bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
UNDECIDABILITY AND HIERARCHY RESULTS FOR PARALLEL COMMUNICATING FINITE AUTOMATA
Authors: BORDIHN HENNING , KUTRIB MARTIN , MALCHER ANDREAS
Published: December 2011

Parallel communicating finite automata (PCFAs) are systems of several finite state automata which process a common input string in a parallel way and are able to communicate by sending their states upon request. We consider deterministic and nondeterministic variants and distinguish four working modes. It is known that these systems in the most general mode are as powerful as one-way multi-head finite automata. It is additionally known that the number of heads corresponds to the number of automata in PCFAs in a constructive way. Thus, undecidability results as well as results on the hierarchies induced by the number of heads carry over from multi-head finite automata to PCFAs in the most general mode. Here, we complement these undecidability and hierarchy results also for the remaining working modes. In particular, we show that classical decidability questions are not semi-decidable for any type of PCFAs under consideration. Moreover, it is proven that the number of automata in the system induces infinite hierarchies for deterministic and nondeterministic PCFAs in three working modes.
GENERAL SOLUTION ON BRANEWORLDS UNDER THE SCHWARZSCHILD ANSATZ
Authors: AKAMA KEIICHI , HATTORI TAKASHI , MUKAIDA HISAMITSU
Published: December 2011

General solution for braneworld dynamics coupled with the bulk Einstein equation is considered under the Schwarzschild ansatz. They relate the brane metric to the exterior configurations, and establish conditions for the braneworlds to reproduce successful results of the Einstein gravity.
COMPARISON OF ELECTRODE PROPERTIES OF BINARY, TERNARY AND QUATERNARY NANOCRYSTALLINE Mg2Ni-BASED POWDERS
Authors: MOHRI MARYAM , KASHANI-BOZORG SEYED FARSHID
Published: December 2011

The present investigation is focused on the electrode properties of various nanocrystalline Mg2Ni -based powders synthesized using high energy ball milling technique. The chemical composition was modified by the ternary (Nb) and quaternary ( Al and Nb ) additives. The process parameters were adjusted to achieve nanocrystalline based products. Characterization of the ternary and quaternary milled products using scanning and transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction showed a composite microstructure of an amorphous core surrounded by nanocrystalline Mg2Ni . Electrode made from the quaternary milled product showed superior initial charge density and longer discharge duration.
EFFECT OF COPPER ADDITIVES ON IRREVERSIBLE MELTING IN [{(Fe0.5Co0.5)0.75B0.2Si0.05}96Nb4]100-xCux, x ≤ 3, ALLOYS
Authors: KARAN T. , RAM S. , STOICA M. , ECKERT J.
Published: December 2011

Iron and cobalt based ferromagnetic bulk amorphous alloys have received considerable interest nowadays in view of their useful properties for wide spread applications in magnet technology, shape memory alloys, high frequency communications at low power loss, and other devices. In this purview, here we report synthesis and thermal properties of bulk amorphous alloys [{( Fe 0.5 Co 0.5)0.75 B 0.2 Si 0.05}96 Nb 4]100-x Cu x (x = 0, 1, 2, and 3). A copper mould casting of molten alloy was used to obtain a vitrified alloy in form of thin rods (1–2 mm diameter). Amorphous structure retains at a cooling rate as low as 100 K/s in argon atmosphere. Heat out-put measured in terms of a differential scanning calorimetric signal during heating and cooling cycles of these alloys demonstrate irreversibility in a compositional dependent melting point, which follows the glass transition temperature and successive crystallization. The irreversibility persists in this specific example of the bulk amorphous alloys even on sufficiently slow heating or cooling rates such as 0.33 K/s in argon. The copper inclusion tailors the melting point, the enthalpy of the fusion, and other thermodynamic parameters. Results are analyzed in corroboration to the magnetic properties.
FREQUENCY AND TIME RESOLVED SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF CADMIUM SULFIDE NANOPARTICLES CAPPED WITH POLYVINYL PYRROLIDONE
Authors: GHOSH PINTU , KUNDU T. , RUSTAGI K. C. , SINGH BHANU P.
Published: December 2011

Frequency and time domain interrogation of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) capped CdS nanoparticles synthesized by wet chemistry route have been performed. The optical absorption and temperature dependent photoluminescence (PL) properties have been studied. Time resolved PL studies have been performed at different wavelengths of the emission spectrum. The blue-shift of absorption band-edge confirms the quantum confinement effect due to the reduced size of the nanoparticles. Two PL peaks at 465 nm and 550 nm are observed. The temperature dependent PL study of CdS –PVP nanoparticles shows that the 550 nm peak originates from defect states and its intensity decreases exponentially with increasing temperature. Wavelength dependence of the PL lifetime suggests that the observed PL spectrum is the superposition of emissions originating from different excited states.
SYNTHESIS OF CrO2 MODIFIED c-ZrO2 OF FERROMAGNETIC NANOCOMPOSITE PARTICLES
Authors: SENGUPTA A. , RAM S.
Published: December 2011

