bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of Some Physicochemical Properties of Mixtures of Morama Seed Oil with (C6–C9) n‐Alkanes at 298.15 and Atmospheric Pressure
Authors: Yeboah S. O. , Oathotse I. , Ddamba W. A. A.
Published: April 2014

Densities ρ, ultrasonic speeds u and dynamic viscosities η, of mixtures of morama, Tylosema esculentum, seed oil with n‐hexane, n‐heptane, n‐octane and n‐nonane were determined over the entire composition range at 298.15 K and atmospheric pressure. Excess molar volumes, , excess molar free volumes , deviations in isentropic compressibility, Δκs, deviations in ultrasonic speed, Δu, deviations in viscosity, Δη, and the excess free energy of activation of viscous flow, ΔG*E, were calculated therefrom and correlated by the Redlich–Kister equation for each of the [morama seed oil + (n‐hexane or n‐heptane or n‐octane or n‐nonane)] mixtures. The results have been discussed in terms of possible intermolecular interactions and structural effects.
Staphylococcal nuclease domain containing‐1 (SND1) promotes migration and invasion via angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) and TGFβ signaling
Authors: Santhekadur Prasanna K. , Akiel Maaged , Emdad Luni , Gredler Rachel , Srivastava Jyoti , Rajasekaran Devaraja , Robertson Chadia L. , Mukhopadhyay Nitai D. , Fisher Paul B. , Sarkar Devanand
Published: April 2014

Staphylococcal nuclease domain containing‐1 (SND1) is overexpressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and promotes tumorigenesis by human HCC cells. We now document that SND1 increases angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) levels by increasing AT1R mRNA stability. This results in activation of ERK, Smad2 and subsequently the TGFβ signaling pathway, promoting epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration and invasion by human HCC cells. A positive correlation was observed between SND1 and AT1R expression levels in human HCC patients. Small molecule inhibitors of SND1, alone or in combination with AT1R blockers, might be an effective therapeutic strategy for late‐stage aggressive HCC.
Laparoscopic treatment of acquired megacolon
Authors: Oliveira LH , Banci SO , Kagohara O , Simões Neto J , Reis Junior JA , Reis Neto JA
Published: April 2014

In spite of the large experience acquired in the last 50 years with the surgical treatment of the Chagasic megacolon, the use of colorectal video laparoscopic surgery brought some controversy in several aspects of the treatment that already had been considered as resolved. One of the basic aspects to the establishment of the colorectal video laparoscopic surgery is to maintain the same procedure of the conventional surgery, since the results obtained in this operation were considered as curative. Constipation is only a symptom of a multisymptomatic disease, and the surgical treatment of acquired megacolon must be considered as definitive in the cure of this symptom; recurrence of the constipation or dilatation after a short period of time must be considered deleterious to the patient. Based in 41 years of experience with the Duhamel procedure in the treatment of 912 patients with acquired megacolon, the authors propose to apply the same technique in the surgical laparoscopic approach of acquired megacolon, including the same colon-recto-anal anastomosis. The results obtained in 56 patients operated on by laparoscopic approach showed the same curative results, but with lower morbidity.
Immunohistochemistry expression of TCF4 protein on carcinoma, adenoma and non neoplastic colorectal mucosa
Authors: Tauil Leonardo Huber , Mader Ana Maria Amaral , Tauil Thamires Huber , Pires Andrea , Rezende Lidia Maria Magalhães , Waisberg Jaques
Published: April 2014

Purpose To detect and quantify the immunoreactivity of TCF4 protein in colorectal carcinoma, colorectal adenoma and non-neoplasic colorectal epithelium.

Methods We studied 129 individuals: 40 with colorectal cancer, 52 with colorectal adenoma and 37 with non-neoplastic colorectal epithelium. The colorectal adenoma and carcinoma samples were obtained from patients who underwent surgical procedures, and colonoscopies and samples of non-neoplastic colorectal epithelium were taken from patients who died from cardiovascular diseases, without diseases of the large intestine. Samples of different tissues were included in paraffin blocks, and the immunohistochemical expression of protein TCF4 was analyzed using the technique of tissue microarray (TMA) with polyclonal antibody TCF4. The immunoreactivity was analyzed and classified as positive and negative.

Results The immunohistochemical expression of TCF4 protein was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in colorectal carcinoma than in the non-neoplastic colorectal epithelium and adenoma. There was no difference (p = 0.76) between TCF4 protein immunohistochemical expression in colorectal adenoma and non-neoplastic colorectal tissue.

Conclusions TCF4 protein showed a more intense expression in colorectal carcinoma than in non-neoplastic colorectal epithelium and adenoma, indicating that this protein is involved in colorectal carcinogenesis.
Needle knife-assisted polypectomy in hot snare-resistant fibrotic inflammatory polyps
Authors: Wu Xian-rui , Liu Xiu-li , Shen Bo
Published: April 2014

Background Inflammatory polyps are common sequelae in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Those polyps can usually be removed with snare polypectomy. There were limited data evaluating the management of hot snare-resistant inflammatory polyps.

