bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shared Death: Self, Sociality and Internet Group Suicide in Japan
Authors: Ozawa-De Silva Chikako
Published: August 2010

Existing models for understanding suicide fail to account for the distinctiveness of Internet group suicide, a recent phenomenon in Japan. Drawing from an ethnography of Internet suicide websites, two social commentaries in Japanese popular culture, and the work of developmental psychologist Philippe Rochat, I argue that participation in Internet suicide forums and even the act of Internet group suicide result from both a need for social connectedness and the fear of social rejection and isolation that this need engenders. These needs and fears are especially strong in the case of Japan, where the dominant cultural rhetoric ties selfhood closely to the social self that is the object of perception and experience by others. I show how such an understanding of Internet group suicide helps us to understand some of its basic characteristics, which are otherwise difficult to explain and which have puzzled the Japanese media and popular accounts: the “ordinariness” or casual nature of Internet group suicide, the wish for an easy or comfortable death, the wish to die with others, and the wish to “vanish.” Internet group suicide sheds light on questions of Japanese selfhood in modernity and expands our understanding of suicide in Japan in general.
Healers and Psychiatrists: The Transformation of Mental Health Care in Tajikistan
Authors: Latypov Alisher
Published: August 2010

This article examines the transformation of mental health care in Tajikistan from the time of Russian colonization of Central Asia until the most recent years of post-independence. It incorporates a review of published literature into the analysis of locally available reports, focus group discussions, interviews and oral histories collected between 2005 and 2008. Traditional healers play a significant role in contemporary Tajikistan, where mental health care provision is influenced by the legacy of Soviet psychiatry. Tajik mental health care may now be in a “dormant” phase, characterized by a widespread neglect of people with mental illnesses.
Raves, Psychosis, and Spirit Healing
Authors: Seeman Mary V.
Published: August 2010

This paper reflects the intersection of three cultures: the rave (all night dance party and use of the drug, Ecstasy) culture; the ward culture of an inpatient psychiatric program for First Episode Psychosis; the spirit healing culture of the Philippines. All three intersected in Toronto, Canada in the mid 1990s, as illustrated by the clinical case of a 19-year-old university student who was hospitalized with symptoms of drug-induced psychosis. Her initial treatment was not successful and presented dilemmas for the treating staff. Transfer to a second psychiatric facility that permitted attendance at a traditional Filipino healing ceremony resulted in a cure, with no recurrence 10 years later. According to James Dow’s 1986 formulation, the components of the key spiritual healing session paralleled the very elements the young woman had sought by participating in raves, an activity that was problematic because it led to family displeasure. Whereas attendance at a rave triggered illness, the healing session, sanctioned by her family and taking place in their midst, resulted in healing.
Insulin usage in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in UK clinical practice: a retrospective cohort-based analysis using the THIN database
Authors: Evans Marc L , Sharplin Peter , Owens David R , Chamberlain George H , Longman Andrea J , McEwan Philip
Published: August 2010

This retrospective cohort-based study assessed the change in glycated haemoglobin A1C (HbA 1C) in patients with type 2 diabetes, with existing prescriptions for oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs), prescribed insulin versus those prescribed subsequent OADs. A cohort of patient records drawn from the The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database was stratified by maximum concurrent number of OADs. Of 128,568 unique patient records identified, 67.7% (n=87,057) had received at least one OAD, 17.4% (n=15,138) of these patients progressed to insulin therapy. Mean HbA1C at insulin initiation was 9.5% (one OAD), 9.6% (two), 9.7% (three) and 10.1% (four), with an average HbA 1C increase of 0.7% prior to insulin initiation. The greatest improvement in HbA1C was achieved with insulin therapy. A threshold HbA 1C value of 8.5% above which OAD escalation is unlikely to achieve a target HbA1C ≤ 7.0% is seen. In patients not achieving HbA1C targets with OADs only, insulin-based regimens should be considered in preference to adding more or multiple OADs. Br J Diabetes Vasc Dis 2010;10:178—182.
Sentimentalist moral education
Authors: Slote Michael
Published: August 2010

Care ethics, and moral sentimentalism more generally, have not developed a picture of moral education that is comparable in scope or depth to the rationalist/Kantian/Rawlsian account of moral education that has been offered by Lawrence Kohlberg. But it is possible to do so if one borrows from the work of Martin Hoffman and makes systematic use of Hume’s earlier sentimentalist ideas. Kohlberg and Rawls offer accounts of moral learning that leave moral motivation largely unexplained or mysterious, but an emphasis on the psychology of empathy can help us to better understand both the content of our morality and the ways in which children and adults can become and be morally motivated. Parents can in a number of ways evoke and strengthen children’s empathic moral tendencies, and such processes can also occur and need to occur in schools and later on in life. In addition, a sentimentalist understanding of the meaning of moral terms can show how moral rules, principles, and injunctions can strongly reinforce the sorts of empathic/moral tendencies that are at least initially based in other elements of human psychology.
Time Banking and Health: The Role of a Community Currency Organization in Enhancing Well-Being
Authors: Lasker Judith , Collom Ed , Bealer Tara , Niclaus Erin , Young Keefe Jessica , Kratzer Zane , Baldasari Lauren , Kramer Ethan , Mandeville Rachel , Schulman Julia , Suchow Danielle , Letcher Abby , Rogers Anne , Perlow Kathy
Published: August 2010

