bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Children and young adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) have healthier food choices particularly with respect to dietary fat sources compared with non-FH children
Authors: Molven Ingunn , Retterstøl Kjetil , Andersen Lene F. , Veierød Marit B. , Narverud Ingunn , Ose Leiv , Svilaas Arne , Wandel Margareta , Holven Kirsten B.
Published: October 2013

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) leads to elevated plasma levels of LDL-cholesterol and increased risk of premature atherosclerosis. Dietary treatment is recommended to all patients with FH in combination with lipid-lowering drug therapy. Little is known about how children with FH and their parents respond to dietary advice. The aim of the present study was to characterise the dietary habits in children with FH. A total of 112 children and young adults with FH and a non-FH group of children (n 36) were included. The children with FH had previously received dietary counselling. The FH subjects were grouped as: 12–14 years (FH (12–14)) and 18–28 years (FH (18–28)). Dietary data were collected by SmartDiet, a short self-instructing questionnaire on diet and lifestyle where the total score forms the basis for an overall assessment of the diet. Clinical and biochemical data were retrieved from medical records. The SmartDiet scores were significantly improved in the FH (12–14) subjects compared with the non-FH subjects (SmartDiet score of 31 v. 28, respectively). More FH (12–14) subjects compared with non-FH children consumed low-fat milk (64 v. 18 %, respectively), low-fat cheese (29 v. 3%, respectively), used margarine with highly unsaturated fat (74 v. 14 %, respectively). In all, 68 % of the FH (12–14) subjects and 55 % of the non-FH children had fish for dinner twice or more per week. The FH (18–28) subjects showed the same pattern in dietary choices as the FH (12–14) children. In contrast to the choices of low-fat dietary items, 50 % of the FH (12–14) subjects consumed sweet spreads or sweet drinks twice or more per week compared with only 21 % in the non-FH group. In conclusion, ordinary out-patient dietary counselling of children with FH seems to have a long-lasting effect, as the diet of children and young adults with FH consisted of more products that are favourable with regard to the fatty acid composition of the diet.
ω-3 and major depression: a review
Authors: Mello Aline H. , Gassenferth Aline , Souza Luana R. , Fortunato Jucélia J. , Rezin Gislaine T.
Published: October 2013

Background

The World Health Organization estimates that major depression affects about 350 million people all over the world and reports this disorder as the major contributor to the global burden of diseases. Despite the well-defined symptomatology, major depression is a heterogeneous psychiatric disorder whose pathophysiology is not clearly established. Although several treatments are available, most depressed patients do not achieve the complete remission of symptoms. Factors linked to the persistence of the disorder have been investigated, particularly those related to the way of life. Moreover, it has been suggested that nutritional aspects may influence its development. Among them, a diet rich in ω-3 has been associated with a reduced risk of major depression, although its deficiency is associated with depressive disorders.

Methods

This review provides a general view about evidences of the use of ω-3 in major depression cases.

Results

Several studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of ω-3 in the prevention and treatment of major depression. However, not all the results have shown significant statistical benefits.

Conclusions

More studies are necessary to clarify detailed mechanisms of the antidepressant effects of ω-3 and may explain the source of contradictions in results published until the moment.
Neurosyphilis in the mixed urban–rural community of the Netherlands
Authors: Daey Ouwens Ingrid M. , Koedijk Femke D.H. , Fiolet Aernoud T.L. , van Veen Maaike G. , van den Wijngaard Kees C. , Verhoeven Willem M.A. , Egger Jos I.M. , van der Sande Marianne A.B.
Published: October 2013

Objective

Neurosyphilis is caused by dissemination into the central nervous system of Treponema pallidum. Although the incidence of syphilis in the Netherlands has declined since the mid-1980s, syphilis has re-emerged, mainly in the urban centres. It is not known whether this also holds true for neurosyphilis.

Methods

The epidemiology of neurosyphilis in Dutch general hospitals in the period 1999–2010 was studied in a retrospective cohort study. Data from the Dutch sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinics were used to analyse the number of patients diagnosed with syphilis in this period.

Results

An incidence of neurosyphilis of 0.47 per 100 000 adults was calculated, corresponding with about 60 new cases per year. This incidence was higher in the western (urbanised) part of the Netherlands, as compared with the more rural areas (0.6 and 0.4, respectively). The number of patients diagnosed with syphilis in STI clinics increased from 150 to 700 cases in 2004 and decreased to 500 new cases in 2010. The sex ratio was in favour of men, yielding a percentage of 90% of the syphilis cases and of 75% of the neurosyphilitic cases. The incidence of neurosyphilis was highest in men aged 35–65 years, and in women aged 75 years and above. The most frequently reported clinical manifestation of neurosyphilis was tabes dorsalis. In this study, 15% of the patients were HIV seropositive.

Conclusion

The incidence of neurosyphilis in a mixed urban–rural community such as the Netherlands is comparable to that in other European countries. Most patients are young, urban and men, and given the frequent atypical manifestations of the disease reintroduction of screening for neurosyphilis has to be considered.
Open or Enclosed: Settlement Patterns and Hillfort Construction in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, 1800bc–ad1000
Authors: Cook Murray
Published: October 2013

This article presents a synthetic précis of enclosed and unenclosed settlement in Aberdeenshire over an extended period of study encompassing the later prehistoric and early medieval periods (1800bc–ad1000) where the perceived boundary between prehistory and history is of limited significance. The results will then be placed in a wider Scottish context, with a brief discussion of the changing nature of enclosure within the study area.