Methods We reported on two cases with hot snare-resistant inflammatory polyps, one was a Crohn's disease (CD) patient with the polyp at the ileo-colonic anastomosis (ICA) and the other one was an ulcerative colitis (UC) patient with polyp at the pouch inlet.

Results Sedated endoscopy was performed, which showed a large 2.5 cm pedunculated polyp at the ICA in the first patient and a large 5 cm pedunculated polyp at the pouch inlet in the second patient. Hot snare polypectomy was initially attempted, but failed in both patients. Then endoscopic needle knife polypectomy was performed, which helped complete polypectomy. Both procedures took approximately 25 minutes each. The patients tolerated the procedure well and continued to do well after the procedure. The final pathological diagnoses for both patients were inflammatory polyps with extensive fibrosis.

Conclusions Endoscopic needle knife-assisted polypectomy appeared to be an effective technique for the management of hot snare-resistant inflammatory polyps.
Functional results after treatment for rectal cancer
Authors: Emmertsen Katrine Jossing , Chen Tina Yen-Ting , Laurberg Soren
Published: April 2014

Introduction With improving survival of rectal cancer, functional outcome has become increasingly important. Following sphincter-preserving resection many patients suffer from severe bowel dysfunction with an impact on quality of life (QoL) – referred to as low anterior resection syndrome (LARS).

Study objective To provide an overview of the current knowledge of LARS regarding symptomatology, occurrence, risk factors, pathophysiology, evaluation instruments and treatment options.

Results LARS is characterized by urgency, frequent bowel movements, emptying difficulties and incontinence, and occurs in up to 50-75% of patients on a long-term basis. Known risk factors are low anastomosis, use of radiotherapy, direct nerve injury and straight anastomosis. The pathophysiology seems to be multifactorial, with elements of anatomical, sensory and motility dysfunction. Use of validated instruments for evaluation of LARS is essential. Currently, there is a lack of evidence for treatment of LARS. Yet, transanal irrigation and sacral nerve stimulation are promising.

Conclusion LARS is a common problem following sphincter-preserving resection. All patients should be informed about the risk of LARS before surgery, and routinely be screened for LARS postoperatively. Patients with severe LARS should be offered treatment in order to improve QoL. Future focus should be on the possibilities of non-resectional treatment in order to prevent LARS.
VAAFT - Videoassisted anal fistula treatment: A new approach for anal fistula
Authors: Mendes Carlos Ramon Silveira , Ferreira Luciano Santana de Miranda , Sapucaia Ricardo Aguiar , Lima Meyline Andrade , Araujo Sergio Eduardo Alonso
Published: April 2014

Introduction Anal fistula is an epithelised path between the rectum or anal canal and the perianal region. The use of laparoscopic surgery with a minimally invasive procedure has led to the development of video-assisted surgical treatment of anal fistula.

Objective To describe the surgical technique VAAFT as a new approach to fistula.

Conclusion This is a safe and reproducible procedure. It enables the study of the entire fistula, obtaining the identification of accessory paths, cavitations and of the inner hole. More studies should be published for a better analysis of this technique, as well as to have a long-term outcome with new publications.
The Rise of Bombay
Authors: Edwardes Stephen Meredyth
Published: April 2014

This work, reprinted from the 1901 Census of India Series in 1902, examines the growth of the great Indian port city, giving contemporary statistics as well as recounting its long history before and during British rule (the East India Company had begun trading there in the 1660s). The editor, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes (1873–1927), was a civil servant based in Bombay. Using sources from travellers' accounts to official documents, this work tells the story of Bombay, 'one of the most splendid of Imperial Cities', as Edwardes describes it. Starting in prehistoric times, he discusses the topography of the city, its prosperity through trade and its early rulers, before moving on to the significance of Hinduism and Islam, the arrival of the Portuguese and finally the establishment of British rule. Illustrated with maps and photographs, this work gives a vivid history of the development of one of India's most important cities.
West African Countries and Peoples, British and Native
Authors: Horton James Africanus Beale
Published: April 2014

This book, first published in 1868, became the best-known work of medical officer and writer James Africanus Beale Horton (1835–1883), who was born in Sierra Leone to parents of Igbo descent. He was chosen by the British to train as an army medical officer and attended King's College, London, and Edinburgh University. He returned to West Africa and published his doctoral thesis, which was a medical topography of the region; subsequent works called for health reforms. West African Countries, however, went beyond medicine. In it Horton refutes the derogatory racial theories about Africans rife in Victorian Britain and its empire, and he examines the possibility of self-government and how it might function in Sierra Leone and other territories in West Africa, foreshadowing the decolonisation that took place almost one hundred years later.
Egyptian Decorative Art
Authors: Petrie William Matthew Flinders
Published: April 2014

