bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In vitro antileishmanial and antimalarial activities of tetrahydrofuran lignans isolated from Nectandra megapotamica (Lauraceae)
Authors: da Silva Filho Ademar A. , Costa Eveline S. , Cunha Wilson R. , Silva Márcio L. A. e , Nanayakkara N. P. Dhammika , Bastos Jairo K.
Published: August 2008

Seven tetrahydrofuran lignans, isolated from Nectandra megapotamica (Lauraceae), were evaluated for their in vitro antileishmanial and antimalarial activities. Among the evaluated compounds, machilin‐G (1a) and veraguensin (2a) showed the highest antileishmanial activities, displaying for both compounds an IC50 value of 18 µg/mL and an IC90 value of 36 µg/mL, while galgravin (1b), nectandrin‐A (1c), nectandrin‐B (1d), calopeptin (2b) and ganshisandrine (3) were inactive against Leishmania donovani. In the antimalarial assay against Plasmodium falciparum, it was observed that calopeptin (2b) displayed moderate activity, with IC50 values of 3800 ng/mL (D6 clone) and 3900 ng/mL (W2 clone), while the lignans 1a–1d, 2a and 3 were inactive. In order to compare the effect on the parasites with toxicity to mammalian cells, the cytotoxic activity of the isolated compounds were evaluated against the Vero cells, showing that all evaluated tetrahydrofuran lignans exhibited no cytotoxicity at the maximum dose tested. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trypanocidal activity of pimarane diterpenes from Viguiera arenaria (Asteraceae)
Authors: Ambrósio Sérgio R. , Arakawa Nilton S. , Esperandim Viviane R. , de Albuquerque Sérgio , Da Costa Fernando B.
Published: August 2008

Five structurally related pimarane diterpenes isolated from the roots of Viguiera arenaria and a further compound obtained by chemical derivatization were evaluated in vitro against the trypomastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. The natural compound ent‐15‐pimarene‐8β,19‐diol and the derivative ent‐8(14),15‐pimaradiene‐3β‐acetoxy showed the highest trypanocidal activity, displaying IC50 values of 116.5 ± 1.21 and 149.3 ± 1.07 µM, respectively, while the positive control, violet gentian, showed an IC50 of 76 µM. Based on the results, it can be concluded that minor structural differences among the tested diterpenes influence significantly the trypanocidal activity, thus bringing new perspectives to the establishment of structure‐activity relationships among this type of metabolites to the treatment of Chagas' disease. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antiinflammatory effect of the ethanol extract of Berberis koreana in a gerbil model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion
Authors: Yoo Ki‐Yeon , Hwang In Koo , Kim Jong Dai , Kang Il‐Jun , Park Jinseu , Yi Jae‐Seon , Kim Jin‐Kyu , Bae Young‐Soo , Won Moo‐Ho
Published: August 2008

Berberis koreana extract (BE) has a strong neuroprotective effect after ischemic stroke in gerbils, which is associated with the inhibition of the N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor. The present study examined the antiinflammatory mechanism of BE after ischemic damage in vitro and in vivo. The BE used contained on average 7.39 ± 0.78 mg/g of berberine. In PC12 cells with inflammation, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production was significantly reduced by BE. About 75% of pyramidal cells in the hippocampal CA1 region of gerbils exposed to 5 min of transient ischemia were protected from ischemic damage by BE. Cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) immunoreactivity and its protein level in the CA1 region of vehicle‐treated animals exposed to an ischemic insult increased with time post‐ischemia, whereas no such changes were observed in BE‐treated animals exposed to ischemia. PGE2 production in BE‐treated ischemic animals was significantly lower than that observed in vehicle‐treated ischemic animals. Summarizing, the potent neuroprotective effect of BE was found to be due to the inhibitions of COX‐2 expression and PGE2 production and its antiinflammatory activity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determination of ginsenoside‐Rg1 in human plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic studies following intravenous administration of ‘Shenmai’ injection
Authors: Yang Liu , Xu Shun‐jun , Wu Zhi‐feng , Liu Yi‐Ming , Zeng Xing
Published: August 2008

