bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge‐Based Production of Waterborne Hybrid Polymer Materials
Authors: Paulis María , Asua José M.
Published: October 2015

Hybrid waterborne dispersions provide improved performance in established applications and allow targeting new applications that are out of reach of the conventional homogeneous latexes. They are product‐by‐process materials that are produced by either emulsion or miniemulsion polymerization and whose characteristics are determined in the reactor. Therefore, it is crucial to produce them by means of an optimal process strategy. This work reviews the fundamental knowledge available as well as the missing parts needed to develop such strategy focusing on particle morphology, which is the most distinctive feature of these materials.
Use of the Portuguese version of the educational material “your pelvic floor“ among Brazilian teenagers
Authors: Cavalcanti Marianna Carvalho e Souza Leão , Lucio Adelia , de Moraes Lopes Maria Helena Baena
Published: October 2015

Aims

To evaluate the use of the Portuguese version of the booklet “Your Pelvic Floor” as educational material, among Brazilian teenagers. The original version in English, directed to teenage audience, was developed by members of the Association for Continence Advice, in 2009.

Methods

This quasi‐experimental study was carried out at a non‐governmental organization (NGO, São Paulo, Brazil) that develops continuing education programs for low‐income girls aged eight to eighteen years old. A questionnaire with five questions was developed and validated by experts to measure the efficacy of the booklet “Your Pelvic Floor” on the learning of teenagers. After this, teenagers underwent three steps: pre‐test, reading educational material and post‐test, using the developed questionnaire to evaluate the knowledge about pelvic floor before and after reading the booklet.

Results

Sixteen teenagers volunteered to participate. The number of correct answers to the questionnaire was significantly higher (P < 0.01) after reading the educational material, in all questions.

Conclusions

The educational material “Your pelvic floor” was shown to be effective in teaching teenagers about the pelvic floor. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:62–64, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ticagrelor and bradycardia: a nested case–control study
Authors: Turgeon Ricky D. , Fernandes Kimberly A. , Juurlink David , Tu Jack V. , Mamdani Muhammad
Published: October 2015

Purpose

Ticagrelor increases serum adenosine concentrations, slowing conduction and possibly leading to bradycardia. Clinical trial data have shown numerically, though not statistically significantly, higher rates of bradyarrhythmias with ticagrelor versus clopidogrel. Additionally, recent case reports have further raised concerns for this adverse effect. We explored the association between ticagrelor and hospitalization for bradycardia in a real‐world setting.

Methods

We conducted a population‐based, nested case–control study of Ontario residents, 66 years of age or older, discharged after a first acute coronary syndrome by linking multiple healthcare databases. Cases included patients hospitalized for bradycardia within 1 year of starting a P2Y12 inhibitor. For each case, we identified 4 controls matched on age, sex, index date, and current use of a P2Y12 inhibitor. The exposure of interest was a prescription for ticagrelor within 90 days, with clopidogrel use as the reference group.

Results

From April 2012 to March 2014, we identified 140 cases and 560 controls who met the study criteria. We found no significant association between bradycardia and exposure to ticagrelor relative to clopidogrel in the previous 90 days prior to the index date (adjusted odds ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 0.65–2.21). Further adjustment for potential confounders also did not identify a significant association.

Conclusions

Among older patients with a first acute coronary syndrome, use of ticagrelor was not associated with a greater risk of admission for bradycardia relative to clopidogrel. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis and properties of copolymers of poly(ether ether sulfone)/semiaromatic polyamides (PEES/PA)
Authors: Li Yan , Zhang Gang , Wang Xiaojun , Li Zhi‐Min , Yang Jie
Published: October 2015

Poly(ether ether sulfone) (PEES) containing semi‐aromatic polyamides with methylene units and ether linkage were synthesized through the copolymerization of m‐dihydroxybenzene, 4,4‐dichlorodiphenylsulfone (DCDPS) and 1,6‐N, N′‐bis(4‐fluorobenzamide) hexane (BFBH) by the method of nucleophilic polymerization. The inherent viscosities of the resultant different proportion of copolymers were in the range of 0.39–0.78 dL/g. These copolymers were found to have excellent thermal properties with glass transition temperatures (Tg) of 121–177°C, and initial degradation temperatures (Td) of 417.5–432.5°C. These copolymers showed good mechanical properties with tensile strengths of 45–83 MPa, storage modulus of 1.8–2.6 GPa. The complex viscosities of pure Poly(ether ether sulfone) (PEES) was in the range of 176,000–309.8 Pas from 0.01 to 100 Hz, the complex viscosities of the copolymers decreased significantly with the increase of semi‐aromatic amide content, the copolymers of 20% decreased from 4371 to 142.4 Pas (from 0.01 to 100 Hz), and the copolymers of 70% dropped from 634.6 Pas to 55.97 Pas (from 0.01 Hz to 100 Hz). All copolymers exhibited non‐Newtonian and shear‐thinning behavior. These results suggested the resultant copolymers possess better melt flowability that is beneficial for the materials’ melt processing. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 56:44–50, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers
A domination algorithm for {0,1}‐instances of the travelling salesman problem
Authors: Kühn Daniela , Osthus Deryk , Patel Viresh
Published: October 2015