Among the leading Egyptologists of his day, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853–1942) excavated over fifty sites and trained a generation of archaeologists. He published these carefully illustrated lectures in 1895. Exploring the ancient Egyptians' passion for decoration, he demonstrates his view that the elaborate use of hieroglyphs and design 'made the Egyptian the father of the world's ornament'. Petrie describes and illustrates the four main areas of decoration: the geometrical use of lines, spirals and curves; the representation of natural images such as feathers and flowers; the existence of structural patterns resulting from ancient techniques of building or manufacture; and the use of symbolic emblems such as the vulture, scarab and lion. Much modern-day design, Petrie argues, is influenced by ancient Egyptian aesthetics. Many of his other publications - for both Egyptologists and non-specialists - are also reissued in this series.
Hours in a Library
Authors: Stephen Leslie
Published: April 2014

This three-volume set brings together a diverse selection of essays by Sir Leslie Stephen (1832–1904), author, philosopher and literary critic. Educated at Eton and Cambridge, he was the founding editor of the Dictionary of National Biography and father of Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell. He wrote critiques of many authors and works, which were published in periodicals such as the Cornhill Magazine (of which he was editor from 1871), Fraser's Magazine and the Fortnightly Review. The First Series, published in 1874, includes commentaries on the works of Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, Sir Walter Scott and Honoré de Balzac, and the poetry of Alexander Pope. Stephen sets each writer's work in its historical context, comparing it to that of other significant authors of its era and evaluating its philosophical and moral qualities. His articles remain of great interest to scholars of early modern, Romantic and Victorian literature.
A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics
Authors: Carr George Shoobridge
Published: April 2014

When George Shoobridge Carr (1837–1914) wrote his Synopsis of Elementary Results he intended it as an aid to students preparing for degree-level examinations such as the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos, for which he provided private tuition. He would have been startled to see the two volumes, first published in 1880 and 1886 respectively, reissued more than a century later. Notably, in 1903 the work fell into the hands of the Indian prodigy Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887–1920) and greatly influenced his mathematical education. It is the interaction between a methodical teaching aid and the soaring spirit of a self-taught genius which gives this reissue its interest. Volume 1, presented here in its 1886 printing, contains sections on mathematical tables, algebra, the theory of equations, plane trigonometry, spherical trigonometry, elementary geometry and geometrical conics.
A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics
Authors: Carr George Shoobridge
Published: April 2014

When George Shoobridge Carr (1837–1914) wrote his Synopsis of Elementary Results he intended it as an aid to students preparing for degree-level examinations such as the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos, for which he provided private tuition. He would have been startled to see the two volumes, first published in 1880 and 1886 respectively, reissued more than a century later. Notably, in 1903 the work fell into the hands of the Indian prodigy Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887–1920) and greatly influenced his mathematical education. It is the interaction between a methodical teaching aid and the soaring spirit of a self-taught genius which gives this reissue its interest. Volume 2 contains sections on differential calculus, integral calculus, calculus of variations, differential equations, calculus of finite differences, plane coordinate geometry and solid coordinate geometry. Also included is a historically valuable index insofar as it provides references to 890 volumes of 32 periodicals dating back to 1800.
Signalling across Space without Wires
Authors: Lodge Oliver
Published: April 2014

The early 1890s saw the development of wireless telegraphy. Although the behaviour of radio waves had been predicted by James Clerk Maxwell, the production of a working coherer occupied some of the greatest practical physicists of the time. A giant in the field was Heinrich Hertz (1857–94), who was among the first to discover that radio waves could travel independently of wires. When Hertz died, his work was continued and soon led to the development of the first wireless radios. This book, published in 1900, is the third edition of Sir Oliver Lodge's popular explanation of Hertz's work. Including the Royal Institution lecture that Lodge (1851–1940) gave in 1894, along with detailed diagrams, it covers the basic principles of radio waves and some of the theory surrounding telegraphic technology. Also included in this reissue is Lodge's 1924 lecture on electrical precipitation, discussing the scintillating possibility of altering atmospheric conditions through the use of electrical charges.
A History of Political Economy
Authors: Ingram John K.
Published: April 2014

Living most of his life in Dublin, John Kells Ingram (1823–1907) published papers on Shakespeare, geometry, differential calculus, and Mexican antiques, held professorial chairs in English Literature and Greek, and in 1843 wrote 'The Memory of the Dead', a celebrated Irish nationalist hymn. He helped to found the Dublin Statistical Society in 1847, and from the 1860s began to write papers such as 'Work and the Workman', reflecting his adherence to the positivist sociology of Auguste Comte. He saw economics as an integral part of sociology which, through practical application, could contribute towards the betterment of humanity. Published in 1888, A History of Political Economy was hugely successful, being translated into ten languages. In it, Ingram expands on the historicist rejection of laissez-faire and free trade as being universally correct, and promotes the notion that the state can play a constructive role in improving the lives of its people.
A New Account of the East Indies
Authors: Hamilton Alexander
Published: April 2014

