bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ferrofluid clustering driven by dilution: An alternating current susceptibility investigation
Authors: Zhong Jing , Liu Wenzhong , Li Yin , Wu Mian , Morais Paulo Cesar
Published: March 2012

The influence of sample dilution upon cluster disruption/formation within a ferrofluid sample is investigated by monitoring the temperature dependence of the initial AC susceptibility. The effective magnetic response of the ferrofluid sample is described by a combination of Langevin’s functions modulated by the relative content of monomers and clusters. Deviations from the linearity found in the inverse susceptibility versus temperature (χ-1-T) data were successfully described via the disruption of clusters into monomers within the approach of a second order phase transition at the critical temperature T*. We found T* increasing monotonically from 386 K to 412 K as the stock ferrofluid sample is diluted up to a factor of 5. In the same dilution range, we found the normalized relative content of clusters increasing from about 38% up to 42%, whereas the average effective magnetic moment of the clusters increased by a factor of 1.7.
Nitrogen-promoted formation of graphite-like aggregations in SiC during neutron irradiation
Authors: Wang P. F. , Ruan Y. F. , Huang L. , Zhu W.
Published: March 2012

The undoped and nitrogen-doped SiC bulk crystals irradiated with two neutron fluences were investigated by using confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy to analyze the effect of nitrogen impurity on irradiation damage. We found that the nitrogen impurity can promote the segregation of carbon atoms into graphite during heavy neutron irradiation, demonstrated by the presence of typical D and G graphite bands. Further experimental analysis indicated that the graphite-like aggregations uniformly distribute in SiC and possess much inferior thermal stability to crystalline graphite. The nucleation, namely generation of stable sp2 CC configuration induced by nitrogen atoms, and growth during neutron irradiation can account for the formation of graphite-like aggregations.
Phase competition induced nonlinear elastoresistance effect in thin films of Pr0.7Sr0.3MnO3
Authors: Wang J. F. , Gao J.
Published: March 2012

Thin films of Pr0.7Sr0.3MnO3 grown on 0.7PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-0.3PbTiO3 substrates were reversibly strained via the converse piezoelectric effect. The transport properties of Pr0.7Sr0.3MnO3 were effectively modulated by the electric fields across the substrate. The roles of strain were explored by measuring resistance as a function of electric field and temperature. For all samples, deviations from a linear resistance-voltage relation were found. Two quantities, area difference and standard deviation, were used to characterize the nonlinearity. Both the nonlinearity and magnitude of resistance modulation peak at temperatures close to those of metal-insulator transition, indicating that the competing phases significantly changes the behaviors of strain responses.
First-principles simulation of oxygen diffusion in HfOx: Role in the resistive switching mechanism
Authors: Clima S. , Chen Y. Y. , Degraeve R. , Mees M. , Sankaran K. , Govoreanu B. , Jurczak M. , De Gendt S. , Pourtois G.
Published: March 2012

Transition metal oxide-based resistor random access memory (RRAM) takes advantage of oxygen-related defects in its principle of operation. Since the change in resistivity of the material is controlled by the oxygen deficiency level, it is of major importance to quantify the kinetics of the oxygen diffusion, key factor for oxide stoichiometry. Ab initio accelerated molecular dynamics techniques are employed to investigate the oxygen diffusivity in amorphous hafnia (HfOx, x = 1.97, 1.0, 0.5). The computed kinetics is in agreement with experimental measurements.
Ferromagnetic phase transition in zinc blende (Mn,Cr)S-layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy
Authors: Demper M. , Heimbrodt W. , Bradford C. , Prior K. A. , Kehrle J. , Krug von Nidda H.-A. , Loidl A.
Published: March 2012

We studied the magnetization of zinc blende Mn1-xCrxS films embedded between diamagnetic ZnSe layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy with chromium mole fractions x ≤ 0.7. These ternary semiconductors exhibit an increasing ferromagnetic contribution with increasing x caused by competing antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic coupling. As a result, whereas MnS in the zinc blende phase is a pure antiferromagnet, it was found that with increasing x zinc blende Mn1−xCrxS became a ferromagnet. The ferromagnetic phase transition dominates in case of x greater than about 0.5. Hence, we conclude that metastable zinc blende CrS will be a ferromagnetic material with half-metallic character in contrast to the analogous stable NiAs-structure which exhibits an antiferromagnetic phase transition.
Modeling magnetic nanotubes using a chain of ellipsoid-rings approach
Authors: Gong Junfeng , Yang Sen , Han Chang , Guan Wen , Wang Yu , Gao Bo , Wang Dong , Song Xiaoping , Sun Zhanbo , Xu Mingwei
Published: March 2012

