bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Approximating Fixed Points of Non-Lipschitzian Mappings by Metric Projections
Authors: Dehghan Hossein , Gharajelo Amir , Afkhamitaba Davood
Published: March 2011

We define and study a new iterative algorithm inspired by Matsushita and Takahashi (2008). We establish a strong convergence theorem of the proposed algorithm for asymptotically nonexpansive in the intermediate sense mappings in uniformly convex and smooth Banach spaces by using metric projections. This theorem generalizes and refines Matsushita and Takahashi's strong convergence theorem which was established for nonexpansive mappings.
Shmt1 Heterozygosity Impairs Folate-Dependent Thymidylate Synthesis Capacity and Modifies Risk of Apcmin-Mediated Intestinal Cancer Risk
Authors: MacFarlane Amanda J. , Perry Cheryll A. , McEntee Michael F. , Lin David M. , Stover Patrick J.
Published: March 2011

Folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism is required for the de novo synthesis of purines, thymidylate, and S-adenosylmethionine, the primary cellular methyl donor. Impairments in folate metabolism diminish cellular methylation potential and genome stability, which are risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC). Cytoplasmic serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT1) regulates the partitioning of folate-activated one-carbons between thymidylate and S-adenosylmethionine biosynthesis. Therefore, changes in SHMT1 expression enable the determination of the specific contributions made by thymidylate and S-adenosylmethionine biosynthesis to CRC risk. Shmt1 hemizygosity was associated with a decreased capacity for thymidylate synthesis due to downregulation of enzymes in its biosynthetic pathway, namely thymidylate synthase and cytoplasmic thymidine kinase. Significant Shmt1-dependent changes to methylation capacity, gene expression, and purine synthesis were not observed. Shmt1 hemizygosity was associated with increased risk for intestinal cancer in Apcmin/+ mice through a gene-by-diet interaction, indicating that the capacity for thymidylate synthesis modifies susceptibility to intestinal cancer in Apcmin/+ mice. Cancer Res; 71(6); 2098–107. ©2011 AACR.
The IL-8–Regulated Chemokine Receptor CXCR7 Stimulates EGFR Signaling to Promote Prostate Cancer Growth
Authors: Singh Rajendra Kumar , Lokeshwar Bal L.
Published: March 2011

The proinflammatory chemokine receptor CXCR7 that binds the ligands CXCL11 and CXCL12 (SDF-1a) is elevated in a variety of human cancers, but its functions are not understood as it does not elicit classical chemokine receptor signaling. Here we report that the procancerous cytokine IL-8 (interleukin-8) upregulates CXCR7 expression along with ligand-independent functions of CXCR7 that promote the growth and proliferation of human prostate cancer cells (CaP cells). In cell culture, ectopic expression or addition of IL-8 selectively increased expression of CXCR7 at the level of mRNA and protein production. Conversely, suppressing IL-8 signaling abolished the ability of IL-8 to upregulate CXCR7. RNAi-mediated knockdown of CXCR7 in CaP cells caused multiple antitumor effects, including decreased cell proliferation, cell-cycle arrest in G1 phase, and decreased expression of proteins involved in G1 to S phase progression. In contrast, addition of the CXCR7 ligand SDF-1a and CXCL11 to CaP cells did not affect cell proliferation. Over expression of CXCR7 in normal prostate cells increased their proliferation in a manner associated with increased levels of phospho-EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor; pY1110) and phospho-ERK1/2. Notably, coimmunoprecipitation studies established a physical association of CXCR7 with EGFR, linking CXCR7-mediated cell proliferation to EGFR activation. Consistent with these findings, CXCR7-depleted CaP tumors grew more slowly than control tumors, expressing decreased tumor-associated expression of VEGF, cyclin D1, and p-EGFR. Together, these results reveal a novel mechanism of ligand-independent growth promotion by CXCR7 and its coregulation by the proinflammatory factor IL-8 in prostate cancer. Cancer Res; 71(9); 3268–77. ©2011 AACR.
Enigmol: A Novel Sphingolipid Analogue with Anticancer Activity against Cancer Cell Lines and In vivo Models for Intestinal and Prostate Cancer
Authors: Symolon Holly , Bushnev Anatoliy , Peng Qiong , Ramaraju Harsha , Mays Suzanne G. , Allegood Jeremy C. , Pruett Sarah T. , Sullards M. Cameron , Dillehay Dirck L. , Liotta Dennis C. , Merrill Alfred H.
Published: March 2011

