bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overview of Highly Flexible, Deployable Lattice Structures Used in Architecture and Civil Engineering Undergoing Large Displacements
Authors: Friedman Noemi , Ibrahimbegovic Adnan
Published: July 2013

In this article an extensive but not exhaustive review on different transformable systems - retractable roofs, deployable and retractable pantographic lattice systems, pop-up and snap-through type structures, tensegrity structures - used in architecture and civil engineering will be given. This study was carried out to explore earlier and current researches and technologies to demonstrate the available systems and their potential. However, the main goal of this article is to expose the wild range of structural systems requiring elaborate dynamical analysis, divers of them are still lacking profound calculation procedure.

The reviewed systems are herein categorized in two groups: 1) multibody systems having additional controlling and stabilizing elements and 2) systems undergoing large deformation, and instability phenomena. The article will pan out about the applicable joint types, some of them involving friction and damping effects. For a better outline, simplified analysis of elementary segments of some reviewed systems is annexed.
Graphical Processing Unit accelerated Poisson
equation solver and its application for calculation of
single ion potential in ion-channels
Authors: Simakov Nikolay A. , Kurnikova Maria G.
Published: July 2013

Poisson and Poisson-Boltzmann equations (PE and PBE) are
widely used in molecular modeling to estimate the electrostatic
contribution to the free energy of a system. In such
applications, PE often needs to be solved multiple times for a
large number of system configurations. This can rapidly become
a highly demanding computational task. To accelerate
such calculations we implemented a graphical processing unit
(GPU) PE solver described in this work. The GPU solver performance
is compared to that of our central processing unit
(CPU) implementation of the solver. During the performance
analysis the following three characteristics were studied: (1)
precision associated with the modeled system discretization
on the grid, (2) numeric precision associated with the floating
point representation of real numbers (this is done via comparison
of calculations with single precision (SP) and double
precision (DP)), and (3) execution time. Two types of example
calculations were carried out to evaluate the solver performance:
(1) solvation energy of a single ion and a small
protein (lysozyme), and (2) a single ion potential in a large
ion-channel (α-hemolysin). In addition, influence of various
boundary condition (BC) choices was analyzed, to determine
the most appropriate BC for the systems that include a membrane,
typically represented by a slab with the dielectric constant
of low value. The implemented GPU PE solver is overall
about 7 times faster than the CPU-based version (including all
four cores). Therefore, a single computer equipped with multiple
GPUs can offer a computational power comparable to that
of a small cluster. Our calculations showed that DP versions
of CPU and GPU solvers provide nearly identical results. SP
versions of the solvers have very similar behavior: in the grid
scale range of 1-4 grids/Å the difference between SP and DP
versions is less than the difference stemming from the system
discretization. We found that for the membrane protein, the
use of a focusing technique with periodic boundary conditions
in rough grid provides significantly better results than using a
focusing technique with the electric potential set to zero at the
boundaries.
The Atlantic spiny lumpsucker Eumicrotremus spinosus: life history traits and the seemingly unlikely interaction with the pelagic amphipod Themisto libellula
Authors: Berge Jørgen , Nahrgang Jasmine
Published: July 2013

During a cruise to Svalbard in September 2012 a unique collection of the little known but widely distributed Atlantic spiny lumpsucker (Eumicrotremus spinosus) was made in the Hinlopen Strait. A total of 140 individuals (36-101mm total length) were collected using a bottom trawl. All individuals were sexed and 26 of these were also analysed for gonadosomatic index (GSI), hepatosomatic index (HSI) and stomach content. The sex ratio of the entire sample showed a strong bias towards females (75% of all examined specimens). The GSI ranged from 1.4 to 5.8% except for one female with a GSI of 20%. All females carried gonads in which eggs were clearly visible, independent of size, indicative of an early sexual maturation and an iteroparous life cycle of females. All examined specimens had almost an exclusively pelagic diet, with Themisto libellula constituting 100% of the stomach content in 80% of the examined fishes. The results are discussed in relation to diel vertical migration of Arctic zooplankton and deep migrating layers.
Influence of Rhizobacteria Inoculation and Lead Stress on the Physiological and Biochemical Attributes of Wheat Genotypes
Authors: Janmohammadi M. , Bihamta M.R. , Ghasemzadeh F.
Published: July 2013

