bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environmental Nanoparticles Interactions with Plants: Morphological, Physiological, and Genotoxic Aspects
Authors: Remédios C. , Rosário F. , Bastos V.
Published: June 2012

Nanoparticles (NPs) are characterized by their small size (less than 100 nm) and large surface area, which confer specific physicochemical properties as strength, electrical, and optical features. NPs can be derived from natural or anthropic sources, such as engineered or unwanted/incidental NPs. The composition, dimension, and morphology of engineered NPs enable their use in a variety of areas, such as electronic, biomedical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, energy, environmental, catalysis, and materials science. As nanotechnology is an innovative and scientific growth area with an exponential production, more information is needed concerning the impacts of these nanomaterials (NMs) in the environment and, particularly, in animals/humans health and in plants performance. So, research on NPs as emerging contaminants is therefore a new field in environmental health. This minireview describes, briefly, the NPs characterization and their occurrence in the environment stating air, water, and soil. Finally, particular emphasis is given to the interaction of NPs with plants at different levels: morphology, physiology, and genotoxicity. By analyzing this compiled information, it is evident that research on NPs phytotoxicity is in the beginning, and more comprehensive studies are needed not only on NPs cytotoxicity and genotoxicity but also on the best and the most reliable methods of assessing NPs toxicity.
Autism in Early Childhood: An Unusual Developmental Course—Three Case Reports
Authors: Cohen-Ophir Michal , Castel-Deutsh Tsophia , Tirosh Emanuel
Published: June 2012

Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is typically characterized by either an emerging and gradual course or developmental regression in early childhood. The versatile clinical course is progressively acknowledged in recent years. Children with developmental disorders in general are referred to the Child Development Center for a multidisciplinary assessment, investigation, treatment and followup. We report three infants with an initial diagnosis of developmental delays, recovery of normal development following intervention in a multidisciplinary center, and subsequent regression into classic autism following their discharge from the program. An extensive medical workup was noncontributory. This unusual presentation, to our knowledge not reported previously, should be recognized by professionals involved in child development and psychiatry.
Presentation of Malaria Epidemics Using Multiple Optimal Controls
Authors: Lashari Abid Ali , Aly Shaban , Hattaf Khalid , Zaman Gul , Jung Il Hyo , Li Xue-Zhi
Published: June 2012

An existing model is extended to assess the impact of some antimalaria control measures, by re‐formulating the model as an optimal control problem. This paper investigates the fundamental role of three type of controls, personal protection, treatment, and mosquito reduction strategies in controlling the malaria. We work in the nonlinear optimal control framework. The existence and the uniqueness results of the solution are discussed. A characterization of the optimal control via adjoint variables is established. The optimality system is solved numerically by a competitive Gauss‐Seidel‐like implicit difference method. Finally, numerical simulations of the optimal control problem, using a set of reasonable parameter values, are carried out to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed control measures.
Experimental Comparison of Six Population-Based Algorithms for Continuous Black Box Optimization
Authors: Pošík Petr , Kubalík Jiří
Published: June 2012

Six population-based methods for real-valued black box optimization are thoroughly compared in this article. One of them, Nelder-Mead simplex search, is rather old, but still a popular technique of direct search. The remaining five (POEMS, G3PCX, Cauchy EDA, BIPOP-CMA-ES, and CMA-ES) are more recent and came from the evolutionary computation community. The recently proposed comparing continuous optimizers (COCO) methodology was adopted as the basis for the comparison. The results show that BIPOP-CMA-ES reaches the highest success rates and is often also quite fast. The results of the remaining algorithms are mixed, but Cauchy EDA and POEMS are usually slow.
Early-Modern Literature on International Law and the Usus Modernus
Authors: Wijffels Alain
Published: June 2012

A single, fairly simple proposition lies at the heart of the present contribution, viz. that the development of early-modern literature on international law should be regarded as a specific form of the early usus modernus during the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth century.In Section 1 that general proposition and some of its ramifications will receive some further explanation. First, the main characteristics of usus modernus will be set out, and, subsequently, their applicability to early-modern literature on international law will be outlined. In addition, the question should be raised, what purpose the characterisation of that literature as part of the more general usus modernus may serve. These considerations may inevitably appear somewhat abstract. Section 2 will therefore aim to provide a particular illustration, based on two contemporary works on the law of naval warfare, viz. A. Gentili's Hispanicae Advocationis Libri Duo and H. Grotius' De jure praedae.
The Preaching of the First Crusade and the Persecutions of the Jews
Authors: Shepkaru Shmuel
Published: June 2012

