bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Three new species of Cymbellales (Bacillariophyceae) from Réunion Island
Authors: COHU RENÉ LE , GASSIOLE GILLES , COSTE MICHEL
Published: January 2014

Recent surveys of the epilithic diatoms of Réunion Island led to the discovery of three new species: Crucicostulifera bebourensis, Encyonopsis cilaosensis, Encyonopsis palmeti. Crucicostulifera bebourensis is the second species to be included in this recently described genus typified by Crucicostulifera areolata (Hustedt) Taylor & Lange-Bertalot. Both species share the main diagnostic features of the genus. However, Crucicostulifera bebourensis differs from Crucicostulifera areolata (Hustedt) Taylor & Lange-Bertalot in the cingulum composed of at least three open bands whereas the latter species has a single valvocopula on each valve. Encyonopsis cilaosensis and Encyonopsis palmeti can be differentiated from other Encyonopsis species by a combination of characters including valve outline, number of striae in l0 µm, maximum length/breadth ratio, areolae structure and presence or absence of intermissio. Both new species show a particular organization of the cingulum. Crucicostulifera bebourensis occurs in acidic waters with very low conductivity and nutrient concentration. Encyonopsis cilaosensis is found in alkaline waters with high conductivity whereas Encyonopsis palmeti is reported from slighty alkaline waters with low conductivity.
Three new species of Alburnoides (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Euphrates River, Eastern Anatolia, Turkey
Authors: TURAN DAVUT , KAYA CÜNEYT , EKMEKÇİ F. GÜLER , DOĞAN ESRA
Published: January 2014

Three new species of Alburnoides, Alburnoides emineae sp. n., Alburnoides velioglui sp. n., Alburnoides recepi sp. n., are described from the Euphrates River drainages (Persian Gulf basin) in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. Alburnoides emineae, from Beyazsu Stream (south-eastern Euphrates River drainage), is distinguished from all species of Alburnoides in Turkey and adjacent regions by a combination of the following characters (none unique to the species): a well developed ventral keel between pelvic and anal fins, commonly scaleless or very rarely 1–2 scales covering the anterior portion of the keel; a deep body (depth at dorsal-fin origin 31–36% SL); 37–43 + 1–2 lateral-line scales, 13½–15½ branched anal-fin rays; number of total vertebrae 41–42, modally 41, comprising 20–21 abdominal and 20–21 caudal vertebrae. Alburnoides velioglui, from Sırlı, Karasu, Divriği and Sultansuyu streams (northern and northeastern Euphrates River drainages), is distinguished by a poorly developed ventral keel, completely scaled; a moderately deep body (depth at dorsal-fin origin 24–29% SL); 45–53 + 1–2 lateral-line scales, 11½ –13½ branched anal-fin rays; number of total vertebrae 41–42, modally 42, comprising 20–22 abdominal and 20–21 caudal vertebrae. Alburnoides recepi, from Merzimen Stream (southern Euphrates River drainage), is distinguished by a well developed ventral keel, completely scaleless; a deep body (depth at dorsal-fin origin 29–34% SL); 47–56 + 2–3 lateral-line scales; 13½–16½ branched anal-fin rays; number of total vertebrae 38–40, comprising 19–21 abdominal and 18–20 caudal vertebrae.
Additions to Japanagallia Ishihara (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Megophthalminae) from Guizhou, and Yunnan Provinces, and Guangxi Autonomous Region, Southwest China
Authors: LI HU , DAI REN-HUAI , LI ZI-ZHONG
Published: January 2014

The (nine) valid species of Japanagallia Ishihara, 1955 from Guizhou, and Yunnan Provinces, and Guangxi Autonomous Region of Southwest China are reviewed and four new species J. gracilenta sp. nov., J. neohamata sp. nov., J. trifurcata sp. nov. and J. viraktamathi sp. nov. are described and illustrated. These species can be distinguished by unique features of the aedeagus. J. hamata Zhang & Li, 1999 is redescribed and illustrated based on the holotype and material from Guizhou Province and Guangxi Autonomous Region. A checklist and a key for identification of species of the genus Japanagallia are provided along with a map showing the distribution of Japanagallia in Guizhou, and Yunnan Provinces, and Guangxi Autonomous Region.
Descriptions of immature stages of the weevil Lixus punctiventris Boheman, 1835 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Lixini)
Authors: GOSIK RAFAŁ , WANAT MAREK
Published: January 2014

Last instar larva of Lixus punctiventris Boheman is redescribed and illustrated, its pupa is described and illustrated for the first time. Biology of this species is analyzed in association with larval morphology and feeding habits. Overall larval and pupal morphological diagnoses of the genus Lixus and larval diagnosis of the tribe Lixini are updated.
Catalogue of the world genera and subgenera of the superfamilies Derodontoidea and Bostrichoidea (Coleoptera: Derodontiformia, Bostrichiformia)
Authors: ZAHRADNÍK PETR , HÁVA JIŘÍ
Published: January 2014

