bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structure–activity relationships of guanylated antimicrobial polymethacrylates
Authors: Locock Katherine E.S. , Michl Thomas D. , Griesser Hans J. , Haeussler Matthias , Meagher Laurence
Published: May 2014

Host-defense antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a promising lead in the search for novel antibiotics. Many of these peptides exhibit broad-spectrum antibacterial ability, low toxicity toward human cells, and little susceptibility to induction of bacterial resistance. Our research focuses on the development of synthetic polymers that are able to mimic the amphiphilic and cation-rich characteristics of AMPs. This derives bioactive polymers that retain the activity profile of AMPs while utilizing a construct that is less expensive and easier to produce and manipulate chemically. This review details structure–activity relationships (SARs) of a new class of arginine-rich, synthetic AMP mimicking polymers (SAMPs), the guanylated polymethacrylates. These are contrasted with those of amine-based polymers that are mimics of lysine-rich AMPs. The ideal composition for candidates for practical applications was identified as those containing guanidines as a cation source, having a low molecular weight and a low level of lipophilicity. This gave polymers with high potency against Gram-positive strains of bacteria (e.g., Staphylococcus epidermidis MIC = 10 μg/mL) and low toxicity towards human red blood cells (<4% hemolysis at given MIC). This work emphasizes the need to rationalize observed biological activities based not purely on the global lipophilic and cationic character of polymers but rather to consider the profound effect that specific pendant functional groups may have on the potency, selectivity, and mechanisms behind the action of antimicrobial polymers.
Effects of chain extender in biodegradable polyurethane foams
Authors: Kang Sung Moon , Kang Moo Seok , Kwon Sun Hong , Park Hyun , Kim Byung Kyu
Published: May 2014

Molded flexible polyurethane (PU) foams were synthesized from a starch/petroleum based polyol, 2,4/2,6-toluene diisocyanate (TDI-80), using a one shot method with water as the blowing agent. The effects of chain extender type [starch (S series), diethanolamine (DEA, D series), glycerol (G series)] and content (0, 2, 5, 10 pphr) were extensively studied. The rate of foam formation, density, compression strength, glass transition temperature (Tg) and rubbery modulus of the foam increased with the addition and increasing content of extender. At the same extender content, DEA showed the highest of these properties, while starch showed the lowest. The rate of biodegradation in a buffer solution decreased with the addition of DEA and glycerol, due to the increased crosslinking density and hard segment content, but increased with starch, owing to its biodegradability.
Unique viscosity mutation of multi-generation hyperbranched waterborne polyurethane
Authors: Li Heng , Liu Yuhang , Sun Ning , Xu Zhaohua , Li Yibiao , Jiang Shaohua
Published: May 2014

Different generation hyperbranched polyurethanes (HBPUs) were synthesized through the A2+B’B2 strategy. The molecular structures and viscosity were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The NMR results confirmed the formation of the branched units between the segments contained in the HBPU structure. The GPC with a four-capillary bridge design differential viscometer and the Ubbelohde viscometer showed a different viscosity. For the HBPUs, the viscosity first increased to higher values then decreased to lower values, and finally increased with increasing weight, which can be attributed to the spherical structure. The growth degree of HBPUs spherical structure depends on the forming hydrogen bonds; when the hydrogen bonds reach a certain degree, the spherical structure becomes compact.
Cm(III) sorption by silica: effect of alpha hydroxy isobutyric acid
Authors: Kar Aishwarya Soumitra , Tomar Bhupendra Singh
Published: May 2014

Sorption of Cm(III) on silica surface from aqueous solutions of varying pH was investigated in absence and presence of alpha hydroxy
isobutyric acid (HIBA) by employing batch sorption and surface complexation modeling (SCM). Cm(III) sorption on silica increased with
the pH of the suspension and remained constant above pH∼6. With increase in HIBA concentration, the sorption edge shifted to
higher pH. The effect of addition order of HIBA and Cm(III) on the sorption was studied and higher shift in sorption edge, as compared
to binary system, was observed when HIBA was added to silica suspension prior to Cm(III). The sorption data could be satisfactorily
explained by SCM in all the systems. The results have been compared with that reported earlier on the effect of HIBA on sorption
behaviour of Eu(III) by silica. Further, the use of small organic molecules as model compounds of humic acid (HA) has been evaluated by
comparing the influence of HA and HIBA on sorption of Cm(III) on to silica.
Computertomografie für industrielle dimensionelle Messtechnik
Authors: Schmitt Robert , Isenberg Christopher
Published: May 2014

Die Computertomografie (CT) hat aufgrund ihrer
Fähigkeit, zerstörungsfrei innere und
äußere Merkmale von Bauteilen zu prüfen und dimensionell zu
messen, in den letzten Jahren viele neue
Anwendungsgebiete erschlossen. Dieser Artikel beschreibt
die Funktionsweise der Computertomografie, beleuchtet
messtechnische Aspekte und gibt einen Überblick
über die vielfältigen Anwendungsbereiche anhand von
exemplarischen Bauteilen.
TRANSLATION THEORY - MERELY A DESCRIPTIVE DISCIPLINE?
Authors: Herbst Thomas
Published: May 2014

