bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the oncoproteomic response of human prostate cancer to therapeutic radiation using data‐independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry
Authors: Keam Simon P. , Gulati Twishi , Gamell Cristina , Caramia Franco , Huang Cheng , Schittenhelm Ralf B. , Kleifeld Oded , Neeson Paul J. , Haupt Ygal , Williams Scott G.
Published: March 2018

Introduction

The development of radioresistance in prostate cancer (PCa) is an important clinical issue and is still largely uninformed by personalized molecular characteristics. The aim of this study was to establish a platform that describes the early oncoproteomic response of human prostate tissue to radiation therapy (RT) using a prospective human tissue cohort.

Methods

Fresh and fixed transperineal biopsies from eight men with clinically localized tumors were taken prior to and 14 days following a single fraction of high‐dose‐rate brachytherapy. Quantitative protein analysis was achieved using an optimized protein extraction pipeline and subsequent data‐independent acquisition mass spectroscopy (DIA‐MS). Ontology analyses were used to identify enriched functional pathways, with the candidates further interrogated in formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue biopsies from five additional patients.

Results

We obtained a mean coverage of 5660 proteins from fresh tissue biopsies; with the principal post‐radiation change observed being an increase in levels amongst a total of 49 proteins exhibiting abundance changes. Many of these changes in abundance varied between patients and, typically to prostate cancer tissue, exhibited a high level of heterogeneity. Ontological analysis revealed the enrichment of the protein activation cascades of three immunological pathways: humoral immune response, leukocyte mediated immunity and complement activation. These were predominantly associated with the extracellular space. We validated significant expression differences in between 20% and 61% of these candidates using the separate fixed‐tissue cohort and established their feasibility as an experimental tissue resource by acquiring quantitative data for a mean of 5152 proteins per patient.

Discussion

In this prospective study, we have established a sensitive and reliable oncoproteomic pipeline for the analysis of both fresh and formalin‐fixed human PCa tissue. We identified multiple pathways known to be radiation‐responsive and have established a powerful database of candidates and pathways with no current association with RT. This information may be beneficial in the advancement of personalized therapies and potentially, predictive biomarkers.
The drug interaction potential of daprodustat when coadministered with pioglitazone, rosuvastatin, or trimethoprim in healthy subjects
Authors: Caltabiano Stephen , Mahar Kelly M. , Lister Karyn , Tenero David , Ravindranath Ramiya , Cizman Borut , Cobitz Alexander R.
Published: March 2018

This study was conducted to evaluate the likelihood of daprodustat to act as a perpetrator in drug–drug interactions (DDI) with the CYP2C8 enzyme and OATP1B1 transporter using the probe substrates pioglitazone and rosuvastatin as potential victims, respectively. Additionally, this study assessed the effect of a weak CYP2C8 inhibitor, trimethoprim, as a perpetrator of a DDI with daprodustat.

This was a two‐part study: Part A assessed the effect of coadministration of daprodustat on the pharmacokinetics of pioglitazone and rosuvastatin in 20 subjects; Part B assessed the coadministration of trimethoprim on the pharmacokinetics of daprodustat in 20 subjects.

Coadministration of 100 mg of daprodustat with pioglitazone or rosuvastatin had no effect on the plasma exposures of either probe substrate. When trimethoprim was coadministered with 25‐mg daprodustat plasma daprodustat AUC and Cmax increased by 48% and 28%, respectively. Additionally, AUC and Cmax for the metabolite GSK2531401 were decreased by 32% and 40%, respectively. Cmax for the other metabolites was slightly decreased (~8–15%) but no changes in AUC were observed.

As 100‐mg daprodustat exceeds the planned top therapeutic dose, interaction potential of daprodustat as a perpetrator with substrates of the CYP2C8 enzyme and OATP1B1 transporters is very low. Conversely, daprodustat exposure (AUC and Cmax) is likely to increase moderately with coadministration of weak CYP2C8 inhibitors.
Deconvolution in mass spectrometry based proteomics
Authors: Xu Guang , Stupak Jacek , Yang Li , Hu Luokai , Guo Bo , Li Jianjun
Published: March 2018

Mass spectrometry (MS) has played a vital role across a broad range of fields and applications in proteomics. The development of high‐resolution MS has significantly advanced biology in areas such as protein structure, function, post‐translational modification and global protein dynamics. The two most widely used MS ionization techniques in proteomics are electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI). ESI typically yields multiple charge values for each molecular mass and an isotopic cluster for each nominal mass‐to‐charge (m/z) value. Although MALDI mass spectra typically contain only singly charged ions, overlapping isotope patterns can be problematic for accurate mass measurement.

