bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Prehospital Management of Suspected Spinal Cord Injury: An Update
Authors: Oteir Ala'a O. , Smith Karen , Jennings Paul A. , Stoelwinder Johannes U.
Published: July 2014

Introduction

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious condition that may lead to long-term disabilities placing financial and social burden on patients and their families, as well as their communities. Spinal immobilization has been considered the standard prehospital care for suspected SCI patients. However, there is a lack of consensus on its beneficial impact on patients’ outcome.

Objective

This paper reviews the current literature on the epidemiology of traumatic SCI and the practice of prehospital spinal immobilization.

Design

A search of literature was undertaken utilizing the online databases Ovid Medline, PubMed, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library. The search included English language publications from January 2000 through November 2012.

Results

The reported annual incidence of SCI ranges from 12.7 to 52.2 per 1 million and occurs more commonly among males than females. Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are the major reported causes of traumatic SCI among young and middle-aged patients, and falls are the major reported causes among patients older than 55. There is little evidence regarding the relationship between prehospital spinal immobilization and patient neurological outcomes. However, early patient transfer (8-24 hours) to spinal care units and effective resuscitation have been demonstrated to lead to better neurological outcomes.

Conclusion

This review reaffirms the need for further research to validate the advantages, disadvantages, and the effects of spinal immobilization on patients’ neurological outcomes.

OteirAO, SmithK, JenningsPA, StoelwinderJU. The prehospital management of suspected spinal cord injury: an update. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(4):1-4.
Does payment type affect willingness-to-pay? Valuing new seed varieties in India
Authors: Hossack Fiona , An Henry
Published: July 2014

Cash is often used in economic experiments as an incentive to encourage realistic decision making or to compensate participants for their time. However, in many less developed countries, remunerating participants with cash can upset existing relationships with local institutions. In cases where the use of cash is not feasible, an alternative type of payment is required. Using a framed field experiment in Odisha, India (formerly Orissa), we explore an alternative payment method, in-kind, where typical household items are used in place of cash. We compare the differences in the valuation of yield stabilizing seed traits between in-kind and cash. Our results suggest that farmers are willing to pay less for seeds when they are paid cash than when they are paid in-kind. Bids are higher by 1.18 Indian Rupees when farmers are paid in-kind, corresponding to about a 7 per cent higher valuation.
The impact of climate change on net revenue and food adequacy of subsistence farming households in South Africa
Authors: Tibesigwa Byela , Visser Martine , Turpie Jane
Published: July 2014

This paper examines the impact of climate change on poor households across South Africa who practise subsistence farming to supplement their household income and dietary requirements. We consider three production systems: specialized crops, livestock and mixed crop-livestock farming. In general, we find specialized crop farmers to be the most vulnerable, while mixed crop-livestock farmers appear to be least vulnerable, suggesting that crop-livestock diversification is a potential coping strategy among poor subsistence farming households. We observe qualitatively similar results when we use self-reported food adequacy as the outcome. Furthermore, predicted impact shows that the climatic changes will be mildly harmful at first but will grow over time and lead to a 151 per cent loss in net revenue by the year 2080. Interestingly, we observe that crop farmers receive higher revenue when land is owned by the household, while on the other hand, livestock farmers earn more revenue when the land is communal.
Dynamic Consistency Checking in Goal-Directed Answer Set Programming
Authors: MARPLE KYLE , GUPTA GOPAL
Published: July 2014

In answer set programming, inconsistencies arise when the constraints placed on a program become unsatisfiable. In this paper, we introduce a technique fordynamic consistency checkingfor our goal-directed method for computing answer sets, under which only those constraints deemed relevant to the partial answer set are tested, allowing inconsistent knowledgebases to be successfully queried. However, the algorithm guarantees that, if a program has at least one consistent answer set, any partial answer set returned will be a subset of some consistent answer set.
Efficient Computation of the Well-Founded Semantics over Big Data
Authors: TACHMAZIDIS ILIAS , ANTONIOU GRIGORIS , FABER WOLFGANG
Published: July 2014

Data originating from the Web, sensor readings and social media result in increasingly huge datasets. The so called Big Data comes with new scientific and technological challenges while creating new opportunities, hence the increasing interest in academia and industry. Traditionally, logic programming has focused on complex knowledge structures/programs, so the question arises whether and how it can work in the face of Big Data. In this paper, we examine how the well-founded semantics can process huge amounts of data through mass parallelization. More specifically, we propose and evaluate a parallel approach using the MapReduce framework. Our experimental results indicate that our approach is scalable and that well-founded semantics can be applied to billions of facts. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that addresses large scale nonmonotonic reasoning without the restriction of stratification for predicates of arbitrary arity.
A Linear Logic Programming Language for Concurrent Programming over Graph Structures
Authors: CRUZ FLAVIO , ROCHA RICARDO , GOLDSTEIN SETH COPEN , PFENNING FRANK
Published: July 2014

We have designed a new logic programming language called LM (Linear Meld) for programming graph-based algorithms in a declarative fashion. Our language is based on linear logic, an expressive logical system where logical facts can be consumed. Because LM integrates both classical and linear logic, LM tends to be more expressive than other logic programming languages. LM programs are naturally concurrent because facts are partitioned by nodes of a graph data structure. Computation is performed at the node level while communication happens between connected nodes. In this paper, we present the syntax and operational semantics of our language and illustrate its use through a number of examples.
SUNNY: a Lazy Portfolio Approach for Constraint Solving
Authors: AMADINI ROBERTO , GABBRIELLI MAURIZIO , MAURO JACOPO
Published: July 2014

