bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Outcomes of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Pregnant and Birthing Women: Current Trends and Future Directions
Authors: Steel Amie , Adams Jon , Sibbritt David , Broom Alex
Published: June 2015

Complementary and alternative medicine is used by a substantial number of pregnant women and maternity care providers are often faced with the task of ensuring women are using safe and effective treatments while respecting a woman's right to autonomous decision-making. In the era of evidence-based medicine maternity health professionals are expected to draw upon the best available evidence when making clinical decisions and providing health advice. This review will outline the current trends in research evidence associated with the outcomes of complementary and alternative medicine use amongst pregnant and birthing women as well as highlight some potential directions for future development in this important yet largely unknown topic in contemporary maternity care.
Reducing Women's Cardiovascular Disease Risk Profile
Authors: Kurth Jacqueline , Malik Shaista
Published: June 2015

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. Unique risk factors have been recognized, including pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and autoimmune diseases. Diabetes and hypertension (HTN) also play a unique role in women. Women with diabetes have a higher risk for coronary heart disease and microvascular disease compared with males. Additionally, older women have a high prevalence of uncontrolled HTN and women tend to have more treatment resistant HTN, increasing risk for cardiovascular events and mortality. The outcomes of cardiovascular disease have shown an increase in the number of heart attacks in younger women, though there is decreasing mortality. Treatment with coronary artery bypass graft surgery and percutaneous intervention has also shown to have poorer outcomes in women.
Lapatinib: An Oral Dual Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor for HER-2-Positive Breast Cancer
Authors: Sardesai Sagar D , Storniolo Anna Maria
Published: June 2015

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the USA. A quarter of all newly diagnosed cases are characterized by overexpression of HER-2 which is associated with poor prognosis. In March 2007, lapatinib, an oral dual-tyrosine kinase inhibitor was approved in combination with capecitabine for metastatic HER-2-positive breast cancer that has progressed on prior trastuzumab therapy, and in combination with letrozole for postmenopausal women with HER-2 and hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer. In the future, lapatinib may play an important role in dual HER-2 blockade with trastuzumab and other targeted agents for women with HER-2-overexpressing breast cancer.
Sarah Sophia Banks’s Private Theatricals: Ephemera, Sociability, and the Archiving of Fashionable Life
Authors: Russell Gillian
Published: June 2015

Collections of printed theatre-related ephemera—playbills, newspaper cuttings, tickets, and engravings—constitute a major source of information about the Georgian theatre. This article considers the importance of one such collection, held in the British Library and recently digitized, that documents the fashion for private theatricals in Britain and its empire during the Georgian period. The collector of this archive was Sarah Sophia Banks (1744–1818), whose role in its making has been occluded. I explore Banks’s archiving of private theatricals in the context of her documentation of fashionable sociability as a whole. Banks’s archive reveals the imbrication of theatre, sociability, public and private spaces, and print media in the Georgian period.
Comedy, Too Fatal Emblem: Anne Damer and Occult Theatricality
Authors: Tuite Clara
Published: June 2015

Sculptor, actress in private theatricals, novelist, executrix of her godfather Horace Walpole, and legatee of Strawberry Hill, Anne Seymour Damer (1749–1828) was also vilified in libellous pamphlet satires as a Whig and a Sapphist. My article explores Damer’s figuration of comedy as a fatal emblem of her life, a life interpellated by the violent comedy of satirical abuse. Tracing the intricate multimedia landscape that hosts Damer as a figure of sexual scandal from the 1770s to the early 1800s, this essay examines the inter penetration of theatricality, publicity, and fictionality that marks Damer’s life and career, as well as her extravagantly reparative capacity, as a skilful manipulator of artifice, for pleasure and diversion. My analysis of intermedial relations between theatre and print focuses on genres with a key—à clef—and the occulting, emblematizing, and deflection that is theatricality’s prerogative across a range of print, performance, and visual forms.
Typological Impulses inSamson Agonistes
Authors: Kendrick Christopher
Published: June 2015

The article argues, through a comparison of Milton's play with Vondel's Holy Revenge and in canvassing and organizing some of the more consequent recent readings of Samson Agonistes, that two of Milton's narrative choices make for an especially reflexive typological play: (1) his rendition of Samson as a non-governing judge, a judge who leads his people not by organizing them but by acts of exemplary individual violence against the enemy; and (2) his historicist focalization of the tragic action – that is, his historicization of the Chorus along with the protagonists. This results in the synchronic inflection of the typological opposition between old and new dispensations, issuing in a narrative analysis of religious-social over-determination rather than simple succession. I then argue, in a close analysis of the pattern of inspirations or intimate impulses in the play, that Milton's tragic plot tracks continuing Christian universalization and privatization and attributes this ongoing reform to the revolution.
Modeling Driver Behavior by Using the Speed Environment for Two-Lane Rural Roads
Authors: Dell'Acqua Gianluca
Published: June 2015

