bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Inside the home it’s Morocco, outside it’s Italy”: Essentialization and processuality in the migrant experience
Authors: Pisano Alessandro
Published: June 2024

Starting from a sentence recorded during an interview, the article is meant to analyze how cultural processuality and reification coexist in the narration of its own migrant experience from a migrant family originally from Morocco, resident in north Sardinia. The creation of a border between multiple cultural and identity components, coinciding with the threshold of their own private habitat, doesn’t seem to grant the empirical evidence that shows how, in the context of migration, mutation of relational horizon consists in a consequent cultural change. The dichotomy essence/process turns out to be inadequate in understanding the cultural sphere, orientated towards the "dual discursive competence", proposed by Gerd Baumann, with which social actors move in daily practice.
Back to the roots? Narratives of integration among Espírito-Santenses in the contemporary e/immigration to Italy
Authors: Dadalto Maria Cristina
Published: June 2024

In the last quarter of the nineteenth century was a large concentration of foreigners, especially Italians, to be settled in Espírito Santo. At the end of the twenty century, the movement is reversed. But who are these people from Espirito Santo departing and departed? How they live or are living in the land of their ancestors? What relations are established between the spaces of emigration and immigration? To understand these questions the aim is to identify narratives of displacement movement of the colonies of Italian immigration of the Espírito Santo to Italy, the movement of "return" of descendants to the land of their nonni and nonne. To this end, oral history interviews were conducted, focusing on trajectories of women and men who depart, trying to understand the impacts on relationships established within immigration.
ROM: The discrimination continues
Authors: Zargar Samina
Published: June 2024

Call.
Donatella Schmidt e Francesco Spagna, eds, 2012, Etnografie collaborative e questioni ambientali: Ricerche nell’America indigena contemporanea, Padova, Cleup, pp. 284
Authors: Branca Domenico
Published: June 2024

Book review of Donatella Schmidt e Francesco Spagna, eds, 2012, Etnografie collaborative e questioni ambientali: Ricerche nell’America indigena contemporanea, Padova, Cleup, pp. 284.
Michael Herzfeld, 2009, Evicted from eternity: The restructuring of modern Rome, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, pp. 373
Authors: Mangiameli Gaetano
Published: June 2024

Book review of Michael Herzfeld, 2009, Evicted from eternity: The restructuring of modern Rome, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, pp. 373.
Loredana Farina, 2012, L’itinerario antropologico: Un metodo di ricerca sugli insediamenti urbani nella contemporaneità, Cosenza, Luigi Pellegrini Editore, pp. 230
Authors: Pitto Cesare
Published: June 2024

Book review of Loredana Farina, 2012, L’itinerario antropologico: Un metodo di ricerca sugli insediamenti urbani nella contemporaneità, Cosenza, Luigi Pellegrini Editore, pp. 230.
Gabriella Mondardini Morelli, 2013, Compagne di viaggio: Le donne dei paesi di mare si raccontano, Sassari, EDES, pp. 139
Authors: Pigliaru Silvia
Published: June 2024

Book review of Gabriella Mondardini Morelli, 2013, Compagne di viaggio: Le donne dei paesi di mare si raccontano, Sassari, EDES, pp. 139.
Jason Pine, 2012, The art of making do in Naples, Minneapolis and London, University of Minnesota Press, pp. X-362
Authors: Maturi Pietro
Published: June 2024

Book review of Jason Pine, 2012, The art of making do in Naples, Minneapolis and London, University of Minnesota Press, pp. X-362.
About the 24th World Poetry Day: When I becomes We: In praise of brotherhood
Authors: Bogliolo Bruna Giulia
Published: June 2024

Review of En marge de la XXIVe Journée Mondiale de la Poésie: Quand le je devient nous: éloge de la fraternité.
“Is Iceland Blackmailing Us?”
Authors: Blankenship Brian D.
Published: June 2024

This chapter considers Iceland as an unlikely member of NATO as it has no military and has a history of seeking neutrality from European conflicts. What Iceland has instead is a geostrategically valuable location. The chapter highlights how Iceland served as a potential staging ground for US reinforcements en route to Europe during a conflict and as a forward site for US bombers to reach Soviet targets. It also reviews Iceland's sole contribution to NATO that came in the form of military access. The chapter talks about how the United States maintained a base at Keflavik Airport, which is used as an Air Force staging ground and a site for surveilling Soviet vessels, providing early warning in case of a Soviet air or missile attack. Securing and maintaining the base in Iceland entailed providing significant compensation to the Icelanders and grudging US acceptance of expanded Icelandic fishing rights.
Introduction
Authors: Tan Chang
Published: June 2024

This chapter provides a background on the public audience of art that changed drastically after the Mao era, which is a crucial factor that has received inadequate attention in the studies of contemporary Chinese art. It explains how the public's shifted preferences and demands transformed the fields of literature, culture, and politics in post-Mao China. It also emphasizes how minjian provided source materials for artists as the interactions between the avant-garde and minjian often compelled them to adjust and change course. The minjian avant-garde navigates a network of power in China that is far more complex than the censorship-versus-dissidents model that dominated the general discussions of contemporary Chinese art for decades. The chapter points out that the aesthetics of the minjian avant-garde remain intimately entangled in the post-Mao era politics, although the coordinates are more multivalent than ever.
Conclusion
Authors: Tan Chang
Published: June 2024