Within the context of constraint solving, a portfolio approach allows one to exploit the synergy between different solvers in order to create a globally better solver. In this paper we present SUNNY: a simple and flexible algorithm that takes advantage of a portfolio of constraint solvers in order to compute — without learning an explicit model — a schedule of them for solving a given Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP). Motivated by the performance reached by SUNNY vs. different simulations of other state of the art approaches, we developedsunny-csp, an effective portfolio solver that exploits the underlying SUNNY algorithm in order to solve a given CSP. Empirical tests conducted on exhaustive benchmarks of MiniZinc models show that the actual performance ofsunny-cspconforms to the predictions. This is encouraging both for improving the power of CSP portfolio solvers and for trying to export them to fields such as Answer Set Programming and Constraint Logic Programming.
Pengines: Web Logic Programming Made Easy
Authors: LAGER TORBJÖRN , WIELEMAKER JAN
Published: July 2014

When developing a (web) interface for a deductive database, functionality required by the client is provided by means of HTTP handlers that wrap the logical data access predicates. These handlers are responsible for converting between client and server data representations and typically include options for paginating results. Designing the web accessible API is difficult because it is hard to predict the exact requirements of clients. Pengines changes this picture. The client provides a Prolog program that selects the required data by accessing the logical API of the server. The pengine infrastructure provides general mechanisms for converting Prolog data and handling Prolog non-determinism. The Pengines library is small (2000 lines Prolog, 150 lines JavaScript). It greatly simplifies defining an AJAX based client for a Prolog program and provides non-deterministic RPC between Prolog processes as well as interaction with Prolog engines similar to Paul Tarau's engines. Pengines are available as a standard package for SWI-Prolog 7.1
Incremental Tabling in Support of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning
Authors: SWIFT TERRANCE
Published: July 2014

Resolution-based Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KRR) systems, such as Flora-2, Silk or Ergo, can scale to tens or hundreds of millions of facts, while supporting reasoning that includes Hilog, inheritance, defeasibility theories, and equality theories. These systems handle the termination and complexity issues that arise from the use of these features by a heavy use of tabled resolution. In fact, such systems table by default all rules defined by users, unless they are simple facts.

Performing dynamic updates within such systems is nearly impossible unless the tables themselves can be made to react to changes. Incremental tabling as first implemented in XSB (Saha 2006) partially addressed this problem, but the implementation was limited in scope and not always easy to use. In this paper, we introducetransparent incremental tablingwhich at the semantic level supports updates in the 3-valued well-founded semantics, while guaranteeing full consistency of all tabled queries. Transparent incremental tabling also has significant performance improvements over previous implementations, including lazy recomputation, and control over the dependency structures used to determine how tables are updated.
Vicious Circle Principle and Logic Programs with Aggregates
Authors: GELFOND MICHAEL , ZHANG YUANLIN
Published: July 2014

The paper presents a knowledge representation language $\mathcal{A}log$ which extends ASP with aggregates. The goal is to have a language based on simple syntax and clear intuitive and mathematical semantics. We give some properties of $\mathcal{A}log$, an algorithm for computing its answer sets, and comparison with other approaches.
Contextual Abductive Reasoning with Side-Effects
Authors: PEREIRA LUÍS MONIZ , DIETZ EMMANUELLE-ANNA , HÖLLDOBLER STEFFEN
Published: July 2014

The belief bias effect is a phenomenon which occurs when we think that we judge an argument based on our reasoning, but are actually influenced by our beliefs and prior knowledge. Evans, Barston and Pollard carried out a psychological syllogistic reasoning task to prove this effect. Participants were asked whether they would accept or reject a given syllogism. We discuss one specific case which is commonly assumed to be believable but which is actually not logically valid. By introducing abnormalities, abduction and background knowledge, we adequately model this case under the weak completion semantics. Our formalization reveals new questions about possible extensions in abductive reasoning. For instance, observations and their explanations might include some relevant prior abductive contextual information concerning some side-effect or leading to a contestable or refutable side-effect. A weaker notion indicates the support of some relevant consequences by a prior abductive context. Yet another definition describes jointly supported relevant consequences, which captures the idea of two observations containing mutually supportive side-effects. Though motivated with and exemplified by the running psychology application, the various new general abductive context definitions are introduced here and given a declarative semantics for the first time, and have a much wider scope of application. Inspection points, a concept introduced by Pereira and Pinto, allows us to express these definitions syntactically and intertwine them into an operational semantics.
A Proof Theoretic Study of Soft Concurrent Constraint Programming
Authors: PIMENTEL ELAINE , OLARTE CARLOS , NIGAM VIVEK
Published: July 2014