A catalogue of all the known genera and subgenera of the Coleoptera series Derodontiformia and Bostrichiformia, each with a single superfamily (Derodontoidea and Bostrichoidea, respectively), is provided. The following new tribes are established and type genera are designated: Apphianini Háva trib. nov., Ranolini Háva trib. nov. (all Dermestidae); Ochinini Zahradník trib. nov., Phanerochilini Zahradník trib. nov. (all Ptinidae). The subgenus Paranovelsis has been removed as a synonym and has been reelevated to generic rank. The following new synonymies are proposed: Megatoma Herbst, 1791 (= Perimegatoma Horn, 1875 syn. nov., Caucasotoma Mroczkowski, 1967 syn. nov.); Trinodes Dejean, 1821 (= Trinodus Gistl, 1856 syn. nov.); Nosodendron Latreille, 1804 (= Nosodendrium Gistl, 1856 syn. nov.); Casapus Wollaston, 1862 (= Pithodes Wollaston, 1862 syn. nov.).
Taxonomy, distribution, natural history and conservation of the Russet-mantled Foliage-gleaner Syndactyla dimidiata (Pelzeln, 1859) (Aves: Furnariidae)
Authors: LOPES LEONARDO ESTEVES , GONZAGA LUIZ PEDREIRA
Published: January 2014

Russet-mantled Foliage-gleaner is an extremely poorly known species, the range of which is centered in the Brazilian Cerrado, where it inhabits riparian forests. Two subspecies are recognized, but the limits of their ranges are controversial. Furthermore, it was recently suggested that the species is one of the few in the family Furnariidae to show sexual dichromatism. In this paper we examined the plumage coloration and morphometrics of 33 study skins (85% of the available specimens). We conclude that the geographic variation and sexual dichromatism reported for S. dimidiata originated from misinterpretation of the plumage variation observed in this species, which is best considered monotypic. We also present natural history data on Russet-mantled Foliage-gleaners and suggest considering it a globally Vulnerable species.
New subgenus and new species Nousia (Araucophlebia) latifolia subgen. n. et sp. n. (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) from Chile
Authors: KLUGE NIKITA J.
Published: January 2014

A new subgenus and new species, Nousia (Araucophlebia) latifolia subgen. et sp.n., are described from the Maule and Araucania regions in Chile, based on male and female imagos reared from larvae. This species has unusual shapes of larval tergalii, male imaginal genitalia and flat eggs.
Relationship between Snow Extent and Midlatitude Disturbance Centers
Authors: Rydzik Matthew , Desai Ankur R.
Published: January 2014

A relationship between midlatitude cyclone (MLC) tracks and snow-cover extent has been discussed in the literature over the last 50 years but not explicitly analyzed with high-resolution and long-term observations of both. Large-scale modeling studies have hinted that areas near the edge of the snow extent support enhanced baroclinicity because of differences in surface albedo and moisture fluxes. In this study, the relationship between snow-cover extent and midlatitude disturbance (MLD) trajectories is investigated across North America using objectively analyzed midlatitude disturbance trajectories and snow-cover extent from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) for 1979–2010. MLDs include low-level mesoscale disturbances through midlatitude cyclones. A high-resolution MLD database is developed from sea level pressure minima that are tracked through subsequent 3-h time steps, and a simple algorithm is developed that identified the southern edge of the snow-cover extent. A robust enhanced frequency of MLDs in a region 50–350 km south of the snow-cover extent is found. The region of enhanced MLD frequency coincides with the region of maximum low-level baroclinicity. These observations support hypotheses of an internal feedback in which the snow-cover extent is leading the disturbance tracks through surface heat and moisture fluxes. Further, these results aid in the understanding of how midlatitude disturbance tracks may shift in a changing climate in response to snow-cover trends.
Impact of Dominant Breaking Waves on Air–Sea Momentum Exchange and Boundary Layer Turbulence at High Winds
Authors: Suzuki Nobuhiro , Hara Tetsu , Sullivan Peter P.
Published: January 2014

Large-eddy simulation (LES) is used to investigate how dominant breaking waves in the ocean under hurricane-force winds affect the drag and near-surface airflow turbulence. The LES explicitly resolves the wake turbulence produced by dominant-scale breakers. Effects of unresolved roughness such as short breakers, nonbreaking waves, and sea foam are modeled as the subgrid-scale drag. Compared to the laboratory conditions previously studied using the same method, dominant-scale breakers in open-ocean conditions are less frequent, and the subgrid-scale drag is more significant. Nevertheless, dominant-scale breakers are more fully exposed to high winds and produce more intense wakes individually. As a result, they support a large portion of the total drag and significantly influence the turbulence for many ocean conditions that are likely to occur. The intense wake turbulence is characterized by flow separation, upward bursts of wind, and upward flux of the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), all of which may influence sea spray dispersion. Similarly to the findings in the laboratory conditions, high production of wake turbulence shortcuts the inertial energy cascade, causes high TKE dissipation, and contributes to the reduction of the drag coefficient. The results also indicate that if the drag coefficient decreases with increasing wind at very high winds, as some recent observations suggest, then the unresolved roughness must also decrease.
Iceland: A postimperial sovereignty project
Authors: Bergmann Eiríkur
Published: January 2014

