bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modern alchemy: Collaboration and the value of social capital
Authors: Padovani Clio , Whittaker Paul
Published: April 2015

This industry report focuses on the collaboration between Teixidors, a Spanish hand-weaving company and Zuzunaga design studio. It aims to draw attention to collaborative partnerships as a way of enhancing craft practice and product innovation. An interesting feature of the topic is how the maintenance of local knowledge economies and the enhancement of specialist and traditional community skills can contribute to a model of sustainable business. The report is underpinned by research developed through Plustex, a three-year European Union-funded project. Knowledge was gathered through study visits to European textile SMEs and theoretical review of regional policies designed to facilitate competitiveness in the European textile and clothing sector. The textile collection featured in the report, ‘Integrate: Time and Space’, evidences important factors that can positively contribute to the competitiveness of an enterprise: sustainable social capital, collaboration and the creation of shared value.
Evolução recente dos recursos hídricos superficiais em 4 cursos de água tributários do rio Douro
Authors: Nunes Adélia
Published: April 2015

No presente trabalho analisa-se a evolução dos recursos hídricos superficiais em quatro cursos de água, tributários do rio Douro, desde a segunda metade do século XX até aos primórdios do XXI. Os resultados obtidos mostram uma diminuição no escoamento total anual dos 4 rios, embora em nenhum dos casos esse decréscimo seja estatisticamente significativo. Essa tendência declinante é, particularmente, marcante após 1980.Com excepção do Outono, que verifica um ligeiro incremento, todas as outras épocas do ano manifestam tendências regressivas nos escoamentos observados, mais relevantes no Inverno e na Primavera, embora no Verão, devido à acentuada estiagem manifestada por estes rios, possam ocorrer situações de elevada precariedade em termos de recursos hídricos. Esta diminuição dos recursos, sobretudo nos períodos em que se regista um máximo de procura e um mínimo em termos de disponibilidade, deverá constituir matéria de reflexão de modo a evitar situações de insuficiência de água.
Traumatic insemination and female counter-adaption in Strepsiptera (Insecta)
Authors: Peinert Miriam , Pohl Hans
Published: April 2015

Traumatic insemination in Strepsiptera is a disputed issue. To clarify this question the mating of Stylops ovinae (Stylopidae) was documented in detail using a combination of different techniques. A major issue is the specific mode of sperm transfer, either as a traumatic penetration of the body wall, or alternatively an insertion of the penis into the brood canal without penetration of the body wall of the female. In contrast to previous studies, we used an integrative approach. In addition to video recordings of the mating, the duration and frequency of copulation were assessed. Histological sections of virgin females and females fixed shortly after copulation were made. Micro-CT scans of fixed copulae of S. ovinae were taken and the involved structures were studied with scanning electron microscopy and reconstructed three dimensionally. We could demonstrate that an invagination with a thickened cuticle is present, directly in front of the birth opening of the female. The male inserts his penis in this invagination and its apical part perforates the ventral cuticle. Thereafter the sperm is injected into the hemocoel of the female and reaches the oocytes via the hemolymph. The invagination is a secondary genital structure, similar to the spermalege of the common bedbug Cimex lectularius (Heteroptera).
Validation of a rapid method for detecting nitrate in chard (Beta vulgaris cycla). Analysis of Spanish commercial samples marketed in the Region of Huesca, Spain, and estimation of the daily intake
Authors: Menal-Puey Susana , Asensio Esther
Published: April 2015

Introduction: This paper presents the validation of a rapid method for the determination of nitrate content in chard samples, in order to determine, during two periods (winter and summer of 2012), the current levels of nitrate in this typical vegetable, and the toxicological risk associated with this intake.Material and Methods: A rapid colorimetric determination of nitrate in chard samples by nitration of salicylic acid was validated. The validated method was applied to analyze the content of nitrate in 56 chard samples marketed in Huesca (Spain) and collected in winter and summer seasons, and the toxicological risk associated with the intake for adult and children population was evaluated.Results: The method was specific and robust enough for the required purposes. The main performance characteristics of the method were: limits of detection and quantitation of 0.29 mg L-1 and 0.59 mg L-1, respectively; recoveries from 80.0% to 107.4%; and coefficients of variation lower than 11.4%. The detected mean nitrate content was 2293 mg kg-1 and there was evidence of risk only for extreme consumers (adults and children), especially in winter period.Conclusions: A high percentage of chard samples with a considerable concentration of nitrate were found. Taking into account the estimated dairy intake of nitrate associated with them, it could be recommended to establish a regulatory limit of nitrate to chard, a vegetable of important consumption in Spain.
Sobrepeso y obesidad en escolares y adolescentes del área urbana de la ciudad de Riobamba, Ecuador
Authors: Ramos-Padilla Patricio David , Carpio-Arias Tannia Valeria , Delgado-López Verónica Carlina , Villavicencio-Barriga Verónica Dayana
Published: April 2015