This chapter addresses the question of whether the methods and agendas of the minjian avant-garde can work beyond China. The ability to move among multiple spheres could enable the minjian avant garde to succeed across national borders, but its fluidity is not without friction or peril. The chapter discusses the experiences of the Chinese minjian avant-garde, which reveal that the premises embedded in the theories of participatory, collaborative, and socially engaged art are in fact Eurocentric instead of global. The chapter emphasizes that the problematic conceptualization and usage of minjian goes beyond China as global politics in the past decade has shown that the will of the multitude is wildly unpredictable yet imminently manipulable. It cautions that an affective bond with the multitude could feel exhilarating, but such feelings could also be delusional, short-lived, or ultimately damaging to the minjian it vows to love.
Synergies and Tensions between Rural Social Movements and Professional Researchers
Authors: Edelman Marc
Published: June 2024

This chapter assesses the relationship between rural social movements and professional or academic researchers. It begins with an analytical distinction between three categories of people: movement activists; academic researchers in universities and similar institutions; and professional researchers in other kinds of institutions, such as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The chapter argues that the distinction is partly, though not entirely, a heuristic one and that the lines between activist researchers and other researchers are in practice often blurred. Some important synergies between social movements and academics could involve exchanges of knowledge and contacts, joint strategy discussions, publicizing organizations' platforms and activities and analyzing their histories, and engaging in collaborative research and training. However, relationships between academics and social movements are sometimes characterized by tensions. Academic researchers and social movement activists, even if they have similar knowledge production practices, sometimes seek to produce knowledge for different objectives. In addressing the question of activist–academic relations, it is useful to distinguish two types of researchers that enter into relations with rural social movements: first, the researcher who has knowledge or connections sought by the activists; and second, the researcher who seeks to study and write about the rural social movements.
Modulation of the gut microbiota by processed food and natural food: evidence from the Siniperca chuatsi microbiome
Authors: Li Hongyan , Niu Shuhui , Pan Houjun , Wang Guangjun , Xie Jun , Tian Jingjing , Zhang Kai , Xia Yun , Li Zhifei , Yu Ermeng , Xie Wenping , Gong Wangbao
Published: June 2024

Habitual dietary changes have the potential to induce alterations in the host’s gut microbiota. Mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi), an aquatic vertebrate species with distinct feeding habits, were fed with natural feeds (NF) and artificial feeds (AF) to simulate the effects of natural and processed food consumption on host gut microbiota assemblages. The results showed that the alpha diversity index was reduced in the AF diet treatment, as lower abundance and diversity of the gut microbiota were observed, which could be attributed to the colonized microorganisms of the diet itself and the incorporation of plant-derived proteins or carbohydrates. The β-diversity analysis indicated that the two dietary treatments were associated with distinct bacterial communities. The AF diet had a significantly higher abundance of Bacteroidota and a lower abundance of Actinomycetota, Acidobacteriota, and Chloroflexota compared to the NF group. In addition, Bacteroidota was the biomarker in the gut of mandarin fish from the AF treatment, while Acidobacteriota was distinguished in the NF treatments. Additionally, the increased abundance of Bacteroidota in the AF diet group contributed to the improved fermentation and nutrient assimilation, as supported by the metabolic functional prediction and transcriptome verification. Overall, the present work used the mandarin fish as a vertebrate model to uncover the effects of habitual dietary changes on the evolution of the host microbiota, which may provide potential insights for the substitution of natural foods by processed foods in mammals.
Madre, hijo y psicosis en "Coronación"
Authors: Reyes Gil Sebastián
Published: June 2024

La primera novela de José Donoso, Coronación (1957), es sarcástica, cómica y espeluznante a la vez, en su despliegue del violento enfrentamiento entre las pulsiones del deseo y el orden social. Este ensayo se refiere no tanto al crimen explícito en la novela, el robo, sino a otro más perturbador, y que está presente a lo largo de toda la obra: la transgresión de volverse loco/a. Mediante una analogía con la película Psycho (1960) de Alfred Hitchcock, reflexiono sobre algunas implicancias políticas y éticas de Coronación como una novela sobre la indeterminación de la identidad y el fracaso del ego masculino.
J. F. MAZAS OP.36 “ETUDES SPÉCİALES” ETÜT KİTABINDAKİ 15 NUMARALI ETÜDÜN SAĞ VE SOL EL KULLANIMI İLE MÜZİKAL DİNAMİKLERİNİN VİYOLA EĞİTİMİ BAKIMINDAN İNCELENMESİ
Authors: Yazıcı Derya
Published: June 2024

Bu araştırma, çalgı eğitimi verilen kurumlarda viyola eğitiminde yararlanılan, J. F. Mazas’ın op.36 “Etudes Speciales” metodunda yer alan 15 numaralı etüdünün sağ ve sol el kullanımı ile müzikal dinamikleri bakımından incelenmesine yönelik betimsel bir çalışmadır. Araştırmada içerik analizi yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini “J. F. Mazas Op.36 Etudes Speciales” etüt kitabında bulunan 15 numaralı etüt oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada verilerin toplanmasında belge tarama tekniği kullanılmıştır. Etüt incelenirken farklı ritim kalıpları, yay şekilleri, pozisyon geçişleri, artikülasyon durumları ve mordent uygulama biçimleri ölçü bazında açıklanarak araştırmacının elde ettiği bulgular doğrultusunda çalışma önerileri sunulmuştur. Etüdün 41 ölçüden oluştuğu, Fa majör tonda yazıldığı, mordent süsleme çeşidini çalıştırdığı ve mordent kalıplarının etüt içerisinde açık bir şekilde yazıldığı, I, II, III, IV, V. pozisyon geçişlerinin doğru yapılmasını
amaçladığı, ayrıca legato, tenuto ve bağlı staccato tekniklerinin uygulandığı anlaşılmıştır.
ORTAOKUL TÜRKÇE DERS KİTAPLARININ OKURYAZARLIK TÜRLERİ AÇISINDAN İNCELENMESİ
Authors: Kansızoğlu Nurbanu , Ungan Suat
Published: June 2024

