bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Conditionally unbiased estimation in phase II/III clinical trials with early stopping for futility
Authors: Kimani Peter K. , Todd Susan , Stallard Nigel
Published: February 2013

Seamless phase II/III clinical trials combine traditional phases II and III into a single trial that is conducted in two stages, with stage 1 used to answer phase II objectives such as treatment selection and stage 2 used for the confirmatory analysis, which is a phase III objective. Although seamless phase II/III clinical trials are efficient because the confirmatory analysis includes phase II data from stage 1, inference can pose statistical challenges. In this paper, we consider point estimation following seamless phase II/III clinical trials in which stage 1 is used to select the most effective experimental treatment and to decide if, compared with a control, the trial should stop at stage 1 for futility. If the trial is not stopped, then the phase III confirmatory part of the trial involves evaluation of the selected most effective experimental treatment and the control. We have developed two new estimators for the treatment difference between these two treatments with the aim of reducing bias conditional on the treatment selection made and on the fact that the trial continues to stage 2. We have demonstrated the properties of these estimators using simulations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Late Quaternary slip rate of the South Heli Shan Fault (northern Hexi Corridor, NW China) and its implications for northeastward growth of the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Zheng Wen‐Jun , Zhang Pei‐Zhen , Ge Wei‐Peng , Molnar Peter , Zhang Hui‐Ping , Yuan Dao‐Yang , Liu Jian‐Hui
Published: February 2013

Based on field investigations, aerial‐photo morphological analysis, topographic profiling, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of alluvial surfaces, we estimate vertical components of the slip rate along the South Heli Shan thrust fault, which lies on the northern margin of the Hexi Corridor and the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The fault consists of three segments with scarp heights ranging from less than 1 m to more than 16 m. OSL dating indicates that most of the alluvial fans cut by fault scarps formed during the transition from the last glacial stage to the present interglacial stage from ~19 to ~9 ka along southern Heli Shan and from ~27 ka to ~22 ka along its northern margin. In addition, remnants of older alluvial fan have been abandoned after ~67 ka. Scarp heights increase from west to east and reach a maximum of more than 16 m near the eastern end. Using three approaches, we calculate late Quaternary slip rates for each of the three fault segments along the southern margin and the fault on the northern flank. These approaches yield maximum vertical slip rates from 0.18 to 0.2 mm/a for the western segment, 0.3 to 0.43 mm/a for the central segment, 0.36 to 0.53 mm/a for the eastern segment, and 0.21 mm/a for the Wutongjing Fault, which lies on the north side of the Heli Shan. For a range of likely fault dips, these correspond to 0.1–0.2 mm/a of average horizontal shortening for the western segment, and increase to 0.4–0.5 mm/a across the eastern segment of the southern Heli Shan Fault. Combining the height of the eastern parts of the Heli Shan (Daqing Peak) above the Hei He (a major river that incised the western end of the range) and the vertical component of the slip rate of the eastern segment, we suggest that the Heli Shan was uplifted by motion on the South Heli Shan Fault beginning sometime between 1 and 4 Ma, most likely since ~2 Ma. This age suggests that the Tibetan Plateau continues to grow northeastward across the Hexi Corridor.
Accelerated subsidence and sedimentation in the Levant Basin during the Late Tertiary and concurrent uplift of the Arabian platform: Tectonic versus counteracting sedimentary loading effects
Authors: Bar Oded , Gvirtzman Zohar , Feinstein Shimon , Zilberman Ezra
Published: February 2013

Since the Middle Eocene, the northwest Arabian Platform has been emerging from the water and rising above sea level, whereas the adjacent Levant Basin has been subsiding and accumulating a thick sedimentary section. This study investigates these opposing vertical motions and the relative roles of tectonic‐driven versus isostatic adjustment forces involved. Such a distinction is strongly dependent on a reliable estimation of the paleobathymetry, which in pelagic environments may vary substantially. We use two different methods to estimate the paleo‐water‐depth in the deep Levant Basin in the Tertiary time. Isostatic balancing calculations with the adjacent inland region are employed to estimate the paleo‐water‐depth in the deep Levant Basin in the Middle Eocene, just before the commencement of the Late Tertiary tectonic phase. For later periods, we use morpho‐structural elements such as abrasion surfaces and incised canyons to build laterally changing topo‐bathymetry profiles. Our results indicate that in the Mid‐Eocene water depth in the deep Levant Basin was 2–3.5 km, which gradually decreased to 1.5 km today. Based on these results, our analysis shows that the enhanced subsidence of the Levant Basin reflects an isostatic response to sedimentary filling of a pre‐existing deep‐water basin with no involvement of a downward tectonic force. On the contrary, we suggest that the regional tectonic force was upward, counteracting a sedimentary loading effect. Further regional implication of this understanding is that the cause for uplifting and exposure of the NW Arabian Platform in the Late Tertiary extended far westward beyond the inland region.
Balancing practicality and hydrologic realism: A parsimonious approach for simulating rapid groundwater recharge via unsaturated‐zone preferential flow
Authors: Mirus Benjamin B. , Nimmo John R.
Published: February 2013

Key Points

Unsaturated preferential flow is generally underestimated

A simple model can simulate rapid water table fluctuations

The model provides useful flux estimates and requires limited data inputs
Making the distinction between water scarcity and drought using an observation‐modeling framework
Authors: Van Loon A. F. , Van Lanen H. A. J.
Published: February 2013

Key Points

Observation‐modeling framework is needed to discern water scarcity and drought.

