bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Linear Score Tests for Variance Components in Linear Mixed Models and Applications to Genetic Association Studies
Authors: Qu Long , Guennel Tobias , Marshall Scott L.
Published: November 2013

Following the rapid development of genome-scale genotyping technologies, genetic association mapping has become a popular tool to detect genomic regions responsible for certain (disease) phenotypes, especially in early-phase pharmacogenomic studies with limited sample size. In response to such applications, a good association test needs to be (1) applicable to a wide range of possible genetic models, including, but not limited to, the presence of gene-by-environment or gene-by-gene interactions and non-linearity of a group of marker effects, (2) accurate in small samples, fast to compute on the genomic scale, and amenable to large scale multiple testing corrections, and (3) reasonably powerful to locate causal genomic regions. The kernel machine method represented in linear mixed models provides a viable solution by transforming the problem into testing the nullity of variance components. In this study, we consider score-based tests by choosing a statistic linear in the score function. When the model under the null hypothesis has only one error variance parameter, our test is exact in finite samples. When the null model has more than one variance parameter, we develop a new moment-based approximation that performs well in simulations. Through simulations and analysis of real data, we demonstrate that the new test possesses most of the aforementioned characteristics, especially when compared to existing quadratic score tests or restricted likelihood ratio tests.
Calibrating Sensitivity Analyses to Observed Covariates in Observational Studies
Authors: Hsu Jesse Y. , Small Dylan S.
Published: November 2013

In medical sciences, statistical analyses based on observational studies are common phenomena. One peril of drawing inferences about the effect of a treatment on subjects using observational studies is the lack of randomized assignment of subjects to the treatment. After adjusting for measured pretreatment covariates, perhaps by matching, a sensitivity analysis examines the impact of an unobserved covariate, u, in an observational study. One type of sensitivity analysis uses two sensitivity parameters to measure the degree of departure of an observational study from randomized assignment. One sensitivity parameter relates u to treatment and the other relates u to response. For subject matter experts, it may be difficult to specify plausible ranges of values for the sensitivity parameters on their absolute scales. We propose an approach that calibrates the values of the sensitivity parameters to the observed covariates and is more interpretable to subject matter experts. We will illustrate our method using data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey regarding the relationship between cigarette smoking and blood lead levels.
Renminbi Internationalization: A Journey to Where?
Authors: Bowles Paul , Wang Baotai
Published: November 2013

The renminbi is currently undergoing a process of internationalization which has raised fundamental questions about the evolution of the international monetary system and the dominance of the US dollar. In this article, we assess how far the renminbi has travelled down the internationalization road and analyse the possibilities for it challenging the role of the US dollar in the future. We utilize Cohen's () taxonomy to document the current dimensions of renminbi internationalization. Looking forward, we briefly summarize three common approaches to analysing currency internationalization, and propose a new approach. We argue that renminbi internationalization should be seen as a response to crises, first the Asian financial crisis and then the global financial crisis. As such, we argue that current internationalization has been driven by short‐term problem solving rather than a coherent long‐term strategy. The current path of RMB internationalization is best described as one of ‘currency normalization’ rather than ‘currency dominance’.
‘China Anxiety’: Discourse and Intellectual Challenges
Authors: Zhang Yongjin
Published: November 2013

This article discusses what the author refers to as ‘China anxiety’, manifest in the current Anglo‐American discourse on the rise of China. It is argued that beneath the hype and hyperbole, anxieties can be detected that are no longer only about the prospect, but increasingly about the purpose, of China's rise to power. The author suggests that there is a particular and deeper ‘cauldron of anxiety’ which causes, and is caused by, a certain intellectual disorientation among those participating in the discourse. The rise of China remains a puzzle, as it presents a number of paradoxes, contradictions and ironies. The article examines two specific propositions and debates, on the return of authoritarian powers and on the future of the liberal global order. The author argues that a rising China raises a number of important questions about the way in which the transformation of China has been represented in the dominant Anglo‐American discourse and the knowledge of China that such representations construct. The article concludes with the insight that China's pathway to power poses fundamental challenges to some intellectual premises and political wisdoms widely accepted in the West.
Hemolytic anemia following high dose intravenous immunoglobulin in patients with chronic neurological disorders
Authors: Markvardsen L. H. , Christiansen I. , Harbo T. , Jakobsen J.
Published: November 2013

Background and purpose

High dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is an established treatment for various neuromuscular disorders. Recently, cases of hemolytic anemia following IVIG have been observed. The objective of this study was to determine the extent of anemia and hemolysis after IVIG and its relationship to the AB0 blood type system.

Methods

In a prospective study 34 de novo treated patients were given 2.0 g/kg bodyweight of Privigen and 50 patients received either Privigen [n = 28; 1.53 ± 0.4 g/kg (mean ± SD)] or Kiovig (n = 22; 1.7 ± 0.4 g/kg) as maintenance therapy. The de novo patients all had a post‐polio syndrome, whereas the remaining patients received maintenance therapy for the neuromuscular disorders chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy and multifocal motor neuropathy. Blood sampling was performed before and 2 weeks after infusion of IVIG.

