bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Quantitative Effect of Diamond Grit Size on the Subsurface Damage Induced in Dental Adjustment of Porcelain Surfaces
Authors: Song X-F , Yin L
Published: May 2010

Diamond burs with different grit sizes are often applied to adjust ceramic prostheses in restorative dentistry. However, the quantitative influence of diamond grit size on subsurface damage in adjusting ceramic prostheses is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate and visualize the quantitative effect of diamond bur grit size on subsurface damage in dental adjusting of a feldspar prosthetic porcelain. Diamond burs with coarse (106—125 μm), medium (53—60 μm), and fine (10—20 μm) grit sizes were selected. Dental adjusting-induced subsurface damage was quantitatively investigated with the aid of finite element analysis (FEA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Significant differences in subsurface damage depth were found among the coarse, medium, and fine diamond burs (ANOVA, p < 0.05). Coarse diamond burs induced approximately 6—8 times deeper subsurface damage than fine burs. Diamond grit size is confirmed to be a controlling factor in determining the degree of subsurface damage. Subsurface damage depths also significantly increased with removal rate (ANOVA, p < 0.05). The correlation of the SEM-measured subsurface damage depths and the diamond grit sizes supports the FEA predictions. From a practical standpoint, dental porcelains should be adjusted using smaller diamond grit sizes with lower removal rates to minimize subsurface damage.
Using Statistical Deformable Models to Reconstruct Vocal Tract Shape from Magnetic Resonance Images
Authors: Vasconcelos M J M , Ventura S M Rua , Freitas D R S , Tavares J M R S
Published: May 2010

The mechanisms involved in speech production are complex and have thus been subject to growing attention by the scientific community. It has been demonstrated that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful means in the understanding of the morphology of the vocal tract. Over the last few years, statistical deformable models have been successfully used to identify and characterize bones and organs in medical images and point distribution models (PDMs) have gained particular relevance. In this work, the suitability of these models has been studied to characterize and further reconstruct the shape of the vocal tract in the articulation of Portuguese European (EP) speech sounds, one of the most spoken languages worldwide, with the aid of MR images. Therefore, a PDM has been built from a set of MR images acquired during the artificially sustained articulation of 25 EP speech sounds. Following this, the capacity of this statistical model to characterize the shape deformation of the vocal tract during the production of sounds was analysed. Next, the model was used to reconstruct five EP oral vowels and the EP fricative consonants. As far as a study on speech production is concerned, this study is considered to be the first approach to characterize and reconstruct the vocal tract shape from MR images by using PDMs. In addition, the findings achieved permit one to conclude that this modelling technique compels an enhanced understanding of the dynamic speech events involved in sustained articulations based on MRI, which are of particular interest for speech rehabilitation and simulation.
Transient Mixed Convection in a Two-Sided Lid-Driven Differentially Heated Square Cavity Utilizing Nanofluids
Authors: Das M K , Tiwari R K
Published: May 2010

Transient behaviour of mixed convection inside a two-sided lid-driven differentially heated square cavity filled with nanofluids is investigated numerically to gain insight into convective recirculation and flow processes evolved with time. A model is developed to analyse the behaviour of nanofluids taking into account the solid volume fraction (π). The transport equations are solved numerically using the finite volume approach and a SIMPLE algorithm on a non-staggered grid with deferred QUICK scheme. Comparisons with previously published work are performed and found to be in excellent agreement. The solution procedure is moved with small values of τ so that a transient behaviour can be captured. Richardson number, Ri = Gr/ Re2, a measure of relative importance of natural and forced convection modes on the heat transfer, is taken as 1 so that the phenomena of mixed convection can be understood effectively. Copper—water nanofluid is used with Pr = 6.2 and solid volume fraction π is varied as 0.0, 0.08, and 0.16. Detailed results are presented for streamline and isotherm patterns. A comparison of average Nusselt number shows that heat transfer is more in the case of π = 0.16. The present study focuses on the transient analysis of several parameters on the heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids within the enclosure.
A Hybrid Data Base: Quantum Chemistry Literature Data Base II—New Concept and New Methodology—
Authors: Takano Keiko , Koga Nobuaki , Matsushita Toshio , Hashimoto Kenro , Hosoya Haruo , Matsuzawa Hidenori , Nagashima Umpei , Nishikawa Takeshi , Wasada Hiroaki , Yamabe Shinichi , Tachikawa Masanori , Hada Masahiko
Published: May 2010

