bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Staged implantation of multiple electrodes in the internal globus pallidus in the treatment of primary generalized dystonia
Authors: Cif Laura , Gonzalez-Martinez Victoria , Vasques Xavier , Corlobé Astrid , Moura Ana Maria , Bonafé Alain , Coubes Philippe
Published: February 2012

Object

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is used for treating various types of dystonia. Multiple electrodes could be proposed to improve the therapeutic outcome enabling the targeting of specific neuronal populations not reached by the electrical field generated by the initially implanted electrode. The authors address the question of the feasibility and safety of staged multiple lead implantations in the sensorimotor internal globus pallidus (GPi) in primary generalized dystonia (PGD). Criteria for patient selection, surgical technique, target selection, electrical settings management, and clinical outcome are presented.

Methods

Sixteen patients (8 harbored the DYT1 gene mutation) presented with PGD and were enrolled in this study. Patients underwent clinical assessment using the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale preoperatively and during follow-up with DBS. Prior to the addition of electrodes, the authors confirmed, by turning off stimulation, that the patient was still benefiting from DBS and that DBS settings adjustment did not provide further improvement. The second target was defined according to the position of the first electrode, to the residual volume within the sensorimotor GPi, and according to residual symptoms. The second surgery followed the same protocol as the first and the new electrode were inserted using the same bur hole as the first electrode.

Results

The addition of a new pair of electrodes was followed by significant improvement in the whole population (p = 0.005), as well as in the DYT1-negative subgroup (p = 0.012) but not in the DYT1 subgroup (p = not significant). Nevertheless, some patients did not exhibit significant additional benefit. Seven hardware-related complications occurred during the entire follow-up, 3 prior to it, and 4 after the addition of the second pair of electrodes.

Conclusions

The addition of a second pair of electrodes in the GPi in patients with PGD with suboptimal or decaying benefit following the first surgery seems to be a safe procedure and is not followed by an increase in surgery-related complications. This staged procedure may provide further clinical improvement in patients with PGD in whom DBS effect is initially incomplete or when disease progression occurs over time. The position of the additional electrode within the GPi is determined by the available volume within the posteroventral GPi and by the distribution of the dystonic symptoms that need to be controlled.
Use and utility of preoperative hemostatic screening and patient history in adult neurosurgical patients
Authors: Seicean Andreea , Schiltz Nicholas K. , Seicean Sinziana , Alan Nima , Neuhauser Duncan , Weil Robert J.
Published: February 2012

Object

The utility of preoperative hemostasis screening to predict complications is uncertain. The authors quantified the screening rate in US neurosurgery patients and evaluated the ability of abnormal test results as compared with history-based risk factors to predict hemostasis-related and general outcomes.

Methods

Eleven thousand eight hundred four adult neurosurgery patients were identified in the 2006–2009 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Multivariate logistic regression modeled the ability of hemostatic tests and patient history to predict outcomes, that is, intra- and postoperative red blood cell [RBC] transfusion, return to the operating room [OR], and 30-day mortality. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using patient subgroups by procedure.

Results

Most patients underwent all 3 hemostatic tests (platelet count, prothrombin time/international normalized ratio [INR], activated partial thromboplastin time), but few had any of the outcomes of interest. The number of screening tests undergone was significantly associated with intraoperative RBC transfusion, a return to the OR, and mortality; an abnormal INR was associated with postoperative RBC transfusion. However, all tests had low sensitivity (0.09–0.2) and platelet count had low specificity (0.04–0.05). The association between patient history and each outcome was approximately the same across all tests, with higher sensitivity but lower specificity. Combining abnormal tests with patient history accounted for 50% of the mortality and 33% of each of the other outcomes.

Conclusions

This is the first study focused on assessing preoperative hemostasis screening as compared with patient history in a large multicenter sample of adult neurosurgery patients to predict hemostasis-related outcomes. Patient history was as predictive as laboratory testing for all outcomes, with higher sensitivity. Routine laboratory screening appears to have limited utility. Testing limited to neurosurgical patients with a positive history would save an estimated $81,942,000 annually.
Kinetics and Mechanism of the Interaction of Glycyl-L-Leucine with [(H2O)(Tap)2Ruoru(Tap)2(H2O)]2+ Ion at Physiological Ph
Authors: Mandal Arup , Mallick Subhasis , Karmakar Parnajyoti , Bera Biplab K. , Mondal Subala , Ghosh Alak K.
Published: February 2012