‘Shenmai’ injection is derived from traditional Chinese medicine ‘Shenmaisan’ and made from Radix ginseng Rubra and Radix Ophiopogonis. Ginsenoside‐Rg1, as a major constituent of Radix ginseng Rubra, is considered responsible for the efficacy of this injection. A rapid, simple and accurate method has been established for determination of ginsenoside‐Rg1 in Shenmai injection and human plasma using LC‐ESI‐MS/MS, and to study the pharmacokinetics of Rg1 in ten healthy volunteers after intravenous single dosing of 60 mL of Shenmai injection. Following solid‐phase extraction (SPE), samples were separated on a C18 column coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The protonated analyte was quantified by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) with a quadruple mass spectrometer in positive mode. Linearity was confirmed in the concentration range of 1 to 1000 ng/mL for Rg1, and the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ, S/N > 10) was 1 ng/mL. The intraday and interday RSDs were within 15% and mean extraction recoveries ranged from 98.6% to 104.9%. The pharmacokinetics of Rg1 in healthy volunteers conforms to the two‐compartment open model. The main pharmacokinetics parameters were as follows: t1/2β, 2.09 ± 1.89 h; CL, 0.03 ± 0.01 L kg−1 h−1; AUC (0 ∼ ∞), 124.4 ± 35.9 2 ng mL−1 h and AUC (0 ∼ ∞), 127.9 ± 37.2 ng mL−1 h, respectively. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inhibitory effect of (‐)‐saucerneol on osteoclast differentiation and bone pit formation
Authors: Kim Soon Nam , Kim Myung Hee , Kim Young Sup , Ryu Shi Yong , Min Yong Ki , Kim Seong Hwan
Published: August 2008

In this study, the effect of (‐)‐saucerneol, one of the lignans isolated from Saururus chinensis, on osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption was evaluated in two in vitro models for osteoclast differentiation, the receptor activator of nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) ligand (RANKL)‐treated RAW264.7 cells and mouse BMMs treated with both RANKL and macrophage‐colony stimulating factor. (‐)‐Saucerneol significantly inhibited the RANKL‐induced activity of tartrate‐resistance acid phosphatase (TRAP, an early marker of osteoclast formation) and formation of osteoclasts in a dose‐dependent manner. Interestingly, (‐)‐saucerneol was shown to inhibit the RANKL‐induced activation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinase in both in vitro models. In addition, (‐)‐saucerneol inhibited the bone resorptive activity and the expression of transcription factors and genes essential for osteoclast formation and bone resorption as well. In conclusion, (‐)‐saucerneol has a potential to inhibit the osteoclast differentiation via preventing the activation of ERK signaling pathway. In addition, its activity to inhibit the bone resorption activities of osteoclasts could result from its potential to inhibit RANKL‐induced expression levels of transcription factors and genes essential for bone resorption. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Review of generative models for the narrowband land mobile satellite propagation channel
Authors: Fontan F. P. , Mayo A. , Marote D. , Prieto‐Cerdeira R. , Mariño P. , Machado F. , Riera N.
Published: August 2008

The land mobile satellite (LMS) propagation channel is frequently described using statistical models. These models usually make different assumptions regarding the behavior of the direct signal, the diffuse multipath component and the shadowing effects. This paper analyzes the theoretical formulation and implementation of time‐series synthesizers based on three typical statistical models: Loo, Corazza–Vatalaro and Suzuki, describing their similarities and differences. The discussion is not limited to the amplitude of the complex envelope but also to the phase variations and Doppler spectra. Finally, guidelines are also provided for comparing model parameters supplied by different authors. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rain rate conversion for various integration time for equatorial and tropical climates
Authors: Mandeep J. S. , Hassan S. I. S. , Ain M. F.
Published: August 2008

Rain rate statistics are derived on the basis of rain gauge recordings having effective integration times of 5 min or more. The conversion of such data to equivalent statistics for an effective integration time of 1 min is important to the design of both terrestrial and earth‐space microwave systems. Tipping bucket precipitation records for seven locations in South East Asia countries have been analysed and present the results of a testing activity performed on four conversion methods of rain rate integration time, from 5, 10, 30 and 60 to 1 min. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Learning to deal with CSR issues in the classroom
Authors: Córdoba José‐Rodrigo , Campbell Tim
Published: August 2008

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is now a popular topic for business and educational institutions. However, its manifold manifestations and interpretations make its learning interesting whilst at the same time challenging. This paper reflects on the use of systems thinking to develop business students' awareness and intervention skills on CSR issues. To develop our approach, we consider three areas of CSR that we think need attention. These are (1) the incorporation of CSR issues into organizational purposes; (2) stakeholder management when thinking about CSR and (3) assessment of CSR impacts on society. Our approach shows how key systems thinking ideas and methodologies have helped us to facilitate discussion about these elements in the classroom. We suggest some ways of improving our approach towards improving students' engagement with CSR in the future. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thinking of the organization as a system: The role of managerial perceptions in developing a corporate social responsibility strategic agenda
Authors: Maon François , Lindgreen Adam , Swaen Valérie
Published: August 2008

The societal issues conveyed to the organization by its internal and external stakeholders can be various and often conflicting. Consequently, organizations confront difficulties when attempting to identify the range of relevant societal issues they must prioritize to design corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. This article proposes a conceptual framework to clarify the processes that underlie the emergence, prioritization and integration of CSR issues into organizational goals. Specifically, this article uses systems thinking, CSR, and organizational interpretation theories to highlight the central influence of top managers' perceptions on the development of CSR strategic agendas. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Managerial applications of corporate social responsibility and systems thinking for achieving sustainability outcomes
Authors: Porter Terry B.
Published: August 2008