The article addresses a few questions concerning the nature of translation theory. The main issue discussed is whether translation theory should be seen as a discipline that basically providing an academic framework that can serve as the basis for practical translation and the training of translators or whether it should be regarded as a branch of e.g. descriptive linguistics since its purpose is to describe what translators do rather than to outline what they ought to do.
Mainstream Movies and the Reimagination of History in The Patriot (2000)
Authors: Schermaul Ulrich
Published: May 2014

The essay demonstrates how Hollywood meets history. It will examine the ways in which the mainstream movie fuses filmic and non-filmic discourses in order to stage the American Revolution on screen. On the one hand, the film appropriates legendary figures and folk tales about some colonial militia leaders who fought against the British troops during the war of independence. The Patriot assembles a historical patchwork hero whose on-screen appearance renders a culturally meaningful narrative about America's past for contemporary viewers. On the other hand, the film visualizes history through star performance and references to earlier historical movies. The. essay will argue that the very patchworking of characters and the cinematic 'quilting' of life stories form essential strategies for mainstreaming history in Hollywood movies.
The Beat of the Land: Place and Music in Tim Winton’s Dirt Music
Authors: Crane Kylie
Published: May 2014

The title of Tim Winton’s 2001 novel Dirt Music reveals one of the central binaries at work within: Dirt, or place, presence, nature on the one hand, and Music, or emotions, past, culture on the other. Dirt Music, set in Western Australia, revolves around the love story between Georgie Jutland and Lu(ther) Fox. Lu, a folk guitarist, retreats from society after the tragic death of his family, who also formed his band. During his stay in the deserted North Australian coastal region, he experiments with the possibilities of living - and making music - outside of cultural constraints. The emphasis in this paper will be on how the two factors of dirt and music interplay within the construction of his identity. The novel proposes a perspective on music that eventually offers a reconciliation of the alienation of man’s identity between nature and culture.
The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll out of the Spirit of Myth: Salman Rushdie’s The Ground Beneath Her Feet
Authors: Glomb Stefan
Published: May 2014

Rushdie’s 1999 novel The Ground Beneath Her Feet is a 20th century version of the myth of Orpheus (Ormus Cama) and Eurydike (Vina Apsara) and the rise and fall of the fictional rock band VTO. The amalgamation of myth and rock ‘n’ roll is closely connected with the novel’s emphasis on the necessity of keeping the ground beneath our feet, i.e. that which we think of as real and true, in motion. By showing how rock ‘n’ roll, in spite of all its negative aspects, has been driven by the need to shake what is all too stable and to cross boundaries of all kinds, the novel suggests a more positive evaluation of rock music than is common in many academic discussions of the subject today.
Writing Punk: Punk Narratives in the 1990s and John King’s Novel Human Punk
Authors: Rupp Susanne
Published: May 2014

This essay explores narratives of punk which were written in the 1990s, a decade which saw a renewed interest in the subject, probably mainly due to the former participants’ autobiographical impulse, as well as to a debate about the death of rock music. However, rather than attempting to reconstruct the ‘real’ history of punk, this essay sets out to analyze conflicting representations of punk. The focus of this investigation is on John King’s novel Human Punk (2001), which presents punk as social practice, deeply rooted in the ‘ordinary life’ of ‘ordinary people’ (as King puts it). To a certain extent, King’s novel argues against an alternative rendering of punk-history, epitomized by Jon Savage’s influential cultural history of punk, England’s Dreaming (2001). In contrast to King, Savage conceptualizes punk as art and thus ascribes different ideological and aesthetic functions to punk determining and defining its place in contemporary cultural memory.
Facing Depression in 20th-Century American Photography
Authors: Böger Astrid
Published: May 2014

This essay focuses on 20th-century portrait photography, and argues that the facial portrait has become one of the most productive conventions in the history of the medium. It considers the social documentary work of Lewis Hine, as well as Dorothea Lange's and Walker Evans's government-sponsored photography of the Depression. Portraits by Robert Frank and Richard Avedon created in the context of, but also independently from, The New York School of Photography are discussed subsequently. The images considered here have in common that they mobilize the viewer's affective response, while at the same time they negotiate the shifting relationship between the photographer, his or her subject, and the viewer. Finally, Avedon's project In the American West, 1979-1984 is presented as a basis to question the (conventional) position of the human subject as the object of the photographer's look, as Avedon conceives of photo portraiture as an essentially mutual, performative act.
Pharmakon Zeitreise: Verborgene kulturelle Phantasmen in Audrey Niffeneggers The Time Traveler's Wife
Authors: Mieszkowskl Sylvia
Published: May 2014

Henry DeTamble is unable to stay in time. A genetic defect causes the protagonist of Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife (2003) to unwillingly and spontaneously 'fallout of the present' - without control as to where the trip takes him or when he might be back. Henry and his wife Clare Abshire are the novel's two alternating first person narrators who also focalise the plot of their (extra-) ordinary marriage. My first thesis suggests that, in this novel, time traveling is a cultural fentasy. Having traced the term from Freud's 'Phantasie' to Lacan's 'fantasme' and Žižek's 'fantasm,' I shall focus on the question of how time traveling stages. other, more hidden, cultural fantasies. It"is this article's second contention that time traveling is characterised by precisely those contradictory qualities which define Derrida's term 'pharmakon.' Abrief introduction of this second concept will allow me to show more precisely how time traveling as a cultural fantasm operates in tackling issues crucial to the formation of the (heterosexual) couple such as negotiation of gender roles, empowerment and self-supplementation as weIl as structures of desire.
Transgressive Utopian Dystopias: The Postmodern Reappearance of Utopia in the Disguise of Dystopia
Authors: Mohr Dunja M.
Published: May 2014

