bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PreliminaryIn VitroAssessment of Stem Cell Compatibility with Cross-Linked Poly(ε-caprolactone urethane) Scaffolds Designed through High Internal Phase Emulsions
Authors: Changotade Sylvie , Radu Bostan Gabriela , Consalus Anne , Poirier Florence , Peltzer Juliette , Lataillade Jean-Jacques , Lutomski Didier , Rohman Géraldine
Published: May 2015

By using a high internal phase emulsion process, elastomeric poly(ε-caprolactone urethane) (PCLU) scaffolds were designed with pores size ranging from below 150 μm to 1800 μm and a porosity of 86% making them suitable for bone tissue engineering applications. Moreover, the pores appeared to be excellently interconnected, promoting cellularization and future bone ingrowth. This study evaluated thein vitrocytotoxicity of the PCLU scaffolds towards human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) through the evaluation of cell viability and metabolic activity during extract test and indirect contact test at the beginning of the scaffold lifetime. Both tests demonstrated that PCLU scaffolds did not induce any cytotoxic response. Finally, direct interaction of hMSCs and PCLU scaffolds showed that PCLU scaffolds were suitable for supporting the hMSCs adhesion and that the cells were well spread over the pore walls. We conclude that PCLU scaffolds may be a good candidate for bone tissue regeneration applications using hMSCs.
Preparation and Study of Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Materials Comprised of Ni‐Co Coated on Web‐Like Biocarbon Nanofibers via Electroless Deposition
Authors: Huang Xiaohu , Dai Bo , Ren Yong , Xu Jing , Zhu Pei
Published: May 2015

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials made of Ni‐Co coated on web‐like biocarbon nanofibers were successfully prepared by electroless plating. Biocarbon nanofibers (CF) with a novel web‐like structure comprised of entangled and interconnected carbon nanoribbons were obtained using bacterial cellulose pyrolyzed at 1200°C. Paraffin wax matrix composites filled with different loadings (10, 20, and 30 wt%, resp.) of CF and Ni‐Co coated CF (NCCF) were prepared. The electrical conductivities and electromagnetic parameters of the composites were investigated by the four‐probe method and vector network analysis. From these results, the EMI shielding efficiencies (SE) of NCCF composites were shown to be significantly higher than that of CF at the same mass fraction. The paraffin wax composites containing 30 wt% NCCF showed the highest EMI SE of 41.2 dB (99.99% attenuation), which are attributed to the higher electrical conductivity and permittivity of the NCCF composites than the CF composites. Additionally, EMI SE increased with an increase in CF and NCCF loading and the absorption was determined to be the primary factor governing EMI shielding. This study conclusively reveals that NCCF composites have potential applications as EMI shielding materials.
Intermittent Compressive Stress Enhanced Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Expression in Human Periodontal Ligament Cells
Authors: Pumklin Jittima , Manokawinchoke Jeeranan , Bhalang Kanokporn , Pavasant Prasit
Published: May 2015

Mechanical force was shown to promote IGF-1 expression in periodontal ligament both in vitro and in vivo. Though the mechanism of this effect has not yet been proved, here we investigated the molecular mechanism of intermittent mechanical stress on IGF-1 expression. In addition, the role of hypoxia on the intermittent compressive stress on IGF-1 expression was also examined. In this study, human periodontal ligament cells (HPDLs) were stimulated with intermittent mechanical stress for 24 hours. IGF-1 expression was examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Chemical inhibitors were used to determine molecular mechanisms of these effects. For hypoxic mimic condition, the CoCl2 supplementation was employed. The results showed that intermittent mechanical stress dramatically increased IGF-1 expression at 24 h. The pretreatment with TGF-β receptor I or TGF-β1 antibody could inhibit the intermittent mechanical stress-induced IGF-1 expression. Moreover, the upregulation of TGF-β1 proteins was detected in intermittent mechanical stress treated group. Correspondingly, the IGF-1 expression was upregulated upon being treated with recombinant human TGF-β1. Further, the hypoxic mimic condition attenuated the intermittent mechanical stress and rhTGF-β1-induced IGF-1 expression. In summary, this study suggests intermittent mechanical stress-induced IGF-1 expression in HPDLs through TGF-β1 and this phenomenon could be inhibited in hypoxic mimic condition.
Online Sequential Prediction for Nonstationary Time Series with New Weight-Setting Strategy Using Extreme Learning Machine
Authors: Mao Wentao , Wang Jinwan , Wang Liyun , Tian Mei
Published: May 2015

Accurate and fast prediction of nonstationary time series is challenging and of great interest in both practical and academic areas. In this paper, an online sequential extreme learning machine with new weighted strategy is proposed for nonstationary time series prediction. First, a new leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validation error estimation for online sequential data is proposed based on inversion of block matrix. Second, a new weighted strategy based on the proposed LOO error estimation is proposed. This strategy ranks the samples’ importance by means of the LOO error of each new added sample and then assigns various weights. Performance comparisons of the proposed method with other existing algorithms are presented based on chaotic and real-world nonstationary time series data. The results show that the proposed method outperforms the classical ELM and OS-ELM in terms of generalization performance and numerical stability.
Mechanisms Linking Inflammation to Insulin Resistance
Authors: Chen Li , Chen Rui , Wang Hua , Liang Fengxia
Published: May 2015