The interaction of glycyl-L-leucine (L-I/H) with [(H2O) (tap)2RuORu(tap)2(H2O)]2+ (tap=2-(m-tolylazo) pyridine) has been studied spectrophotometrically in aqueous medium as a function of [(H2O) (tap)2RuORu(tap)2(H2O)2+], [glycyl-L-leucine], pH and temperature. The reaction was monitored at 600 nm where the spectral difference between the reactant and product is a maximum. At pH 7.4, the interaction with glycyl-L-leucine shows two parallel steps, i.e. it shows a non-linear dependence on the concentration of glycyl-L-leucine; both processes are ligand dependent. The rate constants for the processes are: kl 10−3 s 1 and K2∼10−5 s−1. The activation parameters calculated from Eyring plots are: Δ H#1 = 15.8∓0.6kJ mol−1, A Sf = −232 + 2J K 1 mol−1, AH2# =31.7∓3.5kJmol−1, AS* = −216∓ 10J K−1 mol−1. Based on the kinetic and activation parameters, an associative interchange mechanism is proposed for the interaction processes. from the temperature dependence of the outer sphere association equilibrium constant, the thermodynamic parameters were also calculated, which gave a negative AG° value for both the steps at all temperatures studied, supporting the spontaneous formation of an outer sphere association complex. The product of the reaction has been characterized from IR and ESI-mass spectroscopic analysis.
Kinetic and Mechanistic Investigation of S-Oxidation of Ranitidine Hydrochloride with Chloramine-t in Acid and Alkaline Media
Authors: Sukhdev Anu , Shubha J.P. , Puttaswamy
Published: February 2012

Ranitidine hydrochloride (RNH), chemically known as A-dimethyl-5-[2-(l- methylamino-2-nitro-vinyl)-ethylthiomethyl]furfuryl amine hydrochloride, is an antiulcer drug and its oxidation-kinetic study is of much significant in understanding its mechanistic chemistry in redox reactions. Consequently, the kinetics of oxidation of RNH by sodium N-chloro-p-toluenesulfonamide (chloramine-T or CAT) have been examined in HC104 and NaOH media at 298 K. The stoichiometry and oxidation products of RNH - CAT reaction are the same in both media, however, their kinetic patterns were found to be different. The reaction rate exhibits first-order kinetics with respect to [CAT]O and [RNH]O in both media. The rate of reaction increases with increase in [H+], but it decreases with respect to [OH -] with a slope of unity in both the cases. Decrease of the dielectric constant of the medium decreases the reaction rate in both media. Variation of the ionic strength of the medium, and addition of /7-tolucncsul foil amide or NaCl, have no significant effect on the rate. The reaction was studied at different temperatures and activation parameters have been deduced. Ranitidine-S'-oxide was identified as the oxidation product of RNH by GC-MS in both media. The conjugate free acid CH3C6H4S02NHC1 of CAT is postulated as the reactive oxidizing species in both cases. The observed results have been explained by plausible mechanisms and related rate laws have been deduced.
A Kinetic Study of Phenol Oxidation with H2O2 Catalysed by Crowned Schiff Base Mn(Iii) Complexes in Micellar Media
Authors: Li Jian-Zhang , Hu Wei , Wang Ying , Zhong Jun-Bo , Li Shen-Xin
Published: February 2012

Comparison is made of the kinetics of oxidations of phenol with H2O2 catalysed by two Schiff base manganese(III) complexes in micellar media using cationic surfactant cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and nonionic surfactant polyoxyethylene lauryl ether (Brij35). The characteristic spectra of the two Schiff base complexes in H2O2-buffered solution were recorded and analysed. Both Schiff base manganese(III) complexes exhibited remarkable catalytic activity for phenol oxidation by H2O2 under different conditions.
Interventionism in Statistical Mechanics
Authors: Leeds Stephen
Published: February 2012

I defend the idea that the fact that no system is entirely isolated (“Interventionism”) can be used to explain the successful use of the microcanonical distribution in statistical mechanics. The argument turns on claims about what is needed for an adequate explanation of this fact: I argue in particular that various competing explanations do not meet reasonable conditions of adequacy, and that the most striking lacuna in Interventionism—its failure to explain the “arrow of time”—is no real defect.
A Novel Multiscale Ensemble Carbon Price Prediction Model Integrating Empirical Mode Decomposition, Genetic Algorithm and Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Zhu Bangzhu
Published: February 2012

Due to the movement and complexity of the carbon market, traditional monoscale forecasting approaches often fail to capture its nonstationary and nonlinear properties and accurately describe its moving tendencies. In this study, a multiscale ensemble forecasting model integrating empirical mode decomposition (EMD), genetic algorithm (GA) and artificial neural network (ANN) is proposed to forecast carbon price. Firstly, the proposed model uses EMD to decompose carbon price data into several intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) and one residue. Then, the IMFs and residue are composed into a high frequency component, a low frequency component and a trend component which have similar frequency characteristics, simple components and strong regularity using the fine-to-coarse reconstruction algorithm. Finally, those three components are predicted using an ANN trained by GA, i.e., a GAANN model, and the final forecasting results can be obtained by the sum of these three forecasting results. For verification and testing, two main carbon future prices with different maturity in the European Climate Exchange (ECX) are used to test the effectiveness of the proposed multiscale ensemble forecasting model. Empirical results obtained demonstrate that the proposed multiscale ensemble forecasting model can outperform the single random walk (RW), ARIMA, ANN and GAANN models without EMD preprocessing and the ensemble ARIMA model with EMD preprocessing.
The Player as Author: Exploring the Effects of Mobile Gaming and the Location-Aware Interface on Storytelling
Authors: Bunting Ben S. , Hughes Jacob , Hetland Tim
Published: February 2012