Concurrent Constraint Programming (CCP) is a simple and powerful model for
concurrency where agents interact by telling and asking constraints. Since their
inception, CCP-languages have been designed for having a strong connection to
logic. In fact, the underlying constraint system can be built from a suitable
fragment of intuitionistic (linear) logic -ILL- and processes can be interpreted
as formulas in ILL. Constraints as ILL formulas fail to represent accurately
situations where “preferences” (called soft constraints)
such as probabilities, uncertainty or fuzziness are present. In order to
circumvent this problem, c-semirings have been proposed as algebraic structures
for defining constraint systems where agents are allowed to tell and ask soft
constraints. Nevertheless, in this case, the tight connection to logic and proof
theory is lost. In this work, we give a proof theoretical meaning to soft
constraints: they can be defined as formulas in a suitable fragment of ILL with
subexponentials (SELL) where subexponentials, ordered in a c-semiring structure,
are interpreted as preferences. We hence achieve two goals: (1) obtain a CCP
language where agents can tell and ask soft constraints and (2) prove that the
language in (1) has a strong connection with logic. Hence we keep a declarative
reading of processes as formulas while providing a logical framework for
soft-CCP based systems. An interesting side effect of (1) is that one is also
able to handle probabilities (and other modalities) in SELL, by restricting the
use of the promotion rule for non-idempotent c-semirings.This finer way of
controlling subexponentials allows for considering more interesting spaces and
restrictions, and it opens the possibility of specifying more challenging
computational systems.
A Measure of Arbitrariness in Abductive Explanations
Authors: CAROPRESE LUCIANO , TRUBITSYNA IRINA , Truszczyński Mirosław , Zumpano Ester
Published: July 2014

We study the framework of abductive logic programming extended with integrity constraints. For this framework, we introduce a new measure of the simplicity of an explanation based on its degree of arbitrariness: the more arbitrary the explanation, the less appealing it is, with explanations having no arbitrariness — they are called constrained — being the preferred ones. In the paper, we study basic properties of constrained explanations. For the case when programs in abductive theories are stratified we establish results providing a detailed picture of the complexity of the problem to decide whether constrained explanations exist.
Lifted Variable Elimination for Probabilistic Logic Programming
Authors: BELLODI ELENA , LAMMA EVELINA , RIGUZZI FABRIZIO , COSTA VITOR SANTOS , ZESE RICCARDO
Published: July 2014

Lifted inference has been proposed for various probabilistic logical frameworks in order to compute the probability of queries in a time that depends on the size of the domains of the random variables rather than the number of instances. Even if various authors have underlined its importance for probabilistic logic programming (PLP), lifted inference has been applied up to now only to relational languages outside of logic programming. In this paper we adapt Generalized Counting First Order Variable Elimination (GC-FOVE) to the problem of computing the probability of queries to probabilistic logic programs under the distribution semantics. In particular, we extend the Prolog Factor Language (PFL) to include two new types of factors that are needed for representing ProbLog programs. These factors take into account the existing causal independence relationships among random variables and are managed by the extension to variable elimination proposed by Zhang and Poole for dealing with convergent variables and heterogeneous factors. Two new operators are added to GC-FOVE for treating heterogeneous factors. The resulting algorithm, called LP2for Lifted Probabilistic Logic Programming, has been implemented by modifying the PFL implementation of GC-FOVE and tested on three benchmarks for lifted inference. A comparison with PITA and ProbLog2 shows the potential of the approach.
On Cascade Products of Answer Set Programs
Authors: ANTIĆ CHRISTIAN
Published: July 2014

Describing complex objects by elementary ones is a common strategy in mathematics and science in general. In their seminal 1965 paper, Kenneth Krohn and John Rhodes showed that every finite deterministic automaton can be represented (or “emulated”) by a cascade product of very simple automata. This led to an elegant algebraic theory of automata based on finite semigroups (Krohn-Rhodes Theory). Surprisingly, by relating logic programs and automata, we can show in this paper that the Krohn-Rhodes Theory is applicable in Answer Set Programming (ASP). More precisely, we recast the concept of a cascade product to ASP, and prove that every program can be represented by a product of very simple programs, the reset and standard programs. Roughly, this implies that the reset and standard programs are the basic building blocks of ASP with respect to the cascade product. In a broader sense, this paper is a first step towards an algebraic theory of products and networks of nonmonotonic reasoning systems based on Krohn-Rhodes Theory, aiming at important open issues in ASP and AI in general.
Abstract Diagnosis for tccp using a Linear Temporal Logic
Authors: COMINI MARCO , TITOLO LAURA , VILLANUEVA ALICIA
Published: July 2014

Automatic techniques for program verification usually suffer the well-known state explosion problem. Most of the classical approaches are based on browsing the structure of some form of model (which represents the behavior of the program) to check if a given specification is valid. This implies that a part of the model has to be built, and sometimes the needed fragment is quite huge.