Roadway safety involves the three components of the roadway system: the people, the vehicle, and the roadway. When the design corresponds to what the driver hopes to find, the road is consistent; the most widely used methods to evaluate design consistency are based on analysis of the operating speed profile. When the roadway alignment does not violate driver expectations, the possibility of drivers making errors is reduced. The aim of this experimental study is to obtain widely valid formulas during the design phase to predict the speeds that will actually be found on rural roads. Studies have shown that the dominant influences on curve speed are local curvature and the speed environment pertaining to the road section. The environment speed is a driver's preferred speed of travel within a road section with relatively homogeneous alignment. For the purposes of this study, this speed was taken as the 85th percentile speed measured on a tangent or on the curve with the highest radius in a homogeneous road section.
Implementation of Wyoming Rural Road Safety Program
Authors: Ksaibati Khaled , Evans Bart , Shinstine Debbie S.
Published: June 2015

Recent transportation legislation contains language indicating that state departments of transportation (DOTs) will be required to address safety on local and rural roads. It is important for state, county, and city officials to cooperate in developing a comprehensive plan to improve roadway safety. This legislation provides an opportunity to implement a more cohesive and comprehensive approach to local road safety in Wyoming. The Wyoming Technology Transfer Center–Local Technical Assistance Program coordinated an effort in cooperation with the Wyoming DOT, the Wyoming Division of FHWA, as well as Wyoming counties and cities to identify low-cost safety improvements on high-risk rural roads in the state. In the past few years, low-cost safety projects were implemented in several Wyoming counties. These projects included pavement markings, advance warning signs, guardrails, and shoulder widening. The Wyoming DOT approved the Wyoming Rural Road Safety Program (WRRSP) and recommended statewide implementation in 2008. In addition, the Wyoming DOT and the FHWA division office approved the WRRSP for eligibility to receive funding from the High Risk Rural Road Program. Implementation of the WRRSP has resulted in better cooperation between local governments, the Wyoming DOT, and FHWA to address safety on rural roadways in Wyoming. Before the WRRSP was approved, no counties in Wyoming were applying for safety funding. Now more than half of the counties have received road safety improvement money. The WRRSP has developed a step-by-step procedure to receive funding and expertise in roadway safety. The Wind River Indian Reservation has implemented a similar program, which has led to the funding of low-cost safety improvements on the Indian reservation road network.
Decision Tree–Based Method for Safety Treatment Selection at Intersections Involving Shared-Use Low-Volume Roads
Authors: Li Zhixia , Ash John E. , Khan Ghazan , Bill Andrea R. , Noyce David A. , Austin Lisa
Published: June 2015

Users of nonmotorized transportation often travel along low-volume roads in rural, recreational settings. These users thus share the low-volume road with vehicular traffic. In such cases, safety issues pertaining to these users, particularly bicyclists, usually arise at crossings where the shared-use low-volume road intersects with another roadway. Shared-use low-volume roads demonstrate operational characteristics similar to those of trails, so many available safety treatments for trail–roadway crossings can be borrowed to apply to intersections involving a shared-use low-volume road. This study focused on developing a systematic treatment selection mechanism to address the safety of users of nonmotorized transportation at such intersections. This mechanism first synthesized the best practices of safety treatments for trail crossings and selected appropriate treatments to include in a pool of treatments that can also be applied to intersections involving shared-use low-volume roads. Second, a decision tree–based treatment selection method was developed to facilitate traffic engineers' selection of suitable treatments from the treatment pool. Each end node of the tree leads to a customized treatment toolbox that contains only those treatments suitable for the specific volume, speed, and lane settings of the study intersection. The decision tree–based method simplifies the treatment selection process and in turn helps professionals substantially save time and increase reliability in their selection of safety treatments for a given intersection involving a shared-use low-volume road. A case study is introduced to demonstrate the benefit of using the decision tree for proposed safety treatments at an intersection involving a shared-use low-volume road.
Physics Models for Vehicle Crush during Frontal Fixed-Barrier Impacts
Authors: Ochoa Carl M. , Ochoa Tania A.
Published: June 2015

New conceptual and mathematical (C&M) models are introduced for vehicle frontal longitudinal crush during head-on impacts with fixed rigid concrete barriers and walls to sort out a range of crash test variables. This initial step is a prerequisite for developing C&M models for vehicle crush that results during angular impacts with rigid barriers along low-volume roads and on the National Highway System. Hierarchical decomposition provides a framework for systematic use of such models to examine local failure modes and deformation mechanisms. The standard constant acceleration equations of motion and the characteristic average response of vehicle crush force provide an effective basis for analysis. This paper introduces a new method for defining start and stop times derived from crash test data for crush on the basis of the structural rather than the cosmetic portion of total vehicle crush. The model enables self-consistent calculations for a range of quantities of interest (QOI) for analyzing standard crash tests within roadside safety and vehicle crash safety. Even though portions of the baseline mathematical model may be applied regardless of the constitutive model of crush deformation used, a perfectly plastic constitutive model is selected for quantifying the QOI of existing crash test data to demonstrate the model's capabilities. Examples of the model's self-consistency and trend analysis are provided. The paper demonstrates that the baseline model reasonably predicts vehicle motion and QOI in relation to vehicle velocity at frontal impact and depth of structural crush over a wide range of vehicles and velocities. A theoretical basis is recommended for extending the model to include analysis of angular impacts.
The Invention of the Idiom: The Event of the Untranslatable
Authors: Crépon Marc
Published: June 2015