Abstract

Although the versions of Pope Urban’s call for the First Crusade focus on the need to liberate the Holy Land from the Muslims, crusaders and locals attacked first the communities of the Franco-German (Ashkenazic) Jews. Both contemporary and modern historians have offered a variety of explanations for these uncalled-for devastating attacks. Without discounting some of these proposals, this article applies the psychological explanation of Displacement to offer an additional reason. The article suggests that the urgent call to retaliate against the Muslims immediately and the many graphic descriptions of alleged Muslim atrocities against Eastern Christians and Christian pilgrims in the propaganda of the First Crusade created mounting frustration in Europe. And since this frustration could not be expressed immediately and directly against its source, i.e., the faraway Muslims, the attackers displaced their aggression onto the nearby Jews. Moreover, Displacement also explains the many close parallels between the images of Muslim atrocities in crusading rhetoric and the idiosyncratic manifestations of the violence against European Jews in the early stages of the First Crusade.
Jerusalem: Image of Hilary’s Christocentric Eschatology in the Tractatus super Psalmos
Authors: Scully Ellen
Published: June 2012

Abstract

In his lengthy Tractatus super Psalmos, Hilary of Poitiers states only twice that humans are to “live the life of the angels.” Nevertheless, these rare statements seem to undermine both the role of the human body in eschatological life and the christocentrism of Hilary’s soteriology. However, this paper will argue that Hilary’s designation of different eschatological locations for humans and angels—namely in Mt. Zion and Jerusalem, respectively—in the Tractatus super Psalmos demonstrate that Hilary, at least in this later work, believes that while humans will resemble angels in certain aspects, ultimately they will be conformed to Christ whose body is the holy temple or Church of the heavenly Jerusalem, Mt. Zion itself.
Voluntarism and Conventionalism in Hobbes and Kant
Authors: Krasnoff Larry
Published: June 2012

Kant’s relation to Hobbesian voluntarism has recently become a source of controversy for the interpretation of Kant’s practical philosophy. Realist interpreters, most prominently Karl Ameriks, have attacked the genealogies of Kantian autonomy suggested by J. B. Schneewind and Christine Korsgaard as misleadingly voluntarist and unacceptably anti-realist. In this debate, however, there has been no real discussion of Kant’s own views about Hobbes. By examining the relation of Hobbes’ voluntarism to a kind of conventionalism, and through a reading of Kant’s most explicit discussion of Hobbes, in “Theory and Practice,”1 I argue that Kant’s criticism of Hobbes is much more limited than it might first appear. Rather than rejecting Hobbes’ voluntarism and conventionalism entirely, Kant ends up criticizing only Hobbes’ understanding of the relation between these doctrines. The essay thus defends Schneewind’s and Korsgaard’s histories of modern moral philosophy, and raises doubts about realist readings of Kant’s practical philosophy.
“One Drop of Oil, One Drop of Blood”: The United States and the Petroleum Problem in Wartime China, 1937-1945
Authors: Lin-chun Wu
Published: June 2012

In 1931, Japan occupied Manchuria and seemed intent on conquering China. Because Japan was devoid of petroleum, planners turned to exploration in the Western Pacific. In China, mobilization for a military invasion and preparations for economic survival made control of petroleum supplies more urgent than ever. As Irvine H. Anderson reminds us in The Standard-Vacuum Oil Company and United States East Asian Policy, 1933-1941, Standard-Vacuum, Shell, and the Anglo-American diplomatic corps accelerated their close cooperation especially after Japan created monopolies of the economies of Manchuria and North China, which violated the traditional principles of American Open Door Policy. However, the American de facto embargo policy and the Japanese resolve to seize the necessary supplies in the Dutch Indies made it inevitable that American companies would become involved in the formulation and execution of American policy both before and after Pearl Harbor. Building on Anderson’s extraordinary research, this article focuses on the petroleum problem in China and the American response, especially of the State Department and Foreign Service officers, during 1937-45.
Bonner Fellers in the Philippines: American Colonial Prototype
Authors: Goodman Grant K.
Published: June 2012

Bonner Fellers (1896-1973), later prominent in the American occupation of Japan, in 1936 was assigned as captain in the U.S. Army to the staff of General Douglas MacArthur in Manila. His first assignment was to organize and develop a Reserve Officers’ Service School for the newly founded Philippine Army. Fellers's letters to his wife give a private view of how he gained the confidence of both General MacArthur and Philippine Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon when from 1937 to 1940 he served both men as principal aide and supported them on a trip to Washington in 1937. Fellers multitasked remarkably well and was privy to the highest level of both the American and Philippine governments.
L'Envers et l'endroit de l'interprétation islamiste du concept de jihad en droit islamique
Authors: Mabley Bruce
Published: June 2012