To overcome these challenges of overlapping isotope patterns associated with complex samples in MS‐based proteomics research, deconvolution strategies are being used. This manuscript describes a wide variety of deconvolution strategies, including de‐isotoping and de‐charging processes, deconvolution of co‐eluting isomers or peptides with different sequences in data‐dependent acquisition (DDA) and data‐independent acquisition (DIA) modes, and data analysis in intact protein mass determination, ion mobility MS, native MS, and hydrogen/deuterium exchange MS. It concludes with a discussion of future prospects in the development of bioinformatics and potential new applications in proteomics.
Electron transfer dissociation of synthetic and natural peptides containing lanthionine/methyllanthionine bridges
Authors: Dolle Ashwini B. , Jagadeesh Narasimhappagari , Bhaumik Suman , Prakash Sunita , Biswal Himansu S. , Gowd Konkallu Hanumae
Published: March 2018

Rationale

The modes of cleavage of lanthionine/methyllanthionine bridges under electron transfer dissociation (ETD) were investigated using synthetic and natural lantipeptides. Knowledge of the mass spectrometric fragmentation of lanthionine/methyllanthionine bridges may assist in the development of analytical methods for the rapid discovery of new lantibiotics. The present study strengthens the advantage of ETD in the characterization of posttranslational modifications of peptides and proteins.

Methods

Synthetic and natural lantipeptides were obtained by desulfurization of peptide disulfides and cyanogen bromide digestion of the lantibiotic nisin, respectively. These peptides were subjected to electrospray ionization collision‐induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (CID‐MS/MS) and ETD‐MS/MS using an HCT ultra ETDII ion trap mass spectrometer. MS3 CID was performed on the desired product ions to prove cleavage of the lanthionine/methyllanthionine bridge during ETD‐MS/MS.

Results

ETD has advantages over CID in the cleavage of the side chain of lanthionine/methyllanthionine bridges. The cleavage of the N–Cα backbone peptide bond followed by C‐terminal side chain of the lanthionine bridge results in formation of c•+ and z+ ions. Cleavage at the preceding peptide bond to the C‐terminal side chain of lanthionine/methyllanthionine bridges yields specific fragments with the cysteine/methylcysteine thiyl radical and dehydroalanine.

Conclusions

ETD successfully cleaves the lanthionine/methyllanthionine bridges of synthetic and natural lantipeptides. Diagnostic fragment ions of ETD cleavage of lanthionine/methyllanthionine bridges are the N‐terminal cysteine/methylcysteine thiyl radical and C‐terminal dehydroalanine. Detection of the cysteine/methylcysteine thiyl radical and dehydroalanine in combined ETD‐CID‐MS may be used for the rapid identification of lantipeptide natural products.
A review of the effects of pollution and water scarcity on the stream biota of an intermittent Mediterranean basin
Authors: Karaouzas Ioannis , Theodoropoulos Christos , Vardakas Leonidas , Kalogianni Eleni , Th. Skoulikidis Nikolaos
Published: March 2018

This review presents the main results of a 10‐year research study conducted in a Mediterranean intermittent basin (Evrotas River). By assembling the main outcomes of past and ongoing research projects, this study provides an overview of multiple stressor effects, with emphasis on water scarcity, focusing on hydro‐biogeochemical processes, as well as on spatial and temporal variations in benthic macroinvertebrates and fish fauna. The major impact in the basin has been the over‐exploitation of surface and groundwater resources, which, in combination with droughts, has resulted in the recurrent artificial desiccation of large parts of the hydrological network. The response to intermittency of the macroinvertebrate fauna is characterized by high resilience through various drought‐resistant evolutionary mechanisms, with assemblages recovering successfully after recurrent droughts. However, when pollution is evident in combination with drought, effects on benthic species richness, abundance, and assemblage structure can be severe. Similarly, pollution and water stress may result in massive fish mortalities due to hypoxic conditions, with fish populations requiring long periods to recover. However, the fish fauna appears to be relatively resilient to drought‐driven reach‐scale desiccation, and ultimately recovers, provided that aquatic refugia are available to supply colonists and that there are no physical barriers impeding recolonisation. Appropriate conservation measures are urgently required to address the effects of recurrent bouts of water stress, as well as of other stressors on the freshwater communities of the Evrotas River, both at the level of water management and of water policy and at the local and the national level.
Scanning Auger spectromicroscopy using the ScopeFoundry software platform
Authors: Durham Daniel B. , Ogletree D. Frank , Barnard Edward S.
Published: March 2018

We have developed an open‐source, Python‐based software platform called ScopeFoundry for performing complex, multidimensional microscopy experiments that integrate diverse types of experimental hardware. ScopeFoundry streamlines experiment development by providing a modular environment where hardware controls and measurement schemes can be arranged and customized. Important software tasks such as data management and user interface generation are automated. Using this platform, we have implemented scanning Auger spectromicroscopy on a modified commercial surface analysis system. Spectromicroscopy produces multidimensional datasets with complete spectra at each image pixel, allowing for detailed analysis of material phases where Auger peaks may change in shape and position. Analysis of the surface phases of an advanced electron emission dispenser cathode is presented as an example. We describe the general ScopeFoundry platform, its application to Auger spectromicroscopy, and ways it can be applied to advance surface analysis and microscopy.
History of Sexual Violence in Higher Education
Authors: Jessup‐Anger Jody , Lopez Elise , Koss Mary P.
Published: March 2018

In this chapter, we describe the history of sexual violence as it pertains to postsecondary institutions, focusing on social movements, research, and policy, and their implications for higher education.
Creating Campus Communities of Care: Supporting Sexual Violence Survivors
Authors: Monahan‐Kreishman Mollie , Ingarfield Lisa
Published: March 2018