The mobile internet expands the immersive potential of storytelling by introducing electronic games powered by portable, location-aware interfaces. Mobile gaming has become the latest iteration in a decades-long evolution of electronic games that seek to empower the player not just as an avatar in a gameworld but also as a co-author of that gameworld, alongside the game’s original designers. Location-aware interfaces allow players to implicate places in the physical world as part of their gameworld (and vice versa) for the first time. In addition to empowering the player as a co-author in the process of constructing a compelling gameworld, then, mobile games eschew linear narrative structures in favor of a cooperative storytelling process that is reliant in part on the player’s experience of place. While such an author-player “worldmaking” approach to storytelling is not new, mobile games evolve the process beyond what has yet been possible within the technical and physical constraints of the traditional video gaming format. Location-aware interfaces allow mobile games to extend the worldmaking process beyond the screen and into the physical world, co-opting the player’s sensory experiences of real-world places as potential storytelling tools. In our essay, we theorize the unique storytelling potential of mobile games while describing our experience attempting to harness that potential through the design and implementation of our hybrid-reality game University of Death.
Computational Studies of Difference in Binding Modes of Peptide and Non-Peptide Inhibitors to MDM2/MDMX Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulations
Authors: Chen Jianzhong , Zhang Dinglin , Zhang Yuxin , Li Guohui
Published: February 2012

Inhibition of p53-MDM2/MDMX interaction is considered to be a promising strategy for anticancer drug design to activate wild-type p53 in tumors. We carry out molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the binding mechanisms of peptide and non-peptide inhibitors to MDM2/MDMX. The rank of binding free energies calculated by molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) method agrees with one of the experimental values. The results suggest that van der Waals energy drives two kinds of inhibitors to MDM2/MDMX. We also find that the peptide inhibitors can produce more interaction contacts with MDM2/MDMX than the non-peptide inhibitors. Binding mode predictions based on the inhibitor-residue interactions show that the π–π, CH–π and CH–CH interactions dominated by shape complimentarity, govern the binding of the inhibitors in the hydrophobic cleft of MDM2/MDMX. Our studies confirm the residue Tyr99 in MDMX can generate a steric clash with the inhibitors due to energy and structure. This finding may theoretically provide help to develop potent dual-specific or MDMX inhibitors.
A Novel LMP1 Antibody Synergizes with Mitomycin C to Inhibit Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Growth in Vivo Through Inducing Apoptosis and Downregulating Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor
Authors: Mao Yuan , Zhang Da-Wei , Wen Juan , Cao Qing , Chen Ren-Jie , Zhu Jin , Feng Zhen-Qing
Published: February 2012

Combined therapy emerges as an attractive strategy for cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of mitomycin C (MMC) combined with a novel antibody fragment (Fab) targeting latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) xenograft nude mice. The inhibitory rates of MMC (2 mg/kg), Fab (4 mg/kg), MMC (2 mg/kg) + Fab (4 mg/kg), and MMC (1 mg/kg) + Fab (4 mg/kg) were 20.1%, 7.3%, 42.5% and 40.5%, respectively. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the apoptotic rate of xenograft tumor cells in the MMC and Fab combination group was 28 ± 4.12%, significantly higher than the MMC (2 mg/kg) group (P < 0.01). Immunohistochemical staining showed that VEGF expression in NPC xenografts was significantly inhibited in the combination group compared to the Fab (4 mg/kg) group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, both MMC and Fab could inhibit NPC xenograft tumor growth in vivo and combination therapy showed apparent synergistic anti-tumor effects, which may be due to the induction of tumor cell apoptosis and the downregulation of VEGF expression. These results suggest that the novel combined therapy utilizing traditional chemotherapeutics and antibody-targeted therapy could be a promising strategy for the treatment of NPC.
Influence of Carbon Nanotubes on Thermal Stability of Water-Dispersible Nanofibrillar Polyaniline/Nanotube Composite
Authors: Cabezas Ana López , Liu Xianjie , Chen Qiang , Zhang Shi-Li , Zheng Li-Rong , Zhang Zhi-Bin
Published: February 2012

Significant influence on the thermal stability of polyaniline (PANI) in the presence of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is reported. By means of in-situ rapid mixing approach, water-dispersible nanofibrillar PANI and composites, consisting of MWCNTs uniformly coated with PANI in the state of emeraldine salt, with a well-defined core-shell heterogeneous structure, were prepared. The de-protonation process in PANI occurs at a lower temperature under the presence of MWCNTs on the polyaniline composite upon thermal treatment. However, it is found that the presence of MWCNTs significantly enhances the thermal stability of PANI’s backbone upon exposure to laser irradiation, which can be ascribed to the core-shell heterogeneous structure of the composite of MWCNTs and PANI, and the high thermal conductivity of MWCNTs.
Intracellular Metabolite Pool Changes in Response to Nutrient Depletion Induced Metabolic Switching in Streptomyces coelicolor
Authors: Wentzel Alexander , Sletta Havard , Consortium Stream , Ellingsen Trond E. , Bruheim Per
Published: February 2012