En droit islamique, le concept de jihad occupe une place privilégiée parmi les différentes sources d'inspiration juridique. Ne faisant pas partie des sources du droit (usul al-fiqh), la notion de jihad revêt un intérêt conceptuel et tout moderne. La coupure épistémologique ou l'avènement du conformisme en droit né d'un consensus des juristes islamiques vers le 9esiècle bouleversera l'évolution du jihad. Ainsi cette fermeture de la porte de l'innovation en droit (ijtihad) aura un impact important sur le contexte juridique défini en partie par la pratique des fatwas ou consultations ainsi que la distribution géopolitique de la souveraineté musulmane en Afrique et ailleurs dans le monde. Aux yeux des islamistes, jihad devient à la fois un moyen, un témoignage et même la fin du droit islamique. Tel est son rôle particulier car si la mise en œuvre de la shari'a rallie bon nombre de musulmans, cela n'exclut pas pour autant l'idée de faire appel au jihad pour y parvenir. En dernier lieu, trois exemples de jihad contemporains sont évalués à la lumière du droit islamique ayant comme toile de fond la fin de l'innovation juridique.
L'Afrique et le système de justice pénale internationale
Authors: Manirakiza Pacifique
Published: June 2012

Africa has been ravaged by armed conflicts and/or oppressive regimes for decades. During those conflicts or oppressive regimes, heinous crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed and made millions of victims. Among these, only a handful number saw some justice. This was possible essentially because the international community took a vigorous stance against the impunity of war criminals and genocidaires by creating international judicial mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), to deal with it. Also, some individual African States have prosecuted international crimes within their municipal courts as well as some western States based on the universal jurisdiction principle. This article analyses the African contribution to the building of the international criminal justice system. It also addresses the African objections against the ICC intervention in Africa and the use of the universal jurisdiction criticized as a form of imperialism and neo-colonialism disguised in a judicial form. It concludes by exploring the feasibility of an African Criminal Court.
How to do multilingual literary history? Lessons from fifteenth- and sixteenth-century north India
Authors: Orsini Francesca
Published: June 2012

How can we conceptualise multilingual literary culture, and how can we research it? Using the turbulent ‘long fifteenth century’ in north India as a site, this article questions research models based on single languages (Hindi, Urdu) and engages critically with early modern taxonomies and archives. The article focuses on the materiality of the archive—the language, script and format in which texts were written down and copied—on the spaces and locations in which literature was produced and performed, and on the oral-performative practices and agents that made texts circulate to audiences in ways not bound by the script in which the texts appear to us. Not only are the models of composite culture and language-specificity questioned as a result, but the sites of literary production move from the court to a series of intersections, and areas that were peripheral move into view and connect with others.
Coefficient Alpha Bootstrap Confidence Interval Under Nonnormality
Authors: Padilla Miguel A. , Divers Jasmin , Newton Matthew
Published: June 2012

Three different bootstrap methods for estimating confidence intervals (CIs) for coefficient alpha were investigated. In addition, the bootstrap methods were compared with the most promising coefficient alpha CI estimation methods reported in the literature. The CI methods were assessed through a Monte Carlo simulation utilizing conditions comparable across previous research. Of particular interest was the impact of item nonnormality on the estimation methods. The results indicated a clear order in the performance of the estimation methods. The normal theory bootstrap method had the best performance by far as it had consistent acceptable coverage under all simulation conditions. If items were normally distributed or had small skewness, and computing power is an issue, the methods proposed by Bonett followed by the normal theory method were good alternatives. It should be noted that the Fisher method had high variability and unacceptably higher coverage across most of the investigated conditions.
Using the past to (re)write the future: Yan Xuetong, pre-Qin thought and China’s rise to power
Authors: Cunningham-Cross Linsay
Published: June 2012

To many in China, their country’s rise is not simply a hard power phenomenon; China’s new weight in international affairs demands that it also innovates culturally to offer new global norms to the world. Thus in recent years many prominent Chinese scholars have invested significant time and resources into searching for, or attempting to define, a distinctly Chinese approach to theorizing international relations. One of the potential sources often cited as a foundation for such an approach is China’s long and rich history of political theorizing and political/cultural leadership. This article considers one of the key contributions to that debate from a Tsinghua University scholar, Yan Xuetong. Despite his rejection of the ‘China school’ project, Yan has invested significant resources in a project that seeks to apply pre-Qin thought to contemporary international politics. Through a careful reading of this work, the article reveals a compelling narrative about China’s future rise. It argues that through discursively linking pre-Qin classical texts with China’s modern rise, Yan Xuetong is using China’s past to write its, and the world’s, future. The article critically engages with this future Yan is narrating, and considers some of the implications it might have for China and the world.
Change and innovation in Chinese nuclear weapons strategy
Authors: Horsburgh Nicola
Published: June 2012

This article explores change and conceptual innovation in Chinese nuclear weapons strategy. It argues that drastic change towards a war-fighting strategy is not considered likely. Some transition is underway, towards what some have termed assured retaliation, but this transition is not a dramatic departure from past strategy which was based on uncertain retaliation. To illustrate this view, the article focuses on three areas: declaratory nuclear policy, military modernization, and academic discussions among military and civilian strategists in China. Declaratory policy offers a useful lens through which to consider Chinese nuclear strategy, especially nuclear deterrence and the policy of no first use. For its part, China’s ongoing military modernization has been a source of much concern in the West, but here a distinction is made between nuclear and non-nuclear modernization, and emphasis is placed on how both underpin no first use. Lastly, in Chinese academic circles, discussions have expanded upon declaratory policy and introduced innovative ideas on how best to shape future strategy. These discussions represent important efforts to demystify misconceptions regarding Chinese strategy, moving beyond traditional frameworks of analysis such as minimum deterrence, towards concepts such as counter-coercion.
Away from socialism, towards Chinese characteristics: Confucianism and the futures of Chinese nationalism
Authors: Cheung Kelvin Chi-Kin
Published: June 2012