There is a gap between organizations'intentionsto adopt corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and their provision of a clear strategy and management tools for practicallyrealizingsuch intentions. In particular, the literature to date has not yet developed a pragmatic, descriptive summary of firms' designs for CSR adoption, along with a practical menu of ways to implement their designs in organizational systems. To address these gaps, this paper aims to make three principle contributions. First, it defines CSR, sustainability and their relationship in practical terms. Second, it develops a typology of CSR standpoints that incorporates a number of other classifications. Third, it offers a menu of practical methods and measurement metrics based on interpretive and complex adaptive systems perspectives. The result is a hands‐on guide to the process of achieving sustainability goals and objectives from a variety of ideological positions and systems designs, thereby contributing to both managerial practice and sustainability theory. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the application of classification concepts to systems engineering design and evaluation
Authors: Ford Thomas C. , Colombi John M. , Jacques David R. , Graham Scott R.
Published: August 2008

While classification has been practiced within the fields of biology and chemistry for hundreds of years and has enjoyed mathematical definition in the form of numerical taxonomy for approximately 50 years, this paper presents an inaugural method and application of quantitative classification of systems to the discipline of systems engineering. This paper establishes, by theory and application, that a quantitative, business process‐constrained system classification enjoys a host of systems engineering uses—most notably system design and evaluation. A survey of 50 years of published material in the systems science and systems engineering disciplines on qualitative system classifications is provided to ground the discussion of this paper's quantitative system classification method. Future research topics, such as interoperability measurement, branching from the work described in this paper are also proposed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng
Azobenzene-functionalized alkanethiols in self-assembled monolayers on gold
Authors: Schmidt Roland , McNellis Erik , Freyer Wolfgang , Brete Daniel , Gießel Tanja , Gahl Cornelius , Reuter Karsten , Weinelt Martin
Published: August 2008

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 4-trifluoromethyl-azobenzene-4′-methyleneoxy-alkanethiols (CF3– C6H4–N=N–C6H4–O–(CH2)
n
–SH on (111)-oriented poly-crystalline gold films on mica were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The spectra are analyzed with the help of density-functional-theory calculations of the isolated molecule. Only one doublet is detected in the sulphur 2p spectra of the investigated SAMs, consistent with a thiolate bond of the molecule to the gold surface. The C 1s XP spectra and the corresponding XAS π
* resonance exhibit a rich structure which is assigned to the carbon atoms in the different chemical surroundings. Comparing XPS binding energies of the azobenzene moiety and calculated initial-state shifts reveals comparable screening of all C 1s core holes. While the carbon 1s XPS binding energy lies below the π
*-resonance excitation-energy, the reversed order is found comparing core ionization and neutral core excitation of the nitrogen 1s core-hole of the azo group. This surprising difference in core-hole binding energies is interpreted as site-dependent polarization screening and charge transfer among the densely packed aromatic moieties. We propose that a quenching of the optical excitation within the molecular layer is thus one major reason for the low trans to cis photo-isomerization rate of azobenzene in aromatic-aliphatic SAMs.
Population dynamics of pampas mice (Akodon azarae): signatures of competition and predation exposed through time‐series modeling
Authors: Kittlein Marcelo Javier
Published: August 2008

The ability of four mechanistic population models to mirror a 5‐year time series of seasonal densities of the pampas mouse,Akodon azarae, from central Argentina, is evaluated in this paper. The different models included, singly or in combination, the effects of a putative competitor and a specialist predator on the dynamics of pampas mice. The most simple model, a logistic single‐species stochastic differential equation, failed to fit the observed time series satisfactorily (Rmodel2= 0.36), while models including interspecific effects gave much better fits with increasing model complexity (competitionRmodel2= 0.71, predationRmodel2= 0.62, competition and predationRmodel2= 0.83). Using Akaike's information criterion, the competition model was selected as the best alternative with regard to model fit and model complexity. Synthetic time‐series probes obtained by simulations from the parameterized stochastic mechanistic models were significantly different and indicated the competition plus predation model as a slightly better alternative than the competition model. The differences between the two methods for selecting models indicate that the incorporation of predation only slightly improves the match between the predicted and observed time series and that this slight improvement is not sufficient to override the increase in model complexity. Competition thus seems to play a more important role than predation in shaping the population dynamics of pampas mice.
Congenital generalized lipodystrophy in an Indian patient with a novel mutation in BSCL2 gene
Authors: Shirwalkar H. U. , Patel Z. M. , Magre J. , Hilbert P. , Van Maldergem L. , Mukhopadhyay R. R. , Maitra A.
Published: August 2008

Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL) is an autosomal recessive metabolic syndrome with involvement of multiple organs. Mutations in BSCL2 are known to be associated with a severe form of CGL and mental retardation (MR). The genetic heterogeneity in CGL patients is accompanied by phenotypic heterogeneity in different ethnic groups. Studies in the Indian context are very few in this regard. We report here a detailed clinical analysis of a CGL case from infancy to adult hood. Interestingly, the patient was found to be homozygous for a novel BSCL2 mutation, but with normal intellectual development contrasting with the MR associated with BSCL2 mutation in CGL patients. The biochemical investigations at the time of diagnosis (9 months) included total cholesterol, total lipids, triglycerides, phospholipids, β‐lipoprotein and free fatty acids, which were above normal limits. The clinical phenotype, viz. lack of subcutaneous fat, hepatosplenomegaly, cardiomegaly, and advanced bone age was also documented. The patient was found to be insulin resistant and diabetes mellitus was diagnosed by age 13 years. Ultrasonography of the ovaries at age 22 showed polycystic features with elevated levels of gonadotropins and negligible levels of serum leptin. For genetic analysis, direct DNA sequencing of BSCL2 was carried out and disclosed an 11‐base‐pair deletion in exon 6 (H217fsX272) resulting in a truncated protein. This is a novel mutation that contributes to CGL formation in a family of Indian origin and adds to the array of variants reported in this disorder. Moreover, the novel mutation is found to be associated with normal intellectual ability.
Molecular genetics of myocardial infarction
Authors: Yamada Yoshiji , Ichihara Sahoko , Nishida Tamotsu
Published: August 2008

Myocardial infarction (MI) is an important clinical problem because of its large contribution to mortality. The main causal and treatable risk factors for MI include hypertension, hypercholesterolemia or dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and smoking. In addition to these risk factors, recent studies have shown the importance of genetic factors and interactions between multiple genes and environmental factors. Disease prevention is an important strategy for reducing the overall burden of MI, with the identification of markers for disease risk being key both for risk prediction and for potential intervention to lower the chance of future events. Although genetic linkage analyses of families and sib-pairs as well as candidate gene and genome-wide association studies have implicated several loci and candidate genes in predisposition to coronary heart disease (CHD) or MI, the genes that contribute to genetic susceptibility to these conditions remain to be identified definitively. In this review, we summarize both candidate loci for CHD or MI identified by linkage analyses and candidate genes examined by association studies. We also review in more detail studies that have revealed the association with MI or CHD of polymorphisms in MTHFR, LPL, and APOE by the candidate gene approach and those in LTA and at chromosomal region 9p21.3 by genome-wide scans. Such studies may provide insight into the function of implicated genes as well as into the role of genetic factors in the development of CHD and MI.
Synthesis and Biological Activity of 8‐Hydroxyquinoline and 2‐Hydroxypyridine Quaternary Ammonium Salts
Authors: Ahmed Sahar M. , Ismail Dina A.
Published: August 2008

Two series of quaternary cationic surfactant were synthesized by reaction of 8‐hydroxyquinoline and 2‐hydroxypyridine with long chain alkyl halides (dodecyl, tetradecyl‐ and hexadecyl‐bromide). Surface tension was measured in aqueous solution for different concentrations at 25 °C. Various surface properties of the synthesized surfactants were evaluated, particularly critical micelle concentration (CMC), efficiency (ΠCMC) as well as maximum surface excess (Γmax) and minimum surface area (Amin). Micellization and adsorption in liquid/air interfaces thermodynamics were investigated. The synthesized cationic surfactants were evaluated for their biocidal activity. All compounds prepared showed good antibacterial and antifungal activities.
ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL OF AN UNDERUTILIZED CROP – A CASE STUDY USING BAMBARA GROUNDNUT
Authors: Azam-Ali S. N. , Sesay A. , Karikari S. K. , Massawe F. J. , Aguilar-Manjarrez J. , Bannayan M. , Hampson K. J.
Published: August 2008

Using experience with bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea), this paper examines how local knowledge, genetic evaluation, research in fields, glasshouses and laboratories, and crop simulation modelling might be linked within a methodological framework to assess rapidly the potential of any underutilized crop. The approach described is retrospective in that each activity was not clearly defined and structured at the outset. However, the experience gained may help to establish a methodology by which growers, researchers and international agencies can integrate their knowledge and understanding of any particular underutilized crop and apply similar principles to accelerate the acquisition of knowledge on other underutilized species. The use of a methodological framework provides a basis for activities that maximize knowledge, minimize duplication of effort, identify priority areas for further research and dissemination, and derive general principles for application across underutilized crops in general. It also allows policy makers and planners to make comparative decisions on the nutritional, economic and research importance of different underutilized and more-favoured species. In particular, the incorporation of a generic crop simulation model within the methodological framework may assist growers, extension agencies and scientists to refine general recommendations for any particular crop to local conditions. Also, the incorporation of information gathered from the field, laboratory or market can be used to update rapidly the predictive capacity of the model for each crop.
THE ROLE OF INFORMAL SEED SYSTEMS IN DISSEMINATING MODERN VARIETIES. THE EXAMPLE OF PIGEONPEA FROM A SEMI-ARID AREA OF KENYA
Authors: Jones R. B. , Audi P. A. , Tripp R.
Published: August 2008

