bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Note on Teaching the Yuan-Dollar Market vis-a-vis China's Dollar Holdings
Authors: Highfill Jannett , Wojcikewych Raymond
Published: March 2012

The economic relationship between China and the U.S. is sufficiently ubiquitous in the media that few students will be unacquainted with the issue. Connecting the dots between China’s export-led growth, current account surpluses, currency peg, and its reserves (whether held by the central bank or in a sovereign wealth fund) is a key task in any undergraduate course that touches on the global economy. The present note proposes a method for understanding the relationship between two items in this list, the currency peg and reserves. Maintaining exchange rates different from equilibrium (as China has done) has consequences for the quantities of currencies that have to be bought and sold. The dollars accumulated have to be held in some form – a fact which also has had far reaching consequences for the global economy. The paper proposes using currency offer curves to facilitate teaching fixed exchange rates to undergraduates. Our method helps students “see” the process of pegging the yuan and the resulting accumulation of dollars.
Local Price Competition: The Case of Swedish Food Retailers
Authors: Gullstrand Joakim , Jörgensen Christian
Published: March 2012

Swedish food prices have been an issue many years resulting in a number of studies by the Swedish Competition Authority. This paper sheds new light on the competitive situation by using a detailed dataset covering all Swedish food retailers. The dataset allows an assessment of the importance of price competition as well as whether the market is local or global. The results are unambiguous, and suggest that competition is substantial, but that it wears off quickly. The implications are that a variation in competition may be an important explanation for price variations within Sweden, and that the disciplinary effect of new formats focusing on low prices may be substantial.
Multiobjective Optimization of an Industrial Styrene Reactor Using the Dual Population Evolutionary Algorithm (DPEA)
Authors: Fettaka Salim , Gupta Yash P. , Thibault Jules
Published: March 2012

In the last few years, multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) have gained significant interest as a reliable option to optimize problems with conflicting objectives in science and engineering. These algorithms generate an optimal set of trade-off solutions referred to as the Pareto domain. In this investigation, a MOEA was used to optimize simultaneously conflicting design variables of an industrial styrene reactor. The dual population evolutionary algorithm (DPEA) was implemented to optimize the productivity, yield, and selectivity of styrene. To evaluate the robustness and versatility of the algorithm, two and three objective optimization case studies were conducted for three different configurations of the reactor: adiabatic, steam-injected, and isothermal.Results indicated that DPEA is a robust optimization strategy to generate a well-defined Pareto domain with a wide range of solutions. In addition, the Pareto-optimal solutions of the steam-injected configuration were superior to the adiabatic reactor and to a portion of the isothermal configuration. The optimal operating conditions corresponding to the Pareto domains were also slightly better in terms of profit when compared with previously published studies. The Pareto domains were then ranked using the Net Flow Method (NFM), a ranking algorithm that incorporates the knowledge and preferences of an expert into the optimization routine.
A Trickle Fixed-Bed Recycle Reactor Model for the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis
Authors: Brunner Kyle M. , Duncan Joshua C. , Harrison Luke D. , Pratt Kyle E. , Peguin Robson P. S. , Bartholomew Calvin H. , Hecker William C.
Published: March 2012

A trickle fixed-bed reactor model for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis applicable to both cobalt and iron catalysts which accounts for gas and liquid recycle is described. A selection of kinetic models for both iron and cobalt catalysts (4 each) is included in the reactor model and their effect on model predictions is compared. While the model is 1-D and reaction rates are determined for quasi-average radial bed temperatures, a correlation is used to account for radial thermal conductivity and radial convective heat transfer. Traditional pressure drop calculations for a packed column were modified with a correlation to account for trickle-flow conditions. In addition to describing the model in detail and showing validation results, this paper presents results of varying fundamental, theoretically-based parameters (i.e. effective diffusivity, Prandtl number, friction factor, etc.). For example, the model predicts that decreasing effective diffusivity from 7.1E-09 to 2.8E-09 m2/s results in a lower maximum temperature (518 K vs. 523 K) and a longer required bed length to achieve 60% conversion of CO (8.5 m vs. 5.7 m). Using molar averages of properties to calculate the Prandtl number for the gas phase (recommended by the authors) results in average bed temperatures up to 10 K higher and reactor lengths 17-45% shorter than assuming a Prandtl number of 0.7. Using the Tallmadge equation to estimate friction losses, as recommended by the authors, results in a pressure drop 40% smaller than using the Ergun equation. Validation of the model was accomplished by matching published full-scale plant data from the SASOL Arge reactors.
The Cost of Job Loss in the Great Recession: How Bad Has it Been?
Authors: Farber Henry S.
Published: March 2012

Job losers in the Great Recession have had substantially more difficulty finding employment than in earlier recessions, according to Henry Farber of Princeton. Roughly fifty percent of those who lost jobs between 2007 and 2009 remained without work in 2010 and and even those full-time job losers who did find jobs are more likely to be part time than in past recessions.
Debt and Democracy
Authors: Kane Tim
Published: March 2012