Quantum Chemistry Literature Data Base (QCLDB, http://qcldb2.ims.ac.jp) is a database of those papers published after 1978 which treat only ab initio calculations of atomic and molecular electronic structures. From about thirty core journals they are collected, surveyed, and given proper tags revealing the content and essence by theoretical and computational chemists. Those theoretical works even without reporting any computational results are also collected which are judged to have significant relevance to ab initio calculations, while no semiempirical calculations are included. QCLDB has been maintained by Quantum Chemistry Data Base Group (QCDBG). QCLDB provides information not only to chemists but also to both theoretical and experimental scientists, who want to know the state of the art theoretical aspects of chemical substances and materials. Although the last version, “QCLDB I,” has been sustained and utilized steadily for almost a quarter century up to the end of 20th century, new circumstances related to the internet facility imposed re-construction of QCLDB I on QCDBG. A policy of the academic database of references has been established. The policy emphasizes that there should be a balance between data collection as research itself and utility for users. According to the policy, an unprecedented hybrid and highly academic database, QCLDB II, has been constructed and is open to all scientists via the work site.
Dynamic Programming-Based Column Generation on Time-Expanded Networks: Application to the Dial-a-Flight Problem
Authors: Engineer Faramroze G. , Nemhauser George L. , Savelsbergh Martin W. P.
Published: May 2010

We present a relaxation-based dynamic programming algorithm for solving resource-constrained shortest-path problems (RCSPPs) in the context of column generation for the dial-a-flight problem. The resulting network formulation and pricing problem require solving RCSPPs on extremely large time-expanded networks having a huge number of local resource constraints, i.e., constraints that apply to small subnetworks. The relaxation-based dynamic programming algorithm alternates between a forward and a backward search. Each search employs bounds derived in the previous search to prune the search space. Between consecutive searches, the relaxation is tightened using a set of critical resources and a set of critical arcs over which these resources are consumed. As a result, a relatively small state space is maintained, and many paths can be pruned while guaranteeing that an optimal path is ultimately found.
Combining Constraint Programming and Local Search for Job-Shop Scheduling
Authors: Beck J. Christopher , Feng T. K. , Watson Jean-Paul
Published: May 2010

Since their introduction, local search algorithms have consistently represented the state of the art in solution techniques for the classical job-shop scheduling problem. This dominance is despite the availability of powerful search and inference techniques for scheduling problems developed by the constraint programming community. In this paper, we introduce a simple hybrid algorithm for job-shop scheduling that leverages both the fast, broad search capabilities of modern tabu search algorithms and the scheduling-specific inference capabilities of constraint programming. The hybrid algorithm significantly improves the performance of a state-of-the-art tabu search algorithm for the job-shop problem and represents the first instance in which a constraint programming algorithm obtains performance competitive with the best local search algorithms. Furthermore, the variability in solution quality obtained by the hybrid is significantly lower than that of pure local search algorithms. Beyond performance demonstration, we perform a series of experiments that provide insights into the roles of the two component algorithms in the overall performance of the hybrid.
Human immunodeficiency virus-infection induces major changes in high-density lipoprotein particle size distribution and composition: the effect of antiretroviral treatment and disease severity
Authors: Aragonès Gerard , Beltrán-Debón Raúl , Rull Anna , Rodríguez-Sanabria Fernando , Fernández-Sender Laura , Camps Jordi , Joven Jorge , Alonso-Villaverde Carlos
Published: May 2010

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with abnormal high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles. We evaluated whether HIV infection and antiretroviral treatment promotes changes in cholesterol distribution among subpopulations of HDL particles of defined sizes.

Methods: HDL particles were isolated from 78 HIV infected patients and fractionated by gel permeation chromatography to obtain five subpopulations. Thirty-six patients were antiretroviral treatment naïve, while 42 patients were treated with efavirenz or protease inhibitors. Uninfected individuals were also included as controls.

Results: The distribution of cholesterol across HDL particle sizes was affected by HIV infection itself. Antiretroviral therapy reduced these alterations; only minor changes in small and very small HDL particles were observed in treated patients (p=0.01). Untreated patients with low CD4+ T cell counts had less cholesterol in medium (p=0.006), small (p=0.04) and very small (p=0.03) HDL particles. Treated patients with high CD4+ T cell counts had less cholesterol in the largest HDL particles (p=0.04), with overall particle distributions resembling those observed in uninfected participants.

Conclusions: HIV infection itself may promote major changes in cholesterol distribution among HDL subpopulations that could be partially attenuated by current antiretroviral treatments. Further studies in larger populations are necessary to confirm the impact of HIV on lipoprotein composition and distribution.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:1147–52.
A less sensitive detector does not necessarily result in a less sensitive method: fast quantification of 13 antiretroviral analytes in plasma with liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: ter Heine Rob , Rosing Hilde , Beijnen Jos H. , Huitema Alwin D.R.
Published: May 2010

Background: We previously developed a method for the simultaneous determination of the human immunodeficiency protease inhibitors: amprenavir, atazanavir, darunavir, indinavir, lopinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir and tipranavir, the active nelfinavir metabolite M8 the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors efavirenz, nevirapine and etravirine and the internal standards dibenzepine, 13C6-efavirenz, D5-saquinavir and D6-indinavir in plasma using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry with a Sciex API3000 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer and an analytical run time of only 10 min. We report the transfer of this method from the API3000 to a supposedly less sensitive Sciex API365 mass spectrometer.

Methods: We describe the steps that were undertaken to optimize the sensitivity and validation of the method that we transferred.