Anomaly analysis on observed and naturalized time series allows quantification.

In a case study, water scarcity had a four times higher impact than drought.
A single amino acid determines position specificity of an Arabidopsis thaliana CCoAOMT‐like O‐methyltransferase
Authors: Wils Christopher Ralf , Brandt Wolfgang , Manke Kerstin , Vogt Thomas
Published: February 2013

Caffeoyl‐coenzyme A O‐methyltransferase (CCoAOMT)‐like proteins from plants display a conserved position specificity towards the meta‐position of aromatic vicinal dihydroxy groups, consistent with the methylation pattern observed in vivo. A CCoAOMT‐like enzyme identified from Arabidopsis thaliana encoded by the gene At4g26220 shows a strong preference for methylating the para position of flavanones and dihydroflavonols, whereas flavones and flavonols are methylated in the meta‐position. Sequence alignments and homology modelling identified several unique amino acids compared to motifs of other CCoAOMT‐like enzymes. Mutation of a single glycine, G46 towards a tyrosine was sufficient for a reversal of the unusual para‐ back to meta‐O‐methylation of flavanones and dihydroflavonols.
Presynaptic kainate receptor‐mediated facilitation of glutamate release involves Ca2+–calmodulin and PKA in cerebrocortical synaptosomes
Authors: Rodríguez-Moreno Antonio , Sihra Talvinder S.
Published: February 2013

We have explored the mechanisms involved in the facilitation of glutamate release mediated by the activation of kainate receptors (KARs) in the cortex using isolated nerve terminals (synaptosomes). Kainate (KA) produced an increase on glutamate release at 100 μM. The effect of KA was antagonized by NBQX (with AMPA receptors blocked by GYKI53655). This facilitation was suppressed by the inhibition of PKA activation by Rp‐Br‐cAMP and H‐89. Moreover, the facilitation of glutamate release mediated by KAR requires the mobilization of intrasynaptosomal Ca2+ stores and the formation of a Ca2+–calmodulin complex. We conclude that KARs present on presynaptic terminals in the neocortex mediate the facilitation of glutamate release through a mechanism involving an increase in cytosolic Ca2+ to activate a Ca2+–calmodulin–AC/cAMP/PKA signaling cascade.
Interactions between subunits a and b in the rotary ATP synthase as determined by cross‐linking
Authors: DeLeon-Rangel Jessica , Ishmukhametov Robert R. , Jiang Warren , Fillingame Robert H. , Vik Steven B.
Published: February 2013

The interaction of the membrane traversing stator subunits a and b of the rotary ATP synthase was probed by substitution of a single Cys into each subunit with subsequent Cu2+ catalyzed cross‐linking. Extensive interaction between the transmembrane (TM) region of one b subunit and TM2 of subunit a was indicated by cross‐linking with 6 Cys pairs introduced into these regions. Additional disulfide cross‐linking was observed between the N‐terminus of subunit b and the periplasmic loop connecting TM4 and TM5 of subunit a. Finally, benzophenone‐4‐maleimide derivatized Cys in the 2–3 periplasmic loop of subunit a were shown to cross‐link with the periplasmic N‐terminal region of subunit b. These experiments help to define the juxtaposition of subunits b and a in the ATP synthase.
Sex and Common-Sense: Maude Royden, Religion, and Modern Sexuality
Authors: Morgan Sue
Published: February 2013

This article explores the relationship between religion, sexuality, and modernity through a study of the important yet neglected text Sex and Common-Sense (1921) by the celebrated Anglican feminist preacher, pacifist, and campaigner for women's ordination, Maude Royden (1876–1956). It argues for the ongoing vitality of religious constructions of sexual identity in interwar Britain and the deeply symbiotic rather than oppositional relationship between Christian and secular (scientific) discourses during this period. Royden's engagement with the new sexological and psychological approaches to the self and sexuality is examined, as are her efforts to modernize religious understandings of sexuality through a more compassionate, progressive reading of women's capacity for sexual pleasure, marriage reform, divorce, birth control, and homosexuality. The centrality of her High Church incarnational theology to an understanding of sex as sacramental is also assessed. The article proposes that histories of sexuality and histories of religion have hitherto worked with differing chronologies of secularization that have had interesting implications not only for the recognition of religion's continued influence in shaping mainstream British sexual morality but also for the uneven and multifarious readings of modernity itself.
Strikers and the Right to Poor Relief in Late Victorian Britain: The Making of theMerthyr TydfilJudgment of 1900
Authors: Croll Andy
Published: February 2013

