bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The case for a roadmap towards financial regulatory convergence
Authors: Broby Daniel
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The trend towards substituted compliance has accelerated post the 2008 credit crisis and is now being pursued with an enthusiasm that is sidelining the prior trend towards multilateral rule convergence. This paper addressed the question of what to do about other regulatory regimes, such as those in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The author argues that thought leaders, particularly the G20 and IOSCO, should ask whether financial supervisory convergence should be extended beyond its current UK-EU-US axis. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– Open policy review and discussion.

Findings

– In conclusion, the current system of financial supervisory convergence has evolved by default. A process of substituted compliance has become the de facto modus operandi between the UK, Europe and the USA since the 2008 credit crisis. It has been widely accepted that competition in regulation is not as efficient as co-operation, provided the same similar risks are addressed by similar rules. The author believes that it makes sense to widen this current uncharted process of supervisory convergence to other international jurisdictions. The challenge, as illustrated, is how to do this. It requires a major gap analysis whereby a global regulatory body like IOSCO compares regulatory oversight and outcomes to expected standards as determined in Europe and the USA under the current status quo. Now that financial stability has been addressed by the regulatory bodies, it is argued that the time is now right to go one step further. That said, to make this happen in a disciplined, efficient and transparent way will require direction. It is pointed out that the G20 is this body that is best mandated to draw up such a roadmap towards financial supervisory convergence.

Research limitations/implications

– Policy debate.

Practical implications

– Regulatory reform.

Social implications

– Market efficiency.

Originality/value

– Thought piece that will provoke debate.
How to reduce implicit bank debt guarantees?
Authors: Schich Sebastian
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this article is to support current efforts by policymakers to limit the value of implicit bank debt guarantees that they are perceived as providing. It does so by analyzing the determinants of the value of such guarantees and by proposing a framework for categorizing and analyzing the host of different financial regulatory reform measures recently adopted and proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

– The starting point is the observation that public authorities have provided the guarantor-of-last-resort function in more explicit form as part of the financial safety net. This choice has inadvertently further entrenched the perception that bank debt benefits from an implicit guarantee and, in the meantime, policymakers have decided to limit the value of such guarantees. To support these efforts, the present articles use a valuation framework based on concepts of contingent claims analysis to model the value of insurance of risky bank debt when the sovereign providing the guarantee can itself be risky. This framework allows one to monitor any progress made in reducing the value of these guarantees. It is applied here to a measure of implicit external (mostly from the sovereign) support for the debt of a panel of 184 large worldwide banks headquartered in 23 countries for the period from 2007 to 2012.

Findings

– Consistent with the implications of the conceptual model, the empirical evidence suggests that implicit bank debt support is higher, the lower the bank's stand-alone creditworthiness and the higher the sovereign's creditworthiness. The result is consistent with previous work that showed that the decline in the value of implicit bank debt guarantees most recently observed owes much to reduced strength of the sovereigns seen as providing the guarantees. Obviously, a more desirable way to limit the value of implicit bank debt guarantees is to foster the intrinsic strength of banks. Alternative categories of policy measures aim at withdrawing the guarantee function or charging for its use.

Originality/value

– The author is not aware of any similar work using a rigid theoretical and empirical framework to structuring the policy discussion on bank regulatory reform.
Occupy risk weighting: how the minimum leverage ratio dominates capital requirements
Authors: Kellermann Kersten , Schlag Carsten
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– In September 2009, G20 representatives called for introducing a minimum leverage ratio as an instrument of financial regulation. It is supposed to assure a certain degree of core capital for banks, independent of the controversial procedures used to assess risk. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper discusses the interaction and tensions between the leverage ratio and risk-based capital requirements, using financial data of the Swiss systemically important bank United Bank of Switzerland.

Findings

– It can be shown that the leverage ratio potentially undermines risk weighting such that banks feel encouraged to take greater risks.

Originality/value

– The paper proposes an alternative instrument that is conceived as a base risk weight and functions as a backstop. It ensures a minimum core capital ratio, based on unweighted total exposure by ensuring a minimum ratio of risk-weighted to total assets for all banks. The proposed measure is easy to compute like the leverage ratio, and also like the latter, it is independent of risk weighting. Yet, its primary advantage is that it does not supersede risk-based capital adequacy targets, but rather supplements them.
Organizational flexibility from a network organizational perspective
Authors: Lise Bjørnstad Anne , M.J. Lichacz Frederick
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to focus on organizational flexibility and explore its antecedents, organizational structure, and processes, as proposed by network organization theories. The study also explores the possible moderating effects of power distance (Pd) and cultural diversity.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using self-report data from three different multinational military exercises and one laboratory experiment, the paper explored the relationships between perceptions of flat organizational structure, decentralized processes, and flexibility. The data from each of these studies were analyzed both separately and together.

Findings

– The analyses revealed that decentralization had the most consistent relationship to organizational flexibility across each of the four studies. Moreover, when the data were analyzed conjunctively, significant positive relationships between decentralization and flexibility and between flat structure and flexibility were observed. No moderating effects of Pd or cultural diversity were found.

