible du nombre de femmes élues à Holyrood (33,3 %).Dix ans après les premières élections au Parlement écossais, qu’en est-il donc de la place des femmes sur la scène politique écossaise ? Le nouveau Parlement leur permet-il de jouer pleinement leur rôle dans le processus politique à égalité avec les hommes ?Cet article s’intéressera dans un premier temps à la participation des femmes dans le débat constitutionnel et à leur influence sur la mise en place du nouveau cadre institutionnel, avant d’examiner dans quelle mesure le nouveau parlement écossais a donné plus de pouvoir aux femmes dans l’élaboration des politiques mises en œuvre et dans le processus décisionnel.
Acceptable Amazons? Female Warriors on the English and French Early Modern Stage
Authors: Rivère de Carles Nathalie
Published: February 2017

Est-ce qu’une bonne amazone est une amazone morte ? S’inscrivant dans l’étude de cette tradition esthétique qu’est l’amazonomachie, cet article tente de se pencher sur les mécanismes de destruction et de survivance de l’identité féminine dans le cadre de crises politiques et militaires. Par le biais d’une étude croisée de pièces anglaises et françaises ainsi que de textes philosophiques en prose, nous allons montrer le rôle paradoxal attribué aux femmes fortes (femmes soldats et femmes au pouvoir) dans les essais et les arts populaires de la première modernité. Mettant en perspective la représentation et l’identité féminines, nous explorerons les stratégies d’acceptation de la figure emblématique sans cesse resémiotisée de l’Amazone à la Renaissance.
Variation sur l’autoreprésentation photographique féminine au tournant du siècle
Authors: Levy Marie Cordié
Published: February 2017

Turning away from domestic chores, many women became photographers at the end of the 19th century, setting up portrait studios in American cities, while men turned to landscape photography. In order to understand what drove them on, we propose to study a series of self-portraits by three American photographers: Frances Benjamin Johnston, Ann Brigman and Imogen Cunningham, using the method developed by the historian Carlo Ginsburg and the historian of art Aloïs Riegl, which is akin to Bronislav Malinowski’s participative objectivation1.1. Il s’agit de procéder à une lecture de la photographie en partant de l’image elle-même, de rechercher les enjeux même inconscients qui s’y développent, en établissant des correspondances étroites avec la production, la recherche esthétique et les cercles ou réseaux professionnels dans lesquels le/la photographe s’insérait ou développait sa pratique.
L’autoreprésentation de femmes en conflit : les récits d’emprisonnement des suffragettes
Authors: Auer Christian
Published: February 2017

Between 1905 and the beginning of World War I around a thousand suffragettes were imprisoned because of their political activities. The conflict between the suffragettes and the government reached its climax in 1909 when some of the imprisoned suffragettes decided to go on hunger strike to obtain the status of political prisoners. Constance Lytton’s Prisons and Prisoners and Annie Kenney’s Memories of a Militant feature among the most interesting narratives that were written by imprisoned suffragettes.Although it should be kept in mind that Prisons and Prisoners and Memories of a Militant are subjective constructions written by dedicated activists, the two narratives provide some fundamental information on the prison conditions of the suffragettes. The two texts also indicate that the suffragettes were ready to take up any form of action that would enable them to challenge the patriarchal ideology of the time.Prisons and Prisoners and Memories of a Militant also shed some light on a time when the relations between genders were characterised by the passage from authority to power or from consensus to coercion.
De Dolores, CO à Lolita, TX : Détours et retours à travers "the crazy quilt of forty-eight states"
Authors: Bouchet Marie
Published: February 2017

America structures Nabokov’s most famous novel, Lolita. The novel provides a double mapping process: that of the desired body of the nymphet, and that of the vast country where one finds towns called Dolores and Lolita. In Lolita, the landscape is a projection of the heroine on a huge scale. The country and its metonymic nymphet share characterization devices: conjunction of “reality effects” and metafictional elements, structures based on repetitions and doubles, hybrid combinations. Lolita is a nymphet and a little town, but Lolita is also a colorado of words, a Dolores in Tex(t)as. In an attempt at mapping the protagonists’ journeys, the present paper also identifies two geographical poles of the immense American territory: one is in the North-East, and stages the satisfaction of Humbert’s desire, and the other is in Colorado, where Lolita’s suffering is emphasized, and from where she escapes. It is around those poles that the plot, the perspectives in characterization and the thematic lines of the novel are structured.
The Deer Hunter : essai de topologie imaginaire américaine
Authors: Pothier Jacques
Published: February 2017