Time banking is an international movement that seeks to transform traditional asymmetric social service models into social networks in which members both provide and receive services that are assigned equal value. Time banks have been shown to enhance social capital, and there is some evidence for improved health. This article, based on a survey of 160 members of a hospital-affiliated time bank, examines the likelihood and predictors of improvement in physical and mental health as a result of membership. Men, people with lower income, and those who were not working full-time reported highest levels of participation in exchanging services; attachment to the organization was greatest among women, older members, people with less education, and those with the highest participation levels. Multivariate analyses revealed that physical health improvement attributed to membership was significantly predicted by attachment to the organization and living alone; mental health gains were predicted by general health changes, average number of exchanges, and attachment to the organization. We conclude that a sense of belonging, a dimension of social capital, is key to improved well-being and that time banking may be particularly valuable in promoting health and belonging among older and lower-income individuals and those who live alone.
Improving Foodborne Illness Prevention Among Transplant Recipients
Authors: Kosa Katherine M. , Cates Sheryl C. , Adams-King Janice , O'Brien Barbara
Published: August 2010

The U.S. Department of Agriculture developed a food safety brochure to educate transplant recipients and their caregivers about the risk of contracting foodborne illnesses and safe food-handling prevention practices. Qualitative research was conducted with transplant recipients and caregivers to collect information on participants’ food safety concerns, knowledge, and practices; changes in food safety knowledge and practices after receiving the food safety brochure; preferred communication channels and dissemination strategies for delivering the brochure; and evaluation of the brochure. Many participants received food safety information from a health care provider, but the content and format varied by institution. Most participants are not following recommended practices to cook and chill food safely, and many participants consume high-risk foods associated with foodborne illnesses. After reading the brochure, many participants made or plan to make at least one food safety recommendation. The research findings were used to refine the brochure before nationwide distribution.
Dasatinib, an immunomodulator?
Authors: Ravandi Farhad
Published: August 2010

In this issue of Blood, Kreutzman and colleagues describe the existence of clonal cytotoxic T and NK cells in over 80% (15 of 18) of patients with CML at diagnosis which persisted during treatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitors, imatinib and dasatinib.1 Furthermore, they discovered that this clonal lymphocytosis expands further after therapy with dasatinib but not imatinib.
Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for hematologic malignancy: relative risks and benefits of double umbilical cord blood
Authors: Brunstein Claudio G. , Gutman Jonathan A. , Weisdorf Daniel J. , Woolfrey Ann E. , DeFor Todd E. , Gooley Theodore A. , Verneris Michael R. , Appelbaum Frederick R. , Wagner John E. , Delaney Colleen
Published: August 2010

Effectiveness of double umbilical cord blood (dUCB) grafts relative to conventional marrow and mobilized peripheral blood from related and unrelated donors has yet to be established. We studied 536 patients at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and University of Minnesota with malignant disease who underwent transplantation with an human leukocyte antigen (HLA)–matched related donor (MRD, n = 204), HLA allele–matched unrelated donor (MUD, n = 152) or 1-antigen–mismatched unrelated adult donor (MMUD, n = 52) or 4-6/6 HLA matched dUCB (n = 128) graft after myeloablative conditioning. Leukemia-free survival at 5 years was similar for each donor type (dUCB 51% [95% confidence interval (CI), 41%-59%]; MRD 33% [95% CI, 26%-41%]; MUD 48% [40%-56%]; MMUD 38% [95% CI, 25%-51%]). The risk of relapse was lower in recipients of dUCB (15%, 95% CI, 9%-22%) compared with MRD (43%, 95% CI, 35%-52%), MUD (37%, 95% CI, 29%-46%) and MMUD (35%, 95% CI, 21%-48%), yet nonrelapse mortality was higher for dUCB (34%, 95% CI, 25%-42%), MRD (24% (95% CI, 17%-39%), and MUD (14%, 95% CI, 9%-20%). We conclude that leukemia-free survival after dUCB transplantation is comparable with that observed after MRD and MUD transplantation. For patients without an available HLA matched donor, the use of 2 partially HLA-matched UCB units is a suitable alternative.
Bilateral somatosensory evoked potentials following intermittent theta-burst repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
Authors: Premji Azra , Ziluk Angela , Nelson Aimee J
Published: August 2010

Background

Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) is a form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation that may alter cortical excitability in the primary somatosensory cortex (SI). The present study investigated the effects of iTBS on subcortical and early cortical somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) recorded over left, iTBS stimulated SI and the right-hemisphere non-stimulated SI. SEPs were recorded before and at 5, 15, and 25 minutes following iTBS.

Results

Compared to pre-iTBS, the amplitude of cortical potential N20/P25 was significantly increased for 5 minutes from non-stimulated SI and for 15 to 25 minutes from stimulated SI. Subcortical potentials recorded bilaterally remained unaltered following iTBS.