Results

Following IVIG treatment blood hemoglobin declined from 8.6 ± 0.9 to 8.0 ± 1.2 mM, P < 0.001. Reticulocyte counts and levels of bilirubin and lactate dehydrogenase were increased and haptoglobin levels decreased. The decline of hemoglobin was 0.9 ± 1.2 mM after de novo therapy versus 0.4 ± 0.8 mM after maintenance therapy with Privigen (P = 0.05) and 0.2 ± 0.3 mM after maintenance therapy with Kiovig (P = 0.47). In de novo patients compared with patients on maintenance therapy reticulocyte count and lactate dehydrogenase level increased whereas haptoglobin level decreased. Anemia correlated with the AB0 blood type system with a significant difference between type 0 (n = 17; +0.3 ± 0.4 mM) and type A, B and AB (n = 48; −1.0 ± 1.0 mM), anemia being most pronounced in type AB.

Conclusion

Moderate hemolytic anemia is a concomitant complication of high dose IVIG in subjects with blood types A, B and AB.
Large deletion mutation of SPAST in a multi‐generation family from Sardinia
Authors: Racis L. , Di Fabio R. , Tessa A. , Guillot F. , Storti E. , Piccolo F. , Nesti C. , Tedde A. , Pierelli F. , Agnetti V. , Santorelli F. M. , Casali C.
Published: November 2013

Background and purpose

The hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSP) are characterized by progressive spasticity of the lower limbs, mostly inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Analyses of large HSP pedigrees could help to better characterize the phenotype due to a single causative mutation. Patients in a seven‐generation kindred carrying a large deletion in SPAST/SPG4 are described.

Methods

Individuals originating from Sardinia were clinically and genetically studied.

Results

Sixty‐seven subjects carried a heterozygous deletion encompassing exons 2–17 of SPAST. Fifty patients (53.2 ± 15.4 years) presented a pure form of spastic paraparesis characterized by mild impairment and slow progression. Most patients showed spasticity, increased tendon reflexes in the lower limbs and Babinski sign, whilst weakness was rarely detected and urinary disturbances occasionally reported. Amongst the 17 asymptomatic carriers of the mutation, minimal neurological signs were detected in 11 cases.

Conclusions

A focus on spasticity, increased tendon reflexes and Babinski sign, more than on weakness, could help clinicians to promote early diagnosis in asymptomatic carriers of SPAST deletions.
Treatment and resolution of zilpaterol hydrochloride toxicity in aQuarterHorse gelding
Authors: Hepworth‐Warren K. L. , Alcott C. J.
Published: November 2013

Zilpaterol hydrochloride is a β‐2 agonist utilised as a repartitioning agent in cattle. In recent years, it has also been used illicitly among human athletes and body builders, and administered to racehorses. While there are numerous anecdotal reports of the effects of zilpaterol in horses, this is the first documented clinical case of equine zilpaterol toxicity. The horse presented with marked tachycardia, profuse sweating and generalised muscle fasciculations. Ultimately, treatment was initiated with propranolol and the horse made a complete recovery.
Reduced tongue tone associated with degeneration of the hypoglossal nerve nucleus in a horse with equine motor neuron disease
Authors: Robin M. , Malbon A. , Ricci E. , McGowan C. , Malalana F.
Published: November 2013

Equine motor neuron disease (EMND) is a condition characterised by generalised weakness and muscle atrophy associated with degeneration of motor neurons in the ventral horns of the spinal cord. Despite the frequent detection of cranial nerve nuclei pathology during post mortem examination, associated clinical signs are rarely reported. This report describes a case of EMND in a pony gelding that presented with clinical signs of diffuse neuromuscular weakness associated with marked flaccidity of the tongue, making differentiation from similar neuromuscular conditions, particularly botulism, extremely challenging.
Michaelis–Menten at 100 and allosterism at 50: driving molecular motors in a hailstorm with noisy ATPase engines and allosteric transmission
Authors: Chowdhury Debashish
Published: November 2013

Cytoskeletal motor proteins move on filamentous tracks by converting input chemical energy that they derive by catalyzing the hydrolysis of ATP. The ATPase site is the analogue of an engine and hydrolysis of ATP is the analogue of burning of chemical fuel. Moreover, the functional role of a segment of the motor is analogous to that of the transmission system of an automobile, which consists of a shaft, gear, clutch, etc. The operation of the engine is intrinsically ‘noisy’ and the motor faces a molecular ‘hailstorm’ in the aqueous medium. In this commemorative review, we celebrate the centenary of Michaelis and Menten's landmark paper of 1913 and the golden jubilee of Monod and colleagues classic paper of 1963 by highlighting their relevance with respect to explaining the operational mechanisms of the engine and the transmission system, respectively, of cytoskeletal motors.
Large‐scale analysis of somatic hypermutations in antibodies reveals which structural regions, positions and amino acids are modified to improve affinity
Authors: Burkovitz Anat , Sela‐Culang Inbal , Ofran Yanay
Published: November 2013