This essay centers on Michael Cimino’s film on the Vietnam War to explore how the mythology of space in the American imagination is revisited at the end of the twentieth century. In this film the dichotomies between civilization/the wilderness, male space / female territory, national vs. ethnic identities present in the American imagination from Cooper to the classic western through Washington Irving or Mark Twain, are thoroughly revisited through the tragic counterpointing of a Russian working-class community in a Pennsylvania small town and an Asian heart of darkness. Cimino’s heroes find out that the otherness of evil may turn out to be very familiar--but in the end the lid is back on Pandora’s box.
Immigrants italiens et frontière américaine : Pioneers ! Ο pioneers !
Authors: Michaud Marie-Christine
Published: February 2017

Between the Civil War and the First World War most of the Italian immigrants settled in Eastern cities. Nonetheless some of them chose to go West. They were pulled there by the myth of liberty, and also by job opportunities in mines, on the construction of the railroad and on farms. Ironically, these Italians acquired a new identity based on their adaptation to the environment. As a matter of fact, they were building American society and felt they were part and parcel of the pioneers who spread American civilization in the new territories. Hence they lived in a new "western identity space," and became pioneers—Italian-American pioneers.
Cartographie du vide : les "non-lieux" de l’espace américain dans The Informers de Bret Easton Ellis
Authors: Vincent-Arnaud Nathalie
Published: February 2017

Published in 1994, The Informers is a collection of thirteen short stories which aim to explore the various facets of a certain Los Angeles social microcosm in the nineteen-eighties.The first-person narration, based on a deliberately minimalist paratactic structure which involves recurrent snatches of dialogue, moves through an endless succession of toponyms (Palm Springs, Melrose etc.) and cultural clichés (trendy places, music or clothing) which all seem to trap people and places within an imprisoning landscape—most aptly metaphorized by the Sunset Boulevard.Both huge and confined to the specific landmarks or "non-places" of an interlope society, this landscape provides an ambivalent area in which people are cast adrift, wandering like ghosts in some kind of existential nowhere described by Michel de Certeau as "un théâtre de passants".
Photo I.D.: Landscape Iconography in Life Magazine in the Early Cold War Era
Authors: Bayly-Colin Heather Jane
Published: February 2017

A travers l’exemple du magazine Life, cet article examine le rapport tripartite existant entre le territoire, la photographie de presse et l’identité nationale: le rôle important de la photographie de presse dans la consolidation du sentiment national, la manière par laquelle les images du territoire américain participent à la création et au maintien d’un lien social au sein d'un peuple hétérogène habitant une vaste pays et finalement la dissimulation d’un message idéologique. Sans avoir l’impression de lire de la propagande américaine, les lecteurs absorbaient le message pro-américain dissimulé dans des codes photographiques qui paraissaient moins agressifs.
lumpR: An R package facilitating landscape discretisation for hillslope-based hydrological models
Authors: Pilz Tobias , Francke Till , Bronstert Axel
Published: February 2017

Abstract. The characteristics of a landscape pose essential factors for hydrological processes. Therefore, an adequate representation of the landscape of a catchment in hydrological models is vital. However, many of such models exist differing, amongst others, in spatial concept and discretisation. The latter constitutes an essential pre-processing step, for which many different algorithms along with numerous software implementations exist. In that context, existing solutions are often model specific, commercial or depend on commercial back-end software, and allow only a limited or no workflow automation at all. Consequently, a new package for the scientific software and scripting environment R, called lumpR, was developed. lumpR employs an algorithm for hillslope-based landscape discretisation directed to large-scale application via a hierarchical multi-scale approach. The package addresses existing limitations as it is free and open source, easily extendible to other hydrological models, and the workflow can be fully automated. Moreover, it is user-friendly as the direct coupling to a GIS allows immediate visual inspection and manual adjustment. Sufficient control is furthermore retained via parameter specification and the option to include expert knowledge. Conversely, completely automatic operation also allows extensive analysis of aspects related to landscape discretisation. In a case study, the application of the package is presented. A sensitivity analysis of the most important discretisation parameters demonstrates its efficient workflow automation. Considering multiple streamflow metrics, the employed model proved reasonably robust to the discretisation parameters. However, parameters determining the sizes of subbasins and hillslopes proved to be more important than the others, including the number of representative hillslopes, the number of attributes employed for the lumping algorithm, and the number of sub-discretisations of the representative hillslopes.
Western Faculty Profile: Dr. John de Bruyn
Authors: Wang Jennifer
Published: February 2017