Did late Victorian strikers have a right to poor relief? Historians have suggested they did not. Scholars point out that nineteenth-century strikers rarely turned to the Poor Law for assistance, and when they did, during a colliers' strike in South Wales in 1898, Poor Law officials were taken to court by disgruntled coal companies. In the subsequent High Court ruling known as theMerthyr Tydfiljudgment of 1900, the Master of the Rolls decided that the policy of relieving the strikers had indeed been unlawful. However, it is argued in this article that the judgment has not been properly understood by historians. Contemporaries did not think it obvious that the giving of poor relief to strikers was illegal. On the contrary, in 1898, there was widespread agreement that Poor Law officials had no choice but to support destitute strikers; the Poor Lawdemandedthey relieve the men and their families, a point confirmed in an earlier High Court ruling in 1899. Thus, Poor Law scholars should view theMerthyrjudgment as a notable innovation in Poor Law policy. Labor historians should see the ruling as part of the employers' counteroffensive against the labor movement of the 1890s and 1900s.Merthyrcame out of the same febrile atmosphere that produced theTaff Valejudgment. That its true significance has been forgotten can largely be explained by the labor movement's unease at having a striker's right to poor relief confirmed in 1899. Respectable workers, union leaders averred, should not be supported out of the poor rates.
JEŚMANOWICZ’ CONJECTURE REVISITED
Authors: TANG MIN , YANG ZHI-JUAN
Published: February 2013

Let $a, b, c$ be relatively prime positive integers such that ${a}^{2} + {b}^{2} = {c}^{2} $. In 1956, Jeśmanowicz conjectured that for any positive integer $n$, the only solution of $\mathop{(an)}\nolimits ^{x} + \mathop{(bn)}\nolimits ^{y} = \mathop{(cn)}\nolimits ^{z} $ in positive integers is $(x, y, z)= (2, 2, 2)$. In this paper, we consider Jeśmanowicz’ conjecture for Pythagorean triples $(a, b, c)$ if $a= c- 2$ and $c$ is a Fermat prime. For example, we show that Jeśmanowicz’ conjecture is true for $(a, b, c)= (3, 4, 5)$, $(15, 8, 17)$, $(255, 32, 257)$, $(65535, 512, 65537)$.
Between Digestion and Desire: Genealogies of food in nationalist North India
Authors: BERGER RACHEL
Published: February 2013

This paper takes up the project of conceptualizing a new history of food in India through an exploration of conversations about food, digestion, desire, and embodiment that took place in Hindi-language publications in early-twentieth century North India. Through an exploration of cookbooks, guides to health and wellness, and food advertising spanning the 1920s to the 1940s, conversations about food preparation, consumption, and distribution come to be revealed as significant anchors of historical, political, economic, and cultural debates about the Indian nation in this period. The centrality of food to conversations that took up the reproduction and regeneration of the Hindu middle class helped to conceptualize an idealized Indian nation[A]. Subsequently, the focus on food advertising imagined the transformation of these citizens into consumers. Moving beyond the colonial fascination with native bodies and tropical constitutions, this paper demonstrates the ways in which the conversations that emerged out of a focus on food in popular culture did the work of envisioning new possibilities for post-colonial embodiment.
Lymphoedema: causes, prevention and management in older people
Authors: Piller Neil
Published: February 2013

The lymphatic system must have variation in tissue pressure to load it and to help flow. Being a low pressure system, external pressure must not be constantly high on any segment and there must be a pressure gradient along it. When the flow rate of lymph fails there can be compromised immunity, a tendency to deposit fat, fibrotic induration, and a vicious cycle of worsening of cellular and organ health often associated with recurrent infection.

As we age we become less active, lose muscle tone, and increase our weight, develop a higher percentage of body fat, and may have poor skin care and be prescribed medications which impact on lymphatic load. Combined with this, the tendency to immobility, limb dependency and periods of time when high external pressures exist in small superficial areas increase the risk of or contribute to lymphoedema through reducing lymphatic flow. Older people are more likely to have had more radical surgery and radiotherapy for cancer with more significant damage to their lymphatic systems, again adding to lymphoedema risk. Immobility, hypertension, venous disease, kidney and liver failure can lead to oedema, while thyroid dysfunction can cause myxedema, and genetic or metabolic issues can cause lipoedema, compounding the clinical problems.

A key point in good management is early identification and accurate diagnosis. Ideally, other issues that especially impact on lymphatic load should be managed prior to targeted and sequenced treatment for the swelling, with the aim being to improve patient comfort. Management can involve the patient, partner, family or carer as well as a range of health professionals to help reduce or maintain limb size, appearance and function as well as reduce symptoms of heaviness, tension and discomfort and a range of other issues that impact on quality of life and activities of living.
Hospital Ships Adrift? Part 1: A Systematic Literature Review Characterizing US Navy Hospital Ship Humanitarian and Disaster Response, 2004-2012
Authors: Licina Derek
Published: February 2013

Background

United States foreign policy is tied extensively to health initiatives, many related to the use of military assets. Despite substantial resource investment by the US Department of Defense (DoD) in hospital ship humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions, the impact of this investment is unclear.

Methods

A systematic literature review of both peer-reviewed and grey literature using eight databases representing the international community and multiple sectors was conducted. Data on the characteristics of missions directly related to US Navy hospital ship humanitarian assistance and disaster response from 2004-2012 were extracted and documented.