Following the success of China’s economic reform in the past few decades, Chinese nationalism has entered a new stage. The sentiment born of ‘the century of national humiliation’ is insufficient to explain the phenomenon of Chinese new nationalism. In this new era, China no longer regards the West as the benchmark against which it defines its success, but is becoming more assertive about its own values and perspectives. This emphasis on a Chinese perspective is related to the cultural shift in China’s post-socialist transition, where the source of legitimacy in China’s development has moved from an ideological dimension of socialism to a cultural dimension of ‘Chinese characteristics’. Following this transition, growing importance is being placed on an indigenous voice in many aspects of China’s development, including the recent efforts to reinvent traditional Chinese culture as a source of China’s soft power. In particular, with strong state sponsorship, Confucianism is being revived as a new nationalist discourse, which not only provides new discursive resources for continuing authoritarianism in mainland China, but also redefines governance and nation-building with respect to Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Teachers, workforce remodelling and the challenge to labour process analysis
Authors: Carter Bob , Stevenson Howard
Published: June 2012

Early attempts to examine the labour process of teaching concentrated on the processes of de-skilling and proletarianization and were largely ignored. Subsequent attempts to amend the approach have had similarly limited impact. This article examines the restructuring of teachers’ work during the last Labour government under the auspices of ‘workforce remodelling’, a policy intended ostensibly to reduce workload pressures on teachers. Rather than this outcome, the result was the further division of labour and increased intensity and control of teachers’ work through the extension of managerial hierarchies within schools. These developments, it is argued, are best captured and explained by an analysis informed by labour process theory. The account is based on the results of two years’ funded research involving extensive interviews with education officials and trade union officers at national and local authority level, and head teachers and other staff in 12 schools located in three contrasting local authorities.
Choosing sides: The genetics of why we go with the loudest
Authors: Fazekas Zoltán , Littvay Levente
Published: June 2012

Recent developments in spatial voting have moved beyond finding the most appropriate utility function and started to assess individual differences in decision strategy. The question is not if a proximity or directional worldview performs better in general, rather under what conditions do people pick one strategy over the other? We draw on psychological theories to develop a survey-based measure of individual decision strategy and take a behavior genetic route to explaining the individual differences. We argue that dispositional traits shape whether an individual develops a directional or proximity worldview of the political arena. Utilizing a classical twin design, we capitalize on the documented relationship between partisanship and a directionalist worldview. We find that, in the Minnesota Twin Political Survey, both the strength of party identification and directional voting are moderately (~20 percent) but significantly ( p < 0.05) heritable with no socialized component contributing to the variance. The covariation between the two traits is predominantly driven by common underlying genetic effects ( p < 0.01). Implications for the rational voter models are discussed in light of the findings.
Using genetic information to test causal relationships in cross-sectional data
Authors: Verhulst Brad , Estabrook Ryne
Published: June 2012

Cross-sectional data from twins contain information that can be used to derive a test of causality between traits. This test of directionality is based upon the fact that genetic relationships between family members conform to an established structural pattern. In this paper we examine several common methods for empirically testing causality as well as several genetic models that we build on for the Direction of Causation (DoC) model. We then discuss the mathematical components of the DoC model and highlight limitations of the model and potential solutions to these limitations. We conclude by presenting an example from the personality and politics literature that has begun to explore the question whether or not personality traits cause people to hold specific political attitudes.
Race, culture, and educational opportunity
Authors: Anderson Elizabeth
Published: June 2012

This article criticizes the view that, if cultural factors within the black community explain poor educational outcomes for blacks, then blacks should bear all of the disadvantages that follow from this. Educational outcomes are the joint, iterated product of schools’ responses to students’ and parents’ culturally conditioned conduct. Schools are not entitled to excessively burden such conduct even when it is less than educationally ideal. Cultural capital theory illuminates the ways schools may unjustly penalize the culturally conditioned conduct of blacks and the poor. However, it must be refined to take into account normative differences between arbitrary and educationally important forms of cultural capital. Differential impact analysis offers a useful tool for revealing when schools’ responses to students’ and parents’ conduct reflects unjust racial stigmatization and ethnocentric bias.
Education as initiation into the space of reasons
Authors: Siegel Harvey
Published: June 2012