Dr. John de Bruyn is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Western University. His research focuses on the physics and applications of soft materials including non-Newtonian fluids and granular flow. Dr. de Bruyn teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in physics. He also supervises graduate students, is a member of the editorial boards of several scientific journals and is an editor of conference proceedings. Jennifer Wang, a member of the WURJ Academic Affairs Committee, had the pleasure of interviewing him to learn more about his research and career.
The Relevance of a Migration Background to the Professional Identity of Teachers
Authors: Bressler Christoph , Rotter Carolin
Published: February 2017

Immigrant teachers face several specific expectations from policy makers, colleagues, as well as the media. Often new hopes are pinned on them for teaching (ethnically) diverse learners. Their professional identity is inevitably linked to these expectations. In this regard, this paper discusses the findings of a qualitative study exploring the professional identities of immigrant teachers. Furthermore, it draws implications for teacher education. Reflecting on our research findings, we illustrate two types of professional identities: Teachers who accept the “special skills” ascribed to them, and where the migration background constitutes the core of their professional identity, as well as others, who reject the expectations, and appeal to the pedagogical skills they share with their colleagues without a migration background. Given our findings, future teachers need more support when it comes to reflecting their own biography, political and public expectations, and the bearings on their professional identity.
Analysis of the Economic Viability in the Implementation of the Chemical Waste Management System in Teaching and Research Laboratories
Authors: Antoniassi Beatriz , Araujo Vanderlei , Chaves Marcia , Telascrea Marcelo , Kempa Mariana , Bersanetti Beatriz
Published: February 2017

The prudent management of hazardous materials, from their procurement to their proper disposal, is a critical element of a departmental laboratory safety program. However, it is known that the management of chemical residues involves a high cost and few studies are carried out aiming at assisting in the implementation of this system of management mainly about educational and research institutions. This work therefore presents the economic feasibility analysis in the implementation of the chemical waste management system in laboratories of a Brazilian University. The data were obtained through a questionnaire applied to the technicians of the laboratories generating chemical residues, these being, teaching, research and clinics of the university. The economic-financial analysis has shown that the internal treatment of waste with the construction of a laboratory in the university is an unfeasible project. However, the project is feasible using the already existing structure, such as the chemistry laboratory in the idle periods. In this way, waste treatment on the university campus is feasible, in relation to the costs involved with outsourcing. However, it is necessary to ensure that the chemical standards for sewage disposal, as stipulated by the responsible bodies, are achieved.
Arsenic removal from waste water by ozone oxidation combined with ferric precipitation
Authors: N Otgon , Zhang G , Yang C
Published: February 2017

The oxidation of As(III) to As(V) followed by precipitation and adsorption is thought to be the most effective process for removal of arsenic in industrial wastewater. In this work, the oxidation of As(III) to As(V) with ozone was carried out in an acidic solution. After oxidation, arsenic was removed by precipitation in an iron (III) sulfate system under ambient pressure at 90°C in acid. Batch experimental results show that ozone is quite effective in oxidizing As(III) at low pH. And more than 90% of 5g/l As(III) was removed from the acidic solution by precipitation with Fe2(SO4)3 in 7-8 hours.
Conifer Root Proliferation after 20 Years of Soil Compaction
Authors: Busse Matt D. , Fiddler Gary O. , Shestak Carol J.
Published: February 2017

