bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Litigación internacional, Forum Non Conveniens y daños punitivos: el caso del accidente aéreo de Spanair
Authors: Lorente Martínez Isabel
Published: March 2016

El 20 de agosto del año 2008 pasó a la historia de la aviación civil española como un día negro. Un avión de la compañía Spanair que despegaba desde el aeropuerto Madrid-Barajas con rumbo hacía Gran Canaria sufrió un fatal accidente al despegar. Sobrevivieron al mismo 18 personas, con heridas de diversa consideración y 154 fallecieron. Desde una perspectiva pragmática este trabajo intenta despejar dos incógnitas: la de la Competencia Judicial Internacional y la de la Ley estatal aplicable a un asunto donde hay una responsabilidad extracontractual derivada de un producto.
“La Ciudad de los Colores”: una experiencia de buena práctica de integración juvenil en el marco local de un barrio marginal en la ciudad de Alicante
Authors: Candela Sevila Virgilio Francisco
Published: March 2016

Este artículo explica el nacimiento, posterior evolución y gestión de un proyecto de intervención juvenil en la Zona Norte de la ciudad de Alicante nacido en 2007 y que permanece vigente dentro de un Plan Integral Municipal específico. Un proyecto gestionado por una entidad social local sin ánimo de lucro (Asociación Cultural Dánae) y que está formado por un conjunto de 80 personas entre alumnos, padres o tutores, monitores y coordinadores. El programa se desarrolla con el apoyo oficial del Ayuntamiento de Alicante y de la Generalitat Valenciana en un contexto vecinal degradado y con escasos recursos municipales (Zona Norte de la ciudad) que acoge un número muy importante de población inmigrante que, en algunos puntos, supera el 45% y donde conviven más de 120 nacionalidades. Es un proyecto muy reconocido socialmente y ha sido merecedor de premios municipales y regionales.
Redes transnacionales como estrategia migratoria. Argelinos en la ribera del Ebro
Authors: Mata Romeu Anna
Published: March 2016

Las redes pueden servir para amortiguar el peso que tienen sobre los migrantes los costes y la ruptura vital que supone la inmigración; determinar, hasta cierto punto, quiénes son los que emigran de las comunidades y las familias; influir en la selección de los lugares de destino y de origen; mantener los vínculos del migrante con la sociedad de origen y condicionar la integración de los migrantes en la sociedad de destino. Nuestra premisa es que las redes existen y cobran importancia, dentro del proyecto migratorio, tanto en el trayecto como en el asentamiento; pero su uso e intensidad es tremendamente dispar y distinto, según nos refiramos a unas u otras comunidades de inmigrantes. Profundizaremos en las formas en que las utilizan en el colectivo de procedencia argelina asentado en España, a raíz de trabajos de campo desarrollados en la Comunidad Foral Navarra (España) entre los años 2002 y 2013.
Sobre el desarrollo sostenible y la sostenibilidad: conceptualización y crítica
Authors: López Pardo Iván
Published: March 2016

Hace algo más de tres décadas, y con especial intensidad en los años 80, se inicia un proceso sin precedentes de reflexión a nivel mundial que impulsa Naciones Unidas, seguida de la Unión Europea, para abordar la cuestión de la sostenibilidad y el desarrollo sostenible del planeta como uno de los grandes retos a los que se enfrentan las sociedades del siglo XXI. La publicación del Informe Brundtland (WCED, 1987) representa un hito en dicho proceso al ofrecer una definición del desarrollo sostenible que hasta la actualidad es referencia en el debate. En este artículo se recogen las posiciones y argumentos de defensores y críticos para arrojar luz sobre un concepto en continuo estado de definición a la vez que plantear los interrogantes por resolver en un debate ni mucho menos acabado.
Algunas aportaciones de la Asociación Castellano-Manchega de Sociología al discurso sociológico
Authors: Tardivo Giuliano
Published: March 2016

La Asociación Castellano-Manchega de Sociología celebra su veinte cumpleaños. Ya es hora de balances y de volver a repasar, aunque de forma rápida y no exhaustiva, las principales aportaciones de esta asociación a la sociología española. Los resultados de este estudio demuestran que la ACMS se ha ocupado de teoría, de investigaciones empíricas, de cuestiones metodológicas, de problemas locales y globales.
Ian Macpherson's Writing of the Disaster
Authors: Baker Timothy C.
Published: March 2016

The Scottish Renaissance novelist Ian Macpherson is rarely considered within either Scottish or British contexts. This discussion of his novels demonstrates that they simultaneously serve both as reworkings of the pastoral tradition and as documents of what Maurice Blanchot calls the disaster. Offering a close reading of the novels themselves, focusing on Macpherson’s final novel, Wild Harbour, as well as a comparison with the more celebrated work of D.H. Lawrence, this article argues that Macpherson deserves significant reappraisal as both exemplars of the Scottish Renaissance tradition and as philosophically-engaged approaches to modernity.
“Weaklynges” Sucking at England: Reassessing the Scottish Plantation of Ulster
Authors: Sherry John
Published: March 2016

No abstract available
"Matriarchal" or "Patriarchal"? Dundee, Women and Municipal Party Politics in Scotland c.1918-c.1939
Authors: Baxter Kenneth John William
Published: March 2016