Little is known of Captain Alexander Hamilton other than what he tells us in this work, first published in 1727. Written during his retirement, it is both an invaluable source of information on south-east Asia at the time and a lively travelogue of Hamilton's adventurous seafaring life in the service of the East India Company and independently between 1688 and 1723. An engaging storyteller, Hamilton writes of encounters with pirates, the Portuguese, and of a poisoning in Malacca, as well as providing vivid descriptions of the countries he visited - from Africa to Japan via India, Sumatra and China - and their social customs, religions, trade and commerce. His idiosyncratic maps and illustrations enhance his narrative despite his admission that he makes 'but little use of the pencil'. Volume 2 takes the reader up the east coast of India, thence to Burma, Sumatra, Java, Thailand, Cambodia, China, and finally Japan.
Lilawati; or a Treatise on Arithmetic and Geometry
Authors: Acharya Bhascara
Published: April 2014

An important mathematician and astronomer in medieval India, Bhascara Acharya (1114–85) wrote treatises on arithmetic, algebra, geometry and astronomy. He is also believed to have been head of the astronomical observatory at Ujjain, which was the leading centre of mathematical sciences in India. Forming part of his Sanskrit magnum opus Siddhānta Shiromani, the present work is his treatise on arithmetic, including coverage of geometry. It was first published in English in 1816 after being translated by the East India Company surgeon John Taylor (d.1821). Used as a textbook in India for centuries, it provides the basic mathematics needed for astronomy. Topics covered include arithmetical terms, plane geometry, solid geometry and indeterminate equations. Of enduring interest in the history of mathematics, this work also contains Bhascara's pictorial proof of Pythagoras' theorem.
Historical Sketches of the South of India
Authors: Wilks Mark
Published: April 2014

Classically educated, Mark Wilks (c.1760–1831) joined the Madras army of the East India Company and would go on to serve as political resident at the court of Mysore from 1803 to 1808. He also later served as governor of Saint Helena from 1813 to 1816, during which time he witnessed the arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte. Elected to the Manx parliament in 1816, Wilks became its speaker in 1826 and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in the same year. Drawing on state records and his own experiences, he first published this acclaimed three-volume history of the kingdom of Mysore between 1810 and 1817. Volume 1, an 1820 reprint of the 1810 original, covers the early Hindu dynasties, the Mughal period, the emergence of a separate Mysore under Hyder Ali (c.1720–82), and early French and British dealings in southern India to 1767.
A Digest of Hindu Law, on Contracts and Successions
Authors: Tercapanchánana Jagannátha
Published: April 2014

An honorary professor of Sanskrit and Hindu law at Fort William College in Calcutta, and a key figure in the foundation of the Royal Asiatic Society, Henry Thomas Colebrooke (1765–1837) became Britain's foremost orientalist during the early nineteenth century. Taking up the reins of Sanskrit scholarship following the death of Sir William Jones (1746–94), Colebrooke made several substantial contributions to Indic study. Through seminal publications such as a grammar of Sanskrit and an extended article on the Vedas, he provided unprecedented access to one of the world's oldest languages and some of its oldest texts. Published in 1801, this three-volume translation of Brahman law was based on a Sanskrit compilation prepared by a pandit, Jagannatha Tercapanchanana, whose learned commentary is also featured in the work. Volume 3 continues with inheritance law, covering adoption (of sons) and bequeathal rights relating to daughters.
Descrizione di Pompei
Authors: Fiorelli Giuseppe
Published: April 2014

Imprisoned in 1849 for organising a Carbonari cell among the workers at Pompeii, numismatist and archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli (1823–96) was eventually appointed Director of Excavations, as well as Professor of Archaeology at Naples, in 1860. He introduced systematic excavation to the site and meticulous record-keeping, including the creation of a general map and a 1:100 model, as well as the use of plaster casts to capture the forms of ancient bodies. Published in 1875, as Fiorelli left Naples to take up the position of Director General of Italian Antiquities and Fine Arts, this guide, in Italian, gives a description of Pompeii ordered by region, insula, and building - a system devised by Fiorelli and still in use today. As such, the work illuminates the development of modern archaeological methods and the history of this remarkable site.
Memoirs of Alexis Soyer
Authors: Soyer Alexis
Published: April 2014

Perhaps the first celebrity chef, Alexis Soyer (1810–58) was a flamboyant, larger-than-life character who nonetheless took his profession very seriously. As the chef of the Reform Club, he modernised its kitchens, installing refrigerators and gas cookers. In 1851, during the Great Exhibition, he prepared spectacular (but financially ruinous) culinary extravaganzas at his restaurant, the Gastronomic Symposium of All Nations. In stark contrast, he organised soup kitchens during the Great Famine in Ireland and volunteered his services in the Crimea in 1855 to improve military catering. He was also a prolific inventor of kitchen gadgets, notably promoting the Magic Stove, used for cooking food at the table. Several of his highly popular cookery books have been reissued in this series. Following his death, his secretaries François Volant and James Warren published this anecdotal and admiring biography in 1859, together with recipes and other cookery writings.
Airships in Peace and War
Authors: Hearne R. P. , Maxim Hiram Stevens
Published: April 2014