Practical implications

– The results suggest that decentralizing processes and creating flatter hierarchies may contribute to achieving higher levels of organizational flexibility in military organizations.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to empirical support for the central theoretical propositions of network organizational literature, including moderating factors that are essential in multinational organizational contexts.
Rigid-Body Water–Surface Impact Dynamics: Experiment and Semianalytical Approximation
Authors: Challa Ravi , Yim Solomon C. , Idichandy V. G. , Vendhan C. P.
Published: October 2013

An experimental study of the dynamics of a generic rigid body during water impact and an equivalent-radius approximate analytical procedure is developed and calibrated in this study. The experimental tests in a wave basin covered a range of drop heights using a 1/6th-scale model of a practical water-landing object prototype for two drop mechanisms to determine the water impact and contact effects. The first mechanism involved a rope and pulley arrangement, while the second mechanism employed an electromagnetic release to drop the rigid body. Hydrodynamic parameters including peak acceleration and touchdown pressure were measured and the maximum impact/contact force was estimated for various entry speeds (corresponding to various drop heights) and weights of the rigid body. Results from the tests show that the impact acceleration and touchdown pressure increases approximately linearly with increasing drop height and the data provides conditions that keep impact accelerations under specified limits for the rigid-body prototype. The experimentally measured maximum accelerations were compared with classical von Karman and Wagner approximate closed-form solutions. In this study, an improved approximate solution procedure using an equivalent radius concept integrating experimental results with the von Karman and Wagner closed-form solutions is proposed and developed in detail. The resulting semianalytical estimates are calibrated against experimental results and found to provide close matching.
Level Set, Phase-Field, and Immersed Boundary Methods for Two-Phase Fluid Flows
Authors: Hua Haobo , Shin Jaemin , Kim Junseok
Published: October 2013

In this paper, we review and compare the level set, phase-field, and immersed boundary methods for incompressible two-phase flows. The models are based on modified Navier–Stokes and interface evolution equations. We present the basic concepts behind these approaches and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method. We also present numerical solutions of the three methods and perform characteristic numerical experiments for two-phase fluid flows.
Experimental and Modeling Studies of Looping Process for Wire Bonding
Authors: Wang Fuliang , Chen Yun
Published: October 2013

Looping is one of the key technologies for modern thermosonic wire bonders, and it has been affected by many interacting factors. In this study, the wire looping process was observed with a high-speed camera, and the evolution of wire profiles during looping and the capillary trace were obtained through experiments. A dynamic finite element (FE) model was developed to learn the details of the looping process, where real capillary geometry dimensions, capillary trace, diameter of bonded ball and the gold wire material were used, and the friction force and air tension force were considered. The simulated profiles were compared with those of the experiment. Using the verified FE model, the effects of material properties, capillary parameters, and capillary traces on the looping process were studied, and the relationships between the final profiles and parameters were discussed.
Evidence for Water in the Rocky Debris of a Disrupted Extrasolar Minor Planet
Authors: Farihi J. , Gänsicke B. T. , Koester D.
Published: October 2013

Remnants of a Water-Bearing World

Stars like the Sun end their lives as white dwarfs.

Farihi
et al.

(p.
218
) used detailed spectroscopic analysis of a debris-accreting white dwarf, along with knowledge that such systems accrete this debris from remnants of rocky planetary bodies, to derive the water content in a disrupted extrasolar body. The findings suggest that the white dwarf contains the signature of a rocky minor planet composed of 26% water by mass.
Artemisia
, Malaria, and the Red Queen

Artemisia annua
, Artemisinin, ACTs and Malaria Control in Africa:

Tradition, Science and Public Policy

by Dana G. Dalrymple

Published by the author, 2013. 274 pp. $18.95. ISBN 9780615615998. ()
Authors: Lawley Wendy , Calvert Caroline , Graham Ian A.
Published: October 2013

Dalrymple provides a community record of efforts to counter malaria with artemisinin-based therapies, especially in Africa.
Structure and Motion of a 2D Glass
Authors: Heyde Markus
Published: October 2013

The structure and dynamics of a two-dimensional silica film provide fundamental insights into amorphous materials.

[Also see Report by

Huang
et al.

]
Higgs and Cell Studies Nab Nobels
Authors: Clery Daniel
Published: October 2013

Two theorists whose work set the stage for finding the Higgs boson won the Nobel Prize in physics this week, while three biologists who explored various aspects of how cells package, transport, and release their internal proteins earned the physiology or medicine prize.
Cell Transport Win Long Overdue
Authors: Pennisi Elizabeth , Underwood Emily
Published: October 2013

Three biologists who explored various aspects of how cells package, transport, and release their internal proteins earned the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.
NASA Meeting Bars Chinese Students
Authors: Mervis Jeffrey
Published: October 2013

NASA has told several Chinese students at U.S. universities that they cannot attend an astrophysics conference next month at its Ames Research Center.
Dutch H5N1 Ruling Raises New Questions
Authors: Enserink Martin
Published: October 2013