Obesity is now widespread around the world. Obesity-associated chronic low-grade inflammation is responsible for the decrease of insulin sensitivity, which makes obesity a major risk factor for insulin resistance and related diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndromes. The state of low-grade inflammation is caused by overnutrition which leads to lipid accumulation in adipocytes. Obesity might increase the expression of some inflammatory cytokines and activate several signaling pathways, both of which are involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance by interfering with insulin signaling and action. It has been suggested that specific factors and signaling pathways are often correlated with each other; therefore, both of the fluctuation of cytokines and the status of relevant signaling pathways should be considered during studies analyzing inflammation-related insulin resistance. In this paper, we discuss how these factors and signaling pathways contribute to insulin resistance and the therapeutic promise targeting inflammation in insulin resistance based on the latest experimental studies.
Temozolomide Therapy for Aggressive Pituitary Tumors: Results in a Small Series of Patients from Argentina
Authors: Bruno Oscar D. , Juárez-Allen Lea , Christiansen Silvia B. , Manavela Marcos , Danilowicz Karina , Vigovich Carlos , Gómez Reynaldo M.
Published: May 2015

We evaluated results of temozolomide (TMZ) therapy in six patients, aged 34–78 years, presenting aggressive pituitary tumors. In all the patients tested O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) immunoexpression in surgical specimens was absent. Patients received temozolomide 140–320 mg/day for 5 days monthly for at least 3 months. In two patients minimum time for evaluation could not be reached because of death in a 76-year-old man with a malignant prolactinoma and of severe neutro-thrombopenia in a 47-year-old woman with nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma. In two patients (a 34-year-old acromegalic woman and a 39-year-old woman with Nelson’s syndrome) no response was observed after 4 and 6 months, respectively, and the treatment was stopped. Conversely, two 52- and 42-year-old women with Cushing’s disease had long-term total clinical and radiological remissions which persisted after stopping temozolomide. We conclude that TMZ therapy may be of variable efficacy depending on—until now—incompletely understood factors. Cooperative work on a greater number of cases of aggressive pituitary tumors should be crucial to establish the indications, doses, and duration of temozolomide administration.
πe3Form Factorf-Near the Mass Shell
Authors: Krivoruchenko M. I.
Published: May 2015

The generalized Ward-Takahashi identity (gWTI) in the pion sector for broken isotopic symmetry is derived and used for the model-independent calculation of the longitudinal form factorf-of theπe3vector vertex. The on-shellf-is found to be proportional to the mass difference of the pions and the difference between the vector isospinT=1and scalar isospinT=2pion radii. A numerical estimate of the form factor yields a value two times higher than the previous estimate from the quark model. Off-shell form factors are known to be ambiguous because of the gauge dependence and the freedom in the parameterization of the fields. The near-mass-shellf-appears to be an exception, allowing for experimental verification of the consequences of the gWTI. We calculate the near-mass-shellf-using the gWTI and dispersion techniques. The results are discussed in the context of the conservation of vector current (CVC) hypothesis.
Pleomorphic Adenoma of the External Auditory Canal: A Rare Presentation
Authors: Jaber Samir , Rudic Milan , Keogh Ivan James
Published: May 2015

A 55-year-old male presented with a nine-month history of gradually enlarging, painless mass in the right external auditory canal associated with hearing loss and occasional bleeding. Examination demonstrated complete obstruction of the outer 1/3 of the external auditory canal by a firm, pink, rubbery mass. CT scan of the temporal bone showed tumor mass with no evidence of bone destruction. The tumor was excised and histopathology confirmed a diagnosis of ceruminous pleomorphic adenoma of the external auditory canal. Six months following the surgery, patient is free of any recurrent disease.
Advances in the Endoscopic Management of Obesity
Authors: Behary Jason , Kumbhari Vivek
Published: May 2015

Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic with significant impact on quality of life, morbidity, and mortality rates. Over the past two decades, bariatric surgery has established itself as the most effective and durable treatment for patients with obesity and its associated comorbidities. However, despite the use of minimally invasive techniques, bariatric surgery is associated with complications in approximately 15% of patients, has a substantial cost, and is used by only 1% of patients who are eligible. Therefore, there is a need for effective minimally invasive therapies, which will be utilized by the large proportion of obese patients who are in desperate need of treatment but are not receiving any. Endoscopic approaches to the management of obesity have been developed, with the aim of delivering more effective, durable, and safer methods of weight reduction. In this paper, we review currently available and future endoscopic therapies that will likely join the armamentarium used in the management of obesity.
Perturbation to Noether Symmetries and Adiabatic Invariants for Birkhoffian Systems
Authors: Zhang Yi
Published: May 2015