Conclusion

We conclude that iTBS increases the cortical excitability of SI bilaterally and does not alter thalamocortical afferent input to SI. ITBS may provide one avenue to induce cortical plasticity in the somatosensory cortex.
Spread of a highly mucoid Streptococcus pyogenes emm3/ST15 clone
Authors: Tamayo Esther , Montes Milagrosa , García-Medina Guadalupe , García-Arenzana José M , Pérez-Trallero Emilio
Published: August 2010

Background

Hyaluronic acid capsule plays a key role in Streptococcus pyogenes virulence. Circulation of mucoid or highly encapsulated strains has been related to rheumatic fever epidemics and invasive disease in several countries. In 2009, an outbreak of mucoid S. pyogenes isolates was detected in northern Spain. The aim of the study was to describe clinical and molecular characteristics of mucoid strains causing this outbreak and to compare them with a sample of non-mucoid S. pyogenes isolates obtained during the same period of time.

Methods

All S. pyogenes isolates with a mucoid colony morphology (n = 132), 10% of non-mucoid (n = 144) and all invasive S. pyogenes isolates (n = 7) obtained in 2009 were included. Characterization was performed by T-agglutination, emm typing, pulsed field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing.

Results

One clone characterized as emm3.1/ST15 comprised 98.5% (n = 130) of all mucoid isolates. Subjects of all ages were affected. Main clinical manifestations were pharyngitis and scarlet fever, but this clone also caused invasive disease: two cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, one arthritis, and one celullitis with a fatal outcome. Mucoid isolates were more prone to cause invasive disease than non-mucoid isolates (p = 0.001).

Conclusions

Although no acute rheumatic fever cases were detected, the most worrisome characteristics of this clone were the success for causing invasive disease and the merge of two virulent features: the serotype, emm3, and capsule hyper-production, expressed as a mucoid morphology.
Extraction of user's navigation commands from upper body force interaction in walker assisted gait
Authors: Frizera Neto Anselmo , Gallego Juan A , Rocon Eduardo , Pons José L , Ceres Ramón
Published: August 2010

Background

The advances in technology make possible the incorporation of sensors and actuators in rollators, building safer robots and extending the use of walkers to a more diverse population. This paper presents a new method for the extraction of navigation related components from upper-body force interaction data in walker assisted gait. A filtering architecture is designed to cancel: (i) the high-frequency noise caused by vibrations on the walker's structure due to irregularities on the terrain or walker's wheels and (ii) the cadence related force components caused by user's trunk oscillations during gait. As a result, a third component related to user's navigation commands is distinguished.

Results

For the cancelation of high-frequency noise, a Benedict-Bordner g-h filter was designed presenting very low values for Kinematic Tracking Error ((2.035 ± 0.358)·10-2
kgf) and delay ((1.897 ± 0.3697)·101
ms). A Fourier Linear Combiner filtering architecture was implemented for the adaptive attenuation of about 80% of the cadence related components' energy from force data. This was done without compromising the information contained in the frequencies close to such notch filters.

Conclusions

The presented methodology offers an effective cancelation of the undesired components from force data, allowing the system to extract in real-time voluntary user's navigation commands. Based on this real-time identification of voluntary user's commands, a classical approach to the control architecture of the robotic walker is being developed, in order to obtain stable and safe user assisted locomotion.
Peripheral Serotonin Enhances Lipid Metabolism by Accelerating Bile Acid Turnover
Authors: Watanabe Hitoshi , Akasaka Daisuke , Ogasawara Hideki , Sato Kan , Miyake Masato , Saito Kazuki , Takahashi Yu , Kanaya Takashi , Takakura Ikuro , Hondo Tetsuya , Chao Guozheng , Rose Michael T. , Ohwada Shyuichi , Watanabe Kouichi , Yamaguchi Takahiro , Aso Hisashi
Published: August 2010

Serotonin is synthesized by two distinct tryptophan hydroxylases, one in the brain and one in the periphery. The latter is known to be unable to cross the blood-brain barrier. These two serotonin systems have apparently independent functions, although the functions of peripheral serotonin have yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, we have investigated the physiological effect of peripheral serotonin on the concentrations of metabolites in the circulation and in the liver. After fasting, mice were ip injected with 1 mg serotonin. The plasma glucose concentration was significantly elevated between 60 and 270 min after the injection. In contrast, plasma triglyceride, cholesterol, and nonesterified fatty acid concentrations were decreased. The hepatic glycogen synthesis and concentrations were significantly higher at 240 min. At the same time, the hepatic triglyceride content was significantly lower than the basal levels noted before the serotonin injection, whereas the hepatic cholesterol content was significantly higher by 60 min after the injection. Furthermore, serotonin stimulated the contraction of the gallbladder and the excretion of bile. After the serotonin injection, there was a significant induction of apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter expression, resulting in a decrease in the concentration of bile acids in the feces. Additionally, data are presented to show that the functions of serotonin are mediated through diverse serotonin receptor subtypes. These data indicate that peripheral serotonin accelerates the metabolism of lipid by increasing the concentration of bile acids in circulation.
Molecular, Immunohistochemical, and Pharmacological Evidence of Oxytocin’s Role as Inhibitor of Carbohydrate But Not Fat Intake
Authors: Olszewski Pawel K. , Klockars Anica , Olszewska Agnieszka M. , Fredriksson Robert , Schiöth Helgi B. , Levine Allen S.
Published: August 2010