Ferromagnetic nanoparticles when dispersed in a dielectric ceramic matrix offer a new series of percolation composites with a metal-semiconductor or insulator interface that tailors the functional properties. In this purview, ZrO2 of a high dielectric constant (εr) is stabilized in a cubic (c) polymorph by incorporating CrO2 of strongly ferromagnetic nanoparticles. A selective composition 20 CrO2–80ZrO2 is synthesized after heating a polymer precursor with glycerol at 500°C–800°C in air for 2 h. Broadening of X-ray diffraction peaks reveals Cr4+:c-ZrO2 with an average crystallite size 5 nm in the 500°C heated sample and that is grown to 8 nm on increasing the temperature to 800°C. They occur as bundles of thin platelets in electron microscopic images. Both the samples have ferromagnetic hysteresis loops with 794 and 211 Oe of coercivities, respectively. Variations of εr-value and the power loss are studied as a function of frequency f (50 Hz–100 kHz range) on cold-pressed pellets at selective temperatures, in the 30°C–500°C range, in describing the effects of the magnetic species.
GROWTH OF CdO AND ZnCdO-BASED NOVEL NANOSTRUCTURES USING ELECTROCHEMICAL DEPOSITION
Authors: SINGH TRILOK , PANDYA D. K. , SINGH R.
Published: December 2011

CdO and ZnCdO alloy semiconductor nanostructures were obtained by means of cathodic deposition. Crystalline nanostructures of CdO and cadmium doped ZnO with cadmium concentration ranging from about 25% to 75% were electrodeposited onto the tin doped indium oxide (ITO) conducting glass substrates and subsequently annealed in air at 300°C and 600°C, respectively. X-ray diffraction showed that the nanostructures were of cubic crystallographic structure for CdO and at low doping concentration it showed wurtzite structure. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) results demonstrated that Cd , Zn and O elements existed in the deposited nanostructures. The incorporation of Cd content in the ZnO resulted in the band gap tuning of about 0.94 eV.
ROLE OF DEFECTS IN SHAPING THE MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF Gd-DOPED GaN
Authors: MISHRA J. K. , DHAR S. , KHADERABAD M. A.
Published: December 2011

The effect of annealing on the structural and the magnetic properties of GaN implanted with Gd is investigated. The wavelength dependence of the photoconductivity of Gd:GaN layers doped in situ is also studied. These results show that Gd incorporation produces defects not only in implanted samples, but also in Gd:GaN layers doped in situ. A clear correlation between the saturation magnetization and the defect density is observed in implanted samples. A model has been proposed to explain the effects of colossal magnetic moment per Gd ion and associated ferromagnetism observed in this system in terms of the formation of giant defect cluster around each Gd ion.
Fe–Al NANO-OXIDE PREPARED BY SOL–GEL METHOD USING PRECURSOR OF HCl DIGESTED LIQUID FRACTION OF LATERITE: ARSENIC ADSORPTION PERFORMANCE
Authors: MAITI ABHIJIT , BASU JYANTA KUMAR , DE SIRSHENDU
Published: December 2011

Nanoparticle oxide of Fe–Al with surface area 68.9 m2/g and pore volume of 0.10–0.11 mL/g is synthesized using Fe–Al precursor obtained from HCl digested liquid fraction of laterite. Acid digestion of laterite is performed using solid acid ratio of 50 g raw laterite to 200 mL 6 N HCl . The liquid fraction is filtered through Whatman filter of grade 1 and 200 mL filtrate consists mainly of ~ 0.5 mol/L Fe and ~ 0.11 mol/L Al ions. Sol–gel method is used to prepare nano-oxide of Fe–Al . SEM, HRTEM and surface area analyzer are used for textural characterization of the nanoparticles. HRTEM micrograph indicates that sizes of prepared nanoparticles of Fe–Al oxide are in the range of 50 nm to 100 nm. In batch mode operation, 1.5 g/L adsorbent concentration is found to be capable to reduce the arsenic concentration of contaminated groundwater (collected from Dhobdhobi, Mallikpur, 24 Paraganas (s), West Bengal, India) from ~ 440 to ~ 11 μg/L. The Langmuir maximum capacities of As(V) and As(III) from synthetic solution and arsenic (as total) from contaminated groundwater on Fe–Al nano-oxide are obtained as 20.74 mg/g, 6.13 mg/g and 6.8 mg/g, respectively.
PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF AQUEOUS METHYL ORANGE USING NANOTITANIA LOADED Mo-MCM-41
Authors: SHANKAR H. , SARAVANAN R. , STEPHEN A. , NARAYANAN V.
Published: December 2011

Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide, TiO2 , is a well studied and commonly used material for photocatalytic applications. However, the control of particle size, monodispersity, large catalytic surface for sufficient adsorption of organic pollutants, recovery and recycle of TiO2 nanoparticles are challenging tasks. Hence in this work, titania has been introduced into the nanopores (2–10 nm size) of MCM-41 to produce stable nanoparticles of uniform size and shape. Further, the photocatalytic efficiency can be improved by lengthening the life time of the excited electrons/holes during photoreaction. This could be achieved by incorporating molybdenum in to the MCM-41 silica matrix in addition to titania loading. In the present study, the synthesis and the photocatlaytic efficiency of a new photocatalyst TiO2@Mo -MCM-41 (25 wt.% TiO2 loaded Mo incorporated MCM-41) are reported. Mo -MCM-41, with different ratios of Si to Mo ( Si/Mo = 25,50,75), is synthesized by hydrothermal method and loaded with 25 wt.% TiO2 using sol–gel method. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared samples was evaluated using methyl orange as a model organic compound. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherm (BET analysis) measurements were used to investigate the effects of the incorporated elements in the structure of MCM-41. It was found that the photodegradation ability of 25% TiO2 loaded Mo -MCM-41 was highly related to the amount of Mo atoms present in the sample with the optimum atomic ratio of Si to Mo being 50.
New faults v. fault reactivation: implications for fault cohesion, fluid flow and copper mineralization, Mount Gordon Fault Zone, Mount Isa District, Australia
Authors: Nortje G. S. , Oliver N. H. S. , Blenkinsop T. G. , Keys D. L. , McLellan J. G. , Oxenburgh S.
Published: December 2011