A Dutch ruling is raising complex questions about how the Netherlands will regulate sensitive biomedical research.
Immunogenicity, Safety, and Lot Consistency of a Novel Inactivated Enterovirus 71 Vaccine in Chinese Children Aged 6 to 59 Months
Authors: Hu Yue-Mei , Wang Xu , Wang Jun-Zhi , Wang Ling , Zhang Yong-Jie , Chang Lin , Liang Zheng-Lun , Xia Jie-Lai , Dai Qi-Gang , Hu Ya-Ling , Mao Qun-Ying , Zhu Feng-Cai , Song Yu-Fei , Gao Fan , Chen Jiang-Ting
Published: October 2013

The determination of lot-to-lot consistency in the manufacturing process is a mandatory step in the clinical development of the novel enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine. A phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial assessed the lot consistency, immunogenicity, and safety of the EV71 vaccine in children aged 6 to 59 months. Healthy children (
n
= 1,400) received one of three lots of the EV71 vaccine containing 400 U of EV71 antigen or a placebo at days 0 and 28. Blood samples were collected before dose 1 and at 28 days after dose 2 (day 56) for an anti-EV71 neutralizing antibody (NTAb) assay. The geometric mean titer (GMT) and the seropositivity rates (with titers of ≥1:8) were compared at day 56. After each dose, the solicited injection site and general adverse events (AEs) were recorded for 7 days, and unsolicited AEs were recorded for 28 days. At day 56, the seropositivity rates ranged from 99.7% to 100% for the vaccine groups. The NTAb GMTs for the vaccine were 140.3 (95% confidence interval [CI], 117.8 to 167.1), 141.5 (95% CI, 118.0 to 169.6), and 146.6 (95% CI, 122.5 to 175.3). The two-sided 95% CI of the log difference in GMTs between the pairs of lots were between −0.176 and 0.176, therefore meeting the predefined equivalence criteria. The percentages of subjects reporting any injection site AEs, general AEs, or serious AEs were similar across the four vaccination groups. In conclusion, the demonstration of consistency between the manufacturing lots confirms for the purposes of clinical development the reliability of the EV71 vaccine production process. (This study has been registered at
ClinicalTrials.gov
under registration no. NCT01636245.)
Tetherin Upregulation in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Macaques
Authors: Rahmberg Andrew R. , Neidermyer William J. , Breed Matthew W. , Alvarez Xavier , Midkiff Cecily C. , Piatak Michael , Lifson Jeffrey D. , Evans David T.
Published: October 2013

Here we show that simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of rhesus macaques results in rapid upregulation of tetherin (BST-2 or CD317) on peripheral blood lymphocytes, including the CD4
+
CCR5
+
T cell targets of virus infection, with a peak of induction that coincides with peak alpha interferon (IFN-α) levels in plasma, and that tetherin remains above baseline levels throughout chronic infection. These observations are consistent with a role for tetherin in innate immunity to immunodeficiency virus infection.
Varicella-Zoster Virus Glycoprotein I Is Essential for Spread in Dorsal Root Ganglia and Facilitates Axonal Localization of Structural Virion Components in Neuronal Cultures
Authors: Christensen Jenna , Steain Megan , Slobedman Barry , Abendroth Allison
Published: October 2013

Neurons of the sensory ganglia are the major site of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) latency and may undergo productive infection during reactivation. Although the VZV glycoprotein E/glycoprotein I (gE/gI) complex is known to be critical for neurovirulence, few studies have assessed the roles of these proteins during infection of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) due to the high human specificity of the virus. Here, we show that the VZV glycoprotein I gene is an important neurotropic gene responsible for mediating the spread of virus in neuronal cultures and explanted DRG. Inoculation of differentiated SH-SY5Y neuronal cell cultures with a VZV gI gene deletion strain (VZV rOkaΔgI) showed a large reduction in the percentage of cells infected and significantly smaller plaque sizes in a comparison with cultures infected with the parental strain (VZV rOka). In contrast, VZV rOkaΔgI was not significantly attenuated in fibroblast cultures, demonstrating a cell type-specific role for VZV gI. Analysis of rOkaΔgI protein localization by immunofluorescent staining revealed aberrant localization of viral glycoprotein and capsid proteins, with little or no staining present in the axons of differentiated SH-SY5Y cells infected with rOkaΔgI, yet axonal vesicle trafficking was not impaired. Further studies utilizing explanted human DRG indicated that VZV gI is required for the spread of virus within DRG. These data demonstrate a role for VZV gI in the cell-to-cell spread of virus during productive replication in neuronal cells and a role in facilitating the access of virion components to axons.
Comprehensive Analysis of Human Endogenous Retrovirus Group HERV-W Locus Transcription in Multiple Sclerosis Brain Lesions by High-Throughput Amplicon Sequencing
Authors: Schmitt Katja , Richter Christin , Backes Christina , Meese Eckart , Ruprecht Klemens , Mayer Jens
Published: October 2013