Oxytocin (OT) facilitates feeding termination stemming from high osmolality, stomach distention, and malaise. Recent knockout (KO) studies suggested a crucial function for OT in carbohydrate intake: OT−/− mice had increased preference for carbohydrates, including sucrose, but not fat (Intralipid). In striking contrast, sugar appetite was unaffected in the OT receptor KO mouse; data from wild-type animals have been insufficient. Therefore, we examined the involvement of OT in the regulation of sucrose vs. fat intake in C57BL/6 mice that served as a background KO strain. We exposed mice to a meal of sucrose or Intralipid and determined that the percentage of c-Fos-immunoreactive paraventricular hypothalamic OT neurons was elevated at termination of intake of either of the tastants, but this increase was 2-fold higher in sucrose-fed mice. A 48-h exposure to sucrose compared with Intralipid caused up-regulation of OT mRNA, whereas inherent individual preferences for sucrose vs. fat were not associated with differences in baseline OT expression as established with quantitative PCR. We found that L-368,899, an OT receptor antagonist, increased sugar intake when sucrose was presented alone or concurrently with Intralipid; it had no effect on Intralipid or total calorie consumption. L-368,899 affected Fos immunoreactivity in the paraventricular hypothalamus, arcuate nucleus, amygdala, and nucleus of the solitary tract, areas involved in aversion, satiety, and reward. This pattern serves as neuroanatomical basis of OT’s complex role in food intake, including sucrose intake. The current findings expand our knowledge on OT and suggest that it acts as a carbohydrate-specific inhibitor of feeding.
Conformation of the Mineralocorticoid Receptor N-terminal Domain: Evidence for Induced and Stable Structure
Authors: Fischer Katharina , Kelly Sharon M. , Watt Kate , Price Nicholas C. , McEwan Iain J.
Published: August 2010

The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) binds the steroid hormones aldosterone and cortisol and has an important physiological role in the control of salt homeostasis. Regions of the protein important for gene regulation have been mapped to the amino-terminal domain (NTD) and termed activation function (AF)1a, AF1b, and middle domain (MD). In the present study, we used a combination of biophysical and biochemical techniques to investigate the folding and function of the MR-NTD transactivation functions. We demonstrate that MR-AF1a and MR-MD have relatively little stable secondary structure but have the propensity to form α-helical conformation. Induced folding of the MR-MD enhanced protein-protein binding with a number of coregulatory proteins, including the coactivator cAMP response element-binding protein-binding protein and the corepressors SMRT and RIP140. By contrast, the MR-AF1b domain appeared to have a more stable conformation consisting predominantly of β-secondary structure. Furthermore, MR-AF1b specifically interacted with the TATA-binding protein, via an LxxLL-like motif, in the absence of induced folding. Together, these data suggest that the MR-NTD contains a complex transactivation system made up of distinct structural and functional domains. The results are discussed in the context of the induced folding paradigm for steroid receptor NTDs.
Imperialism, the State, and Ngos: Middle Eastern Contexts and Contestations
Authors: Abdo Nahla
Published: August 2010

Since September 11 and the war on terrorism, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the Arab world have acquired a special presence and weight, requiring critical analysis. The increase in NGOs just in the past few years—from an estimated 175,000 in 1995 to about 225,000 in 2003—has raised a number of issues and concerns among intellectuals and social activists alike. This is particularly true with regard to women's NGOs. Some of the issues raised relate to the rationale behind the mushrooming of this phenomenon, that is, whether it is a conscious product of local or national need or the result of external, more specifically, capitalist imperialist interest and pressures in the region, hence serving foreign agendas. At the macro level, questions are raised concerning the role of NGOs vis-à-vis the project of nation and state building, that is, whether this phenomenon plays a positive constructive or negative restrictive role in the nation-building project. In this context some authors perceive NGOs as a socially divisive force leading to the segmentation of the national movement, obliteration of the class struggle, and fragmentation of the social fabric, while others welcome this phenomenon and deem it an important contribution to national development and civil society and a tool for promoting citizenship rights. At a more local micro level of analysis, some concerns are raised regarding the function of the NGO, for example, as a project-driven organization with a limited, transitory role and hence with short-term goals and aims. Important criticisms raised at this level concern the social-cultural domain, where NGOs are seen as a tool of “cultural co-optation,” a source of competition and social division vying for the same source of funding. Finally, the internal structure of NGOs, namely, the all-encompassing role of the “director,” the lack of a grassroots base, and the absence of accessibility to ordinary people, constitutes another concern for some activists and academics alike. These are some of the ideas explored in this article.
Gender and the Development Battlefield in Afghanistan: Nation Builders versus Nation Betrayers
Authors: Chishti Maliha
Published: August 2010