A metabolite profiling study of the antibiotic producing bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) has been performed. The aim of this study was to monitor intracellular metabolite pool changes occurring as strains of S. coelicolor react to nutrient depletion with metabolic re-modeling, so-called metabolic switching, and transition from growth to secondary metabolite production phase. Two different culture media were applied, providing depletion of the key nutrients phosphate and L-glutamate, respectively, as the triggers for metabolic switching. Targeted GC-MS and LC-MS methods were employed to quantify important primary metabolite groups like amino acids, organic acids, sugar phosphates and other phosphorylated metabolites, and nucleotides in time-course samples withdrawn from fully-controlled batch fermentations. A general decline, starting already in the early growth phase, was observed for nucleotide pools and phosphorylated metabolite pools for both the phosphate and glutamate limited cultures. The change in amino acid and organic acid pools were more scattered, especially in the phosphate limited situation while a general decrease in amino acid and non-amino organic acid pools was observed in the L-glutamate limited situation. A phoP deletion mutant showed basically the same metabolite pool changes as the wild-type strain M145 when cultivated on phosphate limited medium. This implies that the inactivation of the phoP gene has only little effect on the detected metabolite levels in the cell. The energy charge was found to be relatively constant during growth, transition and secondary metabolite production phase. The results of this study and the employed targeted metabolite profiling methodology are directly relevant for the evaluation of precursor metabolite and energy supply for both natural and heterologous production of secondary metabolites in S. coelicolor.
Allylic Alkylations Catalyzed By Palladium-Bis(oxazoline) Complexes Derived From Heteroarylidene Malonate Derivatives
Authors: Liu Lei , Ma Hongli , Fu Bin
Published: February 2012

A series of simple heteroarylidene malonate-type bis(oxazoline) ligands 4 and 5 were applied to the Palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation reaction, and the ligand 4a bearing a phenyl group afforded excellent enantioselectivity (up to 96% ee) for the allylic alkylation product. Other substrates were also examined, giving the allylic alkylated products in high yield but with poor ee values.
3D-QSAR Studies of Dihydropyrazole and Dihydropyrrole Derivatives as Inhibitors of Human Mitotic Kinesin Eg5 Based on Molecular Docking
Authors: Luo Xingyan , Shu Mao , Wang Yuanqiang , Liu Jin , Yang Wenjuan , Lin Zhihua
Published: February 2012

Human mitotic kinesin Eg5 plays an essential role in mitoses and is an interesting drug target against cancer. To find the correlation between Eg5 and its inhibitors, structure-based 3D-quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) studies were performed on a series of dihydropyrazole and dihydropyrrole derivatives using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) methods. Based on the LigandFit docking results, predictive 3D-QSAR models were established, with cross-validated coefficient values (q2) up to 0.798 for CoMFA and 0.848 for CoMSIA, respectively. Furthermore, the CoMFA and CoMSIA models were mapped back to the binding sites of Eg5, which could provide a better understanding of vital interactions between the inhibitors and the kinase. Ligands binding in hydrophobic part of the inhibitor-binding pocket were found to be crucial for potent ligand binding and kinases selectivity. The analyses may be used to design more potent EG5 inhibitors and predict their activities prior to synthesis.
Pro- and Synbiotics to Prevent Sepsis in Major Surgery and Severe Emergencies
Authors: Bengmark Stig
Published: February 2012

Septic morbidity associated with advanced surgical and medical treatments is unacceptably high, and so is the incidence of complications occurring in connection with acute emergencies such as severe trauma and severe acute pancreatitis. Only considering the US, it will annually affect approximately (app) 300 million (mill) of a population of almost one million inhabitants and cause the death of more than 200,000 patients, making sepsis the tenth most common cause of death in the US. Two major factors affect this, the lifestyle-associated increased weakness of the immune defense systems, but more than this the artificial environment associated with modern treatments such as mechanical ventilation, use of tubes, drains, intravascular lines, artificial nutrition and extensive use of synthetic chemical drugs, methods all known to reduce or eliminate the human microbiota and impair immune functions and increase systemic inflammation. Attempts to recondition the gut by the supply of microorganisms have sometimes shown remarkably good results, but too often failed. Many factors contribute to the lack of success: unsuitable choice of probiotic species, too low dose, but most importantly, this bio-ecological treatment has never been given the opportunity to be tried as an alternative treatment. Instead it has most often been applied as complementary to all the other treatments mentioned above, including antibiotic treatment. The supplemented lactic acid bacteria have most often been killed already before they have reached their targeted organs.
Recovery of Forest Canopy Parameters by Inversion of Multispectral LiDAR Data
Authors: Wallace Andrew , Nichol Caroline , Woodhouse Iain
Published: February 2012

We describe the use of Bayesian inference techniques, notably Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and reversible jump MCMC (RJMCMC) methods, to recover forest structural and biochemical parameters from multispectral LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data. We use a variable dimension, multi-layered model to represent a forest canopy or tree, and discuss the recovery of structure and depth profiles that relate to photochemical properties. We first demonstrate how simple vegetation indices such as the Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI), which relates to canopy biomass and light absorption, and Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI) which is a measure of vegetation light use efficiency, can be measured from multispectral data. We further describe and demonstrate our layered approach on single wavelength real data, and on simulated multispectral data derived from real, rather than simulated, data sets. This evaluation shows successful recovery of a subset of parameters, as the complete recovery problem is ill-posed with the available data. We conclude that the approach has promise, and suggest future developments to address the current difficulties in parameter inversion.
The 27 Possible Intrinsic Symmetry Groups of Two-Component Links
Authors: Cantarella Jason , Cornish James , Mastin Matt , Parsley Jason
Published: February 2012

