bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Los objetos del habitar científico. Arquitectura a partir de un sistema de objetividades
Authors:   , Zunza Sandoval Diego José
Published: June 2024

El Oasis de Niebla Alto Patache, con gran valor en términos hídricos, botánicos y arqueológicos, es de gran interés para la investigación científica. Se trata de un verdadero laboratorio de campo, requerido desde la academia y que, por lo tanto, necesita la provisión de estaciones especializadas, ubicadas en el territorio, como una respuesta a esta necesidad de uso y de habitación. Esto demanda, sin embargo, una comprensión de las necesidades de los científicos, así también sus rutinas, relaciones, modalidades de trabajo y, sobre todo, los objetos que requieren y sus herramientas de trabajo. Estos objetos mínimos no son solamente determinados instrumentos, sino también, todos aquellos elementos que le permiten vivir en el desierto. Por este motivo, es necesario identificar y clasificar los objetos que den cuenta del habitar de los científicos. Esta tesis proyectual avanza en esa dirección, considerando que una atenta revisión y estudio de estos objetos nos permitirá organizar el espacio de acuerdo con los usos y necesidades, con el fin de mejorar las condiciones de habitabilidad en el desierto, y las condiciones de la investigación.
Recorrer para desprenderse: espacialidades fronterizas en la novelística hispanoaméricana de la alta globalización
Authors:   , Montecino Vieira David
Published: June 2024

En esta investigación se analiza, interpreta y compara la construcción y representación de lo fronterizo en las espacialidades narrativas de seis novelas hispanoamericanas del periodo que comprenderemos como ‘alta globalización’ (Appadurai), esto es, desde el año 1990 hasta la actualidad, pero sobre todo en obras post 2000. Para este cometido, se abordan teóricamente los conceptos de espacialidad (Lefebvre, Soja, Massey) y fronteridad (Amilhat y Girault), desde los cuales se seleccionaron y analizaron las obras narrativas del corpus. Mediante herramientas críticas de la semiótica del texto artístico (Lotman), la teoría de los mundos de ficción (Doležel), la geocrítica (Westphal) y los estudios transareales (Ette), se establece una comprensión holística de la espacialidad narrativa con énfasis analítico en sus dimensiones percibidas, concebidas y vividas, para luego interpretar la representación de lo fronterizo en las novelas y compararlas en relación con los imaginarios culturales de sus diferentes áreas geográficas. Esta investigación trabaja con la hipótesis de que, en el corpus seleccionado, los diseños del relato y las representaciones narrativas se presentan con las características de lo que llamaremos –adaptando la idea de “pensamiento fronterizo” de Walter Mignolo (2003)– espacialidades fronterizas, en el sentido de que sus configuraciones espaciotemporales generan aperturas más allá de lógicas binarias y de los valores hegemónicos impuestos por la diferencia colonial e imperial, provocando desprendimientos de las epistemologías occidentales y las lógicas neoliberales e instalándose, por tanto, en el intersticio de las hegemonías globales y locales. Por esta razón, el objetivo central de la investigación es evidenciar una tendencia estética de las novelas de fronteridad hispanoamericanas y así contribuir a la comprensión de los imaginarios geoculturales representados por parte de la literatura de la zona en las últimas décadas. El corpus seleccionado para el análisis son seis novelas publicadas del año 2000 en adelante, considerando dos por las tres áreas que se trabajan en esta investigación: Caribe insular, Corredor Centroamérica/México/Estados Unidos y Desiertos del Cono Sur. Las obras son las siguientes, en orden correspondiente a las áreas ya nombradas: La estrategia de Chochueca (2000), de Rita Indiana Hernández; Simone (2012), de Eduardo Lalo; Señales que precederán al fin del mundo (2009), de Yuri Herrera; El verbo J (2018), de Claudia Hernández; El año del desierto, de Pedro Mairal; y Las aventuras de la China Iron (2017), de Gabriela Cabezón Cámara.
‘DİDAKTİK’ KAVRAMININ TÜRKÇE SÖZLÜKLERDEKİ TANIMLARININ KARŞILAŞTIRMALI ANALİZİ
Authors: Darancık Yasemin
Published: June 2024

Belirli yabancı sözcükler farklı dillerden birebir Türkçeye geçirilmiş, söz konusu bu sözcükler uzun süre kullanıldıktan sonra, ana dilde karşılığı bulunarak yeri doldurulmaya çalışılmıştır. Genel olarak bu alana yönelik yapılan çalışmaların amacı, yabancı terimlerin Türkçeleştirilmesini sağlamak ve Türkçe terim sorununa yardımcı olmak olsa da kiminde söz konusu sözcük yabancı dildeki karşılığı ile kullanılmaya devam edilmiş, kiminde ise ilgili kelimeye Türkçe karşılık bulunamamış veya Türkçe karşılığı istenilen anlamı veremeyerek kabul görmemiştir. Bu sözcüklerden biri de “didaktik” kavramıdır. Bu kavrama bir açıklık getirebilmek, var olan kargaşayı biraz olsun netleştirebilmek adına bu çalışmada “didaktik” kavramının irdelemesi yapılacaktır. Bu yapılırken Türkçede hangi terimlerin didaktik kavramı altında yer aldığına bakmak ve aynı zamanda sözlüklerde ya da ansiklopedilerde bu terimlerin altında verilen tanımlamaları ve bilgileri irdelemek gerekir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, genel ve eğitim alanında kullanılan altı sözlüğün ve ansiklopedinin çalışma kapsamındaki kavramların belirli özellikleri bakımından karşılaştırmak, kavramları hangi boyutları ile ele aldıklarını incelemek ve bu anlamda bir netlik kazandırmaktır.
DEDE KORKUT DESTANI’NDA SOSYAL VE PEDAGOJİK DEĞERLER
Authors: Sönmez Selami
Published: June 2024

