bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intermediate band in the gap of photosensitive hybrid gel based on titanium oxide: role of coordinated ligands during photoreduction
Authors: Cottineau Thomas , Rouet Annabelle , Fernandez Vincent , Brohan Luc , Richard-Plouet Mireille
Published: June 2014

UV induced Intermediate band appearance in a new hybrid organic–inorganic TiOx based material is studied by XPS and UV-visible spectroscopy.
Fluorographenes via thermal exfoliation of graphite oxide in SF6, SF4 and MoF6 atmospheres
Authors: Poh Hwee Ling , Sofer Zdeněk , Klímová Kateřina , Pumera Martin
Published: June 2014

Functionalization of graphene with heteroatoms is of paramount interest.
Flexible photodetectors with single-crystalline GaTe nanowires
Authors: Yu Gang , Liu Zhe , Xie Xuming , Ouyang Xia , Shen Guozhen
Published: June 2014

Single-crystalline GaTe nanowires were synthesized for the first time, which are used to fabricate flexible photodetectors with high responsivity and external quantum efficiency.
A transformerless modular step‐up dc–dc converter for high power applications
Authors: Filsoof Kia , Hagar Abdelrahman A. , Lehn Peter W.
Published: June 2014

This study presents a new step‐up dc–dc converter topology suitable for medium voltage, megawatt scale applications. The proposed converter interconnects unipolar or bipolar dc networks using a single inductor and a modular active switching network. The active switching network contains multiple series‐connected identical converter modules. Each module consists of four switches and one capacitor. The modular nature of the switching network allows scalable implementation of the converter, and utilisation of low‐voltage switches and capacitors. The proposed converter avoids the use of medium‐frequency isolation transformers. Soft switching is utilised to reduce the converter's switching losses. An analytical model of the converter is developed to facilitate converter design. Theoretical predictions are supported by a 7.6 kW scaled laboratory prototype achieving an efficiency of as high as 93.2%.
Helping all generations of photo‐voltaic inverters ride‐through voltage sags
Authors: Roldán‐Pérez Javier , García‐Cerrada Aurelio , Zamora‐Macho Juan Luis , Ochoa‐Giménez Miguel
Published: June 2014

The late Spanish grid code established that, to avoid island operation, renewable power sources have to be disconnected from the grid in the case of a voltage sag. This would threaten the system stability in case of massive penetration of renewable sources and motivated a recent revision of the code. The new code establishes strict ratios between active and reactive currents during the sag and requests that the plant must quickly resume its normal operation, when the voltage sag ends. Existing installations are also affected if they want to enjoy the premiums associated with renewable generation. When full upgrading of existing installations is not practical, this study proposes a plug‐in shunt‐connected power electronics device to help solar plants comply with the new grid code, without modifying the solar inverters. The device and its control algorithm are explained in this study and experimental results using photo‐voltaic inverters without low‐voltage ride‐through capability are presented. Solar inverters remain unaware of the voltage sag and they can be led quickly and smoothly back into the grid when the sag is over.
Magnetic transitions and electrical transport in Bi-doped lanthanum strontium manganites
Authors: Ahmed A. M. , Mohamed H. F. , Šoka Martin
Published: June 2014

The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity ρ, thermoelectric power S and the magnetic susceptibility χ of La0.7–xBixSr0.3MnO3 (x = 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15 at. %) manganites were investigated. La0.7–xBixSr0.3MnO3 crystallizes in a single phase rhombohedral structure with parasitic phase inclusions. With increasing Bi concentration, a systematic decrease in the ferromagnetic transition temperature (Tc), the metal-semiconducting transition temperature (Tms1) and also the values of activation energies Eρ and ES from ρ(T) and S(T) were observed. On the other hand, in the high-temperature (T > Tms) paramagnetic semiconductor regime, the adiabatic small polaron hopping model fit well, thereby indicating that polaron hopping might be responsible for the conduction mechanism. In addition, the thermoelectric power data at low temperatures were analyzed by considering both the magnon and the phonon drag concept, while the high-temperature data were confirmed a small polaron hopping conduction mechanism.
Oscillations of critical superconducting current in thin doubly-connected Sn films in an external perpendicular magnetic field
Authors: Sivakov A. G. , Pokhila A. S. , Glukhov A. M. , Kuplevakhsky S. V. , Omelyanchouk A. N.
Published: June 2014

We report the results of experimental and theoretical studies of critical current oscillations in thin doubly-connected Sn films in an external perpendicular magnetic field. The experiments were performed on samples that consisted of two wide electrodes joined together by two narrow channels. The length of the channels l satisfied the condition l ≫ ξ (ξ is the Ginzburg–Landau coherence length). At temperatures close to the critical temperature Tc, the dependence of the critical current Ic on average external magnetic flux Φ¯e has the form of a piecewise linear function, periodic with respect to the flux quantum Φ0. The amplitude of the Ic oscillation at a given temperature is proportional to the factor ξ/l. Moreover, the dependence Ic=Ic(Φ¯e) is found to be multivalued, hence indicating the presence of metastable states. Based on the Ginzburg–Landau approximation, a theory was constructed that explains the above features of the oscillation phenomenon taking a perfectly symmetric system as an example. Further, the experiments displayed the effects related to the critical currents imbalance between the superconducting channels, i.e., shift of the maxima of the dependence Ic=Ic(Φ¯e) accompanied by an asymmetry with respect to the transport current direction.
Nonequilibrium critical behavior of highly disordered magnets with long-range defect correlation
Authors: Prudnikov P. V. , Medvedeva M. A.
Published: June 2014

