bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using Dialectics to Build Leader-Stakeholder Relationships: An Exploratory Study on Relational Dialectics in Chinese Corporate Leaders’ Web-Based Messages
Authors: Ngai Cindy Sing-Bik , Singh Rita Gill
Published: April 2015

In large Chinese corporations operating in the Greater China region, there is an increasing use of web-based bilingual messages by their corporate leaders for fostering relationships with stakeholders. Although frequently presented as literal translations of each other, leaders’ bilingual communication sometimes tends to exhibit nonliteral variations. This study aims to examine the relational dialectics theory in the construction of leader-stakeholder relationships in leaders’ bilingual web-based messages and explores the dialectical oppositions that are embedded in the Chinese and English versions of these messages. The results suggest that leaders’ communication is characterized by the deliberate use of different dialectics that allow them to tailor their communication to the perceived needs of stakeholders from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In particular, the Chinese version of the message is adapted to exude greater connection, openness, affection, and predictability in content as well as style, which is believed to strengthen relationships with stakeholders.
Surfactant-treated graphene covered polyaniline nanowires for supercapacitor electrode
Authors: Rajagopalan Balasubramaniyan , Hur Seung Hyun , Chung Jin Suk
Published: April 2015

Surfactant-treated graphene/polyaniline (G/PANI) nanocomposites were prepared by the MnO2template-aided oxidative polymerization of aniline (ANI) on the surfactant-treated graphene sheets. The electrochemical performances of the G/PANI nanocomposites in a three-electrode system using an aqueous sulfuric acid as an electrolyte exhibited a specific capacitance of 436 F g−1at 1 A g−1, which is much higher than the specific capacitance of pure PANI (367 F g−1). Such a higher specific capacitance of the G/PANI nanocomposite inferred an excellent synergistic effect of respective pseudocapacitance and electrical double-layer capacitance of PANI and graphene.
Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells modulate dextran sulfate sodium induced acute colitis in immunodeficient mice
Authors: Banerjee Antara , Bizzaro Debora , Burra Patrizia , Di Liddo Rosa , Pathak Surajit , Arcidiacono Diletta , Cappon Andrea , Bo Patrizio , Conconi Maria Teresa , Crescenzi Marika , Pinna Claudia Maria Assunta , Parnigotto Pier Paolo , Alison Malcolm R , Sturniolo Giacomo Carlo , D’Incà Renata , Russo Francesco Paolo
Published: April 2015

Introduction

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are complex multi-factorial diseases with increasing incidence worldwide but their treatment is far from satisfactory. Unconventional strategies have consequently been investigated, proposing the use of cells as an effective alternative approach to IBD. In the present study we examined the protective potential of exogenously administered human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) against Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS) induced acute colitis in immunodeficient NOD.CB17-Prkdcscid/J mice with particular attention to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.

Methods

UCMSCs were injected in NOD.CB17-Prkdcscid/J via the tail vein at day 1 and 4 after DSS administration. To verify attenuation of DSS induced damage by UCMSCs, Disease Activity Index (DAI) and body weight changes was monitored daily. Moreover, colon length, histological changes, myeloperoxidase and catalase activities, metalloproteinase (MMP) 2 and 9 expression and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress related proteins were evaluated on day 7.

Results

UCMSCs administration to immunodeficient NOD.CB17-Prkdcscid/J mice after DSS damage significantly reduced DAI (1.45 ± 0.16 vs 2.08 ± 0.18, p < 0.05), attenuating the presence of bloody stools, weight loss, colon shortening (8.95 ± 0.33 cm vs 6.8 ± 0.20 cm, p < 0.01) and histological score (1.97 ± 0.13 vs 3.27 ± 0.13, p < 0.001). Decrease in neutrophil infiltration was evident from lower MPO levels (78.2 ± 9.7 vs 168.9 ± 18.2 U/g, p < 0.01). DSS treatment enhanced MMP2 and MMP9 activities (>3-fold), which were significantly reduced in mice receiving UCMSCs. Moreover, positive modulation in ER stress related proteins was observed after UCMSCs administration.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated that UCMSCs are able to prevent DSS-induced colitis in immunodeficient mice. Using these mice we demonstrated that our UCMSCs have a direct preventive effect other than the T-cell immunomodulatory properties which are already known. Moreover we demonstrated a key function of MMPs and ER stress in the establishment of colitis suggesting them to be potential therapeutic targets in IBD treatment.
Merging chronostratigraphic modeling and global horizon tracking
Authors: Labrunye Emmanuel , Carn Camille
Published: April 2015

We have determined to combine the automatic interpretation of horizons in a seismic cube with a space/time framework to construct a chronostratigraphic model that matched seismic events and could be used later, without having to rework it in reservoir modeling and seismic characterization. A large number of single seismic events were automatically extracted from the cube as horizon patches. Each patch was associated to an individual isogeologic time constraint. An optimization process then proposed a geologically coherent model in the volume, filling the gaps in the area where no patch was extracted, and taking into account additional geologic information, such as unconformities, fault displacement, or well information. Furthermore, this process generated a seismic flattened volume used to check the quality of the model and revealed some geologic features such as unpicked faults, channels, lobes, and splays. We evaluated a use case in which this method was successfully tested on a complex faulted data set.
North Bullion: Latest gold discovery on the Carlin Trend, Nevada
Authors: Wright James L. , Koehler Steven R.
Published: April 2015