In the semi-arid Mwea Division of Kenya's Eastern Province, the modern pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) variety Nairobi Pigeonpea 670 (NPP 670) had become known to all farmers and was being grown by 68% of them within a period of 12 years. The only injection of this seed to the area was from a single on-farm demonstration. Three-quarters of farmers found out about the variety from observing it growing in the field, and obtained seed primarily from other farmers in the village. Factors favouring the diffusion of the variety included its attractiveness as a cash crop, the ease with which it could be distinguished from other varieties, the low seed rate, and the relative ease with which growers were able to maintain seed purity. Farmers expressed a willingness to pay for fresh seed, which suggests that more effort needs to be made to involve the formal seed sector. The present regulatory system does not favour the development of a formal supply system. NPP 670 was released more than 10 years after it was first tested.
Conflict Across the Atlantic: Women, Family and Mass Male Migration in Sicily, 1880–1920
Authors: Reeder Linda
Published: August 2008

This article looks at the effect of transoceanic migration on rural Sicilian families. The author focuses on the conflicts, stresses, and transformations experienced by members of transnational families. While the reality of migration rarely reflected the popular notion that emigration would ruin families, the experience did create deep divisions between migrant men and the women who remained behind. Even before men migrated, husbands and wives struggled over the initial decision to emigrate. From their differing positions within the family, men and women separately weighed the potential benefits and risks of migration. When women encouraged their husbands to work overseas, the experience of migration often created new dreams and opportunities that divided family members. This essay highlights the deeply gendered nature of transnational migration, and the role of the family in altering ideas of husband, wife, mother, and father.
Officially Solicited Petitions: The Cahiers de Doléances as a Historical Source
Authors: Shapiro Gilbert , Markoff John
Published: August 2008

The cahiers de doléances of 1789 have generally been regarded as unique historical documents. In convening the Estates General, the royal government followed centuries-old precedent in asking the nation not only to elect representatives to an assembly, but to provide them with lists of the demands, wishes, and grievances of their constituents as well. One could hardly describe these documents as resources unknown to historians. Apart from a very few who have seen these documents essentially as fraudulent, historians have generally seen them as uniquely vox populi. Tocqueville, for example, described them as “an authentic account” of the ideas and feelings of the nation drawn up “in perfect freedom”. More recently, Guy Chaussinand-Nogaret saw them as “the truest sampling of opinion ever realized in the France of the Old Regime”.
Voices From Among the “Silent Masses”: Humble Petitions and Social Conflicts in Early Modern Central Europe
Authors: Würgler Andreas
Published: August 2008

Social historians have quite frequently referred to the “silent masses” in history. They have thereby hinted at the problem that most preserved documents derive from a tiny elite. The great majority of the people, being illiterate, only very rarely left private letters, diaries, autobiographies and testaments, or official acts, charters, statistics, and reports. Besides the source problem, this view reflected concerns of structuralism and Marxism, both very fashionable among social historians up to the 1970s, who related the masses' interests to socioeconomic conditions. Ordinary people thus appeared rather as objects of economic structures than as subjects of historical processes. Though some German-speaking social historians integrated the anthropological category of “experience” into their studies in the 1980s, they assumed that ordinary people had interests in, and experiences of, but still no influence on historical processes. Merely local and reactive early modern social protest thus remained historically unimportant – in sharp contrast to the nineteenth-century working class movement. During the 1990s, studies of social conflict focused on the concept of agency and discussed the influence historical actors had on processes such as modernization.
Revolt, Testimony, Petition: Artisanal Protests in Colonial Andhra
Authors: Swarnalatha Potukuchi
Published: August 2008

This paper examines the form, content, and role of petitions in the context of protests occasioned by the handloom weavers of colonial Andhra, particularly the northern districts of the northern Coromandel region, between 1770 and 1820. Minor and major protests and revolts by weavers erupted with increasing frequency from around the middle of the eighteenth century, whenever their socioeconomic structures and conditions of work and trade were under threat from the old and new elites, as well as from the commercial interests of the colonial state. On these occasions, weavers expressed their grievances through petitions and representations, either in combination with other strategies or independently. These petitions therefore offer opportunities to study and identify the economic and social conditions that prompted weavers to resort to collective action. Careful analyses of the petitions yield considerable insights with respect to the causes of the protests; their spatial and social diffusion; the social profile of contending parties, and their mentalities; the changing organizational structure of the textile industry; the petitions' consequences; and, finally, the attitude of the colonial state towards these petitions.
“Begging the Sages of the Party-State”: Citizenship and Government in Transition in Nationalist China, 1927– 1937
Authors: Nedostup Rebecca , Hong-Ming Liang
Published: August 2008