Results

Of the 1445 sources reviewed, a total of 43 publications met criteria for review. Six (13.9%) met empirical documentation criteria and 37 (86.0%) were considered nonempirical expert opinions and anecdotal accounts that were primarily descriptive in nature. Overall, disaster response accounted for 67.4% (29/43) and humanitarian assistance 25.6% (11/43). Public and private sector participants produced 79.0% (34/43) and 20.9% (9/43) of the publications respectively. Of private sector publications, 88.9% (8/9) focused on disaster response compared to 61.8% (21/34) from the public sector. Of all publications meeting inclusion criteria, 81.4% (35/43) focused on medical care, 9.3% (4/43) discussed partnerships, 4.7% (2/43) training, and 4.7% (2/43) medical ethics and strategic utilization. No primary author publications from the diplomatic, development, or participating host nations were identified. One (2.3%) of the 43 publications was from a partner nation participant.

Discussion

Without rigorous research methods yielding valid and reliable data-based information pertaining to Navy hospital ship mission impact, policy makers are left with anecdotal reports to influence their decision-making processes. This is inadequate considering the frequency of hospital ship deployments used as a foreign policy tool and the considerable funding that is involved in each mission. Future research efforts should study empirically the short- and long-term impacts of hospital ship missions in building regional and civil-military partnerships while meeting the humanitarian and disaster response needs of host nation populations.

LicinaD.Hospital ships adrift? Part 1: a systematic literature review characterizing US Navy hospital ship humanitarian and disaster response, 2004-2012.Prehosp Disaster Med.2013;28(3):1–10..
DICKENS'S LITTLE WOMEN; OR, CUTE AS THE DICKENS
Authors: Byler Lauren
Published: February 2013

Accounting for the prevalence of enmityin nineteenth-century Western culture, Peter Gay evinces some surprise at the tenacious grip of the meek upon their aggression, which appears to satisfy a basic necessity of life. Uriah Heep alone attests to the harmony between Charles Dickens's social imagination and Gay's critical assessment that the Victorians had cause to treat their self-effacing neighbors with as much caution as the bellicose. But what about the more resignedly “umble” and solemnly self-diminishing denizens of Dickens's fictional world: the good girls at the center of so many novels? Why do aggression and resentment seem less compatible with their humility than with Heep's? Because, I would suggest, they are little. Littleness is certainly an idealized quality of girls in Dickens's novels. In particular, Nell Trent and Amy Dorrit share the epithet “little” as an indication of their preciousness, physical smallness, modesty, and, most importantly, self-abnegation in service of others. As a number of critics have observed, this selflessness takes many forms, including starvation, over-work, and self-erasure. Such extremes of compassionate resolve and willful self-limitation, however, intimate the strictness of the nice girl and the difficulty of measuring up to her (as a) standard. Dickens himself set this bar – if not precisely high, at so low a level as to require painstaking self-contortion to pass under it – in an 1847 speech to the Mechanics’ Institution at Leeds where he described women as “those who are our best and dearest friends in infancy, in childhood, in manhood, and in old age, the most devoted and least selfish natures that we know on earth, who turn to us always constant and unchanged, when others turn away” (Fielding 83). This definition of the best feminine endowments recognizes no difference between girls and women, because the female half of the human population remains “constant and unchanged” in service of male needs. Although Dickens calls upon women to be the bigger person in a moral sense, for girls, growing up appears a matter of remaining little, selfless, “constant.” For good self-effacing Victorian girls like Little Nell and Little Dorrit, aggression thus is necessary because enforcing self-negation requires enormous will power, but also perhaps because aggression guards the last modicum of selfhood belonging to those for whom selflessness is socially prescribed.
Fine-Grain Episodic Memory Processes in Cognitive Control
Authors: Altmann Erik M.
Published: February 2013

Previous task-switching research raises a question concerning the role of episodic memory processes in cognitive control. The question is framed by the contrast between two procedures, explicit cuing and randomized runs, one of which presents a task cue perceptually on every trial and the other of which involves uncued trials. The present study compares performance across these procedures. Performance errors sensitive to errors in focusing on the correct task were higher under explicit-cuing conditions than under randomized-runs conditions, consistent with a high level of proactive interference from old task information. The results support an account in which control codes stored in episodic memory play an integral role in cognitive control, even under conditions in which all information needed for performance is perceptually available.
The Poincaré algebra in rank 3 simple Lie algebras
Authors: Douglas Andrew , de Guise Hubert , Repka Joe
Published: February 2013