Based on El-Nabulsi dynamical model for a non-conservative system, the problem of perturbation to Noether symmetries and adiabatic invariants of a Birkhoffian system under the action of a small disturbance is proposed and studied. Firstly, the El-Nabulsi-Pfaff variational problem from extended exponentially fractional integral is presented and the El-Nabulsi-Birkhoff equations are established. Secondly, the definitions and the criterions criteria of the Noether symmetric transformations and quasisymmetric transformations of the Birkhoffian system are given, and the Noether theorems of the system are established, which reveal the inner relationship between the Noether symmetries and the conserved quantities. Thirdly, the perturbation of Noether symmetries under a small disturbance is studied, and corresponding adiabatic invariants are obtained. As special cases, the deductions in nonconservative Hamiltonian system and nonconservative Lagrangian system and standard Birkhoffian system are given. At the end of the paper, the case known as Hojman-Urrutia problem is discussed to investigate the Noether symmetries and the adiabatic invariants, the perturbation to Noether symmetries and the adiabatic invariants under El-Nabulsi dynamical model.
Daily Human Physical Activity Recognition Based on Kernel Discriminant Analysis and Extreme Learning Machine
Authors: Xiao Wendong , Lu Yingjie
Published: May 2015

Wearable sensor based human physical activity recognition has extensive applications in many fields such as physical training and health care. This paper will be focused on the development of highly efficient approach for daily human activity recognition by a triaxial accelerometer. In the proposed approach, a number of features, including the tilt angle, the signal magnitude area (SMA), and the wavelet energy, are extracted from the raw measurement signal via the time domain, the frequency domain, and the time-frequency domain analysis. A nonlinear kernel discriminant analysis (KDA) scheme is introduced to enhance the discrimination between different activities. Extreme learning machine (ELM) is proposed as a novel activity recognition algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed KDA based ELM classifier can achieve superior recognition performance with higher accuracy and faster learning speed than the back-propagation (BP) and the support vector machine (SVM) algorithms.
Failure Mechanisms of a Gold Microelectrode in Bioelectronics Applications
Authors: Kim Jonghun , Yoon Sang-Hee
Published: May 2015

The generation, growth, and collapse of tiny bubbles are inevitable for a microelectrode working in aqueous environment, thus resulting in physical damages on the microelectrode. The failure mechanisms of a microelectrode induced by tiny bubble collapsing are investigated by generating tiny hydrogen bubbles on a gold microelectrode through deionized water electrolysis. The surface of the microelectrode is modified with a thiol‐functionalized arginine‐glycine‐aspartic acid peptide to generate perfectly spherical bubbles in proximity of the surface. The failure of an Au microelectrode is governed by two damage mechanisms, depending on the thickness of the microelectrode: a water‐hammer pressure due to the violent collapse of a single large bubble, formed through merging of small bubbles, for ultrathin Au microelectrodes of 40–60 nm in thickness, and an energy accumulation resulting from the repetitive collapse of tiny bubbles for thick Au microelectrodes of 100–120 nm.
Unified Modeling of Familial Mediterranean Fever and Cryopyrin Associated Periodic Syndromes
Authors: Bozkurt Yasemin , Demir Alper , Erman Burak , Gül Ahmet
Published: May 2015

Familial mediterranean fever (FMF) and Cryopyrin associated periodic syndromes (CAPS) are two prototypical hereditary autoinflammatory diseases, characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and inflammation as a result of mutations inMEFVandNLRP3genes encoding Pyrin and Cryopyrin proteins, respectively. Pyrin and Cryopyrin play key roles in the multiprotein inflammasome complex assembly, which regulates activity of an enzyme, Caspase 1, and its target cytokine, IL-1β. Overproduction of IL-1βby Caspase 1 is the main cause of episodic fever and inflammatory findings in FMF and CAPS. We present a unifying dynamical model for FMF and CAPS in the form of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The model is composed of two subsystems, which capture the interactions and dynamics of the key molecular players and the insults on the immune system. One of the subsystems, which contains a coupled positive-negative feedback motif, captures the dynamics of inflammation formation and regulation. We perform a comprehensive bifurcation analysis of the model and show that it exhibits three modes, capturing the Healthy, FMF, and CAPS cases. The mutations in Pyrin and Cryopyrin are reflected in the values of three parameters in the model. We present extensive simulation results for the model that match clinical observations.
Multiclass AdaBoost ELM and Its Application in LBP Based Face Recognition
Authors: Jiang Yunliang , Shen Yefeng , Liu Yong , Liu Weicong
Published: May 2015

Extreme learning machine (ELM) is a competitive machine learning technique, which is simple in theory and fast in implementation; it can identify faults quickly and precisely as compared with traditional identification techniques such as support vector machines (SVM). As verified by the simulation results, ELM tends to have better scalability and can achieve much better generalization performance and much faster learning speed compared with traditional SVM. In this paper, we introduce a multiclass AdaBoost based ELM ensemble method. In our approach, the ELM algorithm is selected as the basic ensemble predictor due to its rapid speed and good performance. Compared with the existing boosting ELM algorithm, our algorithm can be directly used in multiclass classification problem. We also carried out comparable experiments with face recognition datasets. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can not only make the predicting result more stable, but also achieve better generalization performance.
Distributed Learning over Massive XML Documents in ELM Feature Space
Authors: Bi Xin , Zhao Xiangguo , Wang Guoren , Zhang Zhen , Chen Shuang
Published: May 2015

With the exponentially increasing volume of XML data, centralized learning solutions are unable to meet the requirements of mining applications with massive training samples. In this paper, a solution to distributed learning over massive XML documents is proposed, which provides distributed conversion of XML documents into representation model in parallel based on MapReduce and a distributed learning component based on Extreme Learning Machine for mining tasks of classification or clustering. Within this framework, training samples are converted from raw XML datasets with better efficiency and information representation ability and taken to distributed learning algorithms in Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) feature space. Extensive experiments are conducted on massive XML documents datasets to verify the effectiveness and efficiency for both classification and clustering applications.
Statistical and Computational Methods for Genetic Diseases: An Overview
Authors: Camastra Francesco , Di Taranto Maria Donata , Staiano Antonino
Published: May 2015