Milletlerin oluşumu efsanelere, destanlara, millî kahramanlarının hamasi hikâyelerine dayanır. Türk milleti için bu kahramanlardan biri de Dede Korkut’tur. Dede korkut Oğuz Boyu için bir bilge, bir evliya, bir keramet sahibi, bir alp, bir yiğit, bir ozan, bir aziz, bir öncü, atadır. Dede Korkut Destanı’nda yer alan hikâyelerde psikolojik, sosyolojik, pedogojik, millî ve ahlaki nitelikte çok sayıda doğruluk, dürüstlük, cesurluk, çalışkanlık, sadakat vb. gibi mahallî (domestik) ve evrensel (üniversal) değerler ve erdemler vardır. Bu değerlerin tespiti çalışmanın özünü teşkil etmektedir.
BİYOGRAFİK ROMAN ÖRNEĞİ OLARAK BEN CAHİT SITKI-SESİM SESSİZLİĞİM OLDU
Authors: Dere Mustafa
Published: June 2024

Biyografik roman kısaca, yaşamış veya yaşayan bir kişinin hayatının kurgusal çerçevede ortaya konulduğu roman türü olarak tanımlanabilir. Aynı zamanda akademisyen ve edebiyat araştırmacısı olan Murat Koç, Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’ın Son Savunması-Her Şey Bana Karşı (2016), Kırık Kalemli Kadınlar (2021) ve Ben Cahit Sıtkı-Sesim Sessizliğim Oldu (2024) adlı üç biyografik roman kaleme almıştır. Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’ın Son SavunmasıHer Şey Bana Karşı’da Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’ın hayatı romanlaştırılmış, Kırık Kalemli Kadınlar’da Nigâr Hanım’ın biyografisi kurgusal çerçevede ele alınarak Makbule Leman, Fatma Aliye Hanım ve Emine Semiye gibi öncü kadınların hayatlarından söz edilmiş, Ben Cahit Sıtkı-Sesim Sessizliğim
Oldu’da ise Cumhuriyet Dönemi şairlerinden Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı’nın trajik hayat serüveni işlenmiştir.
Bu çalışmada biyografik roman türü hakkında genel bir bilgi verildikten sonra yazarın son romanı olan Ben Cahit Sıtkı-Sesim Sessizliğim Oldu biyografik roman olarak değerlendirilmiş, ayrıca bölümler hâlinde tematik
olarak incelenerek tanıtılmaya çalışılmıştır. Söz konusu noktada romanın ayırt edici özelliklerinin tespitine ve yorumlanmasına gayret gösterilmiştir.
Evaluation of Nigerian Deposit Money Banks’ Soundness: Bankometer Model
Authors: Oseni Ezekiel
Published: June 2024

The study examined the soundness of the Nigerian deposit money banks in view of stakeholders’ increasing dependence on it as a catalyst for achieving individual and corporate prosperity (wealth, access to funding, improved standard of living, etc.).  The study examined 13 banks over a period of 10 years (2013 - 2022) using both ordinarily least square (OLS) and the IMF’s bankometer model for its analysis. The study observed that the IMF’s bankometer model variables exert significant influence on the soundness of the banks and therefore the model was found appropriate to evaluate banks to determine their state of health. Secondly, the study observed 92.30% of the Nigerian banks examined between 2013 and 2022 had solvency-score (s-score) above IMF’s model soundness minimum threshold of 70%. This implies that all the banks were healthy with the exception of one bank that had a negative s-score indicating a serious state of distress. The foreign affiliated banks were however found to be healthier than the 1st tier banks while three of the the 2nd tier banks had s-score higher than one of the 1st tier banks. The regulators should be proactive in their monitoring activities, rather than depending only on the historical performance review of the banks.  Furthermore, the regulators should devise mechanisms to forecast future trends of each of the banks and for each of the measurement metrics to enable them take precautionary actions that would ensure financial stability and protect the interest of all the stakeholders.
NLP-Based Rule Learning from Legal Text for Question Answering
Authors: Fawei Biralatei
Published: June 2024

Law is a system containing rules and regulations that binds a people. Legal rules and regulations are usually expressed in domain specific terminologies which are presented in textual form. Its expression is not in machine understandable format for legal reasoning to infer new knowledge or determines if a course of action aligns with the law. Similarly, in order to conceive the rule layer of the semantic web vision in line with the W3C recommendation, in this paper, we present a rule learning technique for learning legal rules for legal question answering, where we learn rules from a collection of instance level triples to infer new rules which can be applied to facts to reason with to arrive at an answer. We explore the natural language processing tool to extract instance level triples from legal textual data and applied RUMIS tool on the extracted triples to produce nonmonotonic rules which are then translated and expressed in Semantic Web Rule Language for legal reasoning in answering legal questions. With the application of the mined rules with our handcrafted rules for legal reasoning, the system was able to answer six out of the thirty correct answers. The research output shows promising results with respect to rule learning for legal reasoning for question answering.
Effect of Chemicals and Biopesticides against Yellow Stem Borer [Scirpophaga incertulas (Walker)] at Prayagraj
Authors: Singh Nikhil , R Tayde Anoorag , Tripathi Akhilesh , Barwa Jaimala
Published: June 2024