We consider the “intrinsic” symmetry group of a two-component link L, defined to be the image ∑(L) of the natural homomorphism from the standard symmetry group MCG(S3, L) to the product MCG(S3) × MCG(L). This group, first defined by Whitten in 1969, records directly whether L is isotopic to a link L′ obtained from L by permuting components or reversing orientations; it is a subgroup of Γ2, the group of all such operations. For two-component links, we catalog the 27 possible intrinsic symmetry groups, which represent the subgroups of Γ2 up to conjugacy. We are able to provide prime, nonsplit examples for 21 of these groups; some are classically known, some are new. We catalog the frequency at which each group appears among all 77,036 of the hyperbolic two-component links of 14 or fewer crossings in Thistlethwaite’s table. We also provide some new information about symmetry groups of the 293 non-hyperbolic two-component links of 14 or fewer crossings in the table.
Pathogenic Effects of Rift Valley Fever Virus Nss Gene are Alleviated in Cultured Cells by Expressed Antiviral Short Hairpin RNAS
Authors: Scott Tristan , Paweska Janusz T , Arbuthnot Patrick , Weinberg Marc S
Published: February 2012

Background

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), a member of the Bunyaviridae family, may cause severe hepatitis, encephalitis and haemorrhagic fever in humans. There are currently no available licensed vaccines or therapies to treat the viral infection in humans. RNA interference (RNAi)-based viral gene silencing offers a promising approach to inhibiting replication of this highly pathogenic virus. The small (S) segment of the RVFV tripartite genome carries the genetic determinates for pathogenicity during infection. This segment encodes the non-structural S ( NSs) and essential nucleocapsid ( N) genes.

Methods

To advance RNAi-based inhibition of RVFV replication, we designed several Pol III short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression cassettes against the NSs and N genes, including a multimerized plasmid vector that included four shRNA expression cassettes.

Results

Effective target silencing was demonstrated using full- and partial-length target reporter assays, and confirmed by western blot analysis of exogenous N and NSs expression. Small RNA northern blots showed detectable RNAi guide strand formation from single and multimerized shRNA constructs. Using a cell culture model of RVFV replication, shRNAs targeting the N gene decreased intracellular nucleocapsid protein concentration and viral replication. The shRNAs directed against the NSs gene reduced NSs protein concentrations and alleviated NSs-mediated cytotoxicity, which may be caused by host transcription suppression.

Conclusions

These data are the first demonstration that RNAi activators have a potential therapeutic benefit for countering RVFV infection.
Littérature et philosophie
Authors: Vieillard-Baron Jean-Louis
Published: February 2012

Résumé Littérature et philosophie entretiennent des rapports évidents, du fait que certains philosophes sont poètes, comme Lucrèce, ou écrivains, comme Montaigne. On examine deux cas, Martha Nussbaum, qui soutient que la littérature, en particulier le roman, peut induire des analyses morales bien supérieures à celles des philosophes, et Maria Zambrano, philosophe et poète, qui soutient que c’est le même Logos qui est à l’œuvre dans les deux domaines. Par le style, et par le souci conjoint de la signification, la poésie a un sens philosophique. L’histoire de la pensée ne peut pas négliger le rôle éminent de la poésie philosophique à travers l’histoire : Chateaubriand, Paul Valéry, Paul Claudel ont accompli une œuvre littéraire d’une grande portée philosophique.
Philosophie et poésie: le discours philosophique suggestif chez Louis Lavelle
Authors: Tindy-Poaty Juste Joris
Published: February 2012

Résumé Le « discours philosophique suggestif » ou « style philosophique poétique » està la fois un procédé d’écriture et un procédé d’exposition conceptuelle par lesquels lephilosophe se fait l’émule du poète. Ce style, qui caractérise, selon Lavelle, les plusgrands philosophes, est à distinguer du style philosophique « classique ». Celui-ci,abstrait et froid, ne parle qu’à notre intelligence alors que le style philosophiquepoétique interpelle en même temps notre sensibilité. Il incarne l’Être ou l’Absolu eta vocation non seulement à nous le faire connaître, mais également à nous le faireaimer.
Hâfez, poète et philosophe
Authors: Ayada Souâd
Published: February 2012

Résumé La poésie lyrique de Hâfez ( xiv e siècle) s’élève au niveau de la plus exigeanteméditation philosophique. L’amour, qui est son foyer, n’y désigne pas une affectionou une passion de l’âme. Il fait écho à la théologie de l’amour qui s’est construite enislam au croisement du néo-platonisme avicennisant et du soufisme d’Ibn ‘Arabî. PourHâfez, l’amour est ce qui de Dieu apparaît dans l’homme. Ses affres sont le mystèrede la théophanie. Le ghazal est une fenêtre sur l’ontologie de la théophanie et surl’amphibolie du réel qu’elle induit. Il opère, dans la matière des figures qu’il sollicite,la coalescence des ordres de la réalité et des formes de la perception. Il révèleles ressources du sensible quand il devient cette réalité subtile lestée d’une matièretransmuée. La poésie de Hâfez dévoile les paradoxes du réel, immanent et transcendant,sensible et intelligible, pour nous mettre sur la voie du paradoxe fondamental :le paradoxe de Dieu, qui est caché et apparent, et le paradoxe de la révélation, quiconfère des noms et des attributs à une essence insondable. Ce faisant, elle côtoie lesdiscours de la religion et de la philosophie. Le poète, en dévoilant le sens vrai de larévélation, devient le rival du religieux. Il trouve son site en un lieu défriché et balisépar le philosophe. Hâfez exprime dans l’unité et l’équilibre parfait du poème d’amourla théologie et l’ontologie que le philosophe formule dans des concepts abstraits. Ilparachève le projet que la philosophie réalise partiellement et maladroitement.
Influencia de la carrera investigadora en la productividad e impacto de los investigadores españoles. El papel de la ventaja acumulativa
Authors: García-Romero Antonio
Published: February 2012