In 1908, the motoring journalist R. P. Hearne published Aerial Warfare, the first book on the subject to reach an audience beyond military strategists. Enormous advances in aviation resulted in the publication of this substantially revised edition in 1910. At a time of intense European military rivalry, the book highlighted differences in the way countries were adopting new aerial technology. Hearne makes the assumption that conflict with Germany at some point is inevitable, and identifies the airship as 'practically an invisible enemy'. At this point Germany had ten airships compared to Britain's one, and while the British regarded them as useful only for reconnaissance, the Germans had identified potential offensive uses. Reviews commended the book for its depth and numerous illustrations, but also suggested it was alarmist and anti-German. However, it brought the subject to wider attention, and was a factor behind the government's decision to invest properly in aviation research.
Controllability of intense-laser ion acceleration
Authors: Kawata Shigeo , Nagashima Toshihiro , Takano Masahiro , Izumiyama Takeshi , Kamiyama Daiki , Barada Daisuke , Kong Qing , Gu Yan Jun , Wang Ping Xiao , Ma Yan Yun , Wang Wei Ming , Zhang Wu , Xie Jiang , Zhang Huiran , Dai Dongbo
Published: April 2014

An ion beam has the unique feature of being able to deposit its main energy inside a human body to kill cancer cells or inside material. However, conventional ion accelerators tend to be huge in size and cost. In this paper, a future intense-laser ion accelerator is discussed to make the laser-based ion accelerator compact and controllable. The issues in the laser ion accelerator include the energy efficiency from the laser to the ions, the ion beam collimation, the ion energy spectrum control, the ion beam bunching, and the ion particle energy control. In the study, each component is designed to control the ion beam quality by particle simulations. The energy efficiency from the laser to ions is improved by using a solid target with a fine sub-wavelength structure or a near-critical-density gas plasma. The ion beam collimation is performed by holes behind the solid target or a multi-layered solid target. The control of the ion energy spectrum and the ion particle energy, and the ion beam bunching are successfully realized by a multi-stage laser–target interaction.
Effects of target pre-heating and expansion on terahertz radiation production from intense laser-solid interactions
Authors: Yuan X.H. , Fang Y. , Carroll D.C. , MacLellan D.A. , Du F. , Booth N. , Burza M. , Chen M. , Gray R.J. , Jin Y.F. , Li Y.T. , Liu Y. , Neely D. , Powell H. , Scott G. , Wahlström C.-G. , Zhang J. , McKenna P. , Sheng Z.M.
Published: April 2014

The first experimental measurements of intense (${\sim }7\times 10^{19}~ {\rm W}~ {\rm cm}^{-2}$) laser-driven terahertz (THz) radiation from a solid target which is preheated by an intense pulse of laser-accelerated protons is reported. The total energy of the THz radiation is found to decrease by approximately a factor of 2 compared to a cold target reference. This is attributed to an increase in the scale length of the preformed plasma, driven by proton heating, at the front surface of the target, where the THz radiation is generated. The results show the importance of controlling the preplasma scale length for THz production.
How strain and spin may make a star bi-polar
Authors: Forbes Lawrence K.
Published: April 2014

A previous study by Forbes (ANZIAM J., vol. 53, 2011, pp. 87–121) has argued that, when a light fluid is injected from a point source into a heavier ambient fluid, the interface between them is most unstable to perturbations at the lowest spherical mode. This means that, regardless of initial conditions, the outflow from a point source eventually becomes a one-sided jet. However, two-sided (bi-polar) outflows are nevertheless often observed in astrophysics, in apparent contradiction to this prediction. While there are many possible explanations for this fact, the present paper considers the effect of a straining flow in the ambient fluid. In addition, solid-body rotation in the inner fluid is also accounted for, in a Boussinesq viscous model. It is shown analytically that there are circumstances under which straining flow alone is sufficient to convert the one-sided jet into a genuine bi-polar outflow, in linearized theory. This is confirmed in a numerical solution of a viscous model of the flow, based on a spectral solution technique that accounts for nonlinear effects. Rotation can also generate flows that are two-sided, and this is likewise revealed through an asymptotic analysis and numerical solutions of the nonlinear equations.
THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF ISLAM IN WEST AFRICA: AN ANTHROPOLOGIST'S VIEW
Authors: Soares Benjamin
Published: April 2014

In this article, I focus on the historiography of Islam in West Africa while also reflecting upon and assessing existing scholarship in the broader field of the study of Islam in Africa. My position as an anthropologist who conducts historical research informs my perspective in evaluating the current state of the field and my suggestions for directions in which I think future research might move in order to advance our understanding of Islam and Muslim societies and the history of religious life in Africa more generally.
PAWNSHIP, DEBT, AND ‘FREEDOM’ IN ATLANTIC AFRICA DURING THE ERA OF THE SLAVE TRADE: A REASSESSMENT
Authors: Lovejoy Paul E.
Published: April 2014