The experiment was conducted at the research field of Department of Entomology, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences Prayagraj, during Kharif season 2023. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications, Eight treatments were evaluated against yellow stem borer Scirpophaga incertulas viz., Spinosad 45SC @ 0.2ml/l, Beauveria bassiana (1x108CFU/g) @1.5 g/l, Fipronil 5SC @ 2ml/l, Acephate95SG @ 682ga.i/ha, Metarhiziumanisopliae (1.15% CFU) @2000g/ha, Lamda Cyhalothrin 5EC@ 0.5ml/l, Bacillus thuringiensis (2x109 POB) @1.5g/l, and Control. Among the different chemical and biopesticides, the pooled analysis of per cent dead hearts were recorded least in Spinosad45SC which was the most effective treatment with (12.98% and 13.93%) mean dead heart percent , followed by Lamda Cyhalothrin 5EC (13.27% and 14.63%), Acephate95SG (13.58% and 15.06%) and Fipronil 5SC (14.10% and 15.29%).The next best treatments were found to be Beauveria bassiana (1x108CFU/g) (14.38% and 15.67%), Bacillus thuringiensis (2x109 POB) (14.64 and 15.94%), Metarhizium anisopliae (1.15%CFU) (14.97 and 16.19%) and the highest dead heart percent infestation of Scirpophaga incertulas (Walker) was found in Control (15.77% and 18.54%). The highest yield and cost benefit ratio was recorded from Spinosad (51.5q/hac) and (1:4.51), followed by Lamda Cyhlothrin (45q/hac) and (1:4.35), Acephate (43q/ha c) and (1:4.18).
An Examination of Network Position and Childhood Relational Aggression: Integrating Resource Control and Social Exchange Theories
Authors: Neal Jennifer Watling , Cappella Elise
Published: February 2012

Applying resource control theory and social exchange theory, we examined the social network conditions under which elementary age children were likely to engage in relational aggression. Data on classroom peer networks and peer‐nominated behaviors were collected on 671 second‐ through fourth‐grade children in 34 urban, low‐income classrooms. Nested regression models with robust cluster standard errors demonstrated that the association between children's number of relationships and their levels of relational aggression was moderated by the number of relationships that their affiliates had. Children with more peer relationships (i.e., higher network centrality) exhibited higher levels of relational aggression, but only when these relationships were with peers who had fewer connections themselves (i.e., poorly connected peers). This finding remained significant even when controlling for common predictors of relational aggression including gender, overt aggression, prosocial behavior, victimization, social preference, and perceived popularity. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for advancing the literature on childhood relational aggression and their practical applications for identifying children at risk for these behaviors.
Feeling and Thinking of Others: Affective and Cognitive Empathy and Emotion Comprehension in Prosocial/Hostile Preschoolers
Authors: Belacchi Carmen , Farina Eleonora
Published: February 2012

This study aims at investigating the affective and cognitive components of empathy in relation to both emotion comprehension and prosocial/hostile behaviors in preschoolers. A total of 219 children (54% boys; aged between 3 and 6: mean age 4.10) and 20 teachers (two for each class: group A and group B) took part in this research. Pupils’ empathy and hostile/prosocial roles were assessed by teacher reports [Belacchi and Farina, 2010] and children's emotion comprehension by a nonverbal test [Test of Emotion Comprehension: Pons and Harris, 2000; adapted by Albanese and Molina; 2008]. As expected, the results showed a significant influence of gender, with girls being more empathic than boys, according to all of the teachers’ perception. Contrary to our expectations, no systematic age influence emerged. Regarding the relations of children's emotion comprehension with both empathy measures and their prosocial/hostile attitudes, we have found: (1) a low significant relation with the total empathy measure, according to all the teachers, but with the cognitive empathy only according to teachers B; (2) a robust negative relationship of both affective and cognitive empathy with Hostile roles and with Outsider role, contrary to a positive correlation of only affective empathy with Prosocial roles. No relationships emerged between empathy measures and Victim role.
When Drivers See Red: Car Color Frustrators and Drivers’ Aggressiveness
Authors: Guéguen Nicolas , Jacob Céline , Lourel Marcel , Pascual Alexandre
Published: February 2012

Research has found that exposition to red is associated with physiological activation and fighting spirit. A field experiment was conducted to explore whether the color of cars is related to an aggressive response. Drivers waiting at a traffic light were blocked by an experimental car. The color of the car varied (blue, red, green, black, and white). The amount of time that elapsed until the drivers responded by honking their horns or beaming their headlights was the dependent variable. It was found that the red car elicited early aggressive response.
The Relationship Between Selective Exposure and the Enjoyment of Television Violence
Authors: Weaver Andrew J. , Kobach Matthew J.
Published: February 2012