Monte-Carlo methods are used to study the nonequilibrium crystalline behavior of disordered magnets described by a three-dimensional Heisenberg model with extended structural defects. The critical temperature and critical indices are calculated: z = 3.529(125), ν = 0.821(14), β = 0.777(53), and ω = 0.882(49). It is shown that Heisenberg magnets with strong disorder and long-range defect correlations form a distinct universality class. A high concentration of structural defects with long-range correlation is found to cause significant slowing down of the critical relaxation dynamics. A study is made of the effects of aging on the nonequilibrium behavior of highly disordered magnets.
Ground and excited state infrared spectroscopy of jet-cooled radicals: Exploring the photophysics of trihydronaphthyl and inden-2-ylmethyl
Authors: Kidwell Nathanael M. , Mehta-Hurt Deepali N. , Korn Joseph A. , Sibert Edwin L. , Zwier Timothy S.
Published: June 2014

The alkyl and aromatic CH stretch infrared spectra of inden-2-ylmethyl (I2M, C10H9) and trihydronaphthyl (THN, C10H11) radicals have been recorded under jet-cooled conditions in the ground (D0) and first electronically excited (D1) states using resonant ion-dip infrared (RIDIR) spectroscopy. Previously, the vibronic spectroscopy of a series of C10H9 and C10H11 hydronaphthyl radicals were investigated and their thermochemical properties were evaluated with isomer specificity [J. A. Sebree et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 11, 6255–6262 (2010)]. We show here that one of the m/z 129 spectral carriers characterized in that work was misidentified as 2-hydronaphthyl (2-HN) radical, appearing in a discharge of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene in close proximity to 1-hydronaphthyl radical. The D0-RIDIR spectrum in the alkyl CH stretch region positively identifies the m/z 129 isomer as I2M, whose two-color resonant two-photon ionization (2C-R2PI) spectrum was recently reported by Schmidt and co-workers [T. P. Troy et al., Chem. Sci. 2, 1755–1765 (2011)]. Here, we further characterize the I2M and THN radicals by recording their gas phase IR spectra in the alkyl and aromatic CH stretch regions, and explore the spectroscopic consequences of electronic excitation on the CH stretch absorptions. A local-mode CH stretch Hamiltonian incorporating cubic stretch-bend coupling between anharmonic CH stretches and CH2 scissor modes is utilized to describe their Fermi resonance interactions. Excellent agreement between the experimental and theoretical results facilitates the interpretation of the D0- and D1-state RIDIR spectra of I2M, revealing that upon excitation the alkyl CH stretches decrease in frequency by 70 cm−1, while the allyl-like CH stretches experience a modest blueshift. In comparison, the photophysics of THN are strikingly different in that the IR transitions that possess vibrational motion along the CβH and CδH bonds are absent in the D1-RIDIR spectrum yet are predicted to be present from the theoretical model. Several hypotheses are considered to account for the perturbations to these vibrations.
Cationic constraint effects in metaphosphate glasses
Authors: Rodrigues Bruno P. , Wondraczek Lothar
Published: June 2014

Temperature-dependent bond constraint theory (BCT) relies on counting the number of atomic degrees of freedom for a given topology of a glass network. It has been proven useful as a simplistic approach towards the prediction of glass properties. However, it breaks down at the inclusion of ionic bonds and is therefore presently unable to distinguish the effects of varying cationic species with predominantly ionic bonding. Here, we consider the treatment of modifier ions in the scope of BCT. Using the example of metaphosphate glasses with a broad range of modifier cation species, we find that the theory fails to predict the glass properties because of the specific contribution of each modifier species to the rigidity of the glass network. We therefore introduce the concept of constraint strength, which is a simplistic measure of how strongly the modifiers are bound to the surrounding oxygens through columbic forces.
Mixtures of protic ionic liquids and molecular cosolvents: A molecular dynamics simulation
Authors: Docampo-Álvarez Borja , Gómez-González Víctor , Méndez-Morales Trinidad , Carrete Jesús , Rodríguez Julio R. , Cabeza Óscar , Gallego Luis J. , Varela Luis M.
Published: June 2014