Sphingoid bases are cytotoxic for many cancer cell lines and are thought to contribute to suppression of intestinal tumorigenesis in vivo by ingested sphingolipids. This study explored the behavior of a sphingoid base analogue, (2S,3S,5S)-2-amino-3,5-dihydroxyoctadecane (Enigmol), that cannot be phosphorylated by sphingosine kinases and is slowly N-acylated and therefore is more persistent than natural sphingoid bases. Enigmol had potential anticancer activity in a National Cancer Institute (NCI-60) cell line screen and was confirmed to be more cytotoxic and persistent than naturally occurring sphingoid bases using HT29 cells, a colon cancer cell line. Although the molecular targets of sphingoid bases are not well delineated, Enigmol shared one of the mechanisms that has been found for naturally occurring sphingoid bases: normalization of the aberrant accumulation of β-catenin in the nucleus and cytoplasm of colon cancer cells due to defect(s) in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC)/β-catenin regulatory system. Enigmol also had antitumor efficacy when administered orally to Min mice, a mouse model with a truncated APC gene product (C57Bl/6JMin/+ mice), decreasing the number of intestinal tumors by half at 0.025% of the diet (w/w), with no evidence of host toxicity until higher dosages. Enigmol was also tested against the prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and PC-3 in nude mouse xenografts and suppressed tumor growth in both. Thus, Enigmol represents a novel category of sphingoid base analogue that is orally bioavailable and has the potential to be effective against multiple types of cancer. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(4); 648–57. ©2011 AACR.
Catheter-Based Renal Sympathetic Denervation for Resistant Hypertension
Authors:   Symplicity HTN-1 Investigators
Published: March 2011

Renal sympathetic hyperactivity is seminal in the maintenance and progression of hypertension. Catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation has been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure (BP) in patients with hypertension. Durability of effect beyond 1 year using this novel technique has never been reported. A cohort of 45 patients with resistant hypertension (systolic BP ≥160 mm Hg on ≥3 antihypertension drugs, including a diuretic) has been originally published. Herein, we report longer-term follow-up data on these and a larger group of similar patients subsequently treated with catheter-based renal denervation in a nonrandomized manner. We treated 153 patients with catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation at 19 centers in Australia, Europe, and the United States. Mean age was 57±11 years, 39% were women, 31% were diabetic, and 22% had coronary artery disease. Baseline values included mean office BP of 176/98±17/15 mm Hg, mean of 5 antihypertension medications, and an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 83±20 mL/min per 1.73 m
2
. The median time from first to last radiofrequency energy ablation was 38 minutes. The procedure was without complication in 97% of patients (149 of 153). The 4 acute procedural complications included 3 groin pseudoaneurysms and 1 renal artery dissection, all managed without further sequelae. Postprocedure office BPs were reduced by 20/10, 24/11, 25/11, 23/11, 26/14, and 32/14 mm Hg at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, respectively. In conclusion, in patients with resistant hypertension, catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation results in a substantial reduction in BP sustained out to ≥2 years of follow-up, without significant adverse events.
Beyond Assimilation: The Tibetanisation of Tibetan Education in Qinghai
Authors: Zenz Adrian
Published: March 2011

China's minority education in general – and Tibetan education in particular – is often viewed as a hegemonic tool designed to assimilate minorities, seeking to integrate them into Han culture and society, while at the same time marginalising them through discourses of cultural inferiority and backwardness. The aim of this article is to go beyond seemingly straightforward portrayals of minority education (and especially of Tibetan education) as a device for sinicisation by analysing the historically situated, complex and often contradictory dynamics of how it has facilitated the simultaneous expression and suppression of different aspects of Tibetan 'culture' and language. Through an evaluation of the development of Tibetan-medium education in Qinghai province, it is demonstrated that minorities are not just passive victims at the hand of a dominant state, but strategising agents who can creatively explore and expand the political and cultural space within which they operate.
Sounds and Scripts of Modernity: Language Ideologies and Practices in Contemporary Mongolia
Authors: Billé Franck
Published: March 2011

The change of script from the traditional bichig to Cyrillic that took place in Mongolia in the 1940s brought Mongols closer to the rest of the Soviet world and effected a break with ethnically and linguistically identical populations beyond the borders. While the political ramifications of this transition have been examined at length, much less attention has been given to the impact that the introduction of a new script has had on Mongolian phonology. This paper examines some of the language ideologies currently prevalent in Mongolia as well as the new language practices that have emerged in the last two decades around the use of Latin.
Forced Relocation amongst the Reindeer-Evenki of Inner Mongolia
Authors: Fraser Richard
Published: March 2011

In 2003 the chinese Reindeer-Evenki were relocated to a purpose-built settlement, justified on the grounds of environmental conservation and development. although some had favoured the move, others interpreted this as an attack on their lifeworld, with a number of herder-hunters choosing to remain in the forest where they reside in five campsites. This paper traces the development of the relocation from the perspective of three competing levels of experience: that of the national state, the regional government, and the Reindeer-Evenki themselves. although the community represents the only reindeer-herding people in china, their experiences reveal insights into the nature of minority-state relations characteristic of Northern and Inner asia, including the contradictions associated with relocation. at the same time, as little research has been carried out amongst china's Evenki minority, I update the situation by providing material from a lesser-known ethnographic region.
Japanese Imaginings of Tibet: Past and Present
Authors: Murakami Daisuke
Published: March 2011