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) of the HERV-W group comprise hundreds of loci in the human genome. Deregulated HERV-W expression and HERV-W locusERVWE1-encoded Syncytin-1 protein have been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the actual transcription of HERV-W loci in the MS context has not been comprehensively analyzed. We investigated transcription of HERV-W in MS brain lesions and white matter brain tissue from healthy controls by employing next-generation amplicon sequencing of HERV-Wenv-specific reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR products, thus revealing transcribed HERV-W loci and the relative transcript levels of those loci. We identified more than 100 HERV-W loci that were transcribed in the human brain, with a limited number of loci being predominantly transcribed. Importantly, relative transcript levels of HERV-W loci were very similar between MS and healthy brain tissue samples, refuting deregulated transcription of HERV-Wenvin MS brain lesions, including the high-level-transcribedERVWE1locus encoding Syncytin-1. Quantitative RT-PCR likewise did not reveal differences in MS regarding HERV-Wenvgeneral transcript orERVWE1- andERVWE2-specific transcript levels. However, we obtained evidence for interindividual differences in HERV-W transcript levels. Reporter gene assays indicated promoter activity of many HERV-W long terminal repeats (LTRs), including structurally incomplete LTRs. Our comprehensive analysis of HERV-W transcription in the human brain thus provides important information on the biology of HERV-W in MS lesions and normal human brain, implications for study design, and mechanisms by which HERV-W may (or may not) be involved in MS.
Differential Requirements of Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses forFv2-Associated Resistance to Erythroleukemia and for Regulation of Retrovirus-Induced Myeloid Leukemia Development
Authors: Tsuji-Kawahara Sachiyo , Kawabata Hiroyuki , Matsukuma Hideaki , Kinoshita Saori , Chikaishi Tomomi , Sakamoto Mayumi , Kawasaki Yuri , Miyazawa Masaaki
Published: October 2013

To assess the possible contribution of host immune responses to the exertion ofFv2-associated resistance to Friend virus (FV)-induced disease development, we inoculated C57BL/6 (B6) mice that lacked various subsets of lymphocytes with FV containing no lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus.Fv2rB6 mice lacking CD4+T cells developed early polycythemia and fatal erythroleukemia, while B6 mice lacking CD8+T cells remained resistant. Erythroid progenitor cells infected with spleen focus-forming virus (SFFV) were eliminated, and no polycythemia was observed in B cell-deficient B6 mice, but they later developed myeloid leukemia associated with oligoclonal integration of ecotropic Friend murine leukemia virus. Additional depletion of natural killer and/or CD8+T cells from B cell-deficient B6 mice resulted in the expansion of SFFV proviruses and the development of polycythemia, indicating that SFFV-infected erythroid cells are not only restricted in their growth but are actively eliminated inFv2rmice through cellular immune responses.
An observational study of extracorporeal CPR for in-hospital cardiac arrest secondary to myocardial infarction
Authors: Chou Tzung-Hsin , Fang Cheng-Chung , Yen Zui-Shen , Lee Chien-Chang , Chen Yih-Sharng , Ko Wen-Je , Wang Chih-Hsien , Wang Sheoi-Shen , Chen Shyr-Chyr
Published: October 2013

Objective

To determine the effects of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) in patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods

IHCA patients due to AMI undergoing CPR between 1 January 2006 and 1 July 2010 were analysed retrospectively. We compared the survival outcome of 43 patients who received ECPR with that of 23 patients who underwent conventional CPR.

Results

The survival rate was 34.9% for patients who received ECPR and 21.8% for those who received conventional CPR (p=0.4). Increased survival rates to hospital discharge were seen in patients with ST segment elevation (p<0.01), or had initial rhythm of ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF) during resuscitation (p=0.031).

Conclusions

ECPR may improve survival in cardiac arrest patients who have a ST segment elevation or initial rhythm of VT/VF myocardial infarction.
Synthesis of water-soluble luminescent poly(acrylic acid)-encapsulated CdTe/CdS nanoparticles
Authors: Goh Jane Betty , Loo Richard W. , Goh M. Cynthia
Published: October 2013

Described is the synthesis in water under ambient conditions of water-soluble, luminescent poly(acrylic acid)-encapsulated CdTe/CdS nanoparticles. Counterion-collapsed poly(acrylic acid) is used as a nanotemplate for the formation of the quantum dot core. Gram quantities of nanoparticles are easily obtained. Simply varying the amount of thioacetamide used in the synthesis can shift the emission wavelengths of the resulting nanoparticles from green to yellow to red.
INTERPLAY OF FIXED POINTS IN SCALAR MODELS
Authors: NAGY S. , SAILER K.
Published: October 2013

We performed the renormalization group analysis of scalar models exhibiting spontaneous symmetry breaking. It is shown that an infrared fixed point appears in the broken symmetric phase of the models, which induces a dynamical scale, that can be identified with the correlation length. This enables one to identify the type of the phase transition which shows similarity to the one appearing in the crossover scale. The critical exponent ν of the correlation length also proved to be equal in the crossover and the infrared scaling regimes.
RADIAL VIBRATION CHARACTERISTICS OF SPHERICAL NANOPARTICLES IMMERSED IN FLUID MEDIUM
Authors: FAZELZADEH S. AHMAD , GHAVANLOO ESMAEAL
Published: October 2013