Numerical calculation of magnetic properties is a very effective way to understand the whole magnetic behavior of nanotubes. Currently, the most studies of calculation of magnetic properties of nanotubes are mainly grounded on the Stoner-Wohlfarth model, starting from an elongated prolate ellipsoid with single domain. But, it is hard to imagine how such an ellipsoid is arranged in the hollow tubular structure, and hence, the realization of predicted magnetic properties has been hindered by the experimental difficulties. In the present article, an alternative model of a chain of ellipsoid-rings is proposed to calculate the magnetic properties of nanotubes, where the chain of rings with ellipsoid particles is assumed to compose a nanotube. Based on this new model, we calculate the magnetic properties of a nanotube and further discuss the influence of tubular geometric parameters on the magnetic properties. All the results are well consistent with the experimental data of a Ni nanotube and, moreover, are available for the Ni nanowire. Consequently, our model provides an easy and general approach to both magnetic nanotubes and magnetic nanowires.
The improved polarization retention through high-field charge injection in highly strained BiFeO3 thin films with preferred domain orientations
Authors: Liu X. B. , Ding N. F. , Jiang A. Q. , Yang P. X.
Published: March 2012

We transferred nanosecond ferroelectric domain switching currents of leaky Fe-enriched bismuth ferrite thin films into polarization-electric (P-E) hysteresis loops from which nanosecond-range polarization retention as well as imprint was extracted. All the films suffer from a quick remanent polarization loss after 4 μs due to the appearance of a strong depolarization field arising from frozen compensation charges and large lattice-mismatching stresses. However, under an opposite field stressing the polarization enhances via near-electrode charge injection and approaches a theoretical value after 1000 s, which supplies an effective way to symmetrize the P-E loop of a highly strained ferroelectric thin film.
First principles and Monte Carlo study of Mn-doped CuCl/CuBr as room-temperature ferromagnetism materials
Authors: Chen Zhanghui , Li Jingbo , Li Shu-Shen
Published: March 2012

The magnetic properties of Mn-doped CuCl and CuBr are investigated by first-principles calculations and Monte Carlo simulation. With 3.125% doping, Mn 3d orbitals exhibit significant spin splitting and hybridize strongly with Cu 4d and Cl (Br) 3p orbitals, resulting in a net magnetic moment of 4.619 and 4.580 μB in CuCl and CuBr, respectively. The formation energy is 255.5 MeV for CuCl and 400.5 MeV for CuBr, indicating that Mn doping can be easily realized in the experiment. With 6.25% doping, ferromagnetic ground state is favored in most of the doping configurations. The Curie temperature is estimated at 420 K for CuCl and 275 K for CuBr by Monte Carlo simulation. Thus Mn-doped CuCl and CuBr are promising candidates for room-temperature ferromagnetic materials. The ferromagnetism of the two systems can be explained by a hole-mediated double exchange mechanism.
Aggregation-Induced Emission and Large Two-Photon Absorption Cross-Sections of Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) Derivatives
Authors: Wang Bing , He Nannan , Li Bo , Jiang Shuangying , Qu Yi , Qu Sanyin , Hua Jianli
Published: March 2012

In this work, a new series of triphenylamine-based diketo-pyrrolo-pyrrole (DPP) compounds (DPP-I, DPP-II, DPP-III) have been designed and synthesized by a concise route. Their one- and two-photon absorption properties have been investigated. It was found that DPP-based compounds are very weakly fluorescent in THF solution, but their intensities are increased by almost 29, 9, and 24 times in water/THF (v/v 90 %) mixtures, respectively, in which they exhibit a strongly enhanced red fluorescence. The result indicates that the intramolecular vibration and rotation of these dyes is considerably restricted in nano-aggregates formed in water/THF mixtures, which leads to significant increases in fluorescence. The two-photon absorption (2PA) cross-sections measured by the open aperture Z-scan technique were determined to be 188, 275 and 447 GM for DPP-I, DPP-II, and DPP-III, respectively; DPP-III with the symmetrical structure shows the highest value of 2PA cross-section. The excellent properties of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and 2PA provide an attractive alternative for the biophotonic materials.
Modelling drying processes of fuelbeds of Scots pine needles with initial moisture content above the fibre saturation point by two-phase models
Authors: Jin Sen , Chen Pengyu
Published: March 2012

Modelling the drying process of fuel moisture with initial moisture content above the fibre saturation point can be used to determine when fuel will become sufficiently dry (after precipitation) to burn and provide a more accurate prediction of fire potential. Based on analysis of the mechanism by which the drying process occurs, we propose a model comprising two phases distinguished by a moisture threshold of 0.35 g g–1, the fibre saturation point; one phase is controlled by evaporation and the other by diffusion. Each phase has a distinct equation with a different timelag. We compared our two-phase model with a one-phase model (one-timelag model) and another two-phase model by estimating drying of 15 Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) needle fuelbeds. The results indicate that the two-timelag model improves moisture modelling, thereby reducing mean absolute error by more than 30%, i.e. from 0.0047 g g–1 (one-phase model) to 0.0030 g g–1. The model yields consistent results, further suggesting its potential for improving fuel moisture prediction of fire danger rating systems. The first timelag of the model is affected by fuelbed properties. Equations based on variables that represent fuelbed properties were established, thus saving time when estimating parameters for stand-specific fuel moisture models.
Fire behaviour in south-western Australian shrublands: evaluating the influence of fuel age and fire weather
Authors: Fontaine Joseph B. , Westcott Vanessa C. , Enright Neal J. , Lade Janneke C. , Miller Ben P.
Published: March 2012