This article attempts to demonstrate and analyse Japanese images and fantasies that have been projected onto Tibet both in Japan's colonial and contemporary eras. The author focuses particularly on the latter period, investigating literature and social vocabularies demonstrated by important Japanese monks, scholars and travellers who disseminated conflicting and distinctive images of Tibet. In so doing, he argues that Japanese imaginings of Tibet throughout the last century have been inextricably connected both to the nature of Japanese modernity and to the ways in which Japanese interpret their Buddhist traditions and national identity.
One snail – three Digenea species, different strategies in host-parasite interaction
Authors: Żbikowska Elżbieta
Published: March 2011

The mostly lab-based studies on snail-trematode interactions should be complemented by research on naturally invaded hosts. In this mini-review, three different ways of snail exploitation by Digenea larvae are presented. Morphological, physiological and behavioral changes caused by three parasites in the same naturally infected host – Lymnaea stagnalis – differ in species-dependent fashion. The impact of a snail-trematode interaction depends on parasite virulence (i.e. parasite induced lost of fitness of the host). The pathogenicity varies with the survival strategy of the invader. Sporocyst-born Plagiorchis elegans, which uses the same Lymnaea stagnalis individual as a first but also as a second intermediate host, does not disturb host processes as strongly as redia-born Echinoparyphium aconiatum. The third parasite species – Diplostomum pseudospathaceum, also sporocyst-born – is more virulent than P. elegans, but it can modify and relax host exploitation to overwinter in the snail. The data presented demonstrate that successful use of first intermediate host can be arranged in different ways.
Digestibility of palm seeds and bruchids larvae by Neotropical rodents
Authors: Gálvez Dumas
Published: March 2011

Vertebrates show different tendencies in regard to their preference for seeds or fruits infested by insects compared to non-infested ones. Behaviour may include rejection of one type, preferential consumption of one type or no differentiation among them. When comparing infested versus non-infested fruits, most studies have focused on energy content and nutritional components of the food items; but the energy input provided to the consumer is a better measure for the comparison of the value of each type of food. In this study, I calculated the energy assimilated by rodents for the seeds of the palm Attalea butyracea contained in non-infested endocarps and from bruchid beetle larvae contained in infested endocarps. Using the energy assimilation and time of handling by rodents for both types of endocarps, I quantitatively demonstrated that both infested and non-infested endocarps produce a similar energy input. This finding is consistent with the previous hypothesis that there is a trade-off between the energy content and the time required to extract the insect larvae compared with the seeds in endocarps of Attalea butyracea.
Potential competition between two top-order predators following a dramatic contraction in the diversity of their prey base
Authors: Bilney Rohan , Cooke Raylene , White John
Published: March 2011

Two sympatric native top-order predators, the sooty owl (Tyto tenebricosa tenebricosa) and powerful owl (Ninox strenua) coexist throughout much of their range in south-eastern Australia. Following European settlement, however, major changes in resource availability for these predators potentially resulted in increased competition, especially for food. This study examined ecological attributes of both species, including intersexual differences in the sooty owl, potential resource partitioning and whether competition may be occurring. Dietary overlap was high between female sooty owls and powerful owls (0.90), compared to overlap between male sooty owls and powerful owls (0.67), with three mammalian species contributing over 74% of their diets. Sooty and powerful owls coexisted throughout the study region, regularly roosting within the same vegetation types, and in similar locations, although microhabitat differences were apparent. Sooty owls displayed aseasonal breeding, although a peak in fledging in spring coincided with powerful owl breeding. Both species exclusively nested in similar size mountain grey gums (Eucalyptus cypellocarpa), however, hollow characteristics differed slightly. Significant divergence along a single niche dimension was not detected between powerful and sooty owls, as they had similar diets, habitat usage and activity times, potentially resulting in competition. Reproductive output was low for both species, however, the degree to which competitive interactions influenced this remains unknown. To minimise potential competition, longterm feral predator control and improved habitat management is recommended to increase the density and diversity of small terrestrial mammals, as this should result in diversification of the sooty owl diet, reducing dietary overlap with powerful owls.
Use of small and medium-sized water reservoirs by otters in a Mediterranean ecosystem
Authors: Basto Mafalda , Pedroso Nuno , Mira António , Santos-Reis Margarida
Published: March 2011