Dundee has long enjoyed a reputation as a ‘women’s town’. While not every historian has wholeheartedly agreed with this idea, it is true that in women have played a very prominent part in many aspects of the city’s history, especially in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It therefore might be expected that women would play a significant role in the governance of their city in the years after 1918 when women started to gain election to Scottish city councils. However, only a few women sought election to Dundee council before 1939, and Dundee compares poorly with other parts of Scotland in respect to the number of female councillors and council candidates it had during the interwar period. Indeed it can be argued that there was a wider trend of women making less of an impact in party politics in Dundee than they did elsewhere in Scotland after 1918. Several factors influenced this pattern including the fact Dundee had an unusually high number of women in paid employment. However there is also evidence that women in Dundee faced opposition and apathy to the idea of them pursing active political roles. Given the idea that the city was a ‘women’s town’ this may seem odd. Yet, ironically, it can be proposed that the fact women played an atypically high-profile role in other areas of what is often termed the ‘public sphere’ may have actually hindered Dundonian women’s involvement in municipal party politics.
“Ae Thoosand Tongues”: Language and Identity in Psychoraag
Authors: Ashley Katherine
Published: March 2016

Suhayl Saadi’s 2004 novel, Psychoraag, asks important questions about language, nation, and identity in twenty-first century Scotland.This article analyzes the ways in which language and music shape identity in the novel; explores the tensions that exist between the novel’s competing languages; studies the narrator’s personae; and examines his search for psychic, emotional, and linguistic wholeness. It argues that Psychoraag is an effective commentary on the inherent limitations of exclusionary conceptions of Scottishness, for the novel demonstrates that it is only by transcending traditional notions of Scottishness and embracing linguistic disorder that contemporary Scottish identity can be fully articulated.
Rosalind K. Marshall, Mary Queen of Scots: Truth or Lies
Authors: Walton Kristen Post
Published: March 2016

Rosalind K. Marshall. Mary Queen of Scots: Truth or Lies. Edinburgh: St. Andrew Press, 2010. Pp. 128. ISBN 978-07-1520-936-3. £9.99.
A Blind Perthshire Sergeant's Lament for his Colonel who Died at El Hamet in 1807
Authors: Gibson John
Published: March 2016

Sergeant Alexander Forbes is a Scottish Gaelic bard who lived

in Perthshire in the early nineteenth century. Almost nothing is known about him apart from his military service. This marbh-rann for his lt-col,Patrick MacLeod of Geanies, doubles the bard's certainly known output. It had lain unread for decades in the holdings of the National Library of Scotland on

George 1V Bridge in Edinburgh. Perthshire Gaelic was vulnerable to forces for economic and cultural change earlier than most fringe parts of the Gaidhealtachd.
Marjory Harper and Stephen Constantine, Migration and Empire
Authors: Hinson Andrew
Published: March 2016

Marjory Harper and Stephen Constantine, Migration and

Empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Pp. 380. ISBN

978-01-9925-093-6. US$65.00.
The Rise and Decline of the British “Patriot”: Civic Britain, c. 1545-1605
Authors: Williamson Arthur
Published: March 2016

In 1586, David Hume of Godscroft recorded a dialogue that he had with his patron Archibald Douglas, the 8th earl of Angus; this dialogue provides one of the earliest instances of the Anglophone neologism “patriot” used to describe either Scottish or English politics. The values associated with it – social solidarity, political activism, and, implicitly, relative equality – became imperative in Scotland, England, France, and the Netherlands as religious upheaval convulsed all of these societies. These values resurfaced powerfully and enduringly in the mid seventeenth century. The Scottish patriot not only loved his country and simultaneously saw himself as part of an international struggle, but also was centrally exercised to construct a British society. Then and later to be Scottish and British – and even in important ways European – did not divide an individual but proved mutually reinforcing.
The Auld Bollocks, or, James Kelman's Masculine Utopics
Authors: McNeill Dougal
Published: March 2016

This article examines the treatment of male sexuality in James Kelman’s fiction, paying particular attention to his frequent representations of and reflections on masturbation and sexual loneliness.

As part of an extended appreciation and critique of the recent criticism of Carole Jones, this article argues that, whilst Kelman’s representations of male sexuality involve an assault on traditional masculine gender norms, they also contain utopian elements, ones neglected in Kelman scholarship to date.
Keith M. Brown, Noble Power in Scotland from the Reformation to the Revolution.
Authors: Greig Martin
Published: March 2016

Keith M. Brown, Noble Power in Scotland from the Reformation to the Revolution. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2011. Pp. 334. ISBN 978-0-7486-1298-7. £50.00.
John Marsden, Kings, Mormaers, Rebels: Early Scotland’s Other Royal Family.
Authors: Hudson Benjamin
Published: March 2016

John Marsden, Kings, Mormaers, Rebels: Early Scotland’s Other Royal Family. Edinburgh: John Donald, 2010. Pp. 224. ISBN 978-1-9065566-19-7. £20.00.
To Converse with the Devil? Speech, Sexuality, and Witchcraft in Early Modern Scotland
Authors: Dye Sierra Rose
Published: March 2016