Contamination of soils by lead (Pb) is of widespread occurrence as result of human, agricultural and industrial activities. A pot study was carried out to evaluate physio-biochemical responses (chlorophyll content, soluble protein, proline content and activities of enzymatic antioxidants) of 10 bread wheat genotypes to inoculation of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (combination of Azospirillum brasilense and Azotobacter chroococcum) under Pb stress (0 and 65 mg kg-1). Result revealed that lead stress averagely decreased grain yield of wheat cultivars by 41.4 %. Lead stress increased lipid peroxidation and induced a significant accumulation of proline in leaves. Protein content decreased from 8-25.4% in different cultivars in Pbcontaminated soils. Activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as, ascorbate peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase were significantly increased in the presence of lead. An increase in total hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content was noticed under lead stress in all cultivars, which was similar to production of malondialdehyde (MDA). However, promotion of growth was evident in most cultivars as a consequence of rhizobacterial inoculation, since plant growth promoting rhizobacteria could improve grain yield, proline content and membrane integrity, while significantly reduced the production of MDA and H2O2. Total chlorophyll content considerably declined with Pb stress. Between cultivars the best performance under lead stress was observed in Sardari, Shahriyar and Gaspard which had the highest yield and antioxidants activity. Obtained results showed that inoculation with Azotobacter and Azospirillium possibly through bioremediation strategy can stimulate plant growth under adverse environmental conditions, such as heavy metal contamination.
Soil Physical Properties and Grain Yield of Spring Maize (Zea Mays L.) as Influence by Tillage Practices and Mulch Treatments
Authors: Javeed H.M.R. , Zamir M.S.I. , Tanveer A. , Yaseen M.
Published: July 2013

Soil provides suitable media for plant growth and development during the whole crop life cycle. The agronomic management practices can improve the soil fertility and crop productivity on sustainable basis. To explore the effects of some agromanagement practices on the spring maize, an experiment was conducted at the Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, during spring season 2010 and 2011, using randomized complete block design with split block design arrangements. The experiment comprised of four tillage treatments viz: zero tillage (T1), minimum tillage (T2), conventional tillage (T3) and deep tillage (T4) in the main plots, while the four mulch treatments i.e. control (M1), black plastic mulch (M2), wheat straw mulch 10 Mg ha-1 (M3) and grass mulch 10 Mg ha-1 (M4) in the sub plots. Irrigation was provided according to crop requirement and herbicides were applied to control the weeds. All the tillage practices significantly affected (p<0.05) the different soil physical properties i.e. soil bulk density, soil total porosity, water infiltration rate and root penetration resistance. Deep tillage practice and black plastic mulch significantly increased the grain yield (m-2) of spring maize than the zero tillage, minimum tillage, conventional tillage, no mulch, wheat straw mulch and rice straw mulch in both years of study. The two years field results suggested that the mulches improved soil aeration and water infiltration rate, lower the soil bulk density and root penetration resistance than the control treatments.
Research on the Flight Evolution of Melolontha Melolontha L. (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) Species in the Central of Moldavia Conditions, Romania
Authors: Trotuş Elena , Naie Margareta , Buburuz Alexandra-Andreea
Published: July 2013

The cockhafer (Melolontha melolontha L.) is the most widespread and best known bug. It is a polyphagous bug, being harmful both in adulthood and in larva stage. The researches were conducted at Agricultural Research and Development Station (A.R.D.S.) of Secuieni, Neamţ county, Romania, and followed the evolution of adult flight, during 1993 - 2012 with a light trap help. The gatherings and records were made daily from 1 April to 31 October every year, during the observation period. Dividing the observation period into four stages of five years each, it was found that the largest number of specimens, 38059, was collected in the second stage (1998 - 2002), followed by the third stage (2003 - 2007) with 18167 specimens, first stage with 12173 specimens, and the lowest number of 286 specimens was recorded in the fourth stage (2008 - 2012). The adults flight started in all the years in the second or the third decade of April and lasted until the second or the third decade of May, with the exception of 1995 şi 2009 when he finished in the first decade of June. The average duration of the flight was 39 days. The maximum flight curve was reached, in all years of observation, in the third decade of April and first decade of May. The maximum intensity of flight curves was recorded every three years, as follows: 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012. This shows that, in Secuieni conditions, the insect has one generation at 3 years. Highest intensity of flights has been in the years 2000, when the top flight was conducted by 38059 specimens, 2003 with 13912 specimens/flight and 1997 with 10221 specimens/flight.
ErasureandThe Water Cure: A Possible Suture?
Authors: Amfreville Marc
Published: July 2013

Abstract:

This paper endeavours to find a guiding thread through two very different novels by Percival Everett: Erasure and The Water Cure. In spite of obvious differences in plots and subjects, they both, in fact, deal with memory, loss, and fiction writing. Moreover, they stage narrators who feed on their depression over the death or physical degradation of loved ones to promote the readers’ reflection on creativity and the power of language. Thus, while resorting to the expression of trauma-related predicaments that engage the reader’s empathy, they both proceed to question the very nature of representation, and bring about a recognition of the creative power of mourning. Starting with Erasure and more radically in The Water Cure, the very possibility of circumscribing the gaping wound inflicted by language, possibly through the lure of illegibility, constitutes the suture that both texts seem to pronounce impossible.
Writing (Fat) Bodies: Grotesque Realism and the Carnivalesque in Percival Everett’sZulus
Authors: Mitchell Keith B.
Published: July 2013

Abstract:

Percival Everett’s novel Zulus (1989) is a dark and deeply engrossing post-apocalyptic meditation on the ravages of war and its tyrannical effect on human communication, connections, and understanding. It is also a satire and a foray, both comic and deadly serious, into the grotesque realism of the tradition of Rabelais and Swift. The article examines aspects of grotesque realism and the carnivalesque through a Bakhtinian lens and explores Zulus in light of current theory concerning fat, embodiment, and what Mark Graham coins as lipoliteracy; that is, the way we “read” fat as conveying intelligible messages about bodies and food. Thus, the article embraces, yet moves beyond, standard readings of the grotesque body by exploring the materiality of the fat body as it is affected and as it affects societal standards of the corporeal.
The Hegelian Element in Von Balthasar's and Moltmann's Understanding of the Suffering of God
Authors: Spence Brain
Published: July 2013

The influence of G.W.F. Hegel on philosophy and theology since his own time could hardly be overestimated. Philosophers and theologians as diverse in outlook as Marx, Nietzsche and Kierkegaard have all been variously influenced by Hegel's thought. Yet, as Karl Barth noted, much of the response of nineteenth-century philosophy and theology to Hegel was negative and critical, even to the point of being irrationally so. To a great extent, this has also been characteristic of the response of philosophy and theology of the twentieth century. Marxism and existentialism, while they drew on the Hegelian legacy, also fragmented it by attempting to construct philosophical expressions of reality out of what for Hegel would merely have been aspects of his own philosophical position. Even more significantly, these philosophical movements drew on the self-confidence that arose from Hegel's understanding of a universal self-consciousness. That self-consciousness became the foundation for the humanisms which have dominated the Western mind in the latter part of the nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth century.
Of Force and the Future — Hélène Cixous's Poematic ‘might’
Authors: Dawson Mark
Published: July 2013

This essay reads Hélène Cixous's Le jour où je n’étais pas là as both an experience of, and experiment in, the writing of a certain poematic ‘might’. Following Jacques Derrida's reading of Cixous's work in H. C. pour la vie, c'est à dire …, it suggests that such a ‘might’ allows us to hear and understand what nevertheless remains to be heard and understood. It argues, then, that at both a performative and narrative level, reading Cixous's text allows us to listen to the sound of what remains to-come.
Geopoiesis, or the Responsibility of Literature
Authors: Leonard Philip
Published: July 2013

How are we to conceive poetry if, as Derrida maintains, it is not a mode of literary representation? How are we to conceive poetry's place if, as he observes, literature emerges in a cultural location which is not that of poetry? Reading Derrida's comments on the genealogical separation of poetry and literature, as well as his remarks on Europe's departure from Greece and Rome, suggests that European literature has not successfully overcome or renounced poetry, but has incorporated it as a secret responsibility. Rather than a linguistic or textual legacy, the secret that literature inherits from poetry is of a cultural inhabitation that cannot, strictly speaking, be defined in terms of European territorial limits.
The Poetic Thing (On Poetry and Deconstruction)
Authors: Phillips John W. P.
Published: July 2013

Deconstruction has sometimes been championed as if it was a kind of poetic (as opposed to say analytic) writing. The identification has encouraged some to relegate deconstruction to the shadows or sidelines, the sideshows, of serious philosophy. Both tendencies are foolish. There nonetheless remains the question of the relation between two enigmatic discourses: poetry and deconstruction; some deep complicity is surely implied. Reading in the texts of philosophy and poetry the adventure and performance of the names themselves, philosophy, poetry and deconstruction, it is possible to outline the consistency of a logic, according to which: as poetry must have its thing, so too must deconstruction; and philosophy would be deconstruction's poetic thing. The common ground (of poetry and deconstruction) would be the photograph (in ancient and modern senses) recording the loss of what disappears into its appearance. After deconstruction philosophy can therefore only be accomplished otherwise, not as poetry, but as a poetic thing.
Death and the Anthropocene: Cormac McCarthy's World of Unliving
Authors: Squire Louise
Published: July 2013

The events of the Anthropocene, as engendered by humanity's actions, in some ways function to destabilise the security of humanity's survival. This essay examines differing responses to humanity's death made imminent in Cormac McCarthy's 2006 novel The Road. Taking an approach informed by Jacques Derrida's interrogations of “death” as aporia and “death” as “loss of the archive,” a “thinking” of the beyond of contemporary “death thinking” is proposed.
Erasing Differences between Derrida and Agamben
Authors: Donahue Luke
Published: July 2013

This article asks if we can learn anything new about the perhaps tired ‘debate’ between deconstruction and historicism by placing Derrida's The Beast and the Sovereign beside Agamben's Homo Sacer. While Derrida underscores many of Agamben's shortcomings and metaphysical assumptions, he submits Homo Sacer to critique rather than deconstructing (or reading) it. If we fully engage Homo Sacer, I argue, then we can track a peculiar history in which the trace ‘itself’—the trace which has no itself and thereby opens historicity in the first place—faces absolute disappearance. More precisely, while it would seem that differences can never absolutely disappear since they are the (disappearing) remains of their own disappearance, there are perhaps some erasures that destroy ahead, that destroy even and especially their ability, in the future, to return as ghosts or repeat in a different form. I conclude by suggesting that these ‘absolute erasures’—similar but not reducible to what Derrida calls ‘ash’ or ‘cinder’—introduce a historicity of difference that has remained unread.
#Philosophy #Europe Rodolphe Gasché, Europe, or the infinite task: A Study of a Philosophical Concept (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2009), xii + 412.
Authors: Glendinning Simon
Published: July 2013