Gold Standard Ventures Corp. highlighted in their 2014 corporate presentation that “North Bullion and Central Bullion were both gravity- and CSAMT-led discoveries.” The North Bullion gold discovery demonstrates the continued effectiveness of geophysics as applied to gold exploration on the Carlin Trend of northeast Nevada. In combination with geologic understanding and target model development, geophysics provides a cost-effective exploration tool to guide exploration drilling. A sustained, incremental program is critical to realizing the full benefit geophysics brings to the exploration effort. In a program spanning five years, 3587 gravity stations and 51.7 line-km of controlled-source audio magnetotelluric (CSAMT) data have been acquired in a multistage approach. A major structure, called the Bullion Fault Corridor (BFC), hosts two known gold deposits over an 18-km strike length. Gravity, followed up with CSAMT, defines the BFC in detail, as well as hydrothermal alteration products related to the mineralization process. Drill and geologic confirmation is integrated with the geophysics to refine interpretations and adjust ongoing survey design. Application of gravity along the Carlin Trend has been actively used as a structural mapping tool for many years. However, combining the results with CSAMT is a more recent development, particularly along the Carlin Trend.
Follow-up: Prospective compound design using the ‘SAR Matrix’ method and matrix-derived conditional probabilities of activity
Authors: Gupta-Ostermann Disha , Hirose Yoichiro , Odagami Takenao , Kouji Hiroyuki , Bajorath Jürgen
Published: April 2015

In a previous Method Article, we have presented the ‘Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) Matrix’ (SARM) approach. The SARM methodology is designed to systematically extract structurally related compound series from screening or chemical optimization data and organize these series and associated SAR information in matrices reminiscent of R-group tables. SARM calculations also yield many virtual candidate compounds that form a “chemical space envelope” around related series. To further extend the SARM approach, different methods are developed to predict the activity of virtual compounds. In this follow-up contribution, we describe an activity prediction method that derives conditional probabilities of activity from SARMs and report representative results of first prospective applications of this approach.
The Right of Private Property: Constitutional Evolution
Authors: CHirkin Vyeniamin
Published: April 2015

Attitude to private property in the mentality of nations and its constitutional regulation at the present day has changed significantly. Nowadays, constitutions do not contain former definitions of private property as sacred and inviolable (although the French Declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen of 1789, in Article 17 of which it is set forth, is a part of the non-consolidated Constitution of France). In the constitutional law there appeared new approaches to the regulation of the private property institution, the desire to its certain socialization; the constitutional law refers to economic and social justice, to the social function of private property. Certain restrictions on private property are posed, the legitimacy of its nationalization in the interests of the society and the State is recognized. Constitutions provide separate legal regulation to various forms of property. On the other hand, the remaining countries of totalitarian socialism have changed their attitude towards private property. Nowadays in such countries there are no longer rules on the private property elimination. On the contrary, their constitutions contain provisions on the practicability of its existence and use. Such socio-authoritative approach to the regulation of the right of property in the constitutional law considerably differs from the legal regulation of the property institution in the civil law. On the basis of the analysis and synthesis of legal norms, and using historical and comparative methods the article establishes core milestones in the development of constitutional regulation of the private property right, considers the new laws in the right in capitalist countries, in the states of totalitarian socialism and Muslim countries. The article analyzes the peculiarities in the maintenance of the private property institution in the constitutional law, the original idealization of private property in the interests of social strata, who won in bourgeois revolutions of XVII-XVIII, the forms of subsequent restrictions of this right; the article reads about the evolution of the legal status of private property and its legal regulation in the modern context.
Approximation Methods for Pricing Problems Under the Nested Logit Model with Price Bounds
Authors: Rayfield W. Zachary , Rusmevichientong Paat , Topaloglu Huseyin
Published: April 2015

We consider two variants of a pricing problem under the nested logit model. In the first variant, the set of products offered to customers is fixed, and we want to determine the prices of the products. In the second variant, we jointly determine the set of offered products and their corresponding prices. In both variants, the price of each product has to be chosen within given upper and lower bounds specific to the product, each customer chooses among the offered products according to the nested logit model, and the objective is to maximize the expected revenue from each customer. We give approximation methods for both variants. For any ρ > 0, our approximation methods obtain a solution with an expected revenue deviating from the optimal expected revenue by no more than a factor of 1 + ρ. To obtain such a solution, our approximation methods solve a linear program whose size grows at rate 1/ρ. In addition to our approximation methods, we develop a linear program that we can use to obtain an upper bound on the optimal expected revenue. In our computational experiments, we compare the expected revenues from the solutions obtained by our approximation methods with the upper bounds on the optimal expected revenues and show that we can obtain high-quality solutions quite fast.
Do I Follow My Friends or the Crowd? Information Cascades in Online Movie Ratings
Authors: Lee Young-Jin , Hosanagar Kartik , Tan Yong
Published: April 2015

Online product ratings are widely available on the Internet and are known to influence prospective buyers. An emerging literature has started to look at how ratings are generated and, in particular, how they are influenced by prior ratings. We study the social influence of prior ratings and, in particular, investigate any differential impact of prior ratings by strangers (“crowd”) versus friends. We find evidence of both herding and differentiation behavior in crowd ratings wherein users’ ratings are influenced positively or negatively by prior ratings depending on movie popularity. In contrast, friends’ ratings always induce herding. Further, the presence of social networking reduces the likelihood of herding on prior ratings by the crowd. Finally, we find that an increase in the number of friends who can potentially observe a user’s rating (“audience size”) has a positive impact on ratings. These findings raise questions about the reliability of ratings as unbiased indicators of quality and advocate the need for techniques to debias rating systems.