In early modern Scotland, thousands of people were accused and tried for the crime of witchcraft, many of whom were women. This paper examines the particular qualities associated with witches in Scottish belief – specifically speech and sexuality – in order to better understand how and why the witch hunts occurred. This research suggests that the growing emphasis on the words of witches during this period was a reflection of a mounting concern over the power and control of speech in early modern society. In looking at witchcraft as a speech crime, it is possible to explain not only why accused witches were more frequently women, but also how the persecution of individuals – both male and female – functioned to ensure that local and state authorities maintained a monopoly on powerful speech.
Roddy Simpson, The Photography of Victorian Scotland.
Authors: Durie Alastair James
Published: March 2016

Roddy Simpson, The Photography of Victorian Scotland. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2012. Pp. xii + 209. ISBN978-0-7486-5460-4. $40.
Graeme Morton, Ourselves and Others: Scotland 1832-1914.
Authors: Knox W.W.
Published: March 2016

Graeme Morton, Ourselves and Others: Scotland 1832-1914. Edinburgh University Press, 2012. Pp. 312. ISBN 9780748620494.
‘ “Dannsair air ùrlar-déile thu”: Gaelic evidence about dance from the mid-17th to late-18th century Highlands’
Authors: Newton Michael Steven
Published: March 2016

From the 1950s to the 1970s, two sets of scholars – Tom and Joan Flett, and George Emmerson – gleaned many English-language sources to recover aspects of the history of dance in Scotland. They correctly pointed out the pervasive influence of French court culture and the French-trained dancing masters on Scottish forms of dance, including in the Highlands, but did not examine the majority of potential Gaelic sources in their work. This article examines Scottish Gaelic sources referring to dance practices in the Scottish Highlands from the late-seventeenth century to the end of the eighteenth century, placing them within the context of wider European developments in music and dance and confirming that they demonstrate a consciousness of the strong connections with France and corresponding effects on Gaelic dance traditions.
M. Pia Coira, By Poetic Authority: The Rhetoric of Panegyric in Gaelic Poetry of Scotland to c. 1700.
Authors: Cox Kelley
Published: March 2016

M. Pia Coira, By Poetic Authority: The Rhetoric of Panegyric in Gaelic Poetry of Scotland to c. 1700. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press Ltd., 2012. Pp. 438. ISBN 978-1-78046-003-1. £45.
A Life on the Ocean Wave
Authors: White James Harrison
Published: March 2016

To view, please use the PDF link below
Fujiwara, Aya, Ethnic Elites and Canadian Identity: Japanese, Ukrainians and Scots, 1919-1971.
Authors: Metcalfe Heather
Published: March 2016

Fujiwara, Aya, Ethnic Elites and Canadian Identity: Japanese, Ukrainians and Scots, 1919-1971. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2012. Pp. xi + 256. ISBN 978-0-8875-737-8 (paperback). $27.95.
“The tie that binds”: commerce, migration, and the Australian Scottish delegation of 1928
Authors: Wilkie Benjamin Vincent
Published: March 2016

By examining the commercial and migratory connections forged between Australia and Scotland between the wars, this article extends discussions of the relationship between the Empire and the Scottish diaspora in Australia. Foreign trade and investment was central to Scotland’s role in the British Empire, and Scottish commercial activities in Australia had their own unique contexts and outcomes. The Australian Scottish Delegation of 1928 offers a distinct example of the commercial links forged between Australia and Scotland in the context of the Empire, and presents insights into the way in which Scottish émigrés imagined their role in the imperial project. Additionally, the linkage of economic development and migration during the interwar period took on a distinctive Scottish flavour with the delegation, and the selection of migrants for emigration offers insights into the ways in which delegates defined and understood the Scottish diaspora in Australia.
'“Many Different Voices and Accents” – Cosmopolitan Time-Travel in Catherine Forde’s Think Me Back'
Authors: McCulloch Fiona
Published: March 2016

This article analyzing themes of cosmopolitan time-travel, Scottish nationalism and identity in Catherine Forde’s children's novel "Think Me Back."
Militia Chieftains: Profiling the Founders of the "Canadian Scottish"
Authors: Watt Patrick
Published: March 2016

Little academic study has been conducted into the backgrounds of the men who chose to found regiments of Canadian militia in the pre-1914 period which were influenced on Scottish military traditions. This article seeks to redress the balance by profiling the backgrounds of the founders of the four militia regiments which contributed officers and men to the 16th Battalion, CEF in 1914. By examining key areas such as place of birth, ethnicity, wealth, religion, military experience, and political affiliation, the article shows the “types” of men who became involved in the formation of Scottish-themed militia regiments and highlights the importance of Scottish associational culture in the regiments’ establishment.
J. R. D. Falconer. Crime and Community in Reformation Scotland: Negotiating Power in a Burgh Society. Perspectives in Economic and Social History. London: Pickering & Chatto, 2012. Pp. xiii + 214. ISBN 9781848933279. $109.22 CAD.
Authors: Goodare Julian
Published: March 2016

J. R. D. Falconer. Crime and Community in Reformation Scotland: Negotiating Power in a Burgh Society. Perspectives in Economic and Social History. London: Pickering & Chatto, 2012. Pp. xiii + 214. ISBN 9781848933279. $109.22 CAD.
Rosalind Carr, Gender and Enlightenment Culture in Eighteenth- Century Scotland. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014. Pp. viii + 205. ISBN: 9780748646425. $70.00 USD
Authors: Herff Emily Elizabeth
Published: March 2016

Rosalind Carr, Gender and Enlightenment Culture in Eighteenth-

Century Scotland. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014.