This article challenges claims to neutrality and impartiality of aid interventions in Afghanistan, arguing that the war on terror intrudes on postconflict peace building and reconstruction interventions in Afghanistan, specifically in the southern and eastern parts of the country where a virulent insurgency has reemerged. In these regions, aid interventions are deeply entangled in active insurgent and counterinsurgent politics as aid settings are often used to wage ideological, cultural, and political campaigns over Afghans in order to demonstrate victory. This article argues that Afghan women are caught on the frontlines of this “aid battlefield,” both as “nation builders” celebrated by the U.S. administration as examples of liberal-imperial victory and as “nation betrayers” of their culture and traditions for their participation in internationally facilitated programs. I suggest that feminists need to be aware and wary of the ways that aid projects are co-opted by foreign and local militarized masculinities that collectively perpetuate insecurity and violence against Afghan women.
Negotiated Allegiances: Contemporary Iranian Jewish Identities
Authors: Dallalfar Arlene
Published: August 2010

This qualitative ethnographic research is focused on Jewish Iranians currently living in Iran. I examine the vital role of gender, ethnicity, religion, class, family, and community in daily social and cultural practices among middle-class Judeo-Persians living in Tehran. This research promotes cultural awareness and examines the continuing presence of Jewish Iranians in the cultural and social landscape of contemporary Iran. In addition, I explore how the lives of Tehrani urban upper- and middle-class Jewish women have changed, addressing social demographic, structural, and cultural factors that impact their experiences as an ethnoreligious minority both during the Pahlavi era and in the current context of the Islamic Republic.
Planar polarity of multiciliated ependymal cells involves the anterior migration of basal bodies regulated by non-muscle myosin II
Authors: Hirota Yuki , Meunier Alice , Huang Shihhui , Shimozawa Togo , Yamada Osamu , Kida Yasuyuki S. , Inoue Masashi , Ito Tsubasa , Kato Hiroko , Sakaguchi Masanori , Sunabori Takehiko , Nakaya Masa-aki , Nonaka Shigenori , Ogura Toshihiko , Higuchi Hideo , Okano Hideyuki , Spassky Nathalie , Sawamoto Kazunobu
Published: August 2010

Motile cilia generate constant fluid flow over epithelial tissue, and thereby influence diverse physiological processes. Such functions of ciliated cells depend on the planar polarity of the cilia and on their basal bodies being oriented in the downstream direction of fluid flow. Recently, another type of basal body planar polarity, characterized by the anterior localization of the basal bodies in individual cells, was reported in the multiciliated ependymal cells that line the surface of brain ventricles. However, little is known about the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which this polarity is established. Here, we report in mice that basal bodies move in the apical cell membrane during differentiation to accumulate in the anterior region of ependymal cells. The planar cell polarity signaling pathway influences basal body orientation, but not their anterior migration, in the neonatal brain. Moreover, we show by pharmacological and genetic studies that non-muscle myosin II is a key regulator of this distribution of basal bodies. This study demonstrates that the orientation and distribution of basal bodies occur by distinct mechanisms.
Notch regulates the switch from symmetric to asymmetric neural stem cell division in the Drosophila optic lobe
Authors: Egger Boris , Gold Katrina S. , Brand Andrea H.
Published: August 2010

The proper balance between symmetric and asymmetric stem cell division is crucial both to maintain a population of stem cells and to prevent tumorous overgrowth. Neural stem cells in the Drosophila optic lobe originate within a polarised neuroepithelium, where they divide symmetrically. Neuroepithelial cells are transformed into asymmetrically dividing neuroblasts in a precisely regulated fashion. This cell fate transition is highly reminiscent of the switch from neuroepithelial cells to radial glial cells in the developing mammalian cerebral cortex. To identify the molecules that mediate the transition, we microdissected neuroepithelial cells and compared their transcriptional profile with similarly obtained optic lobe neuroblasts. We find genes encoding members of the Notch pathway expressed in neuroepithelial cells. We show that Notch mutant clones are extruded from the neuroepithelium and undergo premature neurogenesis. A wave of proneural gene expression is thought to regulate the timing of the transition from neuroepithelium to neuroblast. We show that the proneural wave transiently suppresses Notch activity in neuroepithelial cells, and that inhibition of Notch triggers the switch from symmetric, proliferative division, to asymmetric, differentiative division.
In vivo evidence for transdifferentiation of peripheral neurons
Authors: Wright Melissa A. , Mo Weike , Nicolson Teresa , Ribera Angeles B.
Published: August 2010

It is commonly thought that differentiated neurons do not give rise to new cells, severely limiting the potential for regeneration and repair of the mature nervous system. However, we have identified cells in zebrafish larvae that first differentiate into dorsal root ganglia sensory neurons but later acquire a sympathetic neuron phenotype. These transdifferentiating neurons are present in wild-type zebrafish. However, they are increased in number in larvae that have a mutant voltage-gated sodium channel gene, scn8aa. Sodium channel knock-down promotes migration of differentiated sensory neurons away from the ganglia. Once in a new environment, sensory neurons transdifferentiate regardless of sodium channel expression. These findings reveal an unsuspected plasticity in differentiated neurons that points to new strategies for treatment of nervous system disease.
Thermally Two-stepped Spin Transitions Induced by Intramolecular Electron Transfers in a Cyanide-bridged Molecular Square
Authors: Nihei Masayuki , Sekine Yoshihiro , Suganami Naoki , Oshio Hiroki
Published: August 2010