This chapter provides concrete ways higher education professionals can support sexual violence survivors on campus at the individual, community, and institutional levels.
Navigating Institutions and Institutional Leadership to Address Sexual Violence
Authors: Sisneros Kathy , Rivera Monica
Published: March 2018

Using an institutional example, this chapter offers strategies to effectively navigate institutional culture, processes, and structures to engage the entire campus community in addressing sexual violence.
Effect of Tea/Tea Extracts on α‐Glucan Hydrolysis by Enzymes In Vitro and In Vivo − With Parallel Impacts on Health
Authors: Qi Xin , Viti Nicole , Tester Richard Frank
Published: March 2018

The digestion of starch and starch derivatives in humans is a multi‐enzyme process which generates glucose as the major dietary energy source. Digestible or amorphous starch may be depolymerised by digestive (pancreatic) α‐amylase to generate dextrins, maltooligosaccharides, and maltose. The small intestine brush border located maltase‐glucoamylase (MGAM) may then convert maltose and maltooligosaccharides with an α‐(1–4) bonding configuration to glucose. The similarly located sucrase‐isomaltase enzyme complex may also convert maltose to glucose and isomaltose or α‐(1–6) linked oligosaccharides to glucose too. Some components in the diet (for example tea) may interact with enzymes in the digestive system associated with α‐glucan digestion. Tea is consumed in different formats around the world and is considered to provide many health benefits. Most often tea is consumed without milk − which is popular in some countries − where the milk proteins bind to the bioactive components of the tea. Health related conditions may be linked to the control of energy generation via glucose in the gut − although tea and tea extracts are associated with broader health impacts.
Gaseous Ozonation of Pigeon Pea, Lima Bean, and Jack Bean Starches: Functional, Thermal, and Molecular Properties
Authors: Oladebeye Abraham Olasupo , Oshodi Aladesanmi Augustine , Amoo Isiaka Adekunle , Karim Alias Abd
Published: March 2018

Pigeon pea, lima bean and jack bean starches are oxidized with gaseous ozone (O3) and their functional, thermal, and molecular properties are determined. Carbonyl content, carboxyl content and the amount of the reacted ozone are positively correlated (p < 0.01). Swelling and solubility profiles of the native starch samples increases upon oxidation. Higher values of peak viscosity, cold paste viscosity, and hot paste lower setback viscosity values and, significantly, similar peak times and pasting temperatures are observed upon ozonation (p < 0.05). Texturally, the oxidized gels are softer and more elastic than the native gels. The range values of gel strengths, among the oxidized starches, are 2.83–5.42 N (pigeon pea), 4.38–4.84 N (lima bean), and 2.98–4.20 N (jack bean). Absorption band peaks at 2925.11 and 2927.14 cm−1 of CH2 asymmetric stretching, 3200–3400 cm−1 of OH groups are obtained for the native starches, which were unaltered upon oxidation. Gelatinization temperatures (To, Tp, and Tc) of the starches remains unchanged after oxidation, except for To, Tp for lima bean and jack bean starches. The gelatinization and retrogradation studies of the oxidized pigeon pea starches exhibits higher endothermic enthalpies than their native starches. The crystals of the starch samples are CB‐type X‐ray patterns and the oxidized starches possessed higher crystallite sizes than the native starches. Amylose contents, weight averages, and polydispersity ratios improve upon oxidation whereas an opposite trend is observed in terms of amylopectin content and number averages.
Internal and external determinants of export performance: Insights from Algeria
Authors: Haddoud Mohamed Yacine , Nowinski Witold , Jones Paul , Newbery Robert
Published: March 2018

The internationalization of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) has been the focus of numerous studies. However, while the attention has thus far been on SMEs operating in developed countries, firms evolving in a developing context, including Africa, have been largely neglected. To address this, and drawing on a dual resources‐based and network‐based view, this study simultaneously investigates the importance of internal and external resources for firms’ export performance and regularity in the context of North African SMEs. Using a sample of Algerian exporters, the study reveals the superiority of discrete resources for boosting export performance and export regularity. These findings provide directions to Algerian SME managers and policymakers as to important factors driving the internationalization process in the developing Algerian context.
Formaldehyde emission from PVC–wood composites containing MDF sanding dust
Authors: Ansari Chaharsoughi Mahdi , Kazemi Najafi Saeed , Behrooz Rabi
Published: March 2018

The main purpose of this work was to study the formaldehyde emission from wood plastic composites (WPCs) containing polyvinyl chloride (PVC), wood flour, and sanding dust of medium density fiberboard (MDF). Wood floor was replaced with 10, 15, and 20% MDF sanding dust (as a wood‐based panel waste), and the composites were manufactured by the extrusion method. Formaldehyde emission from WPCs was measured using two different methods: the desiccator method according to ISO 12460 and the flask method according to EN717‐3. Moreover, the physical and mechanical properties of the WPC samples were determined. The results indicated that the use of MDF sanding dust in formulation of WPCs leads to higher formaldehyde emission. The composites with higher content of MDF sanding dust exhibited higher formaldehyde emission. Although the PVC composites containing MDF sanding dust release formaldehyde, the formaldehyde emission values were very low. Therefore, these composites can be considered to be green composites and there is no concern in their indoor applications. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 25:159–164, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers
Evaluation of statistical downscaling models using pattern and dependence structure in the monsoon‐dominated region of Pakistan
Authors: Khan Firdos , Ali Shaukat , Pilz Jürgen
Published: March 2018