Pp. viii + 205. ISBN: 9780748646425. $70.00 USD
Emily Wingfield, The Trojan Legend in Medieval Scottish Literature. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2014. Pp. 246. ISBN 9781843843641. £50.00.
Authors: Toledo Candelaria Marian
Published: March 2016

Emily Wingfield, The Trojan Legend in Medieval Scottish Literature. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2014. Pp. 246. ISBN 9781843843641. £50.00.
Catherine Keene. Saint Margaret, Queen of the Scots: A Life in Perspective. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Pp.326. ISBN 978-0-230-34048-0 USD $95.
Authors: Harrill Claire
Published: March 2016

Catherine Keene. Saint Margaret, Queen of the Scots: A Life in Perspective. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Pp.326. ISBN 978-0-230-34048-0 USD $95.
Selection of global climate models for India using cluster analysis
Authors: Srinivasa Raju K. , Nagesh Kumar D.
Published: March 2016

Global climate models (GCMs) are gaining importance due to their capability to ascertain climate variables that will be useful to develop long, medium and short term water resources planning strategies. The applicability of K-Means cluster analysis is explored for grouping 36 GCMs from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 for maximum temperature (MAXT), minimum temperature (MINT) and a combination of maximum and minimum temperature (COMBT) over India. Cluster validation methods, namely the Davies–Bouldin Index (DBI) and F-statistic, are used to obtain an optimal number of clusters of GCMs for India. The indicator chosen for evaluation of GCMs is the probability density function based skill score. It is noticed that the optimal number of clusters for MAXT, MINT and COMBT scenarios are 3, 2 and 2, respectively. Accordingly, suitable ensembles of GCMs are suggested for India for MAXT, MINT and COMBT individually. The suggested methodology can be extended to any number of GCMs and indicators, with minor modifications.
A refined groundwater flow model of the shallow aquifer in Tianjin Municipality, China
Authors: Li Fawen , Li Xi , Zhao Yong , Qiao Jiale , Feng Ping
Published: March 2016

The assembly of a groundwater flow model for the shallow aquifer in Tianjin Municipality is outlined in this paper. Tianjin Municipality was selected because of its complicated hydrogeological conditions and rich data, which could be used to test a refined groundwater flow model for the shallow aquifer. When a shallow groundwater flow model is being assembled its recharge and discharge functions need to represent inflows from rainfall, irrigation return flows, seepage from rivers and reservoirs, and lateral inflows and outflows from evaporation, abstraction of groundwater for irrigation and industrial, and urban use. When abstracting groundwater, the water exchanges between a shallow aquifer and a deep aquifer also need to be considered. The real irrigation areas of Tianjin Municipality were input into the groundwater flow model, and the rivers and reservoirs were refined to the level of secondary tributaries and small scale reservoirs. The model calibration was carried out based on consideration of representative parameter values and their spatial distribution, the groundwater flow fields, the temporal variation in groundwater heads and the water balance for the years 2006–2008. It was concluded from a comparison of the observed and simulated groundwater heads that the precision of the model is high and that the simulated groundwater levels align with the real groundwater conditions. It is also concluded that the groundwater flow model for the shallow aquifer in Tianjin Municipality will be a useful tool for further studies about the relationship between shallow and deep aquifers and the surface environment.
Pain and discomfort following insertion of miniscrews and premolar extractions: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Ganzer Niels , Feldmann Ingalill , Bondemark Lars
Published: March 2016

Objective: To investigate and compare the experience of pain and discomfort between insertion of miniscrews and premolar extractions in adolescent patients.

Materials and Methods: A total of 80 adolescents were recruited and randomized into groups A and B. Both groups were treated with extraction of the upper first premolars and fixed appliance. Beyond the fixed appliance, patients in group A received anchorage reinforcement with miniscrews. Miniscrews were inserted buccally between the second premolar and first molar when space closure started. Space closure was performed as en masse retraction with immediate loading by 150-g coil springs. Pain, discomfort, impact on daily activities, and functional jaw impairment were assessed with patient-reported questionnaires. Questionnaires were filled in at baseline, the evening after tooth extraction, 1 week after tooth extraction, the evening after screw placement, and 1 week after screw placement.

Results: Patients reported significantly lower levels of pain (P < .001) and discomfort (P = .012) after screw placement compared with premolar extractions. The ability to drink (P = .035) and the ability to take a big bite (P < .001) were also significantly less disturbed in the evening after screw placement. During the first week after screw placement, the impact on leisure time activities was significantly lower (P = .015) compared with premolar extractions.