La carrera investigadora puede tener un efecto relevante sobre las opciones de éxito profesional de los investigadores. Dicho efecto, conocido como ventaja acumulativa, contribuiría a agudizar la desigual distribución de la productividad y el impacto entre los investigadores. Este trabajo se centra en determinar la presencia de ventaja acumulativa en una muestra de 174 investigadores españoles de cuatro áreas de conocimiento (Física, Química, Biología y Bioquímica). Para contrastar el efecto de la carrera investigadora se especifica un modelo multiecuacional que incluye variables sobre la formación pre y posdoctoral así como con los departamentos donde trabajan los investigadores. El modelo incorpora un conjunto de hipótesis basadas en la revisión de la literatura. La estimación se realiza mediante Path Analysis. Asimismo, ha sido necesario desarrollar un método de estimación de la calidad de los departamentos en una escala única válida para cualquier país y disciplina. Los principales resultados confirman la presencia de ventaja acumulativa siendo la productividad predoctoral el principal determinante de la productividad de los 10 años posteriores a la obtención del grado de doctor. Finalmente, se observa un sesgo tanto en productividad como en impacto a favor de los hombres.
Análisis del proceso de internacionalización de la investigación española en ciencia y tecnología (1980-2007)
Authors: González Alcaide Gregorio , Valderrama Zurián Juan Carlos , Aleixandre Benavent Rafael
Published: February 2012

Se caracteriza el proceso de internacionalización de la Ciencia española a partir del análisis de la evolución diacrónica de la productividad y la colaboración en las publicaciones científicas españolas recogidas en la base de datos Science Citation Index-Expanded a lo largo del período 1980-2007. Los resultados obtenidos se ponen en relación con las políticas científicas y con los recursos económicos y humanos dedicados a la investigación. La investigación científica española ha experimentado un importante proceso de internacionalización a lo largo de las tres últimas décadas, que presenta como rasgos definitorios un crecimiento lineal de la productividad científica medida en el número de trabajos anuales publicados; un aumento progresivo de los trabajos en colaboración internacional, especialmente acentuado en la década del 2000, con una marcada orientación europea, aunque Estados Unidos continua siendo el principal país colaborador de España; y la adopción del inglés como idioma hegemónico de las publicaciones.
IQGAP1: A Regulator of Intracellular Spacetime Relativity
Authors: Malarkannan Subramaniam , Awasthi Aradhana , Rajasekaran Kamalakannan , Kumar Pawan , Schuldt Kristina M. , Bartoszek Allison , Manoharan Niranjan , Goldner Nicholas K. , Umhoefer Colleen M. , Thakar Monica S.
Published: February 2012

Activating and inhibiting receptors of lymphocytes collect valuable information about their mikròs kósmos. This information is essential to initiate or to turn off complex signaling pathways. Irrespective of these advances, our knowledge on how these intracellular activation cascades are coordinated in a spatiotemporal manner is far from complete. Among multiple explanations, the scaffolding proteins have emerged as a critical piece of this evolutionary tangram. Among many, IQGAP1 is one of the essential scaffolding proteins that coordinate multiple signaling pathways. IQGAP1 possesses multiple protein interaction motifs to achieve its scaffolding functions. Using these domains, IQGAP1 has been shown to regulate a number of essential cellular events. This includes actin polymerization, tubulin multimerization, microtubule organizing center formation, calcium/calmodulin signaling, Pak/Raf/Mek1/2-mediated Erk1/2 activation, formation of maestrosome, E-cadherin, and CD44-mediated signaling and glycogen synthase kinase-3/adenomatous polyposis coli-mediated β-catenin activation. In this review, we summarize the recent developments and exciting new findings of cellular functions of IQGAP1.
A Report of Extended High Frequency Audiometry Thresholds in School-Age Children with No Hearing Complaints
Authors: Anastasio Adriana Ribeiro Tavares , Radael Renata Daniela , Cavalcante Juliana Maria , Hatzopoulos Stavros
Published: February 2012