In this work, the effect of molecular cosolvents (water, ethanol, and methanol) on the structure of mixtures of these compounds with a protic ionic liquid (ethylammonium nitrate) is analyzed by means of classical molecular dynamics simulations. Included are as-yet-unreported measurements of the densities of these mixtures, used to test our parameterized potential. The evolution of the structure of the mixtures throughout the concentration range is reported by means of the calculation of coordination numbers and the fraction of hydrogen bonds in the system, together with radial and spatial distribution functions for the various molecular species and molecular ions in the mixture. The overall picture indicates a homogeneous mixing process of added cosolvent molecules, which progressively accommodate themselves in the network of hydrogen bonds of the protic ionic liquid, contrarily to what has been reported for their aprotic counterparts. Moreover, no water clustering similar to that in aprotic mixtures is detected in protic aqueous mixtures, but a somehow abrupt replacing of [NO3]− anions in the first hydration shell of the polar heads of the ionic liquid cations is registered around 60% water molar concentration. The spatial distribution functions of water and alcohols differ in the coordination type, since water coordinates with [NO3]− in a bidentate fashion in the equatorial plane of the anion, while alcohols do it in a monodentate fashion, competing for the oxygen atoms of the anion. Finally, the collision times of the different cosolvent molecules are also reported by calculating their velocity autocorrelation functions, and a caging effect is observed for water molecules but not in alcohol mixtures.
The effect of structural parameters on the in-plane coupling between quantum dashes of a dense ensemble in the InAs-InP material system
Authors: Ryczko K. , Sęk G. , Misiewicz J.
Published: June 2014

In this work, we investigate the importance of lateral electronic coupling in a dense ensemble of anisotropic epitaxial nanostructures called quantum dashes. The respective confined state energy levels and the related tunneling times between two neighboring nanostructures are calculated using a simplified approach with parabolic effective masses in a single band k·p approximation, and assuming infinite size of the quantum dashes in the elongation direction. There has been studied the influence of the cross-sectional dimensions of the dashes, their lateral separation and the barrier material. Eventually, the impact of the inhomogeneity within the ensemble of nanostructures has been discussed. For the presented calculations the InAs dashes on InP substrate have been chosen as a model system because of the high areal density and strong in-plane anisotropy obtained typically in the self-assembled growth by molecular beam epitaxy.
Evidence for broken ergodicity due to chemical alloying from the dissociation kinetics of binary clusters
Authors: Calvo F. , Yurtsever E.
Published: June 2014

The interplay between thermal relaxation and statistical dissociation in binary Morse clusters (AB)N has been investigated using numerical simulations and simple statistical approaches, for a variety of interaction parameters covering miscible and non-miscible regimes. While all clusters exhibit a core/shell phase separation pattern in their most stable, T = 0 structure, different melting mechanisms are identified depending on the ranges and their mismatch, including two-step melting of the surface and the core or premelting as alloying. The preference for emitting A or B particles upon evaporation has been evaluated assuming that the cluster is either thermally equilibrated or vibrationally excited in its ground state structure, and compared to the predictions of the Weisskopf theory. The variations of the dissociation rate constants with increasing energy and the branching ratio between the two channels show significant differences in both cases, especially when the clusters are miscible and bound by short-range forces, which indicates that the time scale for evaporation is much shorter than the equilibration time. Our results suggest that dissociation properties could be used to test the ergodic hypothesis in such compounds.
Synthesis and hydrophilic properties of Mo doped TiO2 thin films
Authors: Mardare Diana , Cornei Nicoleta , Luca Dumitru , Dobromir Marius , Irimiciuc Ştefan A. , Pungă Luciana , Pui Aurel , Adomniţei Cătălin
Published: June 2014

Amorphous undoped TiO2 and Mo-doped TiO2 thin films were obtained by spray pyrolysis. By heat treatment, they became polycrystalline consisting in anatase, or mixed anatase/rutile phases, if deposited on glass or silicon, respectively. Mo enters in the TiO2 matrix as Mo5+, determining a slight red shift of the absorption edge. Based on Fourier transmission infrared analysis, performed on the studied films, before and after irradiation, providing information on the relationship between hydrophilicity and the amount of the adsorbed hydroxyl groups, we certify once again that the anatase phase (present in proportion of 100% in the films deposited on glass) is superior concerning the hydrophilic properties. Mo enhances wettability for the films deposited on silicon, compared to the undoped one, even if determines a rise in the rutile weight percentage, as a combined effect with the substrate nature. The decomposition of the oleic acid confirms that titania films with higher hydrophilic performances are also good photocatalysts, confirming in fact that investigating the hydrophilic properties of these films constitutes a much simpler way to obtain information on their photocatalytic activity.
In situ manufacture of magnetic tunnel junctions by a direct-write process
Authors: Costanzi Barry N. , Riazanova Anastasia V. , Dan Dahlberg E. , Belova Lyubov M.
Published: June 2014

In situ construction of Co/SiO2/Co magnetic tunnel junctions using direct-write electron-beam-induced deposition is described. Proof-of-concept devices were built layer by layer depositing the specific components one at a time, allowing device manufacture using a strictly additive process. The devices exhibit a magnetic tunneling signature which agrees qualitatively with the Slonczewski model of magnetic tunneling.
Effect of the crossing-structure sequence on mixing performance within three-dimensional micromixers
Authors: Feng Xiangsong , Ren Yukun , Jiang Hongyuan
Published: June 2014