In this work, we provide an alternative automatic decision method to check whether a given property, specified in a linear temporal logic, isvalidw.r.t. atccpprogram. Our proposal (based on abstract interpretation techniques) does not require to build any model at all. Our results guarantee correctness but, as usual when using an abstract semantics, completeness is lost.
Resource Usage Analysis of Logic Programs via Abstract Interpretation Using Sized Types
Authors: SERRANO A. , LOPEZ-GARCIA P. , HERMENEGILDO M. V.
Published: July 2014

We present a novel general resource analysis for logic programs based on sized types. Sized types are representations that incorporate structural (shape) information and allow expressing both lower and upper bounds on the size of a set of terms and their subterms at any position and depth. They also allow relating the sizes of terms and subterms occurring at different argument positions in logic predicates. Using these sized types, the resource analysis can infer both lower and upper bounds on the resources used by all the procedures in a program as functions on input term (and subterm) sizes, overcoming limitations of existing resource analyses and enhancing their precision. Our new resource analysis has been developed within the abstract interpretation framework, as an extension of the sized types abstract domain, and has been integrated into the Ciao preprocessor, CiaoPP. The abstract domain operations are integrated with the setting up and solving of recurrence equations for inferring both size and resource usage functions. We show that the analysis is an improvement over the previous resource analysis present in CiaoPP and compares well in power to state of the art systems.
Technology-based interventions for psychiatric illnesses: improving care, one patient at a time
Authors: Ben-Zeev D.
Published: July 2014

Worldwide, individuals with severe psychiatric illnesses struggle to receive evidence-based care. While science has made remarkably slow progress in the development and implementation of effective psychiatric treatments, we have witnessed enormous progress in the emergence and global penetration of personal computing technology. The present paper examines how digital resources that are already widespread (e.g., smartphones, laptop computers), can be leveraged to support psychiatric care. These instruments and implementation strategies can increase patient access to evidenced-based care, help individuals overcome the barriers associated with the stigma of mental illness, and facilitate new treatment paradigms that harness wireless communication, sensors and the Internet, to enhance treatment potency. Innovative digital treatment programmes that have been used successfully with a range of conditions (i.e., schizophrenia, posttraumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder) are presented in the paper to demonstrate the utility and potential impact of technology-based interventions in the years ahead.
Transcriptomic analysis of midbrain and individual hindbrain rhombomeres in the chick embryo
Authors: Wilson Leigh , Chambers David
Published: July 2014

The anteroposterior compartments of the developing hindbrain (rhombomeres [r]) are normally patterned by the combinatorial action of distinct Hox genes. Using Affymetrix GeneChips to define the repertoire of genes regulated in each rhombomere, we have performed a systematic survey of the transcriptional status of individual segments of the developing chick hindbrain (r1-5) at a key stage of early development (HH11) and identified hundreds of previously un-described genes expressed in this region. For comparative purposes, we have also included the adjacent region of the embryonic midbrain (m) in our dataset. In summary, six different embryonic brain regions (m, r1, r2, r3, r4 & r5) are represented by biological duplicates to give a raw dataset comprised of 12 individual Affymetrix GeneChip Cel and CHP files. These data give an opportunity to assess the genome-wide complexity of gene expression during patterning of the chick developing midbrain and hindbrain, and may be relevant to extending our understanding of the genes regulated by Hox family transcription factors.
Oil binding capacities of triacylglycerol crystalline nanoplatelets: nanoscale models of tristearin solids in liquid triolein
Authors: Razul M. Shajahan G. , MacDougall Colin J. , Hanna Charles B. , Marangoni Alejandro G. , Peyronel Fernanda , Papp-Szabo Erzsebet , Pink David A.
Published: July 2014

Polycrystalline particles composed of triacylglycerol (TAG) molecules, and their networks, in anhydrous TAG oils find extensive use as edible oils in the food industry.
Direct analysis of quaternary alkaloids by in situ reactive desorption corona beam ionization MS
Authors: Hou Yulan , Wu Tingting , Liu Yaru , Wang Hua , Chen Yingzhuang , Chen Bo , Sun Wenjian
Published: July 2014

The developed reactive DCBI-MS technique is simple, rapid and sensitive for rapid qualification and semi-quantification of quaternary alkaloids in herbs.
Magnetic immunoassay based on frequency mixing magnetic detection and magnetic particles of different magnetic properties
Authors: Hong H. B. , Krause H.-J. , Nam I. H. , Choi C. J. , Shin S. W.
Published: July 2014

A novel analytical system is presented that employs two different types of magnetic particles (MPs) with frequency mixing magnetic detection (FMMD).
Formation of a [2]pseudorotaxane based on a pillar[5]arene and a rigid guest in solution and in the solid state
Authors: Zhou Yujuan , Li Zhengtao , Chi Xiaodong , Thompson Connor , Yao Yong
Published: July 2014

A pillar[5]arene with mono(ethylene oxide) groups could form a highly stable inclusion complex with a rigid guest both in solution and in the solid state. The association constant of this inclusion complex was determined to be (3.3 ± 0.41) × 104 M−1 in acetonitrile.
Metal-enhanced Ge1−xSnx alloy film growth on glass substrates using a biaxial CaF2 buffer layer
Authors: Dash J. K. , Chen L. , Lu T.-M. , Wang G.-C. , Zhang L. H. , Kisslinger K.
Published: July 2014

The Ge1−xSnx(111) alloy formation process at the early stage and later stage of Ge deposition on a biaxial Sn/CaF2 (capping layer + NR)/glass substrate at an elevated growth temperature.
Investigation of continuous changes in the electric-field-induced electronic state in Bi1−xCaxFeO3−δ
Authors: Ikeda-Ohno Atsushi , Lim Ji Soo , Ohkochi Takuo , Yang Chan-Ho , Seidel Jan
Published: July 2014