The principles of affinity maturation of antibodies (Abs), which underlies B cell‐mediated immunity, are still under debate. It is unclear whether the antigen (Ag) binding site is a preferred target for mutations, and what the role of activation‐induced deaminase (AID) hotspots is in this process. Here we report a structural analysis of 3495 residues that have been replaced through somatic hypermutations (SHMs) in 196 Abs. We show that there is no correlation between the propensity of an amino acid to be in AID hotspot and the probability that it is replaced during the SHM process. Although AID hotspots may be necessary to enable SHMs, they are not a major driving force in determining which residues are mutated. We identified Ab positions that are highly mutated and significantly affect binding. The effect of mutation on binding energy is a major factor in determining which structural regions of the Ab are mutated. There is a clear preference for mutations at the Ag‐binding site. However, positions outside this region that also affect binding are often preferred targets for SHMs. As for amino acid preferences, a general trend during SHM is to make Ab–Ag interfaces more similar to protein–protein interfaces in general. In different regions of the Ab, there are different sets of preferences for amino acid substitution. This mapping improves our understanding of Ab affinity maturation and may assist in Ab engineering.
A Step Outside: Observations from the World's Youngest State
Authors: Bachmann Veit
Published: November 2013

The following text provides observations and reflections based on a visit to the South Sudanese capital of Juba in February 2012. Specifically, it addresses three aspects: (i) the Kenyan involvement in South Sudan as (perceived) sub‐imperialism; (ii) the place of the European Union (EU) compound, the collective space of the embassies of the EU and its member states in Juba; and (iii) a twofold plea for normativity in human geographic research and in the civilian aspects of the European integration process. Through these observations, this paper suggests a ‘grounded geopolitical research at the margins’ involving locally embedded fieldwork in a variety of empirical settings, including geopolitically marginalized ones. In so doing, I highlight how a ‘step outside’ the box of our accustomed intellectual (and geographical) environment provides not only a better understanding of different geopolitical conditions, assumptions and narratives but also fresh perspectives on our own ones.
International and Intra‐national Student Mobility: Trends, Motivations and Identity
Authors: Prazeres Laura
Published: November 2013

This paper provides a critical review and discussion of the literature on intra‐national and international student mobility. Although student mobility is gaining attention from social geographers, much research is still needed to address the complex and diverse geographies of student mobility. The literature indicates that current trends in mobility within higher education in the UK challenge traditional assumptions of student mobility. Although there is a growing trend of ‘immobility’ among students in the UK, international student mobility is on the rise globally. This paper will focus primarily on international student mobility and will discuss trends, motivations and student identities. The current body of work on student mobility focuses on mobilities within, and to, the Western world with an absence of work on mobilities from the North to the Global South. I suggest that future research should explore student mobilities to the developing world as well as the impact of place and mobility on students' personal, national and global identities.
Geographies of the Book: Review and Prospect
Authors: Keighren Innes M.
Published: November 2013

This paper traces the origins and recent history of the geography of the book: an interdisciplinary focus of study for geographers, book historians and historians of science. In describing this field's twin concern with geography in books and with the geography of books, the paper examines the ways in which printed texts matter to the study of geography's discursive and disciplinary histories and the contributions that geography, in turn, can make to explaining the circulation and reception of knowledge in print. Through an attention to the making and movement of texts, the paper examines how questions of geography inform understandings of the uneven diffusion and varied reception of knowledge and ideas. In addressing geography's print culture, and in examining geographies of reading, the paper reflects on the significance of books to the making of geographical knowledge and to the significance of geography in accounting for the making of textual meaning.
A comparison of cone beam computed tomography and periapical radiography for the detection of vertical root fractures in nonendodontically treated teeth
Authors: Brady E. , Mannocci F. , Brown J. , Wilson R. , Patel S.
Published: November 2013

Aims

To compare in an ex vivo model, the diagnostic accuracy of periapical radiography and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) for the detection of artificially induced incomplete and complete vertical root fractures (VRFs), and to determine whether the width of the VRFs had an impact on the diagnostic accuracy of the imaging systems.

Methodology

Incomplete VRFs were induced in 30 nonendodontically treated human mandibular premolar and molar teeth. VRF widths were measured using optical coherence tomography. Complete VRFs were induced in 15 of these teeth. 3D Accuitomo and i‐CAT CBCT scans and periapical radiographs were taken prior to and after fracture induction. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was carried for each imaging technique. In addition, values for sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, inter‐ and intra‐examiner agreement were calculated.

Results

In the ROC analysis, both CBCT scanners were significantly more accurate than periapical radiography for the detection of incomplete VRFs (P < 0.05). The overall area under the ROC curve (AUC) values for 3D Accuitomo, i‐CAT and periapical radiography were 0.687, 0.659 and 0.540, respectively. The sensitivity of 3D Accuitomo, i‐CAT and periapical radiography was 27%, 28% and 3% respectively. Interexaminer agreement for the detection of incomplete fractures with periapical radiographs, 3D Accuitomo and i‐CAT was 0.020, 0.229 and 0.333, respectively. Both CBCT scanners were significantly more accurate (P < 0.01) in detecting VRFs of ≥50 μm compared with VRFs of <50 μm. 3D Accuitomo was significantly better than i‐CAT in detecting VRFs of <50 μm (P < 0.05). For complete fractures, the AUC values for 3D Accuitomo (0.999) and i‐CAT (0.998) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than for periapical radiography (0.724).