Water is a limiting factor in Mediterranean regions, being specially important to aquatic species such as the Eurasian otter. The seasonal fluctuation of this resource is often addressed by constructing small and medium-sized water reservoirs. However, their role in the ecology and conservation of Eurasian otters is largely unknown. Our main goals were to assess the level of use of these reservoirs by otters and determine the main factors that may explain the observed levels of use. Intensity of use was determined by signs of otter presence and related to environmental variables using generalized linear models and variation partitioning techniques. Otters were present in the majority of reservoirs, both in the wet and dry seasons. Otter marking intensity was higher during the dry season, and positively associated with abundance of fish and American crayfish, existence of refuges and marking sites, number of watercourses and area of reservoir. In contrast, cattle settlements, annual crops and length of watercourses in the surrounding area negatively affected the use of the reservoirs. Otter diet reflected their opportunistic behaviour through the selection of seasonally available prey and corroborated the importance of American crayfish as a food item. Our results confirm that otters use the majority of small and medium-sized reservoirs in the study area. Despite this, reservoirs may be considered suboptimal habitats and seem to be specially relevant in the dry season, increasing water availability and acting as important feeding areas mainly when close to watercourses with good refuge conditions. Management implications are discussed.
Influence of defensible and indefensible pattern of food delivery upon the development of feeding anticipatory activity (FAA) and growth performance in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: Heydarnejad M. Saeed
Published: March 2011

Using two methods of food delivery, defensible (D) and indefensible (ID), the effect of restricted feeding (RF) on the development of feeding anticipatory activity (FAA) and growth performance of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was investigated. Six glass aquaria (120 × 30 × 80 cm), divided equally into 3 sections of morning, afternoon and evening of location of food delivery each with eight fish were selected for D and ID methods. The fish were subjected to a time-RF schedule for 70 days. Food delivery was restricted to three feeding periods; one hour per feeding session: morning (0800-0900 h), afternoon (1300-1400 h) and evening (1800-1900 h). Food was withheld on days 28, 42, 56 and 70 (test days) to assess FAA by the fish and fish growth parameters were determined at the end of the experiment. The present results clearly indicate that only using an indefensible (ID) pattern of food delivery, rainbow trout can simultaneously anticipate three daily meals and synchronise their feeding activity before the period of food availability and that the best FCR and SGR were achieved when an ID pattern of food delivery was offered. The lack of development of FAA for fish in the D method could be due to development of dominant hierarchies. This led to reduction of most growth parameters in the D method compared to the ID one.
Museum in Context
Authors: Wilkens Katharina , Meyer Christian , Koch Anne , Tillessen Petra , Wilke Annette
Published: March 2011

In using the critical term museality in aesthetics of religion, it is our aim in this article to reveal the socio-cultural embeddedness of museums in Western societies and beyond. To do this we draw on two distinct cultural and sociological models of society, dispositive theory and Luhmann's communicational systems theory. Dispositive theory allows us to include non-discursive practices and materialisations in the aesthetic analysis of religious identification strategies mediated through museums and exhibitions. The boundaries, environment and self-referentiality of the system museum are discussed with a view to the shifting place and visibility of religious and secular messages in museum contexts. The focus on museality leads beyond museums to discover object wanderings, religious re-interpretations and museum displays in a number of other socio-cultural fields.
Agency and the Senses in the Context of Museality from the Perspective of Aesthetics of Religion
Authors: Laack Isabel , Guggenmos Esther-Maria , Schüler Sebastian
Published: March 2011

The aim of this paper is to apply the perspective of aesthetics of religion to the context of museality, focusing on notions of the agent and the senses. After sketching different roles of agency in the field of museality and suggesting some theoretically interesting links to research on European history of religions, the notion of agency will be extended to aesthetic, sensual, bodily, cognitive, and other aspects of experience, perception, sense-making, and interpretation of objects and media in the context of museality. Furthermore, questions of how specific cultural and religious sense hierarchies affect the interaction of agents with museality are raised. Finally, the insights gained are applied to a discussion of the analytical value of the concept of 'museality.'
Quantifying Environmental Drivers of Future Tropical Forest Extent
Authors: Good Peter , Jones Chris , Lowe Jason , Betts Richard , Booth Ben , Huntingford Chris
Published: March 2011

Future changes in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, and their associated influences on climate, will affect the future sustainability of tropical forests. While dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) represent the processes by which climate and vegetation interact, there is limited quantitative understanding of how specific environmental drivers each affect the simulated patterns of vegetation behavior and the resultant tropical forest fraction. Here, an attempt is made to improve on the qualitative understanding of how changes in dry season length, temperature, and CO2 combine to drive forest changes. Investigation of these topics is undertaken by integrating the Hadley Centre Climate Model version 3, run at lower spatial resolution with a coupled climate–carbon cycle (HadCM3LC), to steady state. This represents the situation where vegetation has adjusted fully to the prevailing climate and vice versa, permitting direct analysis of how climate and vegetation interact. These links are quantified by fitting the simulated tropical broadleaf tree fraction with a simple function of CO2 concentration, surface temperature, and dry season length. The resulting empirical function (denoted dry season resilience or DSR) is able to predict a sustainable tropical broadleaf fraction in this model across a very wide range of climates. The DSR function can also be used to compare the importance of different environmental drivers and to explore other emissions scenarios. While this DSR function is specific to the vegetation–land surface scheme in HadCM3LC, the method employed in this work is applicable to steady-state simulations from other vegetation–land surface schemes.