A recent upsurge in research, development, and survey work has, in particular, drawn renewed attention to a discrete cluster of around 20 hillforts in the Strathdon area, which lie well beyond Cunliffe's Hillfort Dominated Zones. In general, the settlement record is predominantly unenclosed but, in the first half of the 1st millenniumbcthe Strathdon area appears to reflect wider UK trends: there are relatively few hillforts and they appear to be aimed at communal gatherings. Their direct use in conflict appears to have been rare and their ‘defences’ perhaps marked a neutral zone rather than fortification. A putative increase in the volume of agricultural surplus may have led to increased social competition and eventually conflict. After c. 500bca variety of local factors influence hillfort design and there is an increase in their number and variability, before the emergence of a single dominant form from Northern Fife to Inverness, and then an abandonment of enclosure until the early medieval period. The current evidence indicates that hillforts were abandoned before the Roman incursions, perhaps by several hundred years and, while they may have been re-occupied, there is as yet no evidence for refortification. In contrast during the early medieval period hillforts appear to have been more actively used in both settlement and conflict. They may relate to a period of expansion amongst local competing polities and the cessation of their construction in the 7th centuryadmay be connected with the emergence of larger regional power structures.
Two Multilevel Modeling Techniques for Analyzing Comparative Longitudinal Survey Datasets
Authors: Fairbrother Malcolm
Published: October 2013

Increasing numbers of comparative survey datasets span multiple waves. Moving beyond purely cross-sectional analyses, multilevel longitudinal analyses of such datasets should generate substantively important insights into the political, social and economic correlates of many individual-level outcomes of interest (attitudes, behaviors, etc.). This article describes two simple techniques for extracting such insights, which allow change over time in y to be a function of change over time in x and/or of a time-invariant x. The article presents results from simulation studies that assess the techniques in the presence of complications that are likely to arise with real-world data, and concludes with applications to the issues of generalized social trust and postmaterialist values, using data from World/European Values Surveys.
Sugared water consumption by adult offspring of mothers fed a protein-restricted diet during pregnancy results in increased offspring adiposity: the second hit effect
Authors: Cervantes-Rodríguez M. , Martínez-Gómez M. , Cuevas E. , Nicolás L. , Castelán F. , Nathanielsz P. W. , Zambrano E. , Rodríguez-Antolín J.
Published: October 2013

Poor maternal nutrition predisposes offspring to metabolic disease. This predisposition is modified by various postnatal factors. We hypothesised that coupled to the initial effects of developmental programming due to a maternal low-protein diet, a second hit resulting from increased offspring postnatal sugar consumption would lead to additional changes in metabolism and adipose tissue function. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of sugared water consumption (5 % sucrose in the drinking-water) on adult offspring adiposity as a ‘second hit’ following exposure to maternal protein restriction during pregnancy. We studied four offspring groups: (1) offspring of mothers fed the control diet (C); (2) offspring of mothers fed the restricted protein diet (R); (3) offspring of control mothers that drank sugared water (C-S); (4) offspring of restricted mothers that drank sugared water (R-S). Maternal diet in pregnancy was considered the first factor and sugared water consumption as the second factor – the second hit. Body weight and total energy consumption, before and after sugared water consumption, were similar in all the groups. Sugared water consumption increased TAG, insulin and cholesterol concentrations in both the sexes of the C-S and R-S offspring. Sugared water consumption increased leptin concentrations in the R-S females and males but not in the R offspring. There was also an interaction between sugared water and maternal diet in males. Sugared water consumption increased adipocyte size and adiposity index in both females and males, but the interaction with maternal diet was observed only in females. Adiposity index and plasma leptin concentrations were positively correlated in both the sexes. The present study shows that a second hit during adulthood can amplify the effects of higher adiposity arising due to poor maternal pregnancy diet in an offspring sex dependent fashion.
Overexpression of theArabidopsisvacuolar H+-pyrophosphataseAVP1gene in rice plants improves grain yield under paddy field conditions
Authors: KIM Y. S. , KIM I. S. , CHOE Y. H. , BAE M. J. , SHIN S. Y. , PARK S. K. , KANG H. G. , KIM Y. H. , YOON H. S.
Published: October 2013