Bu araştırmanın amacı ortaokul Türkçe ders kitaplarında bulunan okuryazarlık türlerini karşılaştırmalı olarak incelemektir. Bu doğrultuda çalışma, nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden biri olan doküman analizine göre tasarlanmıştır. Araştırmanın inceleme nesneleri; 2023-2024 yılında okutulan 5. 6. 7. ve 8. sınıf seviyesindeki 4 adet Türkçe ders kitabından oluşmaktadır. İçerik analizi tekniğinden yararlanılarak çözümlenen verilerin görselleştirilmesinde MAXQDA 20.4.1. yazılımı kullanılmıştır. Çalışmanın sonunda, ortaokul Türkçe ders kitaplarının tümünde bilgi, görsel, grafik, dijital olmak üzere belirlenen 4 okuryazarlık türüne yer verildiğine fakat bu okuryazarlıkların sınıf seviyelerine dengeli bir şekilde dağılmadığına ulaşılmıştır. Bunun yanında okuryazarlık türlerinin birbiriyle ve dil becerileriyle ilişkili olarak ele alınmadığı ve okuryazarlıkları kazandırmaya dönük etkinliklerin belirli yetkinliklerle sınırlandırıldığı tespit edilmiştir. Tüm sınıf düzeylerindeki Türkçe ders kitaplarında dijital okuryazarlık becerisinin farklı yetkinlikleri barındırması açısından arttırılması ve çoklu okuryazarlık kavramının ön plana alınması gerektiği ders kitabı yazarlarına sunulan öneriler arasındadır.
How Sustainable is Fiscal Policy in Nigeria?
Authors: Emmanuel Falade Olanipekun , Kazeem Fasoye , Adedokun Sikiru Adetona
Published: June 2024

The rise in public debt has heightened fiscal sustainability challenges, with the potential of throwing countries into the risk of committing costly mistakes of accumulating public debt to unsustainable levels. The paper determines the extent of fiscal sustainability in Nigeria between 1981 and 2022 by comparing the existing level of the fiscal spending with the resources to pay it off. A technique of Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) is used to test for existence or otherwise of fiscal sustainability based on the inter-temporal budget constraint (IBC) and the results reveal a weak fiscal policy sustainability for Nigeria. It is recommended that the Nigerian government should ensure a reasonable cut in her frivolous spending so as to reduce the country’s continuous rise in debt profile. This is to enhance a higher level of fiscal sustainability for the African largest economy to ensure a more robust and systemic link between tax and expenditures policies that will not engender sustainable growth and development.
Efficacy of Ascorbic Acid on Frontal Cortex Damage Induced by Alcoholic Extract of Datura stramonium Leaf in Adult Male Wistar Rats
Authors: Peter Atiba Kehinde , Oluchi Onyemeh Linda , Akomolede Sunday Kolawole , Ojetayo Paul Obaloluwa , Nneji Patricia Okwuchi , Patrick Aniekwensi Obinna , Shine Gemadi Kwasi , Buari Adedoyin Tinuade , Olulana Olajide Sarah , Oghenevware Manawa
Published: June 2024

Introduction: Datura stramonium (DS) is a medicinal plant widely distributed across the globe, including in Nigeria and West Africa. Pharmacological, physiological, and histological studies have demonstrated the neurotoxicity of the plant in animals and humans. Ascorbic acid is a potent reducing agent and scavenger of  free radicals in biological systems.
Aim: This study was undertaken to advance our knowledge on Datura stramonium leaf  toxicity and investigate ascorbic acid efficacy on the frontal cortex damage induced by the alcoholic extract of Datura stramonium leaf  in adult male Wistar rats.
Settings and Design: Thirty (30) adults male Wistar rats weighing about 120±20g were divided into six groups (A-F) of five animals each for oral administration over 14 days.
Materials and Methods:

Group A (Control): Received only rat feeds and water.
Group B: Received 200 mg/kg alcoholic extract of Datura stramonium.
Group C: Received 400 mg/kg alcoholic extract of Datura stramonium.
Group D: Received 200 mg/kg body weight alcoholic extract of Datura stramonium and 200 mg/kg body weight of Vitamin C.
Group E: Received 400 mg/kg body weight alcoholic extract of Datura stramonium and 200 mg/kg body weight of Vitamin C.
Group F: Received 200 mg/kg body weight of Vitamin C. The experimental animals were euthanized, and sections of the frontal cortex of the brain were harvested for histological procedures, organ weight (brain) and body weight of experimental animals were obtained.