We classify embeddings of the Poincaré algebra \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {p}(3,1)$\end{document}p(3,1) into the rank 3 simple Lie algebras. Up to inner automorphism, we show that there are exactly two embeddings of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {p}(3,1)$\end{document}p(3,1) into \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {sl}(4,\mathbb {C})$\end{document}sl(4,C), which are, however, related by an outer automorphism of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {sl}(4,\mathbb {C})$\end{document}sl(4,C). Next, we show that there is a unique embedding of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {p}(3,1)$\end{document}p(3,1) into \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {so}(7,\mathbb {C})$\end{document}so(7,C), up to inner automorphism, but no embeddings of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {p}(3,1)$\end{document}p(3,1) into \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {sp}(6,\mathbb {C})$\end{document}sp(6,C). All embeddings are explicitly described. As an application, we show that each irreducible highest weight module of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {sl}(4,\mathbb {C})$\end{document}sl(4,C) (not necessarily finite-dimensional) remains indecomposable when restricted to \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {p}(3,1)$\end{document}p(3,1), with respect to any embedding of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {p}(3,1)$\end{document}p(3,1) into \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathfrak {sl}(4,\mathbb {C})$\end{document}sl(4,C).
Specific surface area of overlapping spheres in the presence of obstructions
Authors: Jenkins D. R.
Published: February 2013

This study considers the random placement of uniform sized spheres, which may overlap, in the presence of another set of randomly placed (hard) spheres, which do not overlap. The overlapping spheres do not intersect the hard spheres. It is shown that the specific surface area of the collection of overlapping spheres is affected by the hard spheres, such that there is a minimum in the specific surface area as a function of the relative size of the two sets of spheres. The occurrence of the minimum is explained in terms of the break-up of pore connectivity. The configuration can be considered to be a simple model of the structure of a porous composite material. In particular, the overlapping particles represent voids while the hard particles represent fillers. Example materials are pervious concrete, metallurgical coke, ice cream, and polymer composites. We also show how the material properties of such composites are affected by the void structure.
On the interaction of shock waves and sound waves in transonic buffet flow
Authors: Hartmann A. , Feldhusen A. , Schröder W.
Published: February 2013

To support Lee's buffet mechanism model [B. H. K. Lee, “Self-sustained shock oscillations on airfoils at transonic speeds,” Prog. Aerosp. Sci. 37, 147–196 (2001)10.1016/S0376-0421(01)00003-3], the sound wave propagation in the flow field outside the separation of a transonic buffet flow at a Mach number M∞ = 0.73 and an angle of attack α = 3.5° over a DRA 2303 supercritical airfoil is determined using high-speed particle-image velocimetry. Furthermore, the shock wave is influenced by an artificial sound source which evidently changes the shock oscillation properties. The dominant buffet mechanism is shown to be a feedback loop between the shock position and the noise generation at the trailing edge of the airfoil. The sound wave propagation speed is detected by correlating the surface pressure signals and the velocity fluctuations in the flow field. The quantitative results for the natural and the artificial sound source convincingly coincide and are in good agreement with a reformulated version of Lee's buffet model.
Phase behaviour and the random phase approximation for ultrasoft restricted primitive models
Authors: Warren Patrick B. , Masters Andrew J.
Published: February 2013

Phase separation of the ultrasoft restricted primitive model (URPM) with Gaussian charges is re-investigated in the random phase approximation (RPA)—the “Level A” approximation discussed by Nikoubashman, Hansen, and Kahl [J. Chem. Phys. 137, 094905 (2012)10.1063/1.4748378]. We find that the RPA predicts a region of low temperature vapour-liquid coexistence, with a critical density much lower than that observed in either simulations or more refined approximations (we also remark that the RPA critical point for a related model with Bessel charges can be solved analytically). This observation suggests that the hierarchy of approximations introduced by Nikoubashman et al. should be analogous to those introduced by Fisher and Levin for the restricted primitive model [Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 3826 (1993)10.1103/PhysRevLett.71.3826], which makes the inability of these approximations to capture the observed URPM phase behaviour even more worthy of investigation.
Experimental evidence and modeling of two types of electron traps in Al2O3 for nonvolatile memory applications
Authors: Sambuco Salomone L. , Lipovetzky J. , Carbonetto S. H. , García Inza M. A. , Redin E. G. , Campabadal F. , Faigón A.
Published: February 2013

Al2O3-based dielectrics are currently considered as promising materials to use in nonvolatile memories. The electron trap density in this material is much higher than in conventional SiO2, being their characteristics critical for the application. Conventional capacitance-voltage (C-V) techniques were used to study the main effects of the electron traps on the electrical characteristics of MOS capacitors with atomic layer deposited Al2O3 as insulating layer. More detailed information about the trapping kinetics was obtained through the study of the constant capacitance voltage transient. Two different types of traps were found. One is responsible for the instabilities observed in C-V measurements, the other has characteristic trapping times three orders longer. A physical model is presented to explain the observed trapping kinetics exhibiting good agreement between experiments and simulations. The energy levels of the studied traps were determined at 2.2 and 2.6 eV below the Al2O3 conduction band, with densities of 2.9 × 1018 cm−3 and 1.6 × 1018 cm−3, respectively.
Extended X-ray absorption fine structure study of mixed-ligand copper(II) complexes having analogous structures
Authors: Gaur Abhijeet , Shrivastava B. D. , Srivastava Krishna , Prasad J.
Published: February 2013