The vibrational properties of nanoparticles coupled with surrounding media are of recent interest. These nanostructures can be modeled as nanoscale spherical solids. In this paper, new formulation based on the nonlocal elasticity theory is proposed to investigate radial vibrations of the nanoparticles immersed in fluid medium. The nanoparticles with size ranging from 1 nm to 10 nm are discussed. The nanoparticles are considered elastic, homogeneous and anisotropic. Along the contact surface between the nanoparticle and the fluid, the compatibility requirement is applied and the Bessel functions are used to obtain the complex frequency equation. Numerical results are evaluated, and their comparisons are performed to confirm the validity and accuracy of the proposed method. Furthermore, the model is used to elucidate the effect of small scale on the vibration of several nanoparticles. Our results show that the small scale is essential for the radial vibration of nanoparticles when the nanoparticle radius is smaller than 2 nm.
HOW TO RANDOMLY GENERATE MASS FUNCTIONS
Authors: BURGER THOMAS , DESTERCKE SÉBASTIEN
Published: October 2013

As Dempster–Shafer theory spreads in different application fields, and as mass functions are involved in more and more complex systems, the need for algorithms randomly generating mass functions arises. Such algorithms can be used, for instance, to evaluate some statistical properties or to simulate the uncertainty in some systems (e.g., data base content, training sets). As such random generation is often perceived as secondary, most of the proposed algorithms use straightforward procedures whose sample statistical properties can be difficult to characterize. Thus, although such algorithms produce randomly generated mass functions, they do not always produce what could be expected from them (for example, uniform sampling in the set of all possible mass functions). In this paper, we briefly review some well-known algorithms, explaining why their statistical properties are hard to characterize. We then provide relatively simple algorithms and procedures to perform efficient random generation of mass functions whose sampling properties are controlled.
WD-PWS: THE FIRST SEMANTICS FOR QUERYING OVER PROBABILISTIC DATA STREAMS WITH CONTINUOUS DISTRIBUTIONS
Authors: DEZFULI MOHAMMAD G. , HAGHJOO MOSTAFA S.
Published: October 2013

Many emerging applications need continuous querying over uncertain event streams, mostly for online monitoring. These streaming uncertain events may come from radars, sensors, or even software hooks. The uncertainty is usually due to measurement errors, inherent ambiguities and privacy preserving reasons. To cover new requirements, we have designed and implemented a new system called Probabilistic Data Stream Management System (PDSMS) in Ref. 1. PDSMS is a data processing engine which runs continuous queries over probabilistic streams. However, lack of a semantics for probabilistic databases which supports continuous distributions prevented us from having a strong foundation for our query operators. It also precludes us from proving consistency and correctness of query operations especially after optimization and adaption. In fact, in the probabilistic database literature, there is no semantics available which covers continuous distributions. This limitation is very restrictive as in real-world, uncertainty is usually modeled by continuous distributions. In this paper, after presenting a basic probabilistic data model for PDSMS, we focus on querying and formally present the first semantics for probabilistic query operations which supports continuous distributions as well as discrete ones. Using this new semantics, we define our query operators (e.g. select, project, and join) formally without ambiguity and compatible with operators in relational algebra. Thus, we can leverage many transformation rules in relational algebra as well. This new semantics allows us to have different strictness levels and consistency between operators. We also proved many strictness theorems about different alternatives for query operators.
MODEL FOR INTEGRATED MONITORING OF BPEL BUSINESS PROCESSES
Authors: SRDIC GREGOR , JURIC MATJAZ B.
Published: October 2013

Business process execution language (BPEL) does not provide a native support for defining data and metrics, required to perform business activity monitoring (BAM). Existing industry solutions are vendor-specific while platform-independent scientific approaches separate tightly coupled monitoring definitions from the core BPEL processes into external descriptors, thus increasing the complexity of the development, packaging and deployment processes. Furthermore, existing monitoring solutions reuse platform-specific audit trail events. This requires monitor model developers to be familiar with the details of the process implementation and the custom BPEL engine meta-model. To overcome these issues, this paper presents bpelx4bam — a new approach to defining monitoring data and metrics within BPEL processes, based on BPEL extensions. The bpelx4bam promotes these definitions into the first class citizens of the BPEL specification in order to unify and fully integrate BAM into the BPM lifecycle. It enables a cross-platform migration of BAM-enabled business processes, removes the need for separate models and specifications, eases development, packaging and deployment processes, aligns the separation of concerns with actual process roles and introduces BAM-specific and optimized events. Therefore, it presents a solid ground for a future specification or a standard in this area.
The exhaustive reduction of formylporphyrins to methylporphyrins using dimethylformamide/water as reductant under microwave irradiation
Authors: Fletcher Sarah J. , Harper Shannon R. , Arnold Dennis P.
Published: October 2013

The reduction of meso-formyl derivatives of 5,15-diaryl- and 5,10,15-triphenylporphyrin (and their nickel(II) complexes) to the corresponding meso-methyl porphyrins is achieved in high yield by microwave heating of the substrate in dimethylformamide (DMF) in the presence of acids such as trifluoroacetic acid, or even just with added water. The reactions are complete in less than 30 min at 250 °C. The reaction is strongly suppressed in very dry DMF in the absence of added acid. The meso-hydroxymethyl porphyrins are also reduced to the methyl derivatives, suggesting the primary alcohols may be intermediates in the exhaustive reduction. UV-visible spectra taken at intervals during reaction at 240 °C indicated that at least one other intermediate is present, but it was not identified. In d7-DMF, the methylporphyrin isolated was mainly Por-CD2H, showing that both of the added hydrogens arise from the solvent, and not from the added water or acid.
JOBLESS GROWTH? OKUN'S LAW IN EAST ASIA
Authors: HANUSCH MAREK
Published: October 2013

