bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Braving the BurqiniTM: re-branding the Australian beach
Authors: Khamis Susie
Published: July 2010

A cross between a bikini and a burqa, the BurqiniTM reworks a conventional symbol of Australian culture in terms consistent with Muslim modesty. In turn, the Burqini TM stakes a deeply ironic claim to one of the nation’s most revered sites: the beach. This article thus considers its significance in relation to two dominant stereotypes in recent Australian history: the ‘beach babe’, typically blonde, blue-eyed and bikinied; and a view of conservative Muslim culture that had taken shape in mainstream Australian media: as restrictive, regressive and misogynist. By appropriating the traditional bikini design for a contemporary Muslim clientele, the BurqiniTM is both a confronting cultural statement and a bold example of 21st century world fashion.
Split-Thickness Skin Grafts for Closure of Diabetic Foot and Ankle Wounds
Authors: Ramanujam Crystal L. , Stapleton John J. , Kilpadi Krista L. , Rodriguez Roberto H. , Jeffries Luke C. , Zgonis Thomas
Published: July 2010

The aim of this study was to determine if split-thickness skin grafts could be successfully used for closure of foot and ankle wounds in diabetic patients. The authors retrospectively reviewed the charts of 100 consecutive patients who underwent a soft tissue surgical reconstruction with split-thickness skin grafts to their foot and/or ankle in our institution from 2005 to 2008. After application of inclusion criteria, 83 eligible charts remained. Of the 83 patients, 54 (65%) healed uneventfully, 23 (28%) required regrafting, and 6 (7%) had a complication resolved with conservative management. All patients had a successful surgical outcome, defined as having achieved complete wound closure at the final follow-up. Surgical outcome was not significantly associated with age, gender, race, hemoglobin A1C, wound size, wound location, illicit drug use, amputation history, Charcot history, or preoperative infection. However, postoperative graft complications were significantly associated with current or previous smoking history (P = .016) and the level of previous pedal amputation to which the split-thickness skin graft was applied (P = .009). This study demonstrates that application of split-thickness skin grafts with an appropriate postoperative regimen is a beneficial procedure to achieve foot and ankle wound closure in diabetic patients.
First administration to man of Org 25435, an intravenous anaesthetic: A Phase 1 Clinical Trial
Authors: Rigby-Jones Ann E , Sneyd J Robert , Vijn Peter , Boen Patrick , Cross Maurice
Published: July 2010

Background

Org 25435 is a new water-soluble alpha-amino acid ester intravenous anaesthetic which proved satisfactory in animal studies. This study aimed to assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of Org 25435 and to obtain preliminary pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic data.

Methods

In the Short Infusion study 8 healthy male volunteers received a 1 minute infusion of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mg/kg (n = 2 per group); a further 10 received 3.0 mg/kg (n = 5) or 4.0 mg/kg (n = 5). Following preliminary pharmacokinetic modelling 7 subjects received a titrated 30 minute Target Controlled Infusion (TCI), total dose 5.8-20 mg/kg.

Results

Within the Short Infusion study, all subjects were successfully anaesthetised at 3 and 4 mg/kg. Within the TCI study 5 subjects were anaesthetised and 2 showed signs of sedation. Org 25435 caused hypotension and tachycardia at doses over 2 mg/kg. Recovery from anaesthesia after a 30 min administration of Org 25435 was slow (13.7 min). Pharmacokinetic modelling suggests that the context sensitive half-time of Org 25435 is slightly shorter than that of propofol in infusions up to 20 minutes but progressively longer thereafter.

Conclusions

Org 25435 is an effective intravenous anaesthetic in man at doses of 3 and 4 mg/kg given over 1 minute. Longer infusions can maintain anaesthesia but recovery is slow. Hypotension and tachycardia during anaesthesia and slow recovery of consciousness after cessation of drug administration suggest this compound has no advantages over currently available intravenous anaesthetics.
Effect of codon optimization and subcellular targeting on Toxoplasma gondii antigen SAG1 expression in tobacco leaves to use in subcutaneous and oral immunization in mice
Authors: Laguía-Becher Melina , Martín Valentina , Kraemer Mauricio , Corigliano Mariana , Yacono María L , Goldman Alejandra , Clemente Marina
Published: July 2010

Background

Codon optimization and subcellular targeting were studied with the aim to increase the expression levels of the SAG178-322antigen ofToxoplasma gondiiin tobacco leaves. The expression of the tobacco-optimized and native versions of theSAG1gene was explored by transient expression from theAgrobacterium tumefaciensbinary expression vector, which allows targeting the recombinant protein to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the apoplast. Finally, mice were subcutaneously and orally immunized with leaf extracts-SAG1 and the strategy of prime boost with rSAG1 expressed inEscherichia coliwas used to optimize the oral immunization with leaf extracts-SAG1.