A reassessment of the institution of pawnship in Africa for the period from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth century tightens the reference to situations in which individuals were held as collateral for debts that had been incurred by others, usually relatives. Contrary to the assumptions of some scholars, pawnship was not related to poverty and enslavement for debt but rather to commercial liquidity and the mechanisms by which funds were acquired to promote trade or to cover the expenses of funerals, weddings, and religious obligations. A distinction is made, therefore, between enslavement for debt and pawnship. It is demonstrated that pawnship characterized trade with European and American ships in many parts of Atlantic Africa, but not everywhere. While pawnship was common north of the Congo River, at Gabon, Cameroon, Calabar, the interior of the Bights of Biafra and Benin, the Gold Coast, and the upper Guinea coast, it was illegal in most of Muslim Africa and the Portuguese colony of Angola, while it was not used in commercial dealings with Europeans at Bonny, Ouidah, and other places.
Anomalous climatic conditions during winter 2010–2011 and vulnerability of the traditional Inuit food system in Iqaluit, Nunavut
Authors: Statham Sara , Ford James , Berrang-Ford Lea , Lardeau Marie-Pierre , Gough William , Siewierski Rick
Published: April 2014

This study examines how climatic extremes during winter 2010–2011 affected the traditional food system in Iqaluit, Nunavut. This winter was anomalous throughout the Canadian Arctic, and manifested itself locally by warmer temperatures and decreased ice coverage. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with hunters (n = 25), a fixed question survey with public housing residents (n = 100), as well as analysis of remotely sensed sea-ice charts and temperature data from the Iqaluit weather station, this work identifies and characterises the extreme climatic conditions experienced, their subsequent effects on Iqaluit's traditional food system, and coping strategies used for dealing with food-related stresses. The results show increased environmental stress on the traditional food system compared to previous years. Freeze up occurred 59 days later than the average for the 1982–2010 period, while mean annual temperatures were 4.9ºC higher than the climatological mean, which negatively impacted hunters’ harvests and residents’ food supplies. Coping strategies alleviated some stresses, but adaptability was limited for financially insecure households reliant on income support. The study shows that when challenging socioeconomic conditions, such as those associated with public housing, are coupled with significant environmental stress, such as experienced during that winter, the vulnerability of the traditional food system is exacerbated. We suggest that winter 2010–2011 can be used as an analogue for exploring future food system vulnerabilities, with climate models projecting similar conditions in the coming decades.
Control of a compass gait walker based on energy regulation using ankle push-off and foot placement
Authors: Bhounsule Pranav A.
Published: April 2014

In this paper, we present a theoretical study on the control of a compass gait walker using energy regulation between steps. We use a return map to relate the mid-stance robot kinetic energy between steps with two control inputs, namely, foot placement and ankle push-off. We show that by regulating robot kinetic energy between steps using the two control inputs, we are able to (1) generate a wide range of walking speeds and stride lengths, including average human walking; (2) cancel the effect of external disturbance fully in a single step (dead-beat control); and (3) switch from one periodic gait to another in a single step. We hope that insights from this control methodology can help develop robust controllers for practical bipedal robots.
Cross-coupled PID control in position domain for contour tracking
Authors: Ouyang P. R. , Dam T. , Pano V.
Published: April 2014

Accurate contour tracking is one of the main tasks in modern manufacturing processes. By considering coupling effects among multiple axes, this paper proposes a cross-coupled proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control developed in position domain, and the controller is applied to a multi-axis computer numerical control (CNC) machine for contour tracking performance improvement. Stability analysis is conducted for the developed position domain cross-coupled PID control using the Lyapunov method, and guidelines for the selection of control gains are provided. The contour tracking performance are improved compared to an equivalent time domain controller, since the reference axis in position domain control does not contribute any error to the overall contouring error of the system. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of cross-coupled PID position domain control for both linear and circular contour tracking, and prove the robustness of the controller to deal with random disturbances. It also shows that position domain cross-coupled PID control provides better contour tracking performance over position domain PID control and the equivalent time domain PID control.
THE BOOTSTRAP IN THRESHOLD REGRESSION
Authors: Yu Ping
Published: April 2014

This paper develops a general procedure to check the bootstrap validity inM-estimation. We apply the procedure in discontinuous threshold regression to show the inconsistency of the nonparametric bootstrap for inference on the threshold point. Especially, the conditional weak limit of the nonparametric bootstrap is shown not to exist. By comparing with two other boundaries in the literature, we show the fact that the threshold point is a boundary of the covariate that makes its bootstrap inference so different. The remedies to the bootstrap failure in the literature are summarized, and the nonparametric posterior interval is suggested by some simulation studies.
Reuse of constraint knowledge bases and problem solvers explored in engineering design
Authors: Gray Peter M.D. , Runcie Trevor , Sleeman Derek
Published: April 2014

Reuse has long been a major goal of the knowledge engineering community. We present a case study of the reuse of constraint knowledge acquired for one problem solver, by two further problem solvers. For our analysis, we chose a well-known benchmark knowledge base (KB) system written in CLIPS, which was based on the propose and revise problem-solving method and which had a lift/elevator KB. The KB contained four components, including constraints and data tables, expressed in an ontology that reflects the propose and revise task structure. Sufficient trial data was extracted manually to demonstrate the approach on two alternative problem solvers: a spreadsheet (Excel) and a constraint logic solver (ECLiPSe). The next phase was to implement ExtrAKTor, which automated the process for the whole KB. Each KB that is processed results in a working system that is able to solve the corresponding configuration task (and not only for elevators). This is in contrast to earlier work, which produced abstract formulations of the problem-solving methods but which were unable to perform reuse of actual KBs. We subsequently used the ECLiPSe solver on some more demanding vertical transport configuration tasks. We found that we had to use a little-known propagation technique described by Le Provost and Wallace (1991). Further, our techniques did not use any heuristic “fix”’ information, yet we successfully dealt with a “thrashing” problem that had been a key issue in the original vertical transit work. Consequently, we believe we have developed a widely usable approach for solving this class of parametric design problem, by applying novel constraint-based problem solvers to data and formulae stored in existing KBs.
SERPENTS, SKELETONS, AND ANCESTORS?: THE TULA COATEPANTLI REVISITED
Authors: Jordan Keith
Published: April 2014