Fluid flow leading to mineralization can occur both on newly formed faults and on faults that are reactivated subsequent to their initial formation. Conventional models of fault reactivation propose that, under high pore-fluid pressures, misorientated faults may reactivate due to low fault cohesion. Timing and orientation data for a mineralized Palaeo- to Mesoproterozoic terrain (Mount Gordon Fault Zone (MGFZ)) indicate that multiple successive new orientations of predominantly strike-slip faults developed (between 1590 and
c
. 1500 Ma), requiring that during the younger deformations some earlier formed faults were too cohesive and/or had insufficient pore-fluid pressures (or other potential fault-weakening effects) to induce reshear. Low pore-fluid pressures were probably not to blame for failed reactivation on all older faults because some young faults did form or reactivate due to high pore-fluid pressures, as evidenced by jigsaw-fit dilatant breccias, hypogene copper mineralization in veins and breccia infill, and subvertical tensile quartz veins aligned subparallel to
σ
1
. The assumption that old faults consistently have little or no cohesion appears to be incorrect in this terrain. Many older faults display prominent quartz veins along their length, which may explain this conclusion. Furthermore, faults with high cohesion may have acted as barriers and compartments, so that intersections between them and newly formed faults host mineralization, not because of reactivation, but because of interaction between new faults and cohesive materials defined either by fault precipitates or rock juxtaposition. Together, these results and observations provide new, simple tools to stimulate copper exploration within the region and in fault-hosted terrains.
The microstructural character and mechanical significance of fault rocks associated with a continental low-angle normal fault: the Zuccale Fault, Elba Island, Italy
Authors: Smith S. A. F. , Holdsworth R. E. , Collettini C. , Pearce M. A.
Published: December 2011

The core of the Zuccale low-angle normal fault contains a distinctive fault-rock zonation that developed during exhumation, composed of a diversity of fault rocks derived from lithologically heterogeneous wall rocks. Field and microstructural analyses indicate that deformation mechanisms active within the fault core, including brittle fracture, dissolution–precipitation creep and crystal-plasticity, were active broadly contemporaneously. Initially, deformation was accommodated within frictionally weak and inherently stable talc-phyllonites. Although the talc-phyllonites can account for slip at low angles, grain-scale weakening effects were limited by changes over time to the structure of the fault core, resulting from interactions with subsidiary footwall faults. Ultimately, the talc-phyllonites were dismembered into a series of isolated lenses incapable of transmitting grain-scale weakening up to the fault scale. Following this, deformation was accommodated within well-connected units of dolomite-, quartz- and calcite-bearing cataclasite, fault breccia, and foliated fault gouge. Deformation progressively migrated through this latter sequence as a result of precipitation-hardening due to the widespread growth of dolomite. The complexity of fault-zone structure, combined with changes to fault-rock distribution over time, may have resulted in fundamental changes in fault-slip behaviour, an important point to consider given the recent spectrum of slip mechanisms identified along many tectonic faults.
Diverse habitats of pseudotachylytes in the Alpine Fault Zone and relationships to current seismicity
Authors: Toy Virginia G. , Ritchie Samuel , Sibson Richard H.
Published: December 2011

Pseudotachylytes are ubiquitous within New Zealand's Alpine Fault Zone, occurring as: (i) thin fault veins parallel to existing hanging wall mylonitic foliation; (ii) thicker fault and injection veins around and within metabasite lenses in hanging wall fault rocks and on the footwall–hanging wall boundary; (iii) chaotic injected masses within footwall-derived, granitoid mylonites; and (iv) chaotic injected masses into cataclasites within the fault core.

Overall, pseudotachylytes are not volumetrically dominant enough to have formed during all increments of earthquake slip on the Alpine Fault. We propose they were mostly generated during regular moderate magnitude events or during foreshock and aftershock sequences to larger earthquakes. The largest volume pseudotachylytes occur in footwall-derived mylonites (type (iii)). This may indicate that high-stress, anhydrous seismic slip is most common in the footwall. Most types (i), (ii) and (iii) pseudotachylytes formed at or near the base of the seismogenic zone, at temperatures up to 350 °C and at depths of 7–10 km or more. Ductilely overprinted pseudotachylytes represent the down-dip termination of large fault ruptures in a zone that would usually fail by aseismic creep. Type (iv) pseudotachylytes were formed at shallower depths (4–7 km) in a damage zone around the fault principal slip surface. Rare amygdules indicate that the fault zone locally contained free fluids.