Tim Kane says that the patient suffers from economic symptoms but that the biological origins of the economic health problems are genetically based in the DNA of the U.S. Constitution. He suggests that fiscal policy be treated like monetary policy with a Super Committee like the Federal Reserve which is removed from short term electoral influences.
Drying Behaviour and Change in Colour and Textural Properties of Mushroom During Drying
Authors: Mittal Tarsem Chand , Sharma Sajeev Rattan , Muker Jarnail Singh , Gupta Satish Kumar
Published: March 2012

Button mushroom in the form of whole and slices were dried using convective hot air drying and microwave drying methods. Main objectives were to study the drying behavior and change in colour and textural properties. To get moisture content of 0.08 g/g, hot air drying at 600C took 463 minutes and 350 minutes for whole and sliced mushroom respectively whereas these times were just 9 minutes and 8.5 minutes when the microwave oven was run at 60% of its maximum power (1350 W). The convective hot air drying process can be put into two falling rate periods. The decrease in brightness (indicated by L-value) in dried samples was about 44% as compared to the fresh ones. The variation within the differently dried samples was not much. Hardness was lowest (<2>N) in fresh samples and was highest (>5.5 N) in microwave dried samples with hot air dried samples in between. For most of the samples, the springiness were between 0.4 and 0.6 except for hot air dried sliced samples where it was 0.9. Except in hot air dried samples, the change in cohesiveness was not much. Adhesiveness was found in fresh mushroom only..
Effect of process conditions and carrier concentration for improving drying yield and other quality attributes of spray dried black mulberry (Morus nigra) juice
Authors: Fazaeli Mahboubeh , Emam-Djomeh Zahra , Kalbasi-Ashtari Ahmad , Omid Mahmoud
Published: March 2012

The objective of this work was to study the influence of spray drying conditions on the physicochemical properties of black mulberry (Morus nigra) powder. A lab-scale spray dryer was employed for the spray drying process and maltodextrin DE=9was used as carrier agent.Response surface methodology (RSM) was performed to examine the effects of independent variables on the drying yield, color change, and total anthocyanin content and to determine the optimum processing conditions. Independent variables were: inlet air temperature (110 ºC, 130 ºC, and 150 ºC), compressed air flow rate (400, 600, and 800 l/h), and maltodextrin concentration (8%, 12%, and 16%). For each response, second order polynomial models were developed using multiple linear regression analysis. Analysis of variance was performed to check the adequacy and accuracy of the fitted models. The optimal conditions for drying yield and total anthocyanin content correspond to: temperature= 130 ºC, maltodextrin concentration= 8%, and compressed air flow rate= 800 L/h; these parameters led to the total anthocyanin content, process yield and browning index values of 5.85 (mg/100mL), 75%, 58.57% respectively.
Modelling Thermodynamic Properties of Banana Waste by Analytical Derivation of Desorption Isotherms
Authors: Villa-Vélez Harvey A. , Váquiro Henry A. , Bon José , Telis-Romero Javier
Published: March 2012

Banana is an agricultural product of great economic importance for various developing countries. The relationship between moisture content and water activity provides useful information for the processing and storage of banana waste. The water activity and moisture content of three banana (Mussa spp. Haploid AAB cv. Nanica) waste items were analyzed to determine the desorption isotherms at six different temperatures (20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70°C). The desorption isotherms of the peel, pedicel and pulp of overripe bananas were determined in wide ranges of moisture content (0.001–6.360 kg kg-1 d.b.) and water activity (0.02–0.907). The theoretical GAB model was used for modelling the desorption isotherms. An analytical solution of the Clausius-Clapeyron equation was proposed to compute the isosteric heat of sorption, the differential entropy and Gibbs’ free energy by way of the GAB model when the effect of temperature on the hygroscopic equilibrium was considered.
Effect of Gluten Powder on the Quality of Fresh Spaghetti Made with Farina
Authors: Majzoobi Mahsa , Ostovan Raheleh , Farahnaky Asgar
Published: March 2012

The objective of this study was to improve the quality of fresh spaghetti made from ordinary wheat flour using gluten powder at different levels (0.0, 0.5, 1.5 and 3.0%, w/w, flour basis). The spaghetti dough was evaluated by a Brabender Farinograph. The results indicated that with increasing the gluten level, peak, stability time and consistency of the dough increased. The results of creep test (carried out using a Texture Analyser) showed that with increasing the gluten content, elasticity of the dough increased while its viscosity decreased. Increasing the gluten level reduced the cooking loss and increased the water absorption of the samples cooked in distilled or salted water (2% NaCl). The hardness and the color of the uncooked and cooked spaghettis improved with increasing the gluten content. The sample containing 3% gluten powder cooked in salted water received the highest score for its sensory attributes.
The Effect of Microwave Pasteurization on Some Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Milk
Authors: Dehghan Afsaneh , Jamalian Jalal , Farahnaky Asgar , Mesbahi Gholamreza , Moosavi-Nasab Marzieh
Published: March 2012