The existing research on the appeal of media violence has led to an apparent incongruity: violent content tends to increase selective exposure to media, but violence often decreases enjoyment. In this experiment, we used two independent manipulations to assess the role of violence in both selective exposure and enjoyment in order to examine the relationship between the two. Program descriptions for four prime‐time television dramas were altered to create violent and nonviolent descriptions for each episode. Then the episodes themselves were edited to create violent and nonviolent versions of each. Participants (N= 191) were more likely to choose violent descriptions to watch, but enjoyed the nonviolent episodes more than the violent episodes. Moreover, the nonviolent episodes were rated as more enjoyable even when the participants had chosen to watch a violent program description. From a theoretical perspective, these results suggest the need to move beyond explaining the appeal of violence in terms of increased enjoyment and instead further explore other motivations that could be driving selective exposure to violent content.
Activation of 1,2‐Keto Esters with Takemoto’s Catalyst toward Michael Addition to Nitroalkenes
Authors: Raimondi Wilfried , Baslé Olivier , Constantieux Thierry , Bonne Damien , Rodriguez Jean
Published: February 2012

When activated with Takemoto’s catalyst, 1,2‐keto esters constitute versatile nucleophiles in the Michael addition reaction with nitroalkenes affording synthetically valuable, optically active anti‐adducts in very good yields and high enantiomeric excesses.
Improved Synthesis of Buprenorphine from Thebaine and/or Oripavine via Palladium‐Catalyzed N‐Demethylation/Acylation and/or Concomitant O‐Demethylation
Authors: Machara Ales , Werner Lukas , Endoma‐Arias Mary Ann , Cox D. Phillip , Hudlicky Tomas
Published: February 2012

An improved preparation of buprenorphine via palladium‐catalyzed N‐demethylation/acylation is reported. Three routes were investigated and compared in overall yield. The first involved N‐demethylation/acylation of an advanced intermediate obtained from thebaine followed by hydrolysis of the N‐acetamide and alkylation with cyclopropylmethyl bromide and/or reduction of the N‐acetyl group with the Schwartz reagent followed by N‐alkylation. The second route employed cyclopropylcarboxylic acid anhydride in the N‐demethylation/acylation protocol and subsequent reduction of the cyclopropylcarboxamide by either lithium aluminum hydride or under hydrosilylation conditions. Both of these routes originated in thebaine and therefore required O‐demethylation as a final step. The third route employed an N‐demethylation/acylation sequence starting from oripavine rather than thebaine, thus avoiding the O‐demethylation. The routes are compared for overall efficiency and experimental and spectral data are provided for all new compounds.
A new Italian surveillance system for occupational injuries: Characteristics and initial results
Authors: Bena Antonella , Leombruni Roberto , Giraudo Massimiliano , Costa Giuseppe
Published: February 2012

Background

Occupational injuries research and surveillance is important for prevention and public health protection. A new occupational surveillance system based on linkage of work histories calculated from the Italian National Social Security Institute (INPS) and occupational injuries provided by the National Insurance Institute for Occupational Injuries (INAIL) was created and assessed.

Methods

It has been extracted a 1% sample of individuals from INPS. For each subject, a detailed description of the career has been compiled between 1985 and 2004, and matched on an individual basis to work injuries between 1994 and 2003. It has been calculated injury rates and risks by economic activity, gender, age, job tenure, country of birth, and firm size.

Results

The linkage success is very high both in engineering than in the construction sector. The comparison with Eurostat statistics is very positive. The injury risks calculated by job tenure, country of birth, and firm size are consistent with literature. The high injury rate for short work contracts remain unvaried also after controlling by age.

Conclusions

It is finally possible to describe injuries based on some main characteristics of the recent changes in the labor market, such as precarization, ageing of workers, migration, that databases currently available in Italy do not allow. The sample is longitudinal and can contribute to describing the development of the phenomena over time. The Ministry of Health is completing procedures to extend the sample and to increase the health outcomes for which a follow‐up is available. Am. J. Ind. Med. 55:584–592, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Castor oil/trimethylol propane‐based polyurethane reactions: Modeling in a batch reactor
Authors: Kaushik Anupama , Singh Paramjit
Published: February 2012

Polyol as precursor of crosslinked polyurethanes was prepared through alcoholysis from castor oil having triglycerides of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Alcoholysis between castor oil (CO) and Trimethylol propane (TMP) at elevated temperature results in an equilibrium mixture consisting mainly of monoglycerides, diglycerides and triglycerides of castor oil and trimethylol propane as well as some free trimethylol propane. Polyol thus prepared was characterized using FTIR, Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (LCMS) and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectroscopy (MALDI TOF MS). Series of bulk polyurethane polymerization reactions were carried out in a batch reactor in presence of solvent, xylene, using CO/TMP polyol and diphenyl methane diisocyanate (MDI) at different temperatures and different Stoichiometric Imbalance Ratio (NCO/OH) ratio i.e., 0.75, 1.0, and 1.25. All the reactions obeyed second order kinetics. Second order rate constants were calculated and were used to model the system using kinetic approach given by Gupta and Kumar. The kinetic model allows for the calculation of concentrations of all the species in the system. Different reactivities for isocyanate functional groups located in different positions of the monomer and polymer molecules, as well as the hydroxyl functional groups of different molecules, were allowed. Allophanate and biuret ramification reactions, as well as gel formation due to crosslinking, were considered in the model. Agreement between the model predictions and experimental data on isocyanate conversion and weight‐average molecular weight was satisfactory for the entire conversion range. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Glycolysis of the rigid PUR‐PIR foam modified with starch
Authors: Czupryński Bogusław , Liszkowska Joanna , Paciorek‐Sadowska Joanna
Published: February 2012