The uphill topography and sudden spatial variation in the climate of the monsoon‐dominated region of Pakistan render it difficult to make predictions with dynamical climate models. This study evaluates the use of two statistical models for the downscaling of climate variables: the Multivariate Multiple Linear Regression Model (MMLRM) and the Multisite Multivariate Statistical Downscaling Model (MMSDSM). A randomisation technique was implemented to establish the extreme values and spatial dependence structure for a number of variables by adding correlated noise to the predictand data for multiple sites, generated from a multivariate normal distribution. In the case of precipitation, probability mapping techniques were used to make adjustments based on a gamma distribution. To cope with the dimensionality and multicollinearity problems of the input data (predictors), empirical orthogonal functions were used. The models were calibrated using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) predictors for the period 1960–1990 and validated for 1990–2000. To investigate the efficacy of the proposed models, different statistical measures – such as root mean square error, mean bias error and analysis of how closely the observed variability was reproduced – were used. The results show mixed support for both models: MMLRM underestimates the variability, and MMSDSM has the ability to predict the extreme values and spatial dependence structure. The results of logistic regression analysis show that the precipitation probability values generated by the logistic model closely reproduced the patterns of observed precipitation – there is an increase in the occurrence of precipitation events during the monsoon season over the target area.
Laparoscopic Versus Open Transverse Colectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Gavriilidis Paschalis , Katsanos Konstantinos
Published: March 2018

Objectives

The survival benefits, oncological adequacy, effectiveness, and safety of laparoscopic transverse colectomy (LTC) were compared with that of open transverse colectomy (OTC) using a meta‐analysis.

Methods

EMBASE, Medline, Cochrane library, and Google scholar databases were searched for the last 20 years. Meta‐analyses were performed using both fixed‐effects and random‐effects models. Five‐year disease‐free survival and overall survival were estimated using the inverse variance hazard ratio method.

Results

No survival benefits were detected between the two LTC and OTC cohorts. OTC showed shorter operative time by 38 min compared to LTC [mean difference (MD) = 38(15.23–60.77), p = 0.001]. However, LTC was associated with earlier postoperative recovery. The time to flatus and time to oral intake for LTC were MD = −1.12(−1.68 to −0.55, p = 0.001) and MD = −1.57(−2.38 to −0.76, p = 0.001), respectively. In addition, LTC was associated with a shorter hospital stay by 4.5 days [MD = −4.64(−7.52 to −1.75), p = 0.002].

Conclusions

Compared to OTC, LTC provides similar survival benefits, earlier postoperative recovery, and shorter hospital stay by 4.5 days.
A new multi-layer irrotational Boussinesq-type model for highly nonlinear and dispersive surface waves over a mildly sloping seabed
Authors: Liu Z. B. , Fang K. Z. , Cheng Y. Z.
Published: March 2018

A new multi-layer irrotational Boussinesq-type model is proposed for both linear and nonlinear surface water waves over mildly sloping seabeds. The model is formulated in terms of computational horizontal and vertical velocity components within each layer and satisfies exact kinematic and dynamic free-surface conditions as well as kinematic seabed conditions. Using a Stokes-type expansion, a theoretical analysis of the new multi-layer model is carried out to examine both linear and nonlinear properties, including wave celerity, velocity profiles, shoaling amplitude, second- and third-order transfer functions and amplitude dispersion. The dispersive coefficients in the governing equations are determined by optimizing the linear celerity or linear velocity profiles. For example, the four-layer model shows extremely high accuracy and is applicable up to $kh=667$–800 (where $k$ is the wavenumber and $h$ is a typical water depth) with a 1 % error in wave phase celerity, and up to $kh=352$–423 with a 1 % error in the linear velocity components. The super- and subharmonic transfer functions are extremely accurate up to $kh=300$ (1 % error), the third-order harmonics and amplitude dispersion are accurate up to $kh=477$ (1 % error), and the shoaling property is optimized to cover the range of $0<kh<300$, which presents a 0.06 % tolerance error in shoaling amplitude. The high-accuracy nature of the model increases its suitability for simulating random wave propagation from extremely deep to shallow waters over mildly sloping topographies. The model is implemented numerically on a non-staggered grid via a composite fourth-order Adams–Bashforth–Moulton time integration. The numerical results show good agreement with both the analytical solutions and experimental data.
The Effect of Monitoring on CEO Compensation in a Matching Equilibrium
Authors: Chaigneau Pierre , Sahuguet Nicolas
Published: March 2018

We consider a model of chief executive officer (CEO) selection, dismissal, and retention. Firms with larger blockholder ownership monitor more; they get more information about CEO ability, which facilitates the dismissal of low-ability CEOs. These firms are matched with CEOs whose ability is more uncertain. For retention purposes, the compensation of these CEOs is more sensitive to firm value and relatively less sensitive to business conditions. Moreover, these CEOs receive lower salaries when CEO skills are sufficiently transferable. A diffusion of best monitoring practices increases competition for CEOs and raises CEO pay in all firms, including those with unchanged monitoring ability.
Why New Parties Split: The Schism of Peru's United Left in Comparative Perspective
Authors: VAN DYCK BRANDON
Published: March 2018