Results

Leaves agroinfiltrated with an unmodifiedSAG1gene accumulated 5- to 10-fold more than leaves agroinfiltrated with a codon-optimizedSAG1gene. ER localization allowed the accumulation of higher levels of native SAG1. However, no significant differences were observed between the mRNA accumulations of the different versions of SAG1. Subcutaneous immunization with leaf extracts-SAG1 (SAG1) protected mice against an oral challenge with a non-lethal cyst dose, and this effect could be associated with the secretion of significant levels of IFN-γ. The protection was increased when mice were ID boosted with rSAG1 (SAG1+boost). This group elicited a significant Th1 humoral and cellular immune response characterized by high levels of IFN-γ. In an oral immunization assay, the SAG1+boost group showed a significantly lower brain cyst burden compared to the rest of the groups.

Conclusion

Transient agroinfiltration was useful for the expression of all of the recombinant proteins tested. Our results support the usefulness of endoplasmic reticulum signal peptides in enhancing the production of recombinant proteins meant for use as vaccines. The results showed that this plant-produced protein has potential for use as vaccine and provides a potential means for protecting humans and animals against toxoplasmosis.
Cloning, expression and transmission-blocking activity of anti-PvWARP, malaria vaccine candidate, in Anopheles stephensi mysorensis
Authors: Gholizadeh Saber , Basseri Hamid Reza , Zakeri Sedigheh , Ladoni Hossein , Djadid Navid Dinparast
Published: July 2010

Background

Notwithstanding progress in recent years, a safe, an effective and affordable malaria vaccine is not available yet. Ookinete-secreted protein, Plasmodium vivax von Willebrand factor A domain-related protein (PvWARP), is a candidate for malaria transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs).

Methods

The PvWARP was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 using the pET-23a vector and was purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography from a soluble fraction. Polyclonal antibody was raised against rPvWARP and transmission blocking activity was carried out in an Anopheles stephensi-P. vivax model.

Results

Expression of full length of PvWARP (minus signal peptide) expression showed a 35-kDa protein. The purified protein was recognized by mouse polyclonal antibody directed against rPvWARP. Sera from the animals displayed significantly a blocking activity in the membrane feeding assay of An. stephensi mysorensis.

Conclusions

This is the first report on P. vivax WARP expression in E. coli that provides an essential base for development of the malaria TBV against P. vivax. This may greatly assist in malaria elimination, especially in the oriental corner of WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (WHO/EMRO) including Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
Complete genome sequence of a Megalocytivirus (family Iridoviridae) associated with turbot mortality in China
Authors: Shi Cheng-Yin , Jia Kun-Tong , Yang Bing , Huang Jie
Published: July 2010

Background

Turbot reddish body iridovirus (TRBIV) causes serious systemic diseases with high mortality in the cultured turbot, Scophthalmus maximus. We here sequenced and analyzed the complete genome of TRBIV, which was identified in Shandong province, China.

Results

The genome of TRBIV is a linear double-stranded DNA of 110,104 base pairs, comprising 55% G + C. Total 115 open reading frames were identified, encoding polypeptides ranging from 40 to 1168 amino acids. Amino acid sequences analysis revealed that 39 of the 115 potential gene products of TRBIV show significant homology to other iridovirus proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of conserved genes indicated that TRBIV is closely related to infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV), rock bream iridovirus (RBIV), orange-spotted grouper iridovirus (OSGIV), and large yellow croaker iridovirus (LYCIV). The results indicated that TRBIV belongs to the genus Megalocytivirus (family Iridoviridae).

Conclusions

The determination of the genome of TRBIV will provide useful information for comparative study of Megalocytivirus and developing strategies to control outbreaks of TRBIV-induced disease.
Sporadic meningioangiomatosis-associated atypical meningioma mimicking parenchymal invasion of brain: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Chen Yan-yang , Tiang Xiao-ying , Li Zhi , Luo Bo-ning , Huang Quan
Published: July 2010

Meningioangiomatosis is a rare hamartomatous lesion or meningiovascular malformation in brain. In extremely rare condition, meningioma may occur together with meningioangiomatosis, and only 19 cases have been described in English literature until now. We now report a case of meningioangiomatosis-associated meningioma with atypical and clear cell variant. A 34-year-old man presented a 3-month history of progressive numbness and weakness of his left lower extremity. He had no stigmata of neurofibromatosis type 2. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed multifocal lesions in the right frontoparietal lobe. The lesions were totally removed. Microscopically, parts of lesions were atypical and clear cell meningioma corresponding to WHO grade II. The adjacent brain parenchyma showed the histological features of meningioangiomatosis. Neoplastic cells in atypical meningioma area were immunoreactive to epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) with high MIB-1 index of up to 20%. However, the spindle cells in meningioangiomatosis area were negative for EMA with low MIB-1 index of up to 1%. The diagnosis of atypical meningioma associated with sporadic meningioangiomatosis was made. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a meningioangiomatosis-associated meningioma with atypical and clear cell variant component to be described. The patient had been followed-up for 11 months without adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy. No tumor recurrence was found during this period. Meningioangiomatosis-associated meningioma is more likely to occur in younger patients and histologically to mimic parenchymal invasion of brain. We suggest that postoperative radiotherapy or chemotherapy should be given careful consideration to avoid over-treatment due to erroneously interpret as malignant meningioma.
Computed tomography assessment of exogenous surfactant-induced lung reaeration in patients with acute lung injury
Authors: Lu Qin , Zhang Mao , Girardi Cassio , Bouhemad Belaïd , Kesecioglu Jozef , Rouby Jean-Jacques
Published: July 2010

Introduction

Previous randomized trials failed to demonstrate a decrease in mortality of patients with acute lung injury treated by exogenous surfactant. The aim of this prospective randomized study was to evaluate the effects of exogenous porcine-derived surfactant on pulmonary reaeration and lung tissue in patients with acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS).