The geometry of crossing structure formed by two-layer microchannels determines the axial and transverse movements of contact interface between two liquid streams, which gives us a new method for promoting the micromixers. Hence, we designed four different three-dimensional micromixers by selecting two different crossing structures as basic units (one unit is a crossing structure called “X” and the other is a reversed crossing structure called “rX”). In order to find out how the crossing-structure sequence affects the mixing performance within three-dimensional micromixers, we organized these four mixers in different ways, i.e., the first combination is X-rX-X-rX-…, the second is X-rX-rX-X-…, the third is X-X-rX-X-…, and the last one is X-X-X-X…. Consequently, quite distinct mixing phenomena are engendered. Furthermore, experiments were also conducted using the first and the last models to verify the simulation results. We infer that the last mixer is more likely to trigger chaos and convection by rotating the contact surface than the first one that merely swings the surface even when the flow rates and viscosities of the two liquid streams are increased.
Quantifying photovoltaic power variability using Lorenz curve
Authors: Das Abhik Kumar
Published: June 2014

Short-term variability of utility-scale solar PhotoVoltaic (PV) plant is a significant issue for grid reliability. It is necessary to quantify the solar power variability in order to analyze the power variations on the electricity distribution network. In this paper, a Lorenz curve-based method is described to quantify the variability of power output from a megawatt-scale solar PV plant. The proposed method is used to analyze the power variability of Yelesandra PV power plant located in the state of Karnataka, India.
Nice Save: The Moral Economies of Recycling in England and Sweden
Authors: Wheeler Kathryn
Published: June 2014

My aim in this paper is to develop the concept of moral economy by exploring how moral principles intertwine and interact with forms of economic organisation. Through applying a holistic moral-economy framework, this paper explores institutional variations in the moral economies of recycling, paying attention to those lay normativities that shape consumers' everyday interactions with their waste. The starting point for this paper comes from the observation that moral messages used to promote recycling differ between Sweden and England. In Sweden the protection and stewardship of the natural environment are key tropes, whereas in England recycling is promoted as an action that saves the environment and public money. I show that the content of these moral messages is closely related to the system of recycling provision within a country, together shaping nationally distinct moral economies of recycling.
Steeper declines in forest photosynthesis than respiration explain age-driven decreases in forest growth
Authors: Tang Jianwu , Luyssaert Sebastiaan , Richardson Andrew D. , Kutsch Werner , Janssens Ivan A.
Published: June 2014

Significance

Advancing our understanding of how and why forests dynamically change in their productivity is important to predict the future change. The traditional view of forest dynamics originated by Kira, Shidei, and Odum suggests a decline in net primary productivity [or gross primary productivity (GPP) − autotrophic respiration (R
a
)] in aging forests due to stabilized GPP and continuously increased R
a
. We found that, in contrast to the traditional view, both GPP and R
a
decline in aging forests while GPP decreases more rapidly than R
a
does, and thus generalize the alternative hypothesis initiated by Ryan and colleagues with a large dataset. We presented a new quantitative model to describe forest dynamics that can be incorporated into ecosystem models.
Slow slip and the transition from fast to slow fronts in the rupture of frictional interfaces
Authors: Trømborg Jørgen Kjoshagen , Sveinsson Henrik Andersen , Scheibert Julien , Thøgersen Kjetil , Amundsen David Skålid , Malthe-Sørenssen Anders
Published: June 2014

Significance

Relative motion between solids in frictional contact is known to start progressively, with a slipping zone growing along the interface. The propagation of the front separating the stuck and slipping zones is usually very fast, but it can also slow down considerably. This transition is not yet understood. Using a multiscale model, we demonstrate how the transition to slow fronts is the direct consequence of slow slip motion at the interface, and that slow fronts are qualitatively different from faster fronts. Because the transition to slow fronts is enabled by slow slip, we expect that it can occur in the wide range of systems in which slow slip has been reported, from engineering to seismology.
Antarctic sea ice control on ocean circulation in present and glacial climates
Authors: Ferrari Raffaele , Jansen Malte F. , Adkins Jess F. , Burke Andrea , Stewart Andrew L. , Thompson Andrew F.
Published: June 2014

Significance

The ocean’s role in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide on glacial–interglacial timescales remains an unresolved issue in paleoclimatology. Many apparently independent changes in ocean physics, chemistry, and biology need to be invoked to explain the full signal. Recent understanding of the deep ocean circulation and stratification is used to demonstrate that the major changes invoked in ocean physics are dynamically linked. In particular, the expansion of permanent sea ice in the Southern Hemisphere results in a volume increase of Antarctic-origin abyssal waters and a reduction in mixing between abyssal waters of Arctic and Antarctic origin.
Single-cell nucleosome mapping reveals the molecular basis of gene expression heterogeneity
Authors: Small Eliza C. , Xi Liqun , Wang Ji-Ping , Widom Jonathan , Licht Jonathan D.
Published: June 2014