The identification of causes of genetic diseases has been carried out by several approaches with increasing complexity. Innovation of genetic methodologies leads to the production of large amounts of data that needs the support of statistical and computational methods to be correctly processed. The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of statistical and computational methods paying attention to methods for the sequence analysis and complex diseases.
Involvement of the L-Type Amino Acid Transporter Lat2 in the Transport of 3,3′-Diiodothyronine across the Plasma Membrane
Authors: Kinne Anita , Wittner Melanie , Wirth Eva K. , Hinz Katrin M. , Schülein Ralf , Köhrle Josef , Krause Gerd
Published: May 2015

Thyroid hormones are transported across cell membranes by transmembrane transporter proteins, for example by members of the monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) and the L-type amino acid transporter (LAT) families. LATs consist of a light chain (e.g. LAT2) and a heavy chain (CD98), which is essential for their cell surface expression and functionality. The specificity of Lat2 for thyroid hormones and their metabolites and its role in their transport was not fully clear. This fact motivated us to establish a cell system to elucidate the uptake of thyroid hormones and their metabolites by mouse Lat2. The coinjection of cRNA coding for Lat2 and CD98 into Xenopus laevis oocytes resulted in a markedly increased level of 3,3′-diiodo-L-thyronine (3,3′-T2) and to some extent also enhanced T3 transport. To gain insight into properties of thyroid hormones and their metabolites transported by Lat2, we inhibited 3,3′-T2 uptake by various iodothyronine derivatives. T1 and T2 derivatives as well as 2-aminobicyclo-[2,2,1]-heptane-2-carboxylic acid strongly competed with 3,3′-T2 uptake. In addition, we performed T2 uptake measurements with the thyroid hormone-specific transporter MCT8. For both Lat2 and MCT8, Km values in a low micromolar range were calculated. We demonstrated that oocytes are a suitable system for thyroid hormone transport studies mediated by Lat2. Our data indicates that Lat2 compared to other thyroid hormone transporters prefers 3,3′-T2 as the substrate. Thus, Lat2 might contribute to the availability of thyroid hormone by importing and/or exporting 3,3′-T2, which is generated either by T3 inactivation or by rapid deiodinase 1-mediated rT3 degradation.
DNA Methylation Changes Induced by a High-Fat Diet and Fish Oil Supplementation in the Skeletal Muscle of Mice
Authors: Amaral Catia L. , Crisma Amanda R. , Masi Laureane N. , Martins Amanda R. , Hirabara Sandro M. , Curi Rui
Published: May 2015

Background/Aims: To investigate the global changes in DNA methylation and methylation of the promoter region of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma transcript variant 2 (Pparg2) gene resulting from a high-fat diet (HFD) and/or fish oil supplementation. Methods: Fish oil, rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, or water was orally administered to male mice for 12 weeks. After the first 4 weeks, the animals were fed a control diet or an HFD until the end of the experimental protocol, when the epididymal fat, gastrocnemius muscle and liver were excised. Results:Pparg2 mRNA expression was upregulated by obesity and downregulated by fish oil supplementation in the liver. In the gastrocnemius muscle, diet-induced obesity increased global DNA methylation. Fish oil prevented the decrease in Pparg2 promoter methylation induced by obesity in the gastrocnemius muscle. Regardless of the diet given, fish oil supplementation increased Pparg2 promoter methylation at CpG-263 in muscle and adipose tissue. Conclusion: HFD and fish oil modified global and Pparg2 promoter DNA methylation in a tissue-specific manner. Fish oil supplementation attenuated body weight gain, abolished the increase in Pparg2 expression in the liver and prevented the decrease in Pparg2 promoter methylation in the muscle induced by the HFD.
Bilateral Renal Autotransplantation May Be an Effective and Definitive Treatment in Case of Loin Pain Haematuria Syndrome
Authors: Rohrer Félix , Déglise Sebastien , Bettschart Vincent , Schmidtko Jan
Published: May 2015

Loin pain haematuria (LPHS) is a rare and difficult-to-diagnose syndrome. Different therapeutic approaches have been used historically with little or no success. We report a case of LPHS in which bilateral renal autotransplantation led to pain relief, cessation of all medication and no recurrence beyond two years of follow-up.
Shedding of TNF receptor 2 by effector CD8+ T cells by ADAM17 is important for regulating TNF-α availability during influenza infection
Authors: DeBerge Matthew P , Ely Kenneth H , Wright Peter F , Thorp Edward B , Enelow Richard I
Published: May 2015