Methods

Twenty patients with ALI/ARDS were studied (10 treated by surfactant and 10 controls) in whom a spiral thoracic computed tomography scan was acquired before (baseline), 39 hours and 7 days after the first surfactant administration. In the surfactant group, 3 doses of porcine-derived lung surfactant (200 mg/kg/dose) were instilled in both lungs at 0, 12 and 36 hours. Each instillation was followed by recruitment maneuvers. Gas and tissue volumes were measured separately in poorly/nonaerated and normally aerated lung areas before and seven days after the first surfactant administration. Surfactant-induced lung reaeration was defined as an increase in gas volume in poorly/non-aerated lung areas between day seven and baseline compared to the control group.

Results

At day seven, surfactant induced a significant increase in volume of gas in poorly/non-aerated lung areas (320 ± 125 ml versus 135 ± 161 ml in controls, P = 0.01) and a significant increase in volume of tissue in normally aerated lung areas (189 ± 179 ml versus -15 ± 105 ml in controls, P < 0.01). PaO2/FiO2 ratio was not different between the surfactant treated group and control group after surfactant replacement.

Conclusions

Intratracheal surfactant replacement induces a significant and prolonged lung reaeration. It also induces a significant increase in lung tissue in normally aerated lung areas, whose mechanisms remain to be elucidated.

Trial registration

NCT00742482.
Adrenomedullin Relaxes Rat Uterine Artery: Mechanisms and Influence of Pregnancy and Estradiol
Authors: Ross Gracious R. , Yallampalli Uma , Gangula Pandu R. R. , Reed Luckey , Sathishkumar K. , Gao Haijun , Chauhan Madhu , Yallampalli Chandra
Published: July 2010

Uterine arteries play a major role in regulating uteroplacental blood flow. Failure to maintain blood flow to the uteroplacental compartment during pregnancy often results in intrauterine growth retardation. Immunohistochemical staining of adrenomedullin (AM), an endogenous vasoactive peptide, in uterine artery was intense in pregnant compared to nonpregnant rats, but it is not known whether AM directly relaxes uterine artery or not. In this study, we elucidated the mechanisms of uterine artery relaxation by AM and its regulation by pregnancy and female sex steroids. AM was able to relax uterine artery, and this relaxation was influenced positively by pregnancy and estradiol as evidenced by the increased pD2 and Emax values of AM. Both pregnancy and estradiol treatment to ovariectomized rats amplified RAMP3 expression in uterine arteries while progesterone had no effect. AM-induced uterine artery relaxation is predominantly endothelium-dependent. The AM receptor antagonist CGRP8-37 is more potent than AM22-52 in inhibiting the AM relaxation, indicating the involvement of AM2 receptor subtype. Moreover, AM uses the classical nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway along with KCa channels to mediate the vasodilatory effect in uterine artery. In conclusion, sensitivity of uterine artery to AM-induced relaxation is increased with pregnancy or estradiol treatment by increasing RAMP3 expression, suggesting an important role for AM in regulating the uterine hemodynamics, probably maintaining uterine blood flow during pregnancy and in pre- and postmenopausal cardiovascular adaptation differences.
Maternal Diabetes Impairs Gastrulation and Insulin and IGF-I Receptor Expression in Rabbit Blastocysts
Authors: Ramin Nicole , Thieme René , Fischer Sünje , Schindler Maria , Schmidt Thomas , Fischer Bernd , Santos Anne Navarrete
Published: July 2010

Women with type 1 diabetes are subfertile. Diabetes negatively affects pregnancy by causing early miscarriage and poor prenatal outcomes. In this study we examine consequences of maternal type 1 diabetes on early embryo development, metabolic gene expression, and the pattern of insulin receptor (IR) and IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) distribution in rabbit blastocysts. In female rabbits, type 1 diabetes was induced by alloxan treatment. Six-day-old blastocysts were recovered and assessed for receptor distribution and metabolic gene expression. In vitro culture of blastocysts was performed in medium containing 1 mm, 10 mm, or 25 mm glucose, simulating normo- and hyperglycemic developmental condition in vitro. The fertility rate of the diabetic rabbits clearly mirrored subfertility with a drop in blastocyst numbers by 40% (13.3 blastocysts in diabetic vs. 21.9 in control females). In blastocysts onset and progression of gastrulation was delayed and expression of IR and IGF-IR and their metabolic target genes (hexokinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase), both in vivo and in vitro, was down-regulated. The amount of apoptotic cells in the embryonic disc was increased, correlating closely with the reduced transcription of the bcl-x(L) gene. Blastocyst development is clearly impaired by type 1 diabetes during early pregnancy. Insulin-stimulated metabolic genes and IR and IGF-IR are down-regulated, resulting in reduced insulin and IGF sensitivity and a delay in development. Dysregulation of the IGF system and embryonic glucose metabolism are potential reasons for diabetogenous subfertility and embryopathies and start as soon as during the first days of life.
Involvement of RAGE, NADPH Oxidase, and Ras/Raf-1 Pathway in Glycated LDL-Induced Expression of Heat Shock Factor-1 and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 in Vascular Endothelial Cells
Authors: Sangle Ganesh V. , Zhao Ruozhi , Mizuno Tooru M. , Shen Garry X.
Published: July 2010