When philosophers have turned their attention to Europe they have typically done so in order to interrupt geographical and geo-political determinations of its identity, and to stress instead that its cultural - or spiritual - identity is caught up with the Greek idea of philosophy. Europe, on this classical philosophical construal, is not simply the place where philosophy was first elaborated and developed. On the contrary, Europe first arises as a place only in and through the elaboration and development of philosophy. Europe is thus itself a philosophical phenomenon - its identity inseparable from the idea of a project that concerns ‘rational animality’ as such, and hence humanity as a whole. In his book on philosophical approaches to Europe from Husserl to Derrida, Rodophe Gasché introduces and defends the classical idea of Europe's Greek origin. Finding a somewhat different stress in Derrida's own study of Europe as a philosophical concept, this review attempts to open up a conception of Europe as a ‘philosopheme’ which resists conceptual clarification in the terms Gasché recommends, enjoining one instead to a task that is always beyond theoretical lucidity: to ‘stick one's neck out’ in the name of Europe.
A Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Marker Comparison of a Large In- and Ex-situ Potato Landrace Cultivar Collection from Peru Reaffirms the Complementary Nature of both Conservation Strategies
Authors: De Haan Stef , Núñez Jorge , Bonierbale Merideth , Ghislain Marc , Van der Maesen Jos
Published: July 2013

An enhanced understanding of the temporal dynamics of intraspecific diversity is anticipated to improve the adequacy of conservation priorities, methods and metrics. We report on the comparative genetic composition of ex- and in-situ landrace cultivar populations from a potato diversity hotspot in the Andes. A total of 989 landrace cultivars belonging to contemporary custodian-farmer in situ collections from central Peru were compared with 173 accessions from a spatially analogous, but temporally differential ex situ composite genotype reference (CGR) set using 15 nuclear microsatellite markers. A total of 173 alleles were detected, with 129 alleles (74.6%) being shared between both populations. Both populations contain exclusive allelic diversity with 32 and 12 unique alleles belonging to the ex- and in-situ population, respectively. The mean unbiased expected heterozygosity values of the ex- and in-situ population are very similar, 0.749 versus 0.727, with a slightly wider range and standard deviation encountered for the in situ population. Analysis of Molecular Variance shows that 98.8% of the total variation is found within both populations, while the fixation index (Fst = 0.01236) corroborates that the populations are not well differentiated. Surprisingly, only 41.0% of the ex situ population encounters a similar landrace cultivar in 23.4% of the in situ population at a non-stringent threshold similarity coefficient of 0.80. While the ex- and in-situ population under comparison show similarities and unique features at the allelic level, their landrace cultivar composition is surprisingly distinct. Results affirm that crop evolution is an ongoing phenomenon and that change in fixed geographies is occurring.
Strategy Pattern Creation in Forest Planning in Swedish Forest-Owning Companies
Authors: Nilsson Malin , Eriksson Ljusk , Wästerlund Dianne
Published: July 2013

Forest-owning companies in Sweden have both a goal to yield a good short-term rate of return on their forest and a goal to maintain a high long-term rate of return by maintaining the production of wood-based products. Both these objectives are taken into account in the forest planning process. For the long-term goal, the companies develop strategies formulated in the forest planning system and for the short-term goal, sale strategies are formulated in the sale plans. These strategies may raise conflicts on how to use the forest resources. These conflicts would occur in the work with the tract bank (TB), the register of stands ready for harvesting. The objective of this study was to analyze how Swedish forest owning companies form their strategy patterns around the work with the TB and to discuss the implications of the pattern formation for forest planning in the companies. Planners and harvest managers at three large forest-owning companies responded to a questionnaire. The results show that the delivery plan based on the sale strategy is often a main factor in determining the content of the TB.
Genetic Improvement of White Spruce Mechanical Wood Traits—Early Screening by Means of Acoustic Velocity
Authors: Lenz Patrick , Auty David , Achim Alexis , Beaulieu Jean , Mackay John
Published: July 2013

There is a growing interest to use acoustic sensors for selection in tree breeding to ensure high wood quality of future plantations. In this study, we assessed acoustic velocity as a selection trait for the improvement of mechanical wood properties in two 15- and 32-year-old white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench.] Voss) genetic tests. Individual heritability of acoustic velocity was moderate and of the same magnitude as heritability of wood density. Considerable genetic gain could be expected for acoustic velocity and a measure combining velocity and wood density. The relationship between acoustic velocity and cellulose microfibril angle (MFA) was strong on the genetic level and selection based on velocity could effectively improve MFA, which is one of the most important determinants of wood mechanical properties. Although low, the positive relationship between acoustic velocity and tree height presents an interesting opportunity for the improvement of both tree growth and wood quality. On the phenotypic level, MFA was more strongly correlated to acoustic velocity in mature trees than in young trees. The addition of easily obtainable traits such as diameter at breast height (DBH), height-to-diameter ratio as well as wood density to velocity determinations could improve models of MFA at the young and the mature age. We conclude that juvenile acoustic velocity is an appropriate trait to select for wood quality in a tree breeding context.
Double Visions: Autobiography and the Ends of Philosophy
Authors: Gascoigne Neil
Published: July 2013