Elevated levels of solTNFR2 are observed in a variety of human pathophysiological conditions but regulation of TNFR2 levels during disease is not well understood. We found that solTNFR2 levels were increased following influenza infection or live-attenuated influenza virus challenge in mice and humans, respectively. As influenza-specific CD8+ T cells up-regulated expression of TNFR2 after infection in mice, we hypothesized that CD8+ T cells contributed, in part, to solTNFR2 production after influenza infection and were interested in the mechanisms by which CD8+ T cells regulate TNFR2 shedding. Activation of these cells by TCR stimulation resulted in enhanced shedding of TNFR2 that required actin remodeling and lipid raft formation and was dependent on MAPK/ERK signaling. Furthermore, we identified ADAM17 as the protease responsible for TNFR2 shedding by CD8+ T cells, with ADAM17 and TNFR2 required in “cis” for shedding to occur. We observed similar activation thresholds for TNF-α expression and TNFR2 shedding, suggesting that solTNFR2 functioned, in part, to regulate solTNF-α levels. Production of solTNFR2 by activated CD8+ T cells reduced the availability of solTNF-α released by these cells, and TNFR2 blockade during influenza infection in mice enhanced the levels of solTNF-α, supporting this hypothesis. Taken together, this study identifies critical cellular mechanisms regulating TNFR2 shedding on CD8+ T cells and demonstrates that TNFR2 contributes, in part, to the regulation of TNF-α levels during infection.
National Smile Month: get your patients smiling all summer long
Authors: Coates Karen
Published: May 2015

National Smile Month is currently underway, running from 18 May to 18 June. This article explains how you can get involved
Enhance your practice's success through mystery shopping
Authors: Talati Shilla
Published: May 2015

Mystery shopping is about testing systems, protocols, and ultimately, customer service. Carrying out a mystery shop in your dental practice will help highlight any areas that you may need to improve on
Back to bedside manner: a trainee’s perspective on communication
Authors: Davies James
Published: May 2015

The ICE-man (or -woman) cometh, and why we should take heed.
The measure of disability: Towards an inclusive method for the evaluation of systems of visual communications and infographics
Authors: Bitterman Alex
Published: May 2015

Data, both qualitative and quantitative, which represents the physical, cognitive and situational abilities of the global population are inconsistent and are not centrally collected by any one international source. Moreover, the definition of ‘disability’ is relative and is linked uniquely to culture. This fluidity makes difficult the standardization of a definitive definition of disability, problematic to quantify and the goal of universal design elusive. Some statistical estimates place the number of disabled persons between 20 and 60 per cent of the world population, the normalization and aggregation of disability statistics remains a low priority for most international governing bodies and this gap in knowledge impacts the ability of designers to adequately consider the needs and abilities of all users when designing places, spaces, products, services and systems. This research note puts forth one potential testing model for systems of visual communication and information-based graphics and graphic systems for a universal design identity system as well as a discussion of the results from the first use of this testing model.
Mapping the osmotic component of salinity tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Awlia Mariam , Tester Mark
Published: May 2015

Salt stress significantly reduces plant growth, as well as crop yield, and is becoming an increasing problem with the growing presence of salt-affected and arid land. To enhance and better understand the mechanisms of salinity tolerance, we propose to dissect the early responses to salinity. This early response phase is termed the osmotic component of salinity tolerance (sensu Munns & Tester, 2008), which has been further described as the shoot ion independent tolerance (Roy et al., 2014). High throughput and non-destructive imaging techniques have been utilised to discover the genes affecting the osmotic component of salinity tolerance in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Non-invasive phenotyping can capture multiple growth measurements and other phenotypic parameters upon imposition of salt stress, enabling quantification of osmotic tolerance. Doing this for members of association mapping populations enables the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL), and ultimately genes, underlying the shoot ion independent tolerance, thus, providing insights into the controlling processes. By testing the high-throughput phenotyping system at Photon Systems Instruments (PSI), we have been able to optimise the GWAS experimental design and select the most promising parameters that best illustrate the salt effect in the early shoot ion independent phase. The acquired data from these experiments will be presented, including general observations on the shoot ion independent tolerance index and other contributing factors such as changes in leaf colour, rosette temperature and non-photochemical quenching. The analysis of these datasets has facilitated for us to design a GWAS experiment using 350 Arabidopsis accessions that will be evaluated in terms of their shoot ion independent response.
1H and 13C NMR and Electrical Conductivity Studies on New Ionic Plastic Crystals of Tetraalkylammonium Tetraethylborate
Authors: Hirakawa Satoru , Honda Hisashi
Published: May 2015

Eight plastic crystals of the types NEt
x
Me(4 − x)BEt4 and NEt
y
Pr(4 − y)BEt4 (x=0–4, y=1–3) were found in a new region of ionic plastic crystals. In this area, globular cations and anions are assembled by weak interactions. Based on the results of solid-state 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements, it was revealed that the ions performed isotropic reorientations in the NEt
x
Me(4–x)BEt4 crystals (x=0–4). Additionally, X-ray diffraction (XRD) of these compounds was able to identify the CsCl-type cubic structure. In contrast, the XRD reflections of NEt
y
Pr(4−y)BEt4 (y=1–3) could be successfully fitted by distorted cubic lattices (trigonal symmetry). The NMR line shapes observed in these compounds were explained by overall molecular motions with large amplitudes (pseudo-isotropic reorientations). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) spectra of NEt
y
Pr(4 − y)BEt4 (y=1–3) showed a low entropy change (ΔS
mp) of 6–8 J K−1 mol−1 at the melting point. Ionic diffusion was identified by electrical conductivity measurements of NEt
x
Me(4 − x)BEt4 and NEt
y
Pr(4–y)BEt4 (x=0–4, y=1–3). In the case of NPr4BEt4 crystals, ionic diffusion was also detected, although complex powder patterns and large ΔS
mp values were observed by XRD and DSC measurements, respectively.
Synthesis of some new mixed azines, Schiff and Mannich bases of pharmaceutical interest related to isatin
Authors: Afsah Elsayed M. , Elmorsy Saad S. , Abdelmageed Soha M. , Zaki Zaki E.
Published: May 2015