Introduction of natural fibbers and natural materials into plastics makes their biodegradation easier. Time of degradation of plastic wastes (also foams) in dump becomes shorter. In order to facilitate biodegradation of foams, starch in amount from 5% to 25% wt with respect to the mass of other components was introduced into polyurethane–polyisocyanurate (PUR‐PIR) foams. Starch is susceptible to the action of bacteria in soil and thus, to decomposition. Polyurethane foams can be subjected to easy chemical degradation in glycols. From among all PUR‐PIR foams prepared, one foam with optimum properties (S10 containing 10% wt of starch) was selected for further experiments. Then, the waste “original” foam S10 was subjected to glycolysis in diethylene glycol and ethanolamine (as catalyst). Glycolysate was applied for synthesis of “new” foams. Three foams GS10 containing 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 of chemical equivalent (ch.eq.) of glycolysate with respect to amount of the original polyol Rokopol RF 55 were prepared. Effect of the amount of glycolysis product in foam composition on properties on the “new” foams was studied. Foam W was used as a reference without starch (W). © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Monte Carlo simulation of molecular weight distribution and copolymer composition in transamidation reaction of polyamides
Authors: Yao Zhen , Sun Jia‐Ming , Wang Qiang , Zhou Guang‐Da , Cao Kun
Published: February 2012

Melt mixing of polyamides results in exchange reaction and generation of copolymers. In this work, Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the time evolution of molecular weight distribution (MWD) and copolymer composition during the exchange reaction process between polyamides with AA and BC structure. The influences of initial composition and molecular weight have been investigated. Decrease in the difference between the average molecular weight of two kinds of polyamides results in faster approach of the MWD toward Flory's distribution and higher probability of producing copolymers. When the ratio between the numbers of initial molecules of two homopolymers is increased, the number of generated copolymers is reduced and the wider MWD is obtained. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Corrosion resistance conferred by superhydrophobic fluorinated polyacrylate–silica composite coatings on cold‐rolled steel
Authors: Weng Chang‐Jian , Peng Chih‐Wei , Chang Chi‐Hao , Chang Ya‐Han , Yeh Jui‐Ming
Published: February 2012

The superhydrophobic surface (SHS) applied for corrosion protection in this study was prepared from an organic fluorinated polyacrylate incorporated with methyltriethoxysilane (MTES)‐based silsesquioxanes spheres. The SHS, with a contact angle of about 153.2°, was coated onto the surface of cold‐rolled steel (CRS) with spin‐coating technology. The coating materials applied as anticorrosive coatings were based on a series of electrochemical corrosion‐protection measurements in saline conditions. The SHS coating on CRS was found to provide superior corrosion protection to that of the hydrophobic organic coating in a series of electrochemical measurements in 3.5 wt % aqueous NaCl electrolyte. This form of coating could also provide better corrosion protection to coated CRS substrates and could serve as an effective barrier against aggressive species. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Novel fabrication technique for three‐dimensional micropatterned electrospun poly(DL‐lactide‐co‐glycolide) acid
Authors: Leung Linus H. , Naguib Hani
Published: February 2012

Current tissue engineering scaffolds created by electrospinning techniques are mostly limited to two‐dimensional membranes. In this article, a novel method for fabricating three‐dimensional (3D) fibrous scaffolds is presented. The fabrication technique uses the saturation of carbon dioxide in poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) acid to lower the glass‐transition temperature of the polymer to allow for the sintering of multiple layers of electrospun films. The effect of gas saturation on the films was first examined by variation of the saturation pressure and time. Fiber sintering was observed as the saturation pressure and time were increased. Next, the adhesion strength between two layers of scaffolds that were sintered by gas saturation was examined, and a higher pressure of 400 psi was found to better adhere the layers of the membranes together. From the first two parts of this study, the optimal combination of gas saturation parameters was determined to a pressure of 400 psi for 3 min. With this set of parameters, 3D structures were fabricated by the sintering of 30 layers of electrospun scaffolds. Also, by patterning individual layers using microfeatured plates, we improved the open porosity. This demonstration of the ability to fabricate 3D scaffolds improves current electrospinning techniques and maintains a desirable fibrous structure for tissue engineering. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Synthesis and characterization of novel epoxy‐modified waterborne polyurethanes and their use in carbon fiber sizing
Authors: Liu Zhanqing , Tian Yanhong , Kang Sumei , Zhang Xuejun
Published: February 2012

Novel epoxy‐modified waterborne polyurethanes (EPUs) were synthesized from toluene 2,4‐diisocyanate, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), dimethylolbutyric acid, and 2,3‐epoxy‐1‐propanol (glycidol). The chemical structures of the EPU products were characterized by 1H‐NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The thermal properties of the EPUs were examined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). TGA showed that the EPUs had good thermal stability, with an initial decomposition temperature higher than 250°C. DSC analysis showed that the glass‐transition temperature of EPU1 was higher than that of EPU2. When the EPUs were heated above 150°C, the curing reaction took place. In this study, the EPUs were used for carbon fiber sizing. The mechanical interfacial strength between the fibers and the matrix was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) testing. The SEM images of the fracture sections of the composites proved that the interfacial adhesion between the fibers and the matrix improved after the EPU sizing treatment. The composites exhibited the highest value of ILSS after the EPU1 sizing treatment. The excellent properties of the EPUs confer it with potential applications in carbon fiber sizing. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Antimicrobial finishing of wool using an oxidative pretreatment to enhance the exhaustion of quaternary ammonium compounds
Authors: Gao Yuan , Kyratzis Ilias Louis
Published: February 2012