In Contingency, irony and solidarity Rorty attempts to solve what Robert Pippin calls the ‘Modernity Problem’ by outlining a new self-understanding for the intellectuals of the ideal liberal society. The so-called liberal ironists of this post-philosophical milieu are no longer characterized by the quest for what Rorty describes as ‘a single vision’. This paper evaluates Rorty’s attempt to conceptualize the self-image of post-philosophical intellectuals in the light of two similar endeavors; namely, Nietzsche’s and the ancient Sceptics’. The preliminary conclusion is that although Rorty’s attempt fails, it points to an alternative way of interpreting the desire for a single vision; namely, as a form of autobiography. Drawing on Nietzsche, Nagel and Mill, the paper proceeds to argue that Rorty’s own autobiographical fragment exemplifies the way in which the narration of a failed attempt to find a ‘single vision’ can itself be seen as the achievement of such a vision.
Fluvastatin Influences Hair Color in C57Bl/6 Mice
Authors: Galus Ryszard , Włodarski Krzysztof , Malejczyk Jacek , Jóźwiak Jarosław
Published: July 2013

Our recent in vitro experiments suggest that fluvastatin may influence tyrosinase (key enzyme of melanogenesis) synthesis. The aim of the present study was to verify those findings in experiments, in vitro, in melanoma cell line, and in vivo, in mice. The expression of tyrosinase in B16F10 melanoma cell line, after induction of melanogenesis by UVB irradiation, was examined by Western blot analysis. Afterwards, the effect of fluvastatin on melanin synthesis in hair follicles of C57Bl/6 mice was investigated. The expression of tyrosinase was reduced in the presence of fluvastatin. In mice after anagen induction over the dorsal skin, gel containing fluvastatin in various concentrations was injected subcutaneously, while in part of control groups of mice, gel with placebo was injected. In addition, gel with fluvastatin was injected to four week-old mice (mice in first postnatal anagen) without anagen induction. In extension, injections of gel with fluvastatin or placebo were performed in mice without anagen induction (but after first postnatal anagen). In part of study group of mice (mice after anagen induction and injection of fluvastatin) regrowth of depigmented hair was observed, while in all control groups (mice after injection of placebo), such hair depigmentation over the skin area was not found. In conclusion, this study, for the first time, shows that fluvastatin might affect melanin synthesis in vivo.
Energy-Efficient Packet Relaying in Wireless Image Sensor Networks Exploiting the Sensing Relevancies of Source Nodes and DWT Coding
Authors: Costa Daniel , Guedes Luiz , Vasques Francisco , Portugal Paulo
Published: July 2013

When camera-enabled sensors are deployed for visual monitoring, a new set of innovative applications is allowed, enriching the use of wireless sensor network technologies. In these networks, energy-efficiency is a highly desired optimization issue, mainly because transmission of images and video streams over resource-constrained sensor networks is more stringent than transmission of conventional scalar data. Due to the nature of visual monitoring, that follows a directional sensing model, camera-enabled sensors may have different relevancies for the application, according to the desired monitoring tasks and the current sensors’ poses and fields of view. Exploiting this concept, each data packet may be associated with a priority level related to the packet’s origins, which may be in turn mapped to an energy threshold level. In such way, we propose an energy-efficient relaying mechanism where data packets are only forwarded to the next hop if the associated energy threshold level is below the current energy level of the relaying node. Thus, packets from low-relevant source nodes will be silently dropped when the current energy level of intermediate nodes run below the pre-defined thresholds. Doing so, energy is saved potentially prolonging the network lifetime. Besides the sensing relevancies of source nodes, the relevance of DWT subbands for reconstruction of original images is also considered. This allows the creation of a second level of packet prioritization, assuring a minimal level of image quality even for the least relevant source nodes. We performed simulations for the proposed relaying mechanism, assessing the expected performance over a traditional relaying paradigm.
Fractional Factorial Design Study on the Performance of GAC-Enhanced Electrocoagulation Process Involved in Color Removal from Dye Solutions
Authors: Secula Marius , Cretescu Igor , Cagnon Benoit , Manea Liliana , Stan Corneliu , Breaban Iuliana
Published: July 2013