A long tradition in the philosophy of education identifies education’s most fundamental aim and ideal as that of the fostering or cultivation of rationality. In this article I relate this tradition in philosophy of education to recent work inspired by Wilfred Sellars on ‘the space of reasons’. I first offer a very brief overview of the tradition just mentioned, after which I briefly lay out Sellars’ notion and discuss its place in the work of some of those influenced by Sellars, especially John McDowell. I next address recent work in philosophy of education that suggests that there is a tension between Sellars’ notion and the traditional educational ideal as I have developed and defended it in my own work, or that the Sellarsian view as developed by McDowell resolves outstanding difficulties with my version of the traditional view. I will argue that there is less tension than there appears to some of my critics to be and that the Sellarsian notion is in fact compatible with the traditional view as thus developed, but that it leaves out an important aspect of that view that should not be lost.
On resultant properties of atmospheric plasma sprayed yttria stabilised zirconia coating deposits: Designed experimental and characterisation analysis
Authors: Ramachandran C S , Balasubramanian V , Ananthapadmanabhan P V
Published: June 2012

In this investigation, yttria stabilised zirconia coatings were deposited by atmospheric plasma spray technique under different levels of power, primary gas flowrates, standoff distances, powder feedrates and carrier gas flowrates as prescribed by the central composite rotatable design matrix. The deposition efficiency test and the porosity test were carried out to study the melting state of the feedstock material. The tensile bond strength test, lap shear bond strength test and microhardness test methods were used to evaluate the mechanical properties of coatings. The microstructure analysis was carried out using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The phase analyses were studied by X-ray diffraction. The spray parameters were optimised using multiobjective response surface methodology to maximise deposition efficiency and mechanical properties. The obtained results revealed that the input power is the most predominant factor, which affects the coating deposit quality followed by standoff distance, primary gas flowrate, powder feedrate and carrier gas flowrate. The effects of spray conditions on the coating properties are elaborately discussed in the manuscript.
Composition of the adult digestive tract bacterial microbiome based on seven mouth surfaces, tonsils, throat and stool samples
Authors: Segata Nicola , Haake Susan Kinder , Mannon Peter , Lemon Katherine P , Waldron Levi , Gevers Dirk , Huttenhower Curtis , Izard Jacques
Published: June 2012

Background

To understand the relationship between our bacterial microbiome and health, it is essential to define the microbiome in the absence of disease. The digestive tract includes diverse habitats and hosts the human body's greatest bacterial density. We describe the bacterial community composition of ten digestive tract sites from more than 200 normal adults enrolled in the Human Microbiome Project, and metagenomically determined metabolic potentials of four representative sites.

Results

The microbiota of these diverse habitats formed four groups based on similar community compositions: buccal mucosa, keratinized gingiva, hard palate; saliva, tongue, tonsils, throat; sub- and supra-gingival plaques; and stool. Phyla initially identified from environmental samples were detected throughout this population, primarily TM7, SR1, and Synergistetes. Genera with pathogenic members were well-represented among this disease-free cohort. Tooth-associated communities were distinct, but not entirely dissimilar, from other oral surfaces. The Porphyromonadaceae, Veillonellaceae and Lachnospiraceae families were common to all sites, but the distributions of their genera varied significantly. Most metabolic processes were distributed widely throughout the digestive tract microbiota, with variations in metagenomic abundance between body habitats. These included shifts in sugar transporter types between the supragingival plaque, other oral surfaces, and stool; hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide production were also differentially distributed.

Conclusions

The microbiomes of ten digestive tract sites separated into four types based on composition. A core set of metabolic pathways was present across these diverse digestive tract habitats. These data provide a critical baseline for future studies investigating local and systemic diseases affecting human health.
Estimating traveltimes and groundwater flow patterns using 3D time-lapse crosshole ERT imaging of electrical resistivity fluctuations induced by infiltrating river water
Authors: Coscia Ilaria , Linde Niklas , Greenhalgh Stewart , Vogt Tobias , Green Alan
Published: June 2012

The infiltration of river water into aquifers is of high relevance to drinking-water production and is a key driver of biogeochemical processes in the hyporheic and riparian zone, but the distribution and quantification of the infiltrating water are difficult to determine using conventional hydrological methods (e.g., borehole logging and tracer tests). By time-lapse inverting crosshole ERT (electrical resistivity tomography) monitoring data, we imaged groundwater flow patterns driven by river water infiltrating a perialpine gravel aquifer in northeastern Switzerland. This was possible because the electrical resistivity of the infiltrating water changed during rainfall-runoff events. Our time-lapse resistivity models indicated rather complex flow patterns as a result of spatially heterogeneous bank filtration and aquifer heterogeneity. The upper part of the aquifer was most affected by the river infiltrate, and the highest groundwater velocities and possible preferential flow occurred at shallow to intermediate depths. Time series of the reconstructed resistivity models matched groundwater electrical resistivity data recorded on borehole loggers in the upper and middle parts of the aquifer, whereas the resistivity models displayed smaller variations and delayed responses with respect to the logging data in the lower part. This study demonstrated that crosshole ERT monitoring of natural electrical resistivity variations of river infiltrate could be used to image and quantify 3D bank filtration and aquifer dynamics at a high spatial resolution.
Determination of dip and anisotropy from transient triaxial induction measurements
Authors: Hagiwara Teruhiko
Published: June 2012