This article considers the notion of an event, of something happening to language, through a reading of Jacques Derrida's Monolingualism of the Other. In particular, the issues of language, translation and the untranslatable are linked to the three forms of madness that Derrida distinguishes. The paper, in turn, contends that there are only target languages, or again, that all languages are in fact target languages, languages-to-come, and that this experience (épreuve) of language is the only test worthy of the untranslatable. The madness of language is thus associated with the singularity of not only every language and every speaker, but also with the non-programmable character of language. The literature of Kafka and Celan, among others, is henceforth invoked as exemplary, and examined as both an intra-lingual and inter-lingual event. The overall aim is to disrupt the Globish of global communication and the nationalism of linguistic proprietorship.
A Vocabulary and Its Vicissitudes: Notes towards a Memoir
Authors: Mehlman Jeffrey
Published: June 2015

A series of reflections on Laplanche and Pontalis's Vocabulaire de la psychanalyse, one of the precursor volumes of the Dictionary of Untranslatables, and specifically on Laplanche's effort to glean the most important lessons to be culled from that speculative volume on the translation of German into French. Laplanche, in Vie et mort en psychanalyse, posits that, until one gauges the significance of the chiasmus structuring the evolution of Freud's metapsychology, the sense of Freud's discovery will not have been grasped. In this essay, the translator of Vie et mort uncovers the chiasmus that structures the evolution of Laplanche's own thought and reflects on the role which that figure has played in his own career as a critic.
Guattari, Transversality and the Experimental Semiotics of Untranslatability
Authors: Goffey Andrew
Published: June 2015

Following the thread provided by his lifetime of engagement with psychosis, this article considers a number of aspects of the writings of Félix Guattari in relation to the problem of untranslatability. Contrasting Guattari's approach with the structuralist diagnostic conceptualization of psychosis in terms of foreclosure, it follows the early development of his concept of transversality and the critique of linguistics that it leads to. Turning then to a consideration of the specific privilege Guattari accords psychosis, it addresses his constructive experimenting with theory as a way to rethink enunciation in terms of a semiotic ‘energetics’ that permits an effective problematization of the theoretical and practical privileges of the ‘normal’ structures of language within analysis. Finally, Guattari's approach to the challenge psychosis poses to the limits of language is contrasted to Cassin's conception of logology in its relation to untranslatables.
Bodin on Sovereignty: Taking Exception to Translation?
Authors: Keohane Oisín
Published: June 2015

This article analyses the definition of sovereignty that Bodin provides in his 1576 Six livres de la république, which outlines sovereignty using French, Greek, Latin, Italian and Hebrew terms. It argues that, despite this attention to more than one language, Bodin wishes to present sovereignty as an unbound ideality beyond any and every language. Nevertheless, it is argued that Bodin in fact privileges the French souveraineté as that which sets up the analogical continuity between Greek, Latin, Italian and Hebrew. Accordingly, the article tracks the importance of French for Bodin in the wake of the 1539 Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, as well Bodin's claim that one of the ‘true marks of sovereignty’ is the power of the sovereign to change the language of his subjects. It ends by suggesting that the status of the exception in translation is not a species of sovereign exception, as Jean-Luc Nancy proposes, but a matter of linguistic justice.
Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity and Durability of Pt Catalysts Supported on Titanium Carbide
Authors: Chiwata Morio , Kakinuma Katsuyoshi , Wakisaka Mitsuru , Uchida Makoto , Deki Shigehito , Watanabe Masahiro , Uchida Hiroyuki
Published: June 2015

We have prepared Pt nanoparticles supported on titanium carbide (TiC) (Pt/TiC) as an alternative cathode catalyst with high durability at high potentials for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. The Pt/TiC catalysts with and without heat treatment were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Hemispherical Pt nanocrystals were found to be dispersed uniformly on the TiC support after heat treatment at 600 °C in 1% H2/N2 (Pt/TiC-600 °C). The electrochemical properties (cyclic voltammetry, electrochemically active area (ECA), and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity) of Pt/TiC-600 °C and a commercial Pt/carbon black (c-Pt/CB) were evaluated by the rotating disk electrode (RDE) technique in 0.1 M HClO4 solution at 25 °C. It was found that the kinetically controlled mass activity for the ORR on Pt/TiC-600 °C at 0.85 V (507 A g−1) was comparable to that of c-Pt/CB (527 A g−1). Moreover, the durability of Pt/TiC-600 °C examined by a standard potential step protocol (E = 0.9 V↔1.3 V vs. RHE, holding 30 s at each E) was much higher than that for c-Pt/CB.
Unintended Consequences of not Specifying Exclusionary Illnesses for Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease
Authors: Jason Leonard , Sunnquist Madison , Kot Bobby , Brown Abigail
Published: June 2015