The DSR metric is applied first as a framework to evaluate the DGVM by comparison of the simulated and observed forest fractions. For tropical broadleaf resilience in this model, a warming of 1°C is approximately equivalent to a 2-week increase in dry season. In HadCM3LC climate model projections under the International Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A1B scenario, twenty-first-century increases in forest resilience due to CO2 fertilization approximately balance the tropical mean decrease from warming (the relative importance of rainfall and temperature changes depends on the uncertain spatial pattern of rainfall change). DSR is a tool that could be applied to different vegetation models to help us understand and narrow uncertainty in tropical forest projections.
A Mechanism for Local Dissipation of Internal Tides Generated at Rough Topography
Authors: Nikurashin Maxim , Legg Sonya
Published: March 2011

Fine- and micro-structure observations indicate that turbulent mixing is enhanced within O(1) km above rough topography. Enhanced mixing is associated with internal wave breaking and, in many regions of the ocean, has been linked to the breaking and dissipation of internal tides. The generation and dissipation of internal tides are explored in this study using a high-resolution two-dimensional nonhydrostatic numerical model, which explicitly resolves the instabilities leading to wave breaking, configured in an idealized domain with a realistic multiscale topography and flow characteristics. The control simulation, chosen to represent the Brazil Basin region, produces a vertical profile of energy dissipation and temporal characteristics of finescale motions that are consistent with observations. Results suggest that a significant fraction of mixing in the bottom O(1) km of the ocean is sustained by the transfer of energy from the large-scale internal tides to smaller-scale internal waves by nonlinear wave–wave interactions. The time scale of the energy transfer to the smaller scales is estimated to be on the order of a few days. A suite of sensitivity experiments is carried out to examine the dependence of the energy transfer time scale and energy dissipation on topographic roughness, tidal amplitude, and Coriolis frequency parameters. Implications for tidal mixing parameterizations are discussed.
Estimating Contemporary and Future Wind-Damage Losses from Hurricanes Affecting Eglin Air Force Base, Florida
Authors: Elsner James B. , Lewers Shawn W. , Malmstadt Jill C. , Jagger Thomas H.
Published: March 2011

The strongest hurricanes over the North Atlantic Ocean are getting stronger, with the increase related to rising ocean temperature. Here, the authors develop a procedure for estimating future wind losses from hurricanes and apply it to Eglin Air Force Base along the northern coast of Florida. The method combines models of the statistical distributions for extreme wind speed and average sea surface temperature over the Gulf of Mexico with dynamical models for tropical cyclone wind fields and damage losses. Results show that the 1-in-100-yr hurricane from the twentieth century picked at random to occur in the year 2100 would result in wind damage that is 36% [(13%, 76%) = 90% confidence interval] greater solely as a consequence of the projected warmer waters in the Gulf of Mexico. The method can be applied elsewhere along the coast with modeling assumptions modified for regional conditions.
Staking Claims: Conveying Transnational Cultural Value in a Creative Industry
Authors: Bielby Denise D.
Published: March 2011

This study examines who speaks to cultural value in the world market for television, what criteria are invoked for product appraisal, and how aesthetic criteria are deployed to explore the ways in which cultural arbiters and critical appraisal contribute to transnational culture worlds. Findings reveal that product appraisals consist of rational, concrete criteria that signal profitability alongside aesthetic criteria that reflect dimensions of entertainment. In the absence of professional critics, the public discourse of industry boundary spanners proved crucial to marketplace gatekeeping and the organization of global television’s market environment.
Lead Poisoning Among Burmese Refugee Children—Indiana, 2009
Authors: Ritchey Matthew D. , Scalia Sucosky Marissa , Jefferies Taran , McCormick David , Hesting Amy , Blanton Curtis , Duwve Joan , Bruner Robin , Randolph Daley W. , Jarrett Jeffery , Brown Mary Jean
Published: March 2011

Recent routine screening revealed multiple cases of unexplained lead poisoning among children of Burmese refugees living in Fort Wayne, Indiana. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine ( a) the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) among Burmese children and ( b) potential sources of lead exposure. A case was defined as an elevated venous BLL (≥10 µg/dL); prevalence was compared with all Indiana children screened during 2008. Environmental and product samples were tested for lead. In all, 14 of 197 (7.1%) children had elevated BLLs (prevalence ratio: 10.7) that ranged from 10.2 to 29.0 µg/dL. Six cases were newly identified; 4 were among US-born children. Laboratory testing identified a traditional ethnic digestive remedy, Daw Tway, containing a median 520 ppm lead. A multilevel linear regression model identified daily use of thanakha, an ethnic cosmetic, and Daw Tway use were related to elevated BLLs ( P < .05). Routine monitoring of BLLs among this population should remain a priority.
Leading Inclusive ELL
Authors: Theoharis George , O’Toole Joanne
Published: March 2011