In this research, cow’s milk was pasteurized using microwave (MW) or HTST methods and their effects on some milk components were studied. The results showed no differences between some physico-chemical characteristics like protein, fat, acidity, and solubility percentages due to heat treatments with either MW or HTST and the control samples. The contents of six amino acids (aspartic acid, glycine, glutamic acid, histidine, arginine, and lysine in mg/L) and fatty acids (weight percentage) showed no significant differences using either MW or HTST pasteurization method. There were slight but insignificant differences in trans fatty acid and D-amino acid contents in the milk pasteurized with either MW or HTST method. SDS-PAGE and HPLC analysis of milk proteins did not reveal any differences between the pasteurization methods. It was finally concluded that MW heating is a good alternative to HTST pasteurization.
Optimization of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Conditions for Preparation of Gingko Peptides from Ginkgo Nuts
Authors: Sun Hanju , Chen Zhe , Wen Peng , Lei Hong , Shi Juan , Huang Meiying , Wang Jing
Published: March 2012

Ginkgo nuts were used as raw material and peptides were prepared in turn with Neutral protease and Flavourzyme. In single-factor experiments of Neutral protease, conditions of temperature, pH, enzyme concentration and substrate concentration were optimized in term of degree of hydrolysis (DH). Based on the results of single-factor experiments, an orthogonal experiment (L9(3)4) was conducted to optimize the hydrolysis conditions of Neutral protease. The results showed that enzyme concentration, substrate concentration, reaction temperature and initial pH were the main variables that influenced DH. The highest DH was obtained when hydrolysis time, reaction temperature, initial pH, enzyme amount and substrate concentration were 4 h, 45 oC, 7.0, 1.8 mg/mL and 0.02 g/mL, respectively. Subsequently, the resulting solution was further hydrolyzed with Flavourzyme. Initial pH, temperature, time and enzyme concentration were optimized in term of DH. Finally, another orthogonal experiment (L9(3)4) was conducted to get the best enzymatic conditions of Flavourzyme, and enzyme concentration, initial pH, temperature and time were used as factors. The results showed that when Flavourzyme concentration, reaction temperature, initial pH and hydrolysis time were 9.0 mg/mL, 50 oC, 7.0 and 5 h, respectively, DH was the highest. The final degree of hydrolysis was 22.56%.
Graduating High School in a Recession: Work, Education, and Home Production
Authors: Hershbein Brad J.
Published: March 2012

This paper explores how high school graduate men and women vary in their behavioral responses to beginning labor market entry during a recession. In contrast with previous related literature that found a substantial negative wage impact but minimal employment impact in samples of highly educated men, the empirical evidence presented here suggests a different outcome for the less well educated, and between the sexes. Women, but not men, who graduate high school in an adverse labor market are less likely to be in the workforce for the next four years, but longer-term effects are minimal. Further, while men increase their enrollment as a short-run response to weak labor demand, women do not; instead, they appear temporarily to substitute into home production. Women's wages are less affected than men's, and both groups' wages are less affected than the college graduates previously studied.
Cyclicality of Real Wages in Korea
Authors: Shin Donggyun
Published: March 2012

On the basis of the Korea Labor & Income Panel Study data over the period 1997 to 2008, this paper finds that real wages are strongly procyclical. For the same period, government-published aggregate real wages also show substantial procyclicality. Overall, measured real wage procyclicality in Korea is comparable to that in the international literature. The analysis also explores between-group heterogeneity in real wage cyclicality, such as the contrast between job changers and stayers.
Internet Taxation and Principles of Good Tax Policy
Authors: Nellen Annette
Published: March 2012

Many of today's tax rules were designed for a pre‐Internet age, meaning that they are challenged by Internet‐based transactions and technologies. This article proposes a framework for analyzing current tax rules to identify issues of importance to the taxation of Internet transactions and e‐commerce. The framework also applies to the evaluation of tax proposals that address Internet transactions and technologies. The framework is based on principles of good tax policy, which have been used and tested for many years. Such a framework can be applied to identify necessary changes to existing tax rules as well as the strengths and weaknesses of tax proposals applicable to the Internet and e‐commerce.
Measuring the Nursing Work Environment: Can a Social Capital Framework Add Value?
Authors: Sheingold Brenda Helen , Hofmeyer Anne , Woolcock Michael
Published: March 2012