We present an approximation algorithm for ‐instances of the travelling salesman problem which performs well with respect to combinatorial dominance. More precisely, we give a polynomial‐time algorithm which has domination ratio . In other words, given a ‐edge‐weighting of the complete graph on vertices, our algorithm outputs a Hamilton cycle of with the following property: the proportion of Hamilton cycles of whose weight is smaller than that of is at most . Our analysis is based on a martingale approach. Previously, the best result in this direction was a polynomial‐time algorithm with domination ratio for arbitrary edge‐weights. We also prove a hardness result showing that, if the Exponential Time Hypothesis holds, there exists a constant such that cannot be replaced by in the result above. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 48, 427–453, 2016
The Effect of Cleanliness and Micro Hardness on the Machinability of Carburizing Steel Grades Suitable for Automotive Applications
Authors: Ånmark Niclas , Lövquist Simon , Vosough Manouchehr , Björk Thomas
Published: October 2015

This work reports on soft part turning of carburizing steels using cemented carbide (CC) cutting tools. The emphasis is on the influence of the cleanliness and micro hardness on the machinability of carburizing steel grades. A reference steel grade is included in this study together with a clean steel and an ultra‐clean steel. Machining tests are conducted to examine the cutting tool life, the balance between the excessive flank or crater wear and the chip formation. The wear mechanisms are examined by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with a back‐scatter (BS) detector. It is possible to differentiate between the machinability of the clean steel grades, having only a minor difference in the sulfur and oxygen contents. Furthermore, the longest tool life is obtained when machining the reference steel. The superior machinability of the reference steel R is linked to its high content of sulfur. It is believed that MnS inclusions act as stress raisers in the primary shear zone. Hence, this will improve the chip formation process.
Concise Review: Fluorescent Reporters in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: Contributions to Cardiac Differentiation and Their Applications in Cardiac Disease and Toxicity
Authors: Den Hartogh Sabine C. , Passier Robert
Published: October 2015

In the last decade, since the first report of induced pluripotent stem cells, the stem cell field has made remarkable progress in the differentiation to specialized cell-types of various tissues and organs, including the heart. Cardiac lineage- and tissue-specific human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) reporter lines have been valuable for the identification, selection, and expansion of cardiac progenitor cells and their derivatives, and for our current understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms. In order to further advance the use of hPSCs in the fields of regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and preclinical drug development in cardiovascular research, it is crucial to identify functionally distinct cardiac subtypes and to study their biological signaling events and functional aspects in healthy and diseased conditions. In this review, we discuss the various strategies that have been followed to generate and study fluorescent reporter lines in hPSCs and provide insights how these reporter lines contribute to a better understanding and improvement of cell-based therapies and preclinical drug and toxicity screenings in the cardiac field.
Communication Between Breast Cancer Patients Who Received Inconclusive Genetic Test Results and Their Daughters and Sisters Years After Testing
Authors: Baars Jessica E. , Ausems Margreet G. E. M. , van Riel Els , Kars Marijke C. , Bleiker Eveline M. A.
Published: October 2015

Inconclusive genetic test results including screening recommendations for the breast cancer patients and their first‐degree relatives are the most common outcomes of BRCA 1/2 testing. Patients themselves should communicate these results to their relatives. Our aim was to explore communication of breast cancer genetic counseling results with daughters and sisters over a long period of time. Breast cancer patients, who had received an inconclusive DNA test result 7–14 years earlier, completed a self‐report questionnaire. Additionally, in‐depth interviews were conducted and analysed thematically. Of the 93 respondents, 85 (91 %) considered themselves responsible for communicating genetic test results to relatives. In‐depth interviews (n = 14) showed, that counselees wanted ‘to hand over’ their responsibilities to communicate the test results and screening recommendations to their sisters. Although most patients had informed their daughters and sisters about the genetic test results, usually little is spoken about genetic test results and screening recommendations once the duty of informing is completed. We recommend that, similar to the procedure for BRCA1/2‐mutation carriers, a separate letter for first‐degree relatives of patients with an inconclusive test result should be provided. In this way information about risks and screening recommendations can be verified by family members years after genetic testing has been completed.
Synthesis and Evaluation of Nonionic Surfactants Derived from Tannic Acid as Corrosion Inhibitors for Carbon Steel in Acidic Medium
Authors: Negm Nabel A. , Ahmed Sayed Abdelkader , Badr Emad A. , Ghani Mona Abdel , El‐Raouf Mohamed Abd
Published: October 2015

Nonionic Schiff base surfactants were synthesized by chemical modification of tannic acid. The surface activities of the synthesized surfactants were determined using surface tension, interfacial tension, and emulsification properties. Thermodynamic parameters of adsorption and micellization of these surfactants showed their tendency towards the two processes with greater predominance of adsorption over micellization. Electrochemical polarization and impedance measurements showed that the surfactants exhibited good tendency towards inhibiting the dissolution of carbon steel in acidic medium. The inhibition efficiencies depend on the chemical structure and concentration of the compounds.
9‐Oxo‐10(E),12(Z),15(Z)‐Octadecatrienoic Acid Activates Peroxisome Proliferator‐Activated Receptor α in Hepatocytes
Authors: Takahashi Haruya , Kamakari Kosuke , Goto Tsuyoshi , Hara Hideyuki , Mohri Shinsuke , Suzuki Hideyuki , Shibata Daisuke , Nakata Rieko , Inoue Hiroyasu , Takahashi Nobuyuki , Kawada Teruo
Published: October 2015

The peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR)α is mainly expressed in the liver and plays an important role in the regulation of lipid metabolism. It has been reported that PPARα activation enhances fatty acid oxidation and reduces fat storage. Therefore, PPARα agonists are used to treat dyslipidemia. In the present study, we found that 9‐oxo‐10(E),12(Z),15(Z)‐octadecatrienoic acid (9‐oxo‐OTA), which is a α‐linolenic acid (ALA) derivative, is present in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) extract. We showed that 9‐oxo‐OTA activated PPARα and induced the mRNA expression of PPARα target genes in murine primary hepatocytes. These effects promoted fatty acid uptake and the secretion of β‐hydroxybutyrate, which is one of the endogenous ketone bodies. We also demonstrated that these effects of 9‐oxo‐OTA were not observed in PPARα‐knockout (KO) primary hepatocytes. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report that 9‐oxo‐OTA promotes fatty acid metabolism via PPARα activation and discuss its potential as a valuable food‐derived compound for use in the management of dyslipidemia.
Socioeconomic Variation in the Effect of Economic Conditions on Marriage and Nonmarital Fertility in the United States: Evidence From the Great Recession
Authors: Schneider Daniel , Hastings Orestes P.
Published: October 2015

The United States has become increasingly characterized by stark class divides in family structure. Poor women are less likely to marry than their more affluent counterparts but are far more likely to have a birth outside of marriage. Recent theoretical and qualitative work at the intersection of demography and cultural sociology suggests that these patterns are generated because poor women have high, nearly unattainable, economic standards for marriage but make a much weaker connection between economic standing and fertility decisions. We use the events of the Great Recession, leveraging variation in the severity of the crisis between years and across states, to examine how exposure to worse state-level economic conditions is related to poor women’s likelihood of marriage and of having a nonmarital birth between 2008 and 2012. In accord with theory, we find that women of low socioeconomic status (SES) exposed to worse economic conditions are indeed somewhat less likely to marry. However, we also find that unmarried low-SES women exposed to worse economic conditions significantly reduce their fertility; economic standing is not disconnected from nonmarital fertility. Our results suggest that economic concerns were connected to fertility decisions for low-SES unmarried women during the Great Recession.
What is Poetry?
Authors: Fabb Nigel
Published: October 2015

Poetry, defined as language divided into lines, is found in most known human cultures. This masterful survey of poetry and its constituent components demonstrates the functions performed by metre, rhyme, alliteration and parallelism, arguing that each line of a poem fits as a whole unit into the limited capacity of human working memory. Using examples from around the world, Fabb surveys the wide varieties of poetry and the ways they are performed, including those in songs and signed literatures. Focusing on language, form and memory, he helps us understand why poetry is a particularly valued way of using language. A fresh exploration of poetry, the book will be welcomed by students and researchers of literature, linguistics and psychology, as well as anyone interested in poetry.
Commodity Markets and the Global Economy
Authors: Clayton Blake C.
Published: October 2015

In an era defined by financial upheaval, few parts of the economy have witnessed the kind of volatility seen in commodities markets. In this book, Blake Clayton, a Wall Street analyst and adjunct fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, draws on the latest thinking from academia and the private sector to deliver a clear-eyed analysis of pressing questions at the intersection of commodity markets, natural resource economics, and public policy. The result is a work that challenges the conventional wisdom about how these markets function and provides a fresh perspective on what public policy can do to improve them.
Best-Worst Scaling
Authors: Louviere Jordan J. , Flynn Terry N. , Marley A. A. J.
Published: October 2015

Best-worst scaling (BWS) is an extension of the method of paired comparison to multiple choices that asks participants to choose both the most and the least attractive options or features from a set of choices. It is an increasingly popular way for academics and practitioners in social science, business, and other disciplines to study and model choice. This book provides an authoritative and systematic treatment of best-worst scaling, introducing readers to the theory and methods for three broad classes of applications. It uses a variety of case studies to illustrate simple but reliable ways to design, implement, apply, and analyze choice data in specific contexts, and showcases the wide range of potential applications across many different disciplines. Best-worst scaling avoids many rating scale problems and will appeal to those wanting to measure subjective quantities with known measurement properties that can be easily interpreted and applied.
Elements of Slow-Neutron Scattering
Authors: Carpenter J. M. , Loong C.-K.
Published: October 2015