The dip and anisotropy of an anisotropic formation were algebraically determined from the transient triaxial induction data without inversion. The time-dependent apparent dip and the apparent anisotropy, algebraically defined from the triaxial transient induction measurements, were applied in a two-layer formation. The apparent dip yielded the true dip in an anisotropic formation, as well as in layered formations, though it yielded the zero dip in an isotropic formation. At early time the apparent anisotropy yielded the true anisotropy of the layer on which the induction tool was located, and at later time the macroscopic anisotropy for a larger volume of investigation. The distance to the layer interface was identified by the transition time when the apparent dip and the apparent anisotropy change the values.
Optimierungsansätze für die Bioverfahrenstechnik
Authors: Tolle Henning , Bettenhausen Kurt Dirk , Gehlen Stefan , Marenbach Peter
Published: June 2012

Zwei rechnergestützte Verfahren für die biotechnologische Prozessführung werden vorgestellt und diskutiert: Ein Off-line-Verfahren zur Unterstützung der Modellbildung und ein On-line-Verfahren zur schrittweisen Optimierung der Produktausbeute.
Prolonged treatment with vitamin D in postmenopausal women with primary hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Rao Ranganathan R , Randeva Harpal S , Sankaranarayanan Sailesh , Narashima Murthy , Möhlig Matthias , Mehanna Hisham , Weickert Martin O
Published: June 2012

Introduction/background

Vitamin D deficiency further increases circulating parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT), with potential detrimental effects on bone mass.

Methods

This was an observational clinical study in consecutive conservatively treated postmenopausal women (n=40) with pHPT and coexistent 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency (25OHD ≤50 nmol/l (≤20 ng/ml)). Patients who showed an increase in serum 25OHD above the threshold of vitamin D deficiency (>50 nmol/l; n=28) using treatment with various commonly prescribed vitamin D preparations were, for the purposes of statistical analyses, allocated to the treatment group. Patients who were retrospectively identified as having received no treatment with vitamin D and/or remained vitamin D deficient were considered as non-responders/controls (n=12). Adjusted calcium (adjCa), PTH and 25OHD concentrations were monitored in all subjects up to 54 months (mean observation period of 18±2 months).

Results

Prolonged increased vitamin D intake, regardless of the source (serum 25OHD, increase from 32.2±1.7 nmol/l at baseline to 136.4±11.6 nmol/l, P<0.0001), significantly reduced serum PTH (13.3±1.1 vs 10.5±1.0 pmol/l, P=0.0001), with no adverse effects on adjCa levels (2.60±0.03 vs 2.60±0.02 mmol/l, P=0.77) and renal function tests (P>0.73). In contrast, serum PTH remained unchanged (15.8±2.6 vs 16.3±1.9 pmol/l, P=0.64) in patients who remained vitamin D deficient, with a significant difference between groups in changes of PTH (P=0.0003). Intrapartial correlation analyses showed an independent negative correlation of changes in 25OHD with PTH levels (ric=−0.41, P=0.014).

Conclusions

Prolonged treatment with vitamin D in various commonly prescribed preparations appeared to be safe and significantly reduced PTH levels by 21%.
Diagnosis and mechanisms of cardiac involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis
Authors: Pintér Tünde , Komócsi András
Published: June 2012

Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by fibrosis and vascular abnormalities of skin and internal organs. Cardiac involvement includes coronary artery disease (CAD), pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) related right ventricular changes and microvascular disease (MVD). Aims: To characterize the distribution of cardiac alterations and to investigate the mechanisms of the microvascular impairment of SSc patients. Methods: Based on non-invasive investigations, patients were selected for right heart catheterization and intracoronary pressure-wire supplemented coronary angiography. Results: 17 SSc patients (selected from 120 cases) and 17 controls were enrolled. In the “suspected PAH” and the “suspected CAD” groups, PAH was found in 12/20 and 2/10 cases, and coronary artery stenosis in 9/20 and 6/10 cases, respectively. Patients with decreased coronary flow reserve (CFR) had accelerated flow velocity (p<0.05), but myocardial resistance index (IMR) in hyperemia did not differ from patients with normal CFR or from the controls (p=0.292 and p=0.308). The coronary flow velocity of SSc patients correlated to the IMR at baseline (r=0.56, p=0.019). Conclusions: PAH, CAD and MVD show an overlap in symptomatic SSc. The maintained vasodilatation response indicates the paucity of irreversible functional damage of the coronary arterioles. The reduced CFR, the decreased basal IMR and higher velocity pinpoint to possible compensatory vasodilatory mechanisms.
Fragmentation alters stream fish community structure in dendritic ecological networks
Authors: Perkin Joshuah S. , Gido Keith B.
Published: June 2012