Background: A suite of robust instruments are required to investigate the range of contextual and social dimensions in the nursing workforce that contribute to desired outcomes such as resilient work environments, high retention rates, and provision of quality health care. However current instruments do not adequately measure the formal and informal social relationships between nurses and others on the team. This gap is problematic because social relationships can influence how well nurses work together to achieve the desired outcomes. To this end, instruments from other disciplines could be adapted to investigate social dimensions. Purpose: To examine how a social capital framework could measure social relationships in nursing work environments and inform policy and managerial initiatives to reduce turnover and improve quality. Method: Eight contemporary instruments that assess social dimensions and sub‐scales in nursing work environments were reviewed. An instrument that measures social dimensions known as social capital (networks, norms, outcomes) was also reviewed for adaptation in nursing. Findings: The eight contemporary instruments do not adequately measure the nature of social relationships (networks, norms, outcomes) between nurses. A social capital instrument developed by social researchers and economists could be adapted to add value and understanding of social relationship issues. Policy Implications and Conclusions: It is timely to develop robust qualitative and quantitative instruments that will permit the examination of social capital in nursing populations globally, and identify mechanisms to achieve desired outcomes, such as job satisfaction, retention, and quality health care.
The State of Medical and Health Care Education: A Review and Commentary on the Lancet Commission Report
Authors: Gordon David , Karle Hans
Published: March 2012

Medicine and the other healing arts advance through new knowledge, improved practices, and increasing engagement with their responsibilities to the patients and societies that they serve. Does the education of doctors and other healthcare professionals lead in these changes, or does it follow?Failures in education are often blamed for defects in health care systems. The Lancet Commission Report on Education of Health Professions for the 21st Century, published in late 2010 (Frenk et al. 2010), argued that education needed transformation to meet the needs of health systems. This commentary argues that there is not a general crisis in education of health professions. Education often leads, rather than follows. Problems in healthcare require engagement by politicians and decision makers in a concerted and coordinated plan for capacity building in education, and for targeted solutions to problems of inadequate resources. Health professionals, and education systems, should continue to lead and innovate, through initiatives for the improvement of institutions and programmes.
Risk Reporting Practices of Indian Companies in the SENSEX
Authors: Berger Thomas
Published: March 2012

Information on risks faced by a company is important for an investor and the public in general. Due to its forward-looking nature, the statement on possible risks is particularly beneficial and suitable for investor’s decision-making. This is why e.g. IFRS 7 focusing on the financial instruments was introduced. By analysing the annual reports regarding its content, we can assess information quality of the reports. Our findings suggest that the incentives to disclose seem to be low with some qualitative information but with next to no information in a quantitative way. Future regulation should address this issue and work on higher information quality.
International Bioterrorism Search and Seizure Issues: A Comparative Analysis of American and French Search and Seizure Law as it Relates to the Global War on Terror
Authors: Jeansonne Christopher
Published: March 2012

This Article will focus on the Plague as a biological weapon to be used in a bioterrorism attack. Two different hypotheticals will be discussed in Part II regarding bioterrorism threats at airports in both the United States and France. Emerging technologies in biological warfare detection are discussed in Part III. United States search and seizure law will be discussed in Part IV, while French search and seizure law will be detailed in Part V. Part VI of this Article will analyze the differences between both country’s law enforcement agents and their ability to combat bioterrorism threats in their respective countries. Finally, this Article will discuss which country is better prepared to face a potential bioterrorism attack through its airport security procedures, anti-terrorism measures, biosecurity laws, and search and seizure laws and limitations.
Cold Cooperation: Biodevelopment and The Legal Landscape
Authors: Rideout Colby
Published: March 2012

Since the Bolshevik Revolution, Russian government has been involved in the development and weaponization of biological agents for offensive purposes. In 1972 the Soviet Union signed the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) banning the use, development, and possession of offensive biological weapons. But soon the world learned that the Soviets continued developing biological weapons in violation of the BWC. There are still many questions concerning whether Russia continues to dishonor its obligations under the BWC. This paper uses Russia as a case study to show that something needs to be done to ensure all BWC subscribing nations’ compliance with the BWC and then proposes a combination of measures aimed at improving international compliance.
International Food Regulations: Susceptibility to Deliberate Contamination
Authors: Anderle Bradley
Published: March 2012

The perceived threat of biological weapons and biological warfare is growing. The increase in terrorist activity, coupled with the ease of development of biological weapons, is one of the main driving factors of this shift. Several factors support that idea that a deliberate contamination could potentially produce far more devastation than a natural outbreak. This paper analyzes part of the current structure of international food regulation to determine its susceptibility to a deliberate contamination. The analysis focuses on the affects food regulation organizations have on the ability of members to create and implement a security measure to address the threat of deliberate contamination. I have focused on two organizations: the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the World Trade Organization, specifically the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. Sections 2 and 3 of this paper provide an overview of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures under the World Trade Organization. Section 4 lays out the hypothetical scenario in which we will analyze the issues throughout the paper. Sections 5 and 6 are the analysis of the issues that affect susceptibility to a deliberate contamination.
Public Water Supplies in the United States and the European Union: International Security Procedures and Vulnerabilities
Authors: Palisano Benjamin
Published: March 2012