Fuel age (time since last fire) is often used to approximate fire hazard and informs decisions on placement of shrubland management burns worldwide. However, uncertainty remains concerning the relative importance of fuel age and weather conditions as predictors of fire hazard and behaviour. Using data from 35 experimental burns across three types of shrublands in Western Australia, we evaluated importance of fuel age and fire weather on probability of fire propagation (hazard) and four metrics of fire behaviour (rate of spread, fireline intensity, residence time, surface temperature) under moderate to high fire danger weather conditions. We found significant support for a threshold effect of fuel age for fire propagation but limited evidence for an effect of fuel age or fire weather on rates of spread or fireline intensity, although surface heating and heating duration were significantly related to fuel age and shrubland type. Further analysis suggested that dead fuel mass and accumulation rate rather than live fuels were responsible for this relationship. Using BEHAVE, predicted spread rates and intensities were consistently lower than observed values, suggesting further refinement is needed in modelling shrubland fire behaviour. These data provide important insight into fire behaviour in globally significant, fire-adapted shrublands, informing fire management and relationships between fire frequency and fire intensity.
Robert Lowth and the Critics
Authors: Percy Carol
Published: March 2012

This article provides a broad intellectual context for Robert Lowth’s (1710–1787)Short Introduction to English Grammar(1762), and in particular for the footnotes or “Critical Notes” in which he documented the grammatical errors of great dead writers. It is well known that Lowth’s notes were innovative in the English grammatical tradition, and that they contrasted and qualified the “Examples from the best Writers” in theDictionary of the English Language(1755) by Samuel Johnson (1709–1784). Here the author places Lowth in broader context and demonstrate that the ‘bad’ grammar of vernacular classics had already been publicized in debates about translating the bible and editing Shakespeare. In the concluding discussion I draw on current studies of literary canons to argue that by crystallizing the difference between literary and standard language, Lowth’s grammar increased the socio-cultural capital of both.
Lowth and ‘Perfect Time’
Authors: Walker Jim
Published: March 2012

This article examines the influence that Robert Lowth (1710–1787) had both on the terminology and the analysis of the English verb form now generally referred to as the present perfect. It demonstrates that while Lowth did not coin the term, he was largely responsible for its popularization, and for establishing a pattern of analysis that has lasted over the years. The article also examines how the normative tradition established in the 18th century may have been a factor in hiding the evidence of diachronic change in the use of the present perfect.
Heinrich Christoph Albrecht’s Versuch einer critischen Englischen Sprachlehre
Authors: Wolf Göran
Published: March 2012

In 1784 Heinrich Christoph Albrecht published the book Versuch einer critischen englischen Sprachlehre. The book’s subtitle reads “Vorzüglich nach dem Englischen des Dr. Lowth” and thus confirms that it is based on Robert Lowth’s Short Introduction to English Grammar (cf. also Alston 1965: 48). This paper seeks to introduce Albrecht’s work, and by comparing Albrecht’s Sprachlehre with Lowth’s Short Introduction, the following question will be answered: how much of Lowth’s original work was present in Albrecht’s adaptation?
The changing discourses on antisemitism in the UK press from 1993 to 2009
Authors: Partington Alan
Published: March 2012

This paper examines the discourses relating to antisemitism in the three leading UK national “quality” newspapers from 1993 to 2009. To this end, three corpora were compiled, each consisting of the complete set of instances in context in these papers where antisemitism is mentioned, the first from 1993 the others from 2005 and 2009. Considerable changes were noted between the discourses in the earlier corpus compared to the later ones. In the first, the majority of discourses were either historical and/or literary-artistic (typically discussing whether a particular writer or artist had been antisemitic) or, if they were related to contemporary society, they were discussions of potential or reported antisemitism outside the UK, especially in Eastern Europe. In the later corpora, however, there is much more discussion about a perceived resurgence of antisemitism in the UK and Western Europe. After an overview of these changing patterns, particularly controversial recent cases of alleged antisemitism in British politics are discussed. The methodology of this research combines corpus-analysis techniques with more traditional close textual analysis, characteristic of corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS: Stubbs 1996, Partington 2008).
A reading in moral literacy or love story in the shadow of the Holocaust
Authors: Williams Jenny , Wilkes Geoff
Published: March 2012

This essay attempts to account for the success of a German novel, Bernhard Schlink’s Der Vorleser, in English translation by analysing both the effects of translation decisions and the influence of prevailing discourses in the receiving culture. It is shown how particular decisions in relation to content and style result in the downplaying of the political and philosophical aspects of the novel and the foregrounding of relationships between individuals. This, in turn, is seen as further evidence of a tendency in German-English literary translation to understate difference in translation by moulding the text to the norms of the receiving culture.
Heresthetics in ballot proposition arguments
Authors: Murphy Chad , Burgess Curt , Johnson Martin , Bowler Shaun
Published: March 2012

Political actors typically use language with the goal of persuading an audience. But what shapes the use of language in political settings? Is it differences between ideologues — liberals and conservatives — that change language use? Or is it support or opposition to the issue? Using techniques adapted from cognitive psychology we examine arguments used in ballot proposition elections and show them to exhibit systematic patterns in line with the theoretical arguments of Riker (1996). The actor’s choice of issue position — for or against — can be seen to imply that the arguments they advance in support of their position are constrained. More specifically, we show that arguments in support of propositions are consistently similar to each other and consistently dissimilar from arguments against a proposal in language use. These patterns of similarity and dissimilarity persist across a wide range of issues and actors. Identification of these patterns helps explain a persistent empirical regularity within ballot proposition politics: the advantage held by “NO” campaigns.
The Arab revolutions; the emergence of a new political subjectivity
Authors: Hanafi Sari
Published: March 2012