The premise of the Nationalist government at Nanjing (1927–1937) rested on a precarious balance of democracy and paternalism. The Nationalists drew their power from China's citizens, but they also subjected them to a regimen of training and control. Petitions from the “Nanjing decade” highlight the resulting tensions between government and the governed. Citizens from all walks of life accepted the ruling party's invitation to participate in the construction of the republic. Yet they also used petitions to seek redress when they believed the Nationalists had fallen short of their obligations. These documents mark a turbulent period of transition from imperial rule to representative democracy. They also characterize an era when new political ideas, new media, and new social organizations helped people take an old device and transform it into a useful weapon for asserting their rights as modern citizens.
Private Matters: Family and Race and the Post-World-War-II Translation of “American”
Authors: Ota Nancy K.
Published: August 2008

The US Constitution preserves the right of the people to petition the government for redress of grievances. This right allows individuals to request private legislation from Congress and, as such, private bill petitions involve individual claims or pleas for relief for a specified person, or persons. Private petitions to Congress fall into two principal categories: claims against the US government (e.g., claims stemming from automobile accidents with government vehicles) and relief from immigration and naturalization laws. Although private laws concerning immigration and naturalization have influenced later public legislation by highlighting areas in need of reform, the private laws have limited application. Other than serving as precedent for subsequent private legislation for similarly situated individuals making requests for enactment of private laws, the laws do not benefit anyone other than the named beneficiaries of the bills.
Diet effects on methane production by goats and a comparison between measurement methodologies
Authors: BHATTA R. , ENISHI O. , TAKUSARI N. , HIGUCHI K. , NONAKA I. , KURIHARA M.
Published: August 2008

A series of studies were carried out to measure the methane (CH4) production by Japanese goats fed 19 different diets (D1–D19) varying in nutritive composition in the open circuit respiration chamber (RC) and to compare them with CH4 estimated by the in vitro gas production test (IVGPT). Adult Japanese goats (>2 years old) with a mean body weight of 26±5·4 kg were used in these experiments. Each diet was fed to four randomly selected goats and feeding was carried out at 1·1 maintenance (M) as per National Research Council (NRC) (1981) for goats. Average CH4 emission by goats in the RC ranged from 0·23 to 0·39 (mean value 31 ml/g dry matter intake (DMI)); when it was expressed as a proportion of gross energy or, with methane conversion rate (MCR), it ranged from 5·0 to 8·2, with an average of 6·6. Incorporation of by-products like sweet potato vine silage (SPVS) (P=0·016), dried pumpkin (P=0·052) and brewers' grain in the diet suppressed (P<0·01) methanogenesis in goats, when compared with that of standard farm diet (D1). The CH4 output measured in the RC was very close to that estimated from the gas collected after 24 h and higher after 48 h of in vitro incubation. Although composition of the diets' acid detergent fibre (ADF) had a significant effect on methane emission, methane output estimated by IVGPT was very close to that measured in the RC demonstrating that this system could be used to estimate the CH4 production potential from diets in preparing a database and also in the planning of mitigation strategies in small ruminants to improve their performance as well as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Stratified Kolmogorov flow
Authors: BALMFORTH NEIL J. , YOUNG YUAN-NAN
Published: August 2008

In this study we investigate the Kolmogorov flow (a shear flow with a sinusoidal
velocity profile) in a weakly stratified, two-dimensional fluid. We derive amplitude
equations for this system in the neighbourhood of the initial bifurcation to instability
for both low and high Péclet numbers (strong and weak thermal diffusion,
respectively). We solve amplitude equations numerically and find that, for low Péclet
number, the stratification halts the cascade of energy from small to large scales at an
intermediate wavenumber. For high Péclet number, we discover diffusively spreading,
thermal boundary layers in which the stratification temporarily impedes, but does not
saturate, the growth of the instability; the instability eventually mixes the temperature
inside the boundary layers, so releasing itself from the stabilizing stratification there,
and thereby grows more quickly. We solve the governing fluid equations numerically
to compare with the asymptotic results, and to extend the exploration well beyond
onset. We find that the arrest of the inverse cascade by stratification is a robust feature
of the system, occurring at higher Reynolds, Richards and Péclet numbers – the flow
patterns are invariably smaller than the domain size. At higher Péclet number, though
the system creates slender regions in which the temperature gradient is concentrated
within a more homogeneous background, there are no signs of the horizontally mixed
layers separated by diffusive interfaces familiar from doubly diffusive systems.
Self-induced sloshing excited by a horizontally injected plane jet
Authors: SAEKI SOUICHI , MADARAME HARUKI , OKAMOTO KOJI
Published: August 2008