This paper will focus on the potential threats to nations’ public water supplies and what actions the United States and the European Union have taken to reduce their vulnerability to those threats. The dangers, vulnerabilities, and regulations analyzed will be primarily those that pertain to the contamination of water supplies by biological agents. Water is crucial to public health and human survival. A nation’s water supply structure is one of the primary structures on which its overall prosperity is contingent. A country must not only have the means to supply water to its citizens for consumption, but also to support agriculture and industry. Over the past decade, many countries have determined that an attack on their water supply is not only likely, but, if accomplished, would have detrimental consequences. As a result, nations have begun to implement procedures for preventing biological attacks to their public water supply, detecting attacks, and responding to biological attacks.
A tutorial on plastic consumer optics
Authors: Schaub Michael P.
Published: March 2012

Consumer devices increasingly contain embedded optical systems. Many of these optical systems are based on molded plastic optical elements. This tutorial provides background on the design and manufacture of such systems. Consideration is given to the material issues, manufacturing concerns, and typical design trade-offs and constraints that often accompany plastic consumer optics.
Path to meter class single crystal silicon (SCSi) space optics
Authors: McCarter Douglas R.
Published: March 2012

With the global financial crisis affecting funding for space systems development, customers are calling for lower cost systems. Yet, at the same time, these lower cost systems must have increased thermal response to operational environments and load survivability. We submit that single crystal silicon (SCSi) meets both of these requirements. This paper will highlight some key SCSi material properties, discuss the opportunities that led to the development of McCarter processing methods, and present the latest steps in the manufacturing path of McCarter Mirrors using SCSi, GFB (glass frit bonding) and MSF (McCarter super finish), including the concept drawing of a one meter SCSi lightweight mirror, which together sets up the last step toward a lower cost, high performing one meter SCSi space optic.
Calcineurin inhibitors: status quo and perspectives
Authors: Erdmann Frank , Weiwad Matthias
Published: March 2012

Despite the fact that cyclosporin A (CsA) and tacrolimus (FK506) are very potent drugs in the treatment of serious autoimmune diseases and in the prevention of graft vs. host reactions or tissue rejections after allo- or xenotransplantations, modern transplantation medicine attempts to develop alternative medication regimes without these calcineurin inhibitors. The primary motivation for this endeavor is the high incidence of dramatic side effects upon immunosuppressive therapy. CsA and FK506 target not only the calcineurin/NFAT pathway, but they also bind and inhibit members of distinct peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase families, which are involved in numerous important signal transduction pathways. Therefore, the development of a potent calcineurin inhibitor that discriminates between calcineurin and other protein phosphatases and peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerases, respectively, should improve the drug safety in clinical use and represent a valuable tool in basic research to investigate calcineurin modulated pathways. This review gives a current overview about novel calcineurin inhibitors, which were identified by screening of compound libraries and in natural materials or were derived from known inhibitors in the past decades. Thereby, we focus on their structure, properties and biological effects.
Report from the European Society of Pharmacogenomics and Theranostics (ESPT) Inaugural Symposium 2011 in Bled
Authors: Prodan Žitnik Irena , Marc Janja
Published: March 2012

No abstract available.
N-glycoproteomics: mass spectrometry-based glycosylation site annotation
Authors: Pasing Yvonne , Sickmann Albert , Lewandrowski Urs
Published: March 2012

Glycosylations are ubiquitous and, in many cases, essential protein modifications. Yet comprehensive and detailed analysis of glycosylations on a proteome-wide scale is a daunting and still unsolved challenge. However, a common workflow has emerged over the last decade for large-scale N-glycosylation site annotation by application of proteomic methodology. Thereby, the qualitative and quantitative assessment of hundreds or thousands of modification sites is enabled. This review presents a short overview about common enrichment techniques and glycosylation site detection for N-glycopeptides, including benefits and challenges of analysis.
Structural models of the human copper P-type ATPases ATP7A and ATP7B
Authors: Gourdon Pontus , Sitsel Oleg , Karlsen Jesper Lykkegaard , Møller Lisbeth Birk , Nissen Poul
Published: March 2012

The human copper exporters ATP7A and ATP7B contain domains common to all P-type ATPases as well as class-specific features such as six sequential heavy-metal binding domains (HMBD1–HMBD6) and a type-specific constellation of transmembrane helices. Despite the medical significance of ATP7A and ATP7B related to Menkes and Wilson diseases, respectively, structural information has only been available for isolated, soluble domains. Here we present homology models based on the existing structures of soluble domains and the recently determined structure of the homologous LpCopA from the bacterium Legionella pneumophila. The models and sequence analyses show that the domains and residues involved in the catalytic phosphorylation events and copper transfer are highly conserved. In addition, there are only minor differences in the core structures of the two human proteins and the bacterial template, allowing protein-specific properties to be addressed. Furthermore, the mapping of known disease-causing missense mutations indicates that among the heavy-metal binding domains, HMBD5 and HMBD6 are the most crucial for function, thus mimicking the single or dual HMBDs found in most copper-specific P-type ATPases. We propose a structural arrangement of the HMBDs and how they may interact with the core of the proteins to achieve autoinhibition.
On Multiplicative Functions with Bounded Partial Sums
Authors: Vandehey Joseph
Published: March 2012