Providing a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the theory and applications of slow-neutron scattering, this detailed book equips readers with the fundamental principles of neutron studies, including the background and evolving development of neutron sources, facility design, neutron scattering instrumentation and techniques, and applications in materials phenomena. Drawing on the authors' extensive experience in this field, this text explores the implications of slow-neutron research in greater depth and breadth than ever before in an accessible yet rigorous manner suitable for both students and researchers in the fields of physics, biology, and materials engineering. Through pedagogical examples and in-depth discussion, readers will be able to grasp the full scope of the field of neutron scattering, from theoretical background through to practical, scientific applications.
Physics and Philosophy
Authors: Feyerabend Paul
Published: October 2015

This collection of the writings of Paul Feyerabend is focused on his philosophy of quantum physics, the hotbed of the key issues of his most debated ideas. Written between 1948 and 1970, these writings come from his first and most productive period. These early works are important for two main reasons. First, they document Feyerabend's deep concern with the philosophical implications of quantum physics and its interpretations. These ideas were paid less attention in the following two decades. Second, the writings provide the crucial background for Feyerabend's critiques of Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn. Although rarely considered by scholars, Feyerabend's early work culminated in the first version of Against Method. These writings guided him on all the key issues of his most well-known and debated theses, such as the incommensurability thesis, the principles of proliferation and tenacity, and his particular version of relativism, and more specifically on quantum mechanics.
Austrian Banks in the Period of National Socialism
Authors: Feldman Gerald D. , Hayes Peter
Published: October 2015

This book is the English translation of Gerald D. Feldman's contributions to the multi-author, two-volume study Österreichische Banken und Sparkassen im Nationalsozialismus und in der Nachkeriegszeit, which was originally published in German by C. H. Beck in 2006. Austrian Banks in the Period of National Socialism focuses on the activities of two major financial institutions, the Creditanstalt-Wiener Bankverein and the Länderbank Wien. It details the ways the two banks served the Nazi regime and how they used the opportunities presented by Nazi rule to expand their business activities. Particular attention is given to the role that the Creditanstalt and Länderbank played in the 'Aryanization' of Jewish-owned businesses. The book also examines the two banks' relations with their industrial clients and considers the question of whether bank officials had any knowledge of their client firms' use of concentration camp prisoners and other forced laborers during World War II.
A Concise History of International Finance
Authors: Neal Larry
Published: October 2015

Ever since the financial crisis of 2008, doubts have been raised about the future of capitalism. In this broad-ranging survey of financial capitalism from antiquity to the present, Larry Neal reveals the ways in which the financial innovations throughout history have increased trade and prosperity as well as improving standards of living. These innovations have, however, all too often led to financial crises as a result of the failure of effective coordination among banks, capital markets, and governments. The book examines this key interrelationship between financial innovation, government regulation and financial crises across three thousand years, showing through past successes and failures the key factors that underpin any successful recovery and sustain economic growth. The result is both an essential introduction to financial capitalism and also a series of workable solutions that will help both to preserve the gains we have already achieved and to mitigate the dangers of future crises.
Performing Orthodox Ritual in Byzantium
Authors: White Andrew Walker
Published: October 2015

In this groundbreaking, interdisciplinary study, Andrew Walker White explores the origins of Byzantine ritual - the rites of the early Greek Orthodox Church - and its unique relationship with traditional theatre. Tracing the secularization of pagan theatre, the rise of rhetoric as an alternative to acting, as well as the transmission of ancient methods of musical composition into the Byzantine era, White demonstrates how Christian ritual was in effect a post-theatrical performing art, created by intellectuals who were fully aware of traditional theatre but who endeavoured to avoid it. The book explores how Orthodox rites avoid the aesthetic appreciation associated with secular art, and conducts an in-depth study (and reconstruction) of the late Byzantine Service of the Furnace. Often treated as a liturgical drama, White translates and delineates the features of five extant versions, to show how and why it generated widely diverse audience reactions in both medieval times and our own.
Proportionality and Deference in Investor-State Arbitration
Authors: Henckels Caroline
Published: October 2015

In this study, Caroline Henckels examines how investment tribunals have balanced the competing interests of host states and foreign investors in determining state liability in disputes concerning the exercise of public power. Analyzing the concepts of proportionality and deference in investment tribunals' decision-making in comparative perspective, the book proposes a new methodology for investment tribunals to adopt in regulatory disputes, which combines proportionality analysis with an institutionally sensitive approach to the standard of review. Henckels argues that adopting a modified form of proportionality analysis would provide a means for tribunals to decide cases in a more consistent and coherent manner leading to greater certainty for both states and investors, and that affording due deference to host states in the determination of liability would address the concern that the decisions of investment tribunals unjustifiably impact on the regulatory autonomy of states.
High-Speed Marine Craft
Authors: Mantle Peter J.
Published: October 2015

This book details the efforts to build a large naval vessel capable of traveling at one hundred knots. It is the first book to summarize this extensive work from historical and technical perspectives. It explores the unique principles and challenges in the design of high-speed marine craft. This volume explores different hull form concepts, requiring an understanding of the four forces affecting the lift and the drag of the craft. The four forces covered are hydrostatic (buoyancy), hydro-dynamic, aerostatic, and aerodynamic. This text will appeal to naval researchers, architects, graduate students and historians, as well as others generally interested in naval architecture and propulsion.
Hemingway, Style, and the Art of Emotion
Authors: Wyatt David
Published: October 2015