Results and Conclusions: We showed that transfer of a method to a putative less sensitive detector did not necessarily result in a less sensitive assay, and this method can be applied in laboratories where older mass spectrometers are available. Ultimately, the performance of the method was validated. Accuracy and precision was within 87%–110% and <13%, respectively. No notable loss in selectivity was observed.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:1153–5.
Pregnancy and pituitary disorders
Authors: Karaca Z , Tanriverdi F , Unluhizarci K , Kelestimur F
Published: May 2010

The authors sincerely apologise for errors in Table 3 of their paper titled above published in the journal, volume 162, number 3, pages 453–475. The errors occur in the data presented for the study by Musolino & Bronstein 2001 (and not Musolino et al. 2001 as published). The table with the correct data is published in full below:
Sharing Language
Authors: Ben-Herut Gil
Published: May 2010

This paper explores different philosophical approaches of Buddhists and Brahmanical thinkers during the first millennium, all of which revolve around the problem of assumed correlation between language and reality; i.e., the problems and ramifications that arise when we suppose that there is a correlation between language and reality. In this paper, I show that the indirect discussion between these thinkers greatly contributed to the developments of each distinct system of thought not only because of the explicit and obvious controversies between them but also because of the tacit agreements and latent counterinfluences that redefined and reshaped some aspects of theories of these thinkers. More concretely, I assert that Nagarjuna’s use of language as a powerful tool to negate any ultimate existence of reality influenced considerably the completely opposite assertion made few centuries later by Bhartrhari. In continuance to this notion, I assert that Bhartrhari, in his turn, greatly contributed to the seminal epistemological explorations made by the Yogacara School’s thinker Dharmakirti. While these thinkers explicitly refute their opponent’s presuppositions and assertions, they simultaneously (and implicitly) also adopt some of their opponent’s argumentation and strategies to further develop their own assertions. To a certain extent, this paper is structured as a response to the work of Johannes Bronkhorst, who illustrated how some assertions that appear in Bhartrhari’s seminal Vakyapadiya can be understood as directly influenced by Nagarjuna’s assertions on the emptiness of language. Here, I hope to demonstrate, continuing the work of Bronkhorst, how Bhartrhari, in his turn, might have influenced some thinkers of the Yogacara School, chief among them Dharmakirti. This paper serves as a positive echoing to the relatively minute scholarly effort to discuss similarities between philosophical rivals from classic India, as opposed to the general emphasis on doctrinal contestations.
Text and Authority in the Older Upanisads, by Signe Cohen
Authors: Proferres Theodore N.
Published: May 2010

Text and Authority in the Older Upanisads, by Signe Cohen. Brill’s Indological Library, vol. 30. Leiden/Boston: Brill: 2008. 320 pp. £89/$132. ISBN 978-9-0041-6777-3 (hb).
Rivals and Benefactors
Authors: Black Brian
Published: May 2010

This paper will examine the portrayal of Brahmins in the Ambattha, Sonadanda, and Kutadanta Suttas. As I will argue, the Brahmin characters in these suttas emerge as complexly ambivalent figures who are depicted, simultaneously, as competitors for royal patronage and as potential benefactors. Considering Brahmin characters in this way, I hope to offer some fresh insights into the teachings of these texts and into the imagined audiences of the composers.
The Two Faces of Deva
Authors: Nichols Michael
Published: May 2010

In this paper, I demonstrate how a comparison of the portrayals of Brahmadevas with the figure of Mara in Buddhist Pali texts can tell us a great deal about Indian Buddhist sociology that has been overlooked previously. This coordination of Brahma and Mara clearly serves to hierarchize human Brahmins as either potential allies in religious practice or demonic impediments, showing a direct link between Buddhist mythic narrative and conceptualizations of social categories. This paper demonstrates how attention to connections between mythic narrative and social interaction sheds light on the complexities of Indian Buddhist attitudes toward their Brahmanical competitors.
Recontextualizing Satire of Brahmanical Dharmasastra in the Aggañña Sutta
Authors: Hiltebeitel Alf
Published: May 2010

This article takes up passages that allow for comparison of Buddhist and Brahmanical ‘law’ in dharmasastra (including the early dharmasutras) and Vinaya. The discussion of Vinaya draws on Steven Collins’s demonstration of Vinaya allusions in the Aggañña Sutta. The article revisits the advocacy for a pre-Mauryan dating of this sutta, arguing that it is unlikely. It proposes that we redirect discussions of the Aggañña Sutta’s satiric and humorous allusions to Brahmanical law and practices to focus on the moment that involves the building of houses. And, taking this sutta to refer to written ‘books’, it challenges scholarly insistence on its orality.
Future Directions in Neuropathic Pain Therapy: Closing the Translational Loop
Authors: Backonja Miroslav , Woolf Clifford J.
Published: May 2010

In the majority of patients, existing therapies for neuropathic pain are far from effective. Furthermore, all current treatments are symptomatic rather than disease-modifying or curative. A range of therapeutic modalities is emerging, targeting a variety of mechanisms, but choosing the best target and evaluating the resulting therapies against the many types of neuropathic pain disorders is not an easy task. In this article, we suggest a shift in emphasis of the drug discovery paradigm toward unbiased evaluation of the particular neurobiological mechanisms contributing to neuropathic pain in individual patients. Genomewide association studies and other discovery science approaches to identify significant novel targets should be given priority as should the development of increasingly sophisticated tools for measuring and categorizing neuropathic pain.
ICE publishes new health and safety manual
Authors: McAleenan Ciaran , Oloke David
Published: May 2010