X-ray absorption fine structure spectra have been studied at the Cu K-edge in five mixed-ligand copper(II) complexes, viz., [Cu(L-glu)(bipy)] 1, [Cu(L-glu)(phen) (H2O)]·3H2O 2, [Cu(L-tyro)(bipy)(ClO4)]·2H2O 3, [Cu(L-phen)(bipy)(H2O)] (ClO4) 4, and [Cu(L-tyro)(phen)(H2O)] (ClO4)·1·5H2O 5 (where L-glu = L-glutamate dianion, L-tyro = L-tyrosinate anion, bipy = 2,2′-bipyridine, and phen =1,10-phenanthroline), having essentially the same structure. The crystallographic data are available for all the complexes using which five theoretical models have been generated. Firstly, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data of each complex has been analyzed using its own theoretical model and the results obtained are found to be comparable with the crystallographic results. Then, the EXAFS data of each complex has been analyzed using the theoretical models of the remaining four of these complexes. For each complex, the structural parameters obtained by fitting EXAFS data with theoretical models of the four remaining complexes have been found to be comparable with those obtained by fitting its own theoretical model. Thus, it has been found that if the crystal structure is not available for a complex, then the crystal structure of similar or analogous complex can be used satisfactorily for generating the theoretical model for the EXAFS data analysis of that complex, even if different ligands are attached to the central metal atom. On the basis of EXAFS data analysis, the coordination geometries around the central metal ions in these complexes have been depicted.
Investigation of magnetic properties and microwave characteristics of obliquely sputtered NiFe/MnIr bilayers
Authors: Phuoc Nguyen N. , Tee Soh Wee , Chai Guozhi , Ong C. K.
Published: February 2013

A comprehensive investigation of the magnetic properties and high frequency characteristics of NiFe/MnIr bilayers with regards to oblique deposition angle was conducted in conjunction with an analysis based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. It was found that exchange bias can be significantly enhanced with the variation of oblique deposition angle, which is interpreted in terms of the formation of inclined columnar structure of the films often observed in samples fabricated by this oblique deposition technique. Moreover, the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy field and the resonance frequency are increased with the increasing of oblique deposition angle. The variations of effective Gilbert damping factor and the frequency linewidth with oblique deposition angle are also presented and discussed in details.
Green to blue polarization compensated c-axis oriented multi-quantum wells by AlGaInN barrier layers
Authors: Dadgar A. , Groh L. , Metzner S. , Neugebauer S. , Bläsing J. , Hempel T. , Bertram F. , Christen J. , Krost A. , Andreev Z. , Witzigmann B.
Published: February 2013

We report on an over 50% reduction in polarization field strength in c-axis oriented InGaN multi-quantum wells (MQW) by applying quaternary AlGaInN barrier layers with better polarization matching to InGaN than GaN barriers. With the reduction in polarization fields, a strong blue-shift in photoluminescence is observed in agreement with theoretical expectation and simulations. By gracing incidence x-ray diffraction measurements, we demonstrate that partial relaxation already occurs for GaN/InGaN MQWs. As a consequence, the requirement of higher In-content layers for green light emission is in conflict with increasing strain leading to lattice relaxation.
Mainstreaming Climate Policy: The Case of Climate Adaptation and the Implementation of EU Water Policy
Authors: Brouwer Stijn , Rayner Tim , Huitema Dave
Published: February 2013

Despite the fact that mainstreaming of climate change into existing EU sectoral policies is a key aim, empirical knowledge of how it works in practice remains scarce. With this paper we explore the degree to which climate considerations are taken into account in the implementation of one of the most influential pieces of European water legislation, the Water Framework Directive and, more importantly, we assess possible explanations for the geographical variability in levels of mainstreaming observed. Our empirical research is based on an analysis of both EU and local policy documents, as well as more than forty in-depth interviews, and shows that, for various reasons, the degree of mainstreaming that has taken place differs widely. We conclude that timely incentives and clear guidance will be necessary to ensure progress is made by all, but that a residual fear that the adaptation agenda is open to abuse by those seeking to rationalise failures to fully implement the Water Framework Directive has put a brake on the mainstreaming agenda.
Recognizing Degraded Faces: The Contribution of Configural and Featural Cues
Authors: Gilad-Gutnick Sharon , Yovel Galit , Sinha Pawan
Published: February 2013

Human face-recognition processes must maintain high levels of performance under different viewing conditions. An important dimension of variability is image resolution, which is affected by distance, refractive errors, and light levels. Here, we investigate how changes in resolution modulate the visual-system's ability to detect featural versus configural changes in face images. It has been suggested that at lower spatial frequencies the visual system relies predominantly on configural information, yet, to our knowledge, no experiments have systematically examined this idea. We determined subjects' relative sensitivities to configural and featural changes for systematically degraded images. We show that overall configuration and local features are processed equally well at the different resolution levels, supporting the idea of a holistic face-representation that encompasses both feature shape information and information about the distance between the features. These data have also enabled us to derive lower bounds for the resolution needed to effectively use each type of information. Our data are replicated with a completely different face stimulus set, but are not replicated when subjects were shown houses instead of faces. Overall, these results suggest that at lower spatial frequencies, facial representations embody both configural and featural attributes equally, and provide a platform for investigating the essence of holistic facial representations for low-resolution images.
Aesthetic Issues in Spatial Composition: Representational Fit and the Role of Semantic Context
Authors: Sammartino Jonathan , Palmer Stephen E
Published: February 2013