Atherothrombotic cardiovascular diseases are the predominant causes of mortality of diabetic patients. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is the major physiological inhibitor for fibrinolysis, and it is also implicated in inflammation and tissue remodeling. Increased levels of PAI-1 and glycated low-density lipoprotein (glyLDL) were detected in patients with diabetes. Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated that heat shock factor-1 (HSF1) is involved in glyLDL-induced PAI-1 overproduction in vascular endothelial cells (EC). The present study investigated transmembrane signaling mechanisms involved in glyLDL-induced HSF1 and PAI-1 up-regulation in cultured human vascular EC and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) antibody prevented glyLDL-induced increase in the abundance of PAI-1 in EC. GlyLDL significantly increased the translocation of V-Ha-Ras Harvey rat sarcoma viral oncogene homologue (H-Ras) from cytoplasm to membrane compared with LDL. Farnesyltransferase inhibitor-277 or small interference RNA against H-Ras inhibited glyLDL-induced increases in HSF1 and PAI-1 in EC. Treatment with diphenyleneiodonium, a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX) inhibitor, blocked glyLDL-induced translocation of H-Ras, elevated abundances of HSF1 and PAI-1 in EC, and increased release of hydrogen peroxide from EC. Small interference RNA for p22phox prevented glyLDL-induced expression of NOX2, HSF1, and PAI-1 in EC. GlyLDL significantly increased V-raf-1 murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1 (Raf-1) phosphorylation. Treatment with Raf-1 inhibitor blocked glyLDL-induced increase of PAI-1 mRNA in EC. The levels of RAGE, H-Ras, NOX4, HSF1, and PAI-1 were increased in hearts of streptozotocin-diabetic mice and positively correlated with plasma glucose. The results suggest that RAGE, NOX, and H-Ras/Raf-1 are implicated in the up-regulation of HSF1 or PAI-1 in vascular EC under diabetes-associated metabolic stress.
Effects of a Single Exercise Bout on Insulin Sensitivity in Black and White Individuals
Authors: Hasson Rebecca E. , Granados Kirsten , Chipkin Stuart , Freedson Patty S. , Braun Barry
Published: July 2010

Background: Previous research suggests non-Hispanic blacks (blacks) are more insulin resistant than non-Hispanic whites (whites). Physical activity can play an important role in reducing insulin resistance. However, it is unknown whether racial differences exist in response to exercise. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare metabolic responses to a single bout of exercise in blacks and age-, sex-, and body mass index-matched whites.

Methods: Whole-body insulin sensitivity, glucose storage, glucose oxidation, and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) were assessed during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp in normoglycemic blacks (n = 11) and whites (n = 10). Outcome measures were evaluated in a sedentary control condition and 12 h after treadmill walking at 75% of maximal heart rate for 75 min.

Results: In the control condition, there were no differences in insulin sensitivity between blacks and whites (P = 0.54). During the clamp, glucose oxidation and insulin-stimulated RER values were significantly higher in blacks compared with whites (P = 0.04 and P < 0.01, respectively). Despite similar RER values during exercise, RER values at 60, 90, and 120 min after exercise in blacks were also significantly higher compared with whites (P < 0.05). After exercise, there were no significant improvements in insulin sensitivity (P = 0.57) or glucose storage (P = 0.42) in blacks or whites; however, glucose oxidation was significantly lower in both racial groups (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: These data suggest that insulin sensitivity is similar in blacks and age-, sex-, and body mass index-matched whites, but the glucose disposal pathways (storage vs. oxidation) are somewhat different. Compared with whites, blacks appear to have a greater capacity to increase glucose oxidation immediately after exercise and during insulin stimulation.
Drosophila PAT1 is required for Kinesin-1 to transport cargo and to maximize its motility
Authors: Loiseau Philippe , Davies Tim , Williams Lucy S. , Mishima Masanori , Palacios Isabel M.
Published: July 2010

Kinesin heavy chain (KHC), the force-generating component of Kinesin-1, is required for the localization of oskar mRNA and the anchoring of the nucleus in the Drosophila oocyte. These events are crucial for the establishment of the anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes. KHC is also essential for the localization of Dynein and for all ooplasmic flows. Interestingly, oocytes without Kinesin light chain show no major defects in these KHC-dependent processes, suggesting that KHC binds its cargoes and is activated by a novel mechanism. Here, we shed new light on the molecular mechanism of Kinesin function in the germline. Using a combination of genetic, biochemical and motor-tracking studies, we show that PAT1, an APP-binding protein, interacts with Kinesin-1, functions in the transport of oskar mRNA and Dynein and is required for the efficient motility of KHC along microtubules. This work suggests that the role of PAT1 in cargo transport in the cell is linked to PAT1 function as a positive regulator of Kinesin motility.
A two-step Notch-dependant mechanism controls the selection of the polar cell pair inDrosophilaoogenesis
Authors: Vachias Caroline , Couderc Jean-Louis , Grammont Muriel
Published: July 2010