ICE is about to publish a new and comprehensive manual on construction health and safety. Editors Ciaran McAleenan of Expert Ease International and David Oloke of Wolverhampton University report.
Burj Khalifa – a new high for high-performance concrete
Authors: Aldred James
Published: May 2010

The world's tallest structure – the 828 m high Burj Khalifa building in Dubai – has set a new benchmark for engineering super-tall buildings. In particular, it significantly raised the bar for high-performance-concrete construction, with its massive reinforced-concrete core and wings extending nearly 600 m above ground level. This paper describes the how the extreme concreting challenges were overcome on the project, including successfully pumping and placing high-performance concrete to unprecedented heights as well as preventing excessive cracking and shrinkage in the hot and arid conditions. Practical advice is provided for future projects.
The design of ship-to-shore linkspans for ro-ro terminals
Authors: Osborn Stephen
Published: May 2010

This paper is a broad introduction to the issues facing designers of ship-to-shore linkspans for roll-on-roll-off ferry terminals, including mechanically lifted, pontoon, semi-submersible and integral tank types, outlining some key problems associated with each type. It discusses the development of design guidance since the 1994 ramsgate walkway collapse, leading to the publication of BS 6349-8 in the UK in 2007 with guidance on lifting equipment, transition geometry and loadings. Ship damage and wave action on linkspans are also discussed.
The impact of navigation channels on berth protection
Authors: Grey Stephen , Cruickshank Ian , Beresford Paul , Tozer Nigel
Published: May 2010

Many new port and terminal developments require long, deep navigation channels through shallow water to allow access. Such channels can have a significant effect on the propagation of waves and it is important to consider this at an early design stage to minimise wave disturbance at berths. This paper reviews the hydrodynamic processes involved and presents examples where the orientation of navigation channels can be beneficial or detrimental. Some innovative ways to reduce waves through the optimisation of channel alignment and dredged-area design are described.
Climate change impacts on pressurised irrigation systems
Authors: Daccache A. , Lamaddalena N.
Published: May 2010

Investment in collective pressurised irrigation infrastructure has played a major role in intensifying agricultural production in southern Italy, with positive impacts on the rural economy and sustainability of livelihoods. However, due to observed climate trends and intensified agricultural practices, this region has been identified as being most susceptible to desertification in Europe. This work uses a case study to assess agronomic impacts of climate change on crop water demand and engineering impacts on the performance and sustainability of existing irrigation infrastructure to meet peak demands. Outputs from a general circulation model for selected Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emission scenarios were downscaled and applied to baseline climatology. A water balance model was used to assess changes in irrigation water requirements and hydraulic modelling was then used to assess the impacts of engineering design on the future sustainability of the system's performance. The results indicate that climate changes will increase the number of failing hydrants up to 54–60%. Furthermore, system costs will increase by 20–27% when designed according to the future irrigation demand. Water managers, farmers and agribusinesses need to develop adaptation strategies to cope with changes in future water reliability. The paper also discusses the implications of alternative options such as the use of low-energy systems, improving irrigation efficiency, switching to deficit irrigation and changing cropping patterns.
Effects of spatial variability on soil liquefaction: some design recommendations
Authors: Popescu R. , Prevost J. H. , Deodatis G.
Published: May 2010

The effects of spatial variability of soil properties on the behaviour of saturated soil deposits subjected to seismic excitation are analysed, and their implications for geotechnical design are discussed. A Monte Carlo simulation methodology, combining digital generation of non-Gaussian stochastic vector fields with dynamic, nonlinear finite element analyses, is used for that purpose. The proposed procedure is applied to assess the soil liquefaction potential, which is found to be considerably affected by the inherent spatial variability of soil properties. Parametric studies, involving the degree of soil liquefaction and the frequency content of the seismic input, are performed. Finally, a characteristic percentile value of soil strength, which will predict a response equivalent to that provided by the more expensive Monte Carlo simulations, is proposed for use in deterministic design.
Producing a programme under the NEC form of contract
Authors: Hide Glenn
Published: May 2010

The NEC suite of contracts puts far greater contractual requirements upon the contractor to produce and manage a detailed programme than other forms of contract currently in existence within the construction industry. The contract requires this programme to be regularly updated and resubmitted for acceptance by the project manager (who acts on behalf of the employer), thus becoming the new accepted programme under the contract, superseding any previously accepted programmes. When administered properly, this should lead to both parties having a clear understanding of how the contractor plans to carry out the works in accordance with the works information and any associated liabilities in relation to the movement of the completion milestones. This paper will give an overview of the considerations required to create a programme under the NEC Engineering and Construction Contract (the most commonly used contract within the NEC suite) and offer some advice as to how section 3 (time) of the contract should be interpreted and managed efficiently to the benefit of both parties.
Spatial and temporal correlations of wind speeds
Authors: Quinn A. D. , Baker C. J.
Published: May 2010