In Hemingway, Style, and the Art of Emotion, David Wyatt shows that the work of Ernest Hemingway is marked more by vulnerability and deep feeling than by the stoic composure and ironic remove for which it is widely known. This major reassessment of the shape of Hemingway's career recovers the soul of the author's work, revealing him as a multifaceted writer rather than a cold, static icon. Wyatt claims that Hemingway's famous early style does not embrace emotional reticence but works instead to measure the cost of keeping thoughts and feelings under the surface. By the early 1930s Hemingway also turned away from the art of 'the omitted' and began to develop a vision and style more accommodating of the awkwardness and embarrassments of everyday life. Relying on a thorough knowledge of the vast archive Hemingway left behind at his death, this book shows Hemingway as a thoroughly complex and transmutable figure.
Fichte's Republic
Authors: James David
Published: October 2015

The Addresses to the German Nation (1808) is one of Fichte's best-known works. It is also his most controversial work because of its nationalist elements. In this book, David James places this text and its nationalism within the context provided by Fichte's philosophical, educational and moral project of creating a community governed by pure practical reason, in which his own foundational philosophical science or Wissenschaftslehre could achieve general recognition. Rather than marking a break in Fichte's philosophy, the Addresses to the German Nation and some lesser-known texts from the same period are shown to develop themes already present in his earlier writings. The themes discussed include the opposition between idealism and dogmatism, the role of Fichte's 'popular' lectures and writings in leading individuals to the standpoint of idealism, the view of history demanded by idealism and the role of the state in history.
EU Renewable Electricity Law and Policy
Authors: Maxian Rusche Tim
Published: October 2015

There are two basic policy tools for promoting renewable electricity: price regulation (feed-in tariffs) and quantity regulation (green certificates). In economic theory, they are equally efficient. Contrary to conventional thinking, the author demonstrates that under real-world conditions, price regulation is more efficient. EU law obliges Member States to put support schemes in place, but leaves their design to national authorities. They need, however, to comply with EU state aid and internal market rules, and their financing may not result in import duties and discriminatory taxation. This book provides a detailed analysis of the decisions practice adopted by the Commission and the case law of the Union Courts. As support schemes mature, has time not come for putting an end to regulatory competition? With huge efficiency gains to be expected, the author expertly examines the political obstacles and sets out three different pathways to achieve EU-wide harmonization.
The Destruction of Jerusalem in Early Modern English Literature
Authors: Groves Beatrice
Published: October 2015

This book explores the fall of Jerusalem and restores to its rightful place one of the key explanatory tropes of early modern English culture. Showing the importance of Jerusalem's destruction in sermons, ballads, puppet shows and provincial drama of the period, Beatrice Groves brings a new perspective to works by canonical authors such as Marlowe, Nashe, Shakespeare, Dekker and Milton. The volume also offers a historically compelling and wide-ranging account of major shifts in cultural attitudes towards Judaism by situating texts in their wider cultural and theological context. Groves examines the continuities and differences between medieval and early modern theatre, London as an imagined community and the way that narratives about Jerusalem and Judaism informed notions of English identity in the wake of the Reformation. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this volume will interest researchers and upper-level students of early modern literature, religious studies and theatre.
Writing the Monarch in Jacobean England
Authors: Rickard Jane
Published: October 2015

King James VI and I's extensive publications and the responses they met played a key role in the literary culture of Jacobean England. This book is the first sustained study of how James's subjects commented upon, appropriated and reworked these royal writings. Jane Rickard highlights the vitality of such responses across genres - including poetry, court masque, sermon, polemic and drama - and in the different media of performance, manuscript and print. The book focuses in particular on Jonson, Donne and Shakespeare, arguing that these major authors responded in illuminatingly contrasting ways to James's claims as an author-king, made especially creative uses of the opportunities that his publications afforded and helped to inspire some of what the King in turn wrote. Their literary responses reveal that royal writing enabled a significant reimagining of the relationship between ruler and ruled. This volume will interest researchers and advanced students of Renaissance literature and history.
When Things Fell Apart
Authors: Bates Robert H.
Published: October 2015

In the later decades of the twentieth century, Africa plunged into political chaos. States failed, governments became predators, and citizens took up arms. In When Things Fell Apart, Robert H. Bates advances an exploration of state failure in Africa. In so doing, he not only plumbs the depths of the continent's late-century tragedy, but also the logic of political order, and the foundations of the state. This book covers a wide range of territory by drawing on materials from Rwanda, Sudan, Liberia, and Congo. Written to be accessible to the general reader, it is nonetheless a must-read for scholars and policymakers concerned with conflict and state failure.
Ecological Imperialism
Authors: Crosby Alfred W.
Published: October 2015

People of European descent form the bulk of the population in most of the temperate zones of the world - North America, Australia and New Zealand. The military successes of European imperialism are easy to explain; in many cases they were a matter of firearms against spears. But as Alfred W. Crosby maintains in this highly original and fascinating book, the Europeans' displacement and replacement of the native peoples in the temperate zones was more a matter of biology than of military conquest. European organisms had certain decisive advantages over their New World and Australian counterparts. The spread of European disease, flora and fauna went hand in hand with the growth of populations. Consequently, these imperialists became proprietors of the most important agricultural lands in the world. In the second edition, Crosby revisits his now classic work and again evaluates the global historical importance of European ecological expansion.
Religious Hatred and International Law
Authors: Temperman Jeroen
Published: October 2015

The UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights obliges state parties to prohibit any advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination or violence. This book traces the origins of this provision and proposes an actus reus for this offence. The question of whether hateful incitement is a prohibition per se or also encapsulates a fundamental 'right to be protected against incitement' is extensively debated. Also addressed is the question of how to judge incitement. Is mens rea required to convict someone of advocating hatred, and if so, for what degree of intent? This analysis also includes the paramount question if and to what extent content and/or context factors ought to be decisive. The author extensively engages with comparative domestic law and compares the workings of the UN Human Rights Committee with those of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the European Court of Human Rights.
Localized turbulence structures in transitional rectangular-duct flow
Authors: Takeishi Keisuke , Kawahara Genta , Wakabayashi Hiroki , Uhlmann Markus , Pinelli Alfredo
Published: October 2015

Direct numerical simulations of transitional flow in a rectangular duct of cross-sectional aspect ratio $A\equiv s/h=1$–9 ($s$ and $h$ being the duct half-span and half-height, respectively) have been performed in the Reynolds number range $\mathit{Re}\equiv u_{b}h/{\it\nu}=650$–1500 ($u_{b}$ and ${\it\nu}$ being the bulk velocity and the kinematic viscosity, respectively) in order to investigate the dependence on the aspect ratio of spatially localized turbulence structures. It was observed that the lowest Reynolds number $\mathit{Re}_{T}$, estimated in a specific way, for localized (transiently sustaining) turbulence decreases monotonically from $\mathit{Re}_{T}=730$ for $A=1$ (square duct) with increasing aspect ratio, and for $A=5$ it nearly attains a minimal value $\mathit{Re}_{T}\approx 670$ that is consistent with the onset Reynolds number of turbulent spots in a plane channel ($A=\infty$). Turbulent states consist of localized structures that undergo a fundamental change around $A=4$. At $\mathit{Re}=\mathit{Re}_{T}$ turbulence for $A=1$–$3$ is streamwise-localized similar to turbulent puffs in pipe flow, while for $A=5$–9 turbulence at $\mathit{Re}=\mathit{Re}_{T}$ is also localized in the spanwise direction, similar to turbulent spots in plane channel flow. This structural change in turbulent states at $\mathit{Re}=\mathit{Re}_{T}$ is attributed to the exclusion of turbulence from the vicinity of the duct sidewalls in the case of a wide duct with $A\gtrsim 4$: here the friction length on the sidewalls is so long that the size (around 100 times the friction length) of a self-sustaining minimal flow unit of streamwise vortices and streaks is larger than the duct height and, therefore, it cannot be accommodated.
Attitudes and Interest in Technology-Based Treatment and the Remote Monitoring of Smoking among Adolescents and Emerging Adults
Authors: McClure Erin A. , Baker Nathaniel L. , Carpenter Matthew J. , Treiber Frank A. , Gray Kevin M.
Published: October 2015

Introduction: Despite the public health relevance of smoking in adolescents and emerging adults, this group remains understudied and underserved. High technology utilisation among this group may be harnessed as a tool for better understanding of smoking, yet little is known regarding the acceptability of mobile health (mHealth) integration.

Methods: Participants (ages 14–21 years) enrolled in a smoking cessation clinical trial provided feedback on their technology utilisation, perceptions, and attitudes; and interest in remote monitoring for smoking. Characteristics that predicted greater technology acceptability for smoking treatment were also explored.

Results: Participants (N = 87) averaged 19 years old and were mostly male (67%). Technology utilisation was high for smart phone ownership (93%), Internet use (98%), and social media use (94%). Despite this, only one-third of participants had ever searched the Internet for cessation tips or counselling (33%). Participants showed interest in mHealth-enabled treatment (48%) and felt that it could be somewhat helpful (83%). Heavier smokers had more favourable attitudes toward technology-based treatment, as did those with smartphones and unlimited data.

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate high technology utilisation, favourable attitudes towards technology, and minimal concerns. Technology integration among this population should be pursued, though in a tailored fashion, to accomplish the goal of providing maximally effective, just-in-time interventions.
Paediatric acute mastoiditis, then and now: is it more of a problem now?
Authors: Attlmayr B , Zaman S , Scott J , Derbyshire S G , Clarke R W , De S
Published: October 2015

Background:

Acute mastoiditis is a significant cause of morbidity in the paediatric population. This paper reviews our experience with this condition over the last 10 years and compares it with historical data from Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK.

Method:

A retrospective case note review of patients who presented between 2003 and 2012 was performed.

Results:

Forty-six patients with acute mastoiditis were identified. Imaging with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging was carried out in 14 cases (30.4 per cent). Intracranial complications were identified in six patients (13.0 per cent), one of whom required neurosurgical intervention. In 27 cases (58.7 per cent), a surgical procedure was performed. Data from 1995 to 2000 revealed similar rates of imaging (30.0 per cent), but significantly lower rates of surgical intervention (23 per cent). A lower rate of intracranial complications (4.8 per cent) in the historical cohort did not prove to be statistically significant (p = 0.419).