The historical links with imperial Denmark still have an impact on Iceland’s foreign policy and its approach to Europe in particular. This article examines the triangular relationship between Iceland, its former colonizers (Norway and Denmark) and the European Union (EU). Iceland’s political identity was carved out in the course of its independence struggle from Denmark (1830–1944), based on a fundamental belief in its formal sovereignty, which still dictates Icelandic foreign relations to a great extent. In order to uphold the standard of being considered a modern Nordic welfare state, however, Iceland has an economic need to participate in the EU’s internal market, resulting in the European Economic Area agreement. Iceland’s postimperial sovereignty games are mostly played within these boundaries. To understand its position within the European project, this paper analyses how, until the economic ‘Crash of 2008’, the national identity emerging out of the colonial experience has limited Iceland’s relationship with the EU.
Fuzzy logic approach and sensitivity analysis for agent-based crowd injury modeling
Authors: Kugu Emin , Li Jiang , McKenzie Frederic D , Sahingoz Ozgur Koray
Published: January 2014

A crowd is a group of people attending a public gathering with some joint purpose, such as protesting against the government or celebrating an event. In some countries, these kinds of activities are the only way to express public displeasure with their government. The government’s reactions to such activities may or may not be tolerant. For this reason, such situations must be eliminated by recognizing when and how they are likely to occur, and then providing guidelines to mitigate them. In urban areas, police and military forces use non-lethal weapons (NLWs), such as rubber bullets or clubs, to control a violent and destructive crowd. In order to estimate the results of this engagement, ensuring minimum injuries and reaching an optimal end state, simulating such actions in a virtual environment is necessary. In this work, a fuzzy logic-based crowd injury model for determining the physical effects of NLWs is proposed. Fuzzy logic concepts can be applied to a problem by using linguistic rules, which are determined by problem domain experts. A group of police and military officers were consulted for a set of injury model rules, and those rules were then included in the simulation platform. Sensitivity analysis has been conducted to analyze parameters in the model. As a proof of the concept, a prototype system was implemented using the Repast Simphony agent-based simulation toolkit. Simulation results illustrated the effectiveness of the simulation framework.
Aiming for the singing teacher: An applied study on preservice kindergarten teachers’ singing skills development within a music methods course
Authors: Neokleous Rania
Published: January 2014

This study examined the effects of a music methods course offered at a Cypriot university on the singing skills of 33 female preservice kindergarten teachers. To systematically measure and analyze student progress, the research design was both experimental and descriptive. As an applied study which was carried out in situ, the normal procedures of the course were not altered. The methods course incorporated singing instruction in 24 lectures and two 10-minute private singing tutorials at the beginning and middle of the semester. Students’ singing ability was measured before and after the course with a Singing Skills Assessment which required pitch matching and whole-song singing tasks. At the onset of the course 52% of participants could not echo sing accurately la-sol-mi patterns, 58% made several melodic mistakes when singing the criterion songs and only 36% could sing above A4. T test comparisons showed that by the end of the semester participants improved their singing skills significantly in the areas of pitch-matching melodic fragments ( p < .001), singing simple children’s songs ( p < .001), and highest pitch ( p < .001). It is proposed that music methods instructors include some private vocal tuition in their courses, in addition to learning children’s songs, training in melodic patterns and simple vocal exercises.
Learning to use the Internet and online social media: What is the effectiveness of home-based intervention for youth with complex communication needs?
Authors: Grace Emma , Raghavendra Parimala , Newman Lareen , Wood Denise , Connell Tim
Published: January 2014

Youth with complex communication needs (CCN) face increased barriers to their social participation due to limited communication abilities and opportunities. Youth today use the internet as a social tool and youth with CCN may also benefit from internet use to increase their social participation. Five youth between the ages of 10–18 with CCN who are unable to use speech for everyday communication and require augmentative and alternative communication were provided with assistive technology and a tailored 1:1 intervention at home to learn to use the internet for connecting with others. Pre and post assessments measured changes in performance on internet use goals, social networks, loneliness and self-concept. Multiple measures were used to examine the impact of internet use for social networking on a range of outcomes and to gather emerging evidence in this area. Results showed that the intervention was effective in increasing performance and satisfaction with goals for increasing internet use to connect with others and for increasing the number of online communication partners. There was no significant change in loneliness or self-concept. This study shows that the internet may be a viable tool in increasing the social participation of youth with CCN. However, some youth and their families required intensive support and technical assistance to gain confidence in internet use and in use for social purposes.
Can formulation affect tryptophan depletion results? Hints from studies in experimental panic
Authors: Sobczak Sjacko , Schruers Koen
Published: January 2014

Rationale:

Acute Tryptophan Depletion (ATD) is a specific serotonergic challenge tool. Central serotonergic effects of different ATD procedures are possibly not those that are usually assumed.

Objectives:

In this paper we review data of ATD in an experimental fear model to investigate whether and how methodological differences may affect fear outcomes. Next we point to discrepancies of studies in our laboratory in order to test the hypotheses formulated in the review.