A cyanide-bridged molecular square, [Co2Fe2(CN)6(tp*)2(dtbbpy)4](PF6)2·2MeOH (1) (tp* = hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl) borate and dtbbpy = 4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine) was prepared by the reaction of (Bu4N)[Fe(CN)3(tp*)] with Co(CF3SO3)2·6H2O and dtbbpy in methanol. Variable temperature X-ray structural analyses, magnetic and spectroscopic data revealed that 1 exhibited novel thermal two-stepped spin transitions induced by intramolecular electron transfers.
The Prospective of Potential Biogas Plants That Can Utilize Animal Manure in Turkey
Authors: Ekinci Kamil , Kulcu Recep , Kaya Durmus , Yaldιz Osman , Ertekin Can , Ozturk H. Huseyin
Published: August 2010

The feasibility study of potential biogas plants was conducted on a nationwide scale that may be established in each province of Turkey using potentially 10% of all annually collected animal manure. The analysis was carried out using the centralized anaerobic digestion model at thermophilic temperatures. Both equations and data used to calculate the capital and operating cost of biogas plants, as well as combined heat and power system were obtained from the available literature. The production of methane, electrical and heat energy, digestate, revenues, and CO2 savings due to biogas process were evaluated. The economic viability of biogas plants was evaluated based on the net present value (NPV), benefit-to-cost ratio (B/C ratio), internal rate of return (IRR), and payback period (PBP) based on the inclusion and exclusion of heat revenues at two different electricity purchase prices (0.066 and 0.11 ş/kWh). The results showed that the highest amounts of electrical and heat energy generated were for East Marmara (380.22 GWhe/year and 434.54 GWht/year), respectively, while those of the lowest production were for Istanbul region, 5.25 (GWhe/year), and 6.00 (GWht/year), respectively. The revenues from the produced electrical energy ranged from 0.35 Million Euros per year for Istanbul region to 25.09 Million Euros per year for East Marmara region while the heat revenues from biogas production ranged from 0.20 Million Euros per year for Istanbul region to 14.43 Million Euros per year for East Marmara region. It has been concluded that certain financial mechanisms have to be put into effect, such as increasing market price of electricity produced from biogas plants to give an incentive to biogas producers, as well as fundraising to support construction of biogas plants, and offering both long-term credits and tax breaks for investors.
Evaluation of Marine Brown Laminaria Japonica Algae as a Low-cost Adsorbent for the Removal of Malachite Green Dye from Aqueous Solution
Authors: Wang Xue Song , Zhou Ying , Jiang Yu
Published: August 2010

Batch adsorption experiments were carried out using marine brown Laminaria japonica algae for the removal of the Basic dye Malachite Green from aqueous solution. The influence of process parameters such as the initial solution pH, the contact time, the adsorbent concentration, the particle size, the interaction temperature and the ionic strength were investigated. The adsorbent was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy. The adsorption of Malachite Green was pH-dependent and attained equilibrium within 60 min for two particle size fractions.

The kinetic data were tested using the pseudo-first-order equation and the second-order Ritchie equation. The results showed that the adsorption of Malachite Green onto Laminaria japonica followed the second-order Ritchie equation very well. The Langmuir and Freundlich equations were applied to the data relating to the adsorption isotherms and the observed maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) for the particle size fraction < 150 μm was 89.44 mg/g at 20 °C. The effects of adsorbent concentration and ionic strength on the adsorption of Malachite Green were very marked. The Laminaria japonica algae could serve as low-cost adsorbents for removing Malachite Green dye from aqueous solution.
Adsorption Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Mancozeb onto Poly-o-toluidine Th(IV) Phosphate — a Nano-composite Cation-exchanger — and its Application as a Mancozeb-sensitive Membrane Electrode
Authors: Khan Asif Ali , Khan Anish
Published: August 2010

A newly-synthesized poly- o-toluidine Th(IV) phosphate nano-composite cation-exchanger was employed as an adsorbent to study the adsorption thermodynamics and kinetics of Mancozeb from aqueous media. Some parameters such as the Freundlich constants, the thermodynamic equilibrium constant (K0), the standard free energy change (ΔG0), the standard enthalpy change (ΔH0) and the standard entropy change (ΔS0) were determined. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the adsorption of Mancozeb onto poly- o-toluidine Th(IV) phosphate was exothermic, spontaneous and decreased as the temperature was increased from 25 °C to 45 °C. A pesticide-sensitive membrane electrode was fabricated using poly- o-toluidine Th(IV) phosphate as an electro-active composite material. Its sensitivity towards Mancozeb was monitored.
Effect of Interaction Energies on the Adsorption of Glycine onto a Cu(110) Surface: A Monte Carlo Simulation
Authors: Uñac R.O. , Vidales A.M. , Zgrablich G.
Published: August 2010

The purpose of the present work was to study the effect of the adsorbate–adsorbate interaction energy for the glycine/Cu(110) system using a Monte Carlo simulation in the grand canonical ensemble. The dependence of the surface pattern structures upon the temperature and diffusion rate was studied. For either reversible or irreversible adsorption, the results showed that it is possible to obtain condensed phases with a large degree of correlation for high diffusion rates and temperatures. Depending on the set of interaction energies for nearest- and next-nearest-neighbour molecules, these patterns form either hetero- or homo-chiral footprint domains.