Since Acosta's work in the 1940s, relief carvings of serpents entwined with partially skeletonized personages on the coatepantli at Tula have frequently been identified as images of the Nahua Venus deity, Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli. Comparing these Toltec sculptures with this deity's iconography in Late Postclassic to Colonial period manuscripts, however, provides no support for this identification. Based on the northern Mesoamerican cultural connections of the Toltecs, the author suggests parallels between the coatepantli reliefs and the public display of ancestral and sacrificial human remains at Chalchihuites sites. Identification of the coatepantli figures as venerated ancestors from an ancestral cult is also supported by iconographic and archaeological evidence from Tula. Parallels to the coatepantli images in depictions of both living elites and ancestors juxtaposed with serpents from other Mesoamerican art traditions bolster this interpretation. On the basis of the evidence, the author hypothesizes that the skeletonized figures at Tula symbolize deceased kings and honored warriors rather than conquered foes.
FORTRESS MAYAPAN: DEFENSIVE FEATURES AND SECONDARY FUNCTIONS OF A POSTCLASSIC MAYA FORTIFICATION
Authors: Russell Bradley W.
Published: April 2014

One of the most distinctive features of the Postclassic capital of Mayapan is the immense wall that encloses large portions of the site's settlement zone. This 9.1 km-long feature is the largest example of a walled enclosure known in Mesoamerica. Based on ethnohistoric references, it seems that the construction was well known to Postclassic and Colonial period residents of the Northern lowlands. The most common assertion regarding the enclosures is that the wall had primarily defensive functions. Unfortunately, little solid archaeological evidence or cross-cultural comparison has been offered to support this interpretation. In this paper, I correlate the form of the gates with cross-culturally derived and unambiguously defensive features, finding that the design of the gates strongly suggests that they are indeed defensive. Possible secondary functions of the wall are also explored, such as the control of people and goods entering the city, as ritual barrier, the control of internal populations and its symbolism.
CHRONOLOGY OF THE RÍO BEC SETTLEMENT AND ARCHITECTURE
Authors: Taladoire Eric , Dzul Sara , Nondédéo Philippe , Forné Mélanie
Published: April 2014

Chronology is a crucial issue given the specific settlement patterns of the Río Bec region located on the northern fringe of the Maya central lowlands. Fine-resolution chronology of the local residential occupation in its many spatial and temporal forms is one of the main proxies available to reconstruct social organization and dynamics, in the absence of a nucleated center with the typical Maya political monuments usually investigated. Variability can be traced in residential morphologies and evolution that must be dated. The scope of the paper aims to describe the construction of the Río Bec chronology in its multiple dimensions, based on a diversity of methods from ceramic Type-Variety classification up to seriation of building sequences defining the evolution of the famous Río Bec architectural style. Epigraphic evidence exists, albeit limited and ambiguous. The general sequence of occupation for the targeted micro-region stretches from the Middle Preclassic to the end of the Terminal Classic period.
ASH, DIRT, AND ROCK: BURIAL PRACTICES AT RÍO BEC
Authors: Pereira Grégory
Published: April 2014

Recent research at Río Bec has revealed that interments in residential structures were limited to a very small portion of the population. Although these burials are relatively modest compared to those found in many other Classic period Maya sites, the funerary procedure suggests that they were important individuals in the household. Grave wealth and the size/elaboration of the burial structure do not correlate with the striking socioeconomic differences expressed in residential architecture. In fact, it seems that Río Bec funerary ritual was a private affair focused within the domestic unit, rather than a public display. A study of the variation found among these residential burials reveals two important patterns of mortuary ritual that seem more reflective of ancestor veneration than of social hierarchy: (1) “transition burials” (stressing centrality,verticality,the link to earth, and the transformations of the dwelling) and (2) “occupation burials” (stressing laterality,horizontality,a link to fire and the domestic hearth, and the permanence of the domestic space).
Have population declines in Egyptian Vulture and Red-headed Vulture in India slowed since the 2006 ban on veterinary diclofenac?
Authors: GALLIGAN TOBY H. , AMANO TATSUYA , PRAKASH VIBHU M. , KULKARNI MANDAR , SHRINGARPURE ROHAN , PRAKASH NIKITA , RANADE SACHIN , GREEN RHYS E. , CUTHBERT RICHARD J.
Published: April 2014