Methods:

Literature was searched in PubMed and MEDLINE and studies of our laboratory were compared.

Results:

Eight studies were included in the review: five in patients with panic disorder, three in healthy individuals. Methodologically the studies in our laboratory were quite similar except for the applied ATD mixtures.

Conclusions:

ATD exerts fear-enhancing effects in patients with panic disorders, more than in healthy individuals. However, our findings are inconclusive. The discrepant findings of studies in our laboratory can possibly be explained by differences in the ATD mixtures used. We suggest mechanisms as to how these might have affected the central availability of tryptophan and hence serotonin.
Pharmacological treatment strategies in obsessive compulsive disorder: A cross-sectional view in nine international OCD centers
Authors: Van Ameringen Michael , Simpson William , Patterson Beth , Dell’Osso Bernardo , Fineberg Naomi , Hollander Eric , Hranov Luchezar , Hranov Georgi , Lochner Christine , Karamustafalioglu Oguz , Marazziti Donatella , Menchon Jose M , Nicolini Humberto , Pallanti Stefano , Stein Dan J , Zohar Joseph
Published: January 2014

Objective:

It is unknown what next-step strategies are being used in clinical practice for patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) who do not respond to first-line treatment. As part of a cross-sectional study of OCD, treatment and symptom information was collected.

Method:

Consecutive OCD out-patients in nine international centers were evaluated by self-report measures and clinical/structured interviews. OCD symptom severity was evaluated by the Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) and Clinical Global Impression–Severity Scale (CGI-S). Clinical response to current treatment was evaluated by the CGI-Improvement Scale (CGI-I ≤ 2).

Results:

In total, 361 participants reported taking medication; 77.6% were taking a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; 50% reported use of at least one augmentation strategy. Antipsychotics were most often prescribed as augmenters (30.3%), followed by benzodiazepines (24.9%) and antidepressants (21.9%). No differences in OCD symptom severity were found between patients taking different classes of augmentation agents.

Conclusions:

Results from this international cross-sectional study indicate that current OCD treatment is in line with evidence-based treatment guidelines. Although augmentation strategies are widely used, no significant differences in OCD symptom severity were found between monotherapy and augmentation or between different therapeutic agents.
Does Built Environment Matter to Early Adolescents’ Physical Activity?
Authors: Lin Jen-Jia , Ting Tzu-Cheng
Published: January 2014

This study examined the relationship of built environments to physical activity among adolescents aged 12 to 14 years old. The study sample included 269 junior high school students studying in Nangang District, Taipei, Taiwan. Sample physical activity data were obtained by surveying adolescents using a self-administered short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) in 2010-2011; the data on built environment came from statistical reports and a geographic information system. The frequency, duration, and meeting guidelines of physical activity were analyzed using various econometric methods. Analytical results demonstrate built environment attributes related to physical activity of adolescents. Compared with previous Western studies, the findings of this study regarding transportation activity mirrored and differed from those of previous studies, while the findings regarding leisure activity differed from those of previous studies. Safety concerns are more essential than convenience concerns for an adolescent engaged in physical activity for leisure in Taipei. The above findings can also happen in other East Asian cities with similar cultural contexts.
RNA granule component TDRD7 gene polymorphisms in a Han Chinese population with age-related cataract
Authors: Zheng Can , Wu Min , He Chun-Yan , An Xiao-Ju , Sun Min , Chen Chun-Lin , Ye Jian
Published: January 2014

Objectives

To examine whether polymorphisms in the RNA granule component tudor domain-containing protein 7 ( TDRD7) gene are associated with susceptibility to age-related cataract (ARC) in a Han Chinese population.

Methods

Patients with ARC, and age-, sex- and ethnically-matched healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the TDRD7 gene, rs1462091, rs11793735, rs10981985, rs2045732 and rs1462089, were genotyped using a SNaPshot® Multiplex Kit.

Results

The study included 271 control subjects and 218 patients with ARC. The rs10981985 SNP was associated with ARC in dominant (odds ratio [OR] 0.561, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.388, 0.809) and allele dose (OR 0.619, 95% CI 0.455, 0.841) genetic models. The rs10981985 A allele frequency was lower in patients with cortical ARC than in control subjects (OR 0.502, 95% CI 0.315, 0.801). The rs10981985 polymorphism was significantly associated with cortical ARC in a dominant genetic model (OR 0.431, 95% CI 0.251, 0.740).