Antimicrobial treatments of textiles confer multiple benefits to the textiles and the wearers. We previously demonstrated that a pretreatment of wool with peroxymonosulfate and sulfite uniquely enabled the wool to exhaust large quantities of the cationic biocide poly(hexamethylene biguanide). In this study, we extended our previous work to quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), using cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) as an example. QACs are cationic biocides widely used in household and industrial disinfectants. It was found that the pretreatment enabled the otherwise unreceptive wool to exhaust up to 10% of CPC on the weight of wool. The presence of CPC on the wool was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The exhaustion proceeded rapidly and efficiently at room temperature and could be slightly enhanced at 40–60°C but was not affected by pH over a broad range. Dyeing with reactive dye had little effect on the exhaustion, but acid dye, premetalized dye, and chrome dye decreased CPC exhaustion by 25–50%. Wool fabrics finished with CPC exhibited a strong antimicrobial ability, deactivating 99.9% of Escherichia coli inoculated into the fabrics. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Covalently immobilized Mn(III)deuteroporphyrin on chitosan: An efficient and recyclable catalyst for aerobic oxidation of cyclohexane
Authors: Sun Chengguo , Hu Bingcheng , Zhao Donghui , Liu Zuliang
Published: February 2012

Chitosan‐supported Mn(III)deuteroporphyrin chlorine [Mn(III)DPCl‐CTS] catalyst was prepared by convalent binding of Mn(III)deuteroporphyrin‐bearing carboxyl groups on the side chain of the macrocycle ring to chitosan. The supported catalyst was found to efficiently catalyze the hydroxylation of cyclohexane with air as oxygen source. The effect of various reaction parameters, such as reaction time, temperature, and pressure on the catalytic performances, was in detail investigated and the designed installed oxidation equipment was convenient for on‐line sampling during the reaction every time. Under an optimum temperature of 140°C and a pressure of 0.7 MPa, the obtained cyclohexane conversion (16.9%) and chemoselectivity (88.7%) for cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone were much better than those observed with unsupported Mn(III)deuteroporphyrin and synthetic Mn(III) tetraphenylporphyrin. An intermolecular interaction between amino moieties in chitosan and dipropionic groups in Mn(III)deuteroporphyrin was suggested to play a role in the high conversion of this system. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Characterization of radiation‐grafted polymer films using CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy and confocal Raman microscopy
Authors: Wallasch Frank , Abele Matthias , Gubler Lorenz , Wokaun Alexander , Müller Klaus , Scherer Günther G.
Published: February 2012

Preirradiated poly(tetrafluoroethylene‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (FEP) base film were grafted with different amounts of an α‐methylstyrene (AMS) and methacrylonitrile (MAN) copolymer. The molar ratio of AMS and MAN in the grafted polymer was determined using 13C‐ CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy and compared with the molar ratio determined with FTIR spectroscopy. The distribution of the components across the thickness of the grafted films was determined using confocal Raman microscopy. The validation of the confocal Raman microscopy was performed with FEP films grafted with MAN only, where pronounced grafting fronts were observed. The local degree of grafting for AMS/MAN co‐grafted FEP films was calculated for each sample based on the intensity profiles, taking the mass of the grafted polymer and its molar ratio into account. The grafting of the AMS/MAN co‐grafted films was found to be homogeneous over the thickness, even in case of small amounts of the copolymer (15 mass%). The homogeneity of the grafting across the film thickness is a prerequisite to obtain sufficient proton conductivity after sulfonation of the radiation‐grafted films. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Characterizations of chitosan‐based highly porous hydrogel—The effects of the solvent
Authors: Dang Qi Feng , Zou Shu Hua , Chen Xi Guang , Liu Cheng Sheng , Li Jing Jing , Zhou Xuan , Liu Ya , Cheng Xiao Jie
Published: February 2012

In this study, the influences of different solvents on highly porous chitosan (CS)‐based hydrogel have been investigated by monitoring the characterizations of the hydrogel. The results determined from rheological analysis and scanning electron microscope showed that all the CS dissolved in different solvents used in this study, when neutralized by α,β‐glycerophosphate solution, could transform into a highly porous three‐dimensional hydrogel at a certain temperature, and the aperture size and shape of the pores were related to solvent variety and solvent strength. The cytocompatibility and in vivo injection experiments demonstrated that the hydrogel prepared with acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, or lactic acid as the solution of CS had low toxicity and high histocompatibility. This study suggested that the gelation temperatures, pH values, turbidity, complex viscosities, and porous structures of the hydrogels for certain experimental applications could be tailored by adjusting the solvent variety and solvent strength of the CS solution. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Preparation, characterization, and drug‐release properties of PEG‐DA‐based copolymer hydrogel microspheres
Authors: Tan Guoxin , Liao Jingwen , Ning Chengyun , Zhang Lin
Published: February 2012