The Institute of Medicine recently proposed a new case definition for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), as well as a new name, Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease (SEID). Contrary to the Fukuda et al.’s CFS case definition, there are few exclusionary illnesses specified for this new SEID case definition. The current study explored this decision regarding exclusionary illnesses using the SEID criteria with four distinct data sets involving patients who had been identified as having CFS, as well as healthy controls, community controls, and other illness groups. The findings indicate that many individuals from major depressive disorder illness groups as well as other medical illnesses were categorized as having SEID. The past CFS Fukuda et al. prevalence rate in a community based sample of 0.42 increased by 2.8 times with the new SEID criteria. The consequences for this broadening of the case definition are discussed.
Finite Time Analysis of a Tri-Generation Cycle
Authors: Agnew Brian , Walker Sara , Ng Bobo , Tam Ivan
Published: June 2015

A review of the literature indicates that current tri-generation cycles show low thermal performance, even when optimised for maximum useful output. This paper presents a Finite Time analysis of a tri-generation cycle that is based upon coupled power and refrigeration Carnot cycles. The analysis applies equally well to Stirling cycles or any cycle that exhibits isothermal heat transfer with the environment and is internally reversible. It is shown that it is possible to obtain a significantly higher energy utilisation factor with this type of cycle by considering the energy transferred during the isothermal compression and expansion processes as useful products thus making the energy utilisation larger than the enthalpy drop of the working fluid of the power cycle. The cycle is shown to have the highest energy utilisation factor when energy is supplied from a low temperature heat source and in this case the output is biased towards heating and cooling.
Genetics of Type 2 Diabetes and Clinical Utility
Authors: Dorajoo Rajkumar , Liu Jianjun , Boehm Bernhard
Published: June 2015

A large proportion of heritability of type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been attributed to inherent genetics. Recent genetic studies, especially genome-wide association studies (GWAS), have identified a multitude of variants associated with T2D. It is thus reasonable to question if these findings may be utilized in a clinical setting. Here we briefly review the identification of risk loci for T2D and discuss recent efforts and propose future work to utilize these loci in clinical setting—for the identification of individuals who are at particularly high risks of developing T2D and for the stratification of specific health-care approaches for those who would benefit most from such interventions.
Hedgehog Signaling during Appendage Development and Regeneration
Authors: Singh Bhairab , Koyano-Nakagawa Naoko , Donaldson Andrew , Weaver Cyprian , Garry Mary , Garry Daniel
Published: June 2015

Regulatory networks that govern embryonic development have been well defined. While a common hypothesis supports the notion that the embryonic regulatory cascades are reexpressed following injury and tissue regeneration, the mechanistic regulatory pathways that mediate the regenerative response in higher organisms remain undefined. Relative to mammals, lower vertebrates, including zebrafish and newts, have a tremendous regenerative capacity to repair and regenerate a number of organs including: appendages, retina, heart, jaw and nervous system. Elucidation of the pathways that govern regeneration in these lower organisms may provide cues that will enhance the capacity for the regeneration of mammalian organs. Signaling pathways, such as the hedgehog pathway, have been shown to play critical functions during development and during regeneration in lower organisms. These signaling pathways have been shown to modulate multiple processes including cellular origin, positional identity and cellular maturation. The present review will focus on the cellular and molecular regulation of the hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway and its interaction with other signaling factors during appendage development and regeneration.
Decolonizing Trauma Theory: Retrospect and Prospects
Authors: Visser Irene
Published: June 2015

Decolonizing trauma theory has been a major project in postcolonial literary scholarship ever since its first sustained engagements with trauma theory. Since then, trauma theory and postcolonial literary studies have been uneasy bedfellows, and the time has now come to take stock of what remains in postcolonial trauma studies from the original formulations of trauma theory, and see which further steps must be envisaged in order to reach the ideal of a truly decolonized trauma theory today. To this end, this article presents a detailed overview of the short history and the present situation of the trajectory of decolonizing trauma theory for postcolonial studies, clarifying the various re-routings that have so far taken place, and delineating the present state of the project, as well as the need for further developments towards an increased expansion and inclusiveness of the theory. I argue that openness to non-Western belief systems and their rituals and ceremonies in the engagement with trauma is needed in order to achieve the remaining major objectives of the long-standing project of decolonizing trauma theory.
Benthic Nutrient Fluxes from Mangrove Sediments of an Anthropogenically Impacted Estuary in Southern China
Authors: Kaiser David , Kowalski Nicole , Böttcher Michael , Yan Bing , Unger Daniela
Published: June 2015