Conclusions

Under the conditions of this ex vivo study, periapical radiographs and CBCT were unreliable for the detection of simulated incomplete VRFs. The widths of the fractures appeared to have an impact on the diagnostic accuracy of CBCT as the detection of VRFs of ≥50 μm was significantly higher than those of <50 μm. The detection of complete fractures was significantly higher for all systems than that of incomplete fractures.
Investigation of Magnesium Incorporation within Gelatin/Calcium Phosphate Nanocomposite Scaffold for Bone Tissue Engineering
Authors: Baheiraei Nafiseh , Azami Mahmoud , Hosseinkhani Hossein
Published: November 2013

In this study, diffusional method was used to prepare a calcium phosphate/gelatin nanocomposite as a scaffold for bone tissue repair. Incorporation of magnesium (Mg) into mineral phase of the scaffold was also investigated. Addition of Mg ions to the synthesis process caused formation of magnesium phosphate (MgP) and hydroxyapatite (HAp). However, analyses data for the sample lacking Mg showed that the mineral formed within GEL had a low crystalline nature, consisting of HAp and octacalcium phosphate (OCP). With addition of Mg within the structure of precipitated minerals, morphology of minerals was dramatically changed toward being irregular and less ordered.
Manufacturing of Tubular Dead‐End Membranes by Continuous Thermoplastic Extrusion
Authors: Salehi Mehdi , Pfaff Ewald M. , Kaletsch Anke , Graule Thomas , Clemens Frank , Grobéty Bernard
Published: November 2013

Dense and gastight dead‐end tubular Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3‐δ (BSCF) membranes were fabricated by thermoplastic extrusion. Optimal feedstocks for the extrusion of dead‐end tubular structures were obtained for a feedstock consisting of 89.83 wt% BSCF powder, 5.63 wt% ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), 3.56 wt% paraffin wax (PW), and 0.98 wt% stearic acid (SA). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to determine the thermal characteristics of the feedstock and to characterize the amount of binder removed during the wicking step. Straight and round dead‐end tubular membranes with wall thickness of 0.5 mm could be achieved after sintering. The gastightness test showed that the membranes were leak‐tight up to a pressure of 35 bar.
MyoD and Myf6 gene expression patterns in skeletal muscle during embryonic and posthatch development in the domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos domestica)
Authors: Li H. , Zhu C. , Tao Z. , Xu W. , Song W. , Hu Y. , Zhu W. , Song C.
Published: November 2013

The MyoD and Myf6 genes, which are muscle regulatory factors (MRFs), play major roles in muscle growth and development and initiate muscle fibre formation via the regulation of muscle‐specific gene translation. Therefore, MyoD and Myf6 are potential candidate genes for meat production traits in animals and poultry. The objective of this study was to evaluate MyoD and Myf6 gene expression patterns in the skeletal muscle during early developmental stage of ducks. Gene expression levels were detected using the quantitative RT‐PCR method in the breast muscle (BM) and leg muscle (LM) at embryonic days 13, 17, 21, 25, 27, as well as at 1 week posthatching in Gaoyou and Jinding ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domestica). The MyoD and Myf6 gene profiles in the two duck breeds were consistent during early development, and MyoD gene expression showed a ‘wave’ trend in BM and an approximate ‘anti‐√’ trend in LM. Myf6 gene expression in BM showed the highest level at embryonic day 21, which subsequently decreased, although remained relatively high, while levels at embryonic days 13, 17 and 21 were higher in LM. The results of correlation analysis showed that MyoD and Myf6 gene expression levels were more strongly correlated in LM than in BM in both duck breeds. These results indicated that different expression patterns of the MyoD and Myf6 genes in BM and LM may be related to muscle development and differentiation, suggesting that MyoD and Myf6 are integral to skeletal muscle development.
The EU Factor in Fat Times and in Lean: Did the EU Amplify the Boom and Soften the Bust?
Authors: Jacoby Wade
Published: November 2013

This article describes the EU's impact on economic performance in the new Member States since the advent of membership. It first deals with the EU's role in promoting the economic boom that marked the region up to 2007, emphasizing the role of the single market and of the EU in anchoring and encouraging economic policy liberalization. The second section investigates the EU role in buffering the bust that occurred after 2007, looking at structural fund spending and financial sector instruments to enhance liquidity. I argue the EU had a (mostly unintentional) pro‐cyclical effect that fuelled the boom and contributed to setting up the region for a very hard fall during the bust. I also show the EU efforts to buffer the hard times were far quicker in the area of structural fund spending compared to very slow and limited innovation in liquidity provision, especially for non‐eurozone states.
Absorption of Regional Funds: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Tosun Jale
Published: November 2013

This article evaluates the determinants of the absorption performance of European Union Member States with regard to the European Regional Development Fund's (ERDF) 2000–06 programming period. Theoretically grounded in Europeanization research and studies of regional governance, the empirical analysis concentrates on the ERDF absorption performance of 25 Member States at the end of the programming period in 2008. The results of Tobit models show a positive relationship between ERDF absorption and government capacity. The estimation findings also demonstrate that new Member States generally had higher absorption rates than old Member States. Furthermore, Member States with high income levels were less likely to maximize the absorption of their ERDF allocations. Finally, there is some support for the hypothesis that fiscal decentralization has a negative impact on absorption performance.
Scale‐stacking in the live‐bearer Belonesox belizanus (Poeciliidae)
Authors: Marchio E. A. , Piller K. R.
Published: November 2013