Supplementary material:

Table of host, rock and pseudotachylyte major and minor oxide proportions is available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18490
.
Seismogenic structure of a crystalline thrust fault: fabric anisotropy and coeval pseudotachylyte–mylonitic pseudotachylyte in the Grizzly Creek Shear Zone, Colorado
Authors: Allen Joseph L. , Shaw Colin A.
Published: December 2011

Field and microstructural observations from the Proterozoic Grizzly Creek Shear Zone suggest that crustal-scale fabric anisotropy exerted a significant control on earthquake rupture propagation during deformation at mid-crustal depths. The shear zone developed in amphibolite-facies supracrustal gneisses and granitoids, and consists of a 0.4–0.7 km-wide zone of high-strain rocks with foliation transposed to 256°/51°NW and top-to-the-south kinematics. The shear zone is overprinted by hundreds of veins of pseudotachylyte, mylonitic pseudotachylyte and ultramylonite. Field observations and whole-rock geochemical data suggest that pseudotachylyte fault veins formed as a result of first-generation rupture through intact rock. Pseudotachylytes are preferentially localized in as many as nine decametre-scale rupture zones dispersed across the width of the shear zone, concordant to foliation. We present a conceptual model for the asymmetric development of anisotropic fabric in a thrust-related fault zone in crystalline metamorphic rocks. Progressive tectonic exhumation of hanging wall rocks during thrusting results in the development of a crustal-scale anisotropic fabric that provides a preferentially weakened zone that could accommodate the propagation of earthquake ruptures from the seismogenic zone into the middle crust.
The core principles (“big ideas”) of physiology: results of faculty surveys
Authors: Michael Joel , McFarland Jenny
Published: December 2011

Physiology faculty members at a wide range of institutions (2-yr colleges to medical schools) were surveyed to determine what core principles of physiology they want their students to understand. From the results of the first survey, 15 core principles were described. In a second survey, respondents were asked to rank order these 15 core principles and, independently, to identify the three most important for their students to understand. The five most important core principles were “cell membrane,” “homeostasis,” “cell-to-cell communications,” “interdependence,” and “flow down gradients.” We then “unpacked” the flow down gradients core principle into the component ideas of which it is comprised. This unpacking was sent to respondents who were asked to identify the importance of each of the component ideas. Respondents strongly agreed with the importance of the component ideas we had identified. We will be using the responses to our surveys as we begin the development of a conceptual assessment of physiology instrument (i.e., a concept inventory).
Why flies? Inexpensive public engagement exercises to explain the value of basic biomedical research on Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Pulver Stefan R. , Cognigni Paola , Denholm Barry , Fabre Caroline , Gu Wendy X. W. , Linneweber Gerit , Prieto-Godino Lucia , Urbančič Vasja , Zwart Maarten , Miguel-Aliaga Irene
Published: December 2011

Invertebrate model organisms are powerful systems for uncovering conserved principles of animal biology. Despite widespread use in scientific communities, invertebrate research is often severely undervalued by laypeople. Here, we present a set of simple, inexpensive public outreach exercises aimed at explaining to the public why basic research on one particular invertebrate, the insect Drosophila melanogaster , is valuable. First, we designed seven teaching modules that highlight cutting-edge research in Drosophila genetics, metabolism, physiology, and behavior. We then implemented these exercises in a public outreach event that included both children and adults. Quantitative evaluation of participant feedback suggests that these exercises 1) teach principles of animal biology, 2) help laypeople better understand why researchers study fruit flies, and 3) are effective over a wide range of age groups. Overall, this work provides a blueprint for how to use Drosophila as a vehicle for increasing public awareness and appreciation of basic research on genetically tractable insects in particular and invertebrates in general.
Teaching fluid shifts during orthostasis using a classic paper by Foux et al.
Authors: Goswami Nandu , Batzel Jerry J. , Loeppky Jack A. , Hinghofer-Szalkay Helmut
Published: December 2011

Hypovolemic and orthostatic challenge can be simulated in humans by the application of lower body negative pressure (LBNP), because this perturbation leads to peripheral blood pooling and, consequently, central hypovolemia. The classic paper by Foux and colleagues clearly shows the effects of orthostasis simulated by LBNP on fluid shifts and homeostatic mechanisms. The carefully carried out experiments reported in this paper show the interplay between different physiological control systems to ensure blood pressure regulation, failure of which could lead to critical decreases in cerebral blood flow and syncope. Here, a teaching seminar for graduate students is described that is designed in the context of this paper and aimed at allowing students to learn how Foux and colleagues have advanced this field by addressing important aspects of blood regulation. This seminar is also designed to put their research into perspective by including important components of LBNP testing and protocols developed in subsequent research in the field. Learning about comprehensive protocols and carefully controlled studies can reduce confounding variables and allow for an optimal analysis and elucidation of the physiological responses that are being investigated. Finally, in collaboration with researchers in mathematical modeling, in the future, we will incorporate the concepts of applicable mathematical models into our curriculum.
Optical and Structural Properties of Thermally Evaporated Zinc Oxide Thin Films on Polyethylene Terephthalate Substrates
Authors: Faraj M. G. , Ibrahim K.
Published: December 2011