The results obtained are qualitatively consistent with the experimental pattern observed by other authors and allow an interpretation of the different proposed theoretical models used to explain experimental data.
Adsorption Characteristics of Phenol and Reactive Dyes from Aqueous Solution onto Ordered Mesoporous Carbons Prepared via a Template Synthesis Route
Authors: Shi Taihong , Wen Yinghong , Ma Chunyu , Jia Shiguo , Wang Zhuochao , Zou Shujian
Published: August 2010

Ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) were prepared using SBA-15 as the template and sucrose as the precursor. Various different mesoporous materials (CMK-3-80, CMK-3-90, CMK-3-100 and CMK-Na2SiO3-3-90) were synthesized employing different conditions. The pore structures and characteristics of the OMC materials were evaluated using XRD, SEM and nitrogen adsorption studies, respectively, and their adsorption properties towards phenol and dyes were investigated. The results showed that the order of the pore diameter in the mesoporous materials followed the sequence: CMK-3-100 > CMK-3-90 > CMK-3-80 > CMK-Na2SiO3-3-90. Adsorption experiments revealed that the mesoporous carbons prepared possessed larger adsorption capacities towards phenol and the Reactive dyes Methylene Blue (MB) and Rhodamine Blue (RB) relative to commercial active carbon. Adsorption kinetics experiments showed that the rates of adsorption of MB and RB onto CMK-3 differed in line with the difference in pore size. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetics of MB and RB onto CMK-3 could be well described by the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The adsorption isotherms indicated that the equilibrium adsorption capacities of the two dyes onto CMK-3 were not the same and could not be correlated with either the relative magnitudes of the mesopore surface areas or the mesopore volumes.
Adsorption of Di-N-butyl Phthalate onto Nutshell-Based Activated Carbon. Equilibrium, Kinetics and Thermodynamics
Authors: Fang Z.Q. , Huang H.J.
Published: August 2010

The adsorption of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) from aqueous solution was studied in a batch adsorption system. Activated carbons from coals, coconut shell and nutshell were evaluated to determine the most effective adsorbent. Kinetic and equilibrium studies were investigated at various initial DBP concentration (3–6 mg/ℓ), adsorbent dosage (40–140 mg/ℓ), suspension pH (3–9) and temperature (25–55 °C). Equilibrium adsorption isotherms were analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin models. The experimental isotherms were S-type, with the Freundlich isotherm giving a good description of the data obtained at lower DBP concentration. The pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion models were used to fit the kinetic adsorption data. It was found that the adsorption of DBP followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, with the adsorption rate being controlled by both film and pore diffusion. The enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs' free energy constants were calculated. It was found that the adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic, with favourable adsorption capacities being observed at higher temperatures.
Removal of Toxic Hexavalent Chromium Ions from Aqueous Solution by a Natural Biomaterial: Batch and Column Adsorption
Authors: Gurbuz Fatma
Published: August 2010

The results of the removal of chromium(VI) ions from the aqueous phase employing different algal biomasses as bio-adsorbents are presented. Batch and column experiments were performed to determine the maximum adsorption capacity of the selected adsorbents. Algae were immobilised by employing pumice or silica gel as alternative substances for polymer matrices. The effects of pH, contact time, initial Cr(VI) ion concentration and adsorbent concentration were tested.

Results are presented showing that the maximum adsorption capacity occurred at pH 2 when Scenedesmus obliquus and Arthospira maxima were employed as adsorbents. A biphasic Cr(VI) ion removal pattern was observed in all experiments. The effects of Cr(VI) ion loading on both the free and immobilised biomass were tested to allow the applications to be compared. The maximum removal extent of Cr(VI) ions from the aqueous phase was 18.98 ± 0.32 mg/mg free S. obliquus and 18.37 ± 0.28 mg/mg immobilised S. obliquus. The results show that immobilisation of the biomaterial made only a small difference to the extent of Cr(VI) ion removal. However, it is a much more suitable process for industrial applications since it can be continuously applied.

The recovery of loaded metal ions was studied when it was found that HCl was very effective for desorbing Cr(VI) ions adsorbed onto the biomass. The results indicate that S. obliquus biomass is a potential candidate for the development of an efficient adsorbent for the removal of Cr(VI) ions from wastewater.
Strontium(II) Ion Surface-Imprinted Polymers Supported by Potassium Tetratitanate Whiskers: Synthesis, Characterization and Adsorption Behaviours
Authors: Li Chunxiang , Zhang Xiaojie , Pan Jianming , Xu Pingping , Liu Yan , Yan Yongsheng , Zhang Zulei
Published: August 2010

Novel surface strontium(II) ion-imprinted adsorbent particles have been prepared via the copolymerization of chitosan as the monomer, γ-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane (KH-560) as the cross-linking agent and 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator in the presence of SrCl2• 6H2O. The prepared imprinted adsorbent was used for the selective solid-phase extraction (SPE) of trace Sr(II) ions in a practical sample prior to its determination by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry (ICP–AES). The results suggest that the adsorption kinetic data accorded better with the pseudo-second-order model, while the adsorption equilibrium data gave a good fit to the Langmuir isotherm equation, yielding a maximum adsorption capacity of 27.58 mg/g and a Langmuir adsorption equilibrium coefficient of 0.0363 ℓ/mg at 298 K. The relative selectivity coefficient values of Sr(II) ion-imprinted particles were several times greater than those for the non-imprinted matrix. The new Sr(II) ion-imprinted micro-beads were successfully applied for the separation of Sr(II) ions from river and clay samples. The detection limit (3σ) for Sr(II) ions as determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was 0.21 ng/mℓ. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for the determination of Sr(II) ions was 6–9% over the concentration range 0.03–0.3 mg/ℓ.
Influence of Precursor Compounds on the Structural and Catalytic Properties of Cobalt-Based Catalysts
Authors: Selim M.M. , Deraz N.M. , Ramadan M.
Published: August 2010