Significance

Nucleosomes limit access to DNA, which antagonizes gene expression and prevents recruitment of transcription factors that cannot bind DNA wrapped around the histone octamer. Numerous studies using large cell populations determined that active genes promoters tend to be nucleosome-depleted. We developed a method to examine nucleosome positioning in single cells and revealed significant heterogeneity of nucleosome configurations within a population. In an inactive gene loaded with nucleosomes, a small subpopulation of nucleosome-depleted cells exists that were engaged in transcription. Single-cell mapping revealed that even in apparently nucleosome-free regions, some cells were occupied by nucleosomes. These data reveal an underlying complexity of nucleosome positioning and its role in regulating gene expression.
Coupled counterrotating polariton condensates in optically defined annular potentials
Authors: Dreismann Alexander , Cristofolini Peter , Balili Ryan , Christmann Gabriel , Pinsker Florian , Berloff Natasha G. , Hatzopoulos Zacharias , Savvidis Pavlos G. , Baumberg Jeremy J.
Published: June 2014

Significance

Collections of bosons can condense into superfluids, but only at extremely low temperatures and in complicated experimental setups. By creating new types of bosons that are coupled mixtures of optical and electronic states, condensates can be created on a semiconductor chip and potentially up to room temperature. One of the most useful implementations of macroscopic condensates involves forming rings, which exhibit new phenomena because the quantum wavefunctions must join up in phase; these are used for some of the most sensitive magnetometer and accelerometer devices known. We show experimentally how patterns of light shone on semiconductor chips can directly produce ring condensates of unusual stability, which can be precisely controlled by optical means.
Single-particle EM reveals plasticity of interactions between the adenovirus penton base and integrin α
V
β
3
Authors: Veesler David , Cupelli Karolina , Burger Markus , Gräber Peter , Stehle Thilo , Johnson John E.
Published: June 2014

Significance

Human adenoviruses are responsible for numerous infections and are used in clinical trials for gene therapy applications. We characterized the interactions between the adenovirus 9 penton base subunit and the entry receptor α
V
β
3
integrin using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and single-particle electron microscopy to decipher the mechanisms underlying virus internalization and infection. Our results indicate that the penton base subunit can bind integrins with high affinity and, in several different orientations, in agreement with the requirement of the pentameric penton base to promote integrin clustering and virus entry into the host cell.
Intravenous Abuse of Tropicamide in Opioid Use Disorder: Presentation of 2 Cases
Authors: Bozkurt Muge , Karabulut Vahap , Evren Cuneyt , Seker Merve , Kan Hicret
Published: June 2014

Background

Tropicamide is an antimuscarinic ophthalmic solution used to produce short-acting mydriasis and cycloplegia. Topical abuse of ophthalmic solutions has been reported, but intravenous (IV) abuse of tropicamide seems to be a new phenomenon.

Cases

The authors present 2 patients with concomitant IV tropicamide abuse and opioid use disorder. Patients were hospitalized and started on buprenorphine/naloxone treatment for opioid withdrawal. Patients’ reports about tropicamide effects are remarkable, as they claimed that tropicamide increased the efficacy of heroin while decreasing and delaying the withdrawal symptoms.

Discussion

Although anticholinergics have been known to be abused for their euphoric effects, these cases’ motivation to use tropicamide seemed to extend beyond its euphoric effect and was also based on its interaction with heroin. It is feared that tropicamide abuse may become more frequent. Health professionals should be aware of this trend so that symptoms of misuse and intoxication can be recognized, and ophthalmologists should consider the abuse potential of anticholinergic eye drops when prescribing them.
Identification of unique SUN-interacting nuclear envelope proteins with diverse functions in plants
Authors: Zhou Xiao , Graumann Katja , Wirthmueller Lennart , Jones Jonathan D.G. , Meier Iris
Published: June 2014

Although a plethora of nuclear envelope (NE) transmembrane proteins (NETs) have been identified in opisthokonts, plant NETs are largely unknown. The only known NET homologues in plants are Sad1/UNC-84 (SUN) proteins, which bind Klarsicht/ANC-1/Syne-1 homology (KASH) proteins. Therefore, de novo identification of plant NETs is necessary. Based on similarities between opisthokont KASH proteins and the only known plant KASH proteins, WPP domain–interacting proteins, we used a computational method to identify the KASH subset of plant NETs. Ten potential plant KASH protein families were identified, and five candidates from four of these families were verified for their NE localization, depending on SUN domain interaction. Of those, Arabidopsis thaliana SINE1 is involved in actin-dependent nuclear positioning in guard cells, whereas its paralogue SINE2 contributes to innate immunity against an oomycete pathogen. This study dramatically expands our knowledge of plant KASH proteins and suggests that plants and opisthokonts have recruited different KASH proteins to perform NE regulatory functions.
Leukotriene B4 amplifies eosinophil accumulation in response to nematodes
Authors: Patnode Michael L. , Bando Jennifer K. , Krummel Matthew F. , Locksley Richard M. , Rosen Steven D.
Published: June 2014