The aim of the study was to establish the extended high frequency thresholds (EHF) of school-age children with no hearing complaints. The study was conducted on 50 children aged 8 to 12 years with pure tone thresholds (0.5, 1 and 2 kHz) of 15 dB HL or less, with normal speech discrimination and tympanometry and with the presence of contralateral acoustic reflexes of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz. The children were tested for EHF at frequencies of 9, 10, 11.2, 12.5, 14 and 16 kHz. No significant differences were found between the right and left ear for female and male groups. The results allowed us to group the children into a single sample with mean thresholds (dB) of 8.6 (9 kHz), 6.2 (10 kHz), 8.2 (11.2 kHz), 7.1 (12.5 kHz), 0.4 (14 kHz), and -3.6 (16 kHz). We conclude that, for school-age children, the extended EHF below 15 dBHL could be used as an indication of normal hearing sensitivity.
Socio-Demographic Risk Factors Associated with HIV Infection in Patients Seeking Medical Advice in a Rural Hospital of India
Authors: Alvarez-Uria Gerardo , Midde Manoranjan , Naik Praveen K.
Published: February 2012

Despite the fact that two thirds of HIV infected people in India are rural residents, risk factors associated with HIV infection in rural areas are not well known. In this study we have collected socio-demographic data of 6406 patients who were tested for HIV infection in a rural hospital of India and we have investigated risk factors associated with HIV. In women the most important risk factor was being a widow and the risk was higher in younger than in older widows. Other variables found to be associated with HIV infection were age between 25 and 45 years in men, low education level (especially those who only completed primary education) and working in a field not related to agriculture in scheduled castes and men from scheduled tribes. The results of this study express the need for HIV screening of widows who live in rural areas of Indian States with high HIV prevalence.
On the epistemology of postmodern spirituality
Authors: Schreiber Dudley A.
Published: February 2012