This paper was accepted by Sandra Slaughter, information systems.
Opportunities to support the 0–5 service commissioning transfer
Authors: Mcinnes Elaine
Published: April 2015

As the commissioning of 0–5 public health services is set to transfer to local authorities in October, Elaine McInnes considers how health visitors can make the most of the change.
Prosodic modeling and position analysis of pragmatic markers in English conversation
Authors: Romero-Trillo Jesús
Published: April 2015

The objective of this article is to investigate the use of three of the most frequent pragmatic markers in English conversation in the London-Lund Corpus, i.e. “well”, “you know” and “I mean”. Specifically, the aim is to study the characteristics of the prosodic patterns and the Tone Unit position in the realization of pragmatic functions by the markers. The article combines the thorough analysis of the corpus data with the description of the function of these elements in the realization of Adaptive Context within the Dynamic Model of Meaning approach to pragmatics and communication.
On Greenberg’s generalized conjecture for CM-fields
Authors: Fujii Satoshi
Published: April 2015

For a prime number p and a finite extension

k
/
ℚ

{k/\mathbb{Q}}

, let

k
~

/
k

{\tilde{k}/k}

be the maximal multiple

ℤ
p

{\mathbb{Z}_{p}}

-extension.
Let X be the Galois group of the maximal unramified abelian pro-p extension of

k
~

{\tilde{k}}

.
Then the completed group ring

Λ
=

ℤ
p

⁢

[

[

Gal
⁢

(

k
~

/
k

)

]

]

{\Lambda=\mathbb{Z}_{p}[[{\rm Gal}(\tilde{k}/k)]]}

of

Gal
⁢

(

k
~

/
k

)

{{\rm Gal}(\tilde{k}/k)}

with coefficients in

ℤ
p

{\mathbb{Z}_{p}}

acts on X, and it is conjectured by Greenberg that X is a pseudo-null Λ-module.
In the present article, we show that, if an odd prime number p splits completely in a CM-field k, then the above pseudo-nullity conjecture holds for the most elementary situation.
This result is a generalization of Itoh’s result.
Troglitazone suppresses glutamine metabolism through a PPAR-independent mechanism
Authors: Reynolds Miriam R. , Clem Brian F.
Published: April 2015

Enhanced glutamine metabolism is required for tumor cell growth and survival, which suggests that agents targeting glutaminolysis may have utility within anti-cancer therapies. Troglitazone, a PPARγ agonist, exhibits significant anti-tumor activity and can alter glutamine metabolism in multiple cell types. Therefore, we examined whether troglitazone would disrupt glutamine metabolism in tumor cells and whether its action was reliant on PPARγ activity. We found that troglitazone treatment suppressed glutamine uptake and the expression of the glutamine transporter, ASCT2, and glutaminase. In addition, troglitazone reduced 13C-glutamine incorporation into the TCA cycle, decreased [ATP], and resulted in an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). Further, troglitazone treatment decreased tumor cell growth, which was partially rescued with the addition of the TCA-intermediate, α-ketoglutarate, or the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine. Importantly, troglitazone’s effects on glutamine uptake or viable cell number were found to be PPARγ-independent. In contrast, troglitazone caused a decrease in c-Myc levels, while the proteasomal inhibitor, MG132, rescued c-Myc, ASCT2 and GLS1 expression, as well as glutamine uptake and cell number. Lastly, combinatorial treatment of troglitazone and metformin resulted in a synergistic decrease in cell number. Therefore, characterizing new anti-tumor properties of previously approved FDA therapies supports the potential for repurposing of these agents.
Cathepsin S: therapeutic, diagnostic, and prognostic potential
Authors: Wilkinson Richard D.A. , Williams Rich , Scott Christopher J. , Burden Roberta E.
Published: April 2015

Cathepsin S is a member of the cysteine cathepsin protease family. It is a lysosomal protease which can promote degradation of damaged or unwanted proteins in the endo-lysosomal pathway. Additionally, it has more specific roles such as MHC class II antigen presentation, where it is important in the degradation of the invariant chain. Unsurprisingly, mis-regulation has implicated cathepsin S in a variety of pathological processes including arthritis, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, where it becomes secreted and can act on extracellular substrates. In comparison to many other cysteine cathepsin family members, cathepsin S has uniquely restricted tissue expression and is more stable at a neutral pH, which supports its involvement and importance in localised disease microenvironments. In this review, we examine the known involvement of cathepsin S in disease, particularly with respect to recent work indicating its role in mediating pain, diabetes, and cystic fibrosis. We provide an overview of current literature with regards cathepsin S as a therapeutic target, as well as its role and potential as a predictive diagnostic and/or prognostic marker in these diseases.
Spoof surface plasmon polaritons supported by ultrathin corrugated metal strip and their applications
Authors: Gao Xi , Cui Tie Jun
Published: April 2015