Eosinophil accumulation is a defining feature of the immune response to parasitic worm infection. Tissue-resident cells, such as epithelial cells, are thought to initiate eosinophil recruitment. However, direct recognition of worms by eosinophils has not been explored as a mechanism for amplifying eosinophil accumulation. Here, we report that eosinophils rapidly migrate toward diverse nematode species in three-dimensional culture. These include the mammalian parasite Nippostrongylus brasiliensis and the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Surprisingly, collective migration toward worms requires paracrine leukotriene B4 signaling between eosinophils. In contrast, neutrophils show a minimal response to nematodes, yet are able to undergo robust leukotriene-dependent migration toward IgG-coated beads. We further demonstrate that eosinophils accumulate around C. elegans in the lungs of mice. This response is not dependent on bacterial products, CCR3, or complement activation. However, mice deficient in leukotriene signaling show markedly attenuated eosinophil accumulation after injection of C. elegans or N. brasiliensis. Our findings establish that nematode-derived signals can directly induce leukotriene production by eosinophils and that leukotriene signaling is a major contributor to nematode-induced eosinophil accumulation in the lung. The similarity of the eosinophil responses to diverse nematode species suggests that conserved features of nematodes are recognized during parasite infection.
Maximal covariance group of Wigner transforms and pseudo-differential operators
Authors: Dias Nuno , de Gosson Maurice , Prata João
Published: June 2014

We show that the linear symplectic and antisymplectic transformations form the maximal covariance group for both the Wigner transform and Weyl operators. The proof is based on a new result from symplectic geometry which characterizes symplectic and antisymplectic matrices and which allows us, in addition, to refine a classical result on the preservation of symplectic capacities of ellipsoids.
By Ounce or by Calorie: The Differential Effects of Alternative Sugar‐Sweetened Beverage Tax Strategies
Authors: Zhen Chen , Brissette Ian F. , Ruff Ryan Richard
Published: June 2014

The obesity epidemic and excessive consumption of sugar‐sweetened beverages have led to proposals of economics‐based interventions to promote healthy eating in the United States. Targeted food and beverage taxes and subsidies are prominent examples of such potential intervention strategies. This paper examines the differential effects that taxing sugar‐sweetened beverages by calories and by ounces have on beverage demand. To properly measure the extent of substitution and complementarity between beverage products, we developed a fully modified distance metric model of differentiated product demand that endogenizes the cross‐price effects. We illustrated the proposed methodology in a linear approximate almost ideal demand system, although other flexible demand systems can also be used. In the empirical application using supermarket scanner data, the product‐level demand model consists of 178 beverage products with a combined market share of over 90%. The novel demand model outperformed the conventional distance metric model in non‐nested model comparison tests, and in terms of the economic significance of model predictions. In the fully modified model, a calorie‐based beverage tax was estimated to cost $1.40 less in compensating variation than an ounce‐based tax per 3,500 beverage calories reduced. This difference in welfare cost estimates between two tax strategies is more than three times the difference estimated by the conventional distance metric model. If applied to products purchased from all sources, a 0.04‐cent per kcal tax on sugar‐sweetened beverages is predicted to reduce annual per capita beverage intake by 5,800 kcal.
Autumn bloom phenology and magnitude influence haddock recruitment on Georges Bank
Authors: Leaf Robert T. , Friedland Kevin D.
Published: June 2014

The haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) stock on Georges Bank in the Northwest Atlantic is characterized by extremely large recruitment events relative to spawning-stock biomass. Recent work has indicated that the dynamics of the preceding autumn bloom may have explanatory power to describe these events. In this paper, we examine the hypothesis that autumn phytoplankton dynamics affect the recruitment of haddock, examine the temporal and spatial characteristics of the autumn phytoplankton bloom on Georges Bank, and correlate individual sex-specific condition measurements of haddock made in spring to recruitment patterns. Autumn bloom characteristics vary considerably across Georges Bank with earlier-occurring and larger-integral blooms occurring on the northern flank. On average, autumn blooms start on day 273 (29 September) and persist ∼50 days. There was a significant negative correlation detected between bloom start date and recruitment and a significant positive correlation of bloom integral and recruitment. The survivor ratio loge(R/SSB) was positively and significantly correlated with individual condition of females in spring. The analysis of autumn bloom on Georges Bank provides a predictive index for recruitment strength of haddock and has utility for the assessment of this stock.
Nonencapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae Cause Acute Otitis Media in the Chinchilla That Is Enhanced by Pneumococcal Surface Protein K
Authors: Keller Lance E. , Friley Jessica , Dixit Cheshil , Nahm Moon H. , McDaniel Larry S.
Published: June 2014

Background.  Use of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine has led to serotype replacement of carriage and acute otitis media (AOM) pneumococcal isolates. Increases in nonencapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae (NESp) isolates have also occurred, and there are increasing reports of NESp-associated disease. Disease prevalence and virulence factors of NESp isolates have not been studied.

Methods.  A chinchilla model of pneumococcal AOM was utilized, and disease was assessed through bacterial enumeration along with scoring visible signs of pathology. An adhesion-invasion assay using a human epithelial cell line was performed.

Results.  Nonencapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae strains containing pneumococcal surface protein K (PspK) were more likely to cause AOM and pathology upon infection. Deletion of PspK from an isolate significantly reduced bacterial loads. Increased epithelial cell adhesion correlated with increased virulence of NESp isolates naturally lacking PspK. Furthermore, expression of PspK by an avirulent NESp resulted in virulence.

