bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Distributed data structure templates for data‐intensive remote sensing applications
Authors: Ma Yan , Wang Lizhe , Liu Dingsheng , Yuan Tao , Liu Peng , Zhang Wanfeng
Published: December 2012

The remotely sensed images continuously acquired by satellite and airborne sensors are increasing dramatically. Remote sensing applications are overwhelmed with tons of remote sensing data with complex data structures. Efficient programming in parallel systems for data‐intensive applications like massive remote sensing data processing will be a challenge. We propose a generic data‐structure oriented programming template to support massive remote sensing data processing in high‐performance clusters. These templates provide distributed abstractions for large remote sensing image data with complex data structure and allow these distributed data to be accessed as a global one. Through data serialization and one‐sided message passing primitives provided by message passing interface, the distributed remote sensing data template whose sliced data blocks are scattered among nodes could offer a simple and effective way to distribute and communicate massive remote sensing data. Efficient parallel input/output directly to and from the distributed data structure will also be offered to address the input/output bottleneck caused by massive image data. Developers can take the advantage of our templates to program efficient parallel remote sensing algorithms without dealing with data slicing and communication through low‐level message passing interface APIs. Through experiments on remote sensing applications, we confirmed that our templates were productive and efficient. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nucleic Acids With Metal‐Mediated Base Pairs and Their Applications
Authors: Scharf Philipp , Müller Jens
Published: December 2012

Metal‐mediated base pairs represent an elegant way for the site‐specific functionalisation of nucleic acids. In this type of base pair, the hydrogen bonds between complementary nucleobases are replaced formally by coordinative bonds to one or more transition‐metal ions. This Review presents an overview of metal‐mediated base pairs reported so far. It gives an insight into the characterisation of metal‐mediated base pairs and into the structures of the resulting metal‐modified nucleic acids. In addition, a summary of applications exploiting the formation of metal‐mediated base pairs is presented. The applications include, for example, metal‐ion sensors of various types, a protein sensor, and DNA‐based molecular machines. Initial reports on the potential use of metal‐mediated base pairs in the context of charge transfer through nucleic acid double helices are summarised as well.
Alkali Metal Thioselenophosphinates, M[SeSPR2]: One‐Pot Multicomponent Synthesis, DFT Study, and Synthetic Application
Authors: Artem'ev Alexander V. , Gusarova Nina K. , Bagryanskaya Irina Yu. , Doronina Evgeniya P. , Verkhoturova Svetlana I. , Sidorkin Valery F. , Trofimov Boris A.
Published: December 2012

Diverse alkali metal thioselenophosphinates, M[SeSPR2] (M = Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs; R = alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, and hetaralkyl), have been synthesized in 78–94 % yields by means of a one‐pot multicomponent reaction between secondary phosphanes, sulfur, selenium, and alkali metal hydroxides under mild conditions (room temperature, –50 °C, 0.5 h, EtOH). The molecular and electronic structure of the [SeSPPh2]– anion and its coordination behavior towards Li+, Na+, and K+ cations have been investigated at the B3LYP level of theory. The alkylation of the alkali metal thioselenophosphinates with various organic halides proceeds regiosecifically at the selenium center to form Se–organyl thioselenophosphinates, R2P(S)SeR′ (R′ = Me, Et, Bn, allyl, propargyl), in 78–96 % yields. By the action of molecular iodine, the alkali metal thioselenophosphinates instantly (room temperature, ca. 1 s, 1,4‐dioxane) undergo selective Se–Se oxidative coupling to afford the corresponding diselenides, R2P(S)SeSe(S)PR2, in 81–92 % yields. The alkali metal thioselenophosphinates are readily converted into the corresponding ammonium derivatives. Square‐planar NiII complexes, Ni[SeSPR2]2 (R = Ph, CH2CH2Ph), have been prepared in 68–81 % yield by the treatment of sodium thioselenophosphinates, Na[SeSPR2], with NiBr2 at room temperature (EtOH/CH2Cl2, 10 min).
Spin Crossover in Iron(III) Complexes with Pentadentate Schiff Base Ligands and Pseudohalido Coligands
Authors: Krüger Christoph , Augustín Peter , Nemec Ivan , Trávníček Zdeňek , Oshio Hiroki , Boča Roman , Renz Franz
Published: December 2012

Iron(III) mononuclear complexes that involve pentadentate Schiff base ligands and chlorido, azido, cyanido, cyanato, thiocyanato, or selenocyanato coligands were synthesized, structurally characterized, and subjected to a magnetochemical investigation. The Schiff bases were derived either from 5‐chlorosalicylaldehyde or the 2‐hydroxyacetonaphthone analogues by using an asymmetric 1,6‐diamino‐4‐azahexane. A polymorphism that originated from different pentadentate ligand conformations on the iron center or different arrangements of noncovalent contacts was detected for the thiocyanato complexes. The central iron(III) atoms are mostly in the high‐spin states, except for that with the coordinated cyanido ligand. Four complexes that contain the thiocyanato or selenocyanato ligand exhibit spin crossover, centered at the critical temperature (Tc) of 42, 114, 282, and 293 K, respectively. The magnetic data of all compounds were analyzed using the spin Hamiltonian formalism including the zero‐field splitting (ZFS) term, and in the case of the spin‐crossover compounds, the Ising‐like model with vibrations was applied.
Synthesis of 2,6‐Di(pyrazol‐1‐yl)pyrazine Derivatives and the Spin‐State Behavior of Their Iron(II) Complexes
Authors: Mohammed Rufeida , Chastanet Guillaume , Tuna Floriana , Malkin Tamsin L. , Barrett Simon A. , Kilner Colin A. , Létard Jean‐François , Halcrow Malcolm A.
Published: December 2012