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of main factors and interactions on the color removal performance from dye solutions using the electrocoagulation process enhanced by adsorption on Granular Activated Carbon (GAC). In this study, a mathematical approach was conducted using a two-level fractional factorial design (FFD) for a given dye solution. Three textile dyes: Acid Blue 74, Basic Red 1, and Reactive Black 5 were used. Experimental factors used and their respective levels were: current density (2.73 or 27.32 A/m2), initial pH of aqueous dye solution (3 or 9), electrocoagulation time (20 or 180 min), GAC dose (0.1 or 0.5 g/L), support electrolyte (2 or 50 mM), initial dye concentration (0.05 or 0.25 g/L) and current type (Direct Current—DC or Alternative Pulsed Current—APC). GAC-enhanced electrocoagulation performance was analyzed statistically in terms of removal efficiency, electrical energy, and electrode material consumptions, using modeling polynomial equations. The statistical significance of GAC dose level on the performance of GAC enhanced electrocoagulation and the experimental conditions that favor the process operation of electrocoagulation in APC regime were determined. The local optimal experimental conditions were established using a multi-objective desirability function method.
Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Different Agave Plants and the Compound Cantalasaponin-1
Authors: Monterrosas-Brisson Nayeli , Ocampo Martha , Jiménez-Ferrer Enrique , Jiménez-Aparicio Antonio , Zamilpa Alejandro , Gonzalez-Cortazar Manases , Tortoriello Jaime , Herrera-Ruiz Maribel
Published: July 2013

Species of the agave genus, such as Agave tequilana, Agave angustifolia and Agave americana are used in Mexican traditional medicine to treat inflammation-associated conditions. These plants’ leaves contain saponin compounds which show anti-inflammatory properties in different models. The goal of this investigation was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory capacity of these plants, identify which is the most active, and isolate the active compound by a bio-directed fractionation using the ear edema induced in mice with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) technique. A dose of 6 mg/ear of acetone extract from the three agave species induced anti-inflammatory effects, however, the one from A. americana proved to be the most active. Different fractions of this species showed biological activity. Finally the F5 fraction at 2.0 mg/ear induced an inhibition of 85.6%. We identified one compound in this fraction as (25R)-5α-spirostan-3β,6α,23α-triol-3,6-di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (cantalasaponin-1) through 1H- and 13C-NMR spectral analysis and two dimensional experiments like DEPT NMR, COSY, HSQC and HMBC. This steroidal glycoside showed a dose dependent effect of up to 90% of ear edema inhibition at the highest dose of 1.5 mg/ear.
Flexibilisquinone, a New Anti-Inflammatory Quinone from the Cultured Soft Coral Sinularia flexibilis
Authors: Lin Yu-Fang , Kuo Chao-Ying , Wen Zhi-Hong , Lin Yen-You , Wang Wei-Hsien , Su Jui-Hsin , Sheu Jyh-Horng , Sung Ping-Jyun
Published: July 2013

A new quinone derivative, flexibilisquinone (1), was isolated from the cultured soft coral Sinularia flexibilis, originally distributed in the waters of Taiwan. The structure of quinone 1 was established by extensive spectroscopic methods, particularly 1D and 2D NMR experiments. In the in vitro anti-inflammatory effects test, quinone 1 was found to significantly inhibit the accumulation of the pro-inflammatory iNOS and COX-2 proteins of the LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells.
Preparation of a Sulfonated Carbonaceous Material from Lignosulfonate and Its Usefulness as an Esterification Catalyst
Authors: Lee Duckhee
Published: July 2013

Sulfonated carbonaceous material useful as a solid acid catalyst was prepared from lignosulfonate, a waste of the paper-making industry sulfite pulping process, and characterized by 13C-NMR, FT-IR, TGA, SEM and elemental analysis, etc. The sulfonic acid group density and total density of all acid groups in the sulfonated carbonaceous material was determined by titration to be 1.24 mmol/g and 5.90 mmol/g, respectively. Its catalytic activity in the esterification of cyclohexanecarboxylic acid with anhydrous ethanol was shown to be comparable to that of the ionic exchange resin Amberlyst-15, when they were used in the same amount. In the meantime, the sulfonic acid group was found to be leached out by 26%–29% after it was exposed to hot water (95 °C) for 5 h. The catalytic usefulness of the prepared carbonaceous material was investigated by performing esterifications.
Influence of microRNA on the Maintenance of Human Iron Metabolism
Authors: Davis McKale , Clarke Stephen
Published: July 2013

Iron is an essential nutrient critical for many cellular functions including DNA synthesis, ATP generation, and cellular proliferation. Though essential, excessive iron may contribute to the generation of free radicals capable of damaging cellular lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. As such, the maintenance and control of cellular iron homeostasis is critical to prevent either iron deficiency or iron toxicity conditions. The maintenance of cellular iron homeostasis is largely coordinated by a family of cytosolic RNA binding proteins known as Iron Regulatory Proteins (IRP) that function to post-transcriptionally control the translation and/or stability of mRNA encoding proteins required for iron uptake, storage, transport, and utilization. More recently, a class of small non-coding RNA known as microRNA (miRNA) has also been implicated in the control of iron metabolism. To date, miRNA have been demonstrated to post-transcriptionally regulate the expression of genes associated with iron acquisition (transferrin receptor and divalent metal transporter), iron export (ferroportin), iron storage (ferritin), iron utilization (ISCU), and coordination of systemic iron homeostasis (HFE and hemojevelin). Given the diversity of miRNA and number of potential mRNA targets, characterizing factors that contribute to alterations in miRNA expression, biogenesis, and processing will enhance our understanding of mechanisms by which cells respond to changes in iron demand and/or iron availability to control cellular iron homeostasis.
An Improved Reinforcement Learning System Using Affective Factors
Authors: Kuremoto Takashi , Tsurusaki Tetsuya , Kobayashi Kunikazu , Mabu Shingo , Obayashi Masanao
Published: July 2013