Why do new parties split? Scholars of new party schisms shy away from leadership-centred explanations for fear of excessive voluntarism and thus fail to conceptualise differences between leaders systematically. This article challenges that trend, arguing that externally appealing, internally dominant leaders generate cohesion in new parties. It analyses why some externally appealing leaders are internally dominant, while others are not, and argues that this variation can make the difference between schism and survival. The article supports its argument through a representative case study: the fatal (and consequential) schism of Peru's United Left coalition in the late 1980s.
Analytic study on low- external ideal infernal modes in tokamaks with large edge pressure gradients
Authors: Brunetti Daniele , Graves J. P. , Lazzaro E. , Mariani A. , Nowak S. , Cooper W. A. , Wahlberg C.
Published: March 2018

The problem of pressure driven infernal type perturbations near the plasma edge is addressed analytically for a circular limited tokamak configuration which presents an edge flattened safety factor. The plasma is separated from a metallic wall, either ideally conducting or resistive, by a vacuum region. The dispersion relation for such types of instabilities is derived and discussed for two classes of equilibrium profiles for pressure and mass density.
On the timing and duration of foraging inOnchidella celtica
Authors: Kent R.M.L. , Hawkins S.J.
Published: March 2018

Time-lapse photography was used to study the timing and duration of foraging activity of a population of the pulmonate gastropodOnchidella celticaon an exposed rocky shore in Cornwall, UK. The pulmonates spent most of their time in their home crevice, emerging onto open rock only during some ebb tides to forage for food and find a mate. Total duration and speed of foraging was highly variable and did not generally conform to a triphasic pattern. The number foraging was also highly variable and was not correlated significantly with the spring/neap tide cycle or weather (air temperature above 12°C, air pressure, solar radiation, precipitation, relative humidity and wind speed). There was a significant negative correlation between foraging and surf height. Although the pulmonates foraged during all hours of the day/night cycle, foraging activity tended to be highest during the afternoon and evening.
Seasonality of helminth infection in wild red deer varies between individuals and between parasite taxa
Authors: Albery Gregory F. , Kenyon Fiona , Morris Alison , Morris Sean , Nussey Daniel H. , Pemberton Josephine M.
Published: March 2018

Parasitism in wild mammals can vary according to myriad intrinsic and extrinsic factors, many of which vary seasonally. However, seasonal variation in parasitism is rarely studied using repeated samples from known individuals. Here we used a wild population of individually recognized red deer (Cervus elaphus) on the Isle of Rum to quantify seasonality and intrinsic factors affecting gastrointestinal helminth parasitism over the course of a year. We collected 1020 non-invasive faecal samples from 328 known individuals which we then analysed for propagules of three helminth taxa: strongyle nematodes, the common liver flukeFasciola hepaticaand the tissue nematodeElaphostrongylus cervi. Zero-inflated Poisson models were used to investigate how season, age and sex were associated with parasite prevalence and count intensity, while Poisson models were used to quantify individual repeatability within and between sampling seasons. Parasite intensity and prevalence varied according to all investigated factors, with opposing seasonality, age profiles and sex biases between parasite taxa. Repeatability was moderate, decreased between seasons and varied between parasites; bothF. hepaticaandE. cervishowed significant between-season repeatability, while strongyle nematode counts were only repeatable within-season and showed no repeatability within individuals across the year.
The adversative connectivesaberandbutin conversational corpora
Authors: GÜLZOW Insa , BARTLITZ Victoria , KUEHNAST Milena , GOLCHER Felix , BITTNER Dagmar
Published: March 2018

We analyzed the conversational corpora of two German and two English children to investigate how the different use types of the adversative connectivesaberandbutinfluence the probability of monologically versus dialogically constructed utterances in the first year of use. Our findings show that children produce adversative connectives mainly in dialogic structures for illocutionary and theme-management purposes, but that the use types of adversative connectives lead to a different distribution of monologic and dialogic clause combinations. The results suggest that monologic and dialogic realizations as a function of text type must be considered when describing the developmental trajectory of the different use types of adversative connectives.
Écrire l'histoire de l'esclavage: Entre approche globale et perspective comparatiste
Authors: Ismard Paulin
Published: March 2018

Peut-on considérer, à la suite de l'un de ses meilleurs spécialistes, Patrick Manning, que «le champ des études sur l'esclavage est devenu un modèle de comparatisme en histoire sociale et économique»? Tout dépend de ce que l'on entend sous le terme de comparatisme, qui en est venu à qualifier des démarches aussi différentes dans leur méthode que variées, voire contradictoires, dans leur finalité. Depuis la fin des années 1990, l'histoire globale de l'esclavage n'a pas manqué de souligner les naïvetés épistémologiques d'une certaine tradition comparatiste, coupable d'appréhender le fait esclavagiste sous l'angle de ses institutions, et non comme un processus dynamique résultant de conditions historiques singulières. Il convient pourtant de cerner les limites d'une telle approche lorsqu'elle prétend être seule en mesure de dire ce qu'il en est de l'esclavage à travers l'histoire. Après avoir dressé un état des lieux des enjeux théoriques qui traversent l'historiographie contemporaine de l'esclavage, l'article tente de mettre en évidence ce qu'une démarche comparatiste de type «morphologique», redéfinie dans ses échelles d'observation, ses méthodes et ses objectifs, est susceptible d'apporter à l’étude d'une société en particulier, celle d'Athènes à l’époque classique. À partir de l'examen d'une forme spécifique d'organisation du travail servile commune à de nombreuses sociétés esclavagistes – celle où un esclave attaché à l'exploitation d'une terre, d'une boutique ou d'un atelier verse une rente régulière à son maître –, il est possible de réinterroger plusieurs dimensions essentielles de l'institution esclavagiste athénienne.
L’Église, la cité et la modernité
Authors: Mazel Florian
Published: March 2018