Chlorination of 2,6‐bis(pyrazol‐1‐yl)pyrazine (bppz) with NaClO in acetic acid afforded 2,6‐bis(4‐chloropyrazol‐1‐yl)pyrazine (L2Cl). 2,6‐Bis(4‐bromopyrazol‐1‐yl)pyrazine (L2Br), 2,6‐bis(4‐iodopyrazol‐1‐yl)pyrazine (L2I), 2,6‐bis(4‐methylpyrazol‐1‐yl)pyrazine (L2Me), and 2,6‐bis(4‐nitropyrazol‐1‐yl)pyrazine (L2NO2) were also prepared by reactions of the preformed 4‐substituted pyrazoles with 2,6‐dichloropyrazine. The reduction of L2NO2 with iron powder gave 2,6‐bis(4‐aminopyrazol‐1‐yl)pyrazine (L2NH2) and L2I was converted into 2,6‐bis[4‐(phenylethynyl)pyrazol‐1‐yl]pyrazine (L2CCPh) by a Sonogashira coupling reaction. The salts [Fe(L2Me)2]X2 (X– = BF4– and ClO4–) underwent thermal spin‐crossover abruptly at around 200 K in one and two steps, respectively. The [Fe(L2Me)2]X2 salts exhibited different light‐induced excited spin‐state trapping (LIESST) behavior; the BF4– salt behaves classically [T(LIESST) = 93 K], but the ClO4– salt undergoes a multistep LIESST relaxation. In contrast, solid [Fe(L2Cl)2][BF4]2 adopts a fixed 2:1 high/low‐spin‐state population that does not change with temperature below 300 K, whereas [Fe(L2Br)2][BF4]2 and [Fe(L2I)2][BF4]2 form low‐spin solvated crystals that are transformed into high‐spin powders on drying. The pyrazinyl group in the L2R ligands slightly stabilizes the low‐spin state of the complexes, as determined by solution‐phase magnetic measurements. The crystal structure of [Fe(L2CCPh)(OH2)z][BF4]2 contains a disordered mixture of six‐ (z = 3) and seven‐coordinate (z = 4) iron centers.
Performance evaluation of batch and unsteady state fed‐batch reactor operations for the production of a marine microbial surfactant
Authors: Sivapathasekaran Chandrasekaran , Sen Ramkrishna
Published: December 2012

BACKGROUND: Biosurfactants are microbially derived surface‐active and amphipathic molecules produced by various microorganisms. These versatile biomolecules can find potential applications in food, cosmetics, petroleum recovery and biopharmaceutical industries. However, their commercial use is impeded by low yields and productivities in fermentation processes. Thus, an attempt was made to enhance product yield and process productivity by designing a fed‐batch mode reactor strategy.

RESULTS: Biosurfactant (BS) production by a marine bacterium was performed in batch and fed‐batch modes of reactor operation in a 3.7 L fermenter. BS concentration of 4.61 ± 0.07 g L−1 was achieved in batch mode after 22 h with minimum power input of 33.87 × 103 W, resulting in maximum mixing efficiency. The volumetric oxygen flow rate (KLa) of the marine culture was about 0.08 s−1. BS production was growth‐associated, as evident from fitting growth kinetics data into the Luedeking‐Piret model. An unsteady state fed batch (USFB) strategy was employed to enhance BS production. Glucose feeding was done at different flow rates ranging from 3.7 mL min−1 (USFB‐I) to 10 mL min−1 (USFB‐II). USFB‐I strategy resulted in a maximum biosurfactant yield of 6.2 g l−1 with an increment of 35% of batch data. The kinetic parameters of USFB‐I were better than those from batch and USFB‐II.

CONCLUSION: Comparative performance evaluation of batch and semi‐continuous reactor operations was accomplished. USFB‐I operation improved biosurfactant production by about 35% over batch mode. USFB‐I strategy was more kinetically favorable than batch and USFB‐II. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Modelling of chemical surface acoustic wave sensors and comparative analysis of new sensing materials
Authors: Hribšek Marija F. , Ristić Slavica S. , Radojković Bojana M. , Filipović Zoran Lj. , Ristić Ognjen R.
Published: December 2012

Comparative analysis of different, new gas sensing materials in surface acoustic wave chemical sensors is presented. Different gas sensing materials as polyaniline (PANI), Teflon AF 2400, polyisobutylene (PIB), polyepichlorohydrin (PECH) are considered. They are chosen according to the type of gas to be detected and the desired accuracy: Teflon AF 2400 thin film for the detection of CO2, PANI nanocomposites film that belongs to the group of conductive polymers for the detection of CO, NO2 and phosgene (COCl2), and PECH and PIB for the detection of dichloromethane (CH2Cl2, DCM). In the analysis, the simple and useful method of the complete analyses of gas chemical sensors is used. The method is based on the electrical equivalent circuit of the surface acoustic wave sensor. The method is very efficient and can be used for the optimal design of CO2 sensors. The results are compared with those presented in public literature and good agreement is obtained, demonstrating the validity of modelling. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantification of image quality for color electronic paper
Authors: Nose Masaki , Yoshihara Toshiaki
Published: December 2012