The mixed azines 3a–h and 4 were obtained by treating 3-hydrazonoindolin-2-one (2) with the appropriate aldehyde or dialdehyde. Treatment of 3b or 3c with formaldehyde or glutaric dialdehyde and the appropriate amine afforded the azine Mannich bases 5–7. The condensation of isatin or its N-Mannich base 8 with 1-aminopiperidine, 4-aminomorpholine and 1,4-diaminopiperazine gave 10a–d, 12 and 13. The Mannich bases 14 and 15 were obtained from 10a and 10b. Treatment of 2 with succinic, phthalic and quinolinic anhydride and pyromellitic dianhydride afforded compounds 16, 17a, 17b and 18, respectively. The synthesis of isatin Schiff bases incorporating a benzoylpiperidine, benzoylmorpholine and 1,4-dibezoylpiperazine moiety and their N-Mannich bases was investigated.
On the usefulness and limits of a geographic perspective in dialectology: Arabic and Berber examples
Authors: Taine-Cheikh Catherine
Published: May 2015

Spoken Arabic and Berber show great variety in their pronunciation, as evidenced by dialectology studies. Some researchers have attempted to illustrate this variety using maps of the data collected. In this article, my goal will be to commend their work, but also to highlight the difficulties which arise when a purely geographic perspective is adopted. The choice of discriminant in relation to the possible variation mechanisms will also be broached, as, for the languages under study, spatial dissemination only partially explains the linguistic differences and similarities.
Restrictive relative clauses in the Sorbian languages
Authors: Bartels Hauke , Spiess Gunter
Published: May 2015

This paper is an attempt to provide an overview of the typologically relevant features of restrictive relative clauses with a nominal head in Lower and Upper Sorbian. Its main concern are (1) the semantic distinction characteristic not only of Sorbian, but also of most other Slavonic languages between relative clauses where the head of the clause and its relativized counterpart are coreferential and those which merely indicate that the referent of the head of the clause has the same properties, represents the same type as the referent of its relativized counterpart, (2) the various relativizers used to express this distinction and (3) the relativization strategies as well as the degree of accessibility to relativization involved in each case.
Mayflies (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) of The Gambia
Authors: Hubbard Michael D.
Published: May 2015

A checklist of the 15 species of Ephemeroptera known from The Gambia is presented.
Ionothermal Synthesis of Lanthanide Tetrafluoride Nanoparticles Using Deep Eutectic Solvents
Authors: Furman Benjamin R. , Gutierrez Robert D. , Baker Charles K.
Published: May 2015

We have developed a new method for controlling the size, crystallinity, and polydispersity of 100–2000 nm tetrafluoride phosphor particles. Five polyol-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were downselected out of a set of more than 130 candidates. We analyzed their benefits in synthesizing phosphor matrix particles of β-NaYF4, β-NaYbF4, and β-NaGdF4. We produced green (λmax = 540 nm) and blue/UV (λmax = 450 nm) upconverting phosphors in DES using Yb,Er and Yb,Tm codopants, respectively. The blue/UV phosphor reaction was scaled the up to 25 L, yielding nearly 400 g of high-quality, bright photoluminescent, β-phase product under mild conditions. We conclude that polyol-based DES systems offer a uniquely specialized and useful toolkit for phosphor synthesis.
Characterization of Extended Defects Observed in Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) Crystal
Authors: Uba Samuel , Babalola Stephen , Hossain Anwar , James Ralph
Published: May 2015

Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) semiconductor crystal properties have been studied extensively with a focus on correlations to their radiation detector performance. The need for defect-free CZT crystal is imperative for optimal detector performance. Extended defects like Tellurium (Te) inclusions, twins, sub-grain boundaries, and dislocations are common defects found in CZT crystals; they alter the electrical properties and, therefore, the crystal's response to high energy radiation. In this research we studied the extended defects in CZT crystals from two separate ingots grown using the low-pressure Bridgman technique. We fabricated several detectors cut from wafers of two separate ingots by dicing, lapping, polishing, etching and applying gold metal contacts on the main surfaces of the crystals. Using infrared (IR) transmission microscope we analyzed the defects observed in the CZT detectors, showing three dimensional scans and plot size distributions of Te inclusions, twins and sub-grain boundaries observed in particular regions of the CZT detectors. We characterized electrical properties of the detectors by measuring bulk resistivity and detector response to gamma radiation. We observed that CZT detectors with more extended defects showed poor opto-electrical properties compared to detectors with fewer defects.
Ordering of InGaAs Quantum Dots Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy under As2 gas flux
Authors: Benamara Mourad , Mazur Yuriy I. , Lytvyn Peter , Ware Morgan E. , Dorogan Vitaliy , Hu Xian , de Souza Leonardo D. , Marega Euclydes , Theodores Marcio , Marques Gilmar , Salamo Greg
Published: May 2015