Was economic growth in East Asia jobless? An analysis of Okun's Law in eight countries between 1997 and 2011 suggests that it was not. However, there is considerable variation across countries. Generally, the effect of growth on employment magnifies in more flexible labor markets. Yet even under tight labor regulation, economic growth affects employment, especially in its composition. Agricultural employment moves counter-cyclically, as opposed to nonagricultural employment. The effect is particularly pronounced in periods of economic crisis, suggesting that agriculture serves as a shock-absorber for workers laid off in the industrial sector. Isolating nonagricultural employment reveals a stronger relationship between growth and job creation.
BILATERAL TRADE AND FOOD SECURITY
Authors: BROOKS DOUGLAS H. , FERRARINI BENNO , GO EUGENIA C.
Published: October 2013

We analyze the relationship between food security and trade by computing a bilateral import penetration index (BIPI), which gauges the degree to which a country depends on another or a small set of others for food imports. Food trade maps are then drawn by application of a force-directed algorithm that sorts through computed BIPIs, and maps the nodes corresponding to the strength of bilateral ties between country pairs. This shows the network relationships on which traded food supplies depend and vulnerabilities of importers to disruptions in particular suppliers. Results suggest that measures aimed at diversifying supply sources reduce vulnerability.
FOREIGN PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL CURRENCY BOND MARKETS OF EMERGING ECONOMIES
Authors: PEIRIS SHANAKA J.
Published: October 2013

This paper estimates the impact of foreign participation in determining long-term local currency government bond yields and volatility in a group of emerging markets (EMs) from 2000 to 2009. The results of a panel data analysis of 10 EMs show that greater foreign participation in the domestic government bond market tends to significantly reduce long-term government yields. Moreover, greater foreign participation does not necessarily result in increased volatility in bond yields in EMs and, in fact, could even dampen volatility in some instances.
Differential cystine and dibasic amino acid handling after loss of function of the amino acid transporter b0,+AT (Slc7a9) in mice
Authors: Giacopo Andrea Di , Rubio-Aliaga Isabel , Cantone Alessandra , Artunc Ferruh , Rexhepaj Rexhep , Frey-Wagner Isabelle , Font-Llitjós Mariona , Gehring Nicole , Stange Gerti , Jaenecke Isabel , Mohebbi Nilufar , Closs Ellen I. , Palacín Manuel , Nunes Virginia , Daniel Hannelore , Lang Florian , Capasso Giovambattista , Wagner Carsten A.
Published: October 2013

Cystinuria is an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in SLC3A1 ( rBAT) and SLC7A9 ( b 0,+ AT). Gene targeting of the catalytic subunit ( Slc7a9) in mice leads to excessive excretion of cystine, lysine, arginine, and ornithine. Here, we studied this non-type I cystinuria mouse model using gene expression analysis, Western blotting, clearance, and brush-border membrane vesicle (BBMV) uptake experiments to further characterize the renal and intestinal consequences of losing Slc7a9 function. The electrogenic and BBMV flux studies in the intestine suggested that arginine and ornithine are transported via other routes apart from system b0,+. No remarkable gene expression changes were observed in other amino acid transporters and the peptide transporters in the intestine and kidney. Furthermore, the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was reduced by 30% in knockout animals compared with wild-type animals. The fractional excretion of arginine was increased as expected (∼100%), but fractional excretions of lysine (∼35%), ornithine (∼16%), and cystine (∼11%) were less affected. Loss of function of b0,+AT reduced transport of cystine and arginine in renal BBMVs and completely abolished the exchanger activity of dibasic amino acids with neutral amino acids. In conclusion, loss of Slc7a9 function decreases the GFR and increases the excretion of several amino acids to a lesser extent than expected with no clear regulation at the mRNA and protein level of alternative transporters and no increased renal epithelial uptake. These observations indicate that transporters located in distal segments of the kidney and/or metabolic pathways may partially compensate for Slc7a9 loss of function.
Thalamostriatal projections from the medial posterior and parafascicular nuclei have distinct topographic and physiologic properties
Authors: Alloway Kevin D. , Smith Jared B. , Watson Glenn D. R.
Published: October 2013