Conclusions.  The presence of PspK increased the disease potential of NESp. Pneumococcal surface protein K is not the only virulence factor of NESp in AOM. Expression of PspK in an avirulent NESp mediated the progression to pneumococcal disease. Genetic exchange between pneumococci may allow dissemination of PspK, increasing the potential of NESp disease. The current study is the first report of a NESp-specific virulence factor.
Germaine de Staël’s and the Early Usage of Improvisation in English
Authors: Simpson Erik
Published: June 2014

This chapter describes the emergence of the terminology of improvisation in the English language. Terms relating to improvisation began to appear in the eighteenth century and came to be used frequently in the nineteenth. Germaine de Staël’s 1807 novel Corinne ou L’Italie (published in French and translated into English the same year) was an important part of this emergence of improvisation. By attending to the content and language of Corinne, including the novel’s earliest translations, the chapter argues that the novel helped create a sense of improvisation as an Italianate artistic practice with political overtones specific to the context of the Napoleonic Wars. For the Staëlian improviser, art and history alike progress not toward pre-ordained goals but by taking new information into account and improvising new ends.
Introduction
Authors: Gordon Robert
Published: June 2014

This book examines how Stephen Sondheim’s work with several collaborators has altered the course of musical theater history in the United States. Consisting of twenty-seven chapters, it considers problematic questions of authorship within the framework of Broadway musical theater, focusing on intertextuality, direct influence, and original innovation. It discusses how Sondheim has integrated his aesthetic ideals and the postmodern sensibility informing his musicals, fromCompanytoRoad Show, with the commercial values of the Broadway musical. It also looks at Oscar Hammerstein II’s formative influence as mentor to the young Sondheim, the reorchestration of Sondheim’s musicals for different (and smaller) groups of musicians, the notion of the musical as a performance event, the politics of Sondheim performance in the United States, Sondheim’s interest in and sensitivity to audiovisual media such as cinema and television, and his subtle and often ironic exploitation of pastiche and parody. Furthermore, the book addresses questions of cultural, political, and personal identity posed by Sondheim’s musicals in the context of contemporary American society.
Is Food the Answer to Malnutrition?
Authors: Sahn David E.
Published: June 2014

Although there is little disagreement on the magnitude and importance of alleviating malnutrition, its causation and control continue to be the subject of debate and research. Recent evidence suggests that many of the traditional food-based strategies to reduce malnutrition, such as food aid distribution programs, school feeding programs, and food stamps, as well as policies that intervene to affect the price of food such as subsidies and rationing schemes, have proven of limited effectiveness. One important reason is that the critical period of undernutrition is generally in utero and early life. Among the most vulnerable groups, particularly pregnant women and infants, the causes of malnutrition often have little to do with food access and availability. Instead, prenatal care, immunization programs, breastfeeding promotion, and generally raising the quality of child care and nurturing behaviors are paramount. Likewise, improving the sanitary and home environment, including interventions that enhance access to clean water and latrines and behaviors such as hand washing and boiling water, will contribute to reductions in infection and help break the cycle of disease and malnutrition. In the area of food-related interventions, among those that are critical to the production of improved health and nutritional outcomes are food supplementation and fortification schemes that address micronutrient deficiencies. At the same time, there is legitimate concern that misguided food interventions, particularly broad-based price subsidies, food stamps, and food aid may have a range of deleterious consequences. These range from contributing to the epidemic of obesity and related chronic disease, to having a negative impact on farmers and producer incentives and the functioning of food markets.
Politics and the Literary
Authors: Guy Josephine M.
Published: June 2014

During the Victorian period it was widely held that the literary and the political were separate and distinct spheres, a view which did not, however, prevent many writers from using works of literature to address explicitly political issues. This chapter explores the reasons behind this apparent paradox, one which helps explain why modern accounts of the politics of Victorian literary works, notably the realist novel, are often quite different from the claims made for them by the Victorians themselves. The chapter focuses on describing Victorian literary taste, and the ways it was shaped by concerns about a growing commercialization and democratization of literary culture. More precisely, it shows how anxieties about the development of popular literary forms on the one hand and, later in the century, of avant-garde movements on the other, led to an increased politicization of the literary, as various elites competed with each other to control definitions of literariness.
What was the Terror?
Authors: Edelstein Dan
Published: June 2014

The Terror is perhaps the most iconic period of the French Revolution, yet it is also one of the most difficult to explain. As a label employed by scholars, ‘the Terror’ overlaps, but does not align, with the use of the term by historical actors. Its emotional content also tricky: who was meant to be terrorized, and what was terror supposed to achieve? This question, in turn, ties into the issue of how terror related to the broader political agenda of the Jacobin leaders. But the biggest question surrounding the Terror is that of its origins. This chapter compares arguments about its inevitability, its contingency, and the different ‘logics’ that led to its occurrence, and ends on a comparative note, using the case of the American Revolution to ask whether the Terror is not better understood as a judicial, rather than a political, problem.
Did Everything Change? Rethinking Revolutionary Legacies
Authors: Heuer Jennifer
Published: June 2014