We have quantified the image quality of color electronic paper (e‐paper) by subjective evaluations and clarified the requirements for improving the image quality. In the color e‐paper field, various display types have been developed with the focus on improving the display performances or manufacture costs. However, color e‐papers are still under development, and the image quality is not sufficient when compared with printed papers, photographs and conventional displays. With respect to the image quality of color e‐paper in the future, it is very significant to clarify how reflectance, contrast ratio, National Television System Committee (NTSC) ratio, and other factors affect the image quality. Therefore, we have quantified the image quality factors such as color reproduction, tone reproduction, and surface texture. From our experimental results, we could clarify the significant factors and the practical range of image quality of color e‐paper. For instance, both the reflectance of approximately 30% or higher, contrast ratio of approximately 8:1 or higher, and NTSC ratio of 20% or higher are the requirements for obtaining subjective evaluation score that is equivalent to that of newspapers, which are read very widely.
A longitudinal study of hearing and middle ear status in adolescents with cleft lip and palate
Authors: Flynn Traci , Lohmander Anette , Moller Claes , Magnusson Lennart
Published: December 2012

Objectives/Hypothesis

To study longitudinal prevalence of otitis media with effusion (OME) in children between 7 and 16 years of age by cleft group, and hearing sensitivity across time and across frequencies.

Study Design

Retrospective and longitudinal.

Methods

All children with cleft palate born from 1991 to 1993 were included in the study (n = 58). Audiological and otological data were reviewed at 7, 10, 13, and 16 years of age. The group was divided by cleft type (24 unilateral cleft lip and palate, 23 cleft palate only, and 11 bilateral cleft lip and palate).

Results

The prevalence of abnormal middle ear status decreased significantly with age. When comparing cleft types, the isolated cleft palate group presented with a significantly lower prevalence of abnormal middle ear status than the other groups at 7 and 16 years of age (21% as compared to 32% in the unilateral group and 38% in the bilateral group). The pure‐tone average improved with age, while the high‐frequency pure‐tone average did not. When cleft types were compared, the bilateral group demonstrated significantly poorer hearing in the high frequencies than the other groups.

Conclusion

Children with cleft palate need regular audiological and otological follow‐up to ensure management is appropriate and timely. The increased hearing thresholds in the high frequencies may be due to the increased episodes of OME.

Level of Evidence

2B.
Consumer Participation: The Case of Home Meal Preparation
Authors: Olsen Svein Ottar , Mai Huynh Thi Xuan
Published: December 2012

Consumer participation (CP) has become an important topic in marketing literature with the emergence of service‐dominant logic (SD logic), where consumers are viewed as co‐creators or coproducers of value. However, most studies of CP have largely focused on its economic implications for the supplying firm and thus not much attention has been paid to the factors explaining this phenomenon. This study explains the CP process in the context of home meal preparation by proposing and testing a model of how convenience orientation and knowledge influence both a motivational (involvement) and a behavioral component (time use) of a CP process. The results show that high involvement is a main driver of CP behavior. Convenience‐oriented people are less involved and spend less time on CP activities. Knowledge is suggested to have a positive influence on involvement with CP, but it may not necessarily positively impact the time people use in CP because skills may bring about efficient performance.
Solvent effects on 15N NMR coordination shifts
Authors: Kleinmaier Roland , Arenz Sven , Karim Alavi , Carlsson Anna‐Carin C. , Erdélyi Máté
Published: December 2012

15N NMR chemical shift became a broadly utilized tool for characterization of complex structures and comparison of their properties. Despite the lack of systematic studies, the influence of solvent on the nitrogen coordination shift, Δ15Ncoord, was hitherto claimed to be negligible. Herein, we report the dramatic impact of the local environment and in particular that of the interplay between solvent and substituents on Δ15Ncoord. The comparative study of CDCl3 and CD3CN solutions of silver(I)‐bis(pyridine) and silver(I)‐bis(pyridylethynyl)benzene complexes revealed the strong solvent dependence of their 15N NMR chemical shift, with a solvent dependent variation of up to 40 ppm for one and the same complex. The primary influence of the effect of substituent and counter ion on the 15N NMR chemical shifts is rationalized by corroborating Density‐Functional Theory (nor discrete Fourier transform) calculations on the B3LYP/6–311 + G(2d,p)//B3LYP/6–31G(d) level. Cooperative effects have to be taken into account for a comprehensive description of the coordination shift and thus the structure of silver complexes in solution. Our results demonstrate that interpretation of Δ15Ncoord in terms of coordination strength must always consider the solvent and counter ion. The comparable magnitude of Δ15Ncoord for reported transition metal complexes makes the principal findings most likely general for a broad scale of complexes of nitrogen donor ligands, which are in frequent use in modern organometallic chemistry. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The maternal‐to‐zygotic transition: An asynchronous split
Authors: Kong Betty Y. , Woodruff Teresa K.
Published: December 2012

The early cell cycles of preimplantation embryo development are unique in the scheme of mitotic cell proliferation as cell division is not coupled to cell growth, leading to a halving of blastomere volume with each cleavage event. Among the early mouse embryonic divisions, the fi rst two are particularly different, lasting almost twice as long as subsequent divisions. The third cell cycle is marked by the transition of a four‐cell embryo into an eight‐cell embryo, and represents the fi rst complete cell cycle occurring after activation of the zygotic genome. The G2/M phase of the third cell cycle is highly variable, lasting between 2–5 hours, and heterogeneity between blastomeres within the same embryo may occur as a part of normal development.