Purpose: This article attempts to build a better understanding of the leadership necessary to create socially just schools for English language learners (ELLs) by addressing these questions: In what ways do principals create asset-based, collaborative, and inclusive learning opportunities and services for ELLs? What do varying approaches of these services and the leadership necessary look like in practice? Research Design: This article reports on the instrumental case studies of two urban elementary schools and the principals involved in school reform that resulted in inclusive ELL services. Findings: The first principal led her school to adopt a dual certification approach, where the staff engaged in professional development around ELL. They combined federal, state, and local resources to eliminate pullout ELL programs and reduce class size so elementary teachers would take sole responsibility for building community and instructing ELL and all students. The second principal led his school to adopt a coteaching approach where teams of general education and English as a second language (ESL) teachers planned as a team and cotaught all students. They eliminated pullout ELL services and focused on community building, professional development, and collaboration. Student achievement at both schools, and in particular the achievement of ELL students, greatly improved, as did the connection with ELL families. The cross-case analysis provides a comparison between the cases of inclusive ESL reform. Conclusions: The authors propose implications for school leaders that build on the literature, social justice leadership, and the work of the principals, staffs, and communities at the schools from the case studies described here.
Hotel Trademarks in Organic Search
Authors: Beldona Srikanth , Lin Kunwei , Chen Mingzhu
Published: March 2011

The importance of the online travel search environment is well documented. In this context, trademarks play an instrumental role in resolving customer confusion in the search environment. An important element of the online search environment is the organic search output that is typically displayed on the left side of the search results screen on major search engines. This study evaluated the organic search listing performance in a U.S.-based search context of hotel trademarks (websites) on three search engines (Google, Yahoo! and MSN [later Bing]) across four countries (United States, United Kingdom, China, and India) over two separate time periods (years 2007 and 2009) for three tiers of lodging operation (economy, midscale, and upscale). Findings indicate that there are significant differences across countries, across lodging tiers and over time periods. The study draws attention for hoteliers to focus on website optimization and trademark control in the online information space.
Assessing the Impacts of the Global Economic Crisis and Swine Flu on Inbound Tourism Demand in the United Kingdom
Authors: Page Stephen , Song Haiyan , Wu Doris Chenguang
Published: March 2011

The recent economic crisis and swine flu pandemic have had significantly negative impacts on global tourism. Tourism in the United Kingdom has also suffered as a result of the two crises, although their actual impacts have yet to be evaluated. This study analyzes the impacts of these two phenomena on the demand for U.K. inbound tourism during the 2008Q1-2009Q2 period among visitors from the country’s 14 major visitor source markets. An econometric framework is proposed to separate and estimate the impacts of swine flu and the economic crisis on U.K. tourism demand.
Bodies in Action: Corporeal Agency and Democratic Politics
Authors: Krause Sharon R.
Published: March 2011

A better appreciation of the material, distributed quality of human agency can illuminate subtle dynamics of domination and oppression and reveal resources for potentially liberatory political action. Materialist accounts of agency nevertheless pose challenges to the notion of personal responsibility that is so crucial to political obligation and democratic citizenship. To guard against this danger, we need to sustain the close connection between agency and a sense of selfhood that is individuated, reflexive, and responsive to norms. Yet we should acknowledge that reflexive selfhood is not the whole of individual agency for the sources of agency extend beyond the individual herself. We also need to recognize the ways that both reflexivity and norm-responsiveness are themselves embodied capacities. When properly conceived, a materialist view of agency can increase awareness of our often-unwitting contributions to systematic inequalities of power and extend our political responsibilities in emancipatory directions, thus holding great promise for democratic life.
A new control system design for a small hydro-power plant based on particle swarm optimization-fuzzy sliding mode controller with Kalman estimator
Authors: Zargari A , Hooshmand R , Ataei M
Published: March 2011

One of the main problems in small hydro-power plants that are locally used is their frequency control system. In this paper, a suggested control system based on the fuzzy sliding mode controller is presented for controlling the network frequency. Also, the proposed control strategy is compared with a PI controller and conventional sliding mode controller. In order to regulate the membership functions of fuzzy system more accurately, the particle swarm optimization algorithm is also applied. Moreover, because of unavailability of the control system variables, an estimator is suggested for estimating and identifying the system variables. This estimator will reduce the costs of implementing the control method. The simulation results show the ability of controller system in controlling the local network frequency in the presence of load and parameter’s variations.
A measurement technique for direct axis and quadrature axis magnetic characteristics in a projected pole (stationary field type) synchronous machine
Authors: Basha SI Manjur , Xavier R Joseph , Jeyakumar A Ebenezer
Published: March 2011