At first glance, the postmodern spiritual �scene� appears �sociologically messy, experiential, multifaceted, ecological, provisional and collective� (Petrolle 2007) and of uncertain epistemic provenance. Here, I ask: can Roland Benedikter�s (2005) conception of postmodern dialectic and spiritual turn, help us understand postmodern spirituality and can it assist in a construction of a postmodern epistemology of spirituality? The current argument constitutes a meta-theoretical exploration of:� Deconstruction and neo-essentialism as representing the significant dialectic in philosophical postmodernism. Deconstruction is presented as an apophatic moment in Western thought about �knowing� and �being� whilst postmodern neo-essentialism, though contextualised by antirealism and ambiguity, palpably suggests itself. � Postmodern trends which derive from the dialectic. � How these epistemic trends influence methodology in the study of spirituality. � How a trans-traditional (anthropological) spirituality might incorporate insights about transformation from a complex of epistemologies in which, theories of �self� abound.In the conclusion an attempt is made to describe how postmodern spirituality expresses itself in society.�
Transport and mixing patterns over Central California during the carbonaceous aerosol and radiative effects study (CARES)
Authors: Fast J. D. , Gustafson Jr. W. I. , Berg L. K. , Shaw W. J. , Pekour M. , Shrivastava M. , Barnard J. C. , Ferrare R. A. , Hostetler C. A. , Hair J. A. , Erickson M. , Jobson B. T. , Flowers B. , Dubey M. K. , Springston S. , Pierce R. B. , Dolislager L. , Pederson J. , Zaveri R. A.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. We describe the synoptic and regional-scale meteorological conditions that affected the transport and mixing of trace gases and aerosols in the vicinity of Sacramento, California during June 2010 when the Carbonaceous Aerosol and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) was conducted. The meteorological measurements collected by various instruments deployed during the campaign and the performance of the chemistry version of the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF-Chem) are both discussed. WRF-Chem was run daily during the campaign to forecast the spatial and temporal variation of carbon monoxide emitted from 20 anthropogenic source regions in California to guide aircraft sampling. The model is shown to reproduce the overall circulations and boundary-layer characteristics in the region, although errors in the upslope wind speed and boundary-layer depth contribute to differences in the observed and simulated carbon monoxide. Thermally-driven upslope flows that transported pollutants from Sacramento over the foothills of the Sierra Nevada occurred every afternoon, except during three periods when the passage of mid-tropospheric troughs disrupted the regional-scale flow patterns. The meteorological conditions after the passage of the third trough were the most favorable for photochemistry and likely formation of secondary organic aerosols. Meteorological measurements and model forecasts indicate that the Sacramento pollutant plume was likely transported over a downwind site that collected trace gas and aerosol measurements during 23 time periods; however, direct transport occurred during only eight of these periods. The model also showed that emissions from the San Francisco Bay area transported by intrusions of marine air contributed a large fraction of the carbon monoxide in the vicinity of Sacramento, suggesting that this source likely affects local chemistry. Contributions from other sources of pollutants, such as those in the Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley, were relatively low. Aerosol layering in the free troposphere was observed during the morning by an airborne Lidar. WRF-Chem forecasts showed that mountain venting processes contributed to aged pollutants aloft in the valley atmosphere that are then entrained into the growing boundary layer the subsequent day.
The adsorption of peroxynitric acid on ice between 230 K and 253 K
Authors: Ulrich T. , Ammann M. , Leutwyler S. , Bartels-Rausch T.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. Peroxynitric acid uptake to ice and snow has been proposed to be a major loss process from the atmosphere with impacts on the atmospheric oxidation capacity. Here we present results from a laboratory study on the interaction of peroxynitric acid with water ice at low concentration. Experiments were performed in a coated wall flow tube at atmospheric pressure and in the environmentally relevant temperature range of 230 K to 253 K. The interaction was found to be fully reversible and decomposition was not observed. Analysis based on the Langmuir adsorption model showed that the partitioning of peroxynitric acid to ice is orders of magnitude lower than of nitric acid and similar to nitrous acid partitioning behavior. The partition coefficient (KLinC) and its temperature dependency can be described by 3.74 × 10−12 × e(7098/T) [cm]. Atmospheric implications are discussed and show that the uptake to cirrus clouds or to snow-packs in polar areas is an important sink for peroxynitric acid in the environment.
Coupling processes and exchange of energy and reactive and non-reactive trace gases at a forest site – results of the EGER experiment
Authors: Foken T. , Meixner F. X. , Falge E. , Zetzsch C. , Serafimovich A. , Bargsten A. , Behrendt T. , Biermann T. , Breuninger C. , Dix S. , Gerken T. , Hunner M. , Lehmann-Pape L. , Hens K. , Jocher G. , Kesselmeier J. , Lüers J. , Mayer J.-C. , Moravek A. , Plake D. , Riederer M. , Rütz F. , Scheibe M. , Siebicke L. , Sörgel M. , Staudt K. , Trebs I. , Tsokankunku A. , Welling M. , Wolff V. , Zhu Z.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. To investigate the energy, matter and reactive and non-reactive trace gas exchange between the atmosphere and a spruce forest in the German mountain region, two intensive measuring periods were conducted at the FLUXNET site DE-Bay (Waldstein-Weidenbrunnen) in September/October 2007 and June/July 2008. They were part of the project "ExchanGE processes in mountainous Regions" (EGER). Beyond a brief description of the experiment, the main focus of the paper concerns the coupling between the trunk space, the canopy and the above-canopy atmosphere. Therefore, relevant coherent structures were analyzed for different in- and above canopy layers, coupling between layers was classified according to already published procedures, and gradients and fluxes of meteorological quantities as well as concentrations of non-reactive and reactive trace compounds have been sorted along the coupling classes. Only in the case of a fully coupled system, it could be shown, that fluxes measured above the canopy are related to gradients between the canopy and the above-canopy atmosphere. Temporal changes of concentration differences between top of canopy and the forest floor, particularly those of reactive trace gases (NO, NO2, O3, and HONO) could only be interpreted on the basis of the coupling stage. Consequently, only concurrent and vertically resolved measurements of micrometeorological (turbulence) quantities and fluxes (gradients) of trace compounds will lead to a better understanding of the forest-atmosphere interaction.
Extreme summer temperatures in Western Europe
Authors: Simolo C. , Brunetti M. , Maugeri M. , Nanni T.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. We discuss the evolution of summer temperature extremes over Western Europe during 1961–2004 in the context of current climate warming. Using a parametric approach, we investigate the role of properties and changes in probability density functions of daily temperatures in modifying the frequency of severe, isolated events. In this perspective, the recent intensification of extremely warm events over Europe turns out to be well consistent with a pure, nonuniform shift of mean values, with no room for conjectures about increasing temperature variability.
Estimation of soil redistribution rates due to snow cover related processes in a mountainous area (Valle d'Aosta, NW Italy)
Authors: Ceaglio E. , Meusburger K. , Freppaz M. , Zanini E. , Alewell C.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. Mountain areas are widely affected by soil erosion, which is generally linked to runoff processes occurring in the growing season and snowmelt period. Also processes like snow gliding and full-depth snow avalanches may be important factors that can enhance soil erosion, however the role and importance of snow movements as agents of soil redistribution are not well understood yet. The aim of this study was to provide information on the relative importance of snow related processes in comparison to runoff processes. In the study area, which is an avalanche path characterized by intense snow movements, soil redistribution rates were quantified with two methods: (i) by field measurements of sediment yield in an avalanche deposition area during 2009 and 2010 winter seasons; (ii) by caesium-137 method, which supplies the cumulative net soil loss/gain since 1986, including all the soil erosion processes. The snow related soil accumulation estimated with data from the deposit area (27.5 Mg ha−1 event−1 and 161.0 Mg ha−1 event−1) was not only higher than the yearly sediment amounts, reported in literature, due to runoff processes, but it was even more intense than the yearly total deposition rate assessed with 137Cs (12.6 Mg ha−1 yr−1). The snow related soil erosion rates estimated from the sediment yield at the avalanche deposit area (3.7 Mg ha−1 and 20.8 Mg ha−1) were greater than the erosion rates reported in literature and related to runoff processes; they were comparable to the yearly total erosion rates assessed with the 137Cs method (13.4 Mg ha−1 yr−1 and 8.8 Mg ha−1 yr−1). The 137Cs method also showed that, where the ground avalanche does not release, the erosion and deposition of soil particles from the upper part of the basin was considerable and likely related to snow gliding. Even though the comparison of both the approaches is linked to high methodological uncertainties, mainly due to the different spatial and temporal scales considered, we still can deduce, from the similarity of the erosion rates, that soil redistribution in this catchment is driven by snow movement, with a greater impact in comparison to the runoff processes occurring in the snow-free season. Nonetheless, the study highlights that soil erosion processes due to the snow movements should be considered in the assessment of soil vulnerability in mountain areas, as they significantly determine the pattern of soil redistribution.