A self-induced free-surface oscillation termed ‘self-induced sloshing’ was observed in
a rectangular tank with a submerged and horizontally injected water jet. Self-induced
sloshing is excited by the flow itself without any external force. Its behaviour was
examined by experiment. The dominant frequency was found to be close to the
first or second eigenvalue of fluid in a tank. The conditions of sloshing excitation
were obtained for four tank geometries. They were called the ‘sloshing condition’, and
defined in terms of inlet velocity and water level. Sloshing conditions were found to be
strongly dependent on inlet velocity and tank geometry. A two-dimensional numerical
simulation code was developed to simulate self-induced sloshing. The code was based
on the boundary-fitted coordinate (BFC) method with height function. The numerical
results were qualitatively verified by the experimental results, and were found to
correlate well in terms of flow pattern, free-surface shape and sloshing conditions. In
this study, sloshing growth was evaluated quantitatively using the simulation results.
Oscillation energy supplied for the sloshing motion during a sloshing period (Econ) was
calculated from simulation results. Sloshing growth was found to be strongly related
to the sign and magnitude of Econ. The distribution of Econ showed that jet flow had
a strong correlation with the sloshing growth. It was clarified that sloshing growth
was primarily dependent on the spatial phase state of jet fluctuation. A governing
parameter of self-induced sloshing, the modified Strouhal number Sts, was proposed
on the basis of numerical evaluations of oscillation energy. The value of Sts suggests
that one or two large vortices generated by jet fluctuations exist between the inlet and
outlet during a sloshing period. When Sts is approximately either 1 (first stage) or 2
(second stage), self-induced sloshing occurs consistently in all experimental cases. The
dependence of sloshing on inlet velocity, water level and tank geometry was revealed
using Sts. For several tank geometries, a sloshing mode shift or jet mode (stage)
transition was found to occur due to changes in inlet jet velocity. The combination
of sloshing mode and jet stage can determine the state of the self-induced sloshing.
As a result of this study, we propose a new excitation mechanism of self-induced
sloshing, represented by a simple feedback loop closed by sloshing motion and jet
fluctuation. The overall physical oscillation mechanism of self-induced sloshing was
clarified using this feedback loop.
Theory for producing a single-phase rarefaction shock wave in a shock tube
Authors: FERGASON S. H. , HO T. L. , ARGROW B. M. , EMANUEL G.
Published: August 2008

Although predicted early in the 20th century, a single-phase vapour rarefaction shock
wave has yet to be demonstrated experimentally. Results from a previous shock tube
experiment appear to indicate a rarefaction shock wave. These results are discussed
and their interpretation challenged. In preparation for a new shock tube experiment, a
global theory is developed, utilizing a van der Waals fluid, for demonstrating a single-phase
vapour rarefaction shock wave in the incident flow of the shock tube. The flow
consists of four uniform regions separated by three constant-speed discontinuities: a
rarefaction shock, a compression shock, and a contact surface. Entropy jumps and
upstream supersonic Mach number conditions are verified for both shock waves.
The conceptual van der Waals model is applied to the fluid perfluoro-tripentylamine
(FC-70, C15F33N) analytically, and verified with computational simulations. The
analysis predicts a small region of initial states that may be used to unequivocally
demonstrate the existence of a single-phase vapour rarefaction shock wave. Simulation
results in the form of representative sets of thermodynamic state data (pressure,
density, Mach number, and fundamental derivative of gas dynamics) are presented.
On singular and highly oscillatory properties of the Green function for ship motions
Authors: CHEN XIAO-BO , WU GUO XIONG
Published: August 2008

The Green function used for analysing ship motions in waves is the velocity potential
due to a point source pulsating and advancing at a uniform forward speed. The
behaviour of this function is investigated, in particular for the case when the source
is located at or close to the free surface. In the far field, the Green function is
represented by a single integral along one closed dispersion curve and two open
dispersion curves. The single integral along the open dispersion curves is analysed
based on the asymptotic expansion of a complex error function. The singular and
highly oscillatory behaviour of the Green function is captured, which shows that
the Green function oscillates with indefinitely increasing amplitude and indefinitely
decreasing wavelength, when a field point approaches the track of the source point at
the free surface. This sheds some light on the nature of the difficulties in the numerical
methods used for predicting the motion of a ship advancing in waves.
Falling plumes in bacterial bioconvection
Authors: METCALFE AISLING M. , PEDLEY T. J.
Published: August 2008

Experiments by Kessler on bioconvection in laboratory suspensions of bacteria (Bacillus
subtilis), contained in a deep chamber, reveal the development of a thin upper
boundary layer of cell-rich fluid which becomes unstable, leading to the formation of
falling plumes. We use the continuum description of such a suspension developed by
Hillesdon et al. (1995) as the basis for a theoretical model of the boundary layer and
an axisymmetric plume. If the boundary layer has dimensionless thickness λ [Lt ] 1, the
plume has width λ1/2. A similarity solution is found for the plume in which the cell
flux and volume flux can be matched to those in the boundary layer and in the bulk of
the suspension outside both regions. The corresponding model for a two-dimensional
plume fails to give a self-consistent solution.
Stability and transition of stratified natural convection flow in open cavities
Authors: JAVAM A. , ARMFIELD S. W.
Published: August 2008