The magnetic characteristics of a projected pole stationary field type synchronous machine are important in design and performance studies though they differ along direct axis (d-axis) and quadrature axis (q-axis). It is difficult to determine the q-axis magnetic characteristics, whereas the determination of d-axis magnetic characteristics can be done by performing an open-circuit characteristics test on the machine. In order to estimate both the d–q axes magnetic characteristics by a direct method, various flux measurement techniques such as the moving coil flux meter, ballistic galvanometer, magneto resistance flux meter, Hall effect flux meter and solid-state diode-flux meter have been analysed. A novel approach of using germanium diodes as flux sensors is proposed in this work to determine experimentally the d–q axes magnetic characteristics. The implementation of hardware, experimental investigations and the results are presented here. Furthermore, the merits and applications of the proposed method are also discussed.
Relative stability analysis of closed-loop SISO dead-time systems: non-imaginary axis case
Authors: Gumussoy Suat
Published: March 2011

We present a numerical method to analyse the relative stability of closed-loop single-input–single-output (SISO) dead-time systems on a given left complex half-plane for all positive delays. The well-known boundary crossing method for the imaginary axis is extended to a given vertical line stability boundary in the complex plane for these types of systems. The method allows us to compute the characteristic roots crossing the relative stability boundary and their corresponding delays up to a maximum predefined delay. Based on this method, we analyse the relative stability of the closed-loop system for all positive delays. Both numerical methods are effective for high-order SISO dead-time systems.
Robust adaptive sliding mode attitude control and vibration damping of flexible spacecraft subject to unknown disturbance and uncertainty
Authors: Hu Qinglei
Published: March 2011

This paper is concerned with the development of a control system for rotational manoeuvre and vibration suppression of a flexible spacecraft. The design approach presented here treats the problem of spacecraft attitude control separately from the elastic vibration suppression problem. As a stepping stone, a state feedback sliding mode control command is designed to achieve the reference trajectory tracking control of attitude angle. This is followed by the design of an adaptive sliding mode control law using only output for robust stabilization of spacecraft in the presence of parametric uncertainty and external disturbances. Even if this controller has the ability to reject the disturbance and deal with uncertainty, it excites the elastic modes of flexible appendages. The undesirable vibration is then actively suppressed by applying feedback control voltages to the piezoceramic actuators, in which the modal velocity feedback control method is adopted here for determining the control voltages. The effectiveness of the control schemes in handling external disturbance and uncertainty in the system parameters is also studied. Both analytical and numerical results are presented to show the theoretical and practical merit of this hybrid approach.
Quantitative Feedback Theory control design using particle swarm optimization method
Authors: Ali Hazem I , Noor Samsul Bahari B Mohd , Bashi SM , Marhaban Mohammad Hamiruce
Published: March 2011

In this paper, a particle swarm optimization (PSO) method is proposed to design Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT) control. This method minimizes a proposed cost function subject to appropriate robust stability and performance QFT constraints. The PSO algorithm is simple and easy to implement, and can be used to automate the loop shaping procedures of the standard QFT. The proposed method is applied to the high uncertainty pneumatic servo actuator system as an example to illustrate the design procedure of the proposed algorithm. The proposed method is compared with the standard QFT control. The results show that the superiority of the proposed method in that it can achieve the same robustness requirements of standard QFT control with simple structure and low order controller.
Outlier detection for process control data based on a non-linear Auto-Regression Hidden Markov Model method
Authors: Liu Fang , Mao Zhizhong , Su Weixing
Published: March 2011

This paper focuses on the issue of outlier detection for time series in the process industry. Considering the characteristics of time series in process control systems, such as high non-linearity, strong noise and the special relationship between the input and output of the controlled object, a new outlier detection algorithm is proposed. The algorithm adopts an improved Radial Basis Function Network to construct the model of the controlled object and an Auto-Regression Hidden Markov Model to detect outliers. Unlike many conventional outlier detection methods, this algorithm does not need any prior data and can detect outliers accurately without preselecting the threshold. The proposed detection algorithm is validated by the application to the electrode regulator system of an arc furnace and comparison with Takeuchi’s auto-regressive model detection approach.
Social Curiosity and Interpersonal Perception: A Judge × Trait Interaction
Authors: Hartung Freda-Marie , Renner Britta
Published: March 2011

The present study examined the impact of social curiosity on the utilization of social information and the accuracy of personality judgments. In total, 182 individuals who never met each other before were asked to interact for 10 minutes and afterwards to evaluate the personality (Big Five) of their interaction partner. High socially curious judges were more accurate in evaluating the degree of Extraversion and Openness of their interaction partners. Interestingly, high and low curious judges differed significantly in the utilization of verbal and nonverbal cues displayed by their interaction partner. Specifically, high socially curious judges more often used valid cues for inferring Extraversion and Openness. No differences in interpersonal accuracy and cue utilization were found for Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness. The results suggest that high socially curious individuals are more accurate in judging visible traits and that this higher accuracy is grounded in a more comprehensive utilization of valid cues.
Self-Concept Consistency and Culture: The Differential Impact of Two Forms of Consistency
Authors: English Tammy , Chen Serena
Published: March 2011