In this review, we present a brief introduction on the spoof surface plasmons supported on corrugated metallic plates with nearly zero thickness. We mainly focus on the propagation characteristics of spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), excitation of planar SPPs, and several plasmonic devices including the bending waveguide, Y-shaped beam splitter, frequency splitter, and filter. These devices are designed and fabricated with either planar or conformal plasmonic metamaterials, which are validated by both full-wave simulations and experiments, showing high performance. We also demonstrate that an ultrathin textured metallic disk can support multipolar spoof localized surface plasmons, either with straight or curved grooves, from which the Fano resonances are also observed.
Identity and impoliteness: The expert in the talent show Idol
Authors: Garcés-Conejos Blitvich Pilar , Bou-Franch Patricia , Lorenzo-Dus Nuria
Published: April 2015

Premised on the belief that both identity construction and im/politeness assessments relate to norms associated with genre practices, the aim of this paper is to examine the interconnections between identity co-construction and impoliteness in a media genre: the talent show. This aim is innovative in so far as im/politeness has traditionally been related to the notion of face, rather than identity. Our study draws upon a corpus of 160 interactional sequences from the UK and US versions of the talent show Idol. All sequences in the data include music expert Simon Cowell, who has been singled out as playing the role of the malicious judge by both journalists and scholars. However, to our knowledge, no previous study has undertaken a micro-analysis of the linguistic resources deployed by Simon Cowell to construct his expert identity or has examined the role that impoliteness may play therein. This is what we set out to do in this paper. To that end, our analytic framework combines socio-constructivist approaches to identity construction (Anton and Peterson 2003; Joseph 2004; Bucholtz and Hall 2005; De Fina et al. 2006) with a recently revised, discursive approach to im/politeness, i.e., the genre approach (Garcés- Conejos Blitvich 2010, this issue).
“[She] said: ‘take the test’ and I took the test”. Relational work as a framework to approach directiveness in prenatal screening of Chinese clients in Hong Kong
Authors: Zayts Olga , Schnurr Stephanie
Published: April 2015

In this paper we apply the framework of relational work, or the work individuals invest in maintaining their relationships (Locher and Watts 2005), to the analysis of prenatal screening (PS) for Down Syndrome of Chinese clients in Hong Kong. PS has traditionally followed a nondirective principle that calls for an unbiased presentation of information and women’s autonomous decision- making regarding testing. However, in Chinese contexts, healthcare providers appear extremely directive; and women, in turn, explicitly express their expectations of being led in decision-making (Zayts et al. 2013). These observations lend support to previous politeness studies of Chinese institutional contexts wherein hierarchical communication has been described as “listening-centered, asymmetrical and differential” (Gao and Ting-Toomey 1998: 48). More recent politeness studies, however, warn against such stereotyping at a cultural level (Eelen 2001; Mills 2003, 2004; Watts 2003). In this paper, rather than using culture as an a priori explanatory variable to account for the directive stance of the healthcare providers, we argue that using the framework of relational work enables researchers to focus on how meaning is created and negotiated at the micro-level of an interaction, and to move away from “grand generalizations” about culture specific behaviors and expectations.
Evidentials, politeness and prosody in Spanish: A corpus analysis
Authors: Estellés Arguedas Maria , Albelda Marco Marta
Published: April 2015

This paper analyzes three Spanish particles, namely
The relevance of prosody and context to the interplay between intensity and politeness. An exploratory study on Italian
Authors: Gili Fivela Barbara , Bazzanella Carla
Published: April 2015

The linguistic feature of intensity, lying “at the heart of social and emotional expression” (Labov 1984: 43), is significantly intertwined with politeness. In relation with intensity (that is, both upgrading and downgrading), the role of context and prosody in modifying and expressing politeness is discussed here in a pragmatic perspective. The complex interplay between intensity, politeness and prosody is explored with reference to several examples related to Italian, showing both the crucial role of prosody in conveying politeness and intensity and the relevance of

However, the overall effect of a speech act in terms of politeness is shown to be due to the variegated intertwinement between context, intensity and prosody, which is at play with or without other linguistic forms of politeness and accounts for the lack of a one-to-one correspondence between politeness and single utterance features.
The face of others: Triadic and dyadic interactions in Korea and the United States
Authors: Hatfield Hunter , Hahn Jee-Won
Published: April 2015