Soil compaction is known to limit plant growth by reducing soil macroporosity and restricting gas, water, and root movement. Recent evidence from study sites across the United States and Canada, however, suggests that tree growth is not universally affected by soil compaction from forest harvesting practices. Our observational study examined rooting patterns in mixed conifer plantations in the central Sierra Nevada of California to determine whether tree roots use continuous pathways or channels to overcome the physical restrictions of compacted soil. Replicate plots were established 20–25 years earlier to compare compacted and uncompacted treatments after clearcut harvesting. Fine and lateral root counts were taken at multiple depths in soil trenches. Rooting was extensive in compacted plots despite consistently high soil strength values (~3 MPa). No differences in rooting patterns or in fine or lateral root numbers were detected between compaction treatments. The results indicated long-term tolerance by conifer roots to soil compaction without clear use of preferential channels or uncompacted zones.
Similarities and Differences in Risk and Protective Factors in Teacher Induction for Prospective Elementary and Physical and Health Education Teachers
Authors: Leroux Mylène , Beaudoin Charlotte , Grenier Johanne , Turcotte Sylvain , Rivard Marie-Claude
Published: February 2017

The growing body of literature on teacher induction barriers has revealed the need to address issues that may lead to negative consequences. Recent research points to an increased interest in teacher resilience, a concept that promotes positive adaptation to counteract these adverse outcomes. However, teacher induction and resilience may differ depending on teaching context. For example, do specialists such as physical and health education teachers experience the same induction situation as generalist teachers? The authors aimed to compare the anticipated risk and protective factors related to the induction of these prospective teachers. The data from two studies were analyzed using thematic coding. The results indicate similarities and differences between the two groups that suggest ways to better support teacher induction.
Les dix commandements du nouvel homo statisticus
Authors: Béland Sébastien , Cousineau Denis , Loye Nathalie
Published: February 2017

De nombreuses discussions, parfois vives, parfois critiques, ont eu lieu sur l’utilisation des statistiques depuis le début du nouveau millénaire. Ce court texte d’opinion a comme objectif de puiser à ces critiques pour faire ressortir dix bonnes façons de s’atteler à la tâche d’analyser des données. Nous vous offrons ainsi notre propre version des dix commandements. Nous espérons ultimement qu’ils encourageront la communauté scientifique à réfléchir à ses pratiques d’analyses quantitatives et à les améliorer.
Einfache Modulierung von FLP‐Eigenschaften: ein Phosphanylvinyl‐Grignard‐Reagenz und Ga/P‐ oder In/P2‐basierte frustrierte Lewis‐Paare
Authors: Backs Jana , Lange Merten , Possart Josephine , Wollschläger Agnes , Mück‐Lichtenfeld Christian , Uhl Werner
Published: February 2017

Ein Al/P‐basiertes FLP reagierte mit PhMgCl unter ungewöhnlicher Transmetallierung zu einem Phosphanylvinyl‐Grignard‐Reagenz, das sich hervorragend zur Übertragung der basischen FLP‐Komponente auf andere Lewis‐saure Metallatome eignet und die Synthese Ga/P‐ bzw. In/P2‐basierter FLPs ermöglichte. Das Ga‐FLP zeigte im Vergleich zur entsprechenden Al‐Verbindung eine deutlich veränderte Reaktivität, und die Indiumverbindung führte zur chelatartigen Koordination von Au‐Atomen unter Au‐Cl‐Bindungsaktivierung.
The Nickel‐Pincer Complex in Lactate Racemase Is an Electron Relay and Sink that acts through Proton‐Coupled Electron Transfer
Authors: Wang Binju , Shaik Sason
Published: February 2017

QM/MM calculations reveal that the nickel pincer complex in lactate racemase functions as a reversible “single‐center electrode” that accepts and donates back an electron. In this way, it catalyzes the isomerization process d‐lactate⇌l‐lactate through successive proton‐coupled electron‐transfer steps.
Radiation grafting of acrylic acid and N‐vinyl imidazole onto polyethylene films for lead‐ion removal: A two‐dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy investigation
Authors: Al Lafi Abdul G. , Ajji Z.
Published: February 2017