Le dernier ouvrage de Dominique Iogna-Prat,Cité de Dieu, cité des hommes. L’Église et l'architecture de la société, 1200-1500, qui s'inscrit dans la postérité intellectuelle et chronologique deLa maison Dieu. Une histoire monumentale de l’Église au Moyen Âge (v. 800-v. 1200), se présente comme un essai sur l’émergence de la ville en tant que figure symbolique et politique de la cité des hommes entre 1200 et 1700, et sur les effets de cette émergence sur l’Église, qui avait assumé cette fonction avant 1200. Il nourrit une réflexion ambitieuse sur les origines de la modernité, qui vise à dépasser les impasses de la philosophie politique, prompte à ignorer les siècles médiévaux et le moment scolastique, et à relativiser l'effacement de l'institution ecclésiale à partir de la Renaissance. Il rejette l'opposition binaire entre l’Église et l’État, propose une nouvelle périodisation de l’«entrée en modernité» et souligne l'importance des enjeux spatiaux (ici principalement en termes de représentation), s'inscrivant ainsi dans un courant de l'historiographie française attaché depuis plus d'une décennie à réintroduire la question de l'espace au cœur de l'histoire sociale et politique. La démonstration, stimulante, suscite cependant quelques interrogations. Celles-ci portent sur les effets de la Réforme protestante, la puissance croissante des États et le processus de «sécularisation» ou, plus encore, sur l'articulation entre une logique de polarisation de l'espace et une logique de territorialisation dans les pratiques de gouvernement et l'encadrement de la société, toutes deux promues par l'institution ecclésiale, avant les États eux-mêmes.
Les strates de la ville de l'Anthropocène
Authors: Zalasiewicz Jan , Waters Colin , Williams Mark
Published: March 2018

Le tissu d'une ville correspond à une transformation de matériaux géologiques bruts en un assemblage complexe de nouveaux minéraux, fabriqués par des humains, et de roches, telles que l'acier, le verre, le plastique, le béton, la brique et la céramique. Cette activité est considérée en termes de « métabolisme urbain », avec des afflux et des flux quotidiens de personnes, de nourriture, d'eau et de déchets. Empruntée aux temps géologiques, une échelle de temps plus longue, de quelques années au millénaire, est adoptée ; elle reste pertinente pour le présent et les générations humaines futures. Dans les systèmes sédimentaires naturels, les flux de matériaux sont gouvernés par des forces naturelles, comme le climat et la gravité, et ils laissent des traces physiques dans les strates des rivières. Dans les villes, les flux de matériaux géologiques nécessaires à les construire et à les reconstruire sont réalisés par les humains et sont largement produits par les énergies fossiles stockées dans les hydrocarbures. Les assemblages de roches anthropogéniques et de minéraux qui en résultent peuvent être pensés comme des systèmes sédimentaires (et/ou des traces fossiles), fossilisables, à l’échelle de la planète. Extrêmement plus diversifiés que les strates géologiques naturelles, ils évoluent aussi bien plus rapidement, notamment en ce qui concerne les déchets. Considérer les villes par le biais d'une telle perspective peut devenir de plus en plus utile, compte tenu de leur nécessaire adaptation aux conditions changeantes de l’époque émergente, l'Anthropocène.
L'encastrement des relations entre marchands en France, 1750-1850: Une révolution dans le monde du commerce ?
Authors: Bartolomei Arnaud , de Oliveira Matthieu , Eloire Fabien , Lemercier Claire , Sougy Nadège
Published: March 2018

La période 1750-1850 est souvent placée au centre des grands récits de la modernisation, notamment ceux qui la caractérisent par un passage de relations économiques encastrées dans des liens familiaux ou communautaires à des transactions impersonnelles uniquement appuyées sur le marché et des dispositifs juridiques. Ces récits sont ici mis à l’épreuve à travers l'analyse systématique de trois corpus de sources correspondant à des instruments largement utilisés par les marchands de l’époque : lettres d'entrée en relation, lettres circulaires et procurations notariées. Cette étude, à la fois qualitative et quantitative, ne met en évidence aucune révolution, et peu d’évolutions linéaires. En revanche, elle conduit à dépasser l'opposition entre des transactions commerciales encastrées et totalement désencastrées. De nombreux indices de la complémentarité entre des transactions économiques personnalisées et d'autres plus impersonnelles sont en effet perceptibles. D'autres types d'encastrement jouent aussi un rôle important : d'une part, les relations répétées ou celles établies par l'intermédiaire de tiers ; d'autre part, une forme d'homophilie sociale entre marchands, fondée notamment sur le partage d'un langage commun, celui du commerce.
Density of Real Zeros of the Tutte Polynomial
Authors: OK SEONGMIN , PERRETT THOMAS J.
Published: March 2018