Since late 2010, the Arab World has witnessed regime changes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya; and revolts by Arab citizens are still underway in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, along with reform initiatives at different levels. These processes cannot be accurately be described by Orientalist terms such as ‘Arab Spring’, ‘Arab unrest’ or the ‘Facebook Revolution’, where such categorizations fail to account for the radical transformation in politics and values that the Arab World is undergoing and the significance that resides in the confluence of social and democratic demands. The ultimate fate of these popular uprisings remains in the balance, but it is all too clear that they have produced the most dramatic changes in the region since the mid-twentieth century which marked the end of the colonial era. This article aims to elucidate the import of term ‘the people’ and to whom it applies in the popular slogan: ‘The people want the overthrow of the regime’ (al-shaʿb yurīd isqāṭ al-niẓām). It aims to identify the actors involved in the revolution, particularly the youth and participants among the labour movement. Through this analysis the study explores the new political subjectivity ushered in by these revolutions, in the specific form of individuality, or what is termed here reflexive individualism. This individualism, which is different from the neoliberal concept, is not a straightforward one predicated on anti-patriarchal authority, anti-tribe, anti-community or anti-political party sentiments. The political subjectivity of the individuals who have taken part is formed and shaped both within and across the shadowy edges of political institutions and their production of legitimacy and knowledge.
Scorpion β-toxin interference with NaV channel voltage sensor gives rise to excitatory and depressant modes
Authors: Leipold Enrico , Borges Adolfo , Heinemann Stefan H.
Published: March 2012

Scorpion β toxins, peptides of ∼70 residues, specifically target voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels to cause use-dependent subthreshold channel openings via a voltage–sensor trapping mechanism. This excitatory action is often overlaid by a not yet understood depressant mode in which NaV channel activity is inhibited. Here, we analyzed these two modes of gating modification by β-toxin Tz1 from Tityus zulianus on heterologously expressed NaV1.4 and NaV1.5 channels using the whole cell patch-clamp method. Tz1 facilitated the opening of NaV1.4 in a use-dependent manner and inhibited channel opening with a reversed use dependence. In contrast, the opening of NaV1.5 was exclusively inhibited without noticeable use dependence. Using chimeras of NaV1.4 and NaV1.5 channels, we demonstrated that gating modification by Tz1 depends on the specific structure of the voltage sensor in domain 2. Although residue G658 in NaV1.4 promotes the use-dependent transitions between Tz1 modification phenotypes, the equivalent residue in NaV1.5, N803, abolishes them. Gating charge neutralizations in the NaV1.4 domain 2 voltage sensor identified arginine residues at positions 663 and 669 as crucial for the outward and inward movement of this sensor, respectively. Our data support a model in which Tz1 can stabilize two conformations of the domain 2 voltage sensor: a preactivated outward position leading to NaV channels that open at subthreshold potentials, and a deactivated inward position preventing channels from opening. The results are best explained by a two-state voltage–sensor trapping model in that bound scorpion β toxin slows the activation as well as the deactivation kinetics of the voltage sensor in domain 2.
Intracellular calcium movements during excitation–contraction coupling in mammalian slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers
Authors: Baylor Stephen M. , Hollingworth Stephen
Published: March 2012

In skeletal muscle fibers, action potentials elicit contractions by releasing calcium ions (Ca2+) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Experiments on individual mouse muscle fibers micro-injected with a rapidly responding fluorescent Ca2+ indicator dye reveal that the amount of Ca2+ released is three- to fourfold larger in fast-twitch fibers than in slow-twitch fibers, and the proportion of the released Ca2+ that binds to troponin to activate contraction is substantially smaller.
Structural basis for nitrous oxide generation by bacterial nitric oxide reductases
Authors: Shiro Yoshitsugu , Sugimoto Hiroshi , Tosha Takehiko , Nagano Shingo , Hino Tomoya
Published: March 2012

The crystal structure of the bacterial nitric oxide reductase (cNOR) from
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is reported. Its overall structure is similar to those of the main subunit of aerobic and micro-aerobic cytochrome oxidases (COXs), in agreement with the hypothesis that all these enzymes are members of the haem-copper oxidase superfamily. However, substantial structural differences between cNOR and COX are observed in the catalytic centre and the delivery pathway of the catalytic protons, which should be reflected in functional differences between these respiratory enzymes. On the basis of the cNOR structure, we propose a possible reaction mechanism of nitric oxide reduction to nitrous oxide as a working hypothesis.
Biological sources and sinks of nitrous oxide and strategies to mitigate emissions
Authors: Thomson Andrew J. , Giannopoulos Georgios , Pretty Jules , Baggs Elizabeth M. , Richardson David J.
Published: March 2012