An incidence of scale‐stacking was found in a museum collection of Belonesox belizanus (Poeciliidae) from the Río Tesechocán, Veracruz, México. This phenomenon is thought to be unique to lepidophagous East African cichlids, although no studies have addressed the behaviour in any detail. This finding in B. belizanus, the first in Cyprinodontiformes, indicates Belonesox is able to manipulate scales into stacks in the buccal cavity.
Adhesion mechanisms in European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus eggs: is this a survival mechanism for high‐energy spawning grounds?
Authors: Murray D. S. , Bain M. M. , Adams C. E.
Published: November 2013

This study examined the potential biochemical and mechanical structures that may contribute to egg adhesion in European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus. Experiments showed that eggs from a population of C. lavaretus from Loch Eck remained non‐adhesive in a solution chemically similar to ovarian fluid but became adhesive seconds after contact with water. Examination of the ultrastructure of the chorion showed that the morphology changed significantly after contact with water, with nodule‐like protuberances attached to connective filaments on the surface present in water‐hardened but not non‐water hardened eggs. Biochemical analysis showed the presence of Chain A, RNase ZF‐3e proteins in the chorion of water‐hardened but not non‐water hardened eggs. Histochemical staining of the chorion of C. lavaretus eggs showed that the externa, but not the interna, stained positively for the presence of glycoproteins. From these results, it was concluded that C. lavaretus from Loch Eck possess both anatomical and biochemical adhesive mechanisms that have been undocumented in this species so far.
Occurrence of age‐0 year dwarf pikeperch Sander lucioperca in late summer – an overlooked phenomenon in reservoirs
Authors: Jůza T. , Mrkvička T. , Blabolil P. , Čech M. , Peterka J. , Vašek M. , Kubečka J.
Published: November 2013

Late summer sampling of pelagic age‐0 year fish communities in five Czech reservoirs and one Dutch reservoir revealed extremely small age‐0 year pikeperch Sander lucioperca (mean 24 mm standard length, LS, minimum 13 mm LS) alongside more normal‐sized S. lucioperca that are found at the end of the first growing season (mean 50 mm LS), resulting in two clearly size‐separated cohorts. Reference to such small age‐0 year S. lucioperca in lakes or reservoirs at this time of year and in such large numbers are almost absent the scientific literature, and the presence of these small S. lucioperca is contradictory to the common understanding of the reproductive biology of this species. This overlooked phenomenon may have a major effect on the population dynamics of this valuable species because of size‐dependent winter mortality.
Feeding strategy of juvenile (age‐0+ year) Argentine hakeMerluccius hubbsiin the Patagonian nursery ground
Authors: Temperoni B. , Viñas M. D. , Buratti C. C.
Published: November 2013

Age‐0+ year juvenile Argentine hakeMerluccius hubbsi(60–150 mm total length,LT) from San Jorge Gulf, north Patagonian shelf region of the Argentine Sea, had an almost exclusively pelagic diet dominated by the hyperiid amphipodThemisto gaudichaudiiand the euphausiidEuphausia lucens. This suggested that final settlement and permanent demersal habitat utilization might not, as previously reported, occur at earlier sizes (c. 20 mmLT). Their feeding strategy involves specialization at a population level towards both the main pelagic prey, indicating a narrow trophic niche. Novel data are provided which contribute to the growing body of information in relation to the age‐0+ year transitional stage in demersal fishes and particularly toM. hubbsirecruitment in the Argentine Sea.
Life Cycle Assessment of a Lithium‐Ion Battery Vehicle Pack
Authors: Ellingsen Linda Ager‐Wick , Majeau‐Bettez Guillaume , Singh Bhawna , Srivastava Akhilesh Kumar , Valøen Lars Ole , Strømman Anders Hammer
Published: November 2013

Electric vehicles (EVs) have no tailpipe emissions, but the production of their batteries leads to environmental burdens. In order to avoid problem shifting, a life cycle perspective should be applied in the environmental assessment of traction batteries. The aim of this study was to provide a transparent inventory for a lithium‐ion nickel‐cobalt‐manganese traction battery based on primary data and to report its cradle‐to‐gate impacts. The study was carried out as a process‐based attributional life cycle assessment. The environmental impacts were analyzed using midpoint indicators. The global warming potential of the 26.6 kilowatt‐hour (kWh), 253‐kilogram battery pack was found to be 4.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents. Regardless of impact category, the production impacts of the battery were caused mainly by the production chains of battery cell manufacture, positive electrode paste, and negative current collector. The robustness of the study was tested through sensitivity analysis, and results were compared with preceding studies. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the most effective approach to reducing climate change emissions would be to produce the battery cells with electricity from a cleaner energy mix. On a per‐kWh basis, cradle‐to‐gate greenhouse gas emissions of the battery were within the range of those reported in preceding studies. Contribution and structural path analysis allowed for identification of the most impact‐intensive processes and value chains. This article provides an inventory based mainly on primary data, which can easily be adapted to subsequent EV studies, and offers an improved understanding of environmental burdens pertaining to lithium‐ion traction batteries.
A Theory of Debt Maturity: The Long and Short of Debt Overhang
Authors: DIAMOND DOUGLAS W. , HE ZHIGUO
Published: November 2013