Effects of fragmentation on the ecology of organisms occupying dendritic ecological networks (DENs) have recently been described through both conceptual and mathematical models, but few hypotheses have been tested in complex, real‐world ecosystems. Stream fishes provide a model system for assessing effects of fragmentation on the structure of communities occurring within DENs, including how fragmentation alters metacommunity dynamics and biodiversity. A recently developed habitat‐availability measure, the “dendritic connectivity index” (DCI), allows for assigning quantitative measures of connectivity in DENs regardless of network extent or complexity, and might be used to predict fish community response to fragmentation. We characterized stream fish community structure in 12 DENs in the Great Plains, USA, during periods of dynamic (summer) and muted (fall) discharge regimes to test the DCI as a predictive model of fish community response to fragmentation imposed by road crossings. Results indicated that fish communities in stream segments isolated by road crossings had reduced species richness (alpha diversity) relative to communities that maintained connectivity with the surrounding DEN during summer and fall. Furthermore, isolated communities had greater dissimilarity (beta diversity) to downstream sites not isolated by road crossings during summer and fall. Finally, dissimilarity among communities within DENs decreased as a function of increased habitat connectivity (measured using the DCI) for summer and fall, suggesting that communities within highly connected DENs tend to be more homogeneous. Our results indicate that the DCI is sensitive to community effects of fragmentation in riverscapes and might be used by managers to predict ecological responses to changes in habitat connectivity. Moreover, our findings illustrate that relating structural connectivity of riverscapes to functional connectivity among communities might aid in maintaining metacommunity dynamics and biodiversity in complex dendritic ecosystems.
A Phenomenological Study of Occupational Engagement in Recovery from Mental Illness
Authors: Sutton Daniel J. , Hocking Clare S. , Smythe Liz A.
Published: June 2012

Background. Recovery from mental illness has been described as a process involving personal growth and a search for meaning. Occupation is a primary medium for human development as well as the creation of life meaning, suggesting the exploration of recovery from an occupational perspective is warranted.

Purpose. To explore the experience and meaning of occupation for 13 people who self-identified as being in recovery from mental illness.

Methods. Recovery narratives were collected from participants in conversational interviews that were recorded and transcribed. The transcripts were analysed using hermeneutic phenomenology.

Findings. A range of experiences were evident in the recovery narratives, from complete disengagement to full engagement in occupations. Insights into the experience and meaning of different states of occupation were revealed.

Implications. All forms of occupational engagement, including disengagement, can be meaningful in the recovery process. Increased understanding of different modes of occupational engagement will assist therapists to support recovery more effectively.
A Critical Reflection on the Concept of Cultural Safety
Authors: Gerlach Alison J.
Published: June 2012

Background. Cultural safety broadens and transforms the discourse on culture and health inequities as experienced by diverse populations.

Purpose. To critically analyze cultural safety in terms of its clarity, simplicity, generality, accessibility, and importance.

Key Issues. Whilst the clarity and generality of cultural safety remain contentious, there is emerging evidence of its capacity to promote a more critical discourse on culture, health, and health care inequities and how they are shaped by historical, political, and socioeconomic circumstances.

Implications. Cultural safety promotes a more critical and inclusive perspective of culture. As an analytical lens in occupational therapy practice and research, it has the potential to reveal and generate broader understandings of occupation and health from individuals or groups in society who are traditionally silenced or marginalized. In relation to Aboriginal peoples, it clearly situates health and health inequities within the context of their colonial, socioeconomic, and political past and present.
Curriculum Evaluation: Linking Curriculum Objectives to Essential Competencies
Authors: Merritt Brenda K. , Blake Andrea I. , McIntyre Alison H. , Packer Tanya L.
Published: June 2012

Background. The essential competencies of occupational therapy practice are agreed upon and documented (ACOTRO, 2003), yet they have not been used to evaluate educational programs.

Purpose. To evaluate the match between the planned curriculum and the nationally recognized competencies that define safe, effective, and ethical practice.

Methods. Utilizing a comparative and systematic approach, course learning objectives in the approved curriculum map were matched to the ACOTRO (2003) competencies.

Findings. A total of 218 links were made between the 179 learning objectives and the 30 essential competencies. There were no links to three competencies. Learning objectives were not equally represented across the ACOTRO units; initial analyses indicate the distribution is likely appropriate.