Organisers control the patterning and growth of many tissues and organs. Correctly regulating the size of these organisers is crucial for proper differentiation to occur. Organiser activity in the epithelium of the Drosophila ovarian follicle resides in a pair of cells called polar cells. It is known that these two cells are selected from a cluster of equivalent cells. However, the mechanisms responsible for this selection are still unclear. Here, we present evidence that the selection of the two cells is not random but, by contrast, depends on an atypical two-step Notch-dependant mechanism. We show that this sequential process begins when one cell becomes refractory to Notch activation and is selected as the initial polar cell. This cell then produces a Delta signal that induces a high level of Notch activation in one other cell within the cluster. This Notch activity prevents elimination by apoptosis, allowing its selection as the second polar cell. Therefore, the mechanism used to select precisely two cells from among an equivalence group involves an inductive Delta signal that originates from one cell, itself unable to respond to Notch activation, and results in one other cell being selected to adopt the same fate. Given its properties, this two-step Notch-dependent mechanism represents a novel aspect of Notch action.
A New One-Dimensional Rate-Based Phenomenological Model to Describe the Non-Linear Behaviour of Piezoelectric Actuators for Real-Time Applications
Authors: Hoege M , Mock R , Magori E
Published: July 2010

In this paper, a new rate-based phenomenological model of piezoelectric actuators for real-time applications is developed. This compact theoretical approach employs the Arrhenius equation for chemical reaction kinetics in order to describe the non-linear effect of domain switching. It needs only nine model parameters to account for the complete non-linearity of a piezoelectric actuator as well as the dependence of its non-linear effect on the electric field, the mechanical stress, and the temperature. This general validity for a wide range of operation conditions, which is based on a simplified description of the real behaviour, is the optimum prerequisite for a technically inexpensive control loop strategy for fast piezoelectric actuators as they are employed in state-of-the-art gasoline and diesel injectors for combustion engines. Moreover, other interfering physical effects, such as ageing, which may cause an injector's dosing function to deteriorate severely can be tackled by making use of this approach in electronic control units. All this is possible because the extremely compact theoretical formulation with a compact set of parameters does not need access to complex characteristic diagrams so that the most essential requirements of an automotive control unit such as a minimum computation time and a modest requirement of storage space can be fulfilled.
Study on the combustion and emission characteristics of a diesel engine with multi-injection modes based on experimental investigation and computational fluid dynamics modelling
Authors: Shi X-Y , Qiao X-Q , Ni J-M , Zheng Y-Y , Ye N-Y
Published: July 2010

In this paper, experiments were carried out on a direct-injection diesel engine using a common-rail system, in order to study the effects of multi-injection modes on the combustion characteristics and pollutant emissions. A soot model was proposed for the post-injection mode, namely the Hiroyasu—Kodota averaged-reaction-rate soot model, which took into account both the chemical kinetics reaction and the turbulent mixing motion of the spray jet. Through integrating the revised soot model into a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, the combustion process and pollutants formation of the tested engine were simulated. The in-cylinder gas pressure and combustion heat release rate showed satisfactory agreement with measurements. The experimental data demonstrated that the pilot-injection mode was one of the most effective measures for reducing combustion noise. Meanwhile an optimum split-injection mode consisting of an appropriate pilot-injection fuel quantity combined with an optimal pilot-injection—main-injection interval could be achieved to decrease the nitrogen oxide (NO x) emission while not causing the particulate matter (PM) emission to deteriorate very much. Two innovative concepts of an active thermo-atmosphere and a passive inert atmosphere were presented from numerical simulation to discuss the effect of the pilot-injection mode on the combustion behaviour of the main injection. Regarding the post-injection mode, its prominent advantage was to decrease significantly the PM emission without an NO x emission penalty. Furthermore, by CFD modelling of the soot formation process, it can be observed that the turbulent mixing motion caused by the post-injection spray played a vital role in the soot oxidization process.
Experimental study of exhaust temperature variation in a homogeneous charge compression ignition engine
Authors: Shahbakhti M , Ghazimirsaied A , Koch C R
Published: July 2010