Consider a multiplicative function
Exploring the interface between World Englishes and Second Language Acquisition – and implications for English as a Lingua Franca
Authors: Schneider, Edgar W.
Published: March 2012

This paper explores and attempts to explain cognitively-based similarities between ELF uses and newly-emerged World Englishes, notably ESLs (stable second-language varieties) but also EFL forms, from a theoretical perspective, with an eye on earlier scholarship, and in an exemplary case study. Starting out from definitions of some core concepts, it is argued that the common ground underlying ESL, EFL and ELF is to be found in principles of Second Language Acquisition, such as preferences for simplicity, analogy, or isomorphism. A range of earlier studies which point out parallels between these categories is critically surveyed and supplemented by some new, pertinent data drawn from the VOICE corpus. In an extended case study of select structural features of finite vs. non-finite complement clause formation in ESL varieties, the hypothesis is tested that ESLs show traces of SLA effects by preferring relatively more isomorphic structures over less transparent ones, and implications of the findings for ELF are considered. It is suggested that ESLs and ELF are related via SLA effects and cognition and that sociolinguistically stable ELF settings may be hypothesized to represent initial stages in a trajectory towards ESL formation.
English as an Asian Lingua Franca: the ‘Lingua Franca Approach’ and implications for language education policy
Authors: Kirkpatrick, Andy
Published: March 2012

The major issues confronting language policy makers in East and Southeast Asia typically include balancing the need for English as the international lingua franca and language of modernization, a local lingua franca as the national language for national unity, and local languages as languages of identity and community. Choices faced by policy makers include which languages to use as media of instruction and when, and how to ensure that the languages complement each other rather than compete with each other.

In this paper, particular focus will be placed on the countries which make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), especially in light of the recently ratified ASEAN charter which enshrines the position of English as the sole working language of the organisation. The perceived need for the importance of English has resulted in the current and increasing regional trend to include English as early as possible in the primary school curriculum, often as a medium of instruction. Even with this increase in English in the government school system, parents will often make substantial financial and emotional sacrifices and choose to send their children to private schools (including those overseas), where they can be taught through English. “To actually forsake the public school system that teaches in your own language for the private one that teaches in English is an increasingly common phenomenon” (Wang Gungwu 2007: xiv).

A major consequence of these moves towards the learning of English in both public and private education systems is that local Asian languages are overlooked in the school curricula. Indeed it is hard to find a single government education system in ASEAN which requires the teaching of any of the languages of its fellow member states. The exception is Mandarin, which is increasing in demand through its rising instrumental value.

While accepting that English needs to be taught, it will be argued that it is essential that the perceptions that are leading to the trends outlined above be challenged. A proposal for ways of combining English and local languages in more equitable and effective ways will be presented and a ‘Lingua Franca Approach’ to teaching English will be proposed.
Therapeutisches Drug Monitoring von Antimykotika/Therapeutic drug monitoring of antifungal agents
Authors: Heinz Werner J. , Klinker Hartwig
Published: March 2012

Trotz neuer antimykotischer Wirkstoffe, einer verbesserten Diagnostik, frühzeitiger Therapie und der Möglichkeit einer Kombinationsbehandlung stellen invasive Mykosen auf Grund ihrer hohen Inzidenz und infektions-assoziierten Letalität weiterhin eine besondere Gefahr für Patienten mit fortgeschrittener Immunsuppression dar. Eine spiegeladaptierte Therapie kann helfen toxische Nebenwirkungen zu reduzieren und die Effektivität einer Therapie zu steigern. Für Flucytosin und bestimmte Azole wird dies bereits in Leitlinien empfohlen. Nicht nur die Datenlage, sondern auch Möglichkeiten und Indikationen unterscheiden sich allerdings deutlich zwischen den Wirkstoffen. Die therapeutische Breite, intra- und interindividuelle Variabilität der bestimmten Konzentrationen und deren Korrelation mit dem Ansprechen sind wichtige Parameter für den Einsatz dieser Methode. So kann nicht für alle Substanzklassen eine Verbesserung des Ansprechens durch eine spiegelgestützte Therapie erwartet werden.
Systematic toxicological analysis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry: techniques and inter-instrument reproducibility of mass spectra/Systematisch-toxikologische Analyse mittels Hochleistungsflüssigchromatographie-Massenspektrometrie: Techniken und Reproduzierbarkeit von Massenspektren zwischen Instrumenten
Authors: Peters Frank T. , Wissenbach Dirk K.
Published: March 2012

The so-called systematic toxicological analysis (STA) aiming at simultaneous analysis of as many toxicologically relevant compounds in biosamples as possible is an important part of routine analysis in clinical and forensic toxicology. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography with diode array detection have been the most widely used techniques for this purpose. However, in recent years STA methods based on liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) or tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) have become increasingly important, although their widespread use is still hampered by the lack of a universal reference library of mass spectra that can be used on all major instrument platforms. In this review, LC-MS(/MS) methods for STA in urine and/or blood published in the past 6 years will be compared and discussed with regard to sample preparation, separation, instrument types used for mass spectrometric detection, and method validation. In addition, different approaches to achieving the goal of a universal reference library will be summarized.
Einsatz der D-Dimerbestimmung – ein Update/Update of D-dimer testing
Authors: Rosler Alexander Eduard , Orth Matthias
Published: March 2012