Conclusion:

The numbers of paediatric patients presenting with acute mastoiditis appears essentially unchanged. Improvement in imaging technology and aids to interpretation may explain the apparent increase of intracranial complications.
Paralimbic and lateral prefrontal encoding of reward value during intertemporal choice in attempted suicide
Authors: Vanyukov P. M. , Szanto K. , Hallquist M. N. , Siegle G. J. , Reynolds C. F. , Forman S. D. , Aizenstein H. J. , Dombrovski A. Y.
Published: October 2015

Background

Alongside impulsive suicide attempts, clinicians encounter highly premeditated suicidal acts, particularly in older adults. We have previously found that in contrast to the more impulsive suicide attempters’ inability to delay gratification, serious and highly planned suicide attempts were associated with greater willingness to wait for larger rewards. This study examined neural underpinnings of intertemporal preference in suicide attempters. We expected that impulsivity and suicide attempts, particularly poorly planned ones, would predict altered paralimbic subjective value representations. We also examined lateral prefrontal and paralimbic correlates of premeditation in suicidal behavior.

Method

A total of 48 participants aged 46–90 years underwent extensive clinical and cognitive characterization and completed the delay discounting task in the scanner: 26 individuals with major depression (13 with and 13 without history of suicide attempts) and 22 healthy controls.

Results

More impulsive individuals displayed greater activation in the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) to value difference favoring the delayed option. Suicide attempts, particularly better-planned ones, were associated with deactivation of the lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC) in response to value difference favoring the immediate option. Findings were robust to medication exposure, depression severity and possible brain damage from suicide attempts, among other confounders. Finally, in suicide attempters longer reward delays were associated with diminished parahippocampal responses.

Conclusions

Impulsivity was associated with an altered paralimbic (precuneus/PCC) encoding of value difference during intertemporal choice. By contrast, better-planned suicidal acts were associated with altered lPFC representations of value difference. The study provides preliminary evidence of impaired decision processes in both impulsive and premeditated suicidal behavior.
Do increasing reform pressures change welfare state attitudes? An experimental study on population ageing, pension reform preferences, political knowledge and ideology
Authors: NAUMANN ELIAS
Published: October 2015

It is a perennial issue in the public and the scientific debate whether increased pressures to reform due to the financial crisis or population ageing erode welfare state support. Surprisingly, our knowledge of how individuals change their attitudes in hard times is still limited – both theoretically and empirically. We rely on newly available data from a survey experiment in a representative German online survey and exogenously manipulate the perceived pressure to reform (due to an ageing society). We show that people indeed change their reform preferences when faced with an ageing society: the strong opposition to increasing the retirement age decreases. Further analyses reveal that not all groups within society react to increased reform pressures in the same way: political knowledge but also political partisanship do moderate the strength and the direction of the attitude change.
How Are the Different Formulas of the Categorical Imperative Related?
Authors: Geiger Ido
Published: October 2015

The article defends three claims regarding the relation between the different formulas of the categorical imperative. (1) On its prevailing reading, FUL gives different moral guidance than FH; left answered, this problem is an argument for adopting a competing perspective on FUL. (2) The prohibitions and commands of the formulas should be taken to be extensionally the same; but FKE adds a dimension missing from the others, gained by uniting their perspectives, namely, bringing the variety of moral laws into systematic unity. (3) The grammatically ambiguous phrase inGMS, 4: 436.9–10 claims that FA alone unites the other formulas in itself.
Physics Nobel Winners Also Solved Solar Mystery
Authors: Wendel JoAnna
Published: October 2015

Although they won the prize for showing neutrinos have mass, the two Nobel-winning physicists also solved a long-standing mystery of solar neutrinos.
LRF maintains genome integrity by regulating the non-homologous end joining pathway of DNA repair
Authors: Liu Xue-Song , Chandramouly Gurushankar , Rass Emilie , Guan Yinghua , Wang Guocan , Hobbs Robin M. , Rajendran Anbazhagan , Xie Anyong , Shah Jagesh V. , Davis Anthony J. , Scully Ralph , Lunardi Andrea , Pandolfi Pier Paolo
Published: October 2015

Leukemia/lymphoma-related factor (LRF) is a POZ/BTB and Krüppel (POK) transcriptional repressor characterized by context-dependent key roles in cell fate decision and tumorigenesis. Here we demonstrate an unexpected transcription-independent function for LRF in the classical non-homologous end joining (cNHEJ) pathway of double-strand break (DSB) repair. We find that LRF loss in cell lines and mouse tissues results in defective cNHEJ, genomic instability and hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation. Mechanistically, we show that LRF binds and stabilizes DNA-PKcs on DSBs, in turn favouring DNA-PK activity. Importantly, LRF loss restores ionizing radiation sensitivity to p53 null cells, making LRF an attractive biomarker to direct p53-null LRF-deficient tumours towards therapeutic treatments based on genotoxic agents or PARP inhibitors following a synthetic lethal strategy.
The alternative splicing factor Nova2 regulates vascular development and lumen formation
Authors: Giampietro Costanza , Deflorian Gianluca , Gallo Stefania , Di Matteo Anna , Pradella Davide , Bonomi Serena , Belloni Elisa , Nyqvist Daniel , Quaranta Valeria , Confalonieri Stefano , Bertalot Giovanni , Orsenigo Fabrizio , Pisati Federica , Ferrero Elisabetta , Biamonti Giuseppe , Fredrickx Evelien , Taveggia Carla , Wyatt Chris D. R. , Irimia Manuel , Di Fiore Pier Paolo , Blencowe Benjamin J. , Dejana Elisabetta , Ghigna Claudia
Published: October 2015