The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is critical for executing sensorimotor behaviors that depend on stimulus-response (S-R) associations. In rats, the DLS receives it densest inputs from primary somatosensory (SI) cortex, but it also receives substantial input from the thalamus. Much of rat DLS is devoted to processing whisker-related information, and thalamic projections to these whisker-responsive DLS regions originate from the parafascicular (Pf) and medial posterior (POm) nuclei. To determine which thalamic nucleus is better suited for mediating S-R associations in the DLS, we compared their input-output connections and neuronal responses to repetitive whisker stimulation. Tracing experiments demonstrate that POm projects specifically to the DLS, but the Pf innervates both dorsolateral and dorsomedial parts of the striatum. The Pf nucleus is innervated by whisker-sensitive sites in the superior colliculus, and these sites also send dense projections to the zona incerta, a thalamic region that sends inhibitory projections to the POm. These data suggest that projections from POm to the DLS are suppressed by incertal inputs when the superior colliculus is activated by unexpected sensory stimuli. Simultaneous recordings with two electrodes indicate that POm neurons are more responsive and habituate significantly less than Pf neurons during repetitive whisker stimulation. Response latencies are also shorter in POm than in Pf, which is consistent with the fact that Pf receives its whisker information via synaptic relays in the superior colliculus. These findings indicate that, compared with the Pf nucleus, POm transmits somatosensory information to the DLS with a higher degree of sensory fidelity.
Sharp wave-associated synchronized inputs from the piriform cortex activate olfactory tubercle neurons during slow-wave sleep
Authors: Narikiyo Kimiya , Manabe Hiroyuki , Mori Kensaku
Published: October 2013

During slow-wave sleep, anterior piriform cortex neurons show highly synchronized discharges that accompany olfactory cortex sharp waves (OC-SPWs). The OC-SPW-related synchronized activity of anterior piriform cortex neurons travel down to the olfactory bulb and is thought to be involved in the reorganization of bulbar neuronal circuitry. However, influences of the OC-SPW-related activity on other regions of the central olfactory system are still unknown. Olfactory tubercle is an area of OC and part of ventral striatum that plays a key role in reward-directed motivational behaviors. In this study, we show that in freely behaving rats, olfactory tubercle receives OC-SPW-associated synchronized inputs during slow-wave sleep. Local field potentials in the olfactory tubercle showed SPW-like activities that were in synchrony with OC-SPWs. Single-unit recordings showed that a subpopulation of olfactory tubercle neurons discharged in synchrony with OC-SPWs. Furthermore, correlation analysis of spike activity of anterior piriform cortex and olfactory tubercle neurons revealed that the discharges of anterior piriform cortex neurons tended to precede those of olfactory tubercle neurons. Current source density analysis in urethane-anesthetized rats indicated that the current sink of the OC-SPW-associated input was located in layer III of the olfactory tubercle. These results indicate that OC-SPW-associated synchronized discharges of piriform cortex neurons travel to the deep layer of the olfactory tubercle and drive discharges of olfactory tubercle neurons. The entrainment of olfactory tubercle neurons in the OC-SPWs suggests that OC-SPWs coordinate reorganization of neuronal circuitry across wide areas of the central olfactory system including olfactory tubercle during slow-wave sleep.
Phrase Dependency Machine Translation with Quasi-Synchronous Tree-to-Tree Features
Authors: Gimpel Kevin , Smith Noah A.
Published: October 2013

Recent research has shown clear improvement in translation quality by exploiting linguistic syntax for either the source or target language. However, when using syntax for both languages (“tree-to-tree” translation), there is evidence that syntactic divergence can hamper the extraction of useful rules (Ding and Palmer 2005 ). Smith and Eisner ( 2006 ) introduced quasi-synchronous grammar, a formalism that treats non-isomorphic structure softly using features rather than hard constraints. Although a natural fit for translation modeling, its flexibility has proved challenging for building real-world systems. In this article, we present a tree-to-tree machine translation system inspired by quasi-synchronous grammar. The core of our approach is a new model that combines phrases and dependency syntax, integrating the advantages of phrase-based and syntax-based translation. We report statistically significant improvements over a phrase-based baseline on five of seven test sets across four language pairs. We also present encouraging preliminary results on the use of unsupervised dependency parsing for syntax-based machine translation.
Patterns of male–male association in mantled howlers (Alouatta palliata) at La Pacifica, Costa Rica: effects of dominance rank and age
Authors: Corewyn Lisa C. , Kelaita Mary A.
Published: October 2013

Cooperative relationships among male primates are emerging as an important aspect of primate social behavior. What remains unclear is the extent to which male associations with coresident males vary within species, and what social and demographic factors drive these associations. This information provides an important contribution to our understanding of how cooperative relationships play an adaptive role in the evolution of male social and reproductive strategies. To examine the nature of male associations and the influence of social and demographic factors, including rank and age, we collected 1751 h of focal behavioral data on adult males in two large multimale–multifemale groups of mantled howlers (Alouatta palliata) at La Pacifica, Costa Rica. Both groups inhabited upland forest area, were of similar size and sex ratio, and exhibited strongly linear male hierarchies. Based on observed spatial associations within 3 m proximity, dyadic patterns varied from strongly preferred to strongly avoided associations that were largely consistent among dyads over the study period. In contrast to reports from other mantled howler study sites, neither rank nor age differences among males predicted whether dyads spent any time in proximity to one another, nor the amount of time in proximity. However, higher-ranked males within dyads were more likely to maintain close proximity than their lower-ranked counterparts. Our results provide important data on the nature of male associations within mantled howler groups with linear dominance relationships, and are suggestive of the adaptive value of cooperative relationships.
Dream of Unity: From the United States of Africa to the Federation of African States
Authors: Martin Guy
Published: October 2013