The Tutte polynomial of a graph is a two-variable polynomial whose zeros and evaluations encode many interesting properties of the graph. In this article we investigate the real zeros of the Tutte polynomials of graphs, and show that they form a dense subset of certain regions of the plane. This is the first density result for the real zeros of the Tutte polynomial in a region of positive volume. Our result almost confirms a conjecture of Jackson and Sokal except for one region which is related to an open problem on flow polynomials.
The everyday: a degree zero agenda for contemporary Chinese architecture
Authors: Wang Junyang
Published: March 2018

This paper highlights the theoretical and critical implications of the everyday for contemporary Chinese architecture on two levels. On the one hand, against the background that – ever since the formation of the profession of architecture in the early twentieth century – there has been a recurrent preference for high definitions of Chinese architecture either in terms of its outer form or style, or its essential and metaphysical meanings. This paper thus aims to identify a quiet yet compelling awareness of the significance of the everyday to architecture in China over the past 15 years. Beginning with Jiakun Liu's declaration of Here and Now, illustrated by his recently completed project in Chengdu, Xicun Big Yard, this consciousness has been made apparent through architectural practice, research and education. To borrow Roland Barthes’ terminology, it is a ‘degree zero’ agenda that rests on the multiple yet ostensible unobtrusiveness of everyday reality in Chinese cities rather than the hot definition of form and overladen historical and metaphysical meanings. In the context of contemporary Chinese architecture, on the other hand, this agenda can also be seen as a resistance arising in response to the dramatic construction of large-scale urban redevelopments that have, in many cases, resulted in devastating consequences. As a ‘degree zero agenda’, the concern of the everyday not only offers a way to see around architecture's obsessions with buildings as autonomous objects but also calls for bottom-up urban processes in contrast to the top down approach that has prevailed in China. The paper calls for a Chinese architecture that, by transforming the purpose and activity of design, would better fulfil its social and architectural potentials through practical, poetic and critical operations.
Reconstructing the ‘everyday’ for a political aesthetic in design
Authors: Zhu Jianfei
Published: March 2018

Despite the many studies on the everyday in social theory and in architecture, it remains wanting as to how the everyday – as an idea, concept or methodology – can be employed, if at all, for a new conceptualisation of architecture and a new ethic and aesthetic for design action. In this context, Jacques Rancière – who suggests that modern art is about daily life rather than formal abstraction and that a political aesthetic has been with us since the nineteenth century – stands out as a fresh and challenging voice that seems to have a great potential. This paper is a reading of Rancière for architecture, in the interest of searching for a new design agenda, and a new understanding of what was modern and progressive in architecture.

After a reading of Lefebvre and others’ studies on the everyday, this paper introduces Rancière's understanding of a longer-standing visibility on the common and the anonymous in everyday life since the early nineteenth-century. To explain, Rancière's main framework is introduced; this includes his basic argument of a distribution of the sensible – a subjective, perceptive and material ordering of the socio-political world that is also aesthetic, his differentiation between police and politics, and his third regime of art in the European history, the ‘aesthetic regime of art’, dominating after 1800 and ongoing today. Emphasising a few points and providing a discussion on four issues, the paper concludes with the proposal of a new approach. This paper critically revises established views on Marxist critique of commodification and of modern architecture as abstraction. It promotes a political aesthetic of ‘horizontal’ perspective, with openness, inclusivity and heterogeneity. It discusses as well how a non-western world, such as China, can and should be incorporated into a heterogenous field of discussion.
The spatial engenderment of everyday reading: teaching practice in the Chinese village of Shi-shan-xia, Lishui town
Authors: Zhu Yuan , Chen Zhuo , Liu Xiwen
Published: March 2018

Everyday life has gradually become an important thinking method of urban and architectural spatial practice. This article hopes to introduce the practice of rural research in south China through a design project, illustrating instructive characteristics of space on everyday reading. Through the introduction of everyday observation, systematic objects, place association based on the order and structure, and the image of space triggered by textual construction, this article finally shows the instructive meaning of everyday space practice which is an indispensable topic and method for spatial engendering leading to another everyday life.
Learning from the everyday world
Authors: Zhuang Shen , Hua Xiahong
Published: March 2018

From phenomenal observation to value recognition, from design strategy to concrete methodology, the everyday world brings direct inspiration to Atelier Archmixing's architectural practice. Through participant observation of the urban and rural built environment, together with various design experiences from different projects, the practice defines the neutral spatial phenomenon of constant accumulation, change and adjustment as ‘Spatial Redundancy’; they respond with design strategies that flexibly apply various concepts, technologies and approaches without prejudice, describing their consequences as ‘Unrecognisable System’. Both concepts aim at opening up new possibilities for architecture drawn from the everyday world and rooted in China's rapid urbanisation.
On the (In)compatibility of Islamic Religiosity and Citizenship in Western Democracies: The Role of Religion for Muslims’ Civic and Political Engagement
Authors: Peucker Mario
Published: March 2018