Populations of three vulture species of the genus Gyps, the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus and Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus have declined markedly on the Indian subcontinent since the mid-1990s and all are now Critically Endangered or Endangered. Gyps vultures have been killed by the widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, ingested when they feed on carcasses of domesticated ungulates treated with the drug shortly before death. However, it is not known whether Egyptian Vulture and Red-headed Vulture are also sensitive to diclofenac. Veterinary use of diclofenac was banned in India in 2006. Since then, the prevalence and concentration of diclofenac in domesticated ungulates carcasses has decreased and population declines of Gyps vultures have slowed or reversed. Here, we examine counts of Egyptian and Red-headed Vultures obtained on road transects in and near protected areas between 1992 and 2011. We found indications that the declines in both species appear to have slowed and possibly increased after the ban was introduced, though the small numbers of birds counted make this conclusion less robust than that for the Gyps species. These results suggest that both species may have been adversely impacted by diclofenac and that government bans on this drug, which are beginning to take effect, may benefit a wider range of vulture species in the Indian subcontinent than was previously thought.
Joint distributions, the uncertainty principle and positive distributions
Authors: COHEN LEON
Published: April 2014

We examine the construction of joint probabilities for non-commuting observables. We show that there are indications in standard quantum mechanics that imply the existence of conditional expectation values, which in turn implies the existence of a joint distribution. We also argue that the uncertainty principle has no bearing on the existence of joint distributions but only constrains the marginal distributions. In addition, we show that within classical probability theory there are mathematical quantities that are similar to quantum mechanical wave functions. This is shown by generalising a theorem of Khinchin on the necessary and sufficient conditions for a function to be a characteristic function.
Colouring Planar Graphs With Three Colours and No Large Monochromatic Components
Authors: ESPERET LOUIS , JORET GWENAËL
Published: April 2014

We prove the existence of a function$f :\mathbb{N} \to \mathbb{N}$such that the vertices of every planar graph with maximum degree Δ can be 3-coloured in such a way that each monochromatic component has at mostf(Δ) vertices. This is best possible (the number of colours cannot be reduced and the dependence on the maximum degree cannot be avoided) and answers a question raised by Kleinberg, Motwani, Raghavan and Venkatasubramanian in 1997. Our result extends to graphs of bounded genus.
Improving the quality of acute inpatient care
Authors: Lelliott Paul , Bleksley Sarah
Published: April 2014

Over the past ten years, the National Health Service in England has introduced home treatment teams throughout the country. Despite this, and the fact that England now has the fourth lowest number of beds per capita in Europe, no mental health service has been able to dispense with acute admission beds altogether. One unintended consequence of new investment in community alternatives to inpatient care is that the threshold for admission has risen and acute wards now accommodate a patient group that is more severe with regard to levels of disturbance and social disadvantage. This has compounded the challenge of providing high quality inpatient care and repeated national surveys suggest that acute admission wards are the weakest link in the English mental healthcare system. In response to this, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has established an accreditation scheme for acute admission wards. Only 22 of the first 132 wards to have completed the review process so far are considered to be excellent. Although 59 wards (45% of the total) failed to meet one or more essential standard, 43 of these were able to rectify the problem.

Declaration of Interest: None.
Mapping Chemical Disorder and Ferroelectric Distortions in the Double Perovskite Compound Sr2-xGdxMnTiO6 by Atomic Resolution Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy
Authors: Biškup Neven , Álvarez-Serrano Inmaculada , Veiga Maria , Rivera-Calzada Alberto , Garcia-Hernandez Mar , Pennycook Stephen J. , Varela Maria
Published: April 2014

In this work we report a study of the chemical and structural order of the double perovskite compound Sr2-xGdxMnTiO6 for compositions x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1. A noticeable disorder at the B-site in the Mn and Ti sublattice is detected at the atomic scale by electron energy-loss spectroscopy for all x values, resulting in Mn-rich and Ti-rich regions. For x≥0.75, the cubic unit cell doubles and lowers its symmetry because of structural rearrangements associated with a giant ferroelectric displacement of the perovskite B-site cation. We discuss this finding in the light of the large electroresistance observed in Sr2-xGdxMnTiO6, x≥0.75.
Innovations in Local Domiciliary Long-Term Care: From Libertarian Criticism to Normalisation
Authors: Giraud Olivier , Lucas Barbara , Falk Katrin , Kümpers Susanne , Lechevalier Arnaud
Published: April 2014

This article assesses how social innovations in the field of local domiciliary long-term care are shaped and implemented. It proposes a mapping of innovations in terms of two structuring discourses that inform welfare state reforms: a libertarian and a neo-liberal discourse. It then provides an analysis of the concrete trajectories of three local innovations for elderly people in Hamburg (Germany), Edinburgh (Scotland) and Geneva (Switzerland). Theoretically, social innovation is considered as a discursive process of public problem redefinition and institutionalisation. New coalitions of new actors are formed along this double process, and these transform the original discourse of innovation. The comparative analysis of the three processes of institutionalisation of local innovation shows that, in the context of local policy making, social innovations inspired by a libertarian critique of the welfare state undergo differentiated processes of normalisation.