Two‐dimensional infrared (IR) correlation spectroscopy was used to follow the γ‐radiation grafting of N‐vinyl imidazole (VIm) and acrylic acid onto polyethylene films. Grafting was confirmed by the appearance of new characteristic IR bands at 1715, 1735, 1475, and 1405 cm−1, which were assigned to carboxylic groups and the stretching vibrations of aromatic CN and CN bonds, respectively. The adsorption of lead ions by the grafted polymer increased with the degree of grafting, and it showed a tendency to be altered by both the chemical structure of the matrix polymer and the steric hindrance of Pb2+ ions. The previous two factors decreased the basic chelating group activity, imposed steric constraints on the formation of complexes between the Pb2+ and VIm groups, and controlled the coordination of Pb2+ with the COO− groups. IR spectroscopy combined with two‐dimensional correlation spectroscopy provided a powerful tool for investigating the interactions between heavy metals and functional groups. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44781.
MicroRNAs at the epicenter of intestinal homeostasis
Authors: Belcheva Antoaneta
Published: February 2017

Maintaining intestinal homeostasis is a key prerequisite for a healthy gut. Recent evidence points out that microRNAs (miRNAs) act at the epicenter of the signaling networks regulating this process. The fine balance in the interaction between gut microbiota, intestinal epithelial cells, and the host immune system is achieved by constant transmission of signals and their precise regulation. Gut microbes extensively communicate with the host immune system and modulate host gene expression. On the other hand, sensing of gut microbiota by the immune cells provides appropriate tolerant responses that facilitate the symbiotic relationships. While the role of many regulatory proteins, receptors and their signaling pathways in the regulation of the intestinal homeostasis is well documented, the involvement of non‐coding RNA molecules in this process has just emerged. This review discusses the most recent knowledge about the contribution of miRNAs in the regulation of the intestinal homeostasis.
Cox proportional hazards models with left truncation and time‐varying coefficient: Application of age at event as outcome in cohort studies
Authors: Kim Minjin , Paik Myunghee Cho , Jang Jiyeong , Cheung Ying K. , Willey Joshua , Elkind Mitchell S. V. , Sacco Ralph L.
Published: February 2017

When analyzing time‐to‐event cohort data, two different ways of choosing a time scale have been discussed in the literature: time‐on‐study or age at onset of disease. One advantage of choosing the latter is interpretability of the hazard ratio as a function of age. To handle the analysis of age at onset in a principled manner, we present an analysis of the Cox Proportional Hazards model with time‐varying coefficient for left‐truncated and right‐censored data. In the analysis of Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS) with age at onset of stroke as outcome, we demonstrate that well‐established risk factors may be important only around a certain age span and less established risk factors can have a strong effect in a certain age span.
Practices and exploration on competition of molecular biological detection technology among students in food quality and safety major
Authors: Chang Yaning , Peng Yuke , Li Pengfei , Zhuang Yingping
Published: February 2017

With the increasing importance in the application of the molecular biological detection technology in the field of food safety, strengthening education in molecular biology experimental techniques is more necessary for the culture of the students in food quality and safety major. However, molecular biology experiments are not always in curricula of Food quality and safety Majors. This paper introduced a project “competition of molecular biological detection technology for food safety among undergraduate sophomore students in food quality and safety major”, students participating in this project needed to learn the fundamental molecular biology experimental techniques such as the principles of molecular biology experiments and genome extraction, PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis analysis, and then design the experiments in groups to identify the meat species in pork and beef products using molecular biological methods. The students should complete the experimental report after basic experiments, write essays and make a presentation after the end of the designed experiments. This project aims to provide another way for food quality and safety majors to improve their knowledge of molecular biology, especially experimental technology, and enhances them to understand the scientific research activities as well as give them a chance to learn how to write a professional thesis. In addition, in line with the principle of an open laboratory, the project is also open to students in other majors in East China University of Science and Technology, in order to enhance students in other majors to understand the fields of molecular biology and food safety. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(4):343–350, 2017.
Chitosan/ZIF‐8 Mixed‐Matrix Membranes for Pervaporation Dehydration of Isopropanol
Authors: Fazlifard Sina , Mohammadi Toraj , Bakhtiari Omid
Published: February 2017