Eine Erhöhung der D-Dimerkonzentration wird bei zahlreichen klinischen Situationen mit erhöhter Gerinnungsaktivität beobachtet, wie u.a. bei einer Thromboembolie, der disseminierten intravasalen Gerinnung (DIC), einer Aortendissektion, beim Myokardinfarkt, bei Malignomen, in der Schwangerschaft, nach operativen Eingriffen, bei Traumata und bei Verbrennungen. Die Bestimmung der D-Dimere in der Diagnostik der tiefen Beinvenenthrombose und der Lungenembolie ist etabliert und unverzichtbar aufgrund des hohen negativen prädiktiven Wertes zum Ausschluss eines thrombotischen Geschehens. In der Ergänzung mit einem klinischen Wahrscheinlichkeitsscores lässt sich der Nutzen der D-Dimerbestimmung noch verbessern. Auch in der Diagnostik der DIC und anderen thombotischen Ereignissen sowie zur Risikostratifizierung bei der koronaren Herzerkrankung, beim thrombotischen Erstereignis sowie bei der Rezidivsdiagnostik und zur Abschätzung der Dauer einer oralen Antikoagulation nach einer Thrombose kann die Bestimmung der D-Dimere sehr hilfreich sein. Allerdings kann aufgrund der Erhöhung der D-Dimer-Werte bei zahlreichen nicht-thrombotischen Ereignissen der Test bei diesen Patienten nicht zur Thrombosediagnostik eingesetzt werden.
Language comprehenders represent object distance both visually and auditorily
Authors: Winter Bodo , Bergen Benjamin
Published: March 2012

When they process sentences, language comprehenders activate perceptual and motor representations of described scenes. On the “immersed experiencer” account, comprehenders engage motor and perceptual systems to create experiences that someone participating in the described scene would have. We tested two predictions of this view. First, the distance of mentioned objects from the protagonist of a described scene should produce perceptual correlates in mental simulations. And second, mental simulation of perceptual features should be multimodal, like actual perception of such features. In Experiment 1, we found that language about objects at different distances modulated the size of visually simulated objects. In Experiment 2, we found a similar effect for volume in the auditory modality. These experiments lend support to the view that language-driven mental simulation encodes experiencer-specific spatial details. The fact that we obtained similar simulation effects for two different modalities—audition and vision—confirms the multimodal nature of mental simulations during language understanding.
Gesturing integrates top-down and bottom-up information: Joint effects of speakers' expectations and addressees' feedback
Authors: Kuhlen Anna K. , Galati Alexia , Brennano Susan E.
Published: March 2012

Speakers adapt their speech based on both prior expectations and incoming cues about their addressees' informational needs (Kuhlen and Brennan 2010). Here, we investigate whether top-down information, such as speakers' expectations about addressees' attentiveness, and bottom-up cues, such as addressees' feedback during conversation, also influence speakers' gestures. In 39 dyads, addressees were either attentive when speakers told a joke or else distracted by a second task, while speakers expected addressees to be either attentive or distracted. Independently of adjustments in speech, both speakers' expectations and addressees' feedback shaped quantitative and qualitative aspects of gesturing. Speakers gestured more frequently when their prior expectations matched addressees' actual behavior. Moreover, speakers with attentive addressees gestured more in the periphery of gesture space when they expected addressees to be attentive. These systematic adjustments in gesturing suggest that speakers flexibly adapt to their addressees by integrating bottom-up cues available during the interaction in light of attributions made from top-down expectations. That these sources of information lead to adjustments patterning similarly in speech and gesture informs theoretical frameworks of how different modalities are deployed and coordinated in dialogue.
Control and dominion: Factivity and mood choice in Spanish
Authors: Vesterinen Rainer
Published: March 2012

The present paper analyses the meaning of Spanish mood in factive contexts from a Cognitive Grammar perspective. It is argued that terms like assertion and presupposition do not explain the semantics of the subjunctive. Rather, they constitute an initial classification for finding a conceptually grounded explanation of it. The hypothesis is put forward that mood choice in factive contexts can be explained by the elaboration of Maldonado's (1995) notions of dominion and control. On the one hand, the conceptualizer has a low degree of effective control over the described event in presupposed contexts where the subjunctive mood occurs. On the other hand, presupposed contexts with the verb in the indicative mood equates with epistemic control over the described event. Thus, it is argued that the meaning of the subjunctive mood is related to the conceptualizer's epistemic dominion, and to the dominion of effective control. An additional analysis of the subjunctive mood in volitional, causative and perceptual contexts corroborates the initial claim.
Thermal degradation and physical aging of linear low density polyethylene and poly(l-lactic acid) blends
Authors: Singh Gursewak , Bhunia Haripada , Bajpai Pramod K. , Choudhary Veena
Published: March 2012