Conclusions

The present study suggests that the rs10981985 G → A variant within the TDRD7 gene may protect against cortical ARC in a Han Chinese population.
Identity and practice: The motivational benefits of a long-term musical identity
Authors: Evans Paul , McPherson Gary E.
Published: January 2014

This article reports on a 10-year longitudinal study of children’s musical identity, their instrumental practice, and subsequent achievement and motivation for playing music. Before commencing learning on their instrument, participants ( N = 157) responded to questions relating to how long they thought they would continue playing their instrument. Once learning commenced, practice was measured using the parents’ estimates each year for the first 3 years of learning, and performance was measured using a standardized test. Ten years later, the participants were asked how long they had sustained music learning along with other questions related to their musical development. Those who expressed both a personal long-term view of playing an instrument before they began instruction, and who sustained high amounts of practice in the first 3 years, demonstrated higher achievement and a longer length of time spent in music learning compared to those with a short-term view and low levels of practice. Results suggest that while practice and self-regulation strategies are important, learners who possess a sense of where their future learning might take them and whose personal identity includes a long-term perspective of themselves as a musicians are better positioned to succeed and sustain with their instrumental learning.
A critical assessment of automatic photoelastic methods for the analysis of edge residual stresses in glass
Authors: Ajovalasit Augusto , Petrucci Giovanni , Scafidi Michele
Published: January 2014

The measurement of residual stresses is of great importance in the glass industry. The analysis of residual stresses in the glass is usually carried out by photoelastic methods since the glass is a photoelastic material. This article considers the determination of membrane residual stresses of glass plates by digital photoelasticity. In particular, it presents a critical assessment concerning the automated methods based on gray-field polariscope, spectral content analysis, phase shifting, RGB photoelasticity, “test fringes” methods and “tint plate” method. These methods can effectively automate manual methods currently specified in some standards.
(In)visibility Before Privacy: A Theological Ethics of Surveillance as Social Sorting
Authors: Stoddart Eric
Published: January 2014

This article offers a theological ethics of surveillance in its form as social sorting. The skill of (in)visibility is deployed as an analytical device to critique the saliency of privacy rights-talk, given the focus of surveillance having shifted from a panoptic gaze to actionable intelligence. The claim is made that an ideology of normativity and the political categories of ‘evil’ and ‘risky’ persons can be addressed by the notions of relational knowledge (Muers), the resurrection of the non-person (Swinton) and the power of the future (Moltmann). Three biblical vignettes illustrate (in)visibility and offer imaginative responses.
‘… might go to Birmingham, Leeds … up round there, Manchester … and then we always come back here …’: The conceptualisation of place among a group of Irish women travellers
Authors: Piazza Roberta
Published: January 2014

This study of a group of Irish women travellers in the South of England provides the opportunity for a discourse of situated self-identity within a mobilities paradigm. The stability-aspiring travellers’ community, to which the women in the study belong, invites a reflection on existing approaches to place-identity in that these women conceptualise their place in terms of its positive affordances and services that make their life liveable. The five women’s emerging discourses of both mobility and stability suggest that their emotional attachment to the place where they momentarily reside can be explained in terms of the beneficial results they gain from it. A scrutiny of the deictics used by the women, as well as a qualitative interactional analysis of the semi-structured interviews, suggests that for these travellers the sociolinguistic phenomenon of place-identity is layered and scalar so as to account for a loyalty to their distant provenience from Ireland, together with their present attachment to the encampment. As these women conceptualise place in terms of what it can provide for their families and community, their often idealised conceptualisation of locality resembles a Foucauldian ‘heterotopia of compensation’, in which the meticulous functioning of the site protects the community and defends it from outer contaminations.
From ‘trust us’ to participatory governance: Deliberative publics and science policy
Authors: Burgess Michael M.
Published: January 2014

The last 20 years have seen a shift from the view that publics need to be educated so that they trust science and its governance to the recognition that publics possess important local knowledge and the capacity to understand technical information sufficiently to participate in policy decisions. There are now a variety of approaches to increasing the role of publics and advocacy groups in the policy and governance of science and biotechnology. This article considers recent experiences that demonstrate that it is possible to bring together those with policy making responsibility and diverse publics to co-produce policy and standards of practice that are technically informed, incorporate wide social perspectives and explicitly involve publics in key decisions. Further, the process of deliberation involving publics is capable of being incorporated into governance structures to enhance the capacity to respond to emerging issues with levels of public engagement that are proportionate to the issues.
Engaging with the political imaginaries of science: Near misses and future targets
Authors: Nowotny Helga
Published: January 2014

The current economic and financial crisis is also a political crisis that requires a rethinking of public engagement with science. In the past, the dominant focus of science, technology and society (STS) has led to a blind spot: political understanding and engagement of policy-makers and politicians with science, which is an integral part of any public engagement. Arguably, it is bound to and emerges from what Ezrahi calls collective political imaginaries. These are necessary fictions, which are causative and performative. In crude form, they manifest themselves in short-term impact measurements of every unit of scientific activity with citizens as the fictitious ultimate beneficiaries. In the future, STS can gain from coming up with a workable definition of the public interest with a focus on the public value of science. It can investigate collective imaginaries as they emerge from interactions with new media. As necessary fictions they may hold answers we never imagined them to hold.
Unbalanced progress: The hard road from science popularisation to public engagement with science in China
Authors: Jia Hepeng , Liu Li
Published: January 2014