The embryo in this image is actively undergoing cleavage from the four‐ to the eight‐cell stage, and blastomeres are captured in multiple phases of the cell cycle, as visualized by chromatin structure (DNA, blue) and microtubule staining (α‐tubulin, green). Two blastomeres sit in interphase with decondensed chromatin masses and a mesh‐like microtubule network, while the remaining blastomeres are actively undergoing mitosis. Of the latter, one is in metaphase, one in early anaphase, and the last in late anaphase. All together, the diversity in cell cycle stages reveals the inherit asynchrony existent within individual blastomeres of a cleavage stage embryo. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 80: 1–1, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Production of PMMA Nanoparticles Loaded with Praziquantel Through “In Situ” Miniemulsion Polymerization
Authors: Fonseca Laís B. , Nele Márcio , Volpato Nádia Maria , Seiceira Rafael C. , Pinto José Carlos
Published: December 2012

PZQ is the primary drug for treatment of schistosomiasis, but its efficiency is severely affected by its bitter taste. The main objective of this paper is the preparation of PMMA nanoparticles loaded with PZQ through in situ miniemulsion polymerizations and intended for oral formulations. Polymerizations are performed with an ultra turrax and a high‐pressure homogenizer. Obtained nanoparticles are analyzed by DSC, HPLC, DLS, GC, SEM, and PZQ dissolution profiles. Obtained results indicate the successful encapsulation of PZQ in all runs. Obtained data also show that the high‐pressure homogenizer leads to the best performance, allowing for preparation of stable latexes, with narrower particle size distributions and higher encapsulation efficiencies.

magnified image
Diffusion tensor imaging and T2 relaxometry of bilateral lumbar nerve roots: feasibility of in‐plane imaging
Authors: Karampinos Dimitrios C. , Melkus Gerd , Shepherd Timothy M. , Banerjee Suchandrima , Saritas Emine U. , Shankaranarayanan Ajit , Hess Christopher P. , Link Thomas M. , Dillon William P. , Majumdar Sharmila
Published: December 2012

Lower back pain is a common problem frequently encountered without specific biomarkers that correlate well with an individual patient's pain generators. MRI quantification of diffusion and T2 relaxation properties may provide novel insight into the mechanical and inflammatory changes that occur in the lumbosacral nerve roots in patients with lower back pain. Accurate imaging of the spinal nerve roots is difficult because of their small caliber and oblique course in all three planes. Two‐dimensional in‐plane imaging of the lumbosacral nerve roots requires oblique coronal imaging with large field of view (FOV) in both dimensions, resulting in severe geometric distortions using single‐shot echo planar imaging (EPI) techniques. The present work describes initial success using a reduced‐FOV single‐shot spin‐echo EPI acquisition to obtain in‐plane diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and T2 mapping of the bilateral lumbar nerve roots at the L4 level of healthy subjects, minimizing partial volume effects, breathing artifacts and geometric distortions. A significant variation in DTI and T2 mapping metrics is also reported along the course of the normal nerve root. The fractional anisotropy is statistically significantly lower in the dorsal root ganglia (0.287 ± 0.068) than in more distal regions in the spinal nerve (0.402 ± 0.040) (p < 10–5). The T2 relaxation value is statistically significantly higher in the dorsal root ganglia (78.0 ± 11.9 ms) than in more distal regions in the spinal nerve (59.5 ± 7.4 ms) (p < 10–5). The quantification of nerve root DTI and T2 properties using the proposed methodology may identify the specific site of any degenerative and inflammatory changes along the nerve roots of patients with lower back pain. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of low energy e‐beam irradiation on cathodoluminescence from GaN
Authors: Suihkonen S. , Nykänen H. , Tanikawa T. , Yamaguchi M. , Honda Y. , Amano H.
Published: December 2012

We present cathodoluminescence (CL) studies on low energy e‐beam irradiated (LEEBI) metal‐organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) grown GaN films. High intensity LEEBI has been reported to reduce the band‐edge photoluminescence intensity of MOVPE grown GaN films. Here we observe similar reduction of band‐edge CL intensity with increasing LEEBI dose. The irradiation damage is found to be concentrated in the LEEBI energy dissipation depth by CL depth profiling. We have previously attributed the LEEBI induced reduction of band‐edge intensity to the activation of in‐grown Ga‐vacancies. Here we observe no increase in the relative intensity of defect related yellow or blue CL emission peaks in the LEEBI treated samples. This indicates that blue or yellow emission in undoped GaN is not related to in‐grown Ga‐vacancies.
Mother tongue as default language of instruction in lower primary science classes: Tension between policy prescription and practice in Nigeria
Authors: Okebukola Peter Akinsola , Owolabi Olatunde , Okebukola Foluso Olutoyin
Published: December 2012