Melt blending of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) was performed in an extrusion mixer with post extrusion blown film attachment with and without a compatibilizer-maleic anhydride grafted low density polyethylene. The blend compositions were optimized for tensile properties as per ASTM D 882-91. Based on this, LLDPE 80 (80 wt% LLDPE and 20 wt% PLLA) and M-g-L 80/4 (80 wt% LLDPE, 20 wt% PLLA and 4 parts compatibilizer/100 parts of resin were found to be an optimum composition. The thermal gravimetric profile and thermal endurance of these blends were characterized as per ASTM E1641-07 and E1877-05. The effect of physical aging on mechanical and thermal properties of these blends was evaluated. The PLLA showed the highest Arrhenius activation energy, relative thermal index and strongest thermal endurance of all samples followed by M-g-L 80/4 and LLDPE 80. The thermo-oxidation coefficient improved with addition of compatibilizer in the blends. With increasing pH, the hydrolytic degradation of the blend films increased, while both the tensile strength and the elongation at the break of the blend films decreased.
Improvement of physicomechanical properties of grafted coir fiber with ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate: effect of UV radiation
Authors: Zaman Haydar U. , Khan Mubarak A. , Khan Ruhul A.
Published: March 2012

Coir fibers were modified with ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA)+MeOH solutions under thermal curing method at different temperatures (50°C–90°C) and curing times (30–70 min). Monomer concentration, curing temperature, and curing time were optimized in terms of grafting and mechanical properties, and 50% EGDMA, 70°C and 50 min curing time, respectively, registered better performance. Coir fibers were pretreated with ultraviolet radiation at different doses, soaked in optimized solution, and cured under optimum conditions. These fibers showed improved properties than EGDMA-treated fibers. Water uptake and simulated weathering test of untreated and treated fibers were studied.
Micromechanical modeling and strength prediction of short fiber reinforced polymers
Authors: Kaiser Jan-Martin , Stommel Markus
Published: March 2012

In this contribution, the embedding and compatibility of commonly used strength criteria in practical engineering design (e.g., Tsai-Hill) into a two-step, mean-field, homogenization approach are investigated. This approach provides the opportunity to account for the heterogeneous microstructure of a polymer composite, caused by the non-unidirectional fiber distribution due to the injection molding process. In a first step, an incremental Mori-Tanaka homogenization scheme is applied to unidirectional sub-domains. In a second step, a Voigt model is used to compute the mechanical composite behavior of an entire domain, which itself is the composition of weighted sub-domains. The chosen two-step approach allows the application of models to predict the strength after both homogenization steps. This leads to two different strength prediction strategies. The selection of certain criteria in combination with the selected level of strength prediction influences the simulation results and the number of material tests necessary for calibration. These two aspects are directly linked to engineering expenses and they are evaluated in a cost benefit analysis. To account for elasto-plasticity, a second-moment formulation is used and extended. The extension allows the direct usage of experimental matrix material data, without having to introduce a virtual matrix as commonly necessary.
Universal mechanical response of polypropylene under cyclic deformation
Authors: Drozdov Aleksey D. , Dusunceli Necmi
Published: March 2012

Experimental data are reported on isotactic polypropylene in uniaxial tensile (i) cyclic tests (oscillations between maximum strain 0.15 and the zero minimum stress) with various cross-head speeds and (ii) relaxation tests at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 100°C. Observations in cyclic tests show that maximum stresses decrease, while minimum strains grow with the number of cycles. A universal character is revealed of the dependence of minimum strain on the number of cycles: this function is independent of temperature and weakly affected by strain rate. To rationalize this observation, constitutive equations are proposed in cyclic viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity of semicrystalline polymers and a scenario is suggested for damage accumulation. Two types of damage are distinguished which are induced by (i) lamellar fragmentation in the crystalline phase and (ii) nucleation and growth of micro-voids in the amorphous matrix. The stress–strain relations involve five adjustable parameters that are found by fitting observations (50 cycles of loading–retraction) at room temperature and α-transition point. Numerical simulation demonstrates that the model correctly describes experimental data and can predict observations in tests with a large number of cycles.
At a PI3K crossroads: lessons from flies and rodents
Authors: Acebes Angel , Morales Miguel
Published: March 2012

PI3K activation is the starting point of signaling pathways relaying on changes in the phosphorylation levels of membrane phosphoinositides. These pathways have been involved in several neuronal processes, including cellular growth and survival, differentiation, neuroprotection, dendritic growing, and synaptic plasticity among others. Recent data from Drosophila and rodents have demonstrated an unexpected role of PI3K controlling synapse number that lead to functional and behavioral effects. In the short-term, PI3K is also required for maintaining AMPA receptor clustering at the postsynaptic membranes. We review here the PI3K roles regulating synapse number and functionality.