As a powerful and intelligent machine learning method, reinforcement learning (RL) has been widely used in many fields such as game theory, adaptive control, multi-agent system, nonlinear forecasting, and so on. The main contribution of this technique is its exploration and exploitation approaches to find the optimal solution or semi-optimal solution of goal-directed problems. However, when RL is applied to multi-agent systems (MASs), problems such as “curse of dimension”, “perceptual aliasing problem”, and uncertainty of the environment constitute high hurdles to RL. Meanwhile, although RL is inspired by behavioral psychology and reward/punishment from the environment is used, higher mental factors such as affects, emotions, and motivations are rarely adopted in the learning procedure of RL. In this paper, to challenge agents learning in MASs, we propose a computational motivation function, which adopts two principle affective factors “Arousal” and “Pleasure” of Russell’s circumplex model of affects, to improve the learning performance of a conventional RL algorithm named Q-learning (QL). Compared with the conventional QL, computer simulations of pursuit problems with static and dynamic preys were carried out, and the results showed that the proposed method results in agents having a faster and more stable learning performance.
Global Biogeographical Pattern of Ecosystem Functional Types Derived From Earth Observation Data
Authors: Ivits Eva , Cherlet Michael , Horion Stephanie , Fensholt Rasmus
Published: July 2013

The present study classified global Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs) derived from seasonal vegetation dynamics of the GIMMS3g NDVI time-series. Rotated Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was run on the derived phenological and productivity variables, which selected the Standing Biomass (approximation of Net Primary Productivity), the Cyclic Fraction (seasonal vegetation productivity), the Permanent Fraction (permanent surface vegetation), the Maximum Day (day of maximum vegetation development) and the Season Length (length of vegetation growing season) variables, describing 98% of the variation in global ecosystems. EFTs were created based on Isodata classification of the spatial patterns of the Principal Components and were interpreted via gradient analysis using the selected remote sensing variables and climatic constraints (radiation, temperature, and water) of vegetation growth. The association of the EFTs with existing climate and land cover classifications was demonstrated via Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). The ordination indicated good description of the global environmental gradient by the EFTs, supporting the understanding of phenological and productivity dynamics of global ecosystems. Climatic constraints of vegetation growth explained 50% of variation in the phenological data along the EFTs showing that part of the variation in the global phenological gradient is not climate related but is unique to the Earth Observation derived variables. DCA demonstrated good correspondence of the EFTs to global climate and also to land use classification. The results show the great potential of Earth Observation derived parameters for the quantification of ecosystem functional dynamics and for providing reference status information for future assessments of ecosystem changes.
Backcasting for Sustainable Employment: A Hungarian Experience
Authors: Köves Alexandra , Király Gábor , Pataki György , Balázs Bálint
Published: July 2013

Sustainability and employment are terms seldom used together. Especially when defining sustainability in the stricter sense of the word, delineating a world where strong sustainability is the norm, it is problematic to deduct which elements may compose sustainable employment. In the relevant discourse, two distinct directions can be identified. Ecological modernization promises “quick fixes” to employment problems while reducing environmentally harmful economic activities without initiating major changes either in our ways of thinking or in our way of living. At the same time, the radical change paradigm disposes of the concepts of the free market society and believes that new “great transformations” are unavoidable, whereby values must change just as much as institutions. Yet, how far have these normative theoretical approaches penetrated our everyday thinking? The paper builds upon the experience of a backcasting project on sustainable employment conducted in Hungary in 2012 and early 2013 and suggests that when people are given the chance to leave the path dependencies of today behind and imagine a sustainable future, their normative visions provide us with invaluable insight as to what may constitute sustainable employment. It also contributes towards our understanding of which policy tools lead us towards a more sustainable world of work in particular and a more sustainable society in general.
Understanding past, contemporary, and future dynamics of plants, populations, and communities using Sonoran Desert winter annuals
Authors: Huxman Travis E. , Kimball Sarah , Angert Amy L. , Gremer Jennifer R. , Barron‐Gafford Greg A. , Venable D. Lawrence
Published: July 2013