This article critically traces the development of science communication in China in the past 30 years. While confirming the tremendous progress Chinese science communicators have achieved in popularising science, it argues that the deficit model-based popularisation effort cannot meet the diversifying demands on science in Chinese society. Citing both recent science and technology controversies and active public participation in science pilot initiatives in China, this article concludes that science communication efforts in the country must be focused on constructive dialogues and public engagement with science.
Vēḏa and Popular Music: A Cultural Analysis
Authors: Roy Subroto
Published: January 2014

Vēḏa is considered as the ultimate source of knowledge and the value of the Vēḏic oral tradition is reason for it being termed as masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of humanity. This value of Vēḏic music is comprised in its antiquity as well as its continuity in the applicability of some common principles instantiated in music and language. Mankind’s earliest ideas of music and methods of protecting mantras found in Vēḏic literature are reflected even in Indian popular music; especially in catch lines of jingles sometimes unconscious of its base in Vēḏa. They are instantiated due mainly to underlying linguistic commonality in Indian and other related languages. Present is an analysis, with instances, of the manner in which principles of Vēḏic music have survived the vagaries of time and manifested in different popular Indian music genres today. In fact, these principles that have dealt with tonal, temporal, metrical, and linguistic aspects, to name a few, in Vēḏic enunciations have helped not only Indian music but also musics of the world. This universalization stems from biological, scientific, spiritual, and linguistic observations made by the Vēḏic people. Continuity is evidenced thanks to preservation techniques and formulae based on these observations. This article is a cultural study of music in Vēḏas and Indian popular music and how change and universalization have not happened at the cost of continuity in Vēḏic musical principles intertwined with linguistics.
The Burden of Song
Authors: Dairianathan Eugene
Published: January 2014

Studies involving popular music songs have tended to overlook issues of language and music, especially when explorations between music and language reiterate questions ‘about the linguistic mediation of musical and especially timbral discourse, and connections between the singing voice and place, class, ethnicity, and identity’, which augur for a place for music ‘for the study of the mental, semiotic, communicative, expressive and discursive roles of language’ ( Feld et al. 2004 , p. 321).

Consequently, choice of language in songs of popular music overlook use and user value in language not only as cultural marker but also socially constituted demarcation within communities of practice, especially when Anglophone discourses meet musical discourses. This attention (or lack) recalls Gayatri Spivak’s ( 1993 , p. 134) articulation of the concept of ‘burden’ of the teaching of English in India but has special relevance here.

In this article, I draw on my work on Rudra, a local melodic Death Metal group in Singapore, who identify their creative endeavour as Vedic Metal since their songs are seen to f/use English and Sanskrit text/s. I examine their practice in relation to Spivak’s concept of burden.
Creating Space for Where Ancestors Once Walked
Authors: Hughes Diane , Keith Sarah
Published: January 2014

Using music and voice to express cultural identity is a tradition inherent in musical communities throughout the world. Today, while traditions can be affected by popular culture and modern technologies, contemporary practices in music production and aesthetics can aid in communicating and sustaining cultural heritage.

Taiwan has a diverse cultural makeup being a former colonial territory and now home to descendants of mainland Chinese immigrants together with its own indigenous peoples. This article explores the music of contemporary Taiwanese indigenous singers of Amis heritage. Specifically, the music and production techniques in recordings of two female singer–songwriters, Ado Kaliting Pacidal and Ilid Kaolo, are explored.

Pacidal and Kaolo combine the Amis language and themes of aboriginal identity with a range of contemporary musical styles, narratives and production techniques. For our analysis, we draw on cultural musicology in terms of lyrical and musical expression, and focus on how production techniques and aesthetics (including processing and treatment of the voice, effects and mixing) are used to enhance that expression. In doing so, we draw attention to the relationship between contemporary music production and cultural significance.

We conclude by determining how space is created for ‘where the ancestors once walked’ ( Pacidal 2012a ).
Songs of Life in Calcutta
Authors: Dorin Stephane
Published: January 2014

This article deals with the construction of local identity in Calcutta (Kolkata) through the reappropriation of Western forms of popular music. The focus is on the acculturation process which has taken place in Calcutta, with a particular emphasis on popular music (jazz, rock and pop). The major questions revolve around the dimensions of globalization in the music scene and its effects on a particular setting in South Asia. An ethnographic approach can indeed provide some insights into the ways Anglo-American popular music is received as well as produced among music lovers and both amateur and professional musicians. The article explores the political and social dimensions of contemporary Bengali popular music, with an emphasis on the influence of the Naxalite movement of the 1960s and the 1970s, the circulation of American protest songs tradition in Calcutta and the emergence of the jibanmukhi—literally, oriented towards life—folk songs movement of the 1990s in Bengal and the Bangla rock bands movement that followed in the 2000s.
An alternative explanation of the chance of casting a pivotal vote
Authors: Usher Dan
Published: January 2014