Information on the relationship of wind speeds at different locations is required for a number of applications ranging from the study of pedestrian level wind to early warning systems of high winds for transport. A series of experiments were carried out over a 3-month period at eight sites to determine the wind conditions along a 120 km length of the West Coast Main Line railway in northern England and southern Scotland. Additional data from two synoptic meteorological stations in the area were used for comparison. The wind conditions at these sites are governed by large-scale synoptic depressions. Single and multiple point analysis of the data shows that the wind speeds are well correlated only over time periods of the order of 3 or 4 days – that is, on the time scale of the depressions. For short-term hourly mean measurements, high correlations are obtained only for sites that are less than about 5 km apart. This has implications for the siting of anemometry for warning systems over large areas. A method is presented for the determination of the Weibull parameters for the parent wind speed distribution at a particular site by combining short-term wind measurements and long-term meteorological station data.
Control of wind oscillations of Rio-Niterói bridge, Brazil
Authors: Battista R. C. , Pfeil M. S.
Published: May 2010

Cross-winds of relatively low velocities have been observed over the years to cause large amplitude vortex-induced oscillations of the Rio-Niterói bridge, the world's largest steel twin-box-girder bridge. These oscillations, which were recorded by the automatic long-term monitoring system and by video cameras installed on the bridge, revealed the existence of the lock-in phenomenon and hence the urgent need to attenuate the aeroelastic oscillations. To this end, a novel system of multiple synchronised dynamic attenuators has been installed in the central span of the bridge. A short account is given of how an experimentally calibrated mathematical–numerical model for the aeroelastic behaviour was used to assist in designing feasible mechanical control devices to upgrade the serviceability of this bridge and users' comfort. The conceptual design of the passive control system, together with its main geometric and physical characteristics, are briefly described herein. The efficiency of the control system is demonstrated through comparisons of numerical results obtained for time responses of the original and the controlled structure, and its good performance has been experimentally observed in the actual bridge.
Road user charging in rural areas: Upper Derwent valley, UK
Authors: Thomopoulos N. , Takama T.
Published: May 2010

Road user charging in urban areas and highways has been studied and implemented in several places worldwide. However, limited attention has been given so far to the impacts of a local road user charging scheme for rural or other protected areas, particularly in the UK. The focus of this paper is the road user charging scheme, which has been proposed for implementation in the Upper Derwent valley of the Peak District national park. By applying both quantitative and qualitative methods it is shown that such schemes share considerable differences compared to other urban or highway schemes, such as diverse objectives, trip purposes, visitors' value of time and dispersion of traffic in neighbouring areas. Nonetheless, management of a rural scheme, the evaluation method used, as well as equity issues appear to be equally significant as in other urban or highway schemes. The conclusion is that a road user charging scheme in the Upper Derwent valley could bring positive impacts by reducing high car usage at peak periods and creating additional revenue to serve essential improvements in the area, but is sensitive to the income and age of the visitors.
Willingness to pay for water on the Guyana east coast
Authors: Peters E. J. , Mohamed Z.
Published: May 2010

Improvements in the water supply and wastewater sectors in Guyana are recognised as being critical to poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth. Such improvements, however, cannot be effected without the water utility companies maximising cost recovery which requires a high level of willingness to pay on the part of consumers. This research was carried out on the east coast of Guyana to establish households' willingness to pay for water supply improvements. A questionnaire was used to collect data on several socio-economic variables, water supply status, utility payment preferences and willingness to pay. Using probit statistical techniques, willingness-to-pay values were estimated. The results of this study are consistent with others, that show that household income, level of education, employment status of the head of the household and level of consumers' awareness are the principal factors influencing willingness to pay for services. The results also show that the demand is inelastic and that the numerical value of price elasticity (−0·85) is close to one which may be due to the current wide use of the rainwater harvesting substitute. It is recommended that Guyana Water Incorporated consider the results of this study in its policy formulation for improving its services.
Foreign Competition, Multinational Firms, and One-Sided Wage Rigidity
Authors: Braun Sebastian
Published: May 2010

The paper studies the effects of a one-sided minimum wage in a two-country model of intra-industry trade, in which multinational firms arise endogenously. With positive levels of intra-industry trade the adverse employment and welfare effects of an asymmetric minimum wage are significantly larger than in a non-trading economy. Multinational firms generally mitigate the effect somewhat. Even though factor prices are not equalized across countries, a (binding) wage floor in one country will prop up wages in the other. The flexible-wage country is insulated from shocks caused by factor accumulation in the rigid-wage country, while an increase in the labor supply of the latter economy may have profound impacts on labor market outcomes in both countries.
How Islamic are Islamic Countries?
Authors: Rehman Scheherazade S. , Askari Hossein
Published: May 2010