Global change requires plant ecologists to predict future states of biological diversity to aid the management of natural communities, thus introducing a number of significant challenges. One major challenge is considering how the many interacting features of biological systems, including ecophysiological processes, plant life histories, and species interactions, relate to performance in the face of a changing environment. We have employed a functional trait approach to understand the individual, population, and community dynamics of a model system of Sonoran Desert winter annual plants. We have used a comprehensive approach that connects physiological ecology and comparative biology to population and community dynamics, while emphasizing both ecological and evolutionary processes. This approach has led to a fairly robust understanding of past and contemporary dynamics in response to changes in climate. In this community, there is striking variation in physiological and demographic responses to both precipitation and temperature that is described by a trade‐off between water‐use efficiency (WUE) and relative growth rate (RGR). This community‐wide trade‐off predicts both the demographic and life history variation that contribute to species coexistence. Our framework has provided a mechanistic explanation to the recent warming, drying, and climate variability that has driven a surprising shift in these communities: cold‐adapted species with more buffered population dynamics have increased in relative abundance. These types of comprehensive approaches that acknowledge the hierarchical nature of biology may be especially useful in aiding prediction. The emerging, novel and nonstationary climate constrains our use of simplistic statistical representations of past plant behavior in predicting the future, without understanding the mechanistic basis of change.
The Honeypot Randomized Controlled Trial Statistical Analysis Plan
Authors: Pascoe Elaine Mary , Lo Serigne , Scaria Anish , Badve Sunil V. , Beller Elaine Mary , Cass Alan , Hawley Carmel Mary , Johnson David W.
Published: July 2013

Background

The HONEYPOT study is a multicenter, open-label, blinded-outcome, randomized controlled trial designed to determine whether, compared with standard topical application of mupirocin for nasal staphylococcal carriage, exit-site application of antibacterial honey reduces the rate of catheter-associated infections in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Objective

To make public the pre-specified statistical analysis principles to be adhered to and the procedures to be performed by statisticians who will analyze the data for the HONEYPOT trial.

Methods

Statisticians and clinical investigators who were blinded to treatment allocation and treatment-related study results and who will remain blinded until the central database is locked for final data extraction and analysis determined the statistical methods and procedures to be used for analysis and wrote the statistical analysis plan. The plan describes basic analysis principles, methods for dealing with a range of commonly encountered data analysis issues, and the specific statistical procedures for analyzing the primary, secondary, and safety outcomes.

Results

A statistical analysis plan containing the pre-specified principles, methods, and procedures to be adhered to in the analysis of the data from the HONEYPOT trial was developed in accordance with international guidelines. The structure and content of the plan provide sufficient detail to meet the guidelines on statistical principles for clinical trials produced by the International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use.

Conclusions

Making public the pre-specified statistical analysis plan for the HONEYPOT trial minimizes the potential for bias in the analysis of trial data and the interpretation and reporting of trial results.
Magnetic anisotropy of graphene quantum dots decorated with a ruthenium adatom
Authors: Beljakov Igor , Meded Velimir , Symalla Franz , Fink Karin , Shallcross Sam , Wenzel Wolfgang
Published: July 2013

The creation of magnetic storage devices by decoration of a graphene sheet by magnetic transition-metal adatoms, utilizing the high in-plane versus out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE), has recently been proposed. This concept is extended in our density-functional-based modeling study by incorporating the influence of the graphene edge on the MAE. We consider triangular graphene flakes with both armchair and zigzag edges in which a single ruthenium adatom is placed at symmetrically inequivalent positions. Depending on the edge-type, the graphene edge was found to influence the MAE in opposite ways: for the armchair flake the MAE increases close to the edge, while the opposite is true for the zigzag edge. Additionally, in-plane pinning of the magnetization direction perpendicular to the edge itself is observed for the first time.
Establishing a Risk-Dosage Research Agenda: Implications for Policy and Practice
Authors: Sperber Kimberly Gentry , Latessa Edward J. , Makarios Matthew D.
Published: July 2013

Numerous studies on the risk principle provide evidence that correctional practitioners should vary treatment by risk by providing more services to higher risk offenders than to lower risk offenders. Until recently, however, few studies have identified how much more treatment is required to impact recidivism for higher risk offenders compared to their lower risk counterparts. This article summarizes the empirical evidence on the risk-dosage relationship, identifies remaining gaps in the literature, and argues for a comprehensive research agenda that focuses on the most effective execution of risk-based dosage in corrections. Findings from current studies are also discussed in terms of policy and practical implications for the field.
Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in Community Corrections: A Review Essay
Authors: Burrell William D. , Rhine Edward E.
Published: July 2013

The body of research and literature referred to as “evidence-based practice” (EBP) holds enormous potential for improving the outcomes of probation and parole. The commitment to EBP must not only reflect the principles that drive effective correctional intervention, but also incorporate the growing body of knowledge that speaks to the “science of implementation.” Efforts to date to adopt EBP reflect five important lessons for agencies to consider: the investment of time is a critical issue to successful implementation; training alone is not sufficient; the assessment of risk and need is the foundation of EBP; measurement is essential; and collaboration is a core strategy for successful implementation. If the retooling of community corrections towards EBP remains largely unfinished business, the obstacles to doing so are not insurmountable as substantial resources and significant experiences are available to draw upon.