Previous research on aesthetic preference for spatial compositions has shown robust, systematic preferences for object locations within frames and for object perspectives. In the present experiment, we show that these preferences can be dramatically altered by changing the contextual meaning of an image through pairing it with different titles, as predicted by a theoretical account in terms of “representational fit”. People prefer standard (default) compositions with a neutral title that merely describes the content of the picture (eg side-view of a plane with the title “Flying”) but nonstandard compositions when they “fit” a title with compatible spatial implications (eg rear-view of a plane with the title “Departing”). The results are discussed in terms of their implications for theories based on representational fit versus perceptual and conceptual fluency and with their implications for classic aesthetic accounts in terms of preference for novelty through violating expectations.
Alligator or Squirrel: Musically Induced Fear Reveals Threat in Ambiguous Figures
Authors: Prinz Jesse , Seidel Angelika
Published: February 2013

Extant evidence has shown that fear can influence what we see. Fear can exaggerate threatening visual features or make them more salient. Here we show that fear can alter the meaning of what is seen. Three newly devised ambiguous figures that can be seen as benign or dangerous objects were presented for brief intervals. The majority of participants reported perceiving benign objects in a neutral control condition and in a condition in which happiness was induced; but, when fear was induced, the majority reported seeing dangerous objects. This suggests that fear can alter the meaning attributed to a visually perceived stimulus. In this study happiness and fear were induced using instrumental music, so the findings also suggest that sound can influence vision by influencing emotions.
Genetics and breeding.
Authors: Lahav E. , Lavi U.
Published: February 2013

This chapter focuses on the various breeding methods used for avocado improvement. The role of molecular biology, genomics and other aspects of biotechnology in providing new approaches and potential for avocado breeding is also discussed.
Reproductive biology.
Authors: Salazar-García S. , Garner L. C. , Lovatt C. J.
Published: February 2013

This chapter focuses on the floral development, fruit development and avocado tree phenology under various climatic conditions. The importance of increasing flowering, fruit set, yield and mitigating irregular bearing to increase fruit production is also discussed.
Propagation.
Authors: Ernst A. A. , Whiley A. W. , Bender G. S.
Published: February 2013

This chapter presents the various techniques used in avocado macropropagation. The more common procedures currently being used for production of nursery trees and field grafting (top-working) are also described.
Irrigation and mineral nutrition.
Authors: Lahav E. , Whiley A. W. , Turner D. W.
Published: February 2013

This chapter focuses on water and nitrogen, 2 important components of avocado production that growers have dealt with for centuries. The role played by nutrients in the growth of trees and the production and quality of fruit is also discussed.
Mindfulness and integrative self‐knowledge: Relationships with health‐related variables
Authors: Ghasemipour Yadollah , Robinson Julie Ann , Ghorbani Nima
Published: February 2013

This study examined how mindfulness and integrative self‐knowledge were related to health‐related issues. Men in general population (n = 103) and coronary heart disease samples (n = 101) completed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, the Integrative Self‐knowledge Scale, the Type 2 subscale of the Interpersonal Reactions Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Anxiety and Depression Scales. In both samples, there was a moderate positive correlation between mindfulness and integrative self‐knowledge and they were negatively correlated with all health‐related variables. However, only integrative self‐knowledge explained independent variance in health‐related variables. Specifically, in both samples, the relationship between mindfulness and health‐related variables was mediated by integrative self‐knowledge. Mindfulness and integrative self‐knowledge are related domains of self‐awareness that are associated with a range of health‐related variables. These relationships are robust across samples drawn from general population and patients with coronary heart disease. The finding that integrative self‐knowledge explained additional variance in the health‐related variables after the contribution of mindfulness had been accounted for suggests that reflective self‐awareness in integrative self‐knowledge may make a unique contribution to the explanation of individual differences in health variables.
Hybridity in Peacebuilding and Development: An Introduction
Authors: Mac Ginty Roger , Sanghera Gurchathen
Published: February 2013

In recent years, the peacebuilding and development fields have witnessed an upsurge of interest in the concept and practice of hybridity (Boege et. al 2009; Hoglund and Orjuela 2012). This special issue seeks to provide a state-of-the-art account of the utility of the concept, with case studies illustrating how hybridity can be used as a lens through which to understand peacebuilding and development contexts.
A Conceptual Unpacking of Hybridity: Accounting for Notions of Power, Politics and Progress in Analyses of Aid-Driven Interfaces
Authors: Peterson Jenny H.
Published: February 2013

The concept of hybridity is increasingly employed as an analytical tool to explore the varieties and outcomes of externally led interventions, and in some cases is portrayed as a desirable political project that could stimulate alternative and counter hegemonic programming. This article critically explores this trend in peace and development studies by examining some of the tenets and critiques of the concept of hybridity with the aim of furthering its development as a useful conceptual tool. It also explores the underlying normative implications and rhetoric that underpin some of the work on hybridity in these fields. In doing so, it offers a set of queries that could be used to explore practices, impacts and potential alternatives in peace and development programming.
The Impact of a Massachusetts State-Sponsored Educational Program on Antimicrobial Stewardship in Acute Care Hospitals
Authors: Weston Adam , Epstein Lauren , Davidson Lisa E. , DeMaria Alfred , Doron Shira
Published: February 2013

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are critically important for combating the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Despite this, there are no regulatory requirements at a national level, which makes initiatives at the state level critical. The objectives of this study were to identify existing antimicrobial stewardship practices, characterize barriers to antimicrobial stewardship implementation in acute care hospitals throughout Massachusetts, and evaluate the impact on these hospitals of a state-sponsored educational conference on antimicrobial stewardship.