The effects of different cobalt precursor compounds on the structural and catalytic properties of cobalt metal and Co3O4 catalysts have been investigated. The techniques employed for characterizing the different solids were XRD, ESR and TEM methods, together with their effectiveness as catalysts in the decomposition of H2O2 at 30–50 °C.

The results obtained indicate that the investigated catalysts contained clusters or very small particles of cobalt metal or Co3O4 phases. Cobalt metal and Co3O4 catalysts based on cobalt chloride exhibited higher catalytic activities than other catalysts derived from cobalt nitrate and sulphate salts, respectively, due to their decreased particle sizes. The activation energies of the catalytic reaction over the as-prepared catalysts revealed that the different precursor compounds did not modify the energetic nature of the active sites involved in the catalyzed reaction but changed their concentrations.
Application of the Tensegrity Principles on Tensile Textile Constructions
Authors: Peña Diana Maritza , Llorens Ignasi , Sastre Ramon
Published: August 2010

The purpose of this document is to study the application of Tensegrity principles on tensile textile constructions, which is one of points of the PhD Thesis that the author is writing under the tutorship of Prof. Josep Ignasi Llorens and Prof. Ramon Sastre, professors at the Polytechnic University of Catalunia. This work studies the basic concept of Tensegrity unit, its classification according a previous researcher (Anthony Pugh) and the author's contribution, focused on new generations of forms. Through the geometry and computer software, another typology and a constructive simple method is developed, bearing in mind, some aspects as important as system pretension to find its balance.

The objective principal is to contribute in a particular way to the application of the tensegrity in architectural spaces, in this case sports spaces through a new proposal that generates an external ring in tensegrity with a central dome, free of any interior support, by formfinding a diamond membrane pattern with discontinuous struts in a double layer that find their equilibrium through the tension of the membrane.

In the following examples one can observe that traditional tensegrity tendons are replaced by membranes Fig 1, which is the main contribution of this work that finds geometry and its constructive method of the different prototypes with the help of software like AutoCAD and WinTess (a software development by Ramon Sastre), which verifies the structural equilibrium.
Siemens Wind Power Variable-Speed Full Scale Frequency Converter Wind Turbine Model for Balanced and Unbalanced Short-Circuit Faults
Authors: Akhmatov Vladislav , Nygaard Nielsen Jørgen , Høj Jensen Kim , Goldenbaum Nikolaus , Thisted Jan , Frydensbjerg Michael , Andresen Björn
Published: August 2010

Transmission system operators and wind power plant developers must conduct power system stability analyses. Through such analyses they evaluate the fault-ride-through capability, control and grid-impact from wind power plants when the power system is subject to balanced, e.g. symmetrical three-phase, as well as unbalanced, e.g. asymmetrical two-phase-ground, phase-phase and single-phase-ground, short-circuit faults. Since the analyses are carried out utilizing large power system models, the representations of networks, generation units of different types and origins and consumption centers apply a common approach of the dynamic RMS, e.g. root-mean-square, network modeling. Siemens Wind Power has developed a dynamic model of variable-speed wind turbines utilizing full scale frequency converters to be used for investigations of balanced and unbalanced short-circuit faults. The model is implemented in the commercially available simulation program DIgSILENT PowerFactory, which is commonly used by the system operators and developers for such power system analyses, and successfully validated with certified fault-ride-through tests.
Potential of on-Shore Wind Power in the Coastal Areas of Balochistan, Pakistan
Authors: Harijan Khanji , Uqaili Mohammad A. , Memon Mujeebuddin , Mirza Umar K.
Published: August 2010

Balochistan province has about 800 km long coastline whose continental shelf extends to a distance of 15–40 km. Pakistan Meteorological Department has recorded wind speed for two years at 22 on-shore locations at 10 m and 30 m heights and estimated at 50 m height using power law. The wind duration availability in terms of numbers of hours the wind remained in a particular bin was also calculated by constructing the wind rose diagrams. The mean value of two years has been estimated and used in this study for the construction of wind duration curves for 20 selected locations. Using wind duration curves and Nordex N43/600 wind turbine as reference turbine, theoretical wind power potential at these locations has been estimated. The geographical potential has been estimated considering population density and excluding low wind areas. Finally, the technical potential has been estimated. The theoretical potential at most of the sites is in the range of 1000–1400 full load hours per year. The suitable area for wind turbine installation has been estimated as 7,700 km2. The annual technical potential of centralized grid connected wind power in the coastal area of Balochistan has been estimated as 42.5 TWh, which is about half of the current gross electricity generation in Pakistan.