Systematic changes in the electronic structure of Bi1−xCaxFeO3−δ, which are induced by electrically controlled hole carrier doping, are observed by photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM).
NMR and ESR relaxation in Nd- and Gd-doped LaPO4: towards the accurate determination of the doping concentration
Authors: Maron Sébastien , Dantelle Géraldine , Gacoin Thierry , Devreux François
Published: July 2014

The variations of the 31P relaxation rate and of a cell parameter show that nuclear relaxation is much more reliable than X-ray to determine low concentrations of magnetic doping ions.
Upconverting nanoparticles: a versatile platform for wide-field two-photon microscopy and multi-modal in vivo imaging
Authors: Park Yong Il , Lee Kang Taek , Suh Yung Doug , Hyeon Taeghwan
Published: July 2014

Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) enable the establishment of a novel UCNP-based platform for wide-field two-photon microscopy and multimodal in vivo imaging.
Nanosheets of graphitic carbon nitride as metal-free environmental photocatalysts
Authors: Huang Zhijun , Li Fengbo , Chen Bingfeng , Yuan Guoqing
Published: July 2014

Nanosheets of g-C3N4 with a surface area of 109.9 m2 g−1 exhibit better optical properties and enhanced photocatalytic activity.
Mechanistic insights into electrocatalytic CO2 reduction within [RuII(tpy)(NN)X]n+ architectures
Authors: White Travis A. , Maji Somnath , Ott Sascha
Published: July 2014

Modifying the electron density within a RuII-polypyridyl molecular architecture via electron-donating/withdrawing character of the bidentate ligand set has provided insight into the electronic requirements for catalytic CO2 reduction.
Nickel oxide thin film from electrodeposited nickel sulfide thin film: peroxide sensing and photo-decomposition of phenol
Authors: Jana Sumanta , Samai Subhasis , Mitra Bibhas C. , Bera Pulakesh , Mondal Anup
Published: July 2014

Porous NiO thin film: a peroxide sensor and effective catalyst for phenol decomposition.
Effect of broccoli phytochemical extract on release of fatty acids from salmon muscle and salmon oil during in vitro digestion
Authors: Aarak K. E. , Kirkhus B. , Johansen S. , Vegarud G. E. , Borge G. I. A.
Published: July 2014

The aim of the present work was to study the effect of a broccoli phytochemical extract (Br-ex) on the release of fatty acids (FA) from salmon muscle (SM) and salmon oil (SO) duringin vitrodigestion.
Structural differences of prebiotic oligosaccharides influence their capability to enhance iron absorption in deficient rats
Authors: Laparra José Moisés , Díez-Municio Marina , Herrero Miguel , Moreno F. Javier
Published: July 2014

Structural differences of prebiotics improve Fe homostasis in Fe-deficient animals decreasing the liver secretion of inflammatory hepcidin peptide.
Tin-free catalysts for the production of aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethanes
Authors: Schellekens Yves , Van Trimpont Bert , Goelen Pieter-Jan , Binnemans Koen , Smet Mario , Persoons Marie-Anne , De Vos Dirk
Published: July 2014

Iron compounds, such as FeCl3, are highly active and temperature resistant catalysts for the solventless reaction of polyols with aliphatic diisocyanates to form thermoplastic polyurethanes.
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors: a review of design and discovery
Authors: Wang Wen-Chieh , Shiao Hui-Yi , Lee Chieh-Chien , Fung Ka-Shu , Hsieh Hsing-Pang
Published: July 2014

This review elucidates the hit-to-drug evolution design of three ALK inhibitors.
Synthesis of a novel series of 2,3,4-trisubstituted oxazolidines designed by isosteric replacement or rigidification of the structure and cytotoxic evaluation
Authors: Andrade Saulo F. , Teixeira Claudia S. , Ramos Jonas P. , Lopes Marcela S. , Pádua Rodrigo M. , Oliveira Mônica C. , Souza-Fagundes Elaine M. , Alves Ricardo J.
Published: July 2014

Rigidification of the structure of 2,3,4-trisubstituted oxazolidines enhances the activity against LNCaP cells without affecting normal cell proliferation.
The ever-expanding role of asymmetric covalent organocatalysis in scalable, natural product synthesis
Authors: Abbasov Mikail E. , Romo Daniel
Published: July 2014

This Highlight provides a brief overview of covalent, asymmetric modes of organocatalysis and applications of scalable versions of these methods applied to the total synthesis of natural products.
A large dipole moment to promote gelation for 4-nitrophenylacrylonitrile derivatives with gelation-induced emission enhancement properties
Authors: Xue Pengchong , Yao Boqi , Zhang Yuan , Chen Peng , Li Kechang , Liu Baijun , Lu Ran
Published: July 2014

4-Nitrophenylacrylonitrile derivatives were gelator, but analogues without nitro group were not, indicating that the electron-withdrawing nitro moiety was important for gel formation. Moreover, the organogels exhibited fluorescence enhancement.
Network formation mechanisms in conjugated microporous polymers
Authors: Laybourn Andrea , Dawson Robert , Clowes Rob , Hasell Tom , Cooper Andrew I. , Khimyak Yaroslav Z. , Adams Dave J.
Published: July 2014