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines have low nitrogen oxide and particulate matter engine-out emissions but have higher unburned hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions than the conventional spark ignition (SI) and diesel engines do. Only for sufficiently high exhaust gas temperatures can an exhaust after-treatment be used; thus a low exhaust gas temperature in certain operating conditions can limit the operating range in HCCI engines. The influences of the engine conditions on the exhaust gas temperature in a single-cylinder experimental engine are investigated at 340 steady state operating points. The variation in the exhaust gas temperature is also studied under transient conditions and during mode switching between SI and HCCI combustion. For the conditions tested, a significant number of data have an exhaust gas temperature below 300°C which is below the light-off temperature of typical catalytic converters on the market. Three different categories of engine variables are recognized and classified by how the exhaust temperature is affected by changing that variable. The first category is defined as the primary variables (e.g. the intake pressure and the fuel octane number) for which the location of ignition timing is the dominant factor in influencing the exhaust temperature. The other groups include compounding variables such as the engine speed and opposing variables such as the intake temperature, the coolant temperature, and the equivalence ratio. In addition, experimental results show that the exhaust temperature for HCCI engines is not strongly dependent on the engine load, unlike that for SI engines where the engine load is a main factor in determining the exhaust temperature.
Solution agreement between dry contacts and lubrication system at ultra-low speed
Authors: Wang W-Z , Hu Y-Z , Liu Y-C , Zhu D
Published: July 2010

The Reynolds equation has been widely applied in lubrication analyses, but the extent and limit of its application have not been fully explored. Great efforts have been made so that the solution convergence speed and accuracy are significantly improved. However, while the working conditions are severe, such as extremely heavy load, low speed, and low viscosity due to temperature increase, the lubricant film thickness becomes very thin and surface contact may occur. As a consequence, the lubrication solution becomes difficult. Contact and thin-film or mixed lubrication under severe conditions are of great importance, as many components operate in such regimes. This article investigates the solution evolution of the Reynolds equation as the entraining velocity decreases, using the unified mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) model presented by Hu and Zhu. By comparing the ultra-low speed solution of the Reynolds equation with that of dry contact analysis, it is found that the solution of the Reynolds equation finally converges to those of the corresponding dry contact under otherwise the same operating conditions. The results manifest that with the unified solution approach the Reynolds equation system can be used to handle the situation of dry contact and mixed lubrication, in which both hydrodynamic lubrication and surface contact coexist.
New Heteroaromatic Azo Compounds Based on Pyridine, Isoxazole, and Benzothiazole for Efficient and Highly Selective Amidation and Mono-N-Benzylation of Amines under Mitsunobu Conditions
Authors: Iranpoor Nasser , Firouzabadi Habib , Khalili Dariush
Published: July 2010

4,4′-Azopyridine (2c) is used in conjunction with triphenylphosphine for the efficient conversion of carboxylic acids into amides via Mitsunobu reaction with primary and secondary aliphatic and aromatic amines. The highly selective amidation of only primary aromatic amines with new heterogeneous azo compounds based on benzothiazole 2d and isoxazole 2e is also described. These azo compounds 2c–2e can also be applied for selective mono-N-benzylation of primary aromatic amines. The solid side product heteroaromatic hydrazines obtained under the developed Mitsunobu conditions are easily separated by simple filtration and can be reoxidized to azo compounds for further use.
Quasiclassical Trajectory Calculations of the Isotope Effect: Chemical Stereodynamics for the H(D) + FCl (v = 0–3,j = 0–3) → HCl(DCl) + F Reactions
Authors: Peng Yanrong
Published: July 2010

A comparative quasiclassical trajectory study of the H + FCl (v = 0–3,j = 0–3) → HCl + F reaction and its isotope variant has been carried out to investigate the isotope effect from a chemical stereodynamics view point. Employing the recent DHTSN PES of the ground 12A′ electronic state [Deskevich et al., J. Chem. Phys.2006, 124, 224303], the present study calculated the angular distributions and the four polarization-dependent differential cross sections characterizing the vector correlations among the product angular momentum j′ and the reagent and the product initial relative velocities k and k′. The investigated collision energies are 20 and 40 kcal mol−1. The study revealed stronger product polarization behaviors in the heavier isotope variant which can be explained with the proposed impulse model for triatomic collision systems.
What Lures and Retains the International Creative-Class Family?: A Case Study of the Family Unit Found in Vancouver's Biotechnology Sector
Authors: Richardson Kathrine E.
Published: July 2010

This article argues that the notion of successful technology transfer is highly dependent on a region's ability to attract and retain star personnel to locations where global mobility is relatively common. Such regions also must provide professional as well as family-centered opportunities for the spouses of star personnel, if a globally mobile couple is to remain "in place" for an extended amount of time. One such region is the burgeoning world-class biotechnology sector found in Vancouver, British Columbia. Drawing upon the work of Richard Florida and Sir Peter Hall, this article explores the importance of recruiting efforts that move beyond attention on creative individuals to include his/her family. Based on the results from semi-structured interviews with executives, senior scientists, and human-resource managers at Vancouver-based biotechnology firms, this study finds that the primary factors that lured and retained international creative-class families (ICCFs) (both expatriate Canadian and foreign families) included, in particular, the availability of spousal work visas and professional employment options, as well as traditional livability attributes such as "family friendly" workplace policies, good public schools, access to affordable public universities, well-kept parks, a general feeling of public safety, and accessibility to outdoor activities. The decision to remain in Vancouver was usually made by the internationally highly skilled, biotechnology professional's spouse, as opposed to a unilateral decision made by the highly skilled (and seemingly highly mobile) biotechnology professional.
Knowledge, Culture, and Public Support for Renewable-Energy Policy
Authors: Pierce John C. , Steel Brent S. , Warner Rebecca L.
Published: July 2010