TheArabidopsisgeneAVP1encodes a vacuolar H+-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatase (enzyme classification (EC) 3.6.1.1) that functions as an electronic proton pump in the vacuolar membrane and affects growth development and the stress response in plants. The current study was conducted to evaluate the molecular properties of theArabidopsis thalianavacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase (AVP1) gene in rice (Oryza sativaL.). Incorporation and expression of the transgene was confirmed by semi-quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR. Expression of theAVP1gene in transgenic rice plants (TRP1 and TRP2) resulted in a significantly enhanced tolerance to 5·8 g/l NaCl under greenhouse conditions when compared with the control wild-type (WT) rice plants. AugmentedAVP1expression in the transgenic rice plants (TRP) also affected total biomass and improved ion homoeostasis through increased accumulation of Na+ions in whole tissues when compared with control WT rice plants under high salinity conditions. The photochemical yield (Fv/Fm) values of TRP were higher than those of the WT rice plants, even though the values decreased over time in both the WT and transgenic (TRP1 to TRP8) rice plants. Furthermore, rice grain yield and biomass of the TRP were at least 15% higher based on culm and root weights, and panicle and spikelet numbers when compared with those of the WT rice plants during the 2010 and 2010 growing seasons in South Korea. Thus, these results suggest that ectopicAVP1expression conferred tolerance and stress resistance to genetically modified transgenic crop plants by improving cellular ion homoeostasis in response to saline conditions, which enhanced rice yield and biomass under natural conditions in paddy fields.
From Wall Street toHalalStreet: Malaysia and the Globalization of Islamic Finance
Authors: Rudnyckyj Daromir
Published: October 2013

Malaysia's plans to become a transnational hub for Islamic finance represent an effort to mobilize religion to create new global networks for the circulation of capital. This article first contextualizes such efforts within the broader contours of Malaysia's political history, addressing the classification of ethnicity and religion by both the colonial and postcolonial states. The article describes how Islamic finance is defined by practitioners in Malaysia and explains the key features they invoke to distinguish it from what they call “conventional finance”. Finally, it identifies the steps undertaken by the state to make the country a global center of Islamic finance. As the recent financial crises have shaken confidence in North Atlantic financial systems, Malaysia is geographically and culturally well-positioned between two emergent economic regions currently at the forefront of global economic growth.
Seasonal variations in the fatty acid profile of milk from yaks grazing on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau
Authors: Ding Luming , Wang Yupeng , Kreuzer Michael , Guo Xusheng , Mi Jiandui , Gou Yujiao , Shang Zhanhuan , Zhang Ying , Zhou Jianwei , Wang Hucheng , Long Ruijun
Published: October 2013

An experiment was conducted to study the seasonal changes in the fatty acid profile of milk from yaks (Bos grunniens) when kept at altitudes of 3000 m above sea level (a.s.l.) and higher. Data and samples were collected in summer (July), autumn (September), winter (November) and spring (March) from ten lactating yaks (four in spring). The yaks grazed pastures adjacent to the farm building throughout the year. In spring only they received 0·6 kg crop by-products per day (dry matter basis). Fresh alpine grasses, available in summer and autumn, showed high concentrations of α-linolenic acid (46–51 g/100 g lipids) compared with the dry, yellow vegetation of winter and spring (16 g/100 g lipids). In autumn and summer, the milk fat had higher concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids than in winter. These polyunsaturated fatty acids were comprised of vaccenic acid, rumenic acid and α-linolenic acid, which are all considered beneficial to human health. The rare fatty acid, γ-linolenic acid, was also detected in yak milk, especially in the milk obtained in spring. The results suggest that yak milk, which is the most important basic food of the Tibetan herders, has the most favourable fatty acid profile when yaks grazed green pasture, which also corresponds to the period of highest milk production.
Management of an epidermoid cyst in the nasal tip of a child: aesthetic and surgical considerations
Authors: Datema F R , Bran G M , Koot V C M , Lohuis P J F M
Published: October 2013

Background:

A simple subcutaneous lesion such as an epidermoid cyst can present a challenge when located in the nasal tip, as regards aesthetic surgical management. Even when performed parallel to relaxed skin tension lines, a direct transcutaneous incision (commonly used for epidermoid cyst removal) distorts the nasal tip subunit, resulting in a conspicuous, disfiguring scar. This should be avoided, especially in children.

Case report:

A 13-year-old girl was referred by her dermatologist for diagnosis and treatment of a slowly progressive dermoid cyst located on the tip of her nose. The cyst was removed using a subcutaneous open rhinoplasty approach, leaving the aesthetic nasal tip subunit intact.

Conclusion:

For aesthetic reasons, open rhinoplasty should be considered as a treatment option in patients with subcutaneous lesions in the nasal tip.
Disseminated rhinosporidiosis
Authors: Bandyopadhyay S N , Das S , Majhi T K , Bandyopadhyay G , Roy D
Published: October 2013

Introduction:

Rhinosporidiosis primarily affects the mucous membranes of the nose and nasopharynx. The disseminated form of this chronic fungal disease is extremely rare.

Case report:

The authors present a case of disseminated rhinosporidiosis in an immunocompetent patient with involvement of the skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle, bone, penis and urethra, and with a long-standing primary lesion in the nose.

Discussion:

A late or atypical presentation of rhinosporidiosis may cause diagnostic dilemma. Fine needle aspiration cytology of the tumoural lesions may establish the diagnosis. Histopathology is confirmatory. The subcutaneous masses may be solid or cystic. Ulceroproliferative lesions need to be differentiated from malignancies.