Zinc oxide thin films of different thicknesses ranging from 100 to 300 nm were prepared on polyethylene terephthalate substrates with thermal evaporation in a vacuum of approximately3×10-5Torr. X-ray diffraction patterns confirm the proper phase formation of the material. From atomic force microscopy (AFM) images, it was found that the root mean square roughness of the film surface increased as the film thickness increased. The optical properties of ZnO on PET substrates were determined through the optical transmission method using an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. The optical band gap values of ZnO thin films slightly decreased as the film thickness increased.
The ADF/Cofilin-Pathway and Actin Dynamics in Podocyte Injury
Authors: Teng Beina , Lukasz Alexander , Schiffer Mario
Published: December 2011

ADF/cofilins are the major regulators of actin dynamics in mammalian cells. The activation of ADF/cofilins is controlled by a variety of regulatory mechanisms. Dysregulation of ADF/cofilin may result in loss of a precisely organized actin cytoskeletal architecture and can reduce podocyte migration and motility. Recent studies suggest that cofilin-1 can be regulated through several extracellular signals and slit diaphragm proteins. Cofilin knockdown and knockout animal models show dysfunction of glomerular barrier and filtration with foot process effacement and loss of secondary foot processes. This indicates that cofilin-1 is necessary for modulating actin dynamics in podocytes. Podocyte alterations in actin architecture may initiate or aid the progression of a large variety of glomerular diseases, and cofilin activity is required for reorganization of an intact filtration barrier. Since almost all proteinuric diseases result from a similar phenotype with effacement of the foot processes, we propose that cofilin-1 is at the centre stage of the development of proteinuria and thus may be an attractive drug target for antiproteinuric treatment strategies.
Biological Control ofSolenopsisFire Ants byPseudacteonParasitoids: Theory and Practice
Authors: Morrison Lloyd W.
Published: December 2011

Pseudacteonparasitoids are potential biocontrol agents of invasiveSolenopsisfire ants.Pseudacteonspecies that parasitize the invasiveS. invictaBuren andS. richteriForel have been introduced to, and naturally dispersed across, the southeastern USA, although there is no evidence yet thatSolenopsishost ant populations have decreased. The ability of introducedPseudacteonspecies to regulateSolenopsispopulations will depend upon the relative importance of top-down effects in the recipient communities. In this paper, I examine the characteristics of thePseudacteon/Solenopsisparasitoid/host system and evaluate the extent to which research findings are consistent with top-down control. Laboratory and field experiments evaluatingSolenopsispopulation regulation have been equivocal, and overall the available evidence provides little support for strong top-down effects in this system. Competitive exclusion may occur among introducedPseudacteonspecies, and future efforts at biological control are likely to be more efficacious if they focus on other types of natural enemies.
Helicopter EMS: Research Endpoints and Potential Benefits
Authors: Thomas Stephen H. , Arthur Annette O.
Published: December 2011

Patients, EMS systems, and healthcare regions benefit from Helicopter EMS (HEMS) utilization. This article discusses these benefits in terms of specific endpoints utilized in research projects. The endpoint of interest, be it primary, secondary, or surrogate, is important to understand in the deployment of HEMS resources or in planning further HEMS outcomes research. The most important outcomes are those which show potential benefits to the patients, such as functional survival, pain relief, and earlier ALS care. Case reports are also important “outcomes” publications. The benefits of HEMS in the rural setting is the ability to provide timely access to Level I or Level II trauma centers and in nontrauma, interfacility transport of cardiac, stroke, and even sepsis patients. Many HEMS crews have pharmacologic and procedural capabilities that bring a different level of care to a trauma scene or small referring hospital, especially in the rural setting. Regional healthcare and EMS system's benefit from HEMS by their capability to extend the advanced level of care throughout a region, provide a “backup” for areas with limited ALS coverage, minimize transport times, make available direct transport to specialized centers, and offer flexibility of transport in overloaded hospital systems.
Do We Really Know How to Treat a Child with Bipolar Disorder or One with Severe Mood Dysregulation? Is There a Magic Bullet?
Authors: Jairam Rajeev , Prabhuswamy Mukesh , Dullur Pravin
Published: December 2011

Background. Despite controversy, bipolar disorder (BD) is being increasingly diagnosed in under 18s. There is scant information regarding its treatment and uncertainty regarding the status of “severe mood dysregulation (SMD)” and how it overlaps with BD. This article collates available research on treatment of BD in under 18s and explores the status of SMD.Methods. Literature on treatment of BD in under 18s and on SMD were identified using major search engines; these were then collated and reviewed.Results. Some markers have been proposed to differentiate BD from disruptive behaviour disorders (DBD) in children. Pharmacotherapy restricted to short-term trials of mood-stabilizers and atypical-antipsychotics show mixed results. Data on maintenance treatment and non-pharmacological interventions are scant. It is unclear whether SMD is an independent disorder or an early manifestation of another disorder.Conclusions. Valproate, lithium, risperidone, olanzapine, aripiprazole and quetiapine remain first line treatments for acute episodes in the under 18s with BD. Their efficacy in maintenance treatment remains unclear. There is no validated treatment for SMD. It is likely that some children who are currently diagnosed with BD and DBD and possibly most children currently diagnosed with SMD will be subsumed under the proposed category in the DSM V of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder with dysphoria.
Childhood Obesity and Academic Achievement among Male Students in Public Primary Schools in Kuwait
Authors: Abdelalim Ahmed , Ajaj Nawras , Al-Tmimy Abdulrahman , Alyousefi Maytham , Al-Rashaidan Sulaiman , Hammoud Majeda S. , Al-Taiar Abdullah
Published: December 2011