The influence of the substrate temperature on the morphology and ordering of InGaAs quantum dots (QD), grown on GaAs (001) wafers by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) under As2 flux has been studied using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The experimental results show that lateral and vertical orderings occur for temperatures greater than 520°C and that QDs self-organize in a 6-fold symmetry network on (001) surface for T=555°C. Vertical orderings of asymmetric QDs, along directions a few degrees off [001], are observed on a large scale and their formation is discussed.
Reconsidering the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife
Authors: Kim David W
Published: May 2015

The 10th International Congress of Coptic Studies (ICCS) was held in September 2012 in Italy. However, when the Gnosticism and Manichaeism section began, the atmosphere of the congress was rapidly changed by Karen King’s paper. It was originally assumed that the topic would be an attempt on the Tchacos Codex, but the Harvard scholar announced a new Coptic fragment in relation to the marital status of Jesus with Mariam. The new Coptic fragment was a rough rectangular shape, torn on all four corners. The amazing outbreak of the new Coptic papyrus took the attention of scholars and global faith communities, arousing uncertainty and suspicion. Then, what is the new text about? Why is the Coptic teaching so controversial? What is the present status of the controversy? This article will not only review the critical debate but also, based on the texts of Mary, Pistis Sophia, Philip and Thomas, propose a new hypothesis that the new manuscript is not an imperfect forgery but an as yet unconfirmed polemical gnostic fragment.
Calvinist Case for Tolerant Public Pluralism
Authors: Hiemstra John L
Published: May 2015

Religiously generated conflict and intolerance around the world challenge the idea that religion can generate support for plurality, religious freedom, genuine toleration and democracy. Some argue, for example, that Islam is incompatible with democracy. This article argues that each religious tradition must explore its internal resources for how they might generate and support toleration and democracy. I explore the case of neo-Calvinism which shares a belief in God’s sovereignty with Islam, yet strongly supports religious freedom, toleration and democracy. The Dutch neo-Calvinist leader, Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920) developed distinctive political ideas consistently based on Christian beliefs. This article opens by examining Calvin’s thought for intolerant political ideas. It presents Kuyper’s rationale for the legitimacy of “reforming” earlier Christian ideas and actions. The majority of the article analyzes Kuyper’s rationale for “tolerant public pluralism” in order to show how neo-Calvinist beliefs systematically shaped his political thinking.
Laicity and the Inherited Boundaries between Religion and Politics in Québec
Authors: Melançon Jérôme
Published: May 2015

An understanding of the debate that has been taking place in Québec on reasonable accommodations and the ensuing Charter of Values presented in 2013 requires an analysis of the historical and political boundaries separating political life from religious life. This article argues that these boundaries have been structured by a history of laicization and by the mutually supporting roles of collective self-determination and laicity in Québécois identity. It presents a philosophical account of the work of Marcel Gauchet, Yvan Lamonde, and the report of the Bouchard-Taylor Commission on reasonable accommodations, and stresses the role of anticlericalism in the phases of the establishment of democracy in Québec, a society where the Catholic Church played a central social and institutional role.
Colombia de Cara al nuevo regionalismo renovado: La Alianza del Pacífico
Authors: Duarte Herrera Lisbeth Katherine , González Parías Carlos Hernán , Montoya Uribe Diego Alejandro
Published: May 2015

La Alianza del Pacífico se presenta como un mecanismo de integración regional novedoso, ajustado a ciertas particularidades históricas de la región y de los Estados fundadores. Pero también, como proceso de integración comparte características con ciertas formas del regionalismo, especialmente con el regionalismo abierto característico de los años 90 del siglo XX, por lo cual, la Alianza del pacifico se presenta como un nuevo regionalismo renovado, actualizado y autodenominado de integración profunda. La internacionalización económica por medio de inserción a nuevos mercados, es uno de los  elementos que comparten los cuatro Estados fundadores: México, Colombia, Perú y Chile. En su conjunto estos países acaparan más de la mitad del comercio exterior latinoamericano. No obstante, analizando en detalle se observa que países como Perú y especialmente Colombia, se encuentran un poco rezagados en dicha materia con respecto a sus similares de México y Chile, incluso si se mira a otros países de la región. Los acuerdos comerciales y en especial la Alianza del Pacifico se presenta como una  importante oportunidad en la estrategia colombiana de internacionalización  económica, pero se debe superar  el aun aislamiento y dependencia mono exportadora del país, con el fin de maximizar los beneficios potenciales que estos presentan, ya que se evidencia un importante rezago de Colombia en términos comerciales con respectos a los demás miembros de la alianza, especialmente frente a México y Chile.
Creatividad y alfabetización informacional. El desafío en cuatro propuestas
Authors: Elisondo Romina Cecilia , Donolo Danilo Silvio
Published: May 2015

Se presenta una investigación de propuestas iniciales de alfabetización informacional en cuatro grupos distintos de estudiantes de la Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (Argentina). Se llevaron a cabo actividades de gestión de información científica disponible en bibliotecas y en buscadores en línea especializados. Se desarrollaron encuentros presenciales e intercambios virtuales vía Facebook y aulas virtuales. Los grupos eran diversos en cuanto a edades, carreras y etapas de formación; sin embargo, no se han observado diferencias importantes respecto de conocimientos previos y procesos desarrollados durante la resolución de las actividades. Todos los grupos mostraron interés en las propuestas y destacaron la necesidad de actividades sistemáticas de gestión de información en las carreras de grado.
Origen y evolución de la cooperación internacional para el desarrollo
Authors: Duarte Herrera Lisbeth Katherine , González Parias Carlos Hernán
Published: May 2015