Uncertainty about the outcome of elections is commonly represented by person-by-person randomization, where people’s probabilities of voting for the left party in a left–right contest are assumed to be uncorrelated but the same. An alternative representation of uncertainty about the outcome of elections relies upon nation-wide randomization shifting the entire schedule of voters’ monetary valuations for one party over the other, up or down, and altering the parties’ vote shares accordingly. The alternative is broadly commensurate with historical evidence about the chance of casting a pivotal vote, gives rise to a chance of casting a pivotal vote that is small but not, as often supposed, infinitesimal, explains an important source of bias in elections and preserves a role for self-interest, as well as duty, in the decision whether to vote or abstain.
Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio is Predictor of Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence After Cardioversion With Amiodarone
Authors: Karavelioğlu Yusuf , Karapınar Hekim , Yüksel Murat , Memiç Kadriye , Sarak Taner , Kurt Recep , Yilmaz Ahmet
Published: January 2014

Background:

In this study, our aim is to examine the role of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the predictions of recurrence under long-term follow-up in patients whose sinus rhythms (SRs) were restored with amiodarone in acute atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods:

Retrospectively, patients with acute AF, which successfully converted to the SR with amiodarone treatment, were recruited into the study. Patients experiencing the first AF attack were enrolled to the study and followed up for 5 years (median 23 months, 25-75 percentiles 12-24 months). Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio was computed as absolute neutrophil count divided by lymphocyte count.

Results:

A total of 218 patients were recruited into the study and followed up for 21.6 ± 13.9 months; 87 (40%) patients had ≥1 recurrent AF attack within this period. The follow-up of 131 (60%) patients resulted in persisted SR without any other AF attack. Groups were similar in terms of age and gender. Left atrium (LA) diameter and NLR were increased, and platelet count and lymphocyte count were decreased in patients with AF recurrence in univariate analysis ( P < .05 for all). Only LA diameter (for per mm, 1.077 [1.021-1.136], P = .006) and NLR (1.584 [1.197-2.095], P = .001) were independent predictors of AF recurrence in the multivariate analysis.

Conclusion:

Increased NLR is a marker of increased inflammation and may serve as simple, cheap, and readily available predictors of recurrence in the long-term follow-up of patients admitted with acute AF and successfully converted to SR with amiodarone.
I Don’t Want to Die Before Visiting Graceland
Authors: Martinez Alejandra , Merlino Aldo
Published: January 2014

In this article, we use collaborative autoethnography to reflect on the different perceptions that can exist about the same event. We narrate our shared experience during a violent episode in which issues of race, class, and inequality of opportunities were present, involving not only our minds but also our bodies and emotions. We reflect on the impossibility to remain objective and neutral when observing reality.
Google Warming
Authors: Gurevitch Leon
Published: January 2014

This article argues that the computer automation of perspective and rendering in Google Earth has far-reaching consequences for the relationships between representations of the earth, its ecology and cultural responses to climate change. Theorists Erwin Panofsky (1991) and William Ivins (1975) to Lev Manovich (1993) and Don Ihde (2009) have argued that the emergence of Renaissance perspective structured a new relationship between the image and the object: contributing to the initiation of industrialisation and science. Whilst Manovich describes the impacts of Renaissance perspective in terms of its effect upon scientific and industrial structures, Jean Louis Comolli has argued that its advent was both a cause and a consequence of a shift to a humanist social regime. This article argues that Google Earth and its corollaries now complicate the visual and discursive constitution of the cultural and ecological environment. The contemporary computer-generated ‘visual nominalism’ of Google Earth results in a photomapped representation of the earth that can elevate environmental awareness through visualised data sets at the same time as it reduces the earth to a product design–engineered object. As Comolli’s Machines of the Visible becomes Machinima of the Visible, this article asks whether public and scientific calls for a turn towards geoengineering can be viewed through a product design–engineered interface that reconstitutes the social machine as an engineer of the earth object itself.
Youth, ethnicity, and a ‘reverse digital divide’
Authors: Milioni Dimitra L , Doudaki Vaia , Demertzis Nicolas
Published: January 2014

Internet use among young people in multicultural societies is differentiated according to socioeconomic and cultural factors, one of which is their ethnic background. This study is concerned with the unreported case of Cyprus – the last divided country in Europe, with most Greek Cypriots living in the south and most Turkish Cypriots living in the northern part of the island. The study explores two main questions: First, are online experiences of young people in Cyprus shaped by socioeconomic factors, such as gender, education, and income? Second, is ethnicity a defining factor regarding the kinds of activities young people undertake online? Analysis of data obtained by a representative sample survey of about 350 young adult Cypriots aged 18–24 in both communities suggests the existence of a ‘reverse digital divide’, as the more disadvantaged community engages more often in expression, association, and learning online. This finding provides support for the diversification hypothesis that suggests a compensatory or remedial use of the Internet by disadvantaged youths.
Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context
Authors: Baron Louis , Parent Élise
Published: January 2014

Based on semistructured interviews with 24 mid-level managers, this study examines the process of developing authentic leadership in a training context. The results revealed a process beginning with an exploration phase, in which participants increased their self-awareness and identified their leadership issues, identified new behaviors likely to address those issues, and tested those behaviors to confirm their effect. This was followed by an integration phase in which the participants reflected on the beneficial effects of those new behaviors and were able to adopt them in their organizational setting. The results also indicate that three phenomena activated by the training practices enable the participants to develop their authentic leadership, namely, a clamp effect, a safety-net effect, and an organizational simulation effect.
How a ‘top-performing’ Asian school system formulates and implements policy
Authors: Tan Cheng Yong , Dimmock Clive
Published: January 2014