Conclusion:

This is the first reported case of truly disseminated rhinosporidiosis with simultaneous involvement of multiple anatomically unrelated sites in a single patient. This is also the first reported case of cystic rhinosporidiosis. The possibility and sequelae of spontaneous regression of rhinosporidiosis are also discussed.
Interactive alignment: A teaching-friendly view of second language pronunciation learning
Authors: Trofimovich Pavel
Published: October 2013

Interactive alignment is a phenomenon whereby interlocutors adopt and re-use each other's language patterns in the course of authentic interaction. According to the interactive alignment model, originally proposed by Pickering & Garrod (2004), this linguistic coordination is one way in which interlocutors achieve understanding in dialogue, occurring at the level of the lexicon, grammar, and pronunciation. The goal of this paper is to extend this model to second language (L2) pronunciation and to discuss its possible implications for L2 pronunciation teaching.
Enhancing semantic bidirectionalization via shape bidirectionalizer plug-ins
Authors: VOIGTLÄNDER JANIS , HU ZHENJIANG , MATSUDA KAZUTAKA , WANG MENG
Published: October 2013

Matsuda et al. (Matsuda, K., Hu, Z., Nakano, K., Hamana, M. & Takeichi, M. (2007) Bidirectionalization transformation based on automatic derivation of view complement functions. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Functional Programming. ACM Press, pp. 47–58) and Voigtländer (Voigtländer, J. (2009) Bidirectionalization for free! In Proceedings of Principles of Programming Languages. ACM Press, pp. 165–176) have introduced two techniques that given a source-to-view function provide an update propagation function mapping an original source and an updated view back to an updated source, subject to standard consistency conditions. Previously, we developed a synthesis of the two techniques, based on a separation of shape and content aspects (Voigtländer, J., Hu, Z., Matsuda, K. & Wang, M. (2010) Combining syntactic and semantic bidirectionalization. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Functional Programming. ACM Press, pp. 181–192). Here we carry that idea further, reworking the technique of Voigtländer such that any shape bidirectionalizer (based on the work of Matsuda et al. (2007) or not) can be used as a plug-in, to good effect. We also provide a data-type-generic account, enabling wider reuse, including the use of pluggable bidirectionalization itself as a plug-in.
Densification: Semantic document analysis using Wikipedia
Authors: DORNESCU IUSTIN , ORĂSAN CONSTANTIN
Published: October 2013

This paper proposes a new method for semantic document analysis: densification, which identifies and ranks Wikipedia pages relevant to a given document. Although there are similarities with established tasks such as wikification and entity linking, the method does not aim for strict disambiguation of named entity mentions. Instead, densification uses existing links to rank additional articles that are relevant to the document, a form of explicit semantic indexing that enables higher-level semantic retrieval procedures that can be beneficial for a wide range of NLP applications. Because a gold standard for densification evaluation does not exist, a study is carried out to investigate the level of agreement achievable by humans, which questions the feasibility of creating an annotated data set. As a result, a semi-supervised approach is employed to develop a two-stage densification system: filtering unlikely candidate links and then ranking the remaining links. In a first evaluation experiment, Wikipedia articles are used to automatically estimate the performance in terms of recall. Results show that the proposed densification approach outperforms several wikification systems. A second experiment measures the impact of integrating the links predicted by the densification system into a semantic question answering (QA) system that relies on Wikipedia links to answer complex questions. Densification enables the QA system to find twice as many additional answers than when using a state-of-the-art wikification system.
Dietary quality indices vary with sociodemographic variables and anthropometric status among Mexican adults: a cross-sectional study. Results from the 2006 National Health and Nutrition Survey
Authors: Ponce Xochitl , Rodríguez-Ramírez Sonia , Mundo-Rosas Verónica , Shamah Teresa , Barquera Simón , de Cossio Teresa González
Published: October 2013

Objective

To evaluate the dietary quality of Mexican adults’ diet, we constructed three dietary quality indices: a cardioprotective index (CPI), a micronutrient adequacy index (MAI) and a dietary diversity index (DDI).

Design

Data were derived from the 2006 National Health and Nutrition Survey, which is a national survey representative of the Mexican population with a stratified, multistage, probabilistic sample design. Dietary intake was assessed from an FFQ with 101 different foods and daily nutrient intakes were computed. The CPI evaluated compliance with seven WHO recommendations for the prevention of CVD, the MAI evaluated the intake of six micronutrients based on the estimated average requirements from the US Institute of Medicine and the DDI was constructed based on the consumption of thirty different food groups.

Settings

Mexico.

Subjects

Mexican adults aged 19–59 years old.

Results

We evaluated the diet of 15 675 males and females. Adjusted means and adjusted proportions by age and sex were computed to predict adherence to dietary recommendations. Rural inhabitants, those living in the South and those from the lowest socio-economic status reported a significantly higher CPI (4·5 (se0·08), 4·3 (se0·08) and 4·2 (se0·09), respectively;P< 0·05), but a significantly lower MAI and DDI, compared with urban inhabitants, those from the North and those of upper socio-economic status (P< 0·05).