Vascular lumen formation is a fundamental step during angiogenesis; yet, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are poorly understood. Recent studies have shown that neural and vascular systems share common anatomical, functional and molecular similarities. Here we show that the organization of endothelial lumen is controlled at the post-transcriptional level by the alternative splicing (AS) regulator Nova2, which was previously considered to be neural cell-specific. Nova2 is expressed during angiogenesis and its depletion disrupts vascular lumen formation in vivo. Similarly, Nova2 depletion in cultured endothelial cells (ECs) impairs the apical distribution and the downstream signalling of the Par polarity complex, resulting in altered EC polarity, a process required for vascular lumen formation. These defects are linked to AS changes of Nova2 target exons affecting the Par complex and its regulators. Collectively, our results reveal that Nova2 functions as an AS regulator in angiogenesis and is a novel member of the ‘angioneurins’ family.
Detyrosinated microtubules modulate mechanotransduction in heart and skeletal muscle
Authors: Kerr Jaclyn P. , Robison Patrick , Shi Guoli , Bogush Alexey I. , Kempema Aaron M. , Hexum Joseph K. , Becerra Natalia , Harki Daniel A. , Martin Stuart S. , Raiteri Roberto , Prosser Benjamin L. , Ward Christopher W.
Published: October 2015

In striated muscle, X-ROS is the mechanotransduction pathway by which mechanical stress transduced by the microtubule network elicits reactive oxygen species. X-ROS tunes Ca2+ signalling in healthy muscle, but in diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), microtubule alterations drive elevated X-ROS, disrupting Ca2+ homeostasis and impairing function. Here we show that detyrosination, a post-translational modification of α-tubulin, influences X-ROS signalling, contraction speed and cytoskeletal mechanics. In the mdx mouse model of DMD, the pharmacological reduction of detyrosination in vitro ablates aberrant X-ROS and Ca2+ signalling, and in vivo it protects against hallmarks of DMD, including workload-induced arrhythmias and contraction-induced injury in skeletal muscle. We conclude that detyrosinated microtubules increase cytoskeletal stiffness and mechanotransduction in striated muscle and that targeting this post-translational modification may have broad therapeutic potential in muscular dystrophies.
A Giant Reconstruction of α-quartz (0001) Interpreted as Three Domains of Nano Dauphine Twins
Authors: Eder S. D. , Fladischer K. , Yeandel S. R. , Lelarge A. , Parker S. C. , Søndergård E. , Holst B.
Published: October 2015

Silica (SiO2) is one of the most common materials on Earth. The crystalline form α-quartz is the stable silica polymorph at ambient conditions although metastable forms exist. α-quartz is a piezoelectric material, it can be produced artificially and is widely used for example in electronics and the biosciences. Despite the many application areas, the atomic surface structures of silica polymorphs are neither well understood nor well characterized. Here we present measurements of α-quartz (0001). Helium Atom Scattering combined with Atomic Force Microscopy reveals a giant reconstruction consisting of 5.55 ± 0.07 nm wide ribbons, oriented 10.4° ± 0.8° relative to the bulk unit cell. The ribbons, with the aid of atomistic modelling, can be explained as a self-organised pattern of nano Dauphine twins (nano electrical twins).
Co-doping of Ag into Mn:ZnSe Quantum Dots: Giving Optical Filtering effect with Improved Monochromaticity
Authors: Hu Zhiyang , Xu Shuhong , Xu Xiaojing , Wang Zhaochong , Wang Zhuyuan , Wang Chunlei , Cui Yiping
Published: October 2015

In optics, when polychromatic light is filtered by an optical filter, the monochromaticity of the light can be improved. In this work, we reported that Ag dopant atoms could be used as an optical filter for nanosized Mn:ZnSe quantum dots (QDs). If no Ag doping, aqueous Mn:ZnSe QDs have low monochromaticity due to coexisting of strong ZnSe band gap emission, ZnSe trap emission and Mn dopant emission. After doping of Ag into QDs, ZnSe band gap and ZnSe trap emissions can be filtered, leaving only Mn dopant emission with improved monochromaticity. The mechanism for the optical filtering effect of Ag was investigated. The results indicate that the doping of Ag will introduce a new faster deactivation process from ZnSe conduction band to Ag energy level, leading to less electrons deactived via ZnSe band gap emission and ZnSe trap emission. As a result, only Mn dopant emission is left.