In this study we have investigated the behaviour of natural convection flow in
open cavities, with both homogeneous and thermally stratified ambient, using direct
numerical simulation. The cavity is insulated at the top and bottom boundaries, heated
from the left-hand side boundary and open at the right-hand side. A wide range of
Rayleigh numbers were considered (5 × 106 to 1 × 1010)
with Pr = 0.7 for all cases. It was found that the homogeneous flow is steady for all Rayleigh numbers
considered, whereas the stratified flow with a high enough Rayleigh number exhibits low- and
high-frequency signals of the same type as are observed for closed cavity flow. The
thermal boundary layer is examined in detail and it is shown that both low- and
high-frequency signals are located predominantly in the upper region of the heated
plate and are associated with a reverse-S-flow formed by the boundary layer exit jet
interacting with the stratified interior. The low-frequency signal is associated with
standing waves in the boundary layer, whereas the high-frequency signal is associated
with travelling waves. The high-frequency signal occurs initially as a harmonic of
the base low-frequency signal. A corner jet with the same inlet characteristics as the
natural convection boundary layer exit jet is also examined and shown to exhibit a
similar bifurcation, but with the low frequency always dominant. It is suggested that
the generation mechanism for the bifurcation of the natural convection flow is the
same as that for the corner jet.
The role of meso-scale structures in rapid gas–solid flows
Authors: AGRAWAL KAPIL , LOEZOS PETER N. , SYAMLAL MADHAVA , SUNDARESAN SANKARAN
Published: August 2008

Meso-scale structures that take the form of clusters and streamers are commonly
observed in dilute gas–particle flows, such as those encountered in risers. Continuum
equations for gas–particle flows, coupled with constitutive equations for particle-phase
stress deduced from kinetic theory of granular materials, can capture the formation of
such meso-scale structures. These structures arise as a result of an inertial instability
associated with the relative motion between the gas and particle phases, and an
instability due to damping of the fluctuating motion of particles by the interstitial
fluid and inelastic collisions between particles. It is demonstrated that the meso-scale
structures are too small, and hence too expensive, to be resolved completely in
simulation of gas–particle flows in large process vessels. At the same time, failure
to resolve completely the meso-scale structures in a simulation leads to grossly
inaccurate estimates of inter-phase drag, production/dissipation of pseudo-thermal
energy associated with particle fluctuations, the effective particle-phase pressure and
the effective viscosities. It is established that coarse-grid simulation of gas–particle
flows must include sub-grid models, to account for the effects of the unresolved meso-scale
structures. An approach to developing a plausible sub-grid model is proposed.
Accelerated Stokesian Dynamics simulations
Authors: SIEROU ASIMINA , BRADY JOHN F.
Published: August 2008

A new implementation of the conventional Stokesian Dynamics (SD) algorithm,
called accelerated Stokesian Dynamics (ASD), is presented. The equations governing
the motion of N particles suspended in a viscous fluid at low particle Reynolds
number are solved accurately and efficiently, including all hydrodynamic interactions,
but with a significantly lower computational cost of O(N ln N). The main differences
from the conventional SD method lie in the calculation of the many-body
long-range interactions, where the Ewald-summed wave-space contribution is calculated
as a Fourier transform sum and in the iterative inversion of the now sparse resistance
matrix. The new method is applied to problems in the rheology of both structured and
random suspensions, and accurate results are obtained with much larger numbers
of particles. With access to larger N, the high-frequency dynamic viscosities and
short-time self-diffusivities of random suspensions for volume fractions above the
freezing point are now studied. The ASD method opens up an entire new class of
suspension problems that can be investigated, including particles of non-spherical
shape and a distribution of sizes, and the method can readily be extended to other
low-Reynolds-number-flow problems.
The motion of a singular vortex near an escarpment
Authors: DUNN D. C. , McDONALD N. R. , JOHNSON E. R.
Published: August 2008

McDonald (1998) has studied the motion of an intense, quasi-geostrophic,
equivalent-barotropic, singular vortex near an infinitely long escarpment. The present work
considers the remaining cases of the motion of weak and moderate intensity singular
vortices near an escarpment. First, the limit that the vortex is weak is studied
using linear theory. For times which are short compared to the advective time scale
associated with the vortex it is found that topographic waves propagate rapidly away
from the vortex and have no leading-order influence on the vortex drift velocity.
The vortex propagates parallel to the escarpment in the sense of its image in the
escarpment. The mechanism for this motion is identified and is named the pseudoimage
of the vortex. Large-time asymptotic results predict that vortices which move in the
same direction as the topographic waves radiate non-decaying waves and drift slowly
towards the escarpment in response to wave radiation. Vortices which move in
the opposite direction to the topographic waves reach a steadily propagating state.
Contour dynamics results reinforce the linear theory in the limit that the vortex
is weak, and show that the linear theory is less robust for vortices which move
counter to the topographic waves. Second, contour dynamics results for a moderate
intensity vortex are given. It is shown that dipole formation is a generic feature of the
motion of moderate intensity vortices and induces enhanced motion in the direction
perpendicular to the escarpment.