In the post 9/11 era, there is growing interest in the complex relationship between religion, economics, finance, politics, law, and social behavior. This has brought with it a disagreement on how to investigate the impact of religiosity, whether religion affects the economic, political, and social outlook of countries or whether these factors affect religiosity? In other words, should religion be viewed as a dependent or an independent variable? In this paper we ask what we believe to be the precursor question to such linkages, namely, do self-declared Islamic countries, as attested by membership in the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference), embrace policies that are founded on Islamic teachings? We believe that only once this question is addressed can one begin to estimate how Islam adherence to Islam may affect economic, political and social behavior. In the first part of the paper we present what we believe should be the characteristics and scaffolding of an “Islamic" country. We base our depiction on the Quran, and the life, practices and sayings of the Prophet Mohammad -- the two principal channels that provide Muslims with the road map. In the second part, we develop an index to measure the “Islamicity" of Islamic and non-Islamic countries. This IslamicityIndex (or I2) measures 208 countries adherence to Islamic principles using four sub-indices related to economics, legal and governance, human and political rights, and international relations.
Intra-Industry Specialization in United States-Mexico Trade
Authors: Clark Don P.
Published: May 2010

This paper uses changes in intra-industry specialization indicators to assess factor adjustment pressures that may have been experienced by U.S. industries as a result of growth in U.S.-Mexico trade over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) implementation period. Many industries experienced large increases in intra-industry trade. Few U.S. industries were candidates for significant factor adjustment pressures. Industries facing adjustment pressures accounted for nineteen percent of total U.S. imports from Mexico. Findings should lessen opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement and future regional integration initiatives in the Western Hemisphere by easing fears that jobs will disappear.
Who Benefits from the Earned Income Tax Credit? Incidence among Recipients, Coworkers and Firms
Authors: Leigh Andrew
Published: May 2010

How are hourly wages affected by the Earned Income Tax Credit? Using variation in state EITC supplements, I find that a 10 percent increase in the generosity of the EITC is associated with a 5 percent fall in the wages of high school dropouts and a 2 percent fall in the wages of those with only a high school diploma, while having no effect on the wages of college graduates. Given the large increase in labor supply induced by the EITC, this is consistent with most reasonable estimates of the elasticity of labor demand. Although workers with children receive a much larger EITC than childless workers, and the effect of the credit on labor force participation is larger for those with children, the hourly wages of both groups are similarly affected by an EITC increase. As a check on this strategy, I also use federal variation in the EITC across gender-age-education groups, and find that those demographic groups that received the largest EITC increases also experienced a drop in their hourly wages, relative to other groups.
Bad Government Can Be Good Politics: Political Reputation, Negative Campaigning, and Strategic Shirking
Authors: Fletcher Deborah , Slutsky Steven
Published: May 2010

We develop a model of a contest between two political candidates who may care about their reputations separately from how they affect the election outcome. In the game's first stage, each candidate chooses to maintain his maximum reputation or to shirk to lower it. In the second stage, candidates undertake positive or negative campaigns. We allow the magnitudes of reputational effects of positive and negative campaigns, and the relative importance candidates place on reputation and winning, to vary. Under many parameter values, candidates shirk in order to either decrease negative campaigning in the second stage or to increase their probability of winning the election. This result persists even when some of the main assumptions of the model are relaxed.
Sketching Further: A Comment on Tomasini's "What Is Bioethics: Notes toward a New Approach?"
Authors: Neuvonen Markus
Published: May 2010

The paper discusses Dr. Floris Tomasini's paper What Is Bioethics: Notes toward a New Approach?. Based on Tomasini's account of methodological and ethical pluralism, the paper explores the demarcation problem of bioethics and suggests a full methodological laissez-faire.
Exact quantization formula for affine linearly energy-dependent potentials
Authors: Schulze-Halberg Axel
Published: May 2010

We construct an exact quantization formula for Schrödinger equations with potentials thatdepend affine linearly on the energy, that is, they contain a term linear in the energy plus an energy-independent term. If such an energy-dependent potential admits a discrete spectrum and its ground state solution is known, our formula predicts the complete energy spectrum in exact form.
Serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels in subclinical hypothyroid women
Authors: Balci Huriye , Erdem Tijen , Ugurlu Serdal , Yetkin Demet , Murat Bolayirli I. , Hacibekiroglu Munire , Tasan Ertugrul
Published: May 2010

Thyroid status is known to influence growth in mammals. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible relationship between autoimmune subclinical hypothyroidism and growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3(IGFBP-3) levels. Thirty-five women with autoimmune subclinical hypothyroidism, 33 years of age, were used as controls and enrolled in the study. Free triiodothyronin (FT3), free thyroxin(FT4), thyrotropin(TSH), anti-thyroid peroxidase(Anti-TPO), anti-thyroglobuline(Anti-Tg), GH, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels were measured in blood samples and correlations among these parameters were evaluated. We found no significant differences in GH, IGF-1 or IGFBP-3 between patients and controls. In patients and controls, there were no correlations among thyroid hormones and IGF-1 or IGFBP-3 levels, but GH levels were correlated with FT3, FT4 and TSH only in patients’ group. In controls, only IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels were correlated. The present study suggests that subclinical hypothyroidism with high TSH and antibody status does not affect IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels in adult women. To our knowledge, this is the first study concerning the relationship between autoimmune subclinical hypothyroidism and IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels.
Infant Nutrition in Saskatoon: Barriers to Infant Food Security
Authors: Partyka Brendine , Whiting Susan , Grunerud Deanna , Archibald Karen , Quennell Kara
Published: May 2010

Purpose: We explored infant nutrition in Saskatoon by assessing current accessibility to all forms of infant nourishment, investigating challenges in terms of access to infant nutrition, and determining the use and effectiveness of infant nutrition programs and services. We also examined recommendations to improve infant food security in Saskatoon.