The mechanism of network formation for a conjugated microporous polymer (CMP-1) has been investigated in detail.
A tailored RAFT copolymer for the dispersion of single walled carbon nanotubes in aqueous media
Authors: Pavoni Eleonora , Bandini Elisa , Benaglia Massimo , Molloy Jennifer K. , Bergamini Giacomo , Ceroni Paola , Armaroli Nicola
Published: July 2014

A new rational approach to the dispersion of SWCNT in aqueous media with amphiphilic RAFT block copolymers is proposed.
Controlled deposition of magnetic particles within the 3-D template of wood: making use of the natural hierarchical structure of wood
Authors: Trey Stacy , Olsson Richard T. , Ström Valter , Berglund Lars , Johansson Mats
Published: July 2014

Process of modifying wood veneer samples with metal salts to result in magnetic particle modified wood and images of the cross section of a wood sample lumen cell wall unmodified and modified with the deposition of magnetic particles.
Efficacy of CNT-bound polyelectrolyte membrane by spray-assisted layer-by-layer (LbL) technique on water purification
Authors: Liu Lei , Son Moon , Park Hosik , Celik Evrim , Bhattacharjee Chiranjib , Choi Heechul
Published: July 2014

This study demonstrates anti-fouling properties of surface-modified polyethersulfone composite ultrafiltration membranes prepared by a spray-assisted layer-by-layer technique.
Nitrogen-doped carbon-based dots prepared by dehydrating EDTA with hot sulfuric acid and their electrocatalysis for oxygen reduction reaction
Authors: Dong Yongqiang , Pang Hongchang , Yang Hongbin , Jiang Jian , Chi Yuwu , Yu Ting
Published: July 2014

Nitrogen doped carbon-based dots were synthesized by dehydrating ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and were used for electro-catalyzing oxygen reduction.
Low viscosity highly conductive ionic liquid blends for redox active electrolytes in efficient dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Bidikoudi Maria , Zubeir Lawien F. , Falaras Polycarpos
Published: July 2014

[CnC1im]I–EMimDCA double salt ionic liquid mixtures presenting low viscosity and high conductivity were used for the preparation of redox active electrolytes that were successfully incorporated into highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells.
Porphyrinic porous organic frameworks: preparation and post-synthetic modification via demetallation–remetallation
Authors: Lin Qipu , Lu Jingzhi , Yang Zhaodi , Zeng Xiao Cheng , Zhang Jian
Published: July 2014

Demetallation–remetallation has been demonstrated as an effective approach for the post-synthetic modification of porphyrinic porous organic frameworks via gas adsorption and biomimetic catalytic studies.
Three-dimensional and stable polyaniline-grafted graphene hybrid materials for supercapacitor electrodes
Authors: Liu Xianbin , Shang Pengbo , Zhang Yanbing , Wang Xiaoli , Fan Zhimin , Wang Bingxi , Zheng Yuying
Published: July 2014

PANI nanorods were aligned vertically on the double faces of rGO to construct a three-dimensional structure.
Bulk superhydrophobic materials: a facile and efficient approach to access superhydrophobicity by silane and urethane chemistries
Authors: Kumar K. S. Santhosh , Kumar Vijendra , Nair C. P. Reghunadhan
Published: July 2014

CaCO3-based bulk superhydrophobic material is synthesised by sequential silane and urethane chemistry. The cross-linked material displays a static contact angle of ~155° and a water-roll-off angle of 5–8° throughout the thickness which is attributed to 3D- hydrogen bonding.
Drug-releasing implants: current progress, challenges and perspectives
Authors: Santos Abel , Sinn Aw Moom , Bariana Manpreet , Kumeria Tushar , Wang Ye , Losic Dusan
Published: July 2014

This review presents the different types and concepts of drug-releasing implants using new nanomaterials and nanotechnology-based devices.
Enhancing in vitro bioactivity and in vivo osteogenesis of organic–inorganic nanofibrous biocomposites with novel bioceramics
Authors: Liu Tao , Ding Xinbo , Lai Dongzhi , Chen Yongwei , Zhang Ridong , Chen Jianyong , Feng Xinxing , Chen Xiaoyi , Yang Xianyan , Zhao Ruibo , Chen Kai , Kong Xiangdong
Published: July 2014

MGHA-introduced, an electrospun SF-based composite can exhibit improved physicochemical and biological properties to stimulate bone tissue regeneration and repair.
Confined synthesis of CdSe quantum dots in the pores of metal–organic frameworks
Authors: Wakaoka Takuo , Hirai Kenji , Murayama Koji , Takano Yoshihiko , Takagi Hiroshi , Furukawa Shuhei , Kitagawa Susumu
Published: July 2014

Ultra-small CdSe nanoparticles (∼2 nm) were synthesised in the pores of a metal–organic framework, MIL-101(Al)-NH2, using a stepwise injection-reaction protocol.
Quantifying the returns to investing in improved feeding management on dairy farms in Peninsular Malaysia
Authors: Moran J. B. , Brouwer J. W.
Published: July 2014