The forecast for the first quarter of this century is that the issue of teaching science in the language to which the learner is most familiar will receive more attention in our quest to win more students for science. Over two‐thirds of countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe have developed policies on the use of the mother tongue for teaching science in the lower levels of their education system. In spite of this policy thrust, the educational system of many of these countries has not responded fully to the demands of such a policy. Because studies which mapped the dynamics of communication in science classrooms taught using the mother tongue are scant, we remain in the dark as to how best to structure such classrooms. The study was conducted in 12 primary schools and it involved 36 teachers in urban and rural locations of Lagos State, Nigeria. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from primary science classrooms where the mother tongue is expected to be used as a medium of instruction. Mismatch between policy and practice was found especially in urban science classrooms. Among other things, it was found that on the average, science lessons delivered in primary 1 in rural settings, were found to be 93.6% in the mother tongue (L1). In primary 2 this fell to 91.1% and in primary 3–84.6%. In contrast, in the urban schools, mother tongue content was found to be 61.8% in primary 1, 49.2% in primary 2 and 26.6% in primary 3. The geo‐spatial communication between and among pupils in urban and rural science classes also showed interesting findings, that is, English served as a mediating language. The implications of the findings for future policy considerations and future research to inform policy are drawn. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 50:62–81, 2013
Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Angiography as a Predictive Test for Cerebral Ischemia During Carotid Endarterectomy
Authors: Shin Sung , Kwon Tae‐Won , Cho Yong‐Pil , Shin Ji Hoon , Yi Ann , Kim Hyangkyung , Kim Geun Eun
Published: December 2012

Background

To evaluate whether the preoperative magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) can predict the risk of cerebral ischemia associated with the carotid endarterectomy (CEA).

Methods

Between January 2004 and December 2010, 382 consecutive patients (mean age: 56.6 years; range: 45–78 years) were identified to have undergone preoperative MRA and the CEA under regional anesthesia. It was determined that the patient needs shunting during the CEA by intraoperative monitoring of patient’s neurology. All patients were divided into two subgroups: shunt group or no‐shunt group. Imaging findings on preoperative MRA were correlated to shunting using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses combined with patient’s demographic and clinical features to identify predictors of cerebral ischemia during the CEA.

Results

In 37 of 382 CEA cases (9.7 %), shunting had been performed intraoperatively because the patient had a neurologic deficit. At multivariate analysis, preoperative MRA findings such as the absence of patent communicating arteries (odds ratio [OR], 5.56; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 3.05–9.69; p = 0.013) and the increase of intracranial arteries which were not patent in the contralateral hemisphere (OR, 4.277; 95 % CI, 2.575 to 7.104; p < 0.0001) were significantly associated with shunting.

Conclusions

Preoperative MRA is valuable when predicting cerebral ischemia leading to an inevitable shunting during CEA. Therefore, if there are preoperative MRA findings such as multiple occlusive intracranial arteries in the contralateral hemisphere or the absence of patent communicating arteries, it is recommended that CEA be performed under general anesthesia with routine shunting to avoid a serious shunt‐related complication.
Lateral Incisional Hernia Repair by the Retromuscular Approach with Polyester Standard Mesh: Topographic Considerations and Long‐term Follow‐up of 61 Consecutive Patients
Authors: Veyrie Nicolas , Poghosyan Tigran , Corigliano Nicola , Canard Guillaume , Servajean Stephane , Bouillot Jean‐Luc
Published: December 2012

Background

Because of the lack of published data and the relative rarity of lateral incisional hernia (LIH), their repair remains a major challenge for surgeons. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the outcome of LIH treated by the retromuscular approach (RMA) with a polyester standard mesh.

Methods

Sixty‐one patients were treated between June 2000 and November 2007 in an academic tertiary referral center using one standardized surgical technique and one type of mesh. Lumbar incisional hernia was excluded. All data were prospectively culled. The early complications and recurrence rates were evaluated.

Results

There were 14 (23 %) subcostal, 12 (19.6 %) flank, and 35 (57.4 %) iliac fossa LIH. The mean patient age was 57 years, and 60 % were male. The average width of the defect was 7.6 cm and the overall defect size averaged 56 cm². Seventeen patients (28 %) had had previous LIH repair. Ten patients had double hernia locations (midline and lateral) repaired simultaneously. The average operative time and hospital stay were 136 min and 7 days, respectively. The early complications rate was 18 %. Four patients required reoperation. There were no mesh infections. The median follow‐up was 47 months (range: 1–125 months). Recurrence was observed in three patients (4.9 %).

Conclusions

LIH repair by RMA with a polyester heavyweight mesh proves to be a safe treatment with a moderate complication rate and a low infection rate, even in the treatment of large or multifocal parietal defects.
UK consumer perceptions of starchy foods
Authors: Stubenitsky Karin , Mela David J.
Published: December 2012