Nitrous oxide (N
2
O) is a powerful atmospheric greenhouse gas and cause of ozone layer depletion. Global emissions continue to rise. More than two-thirds of these emissions arise from bacterial and fungal denitrification and nitrification processes in soils, largely as a result of the application of nitrogenous fertilizers. This article summarizes the outcomes of an interdisciplinary meeting, ‘Nitrous oxide (N
2
O) the forgotten greenhouse gas’, held at the Kavli Royal Society International Centre, from 23 to 24 May 2011. It provides an introduction and background to the nature of the problem, and summarizes the conclusions reached regarding the biological sources and sinks of N
2
O in oceans, soils and wastewaters, and discusses the genetic regulation and molecular details of the enzymes responsible. Techniques for providing global and local N
2
O budgets are discussed. The findings of the meeting are drawn together in a review of strategies for mitigating N
2
O emissions, under three headings, namely: (i) managing soil chemistry and microbiology, (ii) engineering crop plants to fix nitrogen, and (iii) sustainable agricultural intensification.
SirT1 regulates radiosensitivity of hepatoma cells differently under normoxic and hypoxic conditions
Authors: Xie Yuexia , Zhang Jianghong , Ye Shuang , He Mingyuan , Ren Ruiping , Yuan Dexiao , Shao Chunlin
Published: March 2012

Intratumoral hypoxic cells are more resistant to radiotherapy due to a reduction in lifespan of DNA‐damaging free radicals and augmentation of post‐irradiation molecular restoration. SirT1, a member of the mammalian sirtuin family, deacetylates various transcription factors to trigger cell defense and survival in response to stresses and DNA damage. In this study, we provide new evidence indicating that overexpression of SirT1 in hepatoma HepG2 cells allowed the cells to become much more resistant to irradiation under hypoxia than under normoxia. When SirT1 was knocked down in both HepG2 and SK‐Hep‐1 cells, the radiosensitivity was increased, especially under hypoxia. But this enhanced radiosensitivity in SirT1‐deficient cells was extensively decreased by infecting cells with c‐Myc siRNA. Furthermore, the expression of c‐Myc protein and its acetylation were increased in the SirT1 knockdown cells and these increments under hypoxic conditions were much more notable than under normoxia. In addition, c‐Myc interference significantly suppressed phosphorylated p53 protein expression after irradiation, especially under hypoxic conditions. The current findings indicate that SirT1 confers a higher radioresistance in hypoxic cells than in normoxic cells due to the decreased levels of c‐Myc protein and its acetylation, and that a c‐Myc‐dependent radiation‐induced phosphorylated p53 may be involved. SirT1 could serve as a novel target of radiation damage and thus as a potential strategy to advance the efficiency of radiotherapy in hepatoma entities. (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 1238–1244)
Reduction of renal uptake of 111In‐DOTA‐labeled and A700‐labeled RAFT‐RGD during integrin αvβ3 targeting using single photon emission computed tomography and optical imaging
Authors: Briat Arnaud , Wenk Christiane H. F. , Ahmadi Mitra , Claron Michael , Boturyn Didier , Josserand Véronique , Dumy Pascal , Fagret Daniel , Coll Jean‐Luc , Ghezzi Catherine , Sancey Lucie , Vuillez Jean‐Philippe
Published: March 2012

Integrin αvβ3 expression is upregulated during tumor growth and invasion in newly formed endothelial cells in tumor neovasculature and in some tumor cells. A tetrameric RGD‐based peptide, regioselectively addressable functionalized template‐(cyclo‐[RGDfK])4 (RAFT‐RGD), specifically targets integrin αvβ3 in vitro and in vivo. When labeled with indium‐111, the RAFT‐RGD is partially reabsorbed and trapped in the kidneys, limiting its use for further internal targeted radiotherapy and imaging investigations. We studied the effect of Gelofusine on RAFT‐RGD renal retention in tumor‐bearing mice. Mice were imaged using single photon emission computed tomography and optical imaging 1 and 24 h following tracer injection. Distribution of RAFT‐RGD was further investigated by tissue removal and direct counting of the tracer. Kidney sections were analyzed by confocal microscopy. Gelofusine significantly induced a >50% reduction of the renal reabsorption of 111In‐DOTA‐RAFT‐RGD and A700‐RAFT‐RGD, without affecting tumor uptake. Injection of Gelofusine significantly reduced the renal retention of labeled RAFT‐RGD, while increasing the tumor over healthy tissue ratio. These results will lead to the development of future therapeutic approaches. (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 1105–1110)
The challenges of reducing tobacco use among prisoners
Authors: RICHMOND ROBYN L. , BUTLER TONY G. , INDIG DEVON , WILHELM KAY A. , ARCHER VICKI A. , WODAK ALEX D.
Published: March 2012

Issue. The prevalence of smoking among prisoners is exceptionally high and is often comorbid with alcohol and drug problems, mental illness and other health problems. This review paper summarises the literature and available research related to smoking prevalence and smoking cessation initiatives among prisoners and identifies areas of need for further research and intervention.

Approach. This paper highlights three studies conducted in the New South Wales prison system which attempt to address these high rates of smoking including a feasibility study, a focus group study and a randomised controlled trial.

Key Findings. The challenges of making systems‐level changes to address these high rates of smoking are discussed including a recent National Summit on Tobacco Smoking in Prisons.