The September 2003 West Coast Governors' Global Warming Initiative launched a commitment to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions through a number of strategies, including a public outreach campaign. This strategy recognized that citizens are an important component to abating greenhouse-gas emissions, as well as important participants in the policy process. It thus becomes important to understand the public's environmental values and policy-relevant knowledge concerning energy, and the implications of these values and information for the adoption of renewable-energy policies. Using a survey of more than 1,500 citizens in Oregon, this article investigates the levels of energy-policy-relevant knowledge, information sources associated with higher levels of policy-relevant knowledge, and relationships among culture, knowledge, and support for renewable-energy policies. The findings show that: 1) citizens who are more knowledgeable about energy are also more supportive of adopting renewable-energy policies; 2) somewhat malleable situational factors are important predictors of knowledge; and 3) sources of information differ in their direct connection to knowledge. This article concludes that even while also considering trans-situational and cultural variables, public knowledge is a critical component of support for renewable-energy policy.
What Happened to the European Left?
Authors: Berman Sheri
Published: July 2010

The European Left stands today at a truly critical juncture. A shadow of its former and potential self, it has gone down in flames in recent elections largely because it has no coherent narrative of current problems or convincing plans for dealing with them. The center Right, on the other hand, has adopted enough of the old social democratic program to appear non-threatening to center and center-left voters; it also appears more competent and less divided than its leftist counterparts. Is it any wonder that it has emerged victorious in recent elections?
War, Economy, History: Politics by Other Media
Authors: Dickstein Morris
Published: July 2010

When Kathryn Bigelow's movie about the Iraq War, The Hurt Locker , swept the Academy Awards, it was a signal triumph for a plucky independent movie on a grave topical subject. Directed by a woman and made in Jordan without the usual cooperation from the Department of Defense, the movie was not released during awards rush at the end of the year but in the summer, ordinarily a time for mindless comedies and action films. Very much an action film itself, it reached out to a mass audience but did not find it, despite a sheaf of excellent reviews. In no way polemical, set in 2004 at a low point in the war, it was full of gripping life-and-death scenes that neither glorified the war as a scene of heroism nor condemned it for the political deception, wretched planning, and wanton loss of life that made those years so disastrous. Instead, like the best World War II movies, it focused on the tensions within a small group of men doing a dangerous but essential job.
Hate Crime Laws: Punishment to Fit the Crime: A response to Jesse Larner
Authors: Lieberman Michael
Published: July 2010

Jesse Larner sounds a shrill alarm in his broadside against hate crime laws ("Hate Crime/Thought Crime," Spring 2010), raising a variety of seemingly dire libertarian, First Amendment, and slippery-slope arguments. Yet, despite the fact that federal and state hate crime laws have been on the books for forty years, he fails to illustrate his parade of horribles with a single actual case to demonstrate the kind of "policing of mind and tongue" about which he frets. Larner recognizes that hate crimes are a "real problem" and asks many of the right questions about the purpose and application of these laws. But Larner's questions have been thoroughly examined—and answered—by police officials and prosecutors who have enforced them and by dozens of court decisions interpreting these laws. Larner is wrong about the impact of hate violence, the policy purposes of hate crime laws, and their constitutionality.
Literature and the Vietnam War
Authors: Walzer Judith B.
Published: July 2010

The books discussed here deal directly with wartime action. Other fiction deals with veterans and their suffering (Robert Stone's Dog Soldiers , National Book Award, 1975), the effects of the war on families (Bobbie Ann Mason's In Country , 1985), living and working in Vietnam before the war (Ward Just's A Dangerous Friend , 1999) and re-interpretations of our involvement (Denis Johnson's Tree of Smoke , National Book Award, 2007). They take account of a broader context and are not limited to the battlefield. If you are interested in how Vietnam was considered later on, they are important reading. Johnson's book, however, is a tricky one. Aimed at capturing the miasma of lies, half-truths, and fantasy in which the United States was mired, it creates puzzles within puzzles. Johnson is an accomplished writer, but it's difficult to penetrate the forest of "smoke." Writing about confusion should not itself be so confusing.
The Influence of High-Stakes Testing on High School Teachers' Willingness to Incorporate Current Political Events into the Curriculum
Authors: Journell Wayne
Published: July 2010

This paper describes the findings of a qualitative study of six government teachers from three diverse high schools in the Southwest Chicago suburbs during the 2008 Presidential Election. All of the teachers expressed a desire to cover the election in their classes; however, several experienced difficulty incorporating current events into their curriculum due to a perceived need to prepare their students for an end-of-course assessment that held graduation implications. Overall, the author found that the teachers fell into one of three groups with respect to their inclusion of current events within the curriculum: curriculum-first, disciplined-inclusion, and opportunity-first. The teachers who were categorized as curriculum-first and disciplined-inclusion appeared wary of devoting significant instructional time to the election because they were concerned their students may not perform well on the end-of-course test, a fear that appeared linked to their school's prior academic performance on high-stakes assessments and their perception of their students' academic abilities.
The Terrestrial Gospel of Kazantzakis: Inspiration for Saving the Earth
Authors: Maskaleris Thanasis
Published: July 2010