Self-concept consistency is viewed as central to authenticity and adjustment in Western cultures. The authors propose that the implications of self-concept consistency depend on both the cultural background of the individual and the type of consistency involved. Specifically, although consistency of the self-concept across different contexts may be less important in East Asian than Western cultures, East Asians may still benefit from consistency within specific social contexts over time (i.e., maintaining stable, distinct relational selves). Supporting these ideas, across three studies, inconsistency of trait self-perceptions across different relationship contexts was linked to lower subjective authenticity and relationship quality for European Americans but not East Asian Americans. However, inconsistency within the same relationship context over time showed similar negative associations with these outcomes in both groups. Overall, the results suggest that inconsistency may be less consequential for East Asians relative to Westerners only if it reflects culturally prescribed adjustment to different social contexts.
Evaluation of Carcinogenic Potential of Diuron in a Rat Mammary Two-Stage Carcinogenesis Model
Authors: Grassi Tony Fernando , Rodrigues Maria Aparecida Marchesan , de Camargo João Lauro Viana , Barbisan Luís Fernando
Published: March 2011

This study aimed to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of the herbicide Diuron in a two-stage rat medium-term mammary carcinogenesis model initiated by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA). Female seven-week-old Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were allocated to six groups: groups G1 to G4 received intragastrically (i.g.) a single 50 mg/kg dose of DMBA; groups G5 and G6 received single administration of canola oil (vehicle of DMBA). Groups G1 and G5 received a basal diet, and groups G2, G3, G4, and G6 were fed the basal diet with the addition of Diuron at 250, 1250, 2500, and 2500 ppm, respectively. After twenty-five weeks, the animals were euthanized and mammary tumors were histologically confirmed and quantified. Tumor samples were also processed for immunohistochemical evaluation of the expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), cleaved caspase-3, estrogen receptor-α (ER-α), p63, bcl-2, and bak. Diuron treatment did not increase the incidence or multiplicity of mammary tumors (groups G2 to G4 versus Group G1). Also, exposure to Diuron did not alter tumor growth (cell proliferation and apoptosis indexes) or immunoreactivity to ER-α, p63 (myoephitelial marker), or bcl-2 and bak (apoptosis regulatory proteins). These findings indicate that Diuron does not have a promoting potential on mammary carcinogenesis in female SD rats initiated with DMBA.
Media Narratives and Social Events: The Story of the Redfern Riot
Authors: Budarick John
Published: March 2011

This article uses a narrative framework to analyze the role of newspapers in discursively reestablishing social order during times of social crisis and upheaval. Using the coverage by three diverse newspapers ( Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, and Koori Mail) of the 2004 Redfern Riot in Sydney, Australia, the article will explicate the way each paper narrates social actors, discourses, and events in order to make sense of the riot and promote a way to reestablish social equilibrium. It is argued that the narratives of the two mainstream papers ( Sydney Morning Herald and Daily Telegraph) converge in a coverage that draws on powerful cultural tropes of race and crime in Redfern to explain the riot. The Indigenous owned and run Koori Mail, in challenging many of those same tropes, is left with fewer publicly available narrative resources through which to conclude its story of the riot.
Where next for neighbourhood regeneration in England?
Authors: Broughton Kevin , Berkeley Nigel , Jarvis David
Published: March 2011

There has been a ‘triple whammy’ for neighbourhood regeneration in England in 2010. Key agencies and infrastructure have been abolished or cut back since the election of a new government; the previous administration’s area-based initiatives are ending; and property-led developments have slowed markedly during the recession. However, while policy stands at a crossroads, the underlying drivers for regeneration remain as pertinent as ever, regardless of wider fiscal and economic circumstances. Within this context, the article considers the form which neighbourhood regeneration might take during the next decade, exploring how evolving policy developments (e.g. localism, ‘Big Society’, Local Enterprise Partnerships) could impact on practice. Analysis suggests that neighbourhood regeneration will exist in a very different world to that which practitioners are familiar with, characterized by resource constraints, organizational change, uncertainty and upheaval. However, there are opportunities: a more powerful position for voluntary and community sector organizations with the greatest capacity; new forms of collaboration between neighbourhood regeneration organizations; and the development of new relationships between commissioners and service delivery organizations.
What’s local? Access to fresh food for older people
Authors: Madgwick Della , Ravenscroft Neil
Published: March 2011

This article seeks to engage with two key debates: how we understand ‘local’ with respect to the ways in which people move around local economies to buy food; and what this tells us about food planning and policies to reduce the length of the food supply chain. Using a focus group of older people in Brighton and Hove, England, the article suggests that the social experience of food shopping is informed by individuals’ cultural capital, allied to the ways in which they travel around the city. In contrast, food planning is dominated by imperatives to localize the points of both production and sale, apparently with scant regard for the rather different connections between production and sale made by the shoppers themselves. The article concludes that, for the older people in the study at least, ‘local’ is little more than a spatial referent along a continuum of shopping experiences.