Se presenta como mito fundacional de la cooperación internacional para el desarrollo los años inmediatamente posteriores a la Segunda Guerra Mundial con sucesos claros, como los planes de reconstrucción de Europa, el surgimiento del sistema de las Naciones Unidas y el proceso de descolonización. En sus orígenes, la cooperación internacional para el desarrollo era concebida casi exclusivamente como transferencia directa de recursos monetarios hacia un receptor para mejorar sus indicadores de desarrollo. Esta concepción de la cooperación internacional para el desarrollo atravesó una crisis o fatiga, a causa de los pobres resultados presentados durante más de tres décadas. Actualmente, la cooperación es repensada basada en una visión de desarrollo humano, que supera la visón exclusivamente economicista y vertical de las décadas anteriores. Superado estos problemas, la cooperación internacional para el desarrollo en la actualidad es dinámica y ajustable a las necesidades cambiantes del entorno internacional.
Real-time measurement of outdoor worker’s exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation in Pretoria, South Africa
Authors: Makgabutlane Mmathapelo , Wright Caradee Y.
Published: May 2015

The city of Pretoria in South Africa receives considerable solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) because of its low latitude (22–35°S) and relatively clear skies. Certain meteorological factors affect the amount of solar UVR that reaches the ground; the most dominant factors being stratospheric ozone, cloud cover and solar zenith angle. It is known that overexposure to solar UVR may lead to the development of adverse health conditions, the most significant being skin cancer. Outdoor workers spend a significant amount of time outside and are thus susceptible to this risk. In this case study, we estimated, for the first time, the realtime solar UVR exposure of an outdoor worker in Pretoria. Measurements were made on 27 and 28 May 2013 using a handheld ultraviolet index (UVI) meter calibrated against a science-grade biometer at the South African Weather Service in Pretoria. Personal exposure estimation was used to discern the pattern in diurnal and annual sunburn risk for the outdoor worker. Ambient UVR levels ranged from 0 UVI to 4.66 UVI and the outdoor worker’s potential exposure estimates regularly exceeded 80% of these levels depending on the time of day. The risk of sunburn was evident; however, actual incidents would depend on individual skin photosensitivity and melanin content, as well as sun protection used. Further research is needed to determine the personal exposure estimations of outdoor workers in other provinces in which solar UVR levels may be equally high, or higher than those in Pretoria.
NOMINAL KAŊ FORM IN BASSE MANDINKA – ITS COGNITIVE MAPPING AND TAXONOMICAL STATUS (PART 1)
Authors: Andrason Alexander
Published: May 2015

The present study, divided into a series of two papers, provides a detailed empirical description and cognitive-grammaticalization analysis of the meaning of a Mandinka verbal expression compounded of the non-verbal predicator be ‘be’, a verbal noun expressing a given action and the postposition kaŋ ‘on, at’ (so-called the Nominal KAŊ form). Method: The author follows the cognitive approach to verbal semantics which consists first of determining the exact range of contextually induced senses and next of unifying such values into a consistent map based upon certain diachronic universals or grammaticalization paths. Results: The synchronic inventory of senses of the Nominal KAŊ form (i.e. progressive, continuous, progressive-iterative, iterative, habitual and durative values) shows that this construction can be mapped using the imperfective path as a template of chaining. This mapping, hypothesized on the ground of synchronic semantic evidence and typological diachronic laws, is next corroborated by the structural properties of the Nominal KAŊ locution, especially by its locative and nominal character. Conclusion: All the evidence enables the author to semantically define the NomKAŊ form as a nonadvanced imperfective path. Part 1: In the first article of the series, the author deals with methodological issues and with an empirical study where he determines the precise extent of the semantic potential of the Nominal KAŊ form.
WORD ORDER AND CONSTITUENCY OF SERIAL VERB CONSTRUCTIONS
Authors: Yang Yongzhong
Published: May 2015

The goal of this paper is to provide a unified account of word order and constituency of serial verb constructions (SVCs) in the framework of generative grammar. It is argued that both SVO-type and SOV-type SVCs follow the Temporal Iconicity, which is associated with the asymmetric nature of syntactic structure, i.e. V1 or VP1 c-commands V2 or VP2 asymmetrically. Based on this argument, an analysis for the derivation of SVCs - Inter-VP Asymmetrical C-command Analysis - is proposed to account for the derivation of SVCs in various languages. It is argued that in the SVC there exists a null predicate and a null argument, the occurrence or non-occurrence of which gives rise to different types of SVCs. Furthermore, left peripheral deletion (LPD) triggers the movement of VP1’s Spec to [Spec IP] and the occurrence of VP2’s Spec as pro, as a result of which VP1 asymmetrically c-commands VP2. Object gapping triggers the ATB movement of VP2 to generate various types of SVCs. The differences between coordinative constructions, pivotal constructions and SVCs lie in their internal structure but not in the verb position.