Questioning the compatibility of Islam with liberal democratic principles has become a common argument in the public rhetoric across the socio-political spectrum. This article examines this claimed irreconcilability through the prism of a constitutive dimension of healthy democracies: active citizenship. Drawing on a systematic synthesis of recent studies, the article argues that, while it is impossible to ultimately decide whether Islam as a faith is compatible with liberal democratic norms, the lived religiosity of most Muslims is generally not an obstacle to civic engagement in non-Muslim majority countries; active involvement in mosques rather tends to enhance their active citizenship. Data from an explorative study on Muslims’ engagement in Australia and Germany allow new insights into the different ways civically active Muslims refer to their faith as a driver for their citizenship. Some describe it as a religious duty, while for others ‘serving humanity’ constitutes a fundamental aspect of lived religiosity.
Radiometric accuracy and stability of sentinel-1A determined using point targets
Authors: Schmidt Kersten , Tous Ramon Núria , Schwerdt Marco
Published: March 2018

Sentinel-1A is a space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system developed in the frame of the Copernicus Program. The German Aerospace Center supported the radiometric and polarimetric calibration of Sentinel-1A by the analysis of point target responses of several acquisitions considering different modes, beams, and polarization channels. An elevation dependent bias, which had not been properly predicted by the used antenna model, was found for all investigated modes. Offsets of up to 2 dB were determined during the SAR instrument calibration phase, in particular, for low and high elevation angles. Therefore, in order to correct these elevation biases, a radiometric refinement was carried out by European Space Agency in November 2015. After that, Sentinel-1A radiometric accuracy and long-term stability were analyzed over a period of 1.5 years. For this period, the absolute calibration factor and the channel imbalance were determined for the main imaging mode. Moreover, a slight drift of the derived calibration factor was observed starting from July 2016. At the same time an anomaly was detected in the front-end affecting several transmit and receive modules in one tile. The radiometric behavior of Sentinel-1A should therefore be monitored for a longer period of time, especially to detect potential degradation effects of the SAR instrument.
A model for the reflection of terahertz signals from printed circuit board surfaces
Authors: Fricke Alexander , Achir Mounir , Le Bars Philippe , Kürner Thomas
Published: March 2018

Based on vector network analyzer Measurements, a model for the specular reflection behavior of printed circuit boards in the Terahertz range has been derived. It has been calibrated to suit the behavior of the measurements using a simulated annealing algorithm. The model has been tailored for integration to ray-tracing-based propagation modeling.
Benzobicyclon Activity on Common Louisiana Rice Weeds
Authors: McKnight Benjamin M. , Webster Eric P. , Blouin David C.
Published: March 2018

A study was conducted at three locations in Louisiana to evaluate the response of common Louisiana rice weed species to different rates of application of benzobicyclon herbicide. Benzobicyclon was applied at 31, 62, 123, 185, 246, 493, 739, 986, and 1,232 g ai ha–1into flooded field conditions when ducksalad was at the first elongated-leaf stage. Barnyardgrass, false pimpernel, and yellow nutsedge control never exceeded 50% from any rate of benzobicyclon applied, averaged across evaluation timing. Ducksalad control, averaged across evaluation timing, was 83% when treated with 493 g ha−1and did not increase when treated with higher rates of benzobicyclon. At 42 d after treatment (DAT), purple ammannia and Indian toothcup treated with 185 and 246 g ha–1of benzobicyclon were controlled 58% and 81%, respectively, and did not differ in control compared with higher rates of benzobicyclon. All weeds were hand-harvested from each plot and separated by species at the conclusion of the study. No differences in fresh-weight biomass were observed for barnyardgrass, false pimpernel, purple ammannia, or yellow nutsedge. Treatment with benzobicyclon at ≥62 g ha–1resulted in reduced ducksalad fresh weight 42 DAT compared with the nontreated sample. Indian toothcup fresh weight was reduced 77% to 96% compared with the nontreated sample when treated with benzobicyclon at 246 to 1,232 g ha–1.
A Landscape Shaped by Wind
Authors: Dong Zhibao
Published: March 2018

High-altitude aeolian research on the Tibetan Plateau offers insights into the past, present, and future.
Assessment of information resources for people with hypodontia
Authors: Barber Sophy , Pavitt Sue , Meads David , Khambay Balvinder , Bekker Hilary
Published: March 2018

Aim:

To assess the adequacy of patient information to support understanding and decision-making for people affected by hypodontia.

Methods:

1) Questionnaire to understand the provision of patient information by dentists; 2) Systematic search to identify online open-access patient information; 3) Quality assessment of written patient information.

Results:

Questionnaire response rate was 49% (319/649); 91% examined and/or treated people with hypodontia. Most general dentists referred patients to specialist services without providing written hypodontia information. The majority of dental specialists provide patient leaflets but less than a third used web-resources. Only 19% of respondents felt current resources were fit-for-purpose. Thirty-one patient resources (18 leaflets and 13 online) were assessed against quality criteria. The aim of the resource was seldom explicit, the content was often incomplete and variation in readability scores indicated high levels of literacy were required.

Discussion:

Access to, and quality of, patient information for hypodontia is inadequate. Current resources are not sufficiently comprehensive to prepare young patients to engage in shared dental care decisions with their parents and/or dental professionals.

Conclusion:

There is a need for improved access to, and provision of, information about hypodontia if dental professionals want to meet best practice guidance and involve patients in shared decision-making.