In September 2011, a state-sponsored educational program entitled “Building Stewardship: A Team Approach Enhancing Antibiotic Stewardship in Acute Care Hospitals” was offered to interested practitioners from throughout the state. The program consisted of 2 audio conferences, reading materials, and a 1-day conference consisting of lectures focusing on the importance of ASPs, strategies for implementation, improvement strategies for existing programs, and panel discussions highlighting successful practices. Smaller breakout sessions focused on operational issues, including understanding of pharmacodynamics, business models, and electronic surveillance.
Accuracy of Hospital Discharge Coding Data for the Surveillance of Drain-Related Meningitis
Authors: van Mourik Maaike S. M. , Troelstra Annet , Moons Karel G. M. , Bonten Marc J. M.
Published: February 2013

Surveillance of healthcare-associated infections is labor intensive and complex. Discharge coding is an accessible source of information that may support detection of cases. For drain-related meningitis, however, discharge coding data had low sensitivity (32%) and positive predictive value (35%) and could neither replace nor improve existing complex surveillance systems.
Identification of a novel type 2 innate immunocyte with the ability to enhance IgE production
Authors: Fukuoka Ayumi , Futatsugi-Yumikura Shizue , Takahashi Suzuka , Kazama Hirotaka , Iyoda Tomonori , Yoshimoto Tomohiro , Inaba Kayo , Nakanishi Kenji , Yonehara Shin
Published: February 2013

Fas (CD95), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, mediates apoptosis-inducing signals in its expressing cells, especially in self-reactive cells. We recently reported that Fas−/− mice with a BALB/c background (BALB/c Fas−/− mice) developed blepharitis with allergic inflammation that was accompanied by hyper-IgE production. Here, we found a novel type of immunocyte in the spleen of BALB/c Fas−/− mice, which enhanced the production of IgE by B cells in the presence of IL-4 and CD40 signaling in vitro. The immunocyte did not express lineage markers but expressed Thy-1 and Sca-1 just like recently identified type 2 innate lymphoid cells, such as natural helper (NH) cells and nuocytes. However, they did not express c-Kit, IL-7R and IL-33R (T1/ST2), important markers of type 2 innate lymphoid cells. Instead, our identified Lin−Thy-1+Sca-1+ cells expressed IL-18R and secreted Th2 cytokines when co-cultured with B cells or when stimulated with IL-18 and IL-2. Moreover, we found essentially the same type of cells in BALB/c wild-type mice as in BALB/c Fas−/− mice, which enhanced IgE production in contact with B cells in vitro. These cells from BALB/c wild-type mice expressed Fas and were sensitive to Fas-mediated apoptosis. Collectively, the newly identified Lin−Thy-1+Sca-1+ cell, which we designated a F-NH cell (Fas-expressing natural helper cell), is a novel type 2 innate immunocyte with activity to enhance IgE production from B cells with the help of IL-4 and CD40 signaling. F-NH cells may play an important role in the development of chronic allergic inflammation.
Benchmarking Indian general insurance firms
Authors: Srivastava Samir K. , Ray Avishek
Published: February 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to benchmark the solvency status of Indian general insurance firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper collects, compiles and analyses the key financial, operational and business data of eight Indian insurance firms. The authors first decide on initial firm‐specific economic variables and use data of last five years from IRDA Reports and Company Annual Reports. The NAIC IRIS ratios method was used to obtain an initial risk classification. This was used as a proxy of insolvency risk. Linear regression and logit techniques were thereafter applied to estimate the significant factors (direction‐wise and magnitude‐wise) which influence insurer solvency.

Findings

The results suggest that the factors that most significantly influence Indian non‐life insurers are lines of business, the firm's market share, the premium growth rate, the underwriting performance and the claims incurred. Further, the factors which have the strongest effect are market share, change in inflation rate, firm size, lines of business and claims incurred.

Research limitations/implications

The sample of Indian general insurers used is limited with regard to the time span. No holdout sample was used and the entire data set was subjected to statistical analysis. These somewhat limit the findings and implications.

Practical implications

The paper provides insurers with easy‐to‐use operational and marketing indicators to benchmark their solvency risk. It will lead to competitive goal setting for continuous improvement. Estimation of appropriate market/economic parameters can be a useful input for regulators. A few suggested indicators are new.

Originality/value

Previous studies of insurance companies have focused on developed economies (USA, Europe) or the Asian Markets (China and Japan). This paper determines a set of marketing, financial and operational variables to predict benchmark financial strength of general insurance firms in India. It incorporates qualitative inputs from practising managers and industry experts before carrying out quantitative modeling and analysis.