Conclusion: The use of miniscrews in adolescents can be recommended from a pain and discomfort perspective.
Early findings in outbreak of haemolytic uraemic syndrome among young children caused by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Romania, January to February 2016
Authors: Peron Emilie , Zaharia Alina , Zota Lavinia Cipriana , Severi Ettore , Mårdh Otilia , Usein Codruta , Bălgrădean Mihaela , Espinosa Laura , Jansa Josep , Scavia Gaia , Rafila Alexandru , Serban Amalia , Pistol Adriana
Published: March 2016

As at 29 February 2016, 15 cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome with onset between 25 January and 22 February were reported among children between five and 38 months in Romania, and three of them died. Cases were mostly from southern Romania. Six cases tested positive for Escherichia coli O26 by serology. Fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products were among the possible common food exposures. Investigations are ongoing in Romania to control the outbreak.
100 Years of Curriculum History, Theory, and Research
Authors: Schoenfeld Alan H.
Published: March 2016

This article reviews a collection of papers written by the American Educational Research Association’s first 50 presidents that deal specifically with curricular issues. It characterizes the ways in which curricula were conceptualized, implemented, and assessed, with an eye toward the epistemological and methodological framings that the authors brought to bear. The analysis reveals interesting lines of continuity as well as significant changes from 1916 until now, the Association’s centennial anniversary.
Response Styles in Rating Scales
Authors: Tutz Gerhard , Berger Moritz
Published: March 2016

Heterogeneity in response styles can affect the conclusions drawn from rating scale data. In particular, biased estimates can be expected if one ignores a tendency to middle categories or to extreme categories. An adjacent categories model is proposed that simultaneously models the content-related effects and the heterogeneity in response styles. By accounting for response styles, it provides a simple remedy for the bias that occurs if the response style is ignored. The model allows to include explanatory variables that have a content-related effect as well as an effect on the response style. A visualization tool is developed that makes the interpretation of effects easily accessible. The proposed model is embedded into the framework of multivariate generalized linear model, which entails that common estimation and inference tools can be used. Existing software can be used to fit the model, which makes it easy to apply.
M(t)/M/1 Queueing System with Sinusoidal Arrival Rate
Authors: Pant A. P. , Ghimire R. P.
Published: March 2016

This paper deals with the study of M (t)/M/1 queueing system with customers arrive to the system with sinusoidal arrival rate function λ (t) and are served exponentially with the rate μ. On formulating the mathematical model, we obtain the expressions for mean waiting time in the queue, mean time spent in the system, mean number of customers in the queue and in the system by using recursive method. Some numerical illustrations are also obtained by using computing software so as to show the applicability of the model under study.Journal of the Institute of Engineering, 2015, 11(1): 120-127
Optimization of Conditions for the Preparation of Activated Carbon from Lapsi (Choerospondias axillaris) Seed Stone Using ZnCl2
Authors: Joshi Rinita Rajbhandari
Published: March 2016

Activated carbon was prepared from Lapsi (Choerospondias axillaries ) seed stone by chemical activation method using ZnCl2. The effect of experimental variables; ZnCl2 ratio, temperature and carbonization time on the quality of the activated carbon were systematically invested by determining the carbon yield, iodine number, methylene blue number, surface area and pore volume. Lapsi seed stone powder (LSP) of particle size < 300 μm was used to prepare activated carbon under N2 atmosphere. An increase in ZnCl2 ratio in general increased the iodine number and methylene blue number, but on increasing zinc chloride above 50 percentages, iodine and methylene blue number increased only marginally. An increase in carbonization temperature increases the iodine number, methylene blue number, and surface area and pore volume. Increase in carbonization time from 3 hour to 4 hour increases iodine number and methylene blue number and thereafter the increase in iodine number and methylene blue number is gradual. Regarding the carbon yield, it decreases with the ZnCl2 ratio above 50 percent, and the yield also decreases with increase in temperature and carbonization time. Therefore the optimum conditions for the preparation of activated carbon from Lapsi seed stone using ZnCl2 as follows: carbonization temperature of 400°C, zinc chloride ratio as LSP:ZnCl2 equals 1:1, and carbonization time of 4 hour. This resulted an activated carbon with 791 iodine number, 364 methylene blue number, 1167 surface area and 0.65 pore volume.Journal of the Institute of Engineering, 2015, 11(1): 128-139
Miniaturized Multi-spurline Bandstop Filter Design with a Meandered Slot Lines
Authors: Shrestha Bhanu , Shrestha Surendra
Published: March 2016

A multi-spurlines with meandered slot line bandstop flter is studied. A wideband width bandstop flter is designed and simulated on the basis of a Tef- lon substrate having thickness of 0.54 mm and a dielectric constant of 2.54. The wideband width is achieved even if the multi-coupling effects of multi-spurline are increased. The proposed bandstop flter has good S-parameter responses with good stopband characteristics. The insertion loss (S21) and return losses are 34.5 dB and 0.12 dB respectively. The wide band rejection depth increased by improving trans- mission zeros at 12 GHz. The wideband bandstop flter can be implemented to the X-band applications. The size of the designed bandstop flter is 5.8 mm × 3 mm. Journal of the Institute of Engineering, 2015, 11(1): 172-176
Synthesis of 2-Aminobutene-1,4-Diones by Gold-Catalysed Three-Component Coupling Reactions
Authors: Liu Li , Tang Jiaqi , Qiang Jian , He Mingyang
Published: March 2016

A gold-catalysed three-component coupling reaction of phenylglyoxal derivatives, alkynes and secondary amines was developed to provide a novel one-pot synthesis of 2-aminobutene-1,4-diones in moderate to good yields.
Central Role of Glutamate Metabolism in the Maintenance of Nitrogen Homeostasis in Normal and Hyperammonemic Brain
Authors: Cooper Arthur , Jeitner Thomas
Published: March 2016