With utopia’s heyday of the second half of the 19th century long gone with only a momentary flare up as feminist utopia in the 1970s, utopian literature seems to remain in limbo. Indeed, many critics have agreed upon a diminished belief in a potentially better world if not upon the disappearance of utopian literature and the impossibility of utopian thought altogether. Yet utopia is very much alive: it has reappeared in the disguise of novels, initially set as dystopias, predominantly in the contemporary feminist dystopias of the past twenty to thirty years. These ‘transgressive utopian dystopias’ resist neat categorizations of utopia/dystopia; rather, they present utopian strategies as integral part of the dystopian narrative. While the described dystopian societies are riven by manifold dualisms, the suggested utopian impulses aim at their transgression. These utopian strategies can be single glimpses of hope, as Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake (2003) illustrates, or contain the very downfall or subversion of dystopia and the actual process of building utopia, as in Suzy McKee Charnas’s Holdfast tetralogy (1974-1999).
Utopian Moments in the Novels of Chang-rae Lee
Authors: Ludwig Sämi
Published: May 2014

Utopias in the traditional sense are hard to find in contemporary literature. Still we do find utopian moments in many of the representations of a flawed world. In Chang-rae Lee’s three novels Native Speaker, A Gesture Life, and Aloft utopian aspects mainly manifest themselves in the private realm; there mutual understanding is possible because the generation of new intended meanings is possible. An expansion of such discursive regeneration as a Christian model of mutual support, however, remains difficult in the wider society because minorities (in his case mainly Korean Americans) remain excluded from the public realm of a policing syntax that imposes petrified old patterns of binary competition upon them. Nevertheless, there are incidents of modest progress, i.e., there is a pragmatist vision of survival and even optimism in Lee’s work that focuses, particularly in his last novel, on the family as the American nucleus of development and agency, combining both traditional ‘family values’ and Asian notions of filiality. Thus ultimately Lee’s vision of a good future remains a quintessentially American one.
“Zuspruch inmitten Sinnlosigkeit”: Zur Rezeption T.S. Eliots im Deutschland der Nachkriegszeit
Authors: Boecker Bettina
Published: May 2014

It was only after World War 11 that Germans discovered T.S. Eliot's poeuy, drama and cultural criticism. Eliot's intellectual development seemed to offer a paradigmatic example of how to cope with the predicaments of modernity: The desperation of "The Waste Land" and the iconoclastic tendencies of "Tradition and the Individual Talent" had transmuted into the conciliatory - if often dogmatic - tones of the work produced after his conversion to Anglo-Catholicism. Eliot proffered much-needed spiritual guidance to a country faced with total breakdown - material as well as moral His espousal of tradition as the basis for any kind of new beginning was especially pertinent to the country's search for a new identity. Eliot's Christian teachings, however, met with mixed reactions. Endorsed by many critics and intellectuals, they found little favour with audiences of his play Murder in the Cathedral, which premiered in Germany in 1947. After years of indoctrination, many were tired of messages as such. The controversy about Eliot's Christian doctrines marks the beginning of a debate about Eliot the cultural critic which continued well into the 1970s.
Cato Jaramillo’s (Un-)“True Story” of Holocaust Survival
Authors: Arich-Gerz Bruno
Published: May 2014

Taking its cue from the debunking of Binjamin Wilkomirski’s Holocaust memoirs Bruchstucke as a fake and the resultant problem of categorizing it generically, the article focuses on Cato Jaramillo’s equally questionable US-autobiography Too Stubborn to Die: A Child of Nordhausen about the alleged survival of the Nazi concentration camp Mittelbau-Dora. The reconstruction of the Wilkomirski case’ illustrates how the demasking of Bruchstucke in 1998 at the same time uncovers the text’s resemblance with fairy tales, and as such provides the reading strategy for the analysis of Jaramillo’s “True Story” (subtitle): A detailed investigation provides evidence of its missing authenticity - which has so far remained unnoticed in literary or cultural studies - and reveals its Hänsel und Gretel subtext. The discovery of both the story’s fictitiousness and its fairy tale elements helps to demonstrate how the text as a whole splits into a victimized-child and a perpetrator- adult part: It is at once a narrative of suffering and of imaginary sadism whose focalization exhibits both the Hänsel and Gretel and the witch’s point of view.
The role of positive vs. negative evidence in learning a novel dialect pattern: American English speakers’ grammatical intuitions on a-prefixing in Appalachian English
Authors: Kabak Barış , Meemann Kirsten
Published: May 2014