Mangroves serve as either sinks or sources for inorganic and organic nutrients and can mitigate anthropogenic nutrient pollution, control the production in adjacent systems, and prevent eutrophication. To better understand the nutrient dynamics in a subtropical mangrove, we employed a three-way approach in the Nanliu River Estuary, southern China: Pore water profiles and sediment incubations revealed benthic early diagenesis as well as sediment–water exchange of dissolved nutrients and oxygen, while tidal sampling of estuarine and mangrove water identified source and sink functions of the entire mangrove forest. Fluxes of oxygen during incubations were always directed into the sediment, indicating heterotrophy of the system. There was a net uptake of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, mainly caused by nitrate influx, while ammonium and nitrite showed variable flux direction. Despite high pore water concentrations, phosphate and silica showed net uptake. Fluxes of dissolved organic carbon were generally low except for high efflux in the dark following a storm event. Due to the combination of small forest area and strong anthropogenic nutrient input, the net sink function for dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus provides no significant buffer against the eutrophication of coastal waters.
Correction: Long-Term Soft Denture Lining Materials. Materials 2014, 7(8), 5816-5842
Authors: Chladek Grzegorz , Żmudzki Jarosław , Kasperski Jacek
Published: June 2015

In the published manuscript “Long-Term Soft Denture Lining Materials. Materials 2014, 7(8), 5816-5842” [1] we detected that in three places reference numbers were inserted incorrectly due to an error in the editing. [...]
Drug Trafficking into Macrophages via the Endocytotic Receptor CD163
Authors: Graversen Jonas , Moestrup Søren
Published: June 2015

In inflammatory diseases, macrophages are a main producer of a range of cytokines regulating the inflammatory state. This also includes inflammation induced by tumor growth, which recruits so-called tumor-associated macrophages supporting tumor growth. Macrophages are therefore relevant targets for cytotoxic or phenotype-modulating drugs in the treatment of inflammatory and cancerous diseases. Such targeting of macrophages has been tried using the natural propensity of macrophages to non-specifically phagocytose circulating foreign particulate material. In addition, the specific targeting of macrophage-expressed receptors has been used in order to obtain a selective uptake in macrophages and reduce adverse effects of off-target delivery of drugs. CD163 is a highly expressed macrophage-specific endocytic receptor that has been studied for intracellular delivery of small molecule drugs to macrophages using targeted liposomes or antibody drug conjugates. This review will focus on the biology of CD163 and its potential role as a target for selective macrophage targeting compared with other macrophage targeting approaches.
Notes on the Potential for the Concentration of Rare Earth Elements and Yttrium in Coal Combustion Fly Ash
Authors: Hower James , Groppo John , Henke Kevin , Hood Madison , Eble Cortland , Honaker Rick , Zhang Wencai , Qian Dali
Published: June 2015

Certain Central Appalachian coals, most notably the Fire Clay coal with a REY-enriched volcanic ash fall tonstein, are known to be enriched in rare earth elements. The Fire Clay tonstein has a greater contribution to the total coal + parting REY than would be inferred from its thickness, accounting for about 20%–35% of the REY in the coal + parting sequence. Underground mining, in particular, might include roof and floor rock and the within-seam partings in the mined product. Beneficiation, necessary to meet utility specifications, will remove some of the REY from the delivered product. In at least one previously published example, even though the tonstein was not present in the Fire Clay coal, the coal was enriched in REY. In this case, as well as mines that ship run-of-mine products to the utility, the shipped REY content should be virtually the same as for the mined coal. At the power plant, however, the delivered coal will be pulverized, generally accompanied by the elimination of some of the harder rock, before it is fired into the boiler. Overall, there are a wide range of variables between the geologic sample at the mine and the power plant, any or all of which could impact the concentration of REY or other critical materials in the coal combustion products.
Protective Effects of Korean Red Ginseng against Alcohol-Induced Fatty Liver in Rats
Authors: Lee Hyo , Ok Hyang , Kwon Oran
Published: June 2015

The present study tested the hypothesis that Korean red ginseng (KRG) provides a protective effect against alcoholic fatty liver. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups and fed a modified Lieber-DeCarli diet containing 5% (w/v) alcohol or an isocaloric amount of dextrin-maltose for the controls for 6 weeks: normal control (CON), alcohol control (ET), and ET treated with 125 or 250 mg/kg body weight/day of KRG (RGL or RGH, respectively). Compared with the CON group, the ET group exhibited a significant increase in triglycerides, total cholesterol and the presence of lipid droplets in the liver, and a decrease in fat mass, which were all attenuated by KRG supplementation in adose-dependent manner. The mitigation was accompanied by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathways in the liver and adipose tissue. In addition, suppression in the alcohol-induced changes of adipose adipokine mRNA expression was also observed in KRG supplementation group. These findings suggest that KRG may have the potential to ameliorate alcoholic fatty liver by suppressing inappropriate lysis of adipose tissue and preventing unnecessary de novo lipogenesis in the liver, which are mediated by AMPK signaling pathways. A mechanism for an interplay between the two organs is still needed to be examined with further assays.
A Sustainable Approach to Fabricating Ag Nanoparticles/PVA Hybrid Nanofiber and Its Catalytic Activity
Authors: Meng Yongde
Published: June 2015