The concept of group face has been used to explain facework thatrelates to members of in-groups. Hahn and Hatfield (2011) looked at situationsin which a family member of a Speaker commits a possible offense towards aHearer. They tested the prediction that collectivist Koreans would apologize forthe family member at a greater rate than individualist Americans who wouldbe focused upon individual face not group face. This prediction was not confirmedas the chance of an apology for the two groups was not significantlydifferent among the university students participating. Interpreting speaker responsesin such triadic interactions, however, was difficult because there wasno comparison point to classic dyadic interactions. Without this comparisonthe facework performed could be unrelated to group face. The current papercreates this comparison point by adapting the methods of Hahn and Hatfieldfor dyadic interaction. A Discourse Completion Task was given to 80 speakers.There was no significant difference in apology rates between the two countriesin either the triadic or dyadic studies, plus a complex interaction of each factorwith Gender. The results argue for the significance of face management of individualsand groups not in immediate interaction, which has implications forthe distinction of face and identity.
Kiitos and pliis: The relationship of native and borrowed politeness markers in Finnish
Authors: Peterson Elizabeth , Vaattovaara Johanna
Published: April 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of the native Finnishpoliteness marker kiitos ‘thank you/please’ compared to the borrowed politenessmarker pliis (from English please). Pliis in Finnish is best characterized asa marked form which is mostly relegated to informal or spoken language. Thus,this stage of our study made use of a grammatical acceptability test to try toobserve social evaluation patterns. The test was presented as a web-based surveyconsisting of 12 grammatical acceptability questions and 6 demographicquestions. It was completed by 417 respondents from throughout Finland. Thehypothesis was that the function of kiitos could be changing grammatically andsemantically. However, the findings indicate that the use of kiitos is more orless unchanged, whereas the use of pliis is likely to be nativizing. The MANOVAanalyses indicate that pliis is associated (as a first order index) with young,urban women, and this is also the social group that is more likely to claim useof pliis. The most important finding of the study is that pliis and kiitos seem tobe complementary in their distribution; grammatically, pragmatically and interms of social distinctiveness. We claim that kiitos serves as a marker of negativepoliteness, whereas pliis serves as a marker of positive politeness.
Cryptochrome-Dependent and -Independent Circadian Entrainment Circuits inDrosophila
Authors: Yoshii Taishi , Hermann-Luibl Christiane , Kistenpfennig Christa , Schmid Benjamin , Tomioka Kenji , Helfrich-Förster Charlotte
Published: April 2015

Entrainment to environmental light/dark (LD) cycles is a central function of circadian clocks. InDrosophila, entrainment is achieved by Cryptochrome (CRY) and input from the visual system. During activation by brief light pulses, CRY triggers the degradation of TIMELESS and subsequent shift in circadian phase. This is less important for LD entrainment, leading to questions regarding light input circuits and mechanisms from the visual system. Recent studies show that different subsets of brain pacemaker clock neurons, the morning (M) and evening (E) oscillators, have distinct functions in light entrainment. However, the role of CRY in M and E oscillators for entrainment to LD cycles is unknown. Here, we address this question by selectively expressing CRY in different subsets of clock neurons in acry-null (cry0) mutant background. We were able to rescue the light entrainment deficits ofcry0mutants by expressing CRY in E oscillators but not in any other clock neurons. Par domain protein 1 molecular oscillations in the E, but not M, cells ofcry0mutants still responded to the LD phase delay. This residual light response was stemming from the visual system because it disappeared when all external photoreceptors were ablated genetically. We concluded that the E oscillators are the targets of light input via CRY and the visual system and are required for normal light entrainment.
Origin of Thoracic Spinal Network Activity during Locomotor-Like Activity in the Neonatal Rat
Authors: Beliez Lauriane , Barrière Grégory , Bertrand Sandrine S. , Cazalets Jean-René
Published: April 2015

Effective quadrupedal locomotor behaviors require the coordination of many muscles in the limbs, back, neck, and tail. Because of the spinal motoneuronal somatotopic organization, motor coordination implies interactions among distant spinal networks. Here, we investigated some of the interactions between the lumbar locomotor networks that control limb movements and the thoracic networks that control the axial muscles involved in trunk movement. For this purpose, we used anin vitroisolated newborn rat spinal cord (from T2 to sacrococcygeal) preparation. Using extracellular ventral root recordings, we showed that, while the thoracic cord possesses an intrinsic rhythmogenic capacity, the lumbar circuits, if they are rhythmically active, will entrain the rhythmicity of the thoracic circuitry. However, if the lumbar circuits are rhythmically active, these latter circuits will entrain the rhythmicity of the thoracic circuitry. Blocking the synaptic transmission in some thoracic areas revealed that the lumbar locomotor network could trigger locomotor bursting in distant thoracic segments through short and long propriospinal pathways. Patch-clamp recordings revealed that 72% of the thoracic motoneurons (locomotor-driven motoneurons) expressed membrane potential oscillations and spiking activity coordinated with the locomotor activity expressed by the lumbar cord. A biphasic excitatory (glutamatergic)/inhibitory (glycinergic) synaptic drive was recorded in thoracic locomotor-driven motoneurons. Finally, we found evidence that part of this locomotor drive involved a monosynaptic component coming directly from the lumbar locomotor network. We conclude that the lumbar locomotor network plays a central role in the generation of locomotor outputs in the thoracic cord by acting at both the premotoneuronal and motoneuronal levels.
MeCP2 in the Rostral Striatum Maintains Local Dopamine Content Critical for Psychomotor Control
Authors: Su San-Hua , Kao Fang-Chi , Huang Yi-Bo , Liao Wenlin
Published: April 2015

Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is a chromatin regulator highly expressed in mature neurons. Mutations ofMECP2gene cause >90% cases of Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder featured by striking psychomotor dysfunction. InMecp2-null mice, the motor deficits are associated with reduction of dopamine content in the striatum, the input nucleus of basal ganglia mostly composed of GABAergic neurons. Here we investigated the causal role of MeCP2 in modulation of striatal dopamine content and psychomotor function. We found that mice with selective removal of MeCP2 in forebrain GABAergic neurons, predominantly in the striatum, phenocopiedMecp2-null mice in dopamine deregulation and motor dysfunction. Selective expression of MeCP2 in the striatum preserved dopamine content and psychomotor function in both males and females. Notably, the dopamine deregulation was primarily confined to the rostral striatum, and focal deletion or reactivation of MeCP2 expression in the rostral striatum through adeno-associated virus effectively disrupted or restored dopamine content and locomotor activity, respectively. Together, these findings demonstrate that striatal MeCP2 maintains local dopamine content in a non-cell autonomous manner in the rostral striatum and that is critical for psychomotor control.
Striatal D1- and D2-type Dopamine Receptors Are Linked to Motor Response Inhibition in Human Subjects
Authors: Robertson Chelsea L. , Ishibashi Kenji , Mandelkern Mark A. , Brown Amira K. , Ghahremani Dara G. , Sabb Fred , Bilder Robert , Cannon Tyrone , Borg Jacqueline , London Edythe D.
Published: April 2015

Motor response inhibition is mediated by neural circuits involving dopaminergic transmission; however, the relative contributions of dopaminergic signaling via D1- and D2-type receptors are unclear. Although evidence supports dissociable contributions of D1- and D2-type receptors to response inhibition in rats and associations of D2-type receptors to response inhibition in humans, the relationship between D1-type receptors and response inhibition has not been evaluated in humans. Here, we tested whether individual differences in striatal D1- and D2-type receptors are related to response inhibition in human subjects, possibly in opposing ways. Thirty-one volunteers participated. Response inhibition was indexed by stop-signal reaction time on the stop-signal task and commission errors on the continuous performance task, and tested for association with striatal D1- and D2-type receptor availability [binding potential referred to nondisplaceable uptake (BPND)], measured using positron emission tomography with [11C]NNC-112 and [18F]fallypride, respectively. Stop-signal reaction time was negatively correlated with D1- and D2-type BPNDin whole striatum, with significant relationships involving the dorsal striatum, but not the ventral striatum, and no significant correlations involving the continuous performance task. The results indicate that dopamine D1- and D2-type receptors are associated with response inhibition, and identify the dorsal striatum as an important locus of dopaminergic control in stopping. Moreover, the similar contribution of both receptor subtypes suggests the importance of a relative balance between phasic and tonic dopaminergic activity subserved by D1- and D2-type receptors, respectively, in support of response inhibition. The results also suggest that the stop-signal task and the continuous performance task use different neurochemical mechanisms subserving motor response inhibition.
6th Annual NewEra Cardiac Care: Innovation & Technology
Authors: Oz Mehmet
Published: April 2015

Abstracts from the 6th Annual NewEra Cardiac Care: Innovation & Technology held on January 3-5, 2003, The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, California, USA.
Haftung wegen fehlerhafter Ad-hoc-Publizität – Die Tücken der Rückwärtsinduktion bei der Schadensberechnung in sechs Fallgruppen
Authors: Klöhn Lars , Rothermund Marius
Published: April 2015

Wenn Anleger aufgrund einer unterlassenen oder falschen Ad-hoc-Meldung Finanzinstrumente „zu teuer“ kaufen oder „zu billig“ verkaufen, können sie diesen Differenzschaden seit dem IKB-Urteil des BGH gem. §§ 37b, 37c WpHG von dem Emittenten ersetzt verlangen, ohne nachweisen zu müssen, dass sie konkret auf die Richtigkeit oder Vollständigkeit der Informationslage vertraut haben. Um den Differenzschaden zu berechnen, müssen Gerichte bestimmen, welchen Kurs das Finanzinstrument zum Zeitpunkt des Kaufs bzw. Verkaufs gehabt hätte, hätte der Emittent die Ad-hoc-Publizitätspflicht beachtet. Diesen hypothetischen Kurs ermittelt die ganz herrschende Meinung im Wege der Rückwärtsinduktion, wobei die Kursreaktion auf das Bekanntwerden der Wahrheit als Ausgangspunkt dient. Der folgende Beitrag stellt anhand von sechs Fallgruppen dar, wie fehleranfällig diese Rückwärtsinduktion ist. Er zeigt, wie diese Fehler vermieden werden können, und diskutiert alternative Methoden der Schadensberechnung, vor allem die in den Vereinigten Staaten vorgeschlagene Vorausschau-Methode (forward-casting method).
Versicherungsanlageprodukte im Fokus des EU-Rechts – Anlegerschutz im Versicherungsrecht
Authors: Poelzig Dörte
Published: April 2015

Versicherungen dienen herkömmlich der Absicherung von Risiken. Zunehmend werden Versicherungsverträge aber auch als Kapitalanlage angeboten. Anleger investieren beispielsweise in sog. fondsgebundene Lebensversicherungen, bei denen die Versicherungsleistung von der Wertentwicklung eines Investmentfonds abhängt. Auf den Charakter von Versicherungen als Kapitalanlage und das damit verbundene Bedürfnis nach Anlegerschutz nimmt das Versicherungsrecht bislang allerdings nur wenig Rücksicht. Deshalb hat sich der europäische Gesetzgeber dieser Produkte nun eigens angenommen und ein Reformpaket zur Regulierung von Versicherungsanlageprodukten geschnürt. Diese Entwicklung auf europäischer Ebene und ihre Folgen für den Anlegerschutz im deutschen Versicherungsrecht sind Gegenstand des nachfolgenden Beitrags.
Mobile Payment – Innovation des Zahlungsverkehrs oder unkalkulierbares Risiko?
Authors: Danwerth Christopher
Published: April 2015