Implications. Dissemination of research findings has assisted in highlighting the importance of tobacco smoking among prisoners and the need to develop culturally and setting appropriate smoking cessation initiatives for prisoners.

Conclusions. As one of the most marginalised and socially disadvantaged populations in Australia, prisoners represent an important population to target for smoking cessation programs and interventions. This paper highlights a number of initiatives undertaken to address this problem and suggests directions for the future.[Richmond RL, Butler TG, Indig D, Wilhelm KA, Archer VA, Wodak AD. The challenges of reducing tobacco use among prisoners. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:625–630]
Unattached and Unhinged: The Spinster and the Psychiatrist in Liberal Italy, 1860–1922
Authors: Reeder Linda
Published: March 2012

This article explores the role nineteenth‐century Italian psychiatric sciences played in shaping attitudes towards adult women who never married. Initially in post‐unification Italy unmarried women were largely invisible, while the bachelor appeared to threaten the newly formed nation's fragile political and social stability. In the last decades of the nineteenth century fears about the bachelor faded, replaced by growing concerns about the social dangers posed by the ‘spinster’. Drawing on writings from psychiatrists, anthropologists, sociologists, on patient records from psychiatric asylums as well as popular literature, this article traces the way psychiatric practice and theories transformed the image of the unmarried single woman.
Coming of Age: Law, Sex and Childhood in Late Colonial India
Authors: Pande Ishita
Published: March 2012

This article revisits child‐marriage legislation in colonial India between 1891 and 1929 to re‐envision the ‘child’ as a subject constituted by laws governing sex, rather than as an a priori object requiring protection from patriarchal sexual norms. Focusing on the digital construction of the child in the twentieth century, this essay introduces a new angle from which to examine recent conclusions regarding child‐marriage reform in India. By drawing attention to an understudied figure, this article demonstrates the ways in which the problem of the child might transform understandings of the nation and its women; the universe of rights and the location of culture and the place of age as number in the formulation of legal subjectivities, colonial governmentality and humanitarian accounting in late colonial India.
A 2D non‐invasive ultrasonic method for simultaneous measurement of arterial strain and flow pattern
Authors: Niu Lili , Qian Ming , Song Ruibo , Meng Long , Liu Xin , Zheng Hairong
Published: March 2012

Introduction

Many cardiovascular diseases are closely associated with the mechanical properties of arterial wall and hemodynamic parameters. Simultaneous measurements of the arterial strain and flow pattern may aid diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and may be useful to study fluid‐structure interaction between blood and vessel. This paper proposes a 2D non‐invasive ultrasonic method to simultaneously measure arterial strain and flow pattern with sub‐pixel accuracy.

Materials and methods

The method uses a multiple iterative algorithm to estimate the geometrical transformations of arterial wall and high‐velocity gradient flows simultaneously. The accuracy of the method was validated by an in vitro arterial phantom and in vivo common carotid arteries (CCAs) of 12 mice using a Sonix RP (10 MHz) and a VisualSonics Vevo 2100 (30 MHz) ultrasound imaging system, respectively.

Results

For the arterial phantom, the calculated elasticity modulus from the strain profile shows good agreement with the mechanical testing value, deviating no more than 9.3%. The calculated flow velocity agrees well with the value obtained from the rotameter, deviating only 4.3%. For the CCAs of mice, good agreement is found between the calculated flow velocity and the measured value by ultrasound Doppler. The mean elasticity modulus of CCAs is 134.62 ± 54.3 kPa, which is in accordance with published data.

Conclusion

The proposed method is capable of measuring the arterial wall strain and flow velocity pattern. This may be clinically useful for early detecting and monitoring cardiovascular diseases and may provide an essential tool in modelling the fluid‐structure interaction between the blood and blood vessel.
Forging Hispanic Communities in New Destinations: A Case Study of Durham, North Carolina
Authors: Flippen Chenoa A. , Parrado Emilio A.
Published: March 2012

The Chicago School of urban sociology and its extension in the spatial assimilation model have provided the dominant framework for understanding the interplay between immigrant social and spatial mobility. However, the main tenets of the theory were derived from the experience of prewar, centralized cities; scholars falling under the umbrella of the Los Angeles School have recently challenged the extent to which they are applicable to the contemporary urban form, which is characterized by sprawling, decentralized, and multinucleated development. Indeed, new immigrant destinations, such as those scattered throughout the American Southeast, are both decentralized and lack prior experience with large–scale immigration. Informed by this debate this paper traces the formation and early evolution of Hispanic neighborhoods in Durham, NC, a new immigrant destination. Using qualitative data we construct a social history of immigrant neighborhoods and apply survey and census information to examine the spatial pattern of neighborhood succession. We also model the sorting of immigrants across neighborhoods according to personal characteristics. Despite the many differences in urban form and experience with immigration, the main processes forging the early development of Hispanic neighborhoods in Durham are remarkably consistent with the spatial expectations from the Chicago School, though the sorting of immigrants across neighborhoods is more closely connected to family dynamics and political economy considerations than purely human capital attributes.
An Insurance Pricing Game
Authors: Haley Joseph D.
Published: March 2012