Ag nanoparticles were synthesized by using Ficus altissima Blume leaf extract as a reducing agent at room temperature. The resulting Ag nanoparticles/PVA mixture was employed to create Ag nanoparticles/PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) hybrid nanofibers via an electrospinning technique. The obtained nanofibers were confirmed by means of UV-Vis spectroscopy, The X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and then tested to catalyze KBH4 reduction of methylene blue (MB). The catalytic results demonstrate that the MB can be reduced completely within 15 min. In addition, the Ag nanoparticles/PVA hybrid nanofibers show reusability for three cycles with no obvious losses in degradation ratio of the MB.
Climate Weirding and Queering Nature: Getting Beyond the Anthropocene
Authors: Bauman Whitney
Published: June 2015

Though many scientists and scholars of the environmental humanities are referring to the current geological era as the anthropocene, this article argues that there are some problems with this trope and the narrative that emerges from it. First, responsibility for the current era of climate weirding is not shared equally, some humans are way more responsible than others. Second, the claim of the anthropocene works rhetorically to maintain a sense of human exceptionalism from the rest of the evolution of life on the planet. Third and finally, the suggestion that this geological era be named the anthropocene suggests that the problem and the solution to our ecological crisis lie with Homo sapiens. Does this not re-create the sense of mastery that has fueled contemporary planetary ills in the first place? This paper argues that the idea of agency must be reconfigured and redistributed throughout the planetary community in order to deal with the wicked problems arising from climate weirding and an uncertain future.
Pain Relief in Cervical Dystonia with Botulinum Toxin Treatment
Authors: Camargo Carlos , Cattai Lígia , Teive Hélio
Published: June 2015

Dystonia is a neurological disorder characterized by intermittent or sustained muscle contractions that cause abnormal, usually repetitive, movements and postures. Dystonic movements can be tremulous and twisting and often follow a pattern. They are frequently associated with overflow muscle activation and may be triggered or worsened by voluntary action. Most voluntary muscles can be affected and, in the case of the neck muscles, the condition is referred to as cervical dystonia (CD), the most common form of dystonia. The high incidence of pain distinguishes CD from other focal dystonias and contributes significantly to patient disability and low quality of life. Different degrees of pain in the cervical region are reported by more than 60% of patients, and pain intensity is directly related to disease severity. Botulinum toxin (BoNT) is currently considered the treatment of choice for CD and can lead to an improvement in pain and dystonic symptoms in up to 90% of patients. The results for BoNT/A and BoNT/B are similar. The complex relationship between pain and dystonia has resulted in a large number of studies and more comprehensive assessments of dystonic patients. When planning the application of BoNT, pain should be a key factor in the choice of muscles and doses. In conclusion, BoNT is highly effective in controlling pain, and its analgesic effect is sustained for a long time in most CD patients.
Viral Membrane Channels: Role and Function in the Virus Life Cycle
Authors: Sze ChingWooen , Tan Yee-Joo
Published: June 2015

Viroporins are small, hydrophobic trans-membrane viral proteins that oligomerize to form hydrophilic pores in the host cell membranes. These proteins are crucial for the pathogenicity and replication of viruses as they aid in various stages of the viral life cycle, from genome uncoating to viral release. In addition, the ion channel activity of viroporin causes disruption in the cellular ion homeostasis, in particular the calcium ion. Fluctuation in the calcium level triggers the activation of the host defensive programmed cell death pathways as well as the inflammasome, which in turn are being subverted for the viruses’ replication benefits. This review article summarizes recent developments in the functional investigation of viroporins from various viruses and their contributions to viral replication and virulence.
Phylodynamics of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Europe, 2005–2010: Potential for Molecular Surveillance of New Outbreaks
Authors: Alkhamis Mohammad , Moore Brian , Perez Andres
Published: June 2015

Previous Bayesian phylogeographic studies of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) explored the origin and spread of the epidemic from China into Russia, indicating that HPAIV circulated in Russia prior to its detection there in 2005. In this study, we extend this research to explore the evolution and spread of HPAIV within Europe during the 2005–2010 epidemic, using all available sequences of the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) gene regions that were collected in Europe and Russia during the outbreak. We use discrete-trait phylodynamic models within a Bayesian statistical framework to explore the evolution of HPAIV. Our results indicate that the genetic diversity and effective population size of HPAIV peaked between mid-2005 and early 2006, followed by drastic decline in 2007, which coincides with the end of the epidemic in Europe. Our results also suggest that domestic birds were the most likely source of the spread of the virus from Russia into Europe. Additionally, estimates of viral dispersal routes indicate that Russia, Romania, and Germany were key epicenters of these outbreaks. Our study quantifies the dynamics of a major European HPAIV pandemic and substantiates the ability of phylodynamic models to improve molecular surveillance of novel AIVs.
Synthesis of novel N-cyclopentenyl-lactams using the Aubé reaction
Authors: Shinde Madhuri V , Ople Rohini S , Sangtani Ekta , Gonnade Rajesh , Reddy D Srinivasa
Published: June 2015