Noch steckt das mobile Bezahlen in Deutschland in den Kinderschuhen. Doch vor dem Hintergrund der zunehmenden Digitalisierung und Allgegenwärtigkeit von Smartphones, Tablets und mobilem Internet scheint dem berührungslosen, schnellen und bequemen mobilen Bezahlen eine rasante Entwicklung bevorzustehen. Eine Entwicklung, die allerdings schon heute nicht ohne Risiken und Nebenwirkungen auskommt.
DETERMINATION OF PAHs IN COCOA SAMPLES USING D-SPE WITH DIFFERENT SORBENTS
Authors: Sadowska-Rociek Anna , Surma Magdalena , Cieślik Ewa
Published: April 2015

The aim of this study was the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in cocoa samples by QuEChERS method preceded by the optimisation of sample preparation step using dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) with different sorbents (florisil, Bond Elut ENV and C18) and different final methods of the extract preconcentration. The use of florisil + C18 + LLE gave the best results of the recovery and the cleanest extracts of the samples. In the study of real samples of cocoa, compounds belonging to light PAHs were mostly identified. The highest value was observed for phenanthrene (60.04-79.04 μg/kg) and lowest for acenaphthylene (1.83-9.79 μg/kg). The content of the most dangerous heavy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, including PAH markers, did not exceed the limits established by EU in any of investigated samples.
APPLICATION OF QuEChERS METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF PHENYLUREA HERBICIDES IN BEETROOT BY HPLC WITH UV-VIS DETECTION
Authors: Surma Magdalena , Sadowska-Rociek Anna , Cieślik Ewa
Published: April 2015

Phenylurea herbicides are an important group of herbicides utilized in weed control. They have been on sale since the 1950s and are still in common use throughout the world from pre- and post-emergence control of many annual and perennial broad-leaved weeds. The aim of this work was to evaluate the utility of the QuEChERS method for the determination of phenylurea pesticides (chlortoluron, isoproturon, linuron, metobromuron, metoxuron, monolinuron) in beetroot by HPLC with UV/Vis detection. Different types of sorbents (PSA, C18, SAX and NH2) and solvents (hexane, ethyl acetate) were applied. The obtained results showed that the best recovery ratios were received for the method with PSA and GCB sorbents and using acetonitrile as an extraction solvent with RSD lower than 15% for most compounds. The linearity of calibration curves was higher than 0.98 for all target analytes. The results show that the QuEChERS method can be successfully applied for the determination of phenylurea herbicides in beetroot.
CHANGES IN AMARANTH POLYPHENOL CONTENT DURING THE DIFFERENT VEGETATION PHASES
Authors: Vollmannová Alena , Margitanová Eva , Bystrická Judita , Bojňanská Tatiana , Urminská Dana , Čičová Iveta , Benková Michaela
Published: April 2015

Total content of polyphenols was investigated in different anatomical parts of amaranth during different growth periods. Five amaranth cultivars were included in the experiment (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.: cultivars Annapurna and Koniz, Amaranthus caudatus L.: cultivar Oscar Blanco, Amaranthus cruentus L.: cultivars Golden Giant and Rawa). Analysis were done in 4 growth phases: phase I. – intensive stem growth, phase II. – formation of the flowers and pollination, phase III. – milky ripeness, phase IV. – full ripeness. Based on the determined total polyphenol content in amaranth it is possible to create this anatomical part order: leaves > flowers > seeds > stems. No statistically significant differences were confirmed between phases I., III. and IV. On the other hand the total polyphenol content in amaranth determined in growth phase II. was significantly different in comparison to other growth phases. Statistically significant differences in polyphenolic content were confirmed between all investigated anatomical parts of amaranth.
EVALUATION OF SALINITY INTRUSION IN THE SOUTHWEST COASTAL ZONE OF VIETNAM
Authors: Kien Nguyen Chinh , Manh Dinh Van , Lai Hoang Van
Published: April 2015

The Southwest sea of Vietnam, from Ca Mau cape to the Cambodian border, including Phu Quoc and Tho Chu islands, has been especially interested and played an important role in the socio-economic development and national security of Vietnam. Requirements for understanding natural conditions, especially hydrodynamical characteristics and the marine environment for construction, mining, protection and integrated management of this area is urgently needed. In recent years, there have been several investigations and researches within the framework of national research projects to provide an overview of the understanding or to solve specific problems in the area. However, the previous researches in details and concret, including complex changes of seabed topography, morphology shore, marine estuaries/channels were still not met the requirements. In this report, a linked 1-2D numerical model has been established to describe of the characteristics of tides, currents and evaluate of salinity intrusion through channel/river system of the southwest coastal region.
CALCULATIONS OF TIDAL CURRENTS IN BAY LAGOON (NHA TRANG BAY) USING FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
Authors: Long Bui Hong , Chung Tran Van
Published: April 2015