This paper focuses on the controversies surrounding the effect of linguistic input in language acquisition and investigates how learning of a dialectal pattern, a-prefixing in Appalachian English, can be modulated by positive vs. negative evidence in adult learners whose grammar does not contain this grammatical phenomenon. In an online acceptability judgment study, we measured gradient grammatical intuitions of 41 Appalachian English and 36 native speakers of American English on their perceived acceptability of carefully-matched grammatical and ungrammatical sentences with a-prefixing. We used 16 sentences (50% ungrammatical) for each of the 5 previously established constraints on a-prefixing, divided equally into a pre- and post-test session. The non-dialect speakers were further divided into 3 input groups depending on the type of input they received between the two tests: the positive-evidence group with only grammatical instances of a-prefixing, the negative-evidence group with explicit instruction concerning only ungrammaticality, and the control group with no input. Results indicated that, just like the baseline Appalachian English group, the non-dialect participants were able to distinguish grammatical sentences from ungrammatical ones, crucially in all of the 5 different constraints, prior to the treatment, although they significantly differed from the Appalachian English group in the strength of their judgments. The post-test results revealed a clear benefit of negative evidence on the learning of a novel grammatical phenomenon, albeit only concerning the responses to ungrammatical sentences, while accept-ability judgments for grammatical as well as ungrammatical sentences did not benefit from positive evidence alone. We suggest that the target-like intuitions of our non-dialect participants at the onset result from a deduction of tacitly known principles of English and linguistic universals. Concerning the differential effect of input categories on learning, we argue that exposure to only positive exemplars of the target phenomenon results in overly general hypotheses about its patterning in the language, which may push the learner to perceive new ungrammatical sentences better than their initial acceptability value. Negative exemplars, however, place a pressure on learners to notice the linguistic contexts in which the target phenomenon is not allowed to surface, thereby raising their awareness of the presence of rules.
Structural and microstructural chracterization of seven human kidney stones using FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, thermal study and X-ray Rietveld analysis
Authors: Ghosh Soumen , Bhattacharya Abir , Chatterjee Paramita , Mukherjee Alok Kumar
Published: May 2014

Structural and microstructural parameters of seven kidney stones (UKS1–UKS7) retrieved from patients of eastern India were investigated using FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray powder diffractometry. Quantitative phase analysis of kidney stones was performed following the Rietveld method. Crystallite sizes and thermal stability were evaluated from the X-ray peak-broadening analysis and thermogravimetric study. Rietveld analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data indicates that kidney stones are a mixture of phases with whewellite as the major constituent in UKS1–UKS4 and UKS7, whereas the major phase in UKS5 and UKS6 is anhydrous uric acid. The crystallite size of whewellite phase in stones with more than 50 wt% of whewellite (UKS1-UKS4 and UKS7) varies from 149(5) to 182(1) nm, whereas the corresponding sizes of uric acid crystallites in stones with more than 50 wt% of uric acid (UKS5 and UKS6) are 163(2) and 190(3) nm, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) of UKS1 reveals that whewellite is stable upto 400 K and above this temperature anhydrous calcium oxalate is formed, which tranforms into calcium carbonate at 750 K and finally to calcium oxide above 970 K. The kidney stone UKS5 with more than 90 wt% of uric acid is stable upto 708 K.
Crystallographic Computing System JANA2006: General features
Authors: Petříček Václav , Dušek Michal , Palatinus Lukáš
Published: May 2014

JANA2006 is a freely available program for structure determination of standard, modulated and magnetic samples based on X-ray or neutron single crystal/ powder diffraction or on electron diffraction. The system has been developed for 30 years from specialized tool for refinement of modulated structures to a universal program covering standard as well as advanced crystallography. The aim of this article is to describe the basic features of JANA2006 and explain its scope and philosophy. It will also serve as a basis for future publications detailing tools and methods of JANA.
Influence of the Para-Substitutent of Benzene Diazonium Salts and the Solvent on the Film Growth During Electrochemical Reduction
Authors: Zhang Xin , Rösicke Felix , Syritski Vitali , Sun Guoguang , Reut Jekaterina , Hinrichs Karsten , Janietz Silvia , Rappich Jörg
Published: May 2014

In this work the nature of the substitution process in the
electrochemical deposition of different 4-substituted benzene layers
on Au and the influence of the solvent were studied. We monitored the
deposition from the corresponding isolated salt diazonium salts and
via the “in solution diazotation” process where the diazonium salt
is created just before the deposition process by means of amine and
nitrite. Infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements proved the
presence of the various substituted benzene groups on the
surfaces. Quantitative studies using electrochemical quartz crystal
microbalance technique showed a decrease in the deposited organic
layer thickness and the faradaic efficiency of the electrochemical
process with the size of the 4-substituent. As consequence nature of
the substituent in the 4-position was the dominating factor for
thickness of the deposited benzene layer and the faradaic
efficiency. Additionally, there was also a strong increase in the
thickness of the deposited benzene layer by changing the solvent from
aqueous sulphuric acid to acetonitrile pointing to a stabilization of
the radical intermediates during reduction of the diazonium salt by
acetonitrile. This in turn led to faradaic efficiencies of about
80%–90% for the grafting process in acetonitrile and
only 15% in the aqueous acidic solution.
Midline Frontal Cortex Low-Frequency Activity Drives Subthalamic Nucleus Oscillations during Conflict
Authors: Zavala Baltazar A. , Tan Huiling , Little Simon , Ashkan Keyoumars , Hariz Marwan , Foltynie Thomas , Zrinzo Ludvic , Zaghloul Kareem A. , Brown Peter
Published: May 2014