The data was subjected to a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results: Histological observations indicated that the administration of the alcoholic extract of DS leaf in Group C showed degeneration of neurons in the frontal cortex. Groups that received ascorbic acid along with DS leaf in smaller doses showed no significant changes and had normal neuronal cells and stroma. Changes observed in body weight were not statistically significant at p-value <0.05.
Conclusion: This study suggests that ascorbic acid effectively reduces the neurotoxicity potential of Datura stramonium on the frontal cortex. The DS leaf extract may have neurodegenerative effects at high doses, and precautions should be taken when consuming DS, as it may adversely affect and damage neurons in the frontal cortex.
Advances in Algal Biotechnology: Sustainable Production of Nutrient-Rich Biomass and High-Value Bioproducts
Authors: Singh Aditi , Pandey Surendra Nath , Khushbu  , Kumar Harsh
Published: June 2024

Microalgae (MiA) have been portrayed as a sustainable alternative for conventional sources of biofuels, several food and feed systems, and renewable energy sources. Microalgal biomass has attracted considerable attention for its potential to produce high quantities of value-added compounds, including pigments, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and antioxidants. In this context, a plethora of existing and potential studies and reviews elicit the applied technologies for bio valorization of algal biomass and sustainable and integrated biorefinery approaches for production of high-value products. The focus of the present review is to provide insights on current trends in the production of lipids and pigments from the alga biomass, and employing eco-conscious methodologies for the extraction of compounds from the microalgal biosphere holds significant importance.
Genetic Variability, Character Association and Path Analysis for Various Characters in Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]
Authors: Mundiyara Rajdeep , Yadav Giradhari Lal , Bajiya Rohitash , Singh Ishwar , Panday Sunita
Published: June 2024

In order to estimate the genetic variability parameters, characters association and path analysis for the various traits, thirty-five genotypes of mungbean were evaluated during Kharif season 2023 at the Research Farm of Agricultural Research Sub-Station, Nagaur (Rajasthan) using a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications. Based on the results, there were significant differences in the mean sum of square resulting from genotypes for each trait studied, indicating that the genotypes were genetically distinct. The PCV values was higher than GCV values for all the characters which reflect the impact of environment on the expression of traits. The estimates of GCV and PCV were higher for number of branches, number of pods per plant and seed yield. Highest heritability estimates were recorded for all the traits. High genetic advance as a percentage of mean along with high heritability was observed for plant height, number of branches, number of pods per plant, 1000 seed weight and seed yield. The correlation of seed yield was positive and significant at phenotypic and genotypic level with characters viz., number of branches, number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod. Path analysis revealed that at phenotypic level, highest positive direct effect on seed yield was observed for number of pods per plant followed by days to 50% flowering, number of seeds per pod, pod length and number of branches. At genotypic level, highest direct positive effect on seed yield were observed for number of pods per plant followed by days to 50% flowering, number of seeds per pod and plant height.
Pflicht zur Eintragung von Beherrschungsverträgen auch ohne Abfindung nach § 305 Abs. 1 AktG — Eine Auseinandersetzung mit der registergerichtlichen Praxis
Authors: Wandt Andre P. H. , Herold Dominic
Published: June 2024

Basierend auf einer vereinzelten Ansicht im Schrifttum berufen sich Registergerichte in der Praxis mitunter auf ein Recht, die Eintragung eines Unternehmensvertrags zu verweigern, wenn dieser keine Abfindungsregelung nach § 305 Abs.1 AktG vorsieht, obgleich an der abhängigen Gesellschaft keine außenstehenden Aktionäre beteiligt sind. Der nachfolgende Beitrag widerlegt diesen Ansatz.
Einheit und Vielfalt des Verbraucherbegriffs im Unionsprivatrecht
Authors: Horn Simon
Published: June 2024

Trotz seiner Zergliederung in eine Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Rechtsakte bedient sich das Unionsprivatrecht einer im Ausgangspunkt einheitlichen Legaldefinition des Verbraucherbegriffs. Dieser sieht sich jedoch seit geraumer Zeit einer wachsenden Differenzierungstendenz ausgesetzt, die jüngst in einer (mehrfach) gespaltenen Auslegung gipfelte. Dieser Tendenz setzt der Beitrag ein Plädoyer für die Rückbesinnung auf eine einheitliche Auslegung des unionsprivatrechtlichen Verbraucherbegriffs entgegen.
Medial versus lateral condyle bone mineral density ratios in a cross‐sectional study: A potential marker for medial knee osteoarthritis severity
Authors: Akamatsu Yasushi , Mitsugi Naoto , Taki Naoya , Kobayashi Hideo , Saito Tomoyuki
Published: February 2012

Objective

To assess the association of bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral and tibial condyles with knee pain and disease severity in women with symptomatic medial knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

We enrolled 192 women (ages 41–90 years) between April 2007 and March 2011. The subjects were divided into 2 groups according to joint space narrowing (JSN) on weight‐bearing radiographs. BMD of the lumbar spine, proximal femur, and knee condyles was measured. Medial and lateral condyle BMDs of the femur and tibia as well as the medial versus lateral condyle BMD ratios were measured.

Results

Mean medial condyle BMDs, medial versus lateral condyle BMD ratios, and visual analog scale (VAS) pain in both the femur and the tibia were higher in the obliteration group compared with the narrowing group (P < 0.001 for all). A significant positive correlation was observed between the femoral and tibial condyles in the following parameters: medial condyle BMDs, lateral condyle BMDs, and medial versus lateral condyle BMD ratios (r = 0.791–0.844). In both the femur and the tibia, medial versus lateral condyle BMD ratios had significant positive correlations with femorotibial angle, medial osteophytes, lateral osteophytes, medial JSN, and VAS pain, and had significant negative correlations with the Knee Society pain and function scores.