Farm production and business performance data were collected from 30 dairy farms in Peninsular Malaysia. The farms were split into three groups to assess the impacts of farm management on cow milk yields. The better farmers who produced more milk per cow also fed their dry cows and yearlings better. Suboptimal stock performance, expressed as reduced growth rates in calves and yearlings, poor reproductive performance and low milk yields in adult cows, arose due to shortages in feed supplies, hence their feed nutrients, as provided by farmers. Furthermore, appetites would have been restricted through low rates of feed digestion and poor cow comfort. The economic data generated in the study was used to calculate the potential savings from various Key Performance Indicators of improved herd management. For example, reducing the age of heifers at first calving by 6 months can reap a profit of Malaysian Ringgits (RM) 1400 per heifer while reducing calving interval by 3 months can return an extra RM 1150 per milking cow. Increasing the lactation length by 2 months can reap RM 760 per milking cow while milk rearing calves on calf milk replacer rather than fresh milk can generate an extra RM 275 profit per calf. Clearly, the additional income generated from such examples of improved feeding management, justify their investments in increasing quantities of forages, better quality of supplements and/or more cost-effective feeds.
The noun–verb distinction in two young sign languages
Authors: Tkachman Oksana , Sandler Wendy
Published: July 2014

Many sign languages have semantically related noun-verb pairs, such as ‘hairbrush/brush-hair’, which are similar in form due to iconicity. Researchers studying this phenomenon in sign languages have found that the two are distinguished by subtle differences, for example, in type of movement. Here we investigate two young sign languages, Israeli Sign Language (ISL) and Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language (ABSL), to determine whether they have developed a reliable distinction in the formation of noun-verb pairs, despite their youth, and, if so, how. These two young language communities differ from each other in terms of heterogeneity within the community, contact with other languages, and size of population. Using methodology we developed for cross-linguistic comparison, we identify reliable formational distinctions between nouns and related verbs in ISL, but not in ABSL, although early tendencies can be discerned. Our results show that a formal distinction in noun-verb pairs in sign languages is not necessarily present from the beginning, but may develop gradually instead. Taken together with comparative analyses of other linguistic phenomena, the results lend support to the hypothesis that certain social factors such as population size, domains of use, and heterogeneity/homogeneity of the community play a role in the emergence of grammar.
How handshape type can distinguish between nouns and verbs in homesign
Authors: Hunsicker Dea , Goldin-Meadow Susan
Published: July 2014

All established languages, spoken or signed, make a distinction between nouns and verbs. Even a young sign language emerging within a family of deaf individuals has been found to mark the noun-verb distinction, and to use handshape type to do so. Here we ask whether handshape type is used to mark the noun-verb distinction in a gesture system invented by a deaf child who does not have access to a usable model of either spoken or signed language. The child produces homesigns that have linguistic structure, but receives from his hearing parents co-speech gestures that are structured differently from his own gestures. Thus, unlike users of established and emerging languages, the homesigner is a producer of his system but does not receive it from others. Nevertheless, we found that the child used handshape type to mark the distinction between nouns and verbs at the early stages of development. The noun-verb distinction is thus so fundamental to language that it can arise in a homesign system not shared with others. We also found that the child abandoned handshape type as a device for distinguishing nouns from verbs at just the moment when he developed a combinatorial system of handshape and motion components that marked the distinction. The way the noun-verb distinction is marked thus depends on the full array of linguistic devices available within the system.
Using space to talk and gesture about numbers
Authors: Winter Bodo , Perlman Marcus , Matlock Teenie
Published: July 2014

This paper examines naturally occurring gestures produced in descriptions of numbers and quantities in television newscasts. The results of our analysis show that gestures reveal the metaphorical and spatial nature of numerical thinking. That is, speakers’ hands mimic known spatial mappings between space and quantity, including horizontal mappings (smaller quantities left, larger quantities right), vertical mappings (smaller quantities down, larger quantities up) and size-based mappings (smaller quantities “small”, larger quantities “large”). Speakers frequently switch between these different spatial mappings, and they sometimes combine them within the same gesture. This points to the flexibility of how metaphors can become expressed in gesture, and how domains such as number and quantity can be conceptualized through multiple compatible source domains.
“Half a loaf is better than none”
Authors: Roberts Simon Gwyn
Published: July 2014

The Mold Riots of 1869 came at a time of social and cultural upheaval throughout Wales, with Welsh identity becoming politicised for the first time. In the particular context of north-east Wales, the coverage of the Mold Riots in the local press reveals an early attempt to negotiate identity politics through newspaper editorials and evolving forms of journalistic language in a semi-anglicised border region in which questions of religion, language, class and loyalty were emerging as divisive political issues. It argues that contemporary coverage of the aftermath of the riots offers an insight into an early politicised form of journalistic leader column which allowed local newspapers, all of which had a cross-border remit, to articulate their own interpretations of political and national identity.
“Dirt, death and disease”
Authors: O’Reilly Carole
Published: July 2014

This study makes use of a range of local and national British newspapers and periodicals to examine the discourses of public health during the nineteenth century. It argues that many newspapers and periodicals used a very limited and limiting discourse to present often complex details to their readership. There was a heavy reliance on the use of established experts whose language was allowed to define the journalistic coverage of the subject with the result that other voices were marginalised or unheard altogether. Certain minority groups such as the Irish and women were stigmatised and blamed for the increase in public health problems. All of this combined to constrain the reporting of this crucial issue. The impact of an increasingly competitive print media environment also propelled this form of journalism towards extremes of language and of emphasis, resulting in an even more limited discourse.
Ideological closure in newspaper political language during the U.S. 1872 election campaign
Authors: Strauss Dafnah
Published: July 2014