Implications. This novel evaluative process allowed critical appraisal and subsequent minor revision of Dalhousie curriculum. The appropriate, relative weighting of curriculum content is unknown and is a professional issue for discussion by regulators, educators, and the profession at large.
Use of Effective Contraceptive Methods by Married Turkish Women: A Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis
Authors: Colak Ertugrul , Orsal Ozlem , Orsal Ozgul , Giray Sevgi
Published: June 2012

We used an attitude scale to predict the use of effective contraceptive methods by Turkish women and to determine the appropriate attitude scale cut-off score that would best predict contraceptive use. Participants were 590 married Turkish women who completed a questionnaire developed
by the authors and a family planning attitude scale developed by Orsal and Kubilay (2007). We found that the total attitude score could be a diagnostic measure to predict the use of effective contraceptive methods, with a novel cut-off score of 119. If the total score gained on the scale is
over 119, the woman will be receptive to information about family planning and use of effective contraceptive methods.
The Impact of Cognitive Flexibility on Resistance to Organizational Change
Authors: Chung Shao-Hsi , Su Ying-Fang , Su Shao-Wen
Published: June 2012

We investigated the relationship between 3 cognitive personality traits of employees, that is, cognitive flexibility, insight, and self-reflection, and the relationship between 3 variables of resistance, that is, affective resistance, cognitive resistance, and behavioral resistance,
to organizational change. The question of how cognitive flexibility was related to each of these variables of resistance to organizational change was then examined. The sample comprised 419 employees from large-scale manufacturers in Taiwan, who had previously experienced organizational change.
Our findings indicated that insight and self-reflection were antecedent variables of cognitive flexibility. Of the 3 variables, resistance to organizational change, affective resistance, and cognitive resistance were positively related to behavioral resistance, and affective resistance was
positively related to cognitive resistance. Conversely, cognitive flexibility was negatively related to all the variables of resistance. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed, and suggestions for future research proposed.
How Cooperativeness and Competitiveness Influence Student Burnout: The Moderating Effect of Neuroticism
Authors: Jiang Wanbo , Huang Yunhui , Chen Gong
Published: June 2012

We examined how being cooperative and competitive influence student burnout (i. e., students' exhaustion, cynicism, and diminished professional efficacy) and the moderating role of neuroticism. First- and second-year university students (N = 257) completed the measures of cooperativeness,
competitiveness, neuroticism, and student burnout. Results show that cooperativeness had a negative correlation with each of the dimensions of burnout. Competitiveness did not have a negative correlation. For an individual with high neuroticism, cooperativeness did not contribute to professional
efficacy but competitiveness tended to counteract any diminishing professional efficacy.
Home Country Tax System Characteristics and Corporate Tax Avoidance: International Evidence
Authors: Atwood T. J. , Drake Michael S. , Myers James N. , Myers Linda A.
Published: June 2012

We examine whether three tax system characteristics—required book-tax conformity, worldwide versus territorial approach, and perceived strength of enforcement—impact corporate tax avoidance across countries after controlling for firm-specific factors previously shown to be associated with tax avoidance (i.e., performance, size, operating costs, leverage, growth, the presence of multinational operations, and industry) and for other cross-country factors (i.e., statutory corporate tax rates, earnings volatility, and institutional factors). We find that, on average, firms avoid taxes less when required book-tax conformity is higher, a worldwide approach is used, and tax enforcement is perceived to be stronger. However, the relations between tax avoidance and all three tax systems characteristics are contextual and depend on the extent to which management compensation comes from variable pay, including bonuses, stock awards, and stock options.

Data Availability: Data are available from sources identified in the text.
The Impact of Mandatory IFRS Adoption on Audit Fees: Theory and Evidence
Authors: Kim Jeong-Bon , Liu Xiaohong , Zheng Liu
Published: June 2012

This study examines the impact of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption on audit fees. We first build an analytical audit fee model to analyze the impact on audit fees for the change in both audit complexity and financial reporting quality brought about by IFRS adoption. We then test the model's predictions using audit fee data from European Union countries that mandated IFRS adoption in 2005. We find that mandatory IFRS adoption has led to an increase in audit fees. We also find that the IFRS-related audit fee premium increases with the increase in audit complexity brought about by IFRS adoption, and decreases with the improvement in financial reporting quality arising from IFRS adoption. Finally, we find some evidence that the IFRS-related audit fee premium is lower in countries with stronger legal regimes. Our results are robust to a variety of sensitivity checks.

Data availability: Data are available from public sources identified in the paper.
The probabilistic solution of stochastic oscillators with even nonlinearity under poisson excitation
Authors: Guo Siu-Siu , Er Guo-Kang
Published: June 2012

The probabilistic solutions of nonlinear stochastic oscillators with even nonlinearity driven by Poisson white noise are investigated in this paper. The stationary probability density function (PDF) of the oscillator responses governed by the reduced Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equation is obtained with exponentialpolynomial closure (EPC) method. Different types of nonlinear oscillators are considered. Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to examine the effectiveness and accuracy of the EPC method in this case. It is found that the PDF solutions obtained with EPC agree well with those obtained with Monte Carlo simulation, especially in the tail regions of the PDFs of oscillator responses. Numerical analysis shows that the mean of displacement is nonzero and the PDF of displacement is nonsymmetric about its mean when there is even nonlinearity in displacement in the oscillator. Numerical analysis further shows that the mean of velocity always equals zero and the PDF of velocity is symmetrically distributed about its mean.