Glutamate is present in the brain at an average concentration—typically 10–12 mM—far in excess of those of other amino acids. In glutamate-containing vesicles in the brain, the concentration of glutamate may even exceed 100 mM. Yet because glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter, the concentration of this amino acid in the cerebral extracellular fluid must be kept low—typically µM. The remarkable gradient of glutamate in the different cerebral compartments: vesicles > cytosol/mitochondria > extracellular fluid attests to the extraordinary effectiveness of glutamate transporters and the strict control of enzymes of glutamate catabolism and synthesis in well-defined cellular and subcellular compartments in the brain. A major route for glutamate and ammonia removal is via the glutamine synthetase (glutamate ammonia ligase) reaction. Glutamate is also removed by conversion to the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyrate (GABA) via the action of glutamate decarboxylase. On the other hand, cerebral glutamate levels are maintained by the action of glutaminase and by various α-ketoglutarate-linked aminotransferases (especially aspartate aminotransferase and the mitochondrial and cytosolic forms of the branched-chain aminotransferases). Although the glutamate dehydrogenase reaction is freely reversible, owing to rapid removal of ammonia as glutamine amide, the direction of the glutamate dehydrogenase reaction in the brain in vivo is mainly toward glutamate catabolism rather than toward the net synthesis of glutamate, even under hyperammonemia conditions. During hyperammonemia, there is a large increase in cerebral glutamine content, but only small changes in the levels of glutamate and α-ketoglutarate. Thus, the channeling of glutamate toward glutamine during hyperammonemia results in the net synthesis of 5-carbon units. This increase in 5-carbon units is accomplished in part by the ammonia-induced stimulation of the anaplerotic enzyme pyruvate carboxylase. Here, we suggest that glutamate may constitute a buffer or bulwark against changes in cerebral amine and ammonia nitrogen. Although the glutamate transporters are briefly discussed, the major emphasis of the present review is on the enzymology contributing to the maintenance of glutamate levels under normal and hyperammonemic conditions. Emphasis will also be placed on the central role of glutamate in the glutamine-glutamate and glutamine-GABA neurotransmitter cycles between neurons and astrocytes. Finally, we provide a brief and selective discussion of neuropathology associated with altered cerebral glutamate levels.
Differential miRNA-Expression as an Adjunctive Diagnostic Tool in Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Lung
Authors: Demes Melanie , Aszyk Christoph , Bartsch Holger , Schirren Joachim , Fisseler-Eckhoff Annette
Published: March 2016

Pulmonary malignancies with neuroendocrine differentiation represent a rare subclass of lung carcinomas, which vary in the extent of differentiation and grade of biological aggressiveness. In particular, neuroendocrine tumors are classified into well differentiated typical and atypical carcinoids as well as poorly differentiated large cell neuroendocrine and small cell lung carcinomas. Tiny MicroRNAs have been identified as reliable classifiers in distinct cancer types and seem to play important roles in cellular processes like regulation of cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. In the present study, two different microRNAs (miR-21 and miR-34a) were explored for their involvements in pathogenesis of subtypes and finally in differential diagnosis of pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors. miR-21 was upregulated in poorly differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (mean rank: 26.8; 28.75) as compared to carcinoids (mean rank: 12.33; 12.07) with a significance of 0.00033. High-expression levels of miR-34a were associated with atypical carcinoids (p = 0.010). A close association is implicated between the elevated miR-21 values in high-grade and miR-34a patterns in low-grade atypical neuroendocrine lung carcinomas, which could potentially be exploited as practical supportive markers for differential lung cancer diagnosis in routine. However, some additional extended research and validation studies are needed to utilize them as routine markers or potential molecular targets for personalized medicine.
Climate and Human Health: Relations, Projections, and Future Implementations
Authors: Pezzoli Alessandro , Santos Dávila José , D’Elia Eleonora
Published: March 2016

It is widely accepted by the scientific community that the world has begun to warm as a result of human influence. The accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, arising primarily from the combustion of carbon fossil fuels and agricultural activities, generates changes in the climate. Indeed various studies have assessed the potential impacts of climate change on human health (both negative and positive). The increased frequency and intensity of heat waves, the reduction in cold-related deaths, the increased floods and droughts, and the changes in the distribution of vector-borne diseases are among the most frequently studied effects. On the other hand, climate change differs from many other environmental health problems because of its gradual onset, widespread rather than localized effect, and the fact that the most important effects will probably be indirect. Some recent and important publications show that only the collaboration between the meteorological and the public health communities can help us to thoroughly study the link between climate and health, thus improving our ability to adapt to these future changes. The aim of this editorial is to give different perspectives on a widely discussed topic, which is still too complicated to be addressed to a satisfactory extent. Moreover, it is necessary to underline the importance of using new biometeorological indices (i.e. thermal indexes, etc.) for future projections, in order to reduce the impacts of negative outcomes, protecting the population through adaptation measures and public awareness.
Telogen Effluvium
Authors: Liyanage Deepa , Sinclair Rodney
Published: March 2016