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between childhood obesity and student academic performance in the classroom setting. Subjects and Methods: A multi-stage cluster random sampling was used to select a representative sample of 1,213 fifth-grade students in male public schools. Height and weight were measured using a standard protocol. Overweight was defined as BMI ≧85th but <95th percentile, while obesity as ≧95th BMI percentile, using growth charts provided by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (2000). Data on each student’s academic performance and sociodemographic factors were extracted from school records. Of the 1,213 students, 147 were absent on the day the survey was conducted. Therefore, the analysis was based on 1,066 students. Of the 1,066 students, 67 did not have previous school records because they were new in the school; hence the association between school performance and obesity was based on 999 students. Results: The prevalence of obesity was 186 (17.4%, 95% CI: 15.2–19.9%) while the prevalence of overweight was 232 (21.8%, 95% CI: 19.3–24.4%). There was no significant association between obesity and academic performance after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Parental education was the most important predictor for high academic performance in the classroom setting. Conclusion: There is no association between obesity and academic performance in the classroom setting among boys in Kuwait. With the lack of evidence of a relationship between childhood obesity and academic performance, using high performance as a measure of success in prevention initiatives cannot be justified.
Paediatric Moyamoya in Mainland France: A Comprehensive Survey of Academic Neuropaediatric Centres
Authors: Kossorotoff M. , Hervé D. , Toulgoat F. , Renaud C. , Presles E. , Chabriat H. , Chabrier S.
Published: December 2011

Background: Epidemiological data of paediatric moyamoya disease/syndrome (MMD/MMS) in non-Asian populations are scarce. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to every French neuropaediatric academic centre to estimate the prevalence, incidence, familial form rate and location of paediatric MMD/MMS cases. Specific paediatric data were also retrieved from the most recent nationwide Japanese study. Results: A 100% response rate was obtained. The prevalence of paediatric MMD/MMS was estimated at 0.39/100,000 children (95% CI: 0.28–0.49), and the incidence was estimated at 0.065/100,000 children/year (95% CI: 0.025–0.12), with 7.5% familial cases. The prevalence was homogenous within the different administrative areas. Conclusions: This comprehensive survey of MMD/MMS in academic neuropaediatric centres suggests that the prevalence of the disease in children in France is approximately 1/20th of that estimated in Asia.
Adherence to Dietary Recommendations and Risk of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Case-Control Study in Iran
Authors: Jessri Mahsa , Rashidkhani Bahram , Hajizadeh Bahareh , Jessri Maryam , Kreiger Nancy , Bajdik Chris D.
Published: December 2011

Background/Aim: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans Adherence Index (DGAI) 2005 was developed to assess the contribution of dietary patterns to chronic disease risk. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of dietary patterns as measured by the DGAI 2005 with the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) risk in Iran. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 50 ESCC cases and 100 hospital controls aged 40–75 years. Participants were interviewed using validated food frequency questionnaires and the DGAI score was calculated subsequently. Results: Generally, the mean DGAI 2005 score for this population was low (9.54 ± 1.79) and the control group scored significantly higher compared to the ESCC cases (p < 0.001). Being in the highest tertile of DGAI scores reduced the risk of ESCC by 31%. Consumption of salty, peppery, and sour foods in combination increased the ESCC risk by 7.23%, followed by consumption of fried/barbecued meals (OR 3.79; 95% CI 1.10–5.44; p < 0.001) and high-temperature food/beverages (OR 3.68; 95% CI 1.20–8.99; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Consumption of a diet in accordance with dietary recommendations was associated with a lower risk of ESCC. Preventive strategies to reduce the ESCC risk in high-risk regions of the world should focus on overall dietary patterns and dietary habits in order to be effective.
Welcome to Me-Mart
Authors: Chia Aleena
Published: December 2011

This article uses a discursive analysis of personal blogging handbooks and personal blogs to reflect on the politics of user-generated content (UGC) as it is created, circulated, valuated, quantified, and monetized by different social media platforms. In doing so, this article traces the contours of an increasingly commercialized blogosphere and the tensions and perceived trade-offs that ensue for professional and quotidian bloggers. By reconstructing the ecology of platforms that form the sociotechnical machinery of the blogosphere, the rifts between the empowerment rhetoric of Web 2.0 and the statistical and experiential realities faced by quotidian bloggers become palpable. Suspended between a vibrant vision of blogging as a surefire ticket to fame and fortune and a sobering structural reality of obscurity and tedium, bloggers are recalibrating their collective delusions of grandeur by constructing alternative economies of exchange. Instead of valuating their self-professed labor monetarily or quantitatively, bloggers are reverting to more attainable small-scale social exchanges that are qualitative in form. More than hits, links, and votes, bloggers appear to value a virtual pat on the back, a reassuring remark, a sincere conversation. However, as the machinery of the blogosphere chugs on, the sociotechnical biases of its architectures of participation will be increasingly unable to cater to these bloggers’ needs. This article demonstrates how the politics of UGC can illuminate the infectious rhetoric of Web 2.0, situate the enterprise of blogging within the socioeconomic logic of prosumption, and pave the way toward a better understanding of our communal media futures.
Uncertainty and Fertility in a Generalized AIDS Epidemic
Authors: Trinitapoli Jenny , Yeatman Sara
Published: December 2011