Debt maturity influences debt overhang, the reduced incentive for highly levered borrowers to make real investments because some value accrues to debt. Reducing maturity can increase or decrease overhang even when shorter term debt's value depends less on firm value. Future overhang is more volatile for shorter term debt, making future investment incentives volatile and influencing immediate investment incentives. With immediate investment, shorter term debt typically imposes lower overhang; longer term debt can impose less if asset volatility is higher in bad times. For future investments, reduced correlation between assets‐in‐place and investment opportunities increases the shorter term debt overhang.
Cervical dentin hypersensitivity: a cross‐sectional investigation in Athens, Greece
Authors: Rahiotis C. , Polychronopoulou A. , Tsiklakis K. , Kakaboura A.
Published: November 2013

The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of cervical dentin hypersensitivity in a cross‐sectional investigation of Greek adults. Seven hundred and sixty‐seven subjects were examined. Participants were patients processed for first examination in the Clinic of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Athens. The evaluation of hypersensitivity was performed using two methods: for each tooth, the response to a) tactile stimulus and b) air‐blast stimulus was measured. Additional factors such as smoking habits, oral health behaviour, consumption of acidic foods, type of toothbrush, daily use of fluoride solution and of desensitising toothpaste, gingival recession and non‐carious cervical lesions were recorded and evaluated as causative factors. Descriptive statistics on the demographics of the study sample, of oral health behaviour characteristics and of oral examination findings were performed. Comparisons of these characteristics in the presence or absence of hypersensitivity were conducted with the chi‐square test. Data were further analysed using multiple logistic regression modelling. Among study participants, 21·3% had at least one cervical dentin hypersensitivity reaction to the tactile stimulus, and 38·6%, to the air‐blast stimulus. Multivariate analysis detected association of the hypersensitivity in tactile or air‐blast stimulus with the non‐carious lesions and with the gingival recessions. Additionally, a relation between hypersensitivity and air‐blast stimulus with gender (female) was found. There was no association between the hypersensitivity in both of the stimuli and the level of education, smoking, consumption of acidic foods, type of toothbrush and daily use of fluoride solution or desensitising toothpaste. The overall prevalence of cervical dentin hypersensitivity in the adult population in Athens ranged from 21·3% to 38·6% depending on the type of stimuli. Cervical non‐carious lesions and gingival recessions were determined as significant predictors of dentin hypersensitivity.
QCM-4 a novel 5-HT3 antagonist attenuates the behavioral and biochemical alterations on chronic unpredictable mild stress model of depression in Swiss albino mice
Authors: Kurhe Yeshwant , Radhakrishnan Mahesh , Gupta Deepali , Devadoss Thangaraj
Published: November 2013

Objectives

The inconsistent therapeutic outcome necessitates identifying novel compounds for the treatment of depression. Therefore, the present study is aimed at evaluating the antidepressant-like effects of a novel 5-HT3 receptor antagonist 3-methoxy-N-p-tolylquinoxalin-2-carboxamide (QCM-4) on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) induced behavioral and biochemical alterations in mice.

Methods

Animals were subjected to different stressors for a period of 28 days. Thereafter, battery tests like locomotor score, sucrose preference test, forced swim test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field test (OFT) were performed. Biochemical assays like lipid peroxidation, nitrite levels, reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were assessed in brain homogenate.

Key findings

QCM-4 dose dependently reversed the CUMS induced behavioral and biochemical alterations by increasing the sucrose consumption, reducing the immobility time in FST and TST, increasing the percent time in open arm in EPM and increasing the ambulation along with the rearings and decreased number of fecal pellets in OFT. Further, biochemical alterations were attenuated by QCM-4 as indicated by reduced lipid peroxidation and nitrite levels and elevated antioxidant enzyme levels like GSH, catalase and SOD.

Conclusions

QCM-4 attenuated the behavioral and biochemical derangements induced by CUMS in mice, indicating antidepressant behavior of the novel compound.
An in-vivo and in-vitro taste masking evaluation of bitter melt-extruded drugs
Authors: Maniruzzaman Mohammed , Bonnefille Marion , Aranyos Attila , Snowden Martin J , Douroumis Dennis
Published: November 2013

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of hot-melt extrusion (HME) for masking the taste of bitter active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) when incorporated into different polymer formulations.

Methods

Extrudates were produced by HME using two water soluble cationic model drugs (cetirizine HCl and verapamil HCl) processed with various grades of anionic polymers (Eudragit L100 and Eudragit L100-55 (Acryl EZE)). The process was optimised by using a single screw extruder to produce extruadates with the desirable characteristics.