Conclusion

Although this study was a cross‐sectional study, the femoral and tibial medial versus lateral condyle BMD ratios increased with more severe knee pain and might be a potential marker for monitoring disease severity in women with symptomatic medial knee OA.
Long‐term trends in food availability, food prices, and obesity in samoa
Authors: Seiden Andrew , Hawley Nicola L. , Schulz Dirk , Raifman Sarah , McGarvey Stephen T.
Published: February 2012

Objectives: To describe long‐term food availability and prices from 1961 to 2007 and body mass index (BMI) trends from 1980 to 2010 in Samoa, and to contextualize these trends within political, economic, cultural, behavioral, and climatic influences.

Methods: National level data on food availability and pricing were obtained from the open access database FAO (http://faostat.fao.org). Data for Samoa were collected from annual food balance sheets available for the period 1961–2007. Mean BMI for Samoan men and women aged 35–44 years of age is reported from four different time periods, 1979–1982, 1991, 2003, and 2010.

Results: Total energy availability increased substantially, by 47%, with more than 900 extra calories available per capita per day in 2007 than in 1961. Many of these extra calories are supplied by dietary fat, the availability of which rose by a proportionally greater amount, 73%. Availability of both meat and vegetable oils rose substantially. Poultry meat increased the most proportionally, from 10 to 117 kcal per capita per day. Coconut products, fruits, and starchy root crops—all locally grown—showed little to no increase over this time. As import prices for poultry and mutton increased their availability decreased, but the availability of vegetable oils rose despite a rise in their price. Mean BMI for men and women aged 35–44 years rose 18% rise from 1980 to 2010.

Conclusions: These long‐term trends in food availability and prices, and the temporal pattern of BMI provide national level data for understanding the process of the nutritional transition in Samoa. Further work on consumer food prices, diet, food security, and health is needed to further contextualize the transformation of the local food system in Samoa. Samoa. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Technical note: Tree truthing: How accurate are substrate estimates in primate field studies?
Authors: Bezanson Michelle , Watts Sean M. , Jobin Matthew J.
Published: February 2012

Field studies of primate positional behavior typically rely on ground‐level estimates of substrate size, angle, and canopy location. These estimates potentially influence the identification of positional modes by the observer recording behaviors. In this study we aim to test ground‐level estimates against direct measurements of support angles, diameters, and canopy heights in trees at La Suerte Biological Research Station in Costa Rica. After reviewing methods that have been used by past researchers, we provide data collected within trees that are compared to estimates obtained from the ground. We climbed five trees and measured 20 supports. Four observers collected measurements of each support from different locations on the ground. Diameter estimates varied from the direct tree measures by 0–28 cm (Mean: 5.44 ± 4.55). Substrate angles varied by 1–55° (Mean: 14.76 ± 14.02). Height in the tree was best estimated using a clinometer as estimates with a two‐meter reference placed by the tree varied by 3–11 meters (Mean: 5.31 ± 2.44). We determined that the best support size estimates were those generated relative to the size of the focal animal and divided into broader categories. Support angles were best estimated in 5° increments and then checked using a Haglöf clinometer in combination with a laser pointer. We conclude that three major factors should be addressed when estimating support features: observer error (e.g., experience and distance from the target), support deformity, and how support size and angle influence the positional mode selected by a primate individual. individual. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The dark side of benzene: Interference vs. interaction
Authors: Bohr D. , Schmitteckert P.
Published: February 2012

We present the study of the linear conductance vs. applied gate voltage for an interacting six site ring structure, which is threaded by a flux of π and coupled to a left and a right lead. This ring structure is designed to have a vanishing conductance for all gate voltages and temperatures provided interactions are ignored. Therefore this system is an ideal testbed to study the interplay of interaction and interference. First we find a Kondo type resonance for rather large hopping parameter. Second, we find additional resonance peaks which can be explained by a population blocking mechanism. To this end we have to extend the Kubo approach within the Density Matrix Renormalization Group method to handle degenerate states.
Lipid components of flax, perilla, and chia seeds
Authors: Ciftci Ozan Nazim , Przybylski Roman , Rudzińska Magdalena
Published: February 2012

Composition of fatty acids, tocopherols, sterols, and TAGs in the lipids of flax, perilla, and chia seeds were investigated where lipid content was at 45, 40, and 35%, respectively. α‐Linolenic acid (ALA) dominated among fatty acids in all oils and accounted for 58.2, 60.9, and 59.8% in flax, perilla, and chia, correspondingly in these three oils trilinolenin was the main TAG found at 19.7, 22.6, and 21.3%. Triunsaturated TAGs accounted for 77.9, 77.5, and 74.5% of the total amounts in flax, perilla, and chia oils. Contents of tocopherol were at 747 in flax, 734 in perilla, and 446 mg/kg in chia seed lipids. γ‐Tocopherol was the dominating isomer contributing 72.7% in flax, 94.3% in perilla, and 94.4% in chia to the total amount of tocopherols. Flaxseed lipids contained 25.6% of plastochromanol‐8, derivative of γ‐tocotrienol with longer side chain; perilla and chia oils contained only 1.4% of it. Phytosterols were present at 4072, 4606, and 4132 mg/kg in those seeds, respectively. Among sterols, β‐sitosterol dominated and was found at 35.6, 73.3, and 49.8% of the total amounts of sterols in flax, perilla, and chia seed lipids. All of the investigated oilseeds have an excellent nutritional quality and can be a potential source of nutraceutical fats which can enrich diet in linolenic acid and other functional components.
Variation of feedstock in a dual fluidized bed steam gasifier—influence on product gas, tar content, and composition
Authors: Schmid Johannes C. , Wolfesberger Ute , Koppatz Stefan , Pfeifer Christoph , Hofbauer Hermann
Published: February 2012