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF‐8) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized and embedded into a chitosan (CS) polymeric matrix to prepare CS/ZIF‐8 mixed‐matrix membranes (MMMs) in order to investigate the effect of ZIF‐8 addition as novel filler on the dehydration performance of the CS polymeric membrane. MMMs were evaluated using pervaporation (PV) dehydration of isopropanol (IPA). The synthesized ZIF‐8 nanoparticles and MMMs were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and a swelling study. The PV performance of the prepared MMMs with different ZIF‐8 loadings for IPA dehydration was investigated. For the ZIF‐8/CS MMMs, at the optimum loading the total flux increases significantly with low separation factor reduction. The good PV performance of the ZIF‐8‐incorporated CS membranes for dehydration of IPA is demonstrated.
High‐Performance Low‐Platinum Electrode for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: Pulse Electrodeposition of Pt on Pd/C Nanofiber Mat
Authors: Hong Shaojing , Hou Ming , Zeng Yachao , Shao Zhigang , Yi Baolian
Published: February 2017

A novel electrode (E−P electrode) with a nanofiber structure and Pd/C@dendritic Pt catalysts is prepared by using electrospinning and pulse electrodeposition (PED) techniques. The maximum power density of the E−P electrode is 1.43‐fold larger than that of the conventional electrode at the same cathode Pt loadings of 0.1 mg cm−1. Owing to the in situ deposition of dendritic Pt on the surface of Pd in the Pd/C nanofiber mat, almost all Pt catalysts are accessible for oxygen. The electronic tuning between Pd and Pt enhances the oxygen reduction reaction activity of Pt catalysts. The large Pt surface area of the E−P electrode mitigates the oxygen‐transport resistance in comparison with that of the conventional electrode. After the accelerated degradation test for 10000 cyclic voltammetry cycles, the maximum power density of the E−P electrode only decreases by 12 %. The long‐term stability of the E−P electrode is ascribed to the Pd/C@dendritic Pt catalysts and nanofiber structure.
Double‐Strand DNA Breaks Induced by Paracyclophane Gold(I) Complexes
Authors: Bestgen Sebastian , Seidl Carmen , Wiesner Thomas , Zimmer Andreas , Falk Martina , Köberle Beate , Austeri Martina , Paradies Jan , Bräse Stefan , Schepers Ute , Roesky Peter W.
Published: February 2017

Gold(I) complexes of ClickPhos [2.2]paracyclophane ligands were synthesized in excellent yields and fully characterized by spectroscopic methods as well as X‐ray crystallography. The complexes exhibit a rigid ligand backbone and a triazolyl moiety and were systematically studied with respect to their cytotoxic properties. In combination with the ionic complex [(GemPhos)Au(tht)][ClO4] (tht=tetrahydrothiophene), in which the gold(I) atom exhibits a distorted trigonal coordination sphere of two phosphines and a labile tht ligand, their efficiency in cytotoxicity was investigated in HeLa, MCF7, and HCT116 cells as well as in a zebrafish model. Their cytotoxicity and their mechanisms of action are different and involve apoptosis, necrosis, and DNA damage. The compounds presented herein are potent metal‐based cytostatics displaying LD50 values from 3.5–38 μm in different tumor cell lines and induce double‐strand DNA breaks (DSB) as shown by H2AX phosphorylation (γH2AX) at foci of DSBs.
Processing Binary and Fuzzy Logic by Chaotic Time Series Generated by a Hydrodynamic Photochemical Oscillator
Authors: Gentili Pier Luigi , Giubila Maria Sole , Heron B. Mark
Published: February 2017

This work demonstrates the computational power of a hydrodynamic photochemical oscillator based on a photochromic naphthopyran generating aperiodic time series. The chaotic character of the time series is tested by calculating its largest Lyapunov exponent and the correlation dimension of its attractor after building its phase space through the Takens’ theorem. Then, the chaotic dynamic is shown to be suitable to implement all the fundamental Boolean two‐inputs‐one‐output logic gates. Finally, the strategy to implement fuzzy logic systems (FLSs) based on the time series is described. Such FLSs promise to be useful in the field of computational linguistics, which is concerned with the development of artificial intelligent systems able to transform collections of numerical data into natural language texts.
Ultrathin Mesoporous RuCo2O4Nanoflakes: An Advanced Electrode for High‐Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors
Authors: Dubal Deepak P. , Chodankar Nilesh R. , Holze Rudolf , Kim Do‐Heyoung , Gomez‐Romero Pedro
Published: February 2017