This article analyses the paradox inherent in the ‘top-performing’ yet tightly controlled Singapore education system. As government controls have increased in complexity, existing policymaking conceptual heuristics in accounting for centre-periphery relationships appear inadequate. It argues that more direct government control is being replaced by ‘steering through paternalism from close proximity’, reflecting a more subtle centre-periphery relationship in an Asian context.
Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of the distal phalanx of the fifth toe: a case report
Authors: Iwama Yuki , Kunisada Makoto , Goto Hajimu , Ohno Yoshiharu , Yamashita Junji , Funasaka Yoko , Nishigori Chikako , Fujii Masahiko
Published: January 2014

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) involving bone is rare. We report a case of MPNST of the fifth toe. The lesion was located in the distal phalanx of the right fifth toe and extended into surrounding subcutaneous tissues. Findings on magnetic resonance imaging and histological features of the case are described and the literature is briefly reviewed.
The Story of a Nation
Authors: Chandorkar Leena
Published: January 2014

Social historians have pointed to the importance of autobiography in nation building. Nehru’s autobiography is no different. It is in fact a detailed account of India’s freedom movement. Nehru sees no contradiction at all between the cultural and political growth of the individual and the experience of history. Unlike Gandhi’s autobiography though, Nehru prefers to concentrate on his public life, the events around him, and the maturing of his intellectual thought and ideology.

Philip Lejeune, one of the foremost names in autobiography studies, places the concept of confession at the heart of the autobiographical domain. This valorisation of the confession of intimate details in order to produce an ‘honest’ autobiography is also questionable because it implies that one equates ‘confession’ with acknowledgement of suppressed desires and unacceptable behaviour. This dichotomy of Public/Private does not always work in the case of autobiographies written by public figures.

My article argues that though the Public and the Private are tightly interlinked in Nehru’s autobiography, a closer reading teases out their complex dynamics and the unexpected admissions of loneliness in the book are what ultimately humanises the subject/author of the book.
Seva in the Ramakrishna Mission Movement in India
Authors: Pandya Samta P.
Published: January 2014

This article is based on an understanding of seva in Ramakrishna Mission, one of the oldest Hindu-inspired faith movements in India. Seva which is panegyric for the movement has been studied through content analysis of texts and archives, discussions with key informants and non-participant observation. Points of analysis have been the ‘social’ as embedded in the repertoire of faith, the basket of social initiatives and implications on the social cartography. The main contention is that Ramakrishna Mission’s style of service contributes to nuances of theistic existential approach to seva. There is an emphasis on soul immanence, commune building and notions of social justice which fertilise aspects of faith-based charity and philanthropy. At another level, seva is a means to forward the Hindu nationalist agenda in a benevolent way onto the Indian social fabric.
Safe mobilization of CD34+ cells in adults with β-thalassemia and validation of effective globin gene transfer for clinical investigation
Authors: Boulad Farid , Wang Xiuyan , Qu Jinrong , Taylor Clare , Ferro Leda , Karponi Garyfalia , Bartido Shirley , Giardina Patricia , Heller Glenn , Prockop Susan E. , Maggio Aurelio , Sadelain Michel , Rivière Isabelle
Published: January 2014

Key Points

Safe mobilization of CD34+ cells in adults with β-thalassemia and effective transduction with a globin vector under cGMP conditions. Stable vector copy number and β-globin expression in BFU-Es derived from engrafted CD34+ HPCs 6 months post-transplant in NSG mice.
Potential side effect of propofol and sevoflurane for anesthesia of anti-NMDA-R encephalitis
Authors: Lapébie François-Xavier , Kennel Céline , Magy Laurent , Projetti Fabrice , Honnorat Jérôme , Pichon Nicolas , Vignon Philippe , François Bruno
Published: January 2014

Background

Many anesthetic drugs interact with the NMDA receptor and may therefore alter the clinical presentation of anti-NMDA-R encephalitis.

Case presentation

A 24-year-old woman was admitted to hospital for decreased consciousness and hyperthermia. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed lymphocytic pleocytosis, and elevated protein. Cultures were negative. Patient state worsened with agitation, facial dyskinesia, ocular deviation, and limb dystonia. Diagnosis of anti-NMDA-R encephalitis was evidenced by specific antibodies. High doses of methylprednisolone were administered. CT scan disclosed an ovarian teratoma and tumor resection was scheduled under anesthesia with propofol, sufentanil, atracurium and sevoflurane. Sedation after surgery was maintained with propofol. Rapidly after surgery, patient’s condition deteriorated with increase of dyskinesias, and two tonic-clonic generalized seizure events.

Conclusion

In patients with anti-NMDA-R encephalitis, anesthesia using benzodiazepines, opiates and curares, which fail to interfere with the NMDA pathway, should be preferred.