Making the right decision from conflicting information takes time. Recent computational, electrophysiological, and clinical studies have implicated two brain areas as being crucial in assuring sufficient time is taken for decision-making under conditions of conflict: the medial prefrontal cortex and the subthalamic nucleus (STN). Both structures exhibit an elevation of activity at low frequencies (<10 Hz) during conflict that correlates with the amount of time taken to respond. This suggests that the two sites could become functionally coupled during conflict. To establish the nature of this interaction we recorded from deep-brain stimulation electrodes implanted bilaterally in the STN of 13 Parkinson's disease patients while they performed a sensory integration task involving randomly moving dots. By gradually increasing the number of dots moving coherently in one direction, we were able to determine changes in the STN associated with response execution. Furthermore, by occasionally having 10% of the dots move in the opposite direction as the majority, we were able to identify an independent increase in STN theta-delta activity triggered by conflict. Crucially, simultaneous midline frontal electroencephalographic recordings revealed an increase in the theta-delta band coherence between the two structures that was specific to high-conflict trials. Activity over the midline frontal cortex was Granger causal to that in STN. These results establish the cortico-subcortical circuit enabling successful choices to be made under conditions of conflict and provide support for the hypothesis that the brain uses frequency-specific channels of communication to convey behaviorally relevant information.
The Systemic Amyloid Precursor Transthyretin (TTR) Behaves as a Neuronal Stress Protein Regulated by HSF1 in SH-SY5Y Human Neuroblastoma Cells and APP23 Alzheimer's Disease Model Mice
Authors: Wang Xin , Cattaneo Francesca , Ryno Lisa , Hulleman John , Reixach Natàlia , Buxbaum Joel N.
Published: May 2014

Increased neuronal synthesis of transthyretin (TTR) may favorably impact on Alzheimer's disease (AD) because TTR has been shown to inhibit Aβ aggregation and detoxify cell-damaging conformers. The mechanism whereby hippocampal and cortical neurons from AD patients and APP23 AD model mice produce more TTR is unknown. We now show thatTTRexpression in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, primary hippocampal neurons and the hippocampus of APP23 mice, is significantly enhanced by heat shock factor 1 (HSF1). Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays demonstrated occupation ofTTRpromoter heat shock elements by HSF1 in APP23 hippocampi, primary murine hippocampal neurons, and SH-SY5Y cells, but not in mouse liver, cultured human hepatoma (HepG2) cells, or AC16 cultured human cardiomyocytes. Treating SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells with heat shock or the HSF1 stimulator celastrol increasedTTRtranscription in parallel with that ofHSP40,HSP70, andHSP90. With both treatments, ChIP showed increased occupancy of heat shock elements in theTTRpromoter by HSF1.In vivocelastrol increased the HSF1 ChIP signal in hippocampus but not in liver. Transfection of a humanHSF1construct into SH-SY5Y cells increasedTTRtranscription and protein production, which could be blocked by shHSF1 antisense. The effect is neuron specific. In cultured HepG2 cells, HSF1 was either suppressive or had no effect on TTR expression confirming the differential effects of HSF1 onTTRtranscription in different cell types.
Tetrodotoxin-Resistant Sodium Channels in Sensory Neurons Generate Slow Resurgent Currents That Are Enhanced by Inflammatory Mediators
Authors: Tan Zhi-Yong , Piekarz Andrew D. , Priest Birgit T. , Knopp Kelly L. , Krajewski Jeffrey L. , McDermott Jeff S. , Nisenbaum Eric S. , Cummins Theodore R.
Published: May 2014

Resurgent sodium currents contribute to the regeneration of action potentials and enhanced neuronal excitability. Tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTX-S) resurgent currents have been described in many different neuron populations, including cerebellar and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons. In most cases, sodium channel Nav1.6 is the major contributor to these TTX-S resurgent currents. Here we report a novel TTX-resistant (TTX-R) resurgent current recorded from rat DRG neurons. The TTX-R resurgent currents are similar to classic TTX-S resurgent currents in many respects, but not all. As with TTX-S resurgent currents, they are activated by membrane repolarization, inhibited by lidocaine, and enhanced by a peptide-mimetic of the β4 sodium channel subunit intracellular domain. However, the TTX-R resurgent currents exhibit much slower kinetics, occur at more depolarized voltages, and are sensitive to the Nav1.8 blocker A803467. Moreover, coimmunoprecipitation experiments from rat DRG lysates indicate the endogenous sodium channel β4 subunits associate with Nav1.8 in DRG neurons. These results suggest that slow TTX-R resurgent currents in DRG neurons are mediated by Nav1.8 and are generated by the same mechanism underlying TTX-S resurgent currents. We also show that both TTX-S and TTX-R resurgent currents in DRG neurons are enhanced by inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, the β4 peptide increased excitability of small DRG neurons in the presence of TTX. We propose that these slow TTX-R resurgent currents contribute to the membrane excitability of nociceptive DRG neurons under normal conditions and that enhancement of both types of resurgent currents by inflammatory mediators could contribute to sensory neuronal hyperexcitability associated with inflammatory pain.
Steering Neuronal Growth Cones by Shifting the Imbalance between Exocytosis and Endocytosis
Authors: Tojima Takuro , Itofusa Rurika , Kamiguchi Hiroyuki
Published: May 2014