A new ruthenium cobalt oxide (RuCo2O4) with a unique marigold‐like nanostructure and excellent performance as an advanced electrode material has been successfully prepared by a simple electrodeposition (potentiodynamic mode) method. The RuCo2O4marigolds consist of numerous clusters of ultrathin mesoporous nanoflakes, leaving a large interspace between them to provide numerous electrochemically active sites. Strikingly, this unique marigold‐like nanostructure provided excellent electrochemical performance in terms of high energy‐storage capacitance (1469 F g−1at 6 A g−1) with excellent rate proficiency and long‐lasting operating cycling stability (ca. 91.3 % capacitance retention after 3000 cycles), confirming that the mesoporous nanoflakes participate in the ultrafast electrochemical reactions. Furthermore, an asymmetric supercapacitor was assembled using RuCo2O4(positive electrode) and activated carbon (negative electrode) with aqueous KOH electrolyte. The asymmetric design allowed an upgraded potential range of 1.4 V, which further provided a good energy density of 32.6 Wh kg−1(1.1 mWh cm−3). More importantly, the cell delivered an energy density of 12.4 Wh kg−1even at a maximum power density of 3.2 kW kg−1, which is noticeably superior to carbon‐based symmetric systems.
Theory on asymmetrical coupled‐parallel‐line transmission and reflection zeros
Authors: Ravelo Blaise
Published: February 2017

This paper treats an innovative methodology on the synthesis mechanism of the coupled‐parallel‐line (CPL) transmission zero (TZ) and reflection zero (RZ). The CPL structure under study is configured as a reflection type distributed arbitrarily loaded stub circuits. On the basis of the equivalent Z‐matrix analysis, the CPL input impedance theoretical model is established. Mathematical analysis is performed to predict accurately the TZ and RZ frequency shifts in function of the CPL physical parameters. The input impedance behavioral model in function of asymmetrical CPL load parameters is determined. The TZ and RZ existence conditions are established. Then, the characteristic equations illustrating the TZ and RZ fundamental formulas in function of the CPL coupling coefficient and characteristic impedances are examined. Furthermore, innovative graphical representations of the TZ and RZ existence conditions in function of the CPL parameter ranges are explored. The developed CPL model was validated with different cases of simulated microstrip proof of concept. As expected, a good correlation between the TZ and RZ frequency shifts from the analytical calculations and simulations is obtained. The developed CPL model is useful for the TZ and RZ frequency shifts fast monitoring during the Radio Frequency (RF)/microwave circuit design phase. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Enhanced active‐feedback frequency compensation with on‐chip‐capacitor reduction feature for amplifiers with large capacitive load
Authors: Lau Ming Wai , Mak Kai Ho , Leung Ka Nang , Guo Jianping , Goh Wang Ling
Published: February 2017

A large capacitive load amplifier with enhanced active‐feedback frequency compensation is proposed in this paper. The enhancement is achieved through using a wide‐bandwidth scalar circuit to increase the transconductance of the output stage so that the overall bandwidth of the amplifier can be extended considerably. Implemented in a standard CMOS 130‐nm technology, with a supply of 0.7 V and consuming 27 μA of current, the amplifier drives a load capacitor of 15 nF. No on‐chip resistor is needed; only a 0.91‐pF compensation capacitor is used to maintain stability. The achieved gain‐bandwidth product and phase margin are 1.28 MHz and 66.9°, respectively. Moreover, the slew rate is 0.263 V/μs. The active chip area is 0.0056 mm2. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Resistance to anticancer drugs permanently alters electrophoretic mobility of cancer cell lines
Authors: Kazan Hasan Hüseyin , Urfali‐Mamatoglu Cagri , Gündüz Ufuk
Published: February 2017