A novel and convenient method utilizing the Aubé reaction to access a new class of compounds that are similar to carbocyclic nucleosides is reported. The azido alcohol derived from Vince lactam undergoes the Aubé reaction with various cyclic ketones to give cyclopentenyl-substituted lactams. Upon dihydroxylation, this affords the N-cyclopentenyl-lactam compounds in racemic form. Given the numerous uses of nucleosides and related compounds, we were interested in the synthesis of carbocylic nucleoside mimics. The attempts and results are described herein.
Una paradoja topológica sobre el lugar de la filosofía
Authors: Vega Encabo Jesús
Published: June 2015

Este artículo presenta lo que denomino la “paradoja topológica de la filosofía”. La filosofía reclama un lugar en el conjunto de los saberes enseñables y, por ende, en la universidad; pero deviene u-tópica en su idea del ejercicio libre de su actividad. La filosofía no puede encontrar un lugar en la universidad y no puede dejar de reclamarlo. La paradoja tiene varias dimensiones, pero es irresoluble. Por eso, su futuro en la universidad exigirá una renuncia a situarse en un lugar disciplinar. Podrá quizá hacerse un hueco entre los saberes si finalmente acepta responder no ante sí misma sino ante las exigencias de lo prefilosófico.
Filosofía, Sociedad y Educación. Con una mirada a España
Authors: Gómez Ramos Antonio
Published: June 2015

A partir de la amenaza a la presencia de la Filosofía en la Enseñanza Media, y de su situación cada vez más marginal en la enseñanza universitaria, este artículo plantea una discusión sobre la utilidad o inutilidad de la filosofía, su relación con la democracia y su carácter específico en el conjunto del saber. La discusión se extiende a la relación de la filosofía con la sociedad, y a su lugar en la enseñanza superior, con una consideración especial sobre el caso español. Los resultados que se proponen son: 1) aunque carezca de utilidad inmediata, la filosofía acompaña el florecimiento social, y cumple en él tanto una función crítica como integradora. 2) En el caso español, hay que constatar un fracaso y un encapsulamiento de la filosofía que no puede ignorarse en las reflexiones y reclamaciones de los filósofos españoles sobre su situación. 3) La concepción de la universidad con criterios mercantiles que se trata de imponer es contradictoria en sí misma. Va a seguir habiendo una institución de educación superior destinada a la creación de conocimiento y al aseguramiento de la hegemonía social. La pregunta no es si la filosofía tendrá lugar allí, sino cómo se practicará en él. Dejando la cuestión abierta, se hacen algunas propuestas finales.
El ethos universitario en los filósofos de la generación del 14
Authors: Costa Delgado Jorge
Published: June 2015

Este artículo es una aproximación al estudio de la relación de los filósofos de la generación del 14 con la universidad. Para ello, se especificará, en primer lugar, qué se entiende por “generación del 14”. Después se analizará la situación de la Filosofía en la Universidad, desde la Restauración hasta la II República, a través de las sucesivas reformas en los planes de estudio, los procesos de selección del profesorado y su relación con el campo político. El estudio de las trayectorias de algunos filósofos permitirá precisar cuál era la norma filosófica generacional y su relación con otras formas contemporáneas de práctica filosófica. Por último, se propondrá un modelo de interpretación para organizar las diversas formas de intervención política que protagonizaron los filósofos de esta generación.
Dioniso en Platón: presencia y ausencia del dios de la máscara
Authors: Hernández de la Fuente David
Published: June 2015

En este trabajo se propone una aproximación al uso filosófico del dios griego Dioniso en la obra de Platón, con especial referencia a la vertiente pedagógicopolítica del pensamiento platónico en la República y, sobre todo, en las Leyes. se discuten brevemente los trabajos anteriores que han tratado esta cuestión, incluidos los dos más recientes que versan sobre las Leyes y sobre la faceta filosófica de Dioniso, al hilo de una propuesta de lectura de las presencias y ausencias de Dioniso en Platón a través de tres dimensiones −el simposio, los misterios y la poesía con fines educativos− que convergen en la finalidad política reformista del filósofo ateniense.
Mobile Devices
Authors: Dawson Maurice , Wright Jorja , Omar Marwan
Published: June 2015

Mobile devices are becoming a method to provide an efficient and convenient way to access, find and share information; however, the availability of this information has caused an increase in cyber attacks. Currently, cyber threats range from Trojans and viruses to botnets and toolkits. Presently, 96% of mobile devices do not have pre-installed security software while approximately 65% of the vulnerabilities are found within the application layer. This lack in security and policy driven systems is an opportunity for malicious cyber attackers to hack into the various popular devices. Traditional security software found in desktop computing platforms, such as firewalls, antivirus, and encryption, is widely used by the general public in mobile devices. Moreover, mobile devices are even more vulnerable than personal desktop computers because more people are using mobile devices to do personal tasks. This review attempts to display the importance of developing a national security policy created for mobile devices in order to protect sensitive and confidential data.
Internet Identity and the Right to be Forgotten
Authors: Amenta Valentina , Lazzaroni Adriana , Abba Laura
Published: June 2015