Key findings

In-vivo results obtained from a panel of six healthy human volunteers demonstrated that the HME extruded formulations improved the taste significantly compared with that of the pure APIs. In addition, an in-vitro evaluation carried out by an Astree e-tongue equipped with seven specific sensors demonstrated significant taste improvement of the extrudates compared with placebo polymers and the pure APIs. Furthermore, the extrudates characterised by SEM, X-ray and differential scanning calorimetry studies showed the existence of molecularly dispersed APIs while in-vitro dissolution showed fast release for all drug substances.

Conclusions

HME can effectively be used to mask the taste of bitter APIs by enhancing drug–polymer interactions.
Leveraging External Sources of Innovation: A Review of Research on Open Innovation
Authors: West Joel , Bogers Marcel
Published: November 2013

This paper reviews research on open innovation that considers how and why firms commercialize external sources of innovations. It examines both the “outside‐in” and “coupled” modes of open innovation. From an analysis of prior research on how firms leverage external sources of innovation, it suggests a four‐phase model in which a linear process—(1) obtaining, (2) integrating, and (3) commercializing external innovations—is combined with (4) interaction between the firm and its collaborators. This model is used to classify papers taken from the top 25 innovation journals, complemented by highly cited work beyond those journals. A review of 291 open innovation‐related publications from these sources shows that the majority of these articles indeed address elements of this inbound open innovation process model. Specifically, it finds that researchers have front‐loaded their examination of the leveraging process, with an emphasis on obtaining innovations from external sources. However, there is a relative dearth of research related to integrating and commercializing these innovations.

Research on obtaining innovations includes searching, enabling, filtering, and acquiring—each category with its own specific set of mechanisms and conditions. Integrating innovations has been mostly studied from an absorptive capacity perspective, with less attention given to the impact of competencies and culture (including “not invented here”). Commercializing innovations puts the most emphasis on how external innovations create value rather than how firms capture value from those innovations. Finally, the interaction phase considers both feedback for the linear process and reciprocal innovation processes such as cocreation, network collaboration, and community innovation.

This review and synthesis suggests several gaps in prior research. One is a tendency to ignore the importance of business models, despite their central role in distinguishing open innovation from earlier research on interorganizational collaboration in innovation. Another gap is a tendency in open innovation to use “innovation” in a way inconsistent with earlier definitions in innovation management. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research that include examining the end‐to‐end innovation commercialization process, and studying the moderators and limits of leveraging external sources of innovation.
“And Thence from Jerusalems Ruins”: Romantic Prophecy and the End(s) of History
Authors: Bundock Christopher
Published: November 2013

Several comprehensive and influential studies of Romanticism in the 1950s, 60s and 70s paid special attention to the role of prophecy as an aesthetic and psychological framework for reading the major Romantic poets – Keats, Byron and Coleridge but especially Wordsworth, Shelley and Blake. One of the goals of this paper is to suggest that this interest, perhaps now seen as somewhat dated, is not so much past as sublated in several more contemporary studies. As recent work illustrates, prophecy remains a vital phenomenon for reading Romanticism, though realizing its full potential means imagining the concept anew. Once rethought, prophecy offers a productive focus for reconsidering the interrelation of major topics in Romanticism including the imagination, representation, subjectivity, performativity and history – all of which are touched on below. This topic is particularly important today when prevailing attitudes toward the future seem divided between either a fascination with the non‐future of apocalyptic annihilation – whether natural or supernatural – or the perpetuation of history's “end” in neoliberal capitalism, an opposition Fredric Jameson expresses as the strange fact that today “it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism” (199). The hope here is that a review of Romantic prophecy may inspire more varied and creative responses to contemporary thought about what is and is not possible for art and history. What follows is a kind of biography of the philosophical life of prophecy that takes account of how the concept is serially revised as it is assimilated by different literary‐critical movements from approximately the 1950s to the present day. This is not to say that there is a simply linear development in the thinking of the phenomenon; rather, and most interestingly, different notions of prophecy overlap with each other, producing a palimpsest indicating multiple, simultaneous levels of significance. Nor is this paper a comprehensive catalogue of critical work on Romantic prophecy – this would require much more time. Rather, it attempts to sketch out some of the most important and interesting directions scholarship on this topic has taken over the past few decades.
Poe. The Politics of a Poetry without Politics (Part I)
Authors: McGann Jerome
Published: November 2013

Excerpted from parts of two chapters in a forthcoming book on Poe's poetry and poetics, this essay argues that Poe's poetry needs to be approached through the interpretive lines initially laid down by the French, especially Mallarmé, Rimbaud, and Valéry. While that reception history is well‐known and well‐documented, it has never been realized in a system of detailed analysis and explication such as is offered here. This approach involves reading the poetry as a radically formalist undertaking by which meaningful particulars are generated through the elementary acoustic and bibliographical character of the poems. Poe's musical theory of poetry leads to the creation of poetic compositions that require actual performance – a result that makes the reader the central focus and subject of the poetry. Anticipating Gertrude Stein's Modernist commitment to “Composition as Explanation”, Poe demonstrates that the “Explanation” can only be completed in a reciprocal process of “Performance as Explanation”. This approach leads Poe to set a deeply troubling question at the center of all his poetry: what ethical authority can poetry claim when it consciously locates itself in a field of ideological illusions?
Poe. The Politics of a Poetry without Politics (Part II)
Authors: McGann Jerome
Published: November 2013