The research was to design a carrier used in tissue engineering and drug‐release system. In this article, a new dispersion polymerization system without organic solvent was described to prepare poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate/2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (PEG‐DA/HEMA) copolymer hydrogel microspheres as carrier, which introduced chitosan (CS) as reaction medium and costabilizer, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as steric stabilizer and benzoy peroxide (BPO) as initiator. The effects of mass ratios of monomers, concentration of stabilizer and initiator on partilcle size and polydispersity index (PDI) of microspheres were investigated. Furthermore, bovine serum albumin (BSA) as protein model, the composition of copolymer, size, and polydispersity index of microspheres were employed to study the amount and released ratio of loaded BSA in this article. The results showed that hydrogel microspheres with 3.26 ± 0.24 μm in particle size and 1.03 ± 0.008 in PDI, obtained with mass ratios of PEG‐DA 60/HEMA 40, 2 wt % of stabilizer content and 2 wt % of initiator content (relative to total mass of monomers), had 124.57 ± 3.14 mg/g in the amount of loaded BSA and 59.09 ± 1.43% of released ratio. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Hedgehog signaling controls fibroblast activation and tissue fibrosis in systemic sclerosis
Authors: Horn Angelika , Palumbo Katrin , Cordazzo Cinzia , Dees Clara , Akhmetshina Alfiya , Tomcik Michal , Zerr Pawel , Avouac Jerome , Gusinde Johannes , Zwerina Jochen , Roudaut Hermine , Traiffort Elisabeth , Ruat Martial , Distler Oliver , Schett Georg , Distler Jörg H. W.
Published: February 2012

Objective

Hedgehog signaling not only plays crucial roles during human development but also has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases in adults. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of the hedgehog pathway in fibroblast activation in systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods

Activation of the hedgehog pathway was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The effects of sonic hedgehog (SHH) on collagen synthesis were analyzed by reporter assays, real‐time PCR, and Sircol assays. Myofibroblast differentiation was assessed by quantification of α‐smooth muscle actin and stress fiber staining. The role of hedgehog signaling in vivo was analyzed by adenoviral overexpression of SHH and using mice lacking 1 allele of the gene for inhibitory receptor Patched homolog 1 (Ptch+/− mice).

Results

SHH was overexpressed and resulted in activation of hedgehog signaling in patients with SSc, with accumulation of the transcription factors Gli‐1 and Gli‐2 and increased transcription of hedgehog target genes. Activation of hedgehog signaling induced an activated phenotype in cultured fibroblasts, with differentiation of resting fibroblasts into myofibroblasts and increased release of collagen. Adenoviral overexpression of SHH in the skin of mice was sufficient to induce skin fibrosis. Moreover, Ptch+/− mice with increased hedgehog signaling were more sensitive to bleomycin‐induced dermal fibrosis.

Conclusion

We demonstrated that the hedgehog pathway is activated in patients with SSc. Hedgehog signaling potently stimulates the release of collagen and myofibroblast differentiation in vitro and is sufficient to induce fibrosis in vivo. These findings identify the hedgehog cascade as a profibrotic pathway in SSc.
Development and validation of a highly sensitive LC‐MS/MS‐ESI method for the determination of nobiletin in rat plasma: application to a pharmacokinetic study
Authors: Kumar Avinash , Devaraj V. C. , Giri Kalpesh C. , Giri Sanjeev , Rajagopal Sriram , Mullangi Ramesh
Published: February 2012

A highly sensitive, rapid assay method has been developed and validated for the estimation of nobiletin in rat plasma with liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization in the positive‐ion mode. The assay procedure involves extraction of nobiletin and citalopram (internal standard, IS) from rat plasma with liquid–liquid extraction. Chromatographic separation was achieved using an isocratic mobile phase (0.2% formic acid–acetonitrile, 20:80, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min on an Atlantis dC18 column (maintained at 40 ± 1 °C) with a total run time of 2.0 min. The MS/MS ion transitions monitored were 403.2 → 373.0 for nobiletin and 325.2 → 109.0 for IS. Method validation was performed as per Food and Drug Administration guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. The lower limit of quantitation achieved was 0.05 ng/mL and the linearity range extended from 0.05 to 51.98 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were in the range of 1.96–14.3 and 6.21–12.1, respectively. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Natural emergence
Authors: Pernu Tuomas K. , Annila Arto
Published: February 2012

Emergence is analyzed by the principle of least action. The supreme law of nature describes diverse systems as actions that evolve from one state to another by consuming free energy in least time. As the system will either gain or lose quanta at the step of evolution, the systemic characteristics after the change of state cannot be reduced to those before the change. The change will invariably entail also a change in inter‐actions, which are flows of energy on paths that integrate ingredient systems to a synergistic system. New qualities will emerge along with opening interactions just as old ones will disappear along with ceasing interactions. The analysis of emergence as a natural process reveals that its irreducible and unpredictable nature does not result from complexity as such but because the natural process itself is molding the surroundings where it is evolving. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2012
Evolutionary structure optimization of hierarchical neural network for image recognition
Authors: Suzuki Satoru , Mitsukura Yasue
Published: February 2012

The purpose of this paper is to optimize the structure of hierarchical neural networks. In this paper, structure optimization is used to represent a neural network by the minimum number of nodes and connections, and is performed by eliminating unnecessary connections from a trained neural network by means of a genetic algorithm. We focus on a neural network specialized for image recognition problems. The flow of the proposed method is as follows. First, the Walsh–Hadamard transform is applied to images for feature extraction. Second, the neural network is trained with the extracted features based on a back‐propagation algorithm. After neural network training, unnecessary connections are eliminated from the trained neural network by means of a genetic algorithm. Finally, the neural network is retrained to recover from the degradation caused by connection elimination. In order to validate the usefulness of the proposed method, face recognition and texture classification examples are used. The experimental results indicate that a compact neural network was generated, maintaining the generalization performance by the proposed method. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 95(3): 28–36, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.10384
Structure–Photoluminescence Quenching Relationships of Iridium(III)–Tris(phenylpyridine) Complexes (Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 7/2012)
Authors: Ruggi Albert , Mauro Matteo , Polo Federico , Reinhoudt David N. , De Cola Luisa , Velders Aldrik H.
Published: February 2012