Sociologists widely acknowledge that uncertainty matters for decision making, but they rarely measure it directly. In this article, we demonstrate the importance of theorizing about, measuring, and analyzing uncertainty as experienced by individuals. We adapt a novel probabilistic solicitation technique to measure personal uncertainty about HIV status in a high HIV prevalence area of southern Malawi. Using data from 2,000 young adults (ages 15 to 25 years), we demonstrate that uncertainty about HIV status is widespread and that it expands as young adults assess their proximate and distant futures. In conceptualizing HIV status as something more than sero-status itself, we gain insight into how what individuals know they don’t know influences their lives. Young people who are uncertain about their HIV status express desires to accelerate their childbearing relative to their counterparts who are certain they are uninfected. Our approach and findings show that personal uncertainty is a measurable and meaningful phenomenon that can illuminate much about individuals’ aspirations and behaviors.
Politics of Organizational Adornment
Authors: Sallaz Jeffrey J.
Published: December 2011

Practices of design, although integral to contemporary capitalism, are too often overlooked by economic sociologists. To remedy this, I study a novel technology of organizational adornment: theming. Case data drawn from the global casino industry reveal that theming has diffused worldwide as standard business practice. Close examination, however, reveals divergence across jurisdictions in terms of the meanings that themes convey. These patterns derive from neither successful marketing (i.e., customizing design for consumers) nor symbolic isomorphism (i.e., signaling deference to global norms). In line with the markets-as-politics paradigm, I analyze design as a field-specific conception of control. In this view, themes signal to particular constituencies that one is a certain kind of organization (and not another). The makeup of these signals and audiences—that is, what counts as socially legitimate action—will depend on the political field in which a firm is embedded. Results demonstrate the explanatory power of markets-as-politics and also extend this theory by elucidating the performative mechanisms that bridge economic and political domains.
NATO’s role in the Strategic Concept debate: Watchdog, fire-fighter, neighbour or seminar leader?
Authors: Wagnsson Charlotte
Published: December 2011

This article argues that traditional Westphalian powers are increasingly pressured to move beyond Westphalia towards institutionalization of security cooperation and a broader definition of referent objects of security. Focusing on the case of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it notes that the Alliance is severely torn between traditional constructions of ‘the self’ and a need for change. Exploring how NATO handles this dilemma, the article examines how the Alliance articulated its constitutive story during the strategic concept process of 2009–10. Four roles are crystallized from the reading of the narrative: the fire-fighter, the watchdog, the good neighbour and the seminar leader. It is argued that NATO will be able to meet the exigencies of the post-Westphalian world more or less effectively depending on how it develops in each of these roles. The article concludes that NATO largely remains Westphalian in its four roles, but the launching of the seminar leader role indicates that it may be preparing a farewell to Westphalia. NATO is a composite actor and tensions between academic, global reformist and traditionalist regional story-lines will prevail. Nevertheless, the globalized threat environment is likely eventually to force NATO to fully recognize the need for a more post-Westphalian approach to security.
Paradoxes of power: Indigenous peoples in the Permanent Forum
Authors: Lindroth Marjo
Published: December 2011

In the United Nations (UN) Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PF), indigenous political subjectivities take shape in the power relations that not only make indigenous peoples subjects but also subjugate them. This article discusses the process and the possibilities of resistance that open up for indigenous peoples within it. The approach taken acknowledges the limiting political environment of the UN for indigenous peoples, because it is a non-indigenous political system based on state sovereignty. Yet, it does not view the situation of those peoples in the PF as totally determined by the states and their dominant discourse. The theoretical framework of the article draws on the work of Michel Foucault and his conceptions on power, resistance, subjectification, technologies of domination and of the self. The power struggles in the PF, described through the complex of sovereignty, discipline and government, and the resistances within them engender paradoxical indigenous subjectivities: colonized/decolonized, victim/actor, traditional/modern, global/local. Indigenous peoples are able to engage both in resistance that is a reaction to states’ exercise of power or the creative use of its tools and in indirect resistance that ‘stretches’ the UN system and constitutes action on its own terms.
Dealing With Task Interruptions in Complex Dynamic Environments
Authors: Tremblay Sébastien , Vachon François , Lafond Daniel , Kramer Chelsea
Published: December 2011

Objective: This study examined whether teaming up mitigates individual vulnerability to task interruptions in complex dynamic situations.

Background: Omnipresent in everyday multitasking environments, task interruptions are usually detrimental to individual performance. This is particularly crucial in dynamic command and control (C2) safety-critical contexts because of the additional challenge imposed by the continually evolving situation during the interruption.

Method: We employed a firefighting microworld to simulate C2 in the context of supervisory control to examine the relative impact of interruptions on participants working in a functional dyad versus operators working alone.