Conclusions

The constructed diet quality indices identify nutrients and foods whose recommended intakes are not adequately consumed by the population. Given the epidemiological and nutritional transition that Mexico is experiencing, the CPI is the most relevant index and its components should be considered in Mexican dietary guidelines as well as in any food and nutrition programmes developed.
Nutritional and eating education improves knowledge and practice of patients with type 2 diabetes concerning dietary intake and blood glucose control in an outlying city of China
Authors: Wang Huan , Song Zhenfeng , Ba Yanhui , Zhu Lin , Wen Ying
Published: October 2013

Objective

To describe the knowledge, attitudes and practices of type 2 diabetics in Yakeshi City and to assess the effect of implementation of nutritional and eating education in enhancing knowledge and practices regarding a healthy diet.

Design

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted with 162 diabetics to determine their nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices; fifty-four participants received nutritional and eating education for 6 months. Diabetes-related nutrition knowledge, awareness, practice accuracy, dietary intake and glycaemic control were assessed before and after education.

Setting

Yakeshi, a remote city in northern China.

Subjects

A total of 162 type 2 diabetics recruited from three hospitals, fifty-four of whom were selected randomly to receive education.

Results

Among the 162 respondents, most diabetics (75 %) considered that controlling diet was important in the methods of controlling blood glucose. Scores for knowledge, practices and overall KAP (knowledge–attitude–practice) were low, but scores for attitude were high. Participants with diabetes education experiences, practice duration over 1 year or high education level all had higher scores for KAP (P < 0·001, P < 0·05 and P < 0·001, respectively) than their counterparts. After education, patients’ nutrition knowledge, awareness and practice accuracy improved significantly (P < 0·05). The rates of patients with recommended daily intake of vegetables, grains and dairy were boosted (P < 0·05). Various nutrient intakes increased (P < 0·05) but not protein, Fe, Zn and Se. Significant improvements were also found in glycaemic control (P < 0·05).

Conclusions

Diabetics in Yakeshi had positive attitudes, but relatively poor nutrition knowledge and practices. Nutritional and eating education was effective in improving diabetics’ nutrition knowledge and practices, and this optimal practice helped them control blood glucose effectively.
Improving Scanning Electron Microscope Resolution for Near Planar Samples Through the Use of Image Restoration
Authors: Lifshin Eric , Kandel Yudhishthir P. , Moore Richard L.
Published: October 2013

A method is presented for determining the point spread function (PSF) of an electron beam in a scanning electron microscope for the examination of near planar samples. Once measured, PSFs can be used with two or more low-resolution images of a selected area to create a high-resolution reconstructed image of that area. As an example, a 4× improvement in resolution for images is demonstrated for a fine gold particle sample. Since thermionic source instruments have high beam currents associated with large probe sizes, use of this approach implies that high-resolution images can be produced rapidly if the probe diameter is less of a limiting factor. Additionally, very accurate determination of the PSFs can lead to a better understanding of instrument performance as exemplified by very accurate measurement of the beam shape and therefore the degree of astigmatism.
METRIC DIFFERENTIABILITY OF LIPSCHITZ MAPS
Authors: BONGIORNO DONATELLA
Published: October 2013

An extension of Rademacher’s theorem is proved for Lipschitz mappings between Banach spaces without the Radon–Nikodým property.
An empirical assessment of the trade facilitation initiative: econometric evidence and global economic effects
Authors: ZAKI C.
Published: October 2013

This paper attempts to model trade facilitation in a multi-regional and multi-sectoral computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, MIRAGE. It follows Decreux and Fontagné (2009) in modeling trade facilitation and in assuming that administrative barriers are an iceberg cost. I extend their model using more comprehensive measures of ad-valorem equivalents (AVEs) of red tape costs, which are computed from a gravity model, and are introduced in the CGE model. The novelty in using those AVEs is that they take into account the effects of bureaucracy, internet coverage, corruption, and geographical barriers on the time to trade. The paper has four major findings. Gains derived from trade facilitation are more significant for developing economies (especially for the Middle East and North Africa region and Sub-Saharan countries) than for developed ones, whether in terms of welfare gain (either in the short or long run) or increase in trade. Second, long-run welfare effects of trade facilitation are much higher than in the short run. Third, trade facilitation helps boost both intra-regional trade and inter-regional trade. Fourth and most interestingly, it also helps improve export diversification, leading to an expansion in those sectors that are more sensitive to time, such as food, textiles, and electronics.
NAIVE TRUTH AND RESTRICTED QUANTIFICATION: SAVING TRUTH A WHOLE LOT BETTER
Authors: FIELD HARTRY
Published: October 2013

Restricted quantification poses a serious and under-appreciated challenge for nonclassical approaches to both vagueness and the semantic paradoxes. It is tempting to explain “All A are B” as “For all x, if x is A then x is B”; but in the nonclassical logics typically used in dealing with vagueness and the semantic paradoxes (even those where ‘if … then’ is a special conditional not definable in terms of negation and disjunction or conjunction), this definition of restricted quantification fails to deliver important principles of restricted quantification that we’d expect. If we’re going to use a nonclassical logic, we need one that handles restricted quantification better.