Extracellular molecular cues guide migrating growth cones along specific routes during development of axon tracts. Such processes rely on asymmetric elevation of cytosolic Ca2+concentrations across the growth cone that mediates its attractive or repulsive turning toward or away from the side with Ca2+elevation, respectively. Downstream of these Ca2+signals, localized activation of membrane trafficking steers the growth cone bidirectionally, with endocytosis driving repulsion and exocytosis causing attraction. However, it remains unclear how Ca2+can differentially regulate these opposite membrane-trafficking events. Here, we show that growth cone turning depends on localized imbalance between exocytosis and endocytosis and identify Ca2+-dependent signaling pathways mediating such imbalance. In embryonic chicken dorsal root ganglion neurons, repulsive Ca2+signals promote clathrin-mediated endocytosis through a 90 kDa splice variant of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinase type-1γ (PIPKIγ90). In contrast, attractive Ca2+signals facilitate exocytosis but suppress endocytosis via Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) that can inactivate PIPKIγ90. Blocking CaMKII or Cdk5 leads to balanced activation of both exocytosis and endocytosis that causes straight growth cone migration even in the presence of guidance signals, whereas experimentally perturbing the balance restores the growth cone's turning response. Remarkably, the direction of this resumed turning depends on relative activities of exocytosis and endocytosis, but not on the type of guidance signals. Our results suggest that navigating growth cones can be redirected by shifting the imbalance between exocytosis and endocytosis, highlighting the importance of membrane-trafficking imbalance for axon guidance and, possibly, for polarized cell migration in general.
A state in denial: Britain's WMD dependency on the United States
Authors: Plesch Dan
Published: May 2014

Britain is not an independent nuclear power. Its nuclear warheads and delivery systems depend upon American supplied management and technology and have done so since the dawn of the nuclear age. For years these matters were classified and today both governments only supply partial information. Nevertheless, an analysis of the historical records and such government information as is available, particularly from U.S. sources, shows clearly that the U.K. has no independence of procurement and little if any genuine independence of operation. This reality has never been made clear to the public or to many in government and the political and media elites. As a result, the debate in the U.K. and internationally on the future of nuclear weapons is conducted on the false premise that the U.K. is an independent nuclear power.
Can British defense firms diversify? The Nanoquest case and the limits to dual-use theories
Authors: Feldman Jonathan Michael
Published: May 2014

This article investigates the case of Nanoquest, a small diversification project that was tied to BAE Systems' earlier incarnation as British Aerospace (BAe). The article shows that British military firms can have success when diversifying into civilian markets, but the process can be sabotaged by managerial interference. The article also illustrates the limited utility of dual-use theories in explaining diversification outcomes. Success and failure are also shaped by power relationships rather than simply by technological similarities or limitations. The article shows why discourses about dual use, the relatedness of military and civilian technologies, networks, learning, and information exchange cannot fully explain how and whether diversification barriers are overcome. One key reason is that the degree of dual-use relationships, or the commonality between military and civilian markets, is based on an historical process of learning and resource acquisition over time. This learning and resource acquisition in turn is mediated by various power structures and struggles within the firm as identified by institutional economists and various management theorists.
Hegemonia e confronto na produção da segunda LDB: o ensino religioso nas escolas públicas
Authors: Cunha Luiz Antônio
Published: May 2014

Este artigo identifica os posicionamentos de grupos político-ideológicos sobre a questão do ensino religioso nas escolas públicas durante o processo de produção da segunda Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação Nacional promulgada em dezembro de 1996. As fontes foram os Diários do Senado e da Câmara dos Deputados no período entre 1948 e 1962, arquivos públicos e privados, bem como a bibliografia geral. Constatou-se que, durante os oito anos de discussões do projeto no Congresso Nacional, vários grupos de pressão imprimiram suas marcas: de um lado, a Igreja Católica, a única organização manifestamente comprometida com sua oferta; de outro lado, uma aliança inorgânica, que, sem condições políticas de defender um projeto laico, limitou-se a resistir ao avanço do confessionalismo. No final das contas, nenhum dos dois lados foi capaz de fazer valer completamente suas demandas, de modo que a lei promulgada e sancionada resultou num produto híbrido.
"Práticas de pensamento" e o debate curricular: contribuições a partir de Foucault-Cortázar
Authors: Ribeiro Cintya Regina
Published: May 2014

No âmbito educacional, questões relativas aos fundamentos e aos processos de conhecimento têm sido historicamente discutidas no campo do currículo. O artigo visa discutir essa centralidade da questão do conhecer, propondo um deslocamento da problematização do conhecimento para a do pensamento. Para tal, propõe a problematização do estatuto do conhecer por meio de investigações de "práticas de pensamento". Metodologicamente, o estudo constrói um território de exterioridade tensionado entre educação, filosofia e literatura. A partir da filosofia, resgata o pensamento de Michel Foucault; a partir da literatura, focaliza o escritor Julio Cortázar. Alinhada às vertentes de crítica da linguagem, a análise aponta contribuições para o debate educacional, propondo outras hipóteses de trabalho de pesquisa curricular, ancoradas na necessidade ético-política de produzir genealogias de práticas de pensamento. Conclui, por meio da articulação Foucault-Cortázar, sobre a necessidade de problematização das práticas de pensamento no interior de nossos próprios campos de pesquisa.
Mujeres cuidadoras en contextos de pobreza: el caso de los Programas de Transferencias Condicionados en Argentina
Authors: Zibecchi Carla
Published: May 2014