The terrestrial dimension in the work of Kazantzakis, crowned by the paeans he sang to the infinite beauty of the earth and to human life rooted in the soil, is as intensely depicted as his momentous struggle to achieve spiritual ascent. Scattered in his writings we find innumerable passages on the fundamental importance of the material realm, combined with his humanistic commitment to mankind's terrestrial habitat—to live and "flower" in it; and his spiritual growth, the ascent, is crucially linked with and depends on the material base. Such passages, often of surging lyricism and ritual adoration, can provide for us today, for our threatened planet, not only inspiration for ecological concern and action, but also an ethical base that could strengthen the panoplies for such action. A selection of the best of such passages from his vast work could become an eco-pulsing gospel to serve vitally our struggle for survival. Passages from several of his works demonstrate the significance of the Kazantzakian embrace of the earth and suggest how it can inspire and nurture committed ecological action, especially if combined with his principle of χρέος/ευθύνη (dutiful service/responsibility), the foundation of his ethical humanism.
"Between two Reigns": Incommensurability of Paradigms in Nikos Kazantzakis's Odyssey
Authors: Vouyouca Athena
Published: July 2010

Nikos Kazantzakis's The Odyssey can profitably be analyzed in terms of Thomas Kuhn's theory regarding the structure of scientific revolutions. Odysseus finds himself in a transitional period between a decaying cultural/civilizational paradigm and a new one he is inventing. He contributes to the destruction of the old paradigm, which represents Western civilization in decline, in order to replace it with his own new theory of the world and of human destiny inspired mainly by Henri Bergson's evolutionist philosophy as reinterpreted by Kazantzakis in his treatise , Askitiki, incommensurable with Western Kultur. Equally incompatible are the new terms used to formulate this vision. To Odysseus's followers, as well as to Kazantzakis's readers conditioned by the old paradigm, the new world-view is incomprehensible. An additional impediment for the readers is the author's almost unintelligible demotic form of Greek. Kazantzakis aspired to create a new cultural/civilizational paradigm, but he failed since his epic remained an individual affair not adopted by any larger community.
Why Should We Read Kazantzakis in the Twenty-first Century?: A Constructive (Rather than Deconstructive) Postmodern Response
Authors: Dombrowski Daniel A.
Published: July 2010

It is widely acknowledged that Friedrich Nietzsche and Henri Bergson are among the most important intellectual influences on Nikos Kazantzakis. To some extent these two influences are compatible. In other respects, however, these two influences are at odds with each other. This is due to the fact that Nietzsche exhibits a deconstructionist postmodernism that is quite different from the constructive postmodernism found in Bergson. It is Kazantzakis's dynamic, Bergsonian theism that is still instructive in the twenty-first century and scholars should be wary of both Nietzsche and the influence of Nietzsche on Kazantzakis. That is, both Bergson and Kazantzakis defend a naturalistic theism that provides a viable third way between traditional, supernatural theism, on the one hand, and reductionist, mechanistic, non-theistic naturalism on the other.
Kazantzakis's Cretan Glance and the Divine Flame
Authors: Anton John P.
Published: July 2010

For Nikos Kazantzakis, the Divine Flame, embedded in the struggle for freedom, issues forth through the virtue ανδρεία of the Cretan Glance. Tracing the various manifestations of the Glance as it struggles to subdue the fear of death to attain its completion has been one of Kazantzakis's dominant literary and ethical concerns. The Cretan Glance goes back to Kazantzakis's study of Nietzsche and finds its early expression as the quest for absolute freedom in his early novels. The struggle for freedom to reach its absoluteness was fittingly articulated in his manifesto , Spiritual Exercises, and found its embodiment as Odysseus and in The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel, both written in the 1930s. The conception of absolute freedom demanded the recasting of the classical view of courage as the highest expression of the glory of the Divine Flame, demanding in turn the denouncing of even the slightest dependence on any hope for deathlessness. This calls for a reconsideration of the meaning of the Divine Flame as discussed in Kazantzakis's Report to Greco and its implications for the potential convergence of East and West as it may affect a re-casting of the understanding of human freedom.
Rethinking Muslim and Christian Communities in Late Nineteenth Century Ottoman Crete: Insights from the Cretan Revolt of 1897
Authors: Şenişik Pinar
Published: July 2010

The fin-de siècle eastern Mediterranean witnessed profound political and socioeconomic transformations and changes. Within this context, negotiations and conflicts in Ottoman Crete are well worth considering, not only for understanding the dynamic relations between the Muslim and Christian communities of Crete, but also for insights into the larger themes of a region where Christianity, Islam, ancién regimes, and nation-states intersected and interacted. New information about the social and political transformation of Ottoman Crete within the broader context of the late nineteenth century eastern Mediterranean region can be gleaned from an examination of archival sources. In particular, new light can be shed on the Cretan revolt of 1897 which, contrary to the view of most scholarship to date, was not just a bid to unite the island with Greece, but rather an effort by local Cretan Christians aimed at transforming Cretan society into one in which Christians would be dominant.