A steam blown dual fluidized bed gasification plant was used to yield a nitrogen (N2) free product gas (synthesis gas) from various biomass fuels. In addition to the variation of process parameters like temperature, steam to carbon ratio, fluidization rate, and the influence of different bed materials, various feedstock inputs affected the generation of the product gas. This study focuses on the gasification of different biomass feedstock. The variation of biomass implies wood chips, wood pellets, sewage sludge pellets, and straw pellets. The chosen evaluated experimental results are all gained from the uniformly operated “classical” 100 kW “DUAL FLUID” gasifier at Vienna University of Technology at constant gasification temperatures between 800°C and 810°C. In the “classical” design, the gasification reactor is a bubbling fluidized bed. The composition and ash melting behavior of each feedstock is displayed, as well as the ranges of the product gas compositions generated. Beside the main gaseous product gas components, typical content ranges of dust and char are highlighted. The content and composition of tar in the product gas is discussed. Further it is possible to present gravimetrical and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry measured tar values. Not less than five significant component‐groups of tar will also be outlined for each feedstock. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2012
Treatment of transport container washing wastewater by electrocoagulation
Authors: Kara Serdar
Published: February 2012

In this study, the effects of operational parameters such as initial pH, current density, and electrolysis time on the treatment of transport container washing wastewater by electrocoagulation (EC) with aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) electrodes were investigated separately. Chemical oxygen demand (COD), turbidity and color were used to measure the treatment efficiency. Energy consumptions were calculated per cubic meter of wastewater. Amount of sludge produced after EC was also reported per cubic meter of wastewater. Different direct and indirect cost items including energy, sacrificial electrodes, labor, sludge handling and disposal, maintenance, and depreciation costs have been considered in the calculation of the total operating cost, and it was calculated as per cubic meter of wastewater and per kilograms of COD removed. The total operating costs were acquired as 11.2 $m−3 with 79.45% of COD, 99.71% of color, and 99.45% of turbidity removal efficiencies by Fe electrodes and 23.89 $ m−3 with 76.31% of COD, 99.05% of color, and 99.77% of turbidity removal efficiencies by Al electrodes under the optimum parameters in this study. In addition, the optimum operating times were found as 30 min for Fe electrodes and 60 min for Al electrodes. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 32: 249‐256, 2013
Predicting vocal emotion expressions from the human brain
Authors: Kotz Sonja A. , Kalberlah Christian , Bahlmann Jörg , Friederici Angela D. , Haynes John‐D.
Published: February 2012

Speech is an important carrier of emotional information. However, little is known about how different vocal emotion expressions are recognized in a receiver's brain. We used multivariate pattern analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data to investigate to which degree distinct vocal emotion expressions are represented in the receiver's local brain activity patterns. Specific vocal emotion expressions are encoded in a right fronto‐operculo‐temporal network involving temporal regions known to subserve suprasegmental acoustic processes and a fronto‐opercular region known to support emotional evaluation, and, moreover, in left temporo‐cerebellar regions covering sequential processes. The right inferior frontal region, in particular, was found to differentiate distinct emotional expressions. The present analysis reveals vocal emotion to be encoded in a shared cortical network reflected by distinct brain activity patterns. These results shed new light on theoretical and empirical controversies about the perception of distinct vocal emotion expressions at the level of large‐scale human brain signals. Hum Brain Mapp, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mnemonic strategy training partially restores hippocampal activity in patients with mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Hampstead Benjamin M. , Stringer Anthony Y. , Stilla Randall F. , Giddens Michelle , Sathian K.
Published: February 2012

Learning and memory deficits typify patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and are generally attributed to medial temporal lobe dysfunction. Although the hippocampus is perhaps the most commonly studied neuroanatomical structure in these patients, there have been few attempts to identify rehabilitative interventions that facilitate its functioning. Here, we present results from a randomized, controlled, single‐blind study in which patients with MCI and healthy elderly controls (HEC) were randomized to either three sessions of mnemonic strategy training (MS) or a matched‐exposure control group (XP). All participants underwent pre‐ and posttraining fMRI scanning as they encoded and retrieved object–location associations. For the current report, fMRI analyses were restricted to the hippocampus, as defined anatomically. Before training, MCI patients showed reduced hippocampal activity during both encoding and retrieval, relative to HEC. Following training, the MCI MS group demonstrated increased activity during both encoding and retrieval. There were significant differences between the MCI MS and MCI XP groups during retrieval, especially within the right hippocampus. Thus, MS facilitated hippocampal functioning in a partially restorative manner. We conclude that cognitive rehabilitation techniques may help mitigate hippocampal dysfunction in MCI patients. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Importance of electrostatic polarizability in calculating cysteine acidity constants and copper(I) binding energy of Bacillus subtilis CopZ
Authors: Click Timothy H. , Ponomarev Sergei Y. , Kaminski George A.
Published: February 2012