To gain an understanding of UK consumer attitudes and beliefs regarding starchy foods and their dietary role, a questionnaire based on the theory of planned behaviour was developed and sent out to a UK consumer sample (n 800). The content focused on attitudes and beliefs towards starchy foods, perceived barriers towards increasing their intake (e.g. cost, habit, social influences), perceptions of personal and recommended starchy food intake, intention to increase starchy food intakes in the future and socio-demographic information. Responses (n 414) indicated that consumers have highly divergent attitudes and beliefs regarding starchy foods. These foods are seen as nutritious and good for one's health, but also as high in energy and not helping to control weight, and the overall intention to increase starchy food intake was extremely low. Possible barriers towards increasing starchy food intake were the perceptions that personal starchy food intakes were already high, beliefs that starchy food intakes should be reduced to achieve a healthier diet, and the view that personal starchy food intakes did not need to be changed any further, because (depending on attitude) individual's intakes had already been increased or reduced. The model including attitude and subjective norm had the best fit for predicting reported intention to increase starchy food consumption, with attitude being the strongest contributor. Addition of the factor ‘family's liking of starchy foods’ significantly improved the model. For reported starch intake, the model including attitude had the best fit, and addition of other factors did not improve the model. These findings indicate that health promotion strategies aimed at increasing complex carbohydrate intakes should take these perceptions into consideration; however, further work is required to examine how these potential barriers can best be addressed in practice.
Information Literacy: 21st Century Library Research Methods for African Studies
Authors: Reboussin Daniel A.
Published: December 2012

What is information literacy and why is it important for African studies?

Today's information environment for African studies, as in other areas, is vastly different from what it was in the last century. The central problem for library researchers in African studies decades ago hinged on awareness of a relatively few specialist, published reference and other print bibliographic tools for discovering relevant materials (Frank-Wilson 2004: 106; see McIlwaine 2007a). Many more resources are available now from African and other sources, but they present a complex terrain to navigate for many reasons, both old and new (see Limb 2007). The field has become more interdisciplinary in terms of data sources and subject matter, making bibliographic searches in any single topical, geographical, or discipline-based source (or even in the most comprehensive index databases) less likely to fulfil all of one's scholarly needs. While scholarly sources of documentation are freely available online, these may be fragmentary, idiosyncratic or incomplete as citations are made available passively and without context through services such as Google Scholar.1Students may encounter library resources online without having developed the critical evaluation skills and contextual judgement that more experienced scholars may take for granted (Hargittaiet al. 2010), and which may be essential to employ during library research to identify and engage effectively with African scholarly perspectives.
Transformative occupation and the unilateralist impulse
Authors: Fox Gregory H.
Published: December 2012

The 2003 occupation of Iraq ignited an important debate among scholars over the merits of transformative occupation. An occupier has traditionally been precluded from making substantial changes in the legal or political infrastructure of the state it controls. But the Iraq experience led some to claim that this ‘conservationist principle’ had been largely ignored in practice. Moreover, transformation was said to accord with a variety of important trends in contemporary international law, including the rebuilding of post-conflict states along liberal democratic lines, the extra-territorial application of human rights treaty obligations, and the decline of abstract conceptions of territorial sovereignty. This article argues that these claims are substantially overstated. The practice of Occupying Powers does not support the view that liberal democratic transformations are widespread. Human rights treaties have never been held to require states parties to legislate in the territories of other states. More importantly, the conservationist principle serves the critical function of limiting occupiers' unilateral appropriation of the subordinate state's legislative powers. Post-conflict transformation has indeed been a common feature of post-Cold War legal order, but it has been accomplished collectively, most often via Chapter VII of the UN Charter. To grant occupiers authority to reverse this trend by disclaiming any need for collective approval of ‘reforms’ in occupied states would be to validate an anachronistic unilateralism. It would run contrary to the multilateralization of all aspects of armed conflict, evident in areas well beyond post-conflict reconstruction.
Predicting changes in temperate forest budburst using continental‐scale observations and models
Authors: Jeong Su‐Jong , Medvigy David , Shevliakova Elena , Malyshev Sergey
Published: December 2012

A new framework for understanding the macro‐scale variations in spring phenology is developed by using new data from the USA National Phenology Network. Changes in spring budburst for the United States are predicted by using Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 outputs. Macro‐scale budburst simulations for the coming century indicate that projected warming leads to earlier budburst by up to 17 days. The latitudinal gradient of budburst becomes less pronounced due to spatially varying sensitivity of budburst to climate change, even in the most conservative emissions scenarios. Currently existing interspecies differences in budburst date are predicted to become smaller, indicating the potential for secondary impacts at the ecosystem level. We expect that these climate‐driven changes in phenology will have large effects on the carbon budget of U.S. forests and these controls should be included in dynamic global vegetation models.
Trends in Antarctic Peninsula surface melting conditions from observations and regional climate modeling
Authors: Barrand N. E. , Vaughan D. G. , Steiner N. , Tedesco M. , Kuipers Munneke P. , van den Broeke M. R. , Hosking J. S.
Published: December 2012

Multidecadal meteorological station records and microwave backscatter time‐series from the SeaWinds scatterometer onboard QuikSCAT (QSCAT) were used to calculate temporal and spatial trends in surface melting conditions on the Antarctic Peninsula (AP). Four of six long‐term station records showed strongly positive and statistically significant trends in duration of melting conditions, including a 95% increase in the average annual positive degree day sum (PDD) at Faraday/Vernadsky, since 1948. A validated, threshold‐based melt detection method was employed to derive detailed melt season onset, extent, and duration climatologies on the AP from enhanced resolution QSCAT data during 1999–2009. Austral summer melt on the AP was linked to regional‐ and synoptic‐scale atmospheric variability by respectively correlating melt season onset and extent with November near‐surface air temperatures and the October–January averaged index of the Southern Hemisphere Annular Mode (SAM). The spatial pattern, magnitude, and interannual variability of AP melt from observations was closely reproduced by simulations of the regional model RACMO2. Local discrepancies between observations and model simulations were likely a result of the QSCAT response to, and RACMO2 treatment of, ponded surface water, and the relatively crude representation of coastal climate in the 27 km RACMO2 grid.
An analytical kinetic model for chemical-vapor deposition of pureB layers from diborane
Authors: Mohammadi V. , de Boer W. B. , Nanver L. K.
Published: December 2012