Results: Although task interruption was detrimental to participants’ efficacy of monitoring resources, the negative impact of interruption was reduced for those working in teams. Teaming up translated into faster resumption time, but only if both teammates were interrupted simultaneously. Interrupting only one team member was associated with increased postinterruption communications and slower resumption time.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that in complex dynamic situations working in a small team confers more resistance to task interruption than working alone by virtue of the reduced individual workload typical of teamwork. The benefit of collaborative work seems nevertheless mediated by the coordination and communication overhead associated with teamwork.

Application: The present findings have practical implications for operators dealing with unexpected events such as task interruptions in C2 environments.
Detection of Affective States From Text and Speech for Real-Time Human–Computer Interaction
Authors: Calix Ricardo A. , Javadpour Leili , Knapp Gerald M.
Published: December 2011

Objective:

The goal of this work is to develop and test an automated system methodology that can detect emotion from text and speech features.

Background:

Affective human–computer interaction will be critical for the success of new systems that will be prevalent in the 21st century. Such systems will need to properly deduce human emotional state before they can determine how to best interact with people.

Method:

Corpora and machine learning classification models are used to train and test a methodology for emotion detection. The methodology uses a stepwise approach to detect sentiment in sentences by first filtering out neutral sentences, then distinguishing among positive, negative, and five emotion classes.

Results:

Results of the classification between emotion and neutral sentences achieved recall accuracies as high as 77% in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) corpus and 61% in the Louisiana State University medical drama (LSU-MD) corpus for emotion samples. Once neutral sentences were filtered out, the methodology achieved accuracy scores for detecting negative sentences as high as 92.3%.

Conclusion:

Results of the feature analysis indicate that speech spectral features are better than speech prosodic features for emotion detection. Accumulated sentiment composition text features appear to be very important as well. This work contributes to the study of human communication by providing a better understanding of how language factors help to best convey human emotion and how to best automate this process.

Application:

Results of this study can be used to develop better automated assistive systems that interpret human language and respond to emotions through 3-D computer graphics.
Burnout, workplace support, job satisfaction and life satisfaction among social workers in Spain: A structural equation model
Authors: Hombrados-Mendieta Isabel , Cosano-Rivas Francisco
Published: December 2011

This article analyses the effects of burnout in a sample of social workers from Malaga, Spain. The results obtained with the structural equations model confirm that burnout has a negative influence on workplace support, job satisfaction and life satisfaction and that workplace support has a positive influence on job satisfaction. Workplace support acts as mediator variable between burnout and job satisfaction and buffers the negative effects of burnout on job satisfaction and life satisfaction among social workers.
Promoting diversity or confirming hegemony? In search of new insights for social work
Authors: Brydon Kerry
Published: December 2011

All human societies have constructed indigenous strategies for responding to human need. While there are calls for social work to embrace diversity, there remains dissatisfaction with the hegemonic spread of Western social work. Analysis reveals different cultural orientations in a number of contexts and suggests that the Western context is indigenous defined by values and characteristics that are inconsistent with the other cultural orientations. This reality not only gives rise to serious questions regarding the applicability of Western social work to other cultural orientations, but also points to the need to develop new skills, values and theories for social work.
Countering Terrorism in Maritime Southeast Asia: Soft and Hard Power Approaches
Authors: Ad’ha Aljunied Syed Mohammed
Published: December 2011

There are two main approaches in the global war on terrorism (GWOT). On the one hand, the hard approach entails physical engagements which cripple destructive plans by terrorists, such as bombings. Through the legislative, judiciary and executive arms of the state, the modern state uses methods such as arrest, surveillance, intelligence and detention to cripple damaging initiatives by terrorists. The soft approach, on the other hand, attempts to debase terrorist ideology through a counter-ideology discourse against radical ideologies which encourage political violence. Through the soft approach, Muslim organizations and leaders debunk terrorist’s ideology of hate and violence. This article attempts to elucidate efforts made by governments, and of particular interest are contributions made by Muslim leaders in maritime Southeast Asia to counter the ideology and activities of terrorism.
A new textile-based approach to assess the antimicrobial activity of volatiles
Authors: Liebminger Stefan , Aichner Martin , Oberauner Lisa , Fürnkranz Michael , Cardinale Massimiliano , Berg Gabriele
Published: December 2011

Textiles with antimicrobial properties are required in many areas but it is difficult to assess the effect with current assays based on the cultivation of microorganisms. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) we observed that the complex matrix of textiles provides an ideal niche for the adhesion of microorganisms because polyester fibres showed a high number of irregularly appearing notches. In another experiment with green fluorescent protein-labelled Staphylococcus epidermidis cells were found in these notches, tightly bound to the fibres. Staphylococcus cells shielded in the textile were not killed by conventional decontamination techniques like UV irradiation. Cultivation-dependent evaluation of bacterial survival after 10 minutes of irradiation indicated a good reduction of more than 99%, whereas fluorescent viability staining of cells, in combination with CLSM, displayed more than 5% survival. This latter sensitive assay can also be used to assess the activity of volatile antimicrobials. It was shown that volatiles produced by plant-associated bacteria ( Pseudomonas chlororaphis and Paenibacillus polymyxa) irreversibly inhibited the growth of human-associated pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans on textiles. This new approach enables the detection and evaluation of new volatile antimicrobials for their use in disinfection of garments.