CopZ is a copper chaperone from Bacillus subtilis. It is an important part of Cu(I) trafficking. We have calculated pKa values for the CXXC motif of this protein, which is responsible for the Cu(I) binding, and the Cu(I) binding constants. Polarizable and fixed‐charges formalisms were used, and solvation parameters for the both models have been refitted. We had to partially redevelop parameters for the protonated and deprotonated cysteine residues. We have discovered that the polarizable force field (PFF) is qualitatively superior and allows a uniformly better level of energetic results. The PFF pKa values for cysteine are within about 0.8–2.8 pH units of the experimental data, while the fixed‐charges OPLS formalism yields errors of up to tens of units. The PFF magnitude of the copper binding energy is about 10 kcal/mol or 50% higher than the experimental value, while the using the refitted OPLS parameters leads to an overall positive binding energy, thus predicting no thermodynamically stable complex. At the same time, the agreement of the polarizable S···Cu(I) distances with the experimental results is within 0.08 Å range, and the nonpolarizable calculations lead to an error of about 0.4 Å. Moreover, the accuracy of the PFF has been achieved without any explicit fitting to either pKa or CopZ···Cu(I) binding energies. We believe that this makes our polarizable technique a choice method in reproducing protein—copper binding and further supports the notion that explicit treatment of electrostatic polarization is crucial in many biologically relevant studies, especially ion binding and transport. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Nurse‐pharmacist collaboration on medication reconciliation prevents potential harm
Authors: Feldman Leonard S. , Costa Linda L. , Feroli E. Robert , Nelson Terry , Poe Stephanie S. , Frick Kevin D. , Efird Leigh E. , Miller Redonda G.
Published: February 2012

BACKGROUND:

Medication reconciliation can prevent some adverse drug events (ADEs). Our prospective study explored whether an easily replicable nurse‐pharmacist led medication reconciliation process could efficiently and inexpensively prevent potential ADEs.

METHODS:

Nurses at a 1000 bed urban, tertiary care hospital developed the home medication list (HML) through patient interview. If a patient was not able to provide a written HML or recall medications, the nurses reviewed the electronic record along with other sources. The nurses then compared the HML to the patient's active inpatient medications and judged whether the discrepancies were intentional or potentially unintentional. This was repeated at discharge as well. If the prescriber changed the order when contacted about a potential unintentional discrepancy, it was categorized as unintentional and rated on a 1‐3 potential harm scale.

RESULTS:

The study included 563 patients. HML information gathering averaged 29 minutes. Two hundred twenty‐five patients (40%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 36%‐44%) had at least 1 unintended discrepancy on admission or discharge. One hundred sixty‐two of the 225 patients had an unintended discrepancy ranked 2 or 3 on the harm scale. It cost $113.64 to find 1 potentially harmful discrepancy. Based on the 2008 cost of an ADE, preventing 1 discrepancy in every 290 patient encounters would offset the intervention costs. We potentially averted 81 ADEs for every 290 patients.

CONCLUSION:

Potentially harmful medication discrepancies occurred frequently at both admission and discharge. A nurse‐pharmacist collaboration allowed many discrepancies to be reconciled before causing harm. The collaboration was efficient and cost‐effective, and the process potentially improves patient safety. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2012; © 2012 Society of Hospital Medicine
Cancer stem cells and their potential implications for the treatment of solid tumors
Authors: Grotenhuis B.A. , Wijnhoven B.P.L. , van Lanschot J.J.B.
Published: February 2012

Background and Objectives

There is increasing evidence that a variety of human cancers is maintained by a subset of cells, cancer stem cells (CSCs), which sustain tumor growth, underlie its malignant behavior, and possibly initiate distant metastases. The aim of this review is to evaluate the current evidence for the existence of CSCs and the implications on the present management and treatment of solid tumors.

Methods

A retrospective review of the English‐language literature (1997–2010) concerning CSCs and their therapeutic implications was performed.

Results

CSCs are characterized by two main properties of normal stem cells: Self‐renewal and differentiation, which are best assayed by serial transplantation experiments in immunodeficient mice. Cell‐surface antigens that mark cell populations enriched for CSCs have been identified in various solid tumors. As such, the very existence of CSCs has vast clinical implications with regard to cancer treatment. The development of tailor‐made CSC‐targeted therapies (including therapies directed at these CSC‐specific surface markers, and reversal of the intrinsic resistance of CSCs to chemo‐ and radiotherapy) entails great promises. However, normal stem cell toxicity and treatment resistance have been recognized as serious problems.

Conclusion

The growing evidence indicating that CSCs drive and maintain various types of solid human malignancies has important implications for the treatment of patients. However, over the years the development of CSC‐targeted therapies has faced a number of potential hurdles, which must be considered carefully in order to maximize the chance that such therapies will be successful. J. Surg. Oncol. 2012; 106:209–215. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Clinical relevance of induction triplet chemotherapy for esophageal cancer invading adjacent organs
Authors: Miyata Hiroshi , Yamasaki Makoto , Kurokawa Yukinori , Takiguchi Shuji , Nakajima Kiyokazu , Fujiwara Yoshiyuki , Mori Masaki , Doki Yuichiro
Published: February 2012

Background and Objectives

There is no consensus on treatment for esophageal cancer invading adjacent organs (T4), but induction multidrug chemotherapy may be a beneficial, especially when surgery is considered as adjuvant treatment.