In this paper, an analytical model is established to describe the deposition kinetics and the deposition chamber characteristics that determine the deposition rates of pure boron (PureB-) layers grown by chemical-vapor deposition (CVD) from diborane (B2H6) as gas source on a non-rotating silicon wafer. The model takes into consideration the diffusion mechanism of the diborane species through the stationary boundary layer over the wafer, the gas phase processes and the related surface reactions by applying the actual parabolic gas velocity and temperature gradient profiles in the reactor. These are calculated theoretically and also simulated with fluent software. The influence of an axial and lateral diffusion of diborane species and the validity of the model for laminar flow in experimental CVD processes are also treated. This model is based on a wide range of input parameters, such as initial diborane partial pressure, total gas flow, axial position on the wafer, deposition temperature, activation energy of PureB deposition from diborane, surface H-coverage, and reactor dimensions. By only adjusting these reactor/process parameters, the model was successfully transferred from the ASM Epsilon One to the Epsilon 2000 reactor which has totally different reactor conditions. The model's predictive capabilities have been verified by experiments performed at 700 °C in these two different ASM CVD reactors.
Thermal conductivity of silicon nanowire arrays with controlled roughness
Authors: Feser Joseph P. , Sadhu Jyothi S. , Azeredo Bruno P. , Hsu Keng H. , Ma Jun , Kim Junhwan , Seong Myunghoon , Fang Nicholas X. , Li Xiuling , Ferreira Placid M. , Sinha Sanjiv , Cahill David G.
Published: December 2012

A two-step metal assisted chemical etching technique is used to systematically vary the sidewall roughness of Si nanowires in vertically aligned arrays. The thermal conductivities of nanowire arrays are studied using time domain thermoreflectance and compared to their high-resolution transmission electron microscopy determined roughness. The thermal conductivity of nanowires with small roughness is close to a theoretical prediction based on an upper limit of the mean-free-paths of phonons given by the nanowire diameter. The thermal conductivity of nanowires with large roughness is found to be significantly below this prediction. Raman spectroscopy reveals that nanowires with large roughness also display significant broadening of the one-phonon peak; the broadening correlates well with the reduction in thermal conductivity. The origin of this broadening is not yet understood, as it is inconsistent with phonon confinement models, but could derive from microstructural changes that affect both the optical phonons observed in Raman scattering and the acoustic phonons that are important for heat conduction.
Thermodynamic mechanism of nickel silicide nanowire growth
Authors: Kim Joondong
Published: December 2012

A unique growth mechanism of nickel silicide (NiSi) nanowires (NWs) was thermodynamically investigated. The reaction between Ni and Si primarily determines NiSi phases according to the deposition condition. Optimum growth conditions were found at 375 °C leading long and high-density NiSi NWs. The ignition of NiSi NWs is determined by the grain size due to the nucleation limited silicide reaction. A successive Ni diffusion through a silicide layer was traced from a NW grown sample. Otherwise Ni-rich or Si-rich phase induces a film type growth. This work demonstrates specific existence of NiSi NW growth.
Ultra-thin planar fully relaxed Ge pseudo-substrate on compliant porous silicon template layer
Authors: Aouassa M. , Escoubas S. , Ronda A. , Favre L. , Gouder S. , Mahamdi R. , Arbaoui E. , Halimaoui A. , Berbezier I.
Published: December 2012

Porous silicon (PSi) layers are used as templates to grow epitaxial planar and fully relaxed Ge pseudo-substrates. An annealing at 600 °C, dramatically changes the PSi morphology and produces compliant template layers which serve in a second step, as substrate for the epitaxy of fully relaxed SiGe layers with a Ge content between 50% and 94%. The SiGe pseudo-substrates produced by such process exhibit a remarkable planar surface resulting from the penetration of Ge inside the pores. They could be integrated into conventional microelectronic technology for the subsequent deposition of active layers such as tensily strained Si or relaxed Ge.
Promotion of vesicular zinc efflux by ZIP13 and its implications for spondylocheiro dysplastic Ehlers–Danlos syndrome
Authors: Jeong Jeeyon , Walker Joel M. , Wang Fudi , Park J. Genevieve , Palmer Amy E. , Giunta Cecilia , Rohrbach Marianne , Steinmann Beat , Eide David J.
Published: December 2012

Significance

Intracellular zinc is tightly controlled because zinc is essential but potentially toxic. Many organisms regulate zinc using storage vesicles/organelles, but whether mammals do so is unknown. Here, we show that human ZIP13 releases zinc from vesicular stores. Previous studies found that mutations in the ZIP13 gene,
SLC39A13
, cause the spondylocheiro dysplastic form of Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (SCD-EDS) and speculated that ZIP13 exports zinc from the early secretory pathway and that zinc overload in the endoplasmic reticulum causes SCD-EDS. In contrast, our study suggests that SCD-EDS results from zinc deficiency in the endoplasmic reticulum resulting from zinc trapping in vesicular stores.
Glucagon regulates its own synthesis by autocrine signaling
Authors: Leibiger Barbara , Moede Tilo , Muhandiramlage Thusitha P. , Kaiser Daniel , Sanchez Pilar Vaca , Leibiger Ingo B. , Berggren Per-Olof
Published: December 2012