Abstract

The Pan-Africanists leaders’ dream of unity was deferred in favor of the gradualist/functionalist perspective embodied in a weak and loosely-structured Organization of African Unity (OAU) created on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). This article analyses the reasons for this failure, namely: the reluctance of newly-independent African leaders to abandon their newly-won sovereignty in favor of a broader political unity; suspicion on the part of many African leaders that Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana intended to become the super-president of a united Africa; and divide and rule strategies on the part of major Western powers (including the United States and France) meant to sabotage any attempt at African unity. The African Union which, on 26 May 2001, formally replaced the OAU, is also bound to fail because it is modeled on the European Union. The article then briefly surveys proposals for a re-configuration of the African states and a revision of the political map of Africa put forth by various authors, namely: Cheikh Anta Diop’s Federal African State; Marc-Louis Ropivia’s geopolitics of African regional integration; Makau wa Mutua’s and Arthur Gakwandi’s new political maps of Africa; Joseph Ki-Zerbo’s Federal African State; Daniel Osabu-Kle’s United States of Africa; Godfrey Mwakikagile’s African Federal Government; and Pelle Danabo’s pan-African Federal State. The article concludes with an overview of Mueni wa Muiu’s Fundi wa Afrika paradigm advocating the creation of a Federation of African States (FAS) based on five sub-regional states with a federal capital (Napata) and a rotating presidency, eventually leading to total political and economic integration.
Affirmative Action and Nation Building in Malaysia: The Future of Malay Preferential Policies
Authors: Segawa Noriyuki
Published: October 2013

Abstract

This paper examines how the affirmative action programme based on Malay preferential policies has influenced the formation of ambiguous socio-cultural policies (incorporating Malay cultural dominance and the recognition of non-Malay cultural rights) that hinder the development of national integration. This study is conducted by analysing the relationship between Malay preferential policies and the principles of assimilation and multiculturalism. Because Malay preferential policies are logically incompatible with the principles of assimilation and multiculturalism, these policies influence the shaping of ambiguous socio-cultural policies. In addition, the direction of Malay preferential policies is examined by considering ethnic tensions regarding these policies and the government’s efforts after the 2008 election. The government is confronting a dilemma and has not yet determined its direction. Malay preferential policies will not be abolished in the near future, and the nature of socio-cultural policies will remain ambiguous. Thus, a dramatic development of national integration cannot be expected in the foreseeable future.
Ambiguity in Indonesian Cartelized Democracy: An Analysis on the Political Communication
Authors: Ahmad Noor Sulastry Yurni , Herdiansah Ari Ganjar
Published: October 2013

Abstract

This paper describes and analyzes political parties in Indonesia’s democratic transition from their political communication patterns in ambiguity of cartelized democracy, where political parties work together to enjoy the state’s resources and conflict simultaneously. Three conceptions are being used to explain the patterns of political communication occur among coalition parties: first is the output of political process, which contains political impression management and substantive action; secondly, the definition of the situation; and finally the cartel party. The conclusion shows that of political communication among coalition parties tend to be most stable when there is an entity that could dominate the popularity and public support. The pattern changed to be in conflict when there is no one could dominate the popularity and political structure.
Biblical Elements in Koran 89, 6-8 and Its Exegeses: A New Interpretation of “Iram of the Pillars”
Authors: Neuenkirchen Paul
Published: October 2013

Abstract

The meaning of the expression “Iram of the pillars” which is found in Kor 89, 7 has been the subject of many debates among ancient Muslim exegetes. The ambiguous signification of this passage has led to a large number of different interpretations and has (seemingly) led to many myths, whether in classical Arabic literature (religious and profane alike) or in modern Western writings.

The aim of this paper is to give a critical overview and analysis of the various exegeses for this Koranic verse, to study the developments and history of the ‘Iram myth’ and finally, in light of these elements as well as through a Biblical/Midrashic comparative approach, to suggest our own theory of what was certainly the primitive and forgotten meaning of “Iram of the pillars”.
Jeux diglossiques et métalinguistiques dans le Qanṭara llad̠ī kafar de Muṣṭafā Mušarrafa, premier roman en arabe dialectal cairote
Authors: Lagrange Frédéric
Published: October 2013

Résumé

Rédigé par l’Égyptien Muṣṭafā Mušarrafa dans les années 1940 et paru en 1966, Qanṭara llad̠ī kafar est souvent présenté comme le « premier roman intégralement rédigé en arabe dialectal », rompant apparemment avec les deux paradigmes dominant dans le traitement littéraire de la diglossie : soit l’emploi exclusif de la glosse littérale considérée comme condition et garantie de la littérarité, soit le jeu distributif sur la totalité du registre, le narrateur s’arrogeant la variété supérieure et laissant aux personnages la glosse liée à l’oral. Mais peut-on vraiment évacuer le tout de la langue d’une écriture littéraire ? L’article montre que Mušarrafa, tout en sélectionnant la variété dialectale comme langue matricielle de son récit, insère en permanence la variété littérale dans ses états classique et moderne, et commente plaisamment la diglossie.