At present, development activities are vigorously going on in Bay lagoon (Nha Trang bay). Therefore, investigation into the natural and environmental conditions in this area, including the study and calculations of current regime is very necessary and pressing. However, modeling the current regime in this lagoon is not simple task because of many islands located in the study area … Their existence makes the long wave transmission into the bay more complex and local-specific. Therefore, as we study the current regime here, great attention is paid to the detailization of the coastal boundaries. Using the finite element method (FEM) for calculating the tidal currents has solved difficulties which have been faced by the finite difference method (FDM) used previously. Initial research results show that the outcomes by FEM agreed well with the field data measured at random times. From the results computed by FEM, we have following remarks on the tidal current regime in this bay: At ebb tide, tidal current velocity can reach 22.9 cm/s with direction of 137.30, usually at         19.2 m in depth. At flood tide, tidal current velocity can reach 19.4 cm/s with direction of 353.80, at 1.0 m in depth. The comparison between the modeling sea levels and field measurements at the same position shows the largest deviation being 19.1 cm, the average being 10 cm, and the smallest one being 0.
STUDY ON EFFECT OF SUBSTRATE CONCENTRATION AND SAMPLING SITES ON INORGANIC NITROGEN TRANSFORMATION RATES IN COASTAL AQUACULTURE AREA OF HAI PHONG
Authors: Hao Do Manh , Anh Tuyet Dao Thi , Hiep Le Minh , Huyen Le Thanh
Published: April 2015

The regulation effect of substrate concentration and sediment features on nitrification and nitrate reduction potentials was assessed based on study results at 6 sites with different sediment characteristics and aquaculturing options in two coastal culturing zones in Hai Phong city, in April and August 2013. Nitrification and nitrate reduction rates were measured in slurries of field samples and enrichment experiments using the acetylene inhibition techniques. Nitrification and nitrate reduction rates ranged from 1.5 - 8.6mgN/g wet weight-1h-1 và 11.0 - 54.0mgN/g wet weight-1h-1, respectively. Both of these processes depended on substrate concentrations and sampling sites. Substrate availability stimulated inorganic nitrogen transformation activity but only within retricted range, further increase in substrate availability inhibited the activities. The thresholds of substrate concentrations for nitrification and nitrate reduction were in ranges of 0.55 - 1.00 mgN/l and 1.53 - 2.82 mgN/l, respectively.
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL STEEL FRAME ON CORAL FOUNDATION AT THE SONG TU TAY ISLAND
Authors: Chung Nguyen Thai , Binh Tran Van , Thuy Le Xuan , Anh Le Hoang
Published: April 2015

This paper presents some results of experimental study of dynamic response of three- dimensional steel frame on coral foundation at the Song Tu Tay Island subjected to pulsed loads. This is one of the contents of the project with code KC.09.26/11-15 corried out by the survey, experiments on the Song Tu Tay island of the Truong Sa archipelago of Vietnam. The findings by the authors were compared with the results of theoretical calculations to examine the appropriateness of the model and theoretical research methods, to give assessments, comments having scientific and applied meanings, especially for the construction of structures on the Shoals around atolls of the Truong Sa archipelago.
Transition from one-way to two-way shear in slabs under concentrated loads
Authors: Lantsoght Eva O. L. , van der Veen Cor , Walraven Joost C. , de Boer Ane
Published: April 2015

The long-standing problem of shear in structural concrete elements is typically studied as one-way shear in beams, or as two-way shear in slab–column connections. The problem of one-way shear in slabs, as encountered by bridge engineers when considering the concentrated live loads on slab bridges, is not described by codes. This paper reviews the literature regarding one-way slabs and wide beams failing in shear. The mechanisms of shear transfer and the existing models and code methods for one-way and two-way shear are reviewed. Subsequently, the similarities, differences and the transition zone between one-way and two-way shear, and the models representing these failure modes, are studied. This overview of the literature highlights that knowledge of one-way shear is limited to the comparison with small, heavily reinforced slender beams and of two-way shear to the comparison with slab–column connections. The transition zone between these two failure modes, which often occurs in structural concrete elements used in practice, is typically not studied. Possible solutions for the transition zone between the two failure modes are listed.
Influence of Portland cement characteristics on air-entrainment in fly ash concrete
Authors: McCarthy Michael J. , Strompinis Nikolaos , Csetenyi Laszlo J. , Islam G. M. Sadiqul
Published: April 2015

A study examining air-entrainment in fly ash concretes combined with different Portland cements (PCs) is described. Tests were carried out (using five PCs, ten fly ashes and a standard chemical reagent (to entrain air)) on paste suspensions (foam index), mortar and concrete to quantify the material effects. Preliminary tests indicated that the foam index increased with the fineness (specific surface area (SSA) (by nitrogen adsorption Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method)) of the PC used (varied by grinding) with fly ash. Reductions in the property were found with increasing alkali content in the paste suspensions (by sodium hydroxide addition), which tended to be slightly greater with higher SSA/lower alkali content fly ash. Tests on the wider range of PCs and fly ashes gave a strong correlation between their combined SSA and foam index, with their combined alkali content having less effect on the latter. The influence of fineness was again apparent in the mortar tests, which also showed that when PC and fly ash were of comparable SSA, a change in either material had a similar effect on air-entrainment. However, fly ash had an increasing influence as the difference in this between materials became greater. The results also suggest that air losses after mixing tend to increase with the SSA of PC + fly ash (and hence admixture dose). Similar effects were generally noted in the tests made on concrete. A possible approach to controlling air-entrainment in fly ash concrete may therefore be to ensure that its SSA is similar to that of the PC with which it is used. A test method to enable this to be evaluated is suggested.