In this chapter, the analysis will focus on the concept of digital identity which is evolving and changing, based on the experiences that every individual lives. The chapter further highlights how the digital identity includes the fundamental human rights such as the right to a name, the right of reply, the right to protection of personal data and the right to an image. In translating the right to personal identity to our digitalized era, with its massive use of social networks, we have added to the related decalogue of rights the right to oblivion, equally called right to be forgotten. Given the complexity of the subject, the chapter develops an analysis of the actual international regulatory trends.
Future Networked Healthcare Systems
Authors: Mehmood Rashid , Faisal Muhammad Ali , Altowaijri Saleh
Published: June 2015

Future healthcare systems and organizations demand huge computational resources, and the ability for the applications to interact and communicate with each other, within and across organizational boundaries. This chapter aims to explore state-of-the-art of the healthcare landscape and presents an analysis of networked healthcare systems with a focus on networking traffic and architectures. To this end, the relevant technologies including networked healthcare architectures and performance studies, Health Level 7 (HL7), big data, and cloud computing, are reviewed. Subsequently, a study of healthcare systems, applications and traffic over local, metro, and wide area networks is presented using multi-hospital cross-continent scenarios. The network architectures for these systems are described. A detailed study to explore quality of service (QoS) performance for these healthcare systems with a range of applications, system sizes, and network sizes is presented. Conclusions are drawn regarding future healthcare systems and internet designs along with directions for future research.
iPods and iPads as AAC Devices for Children with Developmental Disorders
Authors: van der Meer Larah
Published: June 2015

The Apple iPod Touch™ and iPad™ are increasingly used as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. This chapter discusses the use of iPods™/iPads™ loaded with software applications that enable speech output and thereby transform them into speech-generating devices (SGD). While a popular mode of communication for children with developmental disorders (DD) who have little or no spoken language, assessment of the effectiveness of such new technology to enhance communicative functioning is necessary. Research on the use of iPods™/iPads™ was evaluated to assess whether they are (a) effective as AAC devices, (b) at least as effective as other AAC interventions, and (c) effective at the individual level of implementation. Findings suggested that the use of iPods™/iPads™ as AAC devices is promising, also in comparison to other AAC systems. Children typically preferred using iPods™/iPads™. Selection of an AAC system based on the child's preference coupled with appropriate instructional strategies may lead to the enhancement of communicative functioning for children with DD.
Online Activism and the Arab Public Sphere
Authors: Douai Aziz
Published: June 2015

YouTube has enabled new forms of political dissent in Arab societies. This article examines the development and rise of YouTube in the Arab world. In particular, it looks at how this video exchange site is invigorating the online public sphere's vigorous demand for political reform and respect for human rights. Specifically, this investigation explores how social networking capabilities have made YouTube an effective asset in dissidents' arsenal among Arab activists. To examine the vibrancy of this fledgling online public sphere, the chapter scrutinizes how activists incorporated YouTube videos to shed light on human rights abuses, specifically police abuse, corruption, and brutality in two Arab countries, Egypt and Morocco. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the new campaigning modes that the Internet and YouTube have facilitated.
Israel's Higher Education Innovation Policy
Authors: Perry Milly
Published: June 2015

Innovation in Higher Education systems has not been regarded as an important issue by policy makers, education stakeholders and leaders; it seems to be regarded as 'nice-to-have' rather than a necessity. Scientific outputs and research findings can be used as input in national-international policies only if researchers and policy-makers cooperate closely, ensure relevance of topics, and improve communication, dissemination, and implementation of research recommendations. The purpose of this study is to present a clear and systematic description of innovation policy statues in the reality of Higher Education systems in Israel. The research was guided by three principal questions: First, to what extent innovation policy exist in Higher Education and in interface policy systems. Secondly, how to inform policy makers of the vital importance of innovation as a key to economic growth, so they can benefit from a better understanding of the innovation process. Third, how to involve policy makers who are aware of the importance of innovation to push for a policy change.
Materialistic Values and Impulsive Behavior in the Purchasing Process between Genders
Authors: Samanta Irene
Published: June 2015

The research investigates the relationship between gender, materialistic values, and impulsive behavior with fashion clothing involvement. Furthermore this study investigates different decision-making styles and the influence of the marketing mix to the purchasing process. A survey was conducted with a sample of 295 consumers. Factor analysis using principle components with varimax rotation was used. Also, the Kruscall-Wallis test was conducted in order to reveal interactions and relationship between different variables. According to research findings young adults have developed materialistic values and therefore material goods are used as symbols by them. The reinforcement of a person's self-image is probably a motivation that plays significant role in individuals purchasing decisions. Thus consumers are engaged in non-planned purchases, which are considered as impulsive. Moreover, men are those who are more involved with fashion clothing in order to bolster their self-image. However women are those who appear to be more impulsive in their purchasing decisions.