Kligman first coined the term telogen effluvium (TE) in 1961 to describe the state of increased shedding of otherwise normal telogen hairs. TE may be primary or secondary to a wide variety of potential triggers including febrile illness, drugs, thyroid disorders, and child birth. The diagnosis of secondary TE can be made by identifying known triggers from the history in the 3–4 months preceding the onset of increased hair shedding and by investigating to exclude endocrine, nutritional, or auto immune aetiologies. Scalp biopsy to identify the earliest stages of androgenetic alopecia may be required in some cases. Primary TE may be acute or chronic. In acute TE, the shedding resolves within 3–6 months and the hair density recovers completely. In chronic TE, the shedding can continue with minor fluctuations in severity for decades. In this review, possible causative factors, pathogenesis, clinical presentations and treatment options are discussed.
Genetic Diversity Assessment of Portuguese Cultivated Vicia faba L. through IRAP Markers
Authors: Tomás Diana , Dias Ana , Silva Manuela , Oliveira Hugo , Suso Maria , Viegas Wanda , Veloso Maria
Published: March 2016

Faba bean have been grown in Portugal for a long time and locally adapted populations are still maintained on farm. The genetic diversity of four Portuguese faba bean populations that are still cultivated in some regions of the country was evaluated using the Inter Retrotransposons Amplified Polymorphism (IRAP) technique. It was shown that molecular markers based on retrotransposons previously identified in other species can be efficiently used in the genetic variability assessment of Vicia faba. The IRAP experiment targeting Athila yielded the most informative banding patterns. Cluster analysis using the neighbor-joining algorithm generated a dendrogram that clearly shows the distribution pattern of V. faba samples. The four equina accessions are separated from each other and form two distinct clades while the two major faba bean accessions are not unequivocally separated by the IRAP. Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH) analysis of sequences amplified by IRAP Athila revealed a wide distribution throughout V. faba chromosomes, confirming the whole-genome coverage of this molecular marker. Morphological characteristics were also assessed through cluster analysis of seed characters using the unweighted pair group method arithmetic average (UPGMA) and principal component analysis (PCA), showing a clear discrimination between faba bean major and equina groups. It was also found that the seed character most relevant to distinguish accessions was 100 seed weight. Seed morphological traits and IRAP evaluation give similar results supporting the potential of IRAP analysis for genetic diversity studies.
An Estimator of Mutual Information and its Application to Independence Testing
Authors: Suzuki Joe
Published: March 2016

This paper proposes a novel estimator of mutual information for discrete and continuous variables. The main feature of this estimator is that it is zero for a large sample size n if and only if the two variables are independent. The estimator can be used to construct several histograms, compute estimations of mutual information, and choose the maximum value. We prove that the number of histograms constructed has an upper bound of O(log n) and apply this fact to the search. We compare the performance of the proposed estimator with an estimator of the Hilbert-Schmidt independence criterion (HSIC), though the proposed method is based on the minimum description length (MDL) principle and the HSIC provides a statistical test. The proposed method completes the estimation in O(n log n) time, whereas the HSIC kernel computation requires O(n3) time. We also present examples in which the HSIC fails to detect independence but the proposed method successfully detects it.
Gate Stability of GaN-Based HEMTs with P-Type Gate
Authors: Meneghini Matteo , Rossetto Isabella , Rizzato Vanessa , Stoffels Steve , Van Hove Marleen , Posthuma Niels , Wu Tian-Li , Marcon Denis , Decoutere Stefaan , Meneghesso Gaudenzio , Zanoni Enrico
Published: March 2016

This paper reports on an extensive investigation of the gate stability of GaN-based High Electron Mobility Transistors with p-type gate submitted to forward gate stress. Based on combined electrical and electroluminescence measurements, we demonstrate the following results: (i) the catastrophic breakdown voltage of the gate diode is higher than 11 V at room temperature; (ii) in a step-stress experiment, the devices show a stable behavior up to VGS = 10 V, and a catastrophic failure happened for higher voltages; (iii) failure consists in the creation of shunt paths under the gate, of which the position can be identified by electroluminescence (EL) measurements; (iv) the EL spectra emitted by the devices consists of a broad emission band, centered around 500–550 nm, related to the yellow-luminescence of GaN; and (v) when submitted to a constant voltage stress tests, the p-GaN gate can show a time-dependent failure, and the time to failure follows a Weibull distribution.
Lightweight Borohydrides Electro-Activity in Lithium Cells
Authors: Meggiolaro Daniele , Farina Luca , Silvestri Laura , Panero Stefania , Brutti Sergio , Reale Priscilla
Published: March 2016

As a substitute for graphite, the negative electrode material commonly used in Li-ion batteries, hydrides have the theoretical potential to overcome performance limits of the current state-of-the-art Li-ion cells. Hydrides can operate through a conversion process proved for some interstitial hydrides like MgH2: MxAy + n Li = x M + y LimA, where m = n/y. Even if far from optimization, outstanding performances were observed, drawing the attention to the whole hydride family. Looking for high capacity systems, lightweight complex metal hydrides, such as borohydrides, deserve consideration. Capacities in the order of 2000–4000 mAh/g can be theoretically expected thanks to the very low formula unit weight. Although the potential technological impact of these materials can lead to major breakthroughs in Li-ion batteries, this new research field requires the tackling of fundamental issues that are completely unexplored. Here, our recent findings on the incorporation of borohydrides are presented and discussed.
Optimization Design of an Inductive Energy Harvesting Device for Wireless Power Supply System Overhead High-Voltage Power Lines
Authors: Wang Wei , Huang Xueliang , Tan Linlin , Guo Jinpeng , Liu Han
Published: March 2016