Excerpted from parts of two chapters in a forthcoming book on Poe's poetry and poetics, this essay argues that Poe's poetry needs to be approached through the interpretive lines initially laid down by the French, especially Mallarmé, Rimbaud, and Valéry. While that reception history is well known and well‐documented, it has never been realized in a system of detailed analysis and explication such as is offered here. This approach involves reading the poetry as a radically formalist undertaking by which meaningful particulars are generated through the elementary acoustic and bibliographical character of the poems. Poe's musical theory of poetry leads to the creation of poetic compositions that require actual performance – a result that makes the reader the central focus and subject of the poetry. Anticipating Gertrude Stein's Modernist commitment to “Composition as Explanation”, Poe demonstrates that the “Explanation” can only be completed in a reciprocal process of “Performance as Explanation”. This approach leads Poe to set a deeply troubling question at the center of all his poetry: what ethical authority can poetry claim when it consciously locates itself in a field of ideological illusions?
Climate‐induced Late‐Holocene ecological changes in Pichavaram estuary, India
Authors: Srivastava Jyoti , Farooqui Anjum , Hussain Shaik M.
Published: November 2013

Variation in sedimentology as well as freshwater and marine palynomorphs has been studied in ecological perspective in two 2.5‐ and 5‐m deep sediment cores deposited since 3440 and 3630 cal BP, respectively in the central part of Pichavaram mangrove wetland, Cauvery River delta. The palynological and sedimentological results of the sediments reveal a monsoonal circulation and a climatic shift from warm and humid with strengthened monsoon (3630–3190 cal BP) to dry and arid (~2750–760 cal BP). Since the last millennium (~760 cal BP), Pichavaram estuary has been influenced by a similar cyclicity but with a less wet and humid climate due to weakened monsoon conditions. These ecological changes in turn affect the relative sea level rise and fall which is reflected by the variability/extinction of freshwater and marine palynomorphs. The estuary remained an active water channel between ~3630 and 2750 cal BP, responding to the strengthened monsoon, during which the freshwater algal remains with thecamoebians and marine dinoflagellate cysts and foraminiferal linings both dominated with a ratio of 1.5 for marine/freshwater forms. After this period, since ~2750 cal BP there has been a dominance of marine forms with a ratio of 4.5 for marine/freshwater forms, indicating fluvio‐marine sediment deposition and suggesting the recent landward intrusion of seawater during weakened monsoon conditions. Freshwater thecamoebians are vulnerable to the salinity >3 in the aqueous soil solution of estuarine sediment, and therefore serve as an excellent proxy for monitoring salinity gradient along with short‐term high resolution palaeoecological fluctuations induced by climate and relative sea‐level changes in an estuarine ecosystem.
Diversity and temporal fluctuations of epiphytes and sessile invertebrates on the rhizomesPosidonia oceanicain a seagrass meadow offTunisia
Authors: Mabrouk Lotfi , Ben Brahim Mounir , Hamza Asma , Bradai Med‐Najmeddine
Published: November 2013

The aim of this work is to study the temporal dynamics of rhizome epiphytes and sessile animals living on the rhizomes of the seagrassPosidonia oceanicain the east ofTunisia. Surveys were conducted inOctober 2009, and inJanuary,April andAugust 2010 on a fringing reef located inChebba. Rhizomes were sampled bySCUBAdiving at three stations. Samples were examined with a microscope to estimate the cover of macroinvertebrate and macroalgal organisms on the top 10 cm of each rhizome. Results revealed a high diversity of epiphytes onP. oceanicarhizomes with a dominance of red and brown algae, ascidians, and bryozoans. Distinct temporal changes were observed inOuedLafrann, with a highJanuary cover (winter period) for all groups. These winter increases can be attributed to: (i) the low phenological parameters ofP. oceanicain winter that reduce the effects of shading, (ii) life cycles of the epiphytes and invertebrates, (iii) water motion and (iv) grazing.
Evidence for regulation of columnar habit in apple by a putative 2OG‐Fe(II) oxygenase
Authors: Wolters Pieter J. , Schouten Henk J. , Velasco Riccardo , Si‐Ammour Azeddine , Baldi Paolo
Published: November 2013

Understanding the genetic mechanisms controlling columnar‐type growth in the apple mutant ‘Wijcik’ will provide insights on how tree architecture and growth are regulated in fruit trees.

In apple, columnar‐type growth is controlled by a single major gene at the Columnar (Co) locus. By comparing the genomic sequence of the Co region of ‘Wijcik’ with its wild‐type ‘McIntosh’, a novel non‐coding DNA element of 1956 bp specific to Pyreae was found to be inserted in an intergenic region of ‘Wijcik’.

Expression analysis of selected genes located in the vicinity of the insertion revealed the upregulation of the MdCo31 gene encoding a putative 2OG‐Fe(II) oxygenase in axillary buds of ‘Wijcik’.

Constitutive expression of MdCo31 in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in compact plants with shortened floral internodes, a phenotype reminiscent of the one observed in columnar apple trees. We conclude that MdCo31 is a strong candidate gene for the control of columnar growth in ‘Wijcik’.