El artículo analiza el caso de los programas de transferencias condicionadas (PTC) en Argentina, desde un enfoque de género, prestando particular atención al vínculo de estas políticas con el trabajo de cuidado que realizan las mujeres en contextos de pobreza. En primer lugar, se propone efectuar una descripción de las concepciones subyacentes en torno a las mujeres en el diseño de estos programas, tomando como referencia dos casos emblemáticos de Argentina: el Plan Jefes y Jefas de Hogar Desocupados y el Programa Familias por la Inclusión Social. Luego, se propone explorar las estrategias de cuidado que llevan adelante las mujeres que recibieron PTC. Finalmente, se analiza la modalidad bajo la cual organizaciones comunitarias proveen de servicios de cuidado a amplios sectores de la población y se explora cómo las mujeres "beneficiarias" y cuidadoras experimentan diferentes aspectos relativos al cuidado infantil que efectúan en dicho ámbito.
Condições e possibilidades de uma tecnopolítica de gênero/sexualidade
Authors: Goulart Lucas Aguiar , Hennigen Inês
Published: May 2014

Neste artigo apresentamos uma análise genealógica acerca da composição de movimentos que se propõem a pensar a cibercultura enquanto ferramenta política usada para abrir espaços para modos de vida não misóginos e não heteronormativos; tal contexto é denominado aqui como tecnopolítica de gênero/sexualidade. Tendo como principal foco os jogos digitais e buscando entender as condições que possibilitaram a emergência de uma parada LGBT em um deles, abordamos os movimentos Cyberpunk, Ciberfeminsta, Girl Games Movement e Cyberqueer, refletindo acerca das potências contingentes aos ambientes ciberculturais e de seu estatuto diferencial na constituição de outras vivências e construções de gênero/sexualidades.
De Goiânia a 'Gayânia': notas sobre o surgimento do mercado "GLS" na capital do cerrado
Authors: Braz Camilo
Published: May 2014

O presente trabalho parte de uma investigação realizada no Ser-Tão (Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Gênero e Sexualidade), da Universidade Federal de Goiás, que buscou interpretar antropologicamente o contexto de surgimento do mercado comumente denominado 'GLS' (gays, lésbicas e simpatizantes) na capital goiana. O pressuposto, como evidenciam pesquisas socioantropológicas já realizadas em outros contextos metropolitanos no Brasil, é o de que a interpretação dos processos de constituição de categorias classificatórias em torno das homossexualidades pode ser complexificada ao se levar em consideração as dinâmicas relativas ao mercado segmentado. Neste trabalho, portanto, são apresentadas análises preliminares das memórias relativas ao surgimento do mercado de lazer e sociabilidade 'GLS' na cidade de Goiânia, a partir das falas de seus/suas empresários/as e frequentadores/as, para se pensar nas relações entre a produção de lugares e de um senso de 'comunidade' ou pertencimento local.
Magnetic pulse welding on the cutting edge of industrial applications
Authors: Miranda R. M. , Tomás B. , Santos T. G. , Fernandes N.
Published: May 2014

Magnetic Pulse Welding (MPW) applies the electromagnetic principles postulated in the XIXth century and later demonstrated. In recent years the process has been developed to meet highly demanding market needs involving dissimilar material joining, specially involving difficult-to-weld materials. It is a very high speed joining process that uses an electromagnetic force to accelerate one material against the other, resulting in a solid state weld with no external heat source and no thermal distortions. A high power source, the capacitor, a discharge switch and a coil constitute the minimum equipment necessary for this process. A high intensity current flowing through a coil near an electrically conductive material, locally produce an intense magnetic field that generates eddy currents in the flyer according to Lenz law. The induced electromotive force gives rise to a current whose magnetic field opposes the original change in magnetic flux. The effect of this secondary current moving in the primary magnetic field is the generation of a Lorentz force, which accelerates the flyer at a very high speed. If a piece of material is placed in the trajectory of the flyer, the impact will produce an atomic bond in a solid state weld. This paper discusses the fundamentals of the process in terms of phenomenology and analytical modeling and numerical simulation. Recent industrial applications are presented in terms of materials, joint configurations and real examples as well as advantages and disadvantages of the process.
Modelos de cinco barras e de uma barra para geração de tensões térmicas na ZF, ZAC e MB durante soldagem a arco
Authors: Scotti Américo
Published: May 2014