The challenge is especially acute for naive theories of truth—roughly, theories that take True(〈A〉) to be intersubstitutable with A, even when A is a “paradoxical” sentence such as a Liar-sentence. A naive truth theory inevitably involves a somewhat nonclassical logic; the challenge is to get a logic that’s compatible with naive truth and also validates intuitively obvious claims involving restricted quantification (for instance, “If S is a truth stated by Jones, and every truth stated by Jones was also stated by Smith, then S is a truth stated by Smith”). No extant naive truth theory even comes close to meeting this challenge, including the theory I put forth in Saving Truth from Paradox. After reviewing the motivations for naive truth, and elaborating on some of the problems posed by restricted quantification, I will show how to do better. (I take the resulting logic to be appropriate for vagueness too, though that goes beyond the present paper.)

In showing that the resulting logic is adequate to naive truth, I will employ a somewhat novel fixed point construction that may prove useful in other contexts.
Coplanar waveguide-fed ISM band implantable crossed-type triangular slot antenna for biomedical applications
Authors: Ashok Kumar Srinivasan , Shanmuganantham Thangavelu
Published: October 2013

A novel coplanar waveguide fed Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band implantable crossed-type triangular slot antenna is proposed for biomedical applications. The antenna operates at the center frequency of 2450 MHz, which is in ISM band, to support GHz wideband communication for high-data rate implantable biomedical application. The size of the antenna is 78 mm3 (10 mm × 12 mm × 0.65 mm). The simulated and measured bandwidths are 7.9 and 8.2% at the resonant frequency of 2.45 GHz. The specific absorption rate distribution induced by the implantable antenna inside a human body tissue model is evaluated. The communication between the implanted antenna and external device is also examined. The proposed antenna has substantial merits such as miniaturization, lower return loss, better impedance matching, and high gain over other implanted antennas.
Strengthening the Transnational Regime Complex for Climate Change†
Authors: Abbott Kenneth W.
Published: October 2013

The inadequacies of the inter-state institutions and negotiating processes central to international climate policy create a pressing need for governance innovation. This article proposes one promising and feasible approach: strengthening the existingtransnationalregime complex for climate change. Leading organizations could strengthen the regime complex by forging stronger links among institutions, increasing coordination and collaboration, supporting weaker institutions and encouraging the entry of new ones where governance gaps exist. An enhanced regime complex would have a multilevel structure, enabling transnational institutions tobypassrecalcitrant national governments by directly engaging sub-state and societal actors at multiple levels of authority and scale. It would also help tomanagerecalcitrant states by mobilizing advocacy, demonstration effects and other pressures on governments. Regime entrepreneurs, using the strategy of orchestration, could deploy a range of incentives and other tools of influence to enrol, support and steer transnational organizations.
Broadband solar absorption enhancement via periodic nanostructuring of electrodes
Authors: Adachi Michael M. , Labelle André J. , Thon Susanna M. , Lan Xinzheng , Hoogland Sjoerd , Sargent Edward H.
Published: October 2013

Solution processed colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells have great potential for large area low-cost photovoltaics. However, light utilization remains low mainly due to the tradeoff between small carrier transport lengths and longer infrared photon absorption lengths. Here, we demonstrate a bottom-illuminated periodic nanostructured CQD solar cell that enhances broadband absorption without compromising charge extraction efficiency of the device. We use finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations to study the nanostructure for implementation in a realistic device and then build proof-of-concept nanostructured solar cells, which exhibit a broadband absorption enhancement over the wavelength range of λ = 600 to 1100 nm, leading to a 31% improvement in overall short-circuit current density compared to a planar device containing an approximately equal volume of active material. Remarkably, the improved current density is achieved using a light-absorber volume less than half that typically used in the best planar devices.
Voltage and Power-Controlled Regimes in the Progressive Unipolar RESET Transition of HfO2-Based RRAM
Authors: Long Shibing , Perniola Luca , Cagli Carlo , Buckley Julien , Lian Xiaojuan , Miranda Enrique , Pan Feng , Liu Ming , Suñé Jordi
Published: October 2013

Resistive switching (RS) based on the formation and rupture of conductive filament (CF) is promising in novel memory and logic device applications. Understanding the physics of RS and the nature of CF is of utmost importance to control the performance, variability and reliability of resistive switching memory (RRAM). Here, the RESET switching of HfO2-based RRAM was statistically investigated in terms of the CF conductance evolution. The RESET usually combines an abrupt conductance drop with a progressive phase ending with the complete CF rupture. RESET1 and RESET2 events, corresponding to the initial and final phase of RESET, are found to be controlled by the voltage and power in the CF, respectively. A Monte Carlo simulator based on the thermal dissolution model of unipolar RESET reproduces all of the experimental observations. The results contribute to an improved physics-based understanding on the switching mechanisms and provide additional support to the thermal dissolution model.
Evidence for charge-induced dipole reaction in laser ionized van der Waals clusters: a case of Fe2+ reacting with argon atoms inside a cluster
Authors: Badani Purav M. , Das Soumitra , Sharma Pramod , Chandrakumar K. R. S. , Vatsa Rajesh K.
Published: October 2013

Fe(CO)5-doped argon clusters have been photo-ionized by 532 nm, nanosecond laser pulses and the ions generated as a result of laser–cluster interaction were detected using time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
A facile approach to fabrication of well-dispersed NiO–ZnO composite hollow microspheres
Authors: Xie Qingshui , Guo Huizhang , Zhang Xiangxin , Lu Aolin , Zeng Deqian , Chen Yuanzhi , Peng Dong-Liang
Published: October 2013