This paper studies political language in late nineteenth century partisan newspapers by (a) evaluating the degree of pragmatic force, or ideological closure in political editorial content published during the 1872 election year in three leading Iowa newspapers; and (b) linking variations in the degree of ideological closure of these texts to the institutional and social-political contexts of their production, i.e. the political role of editors and the web of relationships within which they performed their work. The degree of ideological closure is evaluated by analysing a range of rhetorical and discursive practices. The study identified variations in degree of closure both between newspapers affiliated with the same party and within a single newspaper over time. Such variations are interpreted as reflecting editors’ need to mitigate an intricate set of political interests and obligations. The analysis also brings to light the richness of partisan editorial language of this time. These finds demonstrate the complexity of the political language and discourse of Gilded Age newspapers.
The emergence of “jingo” and “jingoism” as political terms in public debate in Great Britain (1878–1880)
Authors: King Elliot
Published: July 2014

Content analysis is the most common approach to exploring the use of specific words within media studies. This approach has significant limitations that can be addressed through the application of other related approaches to understanding mediated content, including sociolinguistics and conceptual history. The emergence of large databases of digitized newspapers opens the possibility of an integrated approach that draws on elements of each of those related paradigms. An analysis of the rise and fall of the terms “jingo” and “jingoism” in the British press from 1878 to 1900 demonstrates how this integrated research paradigm can be productively applied to gain insight into how newspapers serve to broadly distribute words attached to specific concepts.
Identities in conflict
Authors: Dobs Abby Mueller
Published: July 2014

As im/politeness scholars increasingly explore the intersections of identity and im/politeness, they reveal a growing need for empirical research that examines these intersections in a variety of discourses. This paper investigates the linkages between participants’ co-constructions of identity and impoliteness in naturally occurring classroom discourse. The data come from a corpus of conflictive interactions observed in seven hours of whole-class discussions and twelve hours of small-group discussions in four eighth-grade classrooms. I apply an analytic framework that combines a genre-approach (Garcés-Conejos Blitvich 2010, 2013) to impoliteness with a socio-constructivist approach (Bucholtz and Hall 2005) to identity, and I categorize identity according to Zimmerman’s (1998) three broad identity types: discourse identity, (genre)situated identity, and transportable identity. In co-constitutive processes (Miller 2013), participants co-construct impoliteness and identity, strategically initiating and assessing potential impoliteness acts to assert and reject identity claims.
Striving to make the difference
Authors: Moulinou Iphigenia
Published: July 2014

The present paper discusses issues of language aggression, conflict and identity, and of emotional communication and conflict. In particular, it explores different positionings of deviant identity as projected by a number of juvenile delinquents through the display of moral indignation (Ochs et al. 1989; Günthner 1995), at moments of crisis and conflictual relationships between them. Moral indignation is expressed through the co-occurrence of a number of linguistic and discursive devices, such as hypothetical examples and personal analogies (Günthner 1995; Kakavá 2002), prosodic features, implicit or explicit moral judgments (Günthner 1995), or non-literal threats. These devices are employed in interaction in order to construct opposing moral versions of identities. The paper argues for a tight interweaving between moral indignation, affect, identity indexing, and moral positioning. It further argues that displays of indignation are powerful interactional devices of conflict management and control of the moral and social order and of social relationships.
Bald-faced lies as acts of verbal aggression
Authors: Meibauer Jörg
Published: July 2014

Several philosophy of language scholars have recently argued that the intention to deceive is not part of a well-defined concept of lying. So-called bald-faced lies, i.e., asserting what is false while speaker and hearer both understand that the speaker does not believe what s/he asserts are provided as evidence. In contrast to these proposals, it is pointed out in this article that lying is necessarily connected to an intention to deceive. Consequently, it is argued that so-called bald-faced lies are not proper lies but acts of verbal aggression. Since bald-faced lies attack the face of the addressee and the viability of the Cooperative Principle (Grice 1989a), they are analyzed as insults. Thus, the traditional idea that lying is connected to the intention to deceive is upheld.
The outcome of PIE *-ē̆i̯(C)#and *-ē̆u̯(C)#in Germanic
Authors: Hansen Bjarne Simmelkjær Sandgaard
Published: July 2014

By suggesting an interconnected series of soundlaws for the outcome of Proto-Indo-european (PIE) falling e-vowel diphthongs in final syllables in Proto-Germanic (PG) and in the individual Germanic languages, viz. PIE *-ei̯(C)#> PG *-ai(C)#, PIE *-ēi̯(C)#> PG *-ei(C)#, PIE *-eu̯(C)#> PG *-au(C)#, and PIE *-ēu̯(C)#> PG *-eu(C)#, this article renders superfluous the old, prevalent assumption of competing o-grade allomorphs in some of the oblique cases of the PIE i- and u-stems. Consequently, the i-stem gen.sg. is reconstructed only as PIE *-ei̯s(not as †-oisin addition), the u-stem gen.sg. only as *-eu̯s(not as †-ou̯s), the u-stem loc.sg. only as *-ēu̯(not as †-ōu̯), the u-stem voc.sg. only as *-eu̯(not as †-ou̯), etc.