Abstract

Understanding data and statistical distributions is a fundamental part of an undergraduate business student's education. The insurance pricing game presented here gives the students a unique way to apply statistical analysis in the classroom. The game requires decision making about risk with limited information. Specifically, the students must decide what “premium” to charge the members of a hypothetical risk pool. The game provides teachers with a discussion platform for numerous aspects of insurer risk pooling.
Data‐Driven Assessment of the Association of Polymorphisms in 5‐Fluorouracil Metabolism Genes with Outcome in Adjuvant Treatment of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Sarac Sinan B. , Rasmussen Christian H. , Afzal Shoaib , Thirstrup Steffen , Jensen Søren A. , Colding‐Jørgensen Morten , Poulsen Henrik E. , Mosekilde Erik
Published: March 2012

A major challenge in the assessment of medicines, treatment options, etc., is to establish a framework for the comparison of risks and benefits of many different types and magnitudes, a framework that at the same time allows a clear distinction between the roles played by the statistical analyses of data and by judgements based on personal experience and expertise. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate how clinical data can be weighted, scored and presented by the use of an eight‐step data‐driven benefit–risk assessment method, where two genetic profiles are compared. Our aim was to present a comprehensive approach that is simple to apply, allows direct comparison of different types of risks and benefits, quantifies the clinical relevance of data and is tailored for the comparison of different options. We analysed a cohort of 302 patients with colorectal cancer treated with 5‐Fluorouracil (5‐FU). Endpoints were cure rate, survival rate, time‐to‐death (TTD), time‐to‐relapse (TTR) and main adverse drug reactions. Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) was used to identify genetic interaction profiles associated with outcome. We have been able to demonstrate that a specific MDR‐derived combination (the MDR‐1 group) of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase and thymidylate synthase polymorphisms is associated with increased and clinically significant difference for cure and survival rates, TTD and probably also for TTR, which are seen as the most important endpoints. An inferior profile was observed for severe myocardial ischaemia. A probably inferior profile was seen for severe arthralgia/myalgia and severe infections. A clear superior profile was seen for severe mucositis/stomatitis. The proposed approach offers comprehensive, data‐driven assessment that can facilitate decision processes, for example, in a clinical setting. It employs descriptive statistical methods to highlight the clinically relevant differences between options.
Fungi infecting cultivated moss can also cause diseases in crop plants
Authors: Lehtonen Mikko T. , Marttinen Eeva M. , Akita Motomu , Valkonen Jari P.T.
Published: March 2012

Bryophytes (mosses) are non‐vascular plants inhabited by a large number of fungal species, but whether mosses can act as reservoirs of fungal pathogens of crop plants has gained little attention. A few moss species including the Sunagoke moss (Racomitrium japonicum; family Grimmiaceae) are found to have modern economical applications in uses such as greening of urban environments. In a previous study, we identified fungi causing symptoms of varying severity in the commercially grown Sunagoke moss. The aim of this study was to test whether the same fungal isolates are pathogenic to vascular plants. An isolate of Fusarium avenaceum lethal to the Sunagoke moss caused root and crown rot in barley (Hordeum vulgare) and reduced germination of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and carrot (Daucus carota) grown in the infested soil. An isolate of Cladosporium oxysporum causing mild symptoms in moss reduced growth and caused reddening and premature death of carrot seedlings. On the other hand, isolates of Alternaria alternata and Fusarium oxysporum lethal to the Sunagoke moss caused no detectable symptoms in any tested vascular plant, suggesting specialisation of these isolates to moss. Chloroplast repositioning was observed in the neighbouring cells towards the initially infected cell following infection with F. avenaceum and A. alternata in Physcomitrella patens (family Funariaceae), a model moss used to study microscopic symptoms. Infection of P. patens with a non‐virulent Apiospora montagnei isolate induced formation of papillae in the moss cells, indicating activation of host defence as described in vascular plants. Results suggest that mosses and vascular plants may be linked by a common microbial interface constituted by pathogenic fungi. The findings have epidemiological implications that have gained little previous attention.
European outbreaks of atypical myopathy in grazing equids (2006–2009): Spatiotemporal distribution, history and clinical features
Authors: van GALEN G. , MARCILLAUD PITEL C. , SAEGERMAN C. , PATARIN F. , AMORY H. , BAILY J. D. , CASSART D. , GERBER V. , HAHN C. , HARRIS P. , KEEN J. A. , KIRSCHVINK N. , LEFERE L. , McGORUM B. , MULLER J. M. V. , PICAVET M. T. J. E. , PIERCY R. J. , ROSCHER K. , SERTEYN D. , UNGER L. , van der KOLK J. H. , van LOON G. , VERWILGHEN D. , WESTERMANN C. M. , VOTION D. M.
Published: March 2012

Reasons for performing study: Improved understanding of the epidemiology of atypical myopathy (AM) will help to define the environmental factors that permit or support the causal agent(s) to exert toxicity.

Objectives: This European survey of AM aimed to describe spatiotemporal distribution, survival, clinical signs, circumstances in which AM develops and its different expressions between countries and over time.