The NZ6 composite hollow microspheres exhibit the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of MO under UV irradiation.
Immune mechanisms in hypertension and vascular injury
Authors: Schiffrin Ernesto L.
Published: October 2013

Over the last 20 years it has become recognized that low-grade inflammation plays a role in cardiovascular disease. More recently, participation of the innate and the adaptive immune response in mechanisms that contribute to inflammation in cardiovascular disease has been reported in atherosclerosis and hypertension. Different subsets of lymphocytes and their cytokines are involved in vascular remodelling in hypertension, chronic kidney disease and heart disease. Effector T-cells include Th1 (interferon-γ-producing) and Th2 (interleukin-4 producing) lymphocytes, as well as Th17 (which produce interleukin-17) and T-suppressor lymphocytes such as Treg-cells (regulatory T-cells), which express the transcription factor Foxp3 (forkhead box P3) and participate respectively as pro- and anti-inflammatory cells. Pro-inflammatory T-lymphocytes participate in mechanisms of cardiovascular disease in part by mediating the effects of angiotensin II and mineralocorticoids. Involvement of immune mechanisms in cardiac, vascular and renal changes in hypertension has been demonstrated in many experimental models, an example being the Dahl-salt sensitive rat and the spontaneously hypertensive rat. How activation of immunity is triggered remains unknown, but neo-antigens could be generated by elevated blood pressure through damage-associated molecular pattern receptors or other mechanisms. Once activated, Th1 cells may contribute to blood pressure elevation by affecting the kidney, vascular remodelling of blood vessels directly via the effects of the cytokines produced or through their effects on perivascular fat. Treg-cells protect from blood pressure elevation by acting upon similar targets. Recent data suggests that participation of these mechanisms that have been demonstrated already in murine models also occurs in humans. These novel findings may open the way for new therapeutic approaches to improve outcomes in hypertension and cardiovascular disease in humans.
Perspective: Coulomb fluids—Weak coupling, strong coupling, in between and beyond
Authors: Naji Ali , Kanduč Matej , Forsman Jan , Podgornik Rudolf
Published: October 2013

We present a personal view on the current state of statistical mechanics of Coulomb fluids with special emphasis on the interactions between macromolecular surfaces, concentrating on the weak and the strong coupling limits. Both are introduced for a (primitive) counterion-only system in the presence of macroscopic, uniformly charged boundaries, where they can be derived systematically. Later we show how this formalism can be generalized to the cases with additional characteristic length scales that introduce new coupling parameters into the problem. These cases most notably include asymmetric ionic mixtures with mono- and multivalent ions that couple differently to charged surfaces, ions with internal charge (multipolar) structure and finite static polarizability, where weak and strong coupling limits can be constructed by analogy with the counterion-only case and lead to important new insights into their properties that cannot be derived by any other means.
A numerical scheme to quantify the texture characteristics of sputtered aluminum thin film back reflectors
Authors: Adhikari Sushil , Dubey Mukul , Galipeau David , Hua Fan Qi
Published: October 2013

Texture angle and texture height are critical parameters that determine the performance of solar cell back reflectors. While average peak height and roughness are directly available from atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis, several key parameters are missing. These parameters include average peak angle, peak angle distribution, and peak height distribution. In this work, a numerical scheme was developed to characterize the surface morphology of solar cell back reflectors. First part of this work demonstrated a numerical method to quantify the texture parameters by identifying relevant peak and valley points from 3D surface morphology data, such as AFM scan data. Peak angle and peak height filters were introduced into the numerical code to eliminate noises. In the second part, the program was utilized to systematically study the effects of sputtering deposition parameters on the morphology of thin film aluminum back reflectors. The processed data clearly indicated the existence of multiple factors that determined the film texture.
Optical bandgap and near surface band bending in degenerate InN films grown by molecular beam epitaxy
Authors: Tangi Malleswararao , Kuyyalil Jithesh , Shivaprasad S. M.
Published: October 2013

We study the surface charge accumulation on InN thin films that strongly effects mobility of charge carriers. The films are formed by MBE in the temperature range (400–470 °C) yielding films with different morphology, crystallinity, and optical properties. The band-gap values determined by optical absorption and PL studies are found to depend on the Hall carrier concentration as per the Moss-Burstein relation. The magnitude of the near surface band bending is measured on InN thin films by knowing the surface and bulk Fermi level position with respect to the valence band maximum using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical absorption measurements, respectively. The studies show that the surface charge occurs due to the In adlayer on the film causing band-bending is up to 1 eV for low band gap single crystalline films and nearly a flat band for the highly degenerate polycrystalline films. The absence of the band bending is seen to occur when the bulk carrier concentration related to the crystalline quality of the InN films, tends to equate with the surface charge density.
Enhanced light-extraction from hierarchical surfaces consisting of p-GaN microdomes and SiO2 nanorods for GaN-based light-emitting diodes
Authors: Ho Cheng-Han , Hsiao Yu-Hsuan , Lien Der-Hsien , Tsai M. S. , Chang Don , Lai Kun-Yu , Sun Ching-Cherng , He Jr-Hau
Published: October 2013