The cover picture shows two “gladiator” compounds illustrating the Structure‐Photoluminescence Quenching Relationship (SPQR) observed in hemicaged Ir(III)–tris(2‐phenylpyridine) complexes bearing a capping unit (“gshield”), either on the pyridine or on the phenyl side. The presence of a capping unit on the pyridine side induces a dramatic 40 % decrease in oxygen quenching of the luminescence with respect to the uncapped complex, as a consequence of the shielding of the LUMO; conversely, shielding of the phenyl rings, where the HOMO is partially localized, does not induce any change in the degree of oxygen quenching. The Roman Empire initialism SPQR and the “hemicaged” laurel further symbolize this study, with the emperor's thumps up and down indicating the winning and losing gladiator, respectively. Details of the synthesis and the structural, photophysical, theoretical, and electrochemical characterization are discussed in the article by L. De Cola, A. H. Velders et al. on p. 1025 ff.

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First toxicity data of chlorophenols on marine alga Dunaliella tertiolecta: Correlation of marine algal toxicity with hydrophobicity and interspecies toxicity relationships
Authors: Ertürk M. Doğa , Saçan Melek Türker
Published: February 2012

The toxicity of phenol and 13 chlorinated phenols to the marine alga Dunaliella tertiolecta is presented for the first time. The newly generated marine algal toxicity data was found to correlate strongly with the widely used hydrophobicity parameter—the logarithm of the n-octanol–water partition coefficient (log KOW). Interspecies relationships using the new marine algal toxicity data of chlorophenols with the previously published data on bacterium (Vibrio fischeri), protozoan (Tetrahymena pyriformis), daphnid (Daphnia magna), freshwater alga (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata), and fish (Pimephales promelas) revealed promising results that could be exploited in extrapolations using freshwater data to predict marine algal toxicity. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2012; 31: 1113–1120. © 2012 SETAC
The indirect antinociceptive mechanism of 15d‐PGJ2 on rheumatoid arthritis‐induced TMJ inflammatory pain in rats
Authors: Quinteiro M.S. , Napimoga M.H. , Mesquita K.P. , Clemente‐Napimoga J.T.
Published: February 2012

Background

Inflammation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) induced by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have resulted in persistent pain and caused distress to many patients. Considering that not all patients respond to traditional drugs therapy to RA and it has demonstrated that 15‐deoxy‐Δ12,14‐prostaglandin J2 (15d‐PGJ2) into TMJ has a potential peripheral antinociceptive effect, the aim of this study was to evaluate the peripheral effect of 15d‐PGJ2 in RA‐induced TMJ inflammatory hypernociception.

Methods

Antigen‐induced arthritis (AIA) was generated in rats with methylated bovine serum albumin (mBSA). RA‐induced TMJ hypernociception was assessed by measuring the behavioural nociceptive responses. After behavioural experiments, the animals were terminally anaesthetized and periarticular tissues were removed and homogenized. The supernatants were used to evaluate the levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, interleukin (IL)‐1β and keratinocyte‐derived chemokine (KC) by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay as well the expression of PKCε and PKA by western blotting analysis.

Results

The intra‐articular injection of mBSA, but not phosphate buffered saline (control), in immunized rats induced dose‐ and time‐dependent behavioural nociceptive responses in which the peak of nociceptive responses were obtained by using 10 μg/TMJ of mBSA after 24 h. Pretreatment with 15d‐PGJ2 (30, 100 and 300 ng/TMJ) inhibited the RA‐induced TMJ inflammatory hypernociception. In addition, 15d‐PGJ2 reduced the RA‐induced release of TNF‐α, IL‐1β and KC (p < 0.05) as well the expression of PKA and PKCε (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

In the present study, we demonstrated that 15d‐PGJ2 was able to reduce the RA‐induced TMJ inflammatory hypernociception by an indirect mechanism. This antinociceptive effect is in part due to decrease of TNF‐α, IL‐1β and KC levels and PKA/PKCε expression in the TMJ.
Using cloud computing to manage costs
Authors: Lee Lorraine S. , Mautz Jr. R. David
Published: February 2012

The growing availability of cloud computing provides opportunities to manage costs—by effectively outsourcing selected information technology (IT) functions. But like all other outsourcing decisions, you must conduct a careful analysis—to ensure that potential savings outweigh both costs and the risks of ceding control to an outside vendor. This article provides guidance for managers considering cloud computing as a cost management strategy. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
VIOLENCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN COLOMBIAN CITIES: A DYNAMIC PANEL DATA ANALYSIS
Authors: Cotte Poveda Alexander
Published: February 2012

This paper studies the socio‐economic determinants of violence in the seven most important cities in Colombia. Derived from theories rooted in classic works, including Becker's paradigm, criminal inertia, social disorganisation, urbanism and strain, we formulate several hypotheses on the socio‐economic determinants of violence. To test these hypotheses, a dynamic panel data analysis is employed. The analysis shows that cities’ deprivation and high population density are strong predictors of homicide rates. Comparing the results among Colombian cities, we find support indicating that city‐level homicide rates are influenced by the city's level of development. Moreover, we find evidence that economic growth, inequality, poverty and human capital influence violence in the cities studied, which could generate negative effects on the economic and social development of Colombia. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.