Overhead high voltage power line (HVPL) online monitoring equipment is playing an increasingly important role in smart grids, but the power supply is an obstacle to such systems’ stable and safe operation, so in this work a hybrid wireless power supply system, integrated with inductive energy harvesting and wireless power transmitting, is proposed. The energy harvesting device extracts energy from the HVPL and transfers that from the power line to monitoring equipment on transmission towers by transmitting and receiving coils, which are in a magnetically coupled resonant configuration. In this paper, the optimization design of online energy harvesting devices is analyzed emphatically by taking both HVPL insulation distance and wireless power supply efficiency into account. It is found that essential parameters contributing to more extracted energy include large core inner radius, core radial thickness, core height and small core gap within the threshold constraints. In addition, there is an optimal secondary coil turn that can maximize extracted energy when other parameters remain fixed. A simple and flexible control strategy is then introduced to limit power fluctuations caused by current variations. The optimization methods are finally verified experimentally.
Biochar as Additive in Biogas-Production from Bio-Waste
Authors: Meyer-Kohlstock Daniel , Haupt Thomas , Heldt Erik , Heldt Nils , Kraft Eckhard
Published: March 2016

Previous publications about biochar in anaerobic digestion show encouraging results with regard to increased biogas yields. This work investigates such effects in a solid-state fermentation of bio-waste. Unlike in previous trials, the influence of biochar is tested with a setup that simulates an industrial-scale biogas plant. Both the biogas and the methane yield increased around 5% with a biochar addition of 5%—based on organic dry matter biochar to bio-waste. An addition of 10% increased the yield by around 3%. While scaling effects prohibit a simple transfer of the results to industrial-scale plants, and although the certainty of the results is reduced by the heterogeneity of the bio-waste, further research in this direction seems promising.
Enhanced Local Fisher Discriminant Analysis for Indoor Positioning in Wireless Local Area Network
Authors: Deng Zhi-An , Wu Di , Zhou Yiran , Na Zhenyu
Published: March 2016

Feature extraction methods have been used to extract location features for indoor positioning in wireless local area networks. However, existing methods, such as linear discriminant analysis and principal component analysis, all suffer from the multimodal property of signal distribution. This paper proposes a novel method, based on enhanced local fisher discriminant analysis (LFDA). First, LFDA is proposed to extract discriminative location features. It maximizes between-class separability while preserving within-class local structure of signal space, thereby guaranteeing maximal discriminative information involved in positioning. Then, the generalization ability of LFDA is further enhanced using signal perturbation, which generates more number of representative training samples. Experimental results in realistic indoor environment show that, compared with previous feature extraction methods, the proposed method reduces the mean and standard deviation of positing error by 23.9% and 33.0%, respectively.
Compositional Analysis of Whole Grains, Processed Grains, Grain Co-Products, and Other Carbohydrate Sources with Applicability to Pet Animal Nutrition
Authors: Beloshapka Alison , Buff Preston , Fahey George , Swanson Kelly
Published: March 2016

Our objective was to measure the proximate, starch, amino acid, and mineral compositions of grains, grain co-products, and other carbohydrate sources with potential use in pet foods. Thirty-two samples from barley (barley flake, cut barley, ground pearled barley, malted barley, whole pearled barley, pearled barley flakes, and steamed rolled barley); oats (groats, ground oatmeal, ground steamed groats, instant oats, oat bran, oat fiber, oat flour, quick oats, regular rolled oats, steamed rolled oat groats, and steel cut groats); rice (brown rice, polished rice, defatted rice bran, and rice flour); and miscellaneous carbohydrate sources (canary grass seed, hulled millet, whole millet, quinoa, organic spelt hull pellets, potato flake, sorghum, whole wheat, and whole yellow corn) were analyzed. Crude protein, amino acid, fat, dietary fiber, resistant starch, and mineral concentrations were highly variable among the respective fractions (i.e., barley flake vs. malted barley vs. steamed rolled barley) as well as among the various grains (i.e., barley flake vs. brown rice vs. canary grass seed). These ingredients not only provide a readily available energy source, but also a source of dietary fiber, resistant starch, essential amino acids, and macrominerals for pet diets.
Variability and Trends in Precipitation, Temperature and Drought Indices in the State of California
Authors: He Minxue , Gautam Mahesh
Published: March 2016

This study presents a comprehensive assessment of the variability and trends of the precipitation and temperature along with the trends in drought indices over the State of California. The non-parametric Mann–Kendall trend test is applied with a trend-free pre-whitening procedure in trend identification. A dataset containing 120-year (water years 1896–2015) monthly precipitation, average temperature, maximum temperature, minimum temperature and the Palmer Index for seven climatic regions of the state is used for this purpose. The results confirm previous work indicating that no clear trends are observed in precipitation, while a distinct warming trend is evident in temperature over the state. New findings of this study include: (1) in general, the variability of annual, winter (December–February) and spring (March–May) precipitation shows an increasing tendency, implying intensified frequency of the occurrence of dry or wet extremes; (2) on the annual scale and in the summer, statewide meteorological, hydrological and agricultural drought indices all have decreasing trends, indicating the more frequent occurrence of drought events; and (3) among seven regions, the South Coast Drainage region generally has the most significant warming trend, as well as the most significant declining trends in drought indices. Overall, these findings are highly meaningful from both theoretical and practical perspectives, in the context of providing critical information in developing prediction models and guiding water resources management practices, respectively.