Considering the legacies of the Revolution raises basic methodological questions about how we understand historical change and the long-term relevance of the past. These include how we frame narratives and choose endpoints and whether we focus on conscious appropriation and rejection of revolutionary experiences, or on more structural changes. Broad conceptual legacies include possible transformations not only in social and political arenas, but also in how individuals understood themselves and their world. More specific changes affect gender relations and family; tensions between universalism and rights for different groups; the emergence of the modern nation-state; and ideas about the legitimacy and purpose of violence.
Excursus I
Authors: Griffith Sidney H.
Published: June 2014

Greek and Syriac texts dating back to the late seventh century CE bear the earliest notices of emergent Islam recorded by Christians living in the conquered territories of the Levant. Formal conversations between representative Muslims and Christians were recorded in written notices by the early years of the eighth century. Theological treatises written by Christians first appeared also in the eighth century. This article examines Christian theology in the first ʿAbbāsid century and the relationship between Christianity and Islam throughout the period. It looks at the doctrine of the Trinity as a centrepiece of Arab Christian theology in the first ʿAbbāsid century and its role in the burgeoning systematic theology of the contemporary Muslimmutakallimūn. It also discusses a notable development in Islamic religious discourse in two places: Damascus in Syria and Baχra in Iraq.
Cholera, Kipling, and Tropical India
Authors: Mukherjee Pablo
Published: June 2014

This article investigates how a particular vision of a diseased tropical environment grew out of the dynamics of British imperialism in the Indian subcontinent and how this vision was simultaneously reinforced and interrogated in the work of Rudyard Kipling, who was considered the bard of the empire. It analyzes the issue of so-called palliative imperialism in the works of Kipling and describes how the debates about cholera conducted by the imperial doctors produced a contested and contradictory idea of tropicality. This article also argues that the embedding of the idea of a global, tropical diseased environment through the techniques of empire in the nineteenth-century should enable us to place disease and medicine as key elements in any exercise of postcolonial ecocriticism.
Pataphysics and Postmodern Ecocriticism
Authors: Dickinson Adam
Published: June 2014

This article examines the potential role of pataphysics, the “science of imaginary solutions”, in postmodern ecocriticism. It explains that pataphysics exemplifies an ecocritical approach that owes more to poetics than it does to traditional analytical methodologies and describes a number of recent examples of pataphysical research projects with distinct ecocritical dimensions. It argues that pataphysics has much to offer to postmodern ecocriticism both as an object of study and as a potential methodological approach and discusses the two characteristics of pataphysical poetics: ambient and transgenic poetics.
Engaging with Prakriti
Authors: Rangarajan Swarnalatha
Published: June 2014

This article analyzes the practice of ecocriticism in India. It explains that ecocriticism in the Indian context has a unique “advocacy function” both with regard to the reality of the world that it inhabits and “the imaginary spaces it opens up for contemplation of how the real world might be transformed.” It discusses the theories of nature in Indian philosophical schools of thought and mentions that nature is revered as prakriti or “the primordial vastness, the inexhaustible, the source of abundance.” This article also highlights the emerging trends in the socio-cultural spaces of India which call for imaginative ways of an ecocritical engagement with a contemporary ecological dharma.
Job-Search Behavior as a Multidimensional Construct: A Review of Different Job-Search Behaviors and Sources
Authors: Hoye Greet van
Published: June 2014

Both theoretical models of job search and empirical research findings suggest that job-search behavior is not a unidimensional construct. This chapter addresses the multidimensionality of job-search behavior and provides a systematic review of the different job-search behaviors and sources studied in the job-search literature and their relationships with antecedent variables and employment outcomes. Organized within three major dimensions (effort/intensity, content/direction, and temporal/persistence), job-search effort and intensity, job-search strategies, preparatory and active job-search behaviors, formal and informal job sources, specific job-search behaviors, job-search quality, job-search dynamics, and job-search persistence are discussed. This review strongly suggests that it is essential to consider all the dimensions of job-search behavior for understanding job-search success in both practice and research. This study points to a number of key implications for job seekers and employment counselors as well as crucial directions for future research.
The Evaluation of Reemployment Programs: Between Impact Assessment and Theory-Based Approaches
Authors: Glebbeek Arie , Sol Els
Published: June 2014

In spite of a much improved labor market, the outcome of a leading evaluation report on reemployment programs in the Netherlands turned out negative. This result might be due to limitations of the evaluation method used by the researchers, who had to content themselves with a nonexperimental approach. Currently, for many evaluation researchers, the experimental method stands out as the superior design, especially when combined with a meta-analysis over several trials. We show, however, that experimental evaluations do not solve the uncertainties in this field. Meta-analyses of evaluation studies in Europe and the United States produced strikingly mixed results. Efforts to trace their diversity to variations in reemployment programs have not been very successful. This is mainly because of the “black box character” of many experimental evaluations, which offer little information about the content of the programs. Following “realistic evaluation,” we argue for a focus on the theories behind these programs in evaluation research. To this end, reemployment services are depicted in twelve core (mediating) mechanisms.