Electrophoretic mobility is a physical phenomenon defining the mobility of charged particles in a solution under applied electric field. As charged biological systems, living cells including both prokaryotes and eukaryotes have been assessed in terms of electrophoretic mobility to decipher their electrochemical structure. Moreover, determination of electrophoretic mobility of living cancer cells have promoted the advance exploration of the nature of the cancer cells and separation of cancer cells from normal ones under applied electric field. However, electrophoretic mobility of drug‐resistant cells has not yet been examined. In the present study, we determined the electrophoretic mobility of drug‐resistant cancer cell lines for both suspension and adherent cells and compared with those of drug‐sensitive counterparts. We showed that resistance to anticancer drugs alters the electrophoretic mobility in a permanent manner, even lasting without any exposure to anticancer agents for a long time period. We also studied the cellular morphologies of adherent cells where the cellular invaginations and protrusions were increased in drug‐resistant adherent cells, which could be direct cause of altered surface charge and electrophoretic mobility as a result. These findings could be helpful in terms of understanding the electrophysiological and physicochemical background of drug resistance in cancer cells and developing systems to separate drug‐sensitive cells from drug‐resistant ones.
The toxicity of different lead salts to Enchytraeus crypticus in relation to bioavailability in soil
Authors: Zhang Lulu , Van Gestel Cornelis A.M.
Published: February 2017

The present study aimed to assess the bioavailability and toxicity of lead nitrate and lead chloride to Enchytraeus crypticus in a natural standard soil. Worms were exposed to Pb-spiked soil for 21 d, and survival and reproduction were related to total, 0.01 M CaCl2-extractable, and porewater Pb concentrations in the soil and internal concentrations in the surviving animals. The Pb availability for Pb(NO3)2 and PbCl2 was similar, as confirmed by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The Pb concentrations in surviving worms increased with increasing Pb concentrations in the soil and did not differ for the 2 Pb salts. Lead was toxic to E. crypticus at median lethal concentrations (LC50s) of 543 and 779 mg Pb/kg dry soil and median effect concentrations (EC50s) of 189 and 134 mg Pb/kg dry soil, for Pb(NO3)2 and PbCl2, respectively. Mortality of E. crypticus was related to internal Pb concentrations in the worms rather than to total or available Pb concentrations in the soil, whereas reproduction toxicity was better explained from Pb concentrations in 0.01 M CaCl2 extracts or porewater of the test soil than from total Pb concentrations in the soil or Pb concentrations in the worms. Overall, the bioavailability and toxicity of Pb(NO3)2 and PbCl2 to E. crypticus in LUFA 2.2 soil did not differ. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2083–2091. © 2017 SETAC
Reduced primary cilia length and altered Arl13b expression are associated with deregulated chondrocyte Hedgehog signaling in alkaptonuria
Authors: Thorpe Stephen D. , Gambassi Silvia , Thompson Clare L. , Chandrakumar Charmilie , Santucci Annalisa , Knight Martin M.
Published: February 2017

Alkaptonuria (AKU) is a rare inherited disease resulting from a deficiency of the enzyme homogentisate 1,2‐dioxygenase which leads to the accumulation of homogentisic acid (HGA). AKU is characterized by severe cartilage degeneration, similar to that observed in osteoarthritis. Previous studies suggest that AKU is associated with alterations in cytoskeletal organization which could modulate primary cilia structure/function. This study investigated whether AKU is associated with changes in chondrocyte primary cilia and associated Hedgehog signaling which mediates cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis. Human articular chondrocytes were obtained from healthy and AKU donors. Additionally, healthy chondrocytes were treated with HGA to replicate AKU pathology (+HGA). Diseased cells exhibited shorter cilia with length reductions of 36% and 16% in AKU and +HGA chondrocytes respectively, when compared to healthy controls. Both AKU and +HGA chondrocytes demonstrated disruption of the usual cilia length regulation by actin contractility. Furthermore, the proportion of cilia with axoneme breaks and bulbous tips was increased in AKU chondrocytes consistent with defective regulation of ciliary trafficking. Distribution of the Hedgehog‐related protein Arl13b along the ciliary axoneme was altered such that its localization was increased at the distal tip in AKU and +HGA chondrocytes. These changes in cilia structure/trafficking in AKU and +HGA chondrocytes were associated with a complete inability to activate Hedgehog signaling in response to exogenous ligand. Thus, we suggest that altered responsiveness to Hedgehog, as a consequence of cilia dysfunction, may be a contributing factor in the development of arthropathy highlighting the cilium as a novel target in AKU.