Methods: The spatiotemporal distribution, history and clinical features of AM cases reported to the Atypical Myopathy Alert Group from 2006 to 2009 were described. Comparisons of data from the most severely affected countries and from the large outbreaks were made with Fisher's exact and Welch's tests with Bonferroni correction.

Results: Of 600 suspected cases, 354 met the diagnostic criteria for confirmed or highly probable AM. The largest outbreaks occurred during the autumns of 2006 and 2009 in Belgium, France and Germany. For the first time, donkeys, zebras and old horses were affected, and clinical signs such as gastrointestinal impaction, diarrhoea, penile prolapse, buccal ulceration and renal dysfunction were observed. Affected horses spent >6 h/day on pastures that almost always contained or were surrounded by trees. The latency period was estimated at up to 4 days. Overall survival rate was 26%. Although differences between countries in affected breeds, body condition, horse management and pasture characteristics were recognised, the common presenting clinical signs and mortality were similar between countries.

Conclusions and potential relevance: This study describes new data on case details, history and clinical course of AM that is of preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic value. However, the true impact of the findings of this study on the development of or severity of AM should be tested with case–control studies.
Vertical Action of a Concentric Multi-Annular Punch on a Transversely Isotropic Elastic Half-Space
Authors: Eskandari-Ghadi Morteza , Pak Ronald Y. S. , Ardeshir-Behrestaghi Azizollah
Published: March 2012

In this paper, the response of a transversely isotropic half-space under the punch action of a set of rigid concentric annuli frictionless contacts is considered. By virtue of a compact potential representation and Hankel transforms, a set of ring-load Green’s functions for the axisymmetric equations of equilibrium are derived and shown to be expressible in terms of standard elliptic integrals. With the aid of a rigorous yet highly efficient numerical method, the integral equation is solved for the multi-interval singular mixed boundary value problem. Detailed solutions to illustrate the performance of the computational approach and the influence of the degree of anisotropy and contact conditions on the mechanics problem are presented.
Viscosity Measurement by the Free Vibrations of Homogeneous Viscoelastic Sphere
Authors: Akimoto Hidemi , Nagai Katsuhiko , Sakurai Naoki
Published: March 2012

In this paper, a nondestructive method to measure bulk and shear viscosities of a homogeneous viscoelastic sphere using free vibration is investigated by taking into account a single Voigt model for viscous and elastic stress tensors. For the viscosity measurement, Q value characterizing the damping due to the viscous effect is used. The formulation of the Q value for spheroidal and torsional modes is theoretically made based on the redefinition of the coefficients of bulk and shear viscosities as positive values. Newly introduced coefficients A and B constituting Q value formula, which correspond to bulk and shear deformations in the free vibration, are numerically calculated for spheroidal and torsional modes, respectively. The method to measure the viscosity by using the observed values of vibration and coefficients A and B is presented, and the example to apply the method is also shown. This study may find applications in rheology of soft material where viscous effects of spherical structures matter.
Substructural Damage Detection With Incomplete Information of the Structure
Authors: Li J. , Law S. S.
Published: March 2012

This paper proposes a substructural damage identification approach without the information of responses and forces at the interface degrees-of-freedom. It is based on the response reconstruction technique using the unit impulse response function in the wavelet domain. The finite element model of the target substructure and acceleration measurement data from the damaged substructure are required in the identification. A dynamic response sensitivity-based method is used for the substructural finite element model updating, and local damage is identified as a change in the elemental stiffness factors. The adaptive Tikhonov regularization technique is adopted to improve the identification results with the measurement noise effect. Numerical studies on a three-dimensional box-section girder are conducted to validate the proposed method of substructural damage identification. The simulated damage can be identified effectively even with 10% noise in the measurements and a 5% coefficient of variation in the elastic modulus of material of the structure.
Tensorial Representations of Reynolds-Stress Pressure-Strain Redistribution
Authors: Gerolymos G. A. , Lo C. , Vallet I.
Published: March 2012

The purpose of the present note is to contribute in clarifying the relation between representation bases used in the closure for the redistribution (pressure-strain) tensor φij, and to construct representation bases whose elements have clear physical significance. The representation of different models in the same basis is essential for comparison purposes, and the definition of the basis by physically meaningful tensors adds insight to our understanding of closures. The rate-of-production tensor can be split into production by mean strain and production by mean rotation Pij=PS¯ij+PΩ¯ij. The classic representation basis B[b,S¯,Ω¯] of homogeneous turbulence [e.g. Ristorcelli, J. R., Lumley, J. L., Abid, R., 1995, “A Rapid-Pressure Covariance Representation Consistent with the Taylor-Proudman Theorem Materially Frame Indifferent in the 2-D Limit,” J. Fluid Mech., 292, pp. 111–152], constructed from the anisotropy b, the mean strain-rate S¯, and the mean rotation-rate Ω¯ tensors, is interpreted, in the present work, in terms of the relative contributions of the deviatoric tensors PS¯ij(dev):=PS¯ij-23Pkδij and PΩ¯ij(dev):=PΩ¯ij. Different alternative equivalent representation bases, explicitly using PS¯ij(dev) and PΩ¯ij are discussed, and the projection rules between bases are calculated using a matrix-based systematic procedure. An initial term-by-term a priori investigation of different second-moment closures is undertaken.