Methods

We classified 169 patients with T4 esophageal cancer without distant metastasis into those undergoing chemotherapy using cisplatin and 5‐FU (CF) plus adriamycin or CF plus docetaxel (79 patients) and those undergoing chemoradiotherapy using CF (90 patients). For the former group, chemoradiation was subsequently applied when surgical resection was not indicated.

Results

Thirty‐four patients in the chemotherapy group (43.0%) received chemoradiotherapy following chemotherapy. Although the response rate tended to be higher in the chemoradiotherapy group, there was no significant difference in the response rate between the groups (63.3% vs. 68.9%). Esophageal perforation during treatment was more frequent among the chemoradiotherapy group than the chemotherapy group (16.7% vs. 6.3%, P = 0.0379). The rate of surgical resection was consequently higher for the induction chemotherapy group compared to the chemoradiotherapy group (72.1% vs. 45.6%, P =0.0005).

Conclusions

Induction triplet chemotherapy reduced esophageal perforation and increased the resectability of T4 esophageal cancers by combining second‐line chemoradiotherapy. This strategy might increase the chance of curative resection for patients with T4 esophageal cancer. J. Surg. Oncol. 2012; 106:441–447. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Whispering gallery microcavity lasers
Authors: He Lina , Özdemir Şahin Kaya , Yang Lan
Published: February 2012

Whispering gallery mode (WGM) optical microresonators have attracted intense interests in the past decades. The combination of high quality factors (Q) and small mode volumes of modes in WGM resonators significantly enhances the light‐matter interactions, making them excellent cavities for achieving low threshold and narrow linewidth lasers. In this Review, the progress in WGM microcavity lasers is summarized, and the laser performance considering resonator geometries and materials as well as lasing mechanisms is discussed. Label‐free detection using WGM resonators has emerged as highly sensitive detection schemes. However, the resolution is mainly limited by the cavity Q factor which determines the mode linewidth. Microcavity lasers, due to their narrow laser spectral width, could greatly improve the detection resolution. Some recent developments in sensing using microcavity lasers are discussed.
Tilted fiber Bragg grating sensors
Authors: Albert Jacques , Shao Li‐Yang , Caucheteur Christophe
Published: February 2012

Optical fiber gratings have developed into a mature technology with a wide range of applications in various areas, including physical sensing for temperature, strain, acoustic waves and pressure. All of these applications rely on the perturbation of the period or refractive index of a grating inscribed in the fiber core as a transducing mechanism between a quantity to be measured and the optical spectral response of the fiber grating. This paper presents a relatively recent variant of the fiber grating concept, whereby a small tilt of the grating fringes causes coupling of the optical power from the core mode into a multitude of cladding modes, each with its own wavevector and mode field shape. The main consequence of doing so is that the differential response of the modes can then be used to multiply the sensing modalities available for a single fiber grating and also to increase the sensor resolution by taking advantage of the large amount of data available. In particular, the temperature cross‐sensitivity and power source fluctuation noise inherent in all fiber grating designs can be completely eliminated by referencing all the spectral measurements to the wavelength and power level of the core mode back‐reflection. The mode resonances have a quality factor of 105, and they can be observed in reflection or transmission. A thorough review of experimental and theoretical results will show that tilted fiber Bragg gratings can be used for high resolution refractometry, surface plasmon resonance applications, and multiparameter physical sensing (strain, vibration, curvature, and temperature).
Multidimensional Analytical Techniques for Studying the Thermo‐Oxidative Degradation of Impact Poly(propylene)
Authors: Pasch Harald , de Goede Elana , Mallon Peter
Published: February 2012

Summary: Impact poly(propylene) copolymers (ICPP) are complex polymer systems containing various types of ethylene‐propylene copolymers as well as the majority poly(propylene) phase. In this study, multidimensional analytical techniques are applied to study the thermo‐oxidative degradation of these complex materials. The combination of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and FTIR via an LC‐transform interface allows for the identification and tracking of the low molecular weight oxidized products. The degradation has a significant effect on the crystallisability of the material. DSC analysis shows that as the degradation proceeds, there is a significant decrease in the onset of the melt endotherm as well as the development of a double melt peak and peak broadening. Preparative Temperature Rising Elution Fractionation (TREF) is used to isolate the various fractions according to crystallisability during the polymer degradation. TREF‐SEC and TREF‐(SEC‐FTIR) allows for the isolation and identification of the polymer fractions undergoing oxidative degradation. It is shown that these multidimensional analytical techniques using crystallisability in the first dimensional fractionation provide more information on the mechanism and process of oxidative degradation than traditional bulk analysis methods.
Critical Role of Spherulite Structure on Behavior of Stabilizers in Poly(propylene) Stabilization
Authors: Taniike Toshiaki , Umemori Masaki , Kobayashi Fumihiro , Terano Minoru
Published: February 2012

Summary: We found that the spherulite structure of polypropylene (PP) significantly influences the stability of PP by affecting the behavior of stabilizers. Smaller spherulites resulted in more homogeneous dispersion of stabilizers and their slower release into air, so as to elongate the lifetime of PP. Moreover, chemically and physically weak spherulite boundaries were selectively oxidized in the presence of stabilizers. The significance to control higher order structures on the stabilization of PP is reported.