Neste trabalho é apresentado um modelo descritivo para explanar a geração de tensões térmicas em soldagem, denominado de Modelo de 5 Barras. Tomando como base o Modelo de 3 Barras amplamente utilizado com a mesma finalidade, se reivindica que o modelo proposto seja capaz de explicar a geração das tensões também na ZAC. Essas tensões seriam progressivamente menores do que na ZF e se anulando no ponto do material em que as tensões térmicas atuantes não alcancem o limite de escoamento do material nesta região. Também mostrou ser capaz de explicar que as maiores tensões vão ser geradas na ZF e que as tensões finais na junta serão definidas pelo limite de escoamento do material do cordão e pela capacidade do material em consumir essas tensões por deformação plástica. Mas, as tensões na ZAC podem ser tão altas como as do metal de solda (ZF), desde que o material da ZAC grosseira possua limite de escoamento mais alto do que do material da ZF, passando a definir o valor da tensão térmica final gerado. Já o Modelo de 1 Barra, com a mesma abordagem, permite demonstrar que as tensões térmicas são geradas quando da ausência de empenamento angular ou sob limitada deformação plástica da peça e são sempre trativas. De forma similar, as tensões finais na junta serão definidas pelo limite de escoamento do material do cordão e pela capacidade de todo o material em absorver essas tensões por deformação plástica.
Reliability and Validity of a Turkish Version of the Passionate Love Scale
Authors: Yildirim Filiz , Hablemitoglu Sengul , Barnett Rosemary V.
Published: May 2014

Our purpose in this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of a Turkish version of the Passionate Love Scale (PLS). Participants in the study were 150 undergraduate students. We assessed the construct validity of the PLS using confirmatory factor analysis. To assess the
reliability of the PLS we calculated the internal consistency coefficient and found that the Cronbach's alpha was .89. Our results indicated that the PLS was a valid and reliable measure of passionate love with a Turkish population.
The Mediating Effect of Personality Traits on the Relationship Between Self-Concealment and Subjective Well-Being
Authors: Wang Jing , Qi Ling , Cui Lijuan
Published: May 2014

Using path analysis, we examined the mediating effect of personality traits on the relationship between self-concealment and subjective well-being. Participants were 291 undergraduates who completed the Chinese versions of the Self Concealment Scale, NEO Five-Factor Inventory, Eysenck
Personality Questionnaire, and General Well-Being Schedule. Our results showed that both self-concealment and neuroticism had negative effects on subjective well-being, while extraversion had a positive effect on subjective well-being. Self-concealment affected subjective well-being indirectly
via personality traits. These findings suggest that self-concealment has both direct and indirect effects on subjective well-being, and that personality traits are directly associated with subjective well-being. This indicates that personality traits may mediate the association between self-concealment
and subjective well-being.
Effect of rural infrastructure on profitability and productivity of cassava-based farms in Odogbolu local government area, Ogun state, Nigeria
Authors: Obayelu Abiodun , Olarewaju Titilope , Oyelami Nurudeen
Published: May 2014

Infrastructural development in Nigeria has been historically linked to the
development of agriculture, exploitation of natural resources and public
policies. This study examined the effect of rural infrastructures on
profitability and productivity of cassava-based farms in Odogbolu local
government area of Ogun state, Nigeria. The study was based on a
cross-sectional survey of 120 cassava farmers selected with a multistage
random sampling technique from 10 villages. Descriptive statistics were used
to generate the composite rural infrastructure index which revealed that 5
out of the 10 sampled villages were under-developed. Economic efficiency in
the developed and under-developed areas shows that farmers in the developed
areas are better off compared to their counterparts in the under-developed
areas. Farm size, years of farming experience and infrastructural development
index (INF) were statistically significant with negative influence on
productivity of cassava-based farmers. The significance and indirect
relationship of the years of farming experience and infrastructural
development index at p<0.05 and farm size (p<0.01) regarding the total factor
productivity (TFP) implied that these variables decrease TFP. Similarly, the
negative sign of the coefficient of INF of -0.742 at p<0.05 shows that the
under-development of infrastructural facilities observed in the study area is
capable of jeopardizing efforts at improving the productivity of
cassava-based farmers. Therefore, farmer in the developed areas can generally
produce more output at lower cost if there is an improvement in
infrastructural facilities in the study area.
Evaluation of optimization methods for solving the receptor model for chemical mass balance
Authors: Anu N. , Rangabhashiyam S. , Rahul Antony , Selvaraju N.
Published: May 2014

Balance (CMB) model has been extensively used in order to determine source
contribution for particulate matters (size diameters less than 10 ?m and 2.5
?m) in the air quality analysis. A comparison of the source contribution
estimated from the three CMB models (CMB 8.2, CMB-fmincon and CMB-GA) have
been carried out through optimization techniques such as ?fmincon?
(CMB-fmincon) and genetic algorithm (CMB-GA) using MATLAB. The proposed
approach has been validated using San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Study
(SJVAQS) California Fresno and Bakersfield PM10 and PM2.5 followed with
Oregon PM10 data. The source contribution estimated from CMB-GA was better in
source interpretation in comparison with CMB8.2 and CMB-fmincon. The
performance accuracy of three CMB approaches were validated using R-square,
reduced chi-square and percentage mass tests. The R-square (0.90, 0.67 and
0.81, 0.83), Chi-square (0.36, 0.66 and 0.65, 0.43) and percentage mass
(67.36 %, 55.03 % and 94.24 %, 74.85 %) of CMB-GA showed high correlation for
PM10, PM2.5 Fresno and Bakersfield data respectively. To make a complete
decision, the proposed methodology has been bench marked with Portland,
Oregon PM10 data with best fit with R2 (0.99), Chi-square (1.6) and
percentage mass (94.4 %) from CMB-GA. Therefore, the study revealed that CMB
with genetic algorithm optimization method holds better stability in
determining the source contributions.