We report an efficient light-extraction scheme employing the hierarchical structure, p-GaN microdomes/SiO2 nanorods (NRs), on GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Compared with the flat LED, the LEDs with hierarchical surfaces exhibits a light-output improvement of 36.8%. The considerable enhancement in light-extraction efficiency is attributed to the multiple tilted surfaces of microdomes and the graded refractive indexes provided by the SiO2 NRs, reducing total internal reflection and Fresnel reflection. The enhanced optical performances are supported by the finite-difference time-domain analysis. Advances in light extraction scheme employing hierarchical structures demonstrated here pave the way to solid-state lighting technology.
Optically isotropic state in bent core nematic mixtures with rod like molecules induced by direct current electric field
Authors: Elamain Omaima , Hegde Gurumurthy , Fodor-Csorba Katalin , Komitov Lachezar
Published: October 2013

One of the most important characteristic of the liquid crystal displays is the contrast of the generated images. The dark state of the display is a prerequisite for a high image contrast. Optically isotropic state was observed in bent core nematic mixtures containing rod like molecules induced by low applied dc electric field. It is found that the switching properties of these nematic mixtures depend on the concentration of the rod like molecules. Comparatively high concentrations of rod like molecules in the mixtures resulted in an improvement of the contrast and switching properties of the bent core nematic mixtures, thus demonstrating their potential for display applications.
Theory of open-circuit voltage and the driving force of charge separation in pn-junction solar cells
Authors: Hara Kosuke O. , Usami Noritaka
Published: October 2013

We have derived the formula to calculate the open-circuit voltage in a pn-junction solar cell from carrier densities by considering the driving force of charge separation without using the equation for current. The excess amount of chemical potential of charge carriers is proposed as the origin of the driving force of charge separation, and the voltage formula is derived from the gradient of excess chemical potential. The calculated voltage is shown to agree with the result of a rigorous device simulation for symmetrical pn-homojunction devices with band gaps of 0.6–1.8 eV and majority-carrier densities of 1015–1019 cm-3. The developed formula is, therefore, valid for the pn-homojunction devices, indicating that the driving force of charge separation stems from the excess chemical potential.
Telecom-wavelength (1.5 μm) single-photon emission from InP-based quantum dots
Authors: Benyoucef M. , Yacob M. , Reithmaier J. P. , Kettler J. , Michler P.
Published: October 2013

We demonstrate pronounced single-photon emission from InAs/AlGaInAs/InP quantum dots (QDs) at wavelengths above 1.5 μm that are compatible with standard long-distance fiber communication. The QDs are grown by molecular beam epitaxy on distributed Bragg reflectors. A low QD density of about 5 × 108 cm−2 was obtained using optimized growth conditions. Low-temperature micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy exhibits sharp excitonic emission lines from single QDs without the necessity of further processing steps. The combination of excitation power-dependent and polarization-resolved photoluminescence measurements reveal a characteristic exciton-biexciton behavior with biexciton binding energies that range from 3.5 to 4 meV and fine-structure splitting values down to 20 μeV.
Concentration effect of H/OH and Eu3+ species on activating photoluminescence from ZnO:Eu3+ thin films
Authors: Akazawa Housei , Shinojima Hiroyuki
Published: October 2013

We identified the conditions necessary for photoluminescence from Eu3+ ions doped in ZnO thin films to occur via indirect excitation of ZnO host crystal with a 325-nm laser light. The ZnO:Eu films were sputter-deposited on Si(100) substrates at room temperature with H2O vapor flowing as the oxygen source gas. A very narrow emission peak at 612 nm, assigned to 5D0−7F2 transition of Eu3+ ions, appeared after annealing at 200–300 °C in a vacuum or at 500 °C in an O2 ambient. At temperatures higher than these, the 612-nm emission peak attenuated and emission spectra exhibited weaker double peaks at 612 and 620 nm. This observation suggested that most Eu3+ ions withdrew from the most emission-active sites, and occupied two distinct chemical sites. With further increasing temperature, the double peaks merged to become broader, indicating that Eu3+ ions occupied sites more randomly. Emission intensity was the highest at an Eu content of 0.9 at. % and concentration quenching was observed as Eu content was increased. Substitution of Zn2+ cation sites with Eu3+ ions was confirmed from the primary X-ray diffraction peaks of ZnO(002); the ZnO lattice expanded as larger numbers of Eu3+ ions were incorporated. After the films were post-annealed at high temperatures, the diffraction angles approached those of undoped ZnO crystals, which reflected shifting Eu3+ ions into grain boundaries. The photoabsorption of OH species within a wavelength range of 2700–3000 nm and the Eu3+ emission intensity revealed correlated behavior. These results confirmed that the presence of OH and/or H species in the film is necessary for emissions from Eu3+ ions to appear. When OH and/or H species were diminished after high-temperature annealing, Eu3+ ions existing at substitutional sites became unstable and their emissions were consequently deactivated. The origin of emission-active Eu3+ ions can be explained in terms of either the defect mediated energy transfer model or the substitutional model.