Peptide hormones are powerful regulators of various biological processes. To guarantee continuous availability and function, peptide hormone secretion must be tightly coupled to its biosynthesis. A simple but efficient way to provide such regulation is through an autocrine feedback mechanism in which the secreted hormone is “sensed” by its respective receptor and initiates synthesis at the level of transcription and/or translation. Such a secretion–biosynthesis coupling has been demonstrated for insulin; however, because of insulin’s unique role as the sole blood glucose-decreasing peptide hormone, this coupling is considered an exception rather than a more generally used mechanism. Here we provide evidence of a secretion–biosynthesis coupling for glucagon, one of several peptide hormones that increase blood glucose levels. We show that glucagon, secreted by the pancreatic α cell, up-regulates the expression of its own gene by signaling through the glucagon receptor, PKC, and PKA, supporting the more general applicability of an autocrine feedback mechanism in regulation of peptide hormone synthesis.
Essential contribution of IRF3 to intestinal homeostasis and microbiota-mediated
Tslp
gene induction
Authors: Negishi Hideo , Miki Shoji , Sarashina Hana , Taguchi-Atarashi Naoko , Nakajima Akira , Matsuki Kosuke , Endo Nobuyasu , Yanai Hideyuki , Nishio Junko , Honda Kenya , Taniguchi Tadatsugu
Published: December 2012

The large intestinal epithelial cells and immune cells are exposed to a variety of molecules derived from commensal microbiota that can activate innate receptors, such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and retinoic acid-inducible gene-I-like receptors (RLRs). Although the activation of these receptors is known to be critical for homeostasis of the large intestine, the underlying gene regulatory mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we show that IFN regulatory factor (IRF)3 is critical for the suppression of dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. IRF3-deficient mice exhibited lethal defects in the inflammatory and recovery phases of the colitis, accompanied by marked defects in the gene induction for thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a cytokine known to be essential for protection of the large intestine. We further provide evidence that DNA and RNA of the large intestinal contents are critical for
Tslp
gene induction via IRF3 activation by cytosolic nucleic acid receptors. We also demonstrate that IRF3 indeed activates the gene promoter of
Tslp
via IRF-binding sequences. This newly identified intestinal gene regulatory mechanism, wherein IRF3 activated by microbiota-derived nucleic acids plays a critical role in intestinal homeostasis, may have clinical implication in colonic inflammatory disorders.
Code-switching between an OV and a VO language
Authors: Jansen Veronika , Müller Jasmin , Müller Natascha
Published: December 2012

The present article investigates intra-sentential code-switching in French/Italian/ Spanish-German bilingual children. The main question is what determines the syntax of code-switching in OV/VO structures and subordinate clauses. While in the domain of OV/VO, neither the language of the lexical verb nor that of the modal/auxiliary verb determines the structure of code-switched utterances, the complementizer seems to be decisive for the syntax of code-switching in subordinate clauses. The present approach focuses on the relevance of the functional head C in code-switching, claiming that the syntax of code-switched OV/VO structures is influenced by the language of a (covert) C-head, while it does not depend on the language of T or V. Our approach can explain the variability of OV/VO in code-switching data and supports the observations byBelazi, Rubin, and Toribio (1994),Cantone (2007),Chan (2003;2007), andGonzalez-Vilbazo and Lopez (2012)that functional categories play an important role for the syntax of code-switching.
The historical development of the it-cleft
Authors: Patten Amanda L.
Published: December 2012

This paper compares two approaches to a particular grammatical change. While Ball (1991, 1994) investigates the development of the it-cleft configuration from within the generative tradition of the 1990s, I have recently re-examined the historical it-cleft data from a constructional perspective (see Patten 2010, forthcoming). In this paper, I show how our different theoretical assumptions lead us to categorize and analyse the data differently. I conclude that a constructional approach is better at interpreting the diachronic facts.
Evolutionary rescue and adaptation to abrupt environmental change depends upon the history of stress
Authors: Gonzalez Andrew , Bell Graham
Published: December 2012

Whether evolution will be rapid enough to rescue declining populations will depend upon population size, the supply of genetic variation, the degree of maladaptation and the historical direction of selection. We examined whether the level of environmental stress experienced by a population prior to abrupt environmental change affects the probability of evolutionary rescue (ER). Hundreds of populations of two species of yeast,
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
and
Saccharomyces paradoxus
were exposed to a range of sublethal concentrations of salt for approximately a hundred generations before transfer to a concentration of salt lethal to the ancestor (150 g l
–1
NaCl). The fitness of surviving populations of both species was a quadratic function of yield: fitness was greatest for large populations that had been selected on low salt concentrations (less than 20 g l
−1
NaCl) and small populations that had adapted to high salt (more than 80 g l
−1
NaCl). However, differences occurred between species in the probability of ER. The frequency of ER was positively correlated with salt concentration for
S. cerevisiae,
but negatively correlated with salt concentration in
S. paradoxus
. These results not only demonstrate that past environmental conditions can determine the probability of ER after abrupt environmental change, but also suggest that there may even be differences between closely related species that are worth further exploration.