Methods: Semi-structured community focus groups and stakeholder interviews were conducted between June 2006 and August 2006. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes related to infant feeding practices and barriers, as well as recommendations to improve infant food security in Saskatoon.

Results:Our study showed that infant food security is a concern among lower-income families in Saskatoon. Barriers that limited breastfeeding sustainability or nourishing infants through other means included knowledge of feeding practices, lack of breastfeeding support, access and affordability of infant formula, transportation, and poverty.

Conclusions: Infant nutrition and food security should be improved by expanding education and programming opportunities, increasing breastfeeding support, and identifying acceptable ways to provide emergency formula. If infant food security is to be addressed successfully, discussion and change must occur in social policy and family food security contexts.
Efficient Synthesis of Ionic Liquid-Supported [Bis(Trifluoroacetoxy)Iodo] Benzene
Authors: Zhang Jizhen , Jin Guangyu , Qiu Tao , Wang Yazhen , Kuang Hua
Published: May 2010

Ionic liquid-supported [bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodo]benzene, a useful chemical reagent for organic synthesis, was synthesised in high yields using three different methods. The product was found to be stable in air and in a high humid atmosphere over a few weeks. The chemical structure of the product was characterised by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 19F NMR, IR, MS and elemental analysis.
Organotin Compounds in Technology and Industry
Authors: Davies Alwyn G.
Published: May 2010

Organotin compounds find a bigger range of technological and industrial applications than the organic compounds of any other metal. Many of these applications involve catalysis or anticatalysis, often in polymer chemistry, and they have an importance out of all proportion to the tonnage of tin which is used. This article reviews the present standing of the non-biological applications of organostannanes, with an emphasis on the mechanisms of the reactions which are involved.
L-Proline Triflate as an Efficient and Reusable Catalyst for the One-Pot Synthesis of 2,4,5-Trisubstituted Imidazoles and 1,2,4,5-Tetrasubstituted Imidazoles
Authors: Li Jianjun , Lin Shouwang , Dai Jiajia , Su Weike
Published: May 2010

L-Proline triflate has been used as an efficient catalyst for an improved and rapid one-pot synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted and 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles in good yields. The benefit of this approach is its operational simplicity and the catalyst can be easily recovered and reused without any loss of activity.
Rapid and Facile Synthesis of Spiro[Indole-3,3′-[1,2,4]Triazol]-2(1H)-Ones
Authors: Mohamed Ashraf M. , Alsharari Musaed A. , Aly Ashraf A.
Published: May 2010

Various 4′-aryl-5′-phenyl-2′,4′-dihydrospiro[indole-3,3′-[1,2,4]triazol]-2(1H)-ones have been synthesised by reaction of amidrazones with 2-(2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)malononitrile.
Facile Synthesis of 2,2-Bis(1 H-Indol-3-yl)Acenaphthen-1(2H)-One Derivatives Catalysed by Ceric Ammonium Nitrate
Authors: Feng Guo-Liang
Published: May 2010

Ceric ammonium nitrate efficiently catalyses the reaction of acenaphthenequinone with indoles afforded symmetrical 2,2-bis(1H-indol-3-yl)acenaphthen-1(2H)-one in excellent yields within 2h under ethanol refluxing, as well as 2-hydroxy-2-indolylacenaphthen-1(2H)-one with indoles afforded the corresponding unsymmetrical 2,2-bis(1H-indol-3-yl)acenaphthen-1(2H)-one. This provides an efficient route to the synthesis of symmetrical and unsymmetrical 2,2-bis(1H-indol-3-yl)acenaphthen-1(2H)-one derivatives.
Reduction of Nitrosobenzenes to Azoarenes with Smi2
Authors: Ye Wei , Ding Wenbo , Hu Zhang , Yu Yongping , Zou Hongbin
Published: May 2010

A novel method was developed to synthesise azoarenes from nitrosobenzenes under mild conditions. Samarium (II) iodine was used to achieve the N–N coupling. The method also provides evidence for the proposed mechanism involved in the reduction of nitro compounds to the amines with SmI2.
A New Dual Chromo- and Fluorogenic Chemosensor for Fe3+ in Aqueous Solution
Authors: Tang Lijun , Li Ye , Qian Jianhua
Published: May 2010

A new rhodamine-based chemosensor 2, which shows a reversible dual fluorogenic and chromo-response to Fe3+ in MeOH-HEPES buffer (10 mM, pH 7.4) (3:1 v/v), has been developed. The free solution of 2 is colourless and nonfluo-rescent which changes to pink with a strong fluorescence in the presence of Fe3+. Other metal ions (Hg2+, Ag+, Pb2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, Cd2+, Ni2+, Co2+, Fe2+, Mn2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Ce3+, Cr3+, Mg2+, K+ and Na+) had no significant effect.
Otherwise than Ontology: Derrida, Levinas, Heidegger
Authors: Hodge Joanna
Published: May 2010

In the interview conducted with Giovanna Borradori, after the attack on the World Trade Centre, in September 2001, Jacques Derrida is pressed to specify connections between his own thinking, Heidegger's deployment of the term ‘event’, and the use of the term ‘event’ to pick out the unprecedented character of that attack. Derrida intimates that the attack is, perhaps, not as unprecedented, not the ‘wholly other’ which it has been framed as being. His reading of that event is to move it from a naive status, as ‘wholly other’, to a philosophically inflected thinking of the political, in the mode of the ‘wholly otherwise’, that is, in a sense to be made out here, whereby politics takes precedence over physics, as the originator of the basic components to be thought, and whereby the future takes precedence over the past, as the site at which what is arrives. The principal aim of this article is to consider how to think this counter-factual ontology, in the mode of a future anteriority.

The article will set out Heidegger's move from affirming a fundamental ontology, of Dasein, to an ontology in parentheses (vom Ereignis) but will show how both of these are objectionable, on different counts, to Derrida and to Levinas. Derrida explores the options of supplementing an inadmissible thetic stance, with respect to the future, and therefore with respect to what there is, by developing the notion of the prosthetic, that which stands in for the impossible, timelessly asserted thesis. Levinas invents a new mode of phenomenology which opens a route into this ‘wholly otherwise’. These two strands of enquiry contribute to an analysis displacing these versions of ontology, in favour of a reformulation of political ontology. A subsidiary aim is to clarify Derrida's reservations with respect to the Heideggerian notion of the event. These reservations about Heidegger's usage throw light on his reluctance to deploy the term, within an analysis of the destruction of the World Trade Centre.
Anachronistic Reading
Authors: Hillis Miller J.
Published: May 2010

A poem encrypts, though not predictably, the effects it may have when at some future moment, in another context, it happens to be read and inscribed in a new situation, in ‘an interpretation that transforms the very thing it interprets’, as Jacques Derrida puts it in Specters of Marx. In Wallace Stevens's ‘The Man on the Dump’ (1942), we are told: ‘The dump is full/Of images’. The poem's movement is itself a complex temporal to and fro that aims to repudiate and even annihilate these images. This renunciation leaves the man on the dump ‘The Latest Freed Man’, as the title of another Stevens poem puts it. Like Walter Benjamin's Angel of History, he has his back toward history and has rejected its images in ‘disgust’ in order to face toward a future that will, he hopes, be purified of ideology. Yet Stevens knows that more such images will come and will need in their turn to be rejected and junked, in an endless task of purification. In a now impossibly outdated way, Stevens nevertheless wanted the poet – that is, himself, the man on the dump – to be the begetter of a new ideology, or a new fiction that would, in a powerful speech act, replace all those outworn images on the dump.

In the context of potentially catastrophic climate change (as the result of something like a global auto-immune disorder), the second part of the essay complements this commentary on the poem with a free reading; a performative reading, reading as work or as oeuvre that does something with words, for which Jacques Derrida calls. This reading sees Stevens's text as somehow the proleptic foretelling of a present situation. Such future chiming is also, it is argued, a sign to sign relation, an anticipatory allegory or prophecy, or, perhaps, a miniature apocalypse in the etymological sense of an enigmatic unveiling of what has not yet happened.
C and N stable isotope signatures reveal constraints to nutritional modes in orchids from the Mediterranean and Macaronesia
Authors: Liebel Heiko T. , Bidartondo Martin I. , Preiss Katja , Segreto Rossana , Stöckel Marcus , Rodda Michele , Gebauer Gerhard
Published: May 2010

We compared the nutritional modes and habitats of orchids (e.g., autotrophic, partially or fully mycoheterotrophic) of the Mediterranean region and adjacent islands of Macaronesia. We hypothesized that ecological factors (e.g., relative light availability, surrounding vegetation) determine the nutritional modes of orchids and thus impose restrictions upon orchid distribution. Covering habitats from dark forests to open sites, orchid samples of 35 species from 14 genera were collected from 20 locations in the Mediterranean and Macaronesia to test for mycoheterotrophy. Mycorrhizal fungi were identified via molecular analyses, and stable isotope analyses were applied to test whether organic nutrients are gained from the fungal associates. Our results show that orchids with partial or full mycoheterotrophy among the investigated species are found exclusively in Neottieae thriving in light‐limited forests. Neottioid orchids are missing in Macaronesia, possibly because mycoheterotrophy is constrained by the lack of suitable ectomycorrhizal fungi. Furthermore, most adult orchids of open habitats in the Mediterranean and Macaronesia show weak or no N gains from fungi and no C gain through mycoheterotrophy. Instead isotope signatures of some of these species indicate net plant‐to‐fungus C transfer.