Introducción: Determinar la prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en estudiantes escolares y adolescentes del área Urbana de la ciudad de Riobamba.Material y Métodos: Se estudiaron 3.680 estudiantes entre 5 y 19 años, 1.581 escolares y 2.099 adolescentes matriculados en 65 unidades de educación básica y bachillerato. Las variables estudiadas fueron: tipo de establecimiento educativo, sexo, edad, peso, talla. Para el diagnóstico del estado nutricional se utilizó el Índice de Masa Corporal para edad y se empleó los patrones de referencia de la OMS-2007. Los escolares y adolescentes cuya desviación estándar se encontraron <–2 se consideraron con delgadez, entre –2 y +1 con peso normal, >+1 a +2 con sobrepeso y >+2 con obesidad. Los datos se analizaron en los programas de computación: Anthro Plus v1.0.4 y SPSS v20.Resultados: El exceso de peso afecta al 24,1% de los escolares/adolescentes; sobrepeso, 17,8% y obesidad 6,3%. El exceso de peso es estadísticamente mayor en escolares, 27,7% que en adolescentes, 21,5% (p<0,0001). Igualmente, el exceso de peso es estadísticamente mayor en los escolares hombres, 31,0% que en escolares mujeres, 24,4% (p<0,0001). Y es estadísticamente mayor en adolescentes mujeres, 23,3% que en adolescentes hombres, 19,8% (p<0,0001). El exceso de peso en escolares/adolescentes afecta a: establecimientos particulares, 27,7%, establecimientos fiscomisionales, 25,3% y establecimientos fiscales, 22,9%. Igualmente, el exceso de peso es mayor en escolares de establecimientos particulares, 28,1% que en establecimientos fiscales, 27,7% (p=0,9984). Y es estadísticamente mayor en los adolescentes de establecimientos particulares, 27,6% que en establecimientos fiscales, 18,4% (p<0,0001).Conclusiones: La prevalencia de exceso de peso (sobrepeso/obesidad) en estudiantes escolares y adolescentes del área urbana de la ciudad de Riobamba es alta (24,1%) y es mayor en escolares (27,7%) que en adolescentes (21,5%). Son necesarias medidas de intervención inmediatas para prevenir y tratar este grave problema de Salud Pública. Comentarios en: http://dx.doi.org/10.14306/renhyd.20.4.210
El pago anticipado de las tasas municipales. Reflexiones sobre una política fiscal que se viene expandiendo.
Authors: Fumis Sebastián
Published: April 2015

Los municipios suelen encontrarse en situaciones financieras que les exigen prever y garantizar sus cobranzas, proponiendo ingeniosas prácticas que a la larga son utilizadas por otros gobiernos locales. Son numerosos los casos en los que se han establecido estímulos para los buenos contribuyentes que hayan pagado en términos sus obligaciones tributarias. Estos beneficios consisten en el descuento de alguna cuota o fracción de la tasa municipal. Recientemente ha surgido con fuerza la posibilidad de ofrecer descuentos por el pago anticipado de esos mismos tributos, los cuales tienen una naturaleza diferente que se pretenden esclarecer.
Clozapine-Induced Myocarditis: Recognizing a Potentially Fatal Adverse Reaction
Authors: Hatton Jennifer L. , Bhat Pradeep K. , Gandhi Sanjay
Published: April 2015

A 46-year-old man with a history of paranoid schizophrenia was admitted with a recurrence of psychotic symptoms. Improvement was noted after the initiation of clozapine. After 2 weeks of clozapine therapy, chest pressure and abnormal cardiac biomarkers (in the presence of a normal coronary angiogram) raised suspicion of myocarditis. That diagnosis was confirmed by means of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Discontinuation of the clozapine led to resolution of the cardiac symptoms. Clozapine-induced myocarditis is rare and can be missed for lack of specific clinical findings. In order to prevent disease progression and a possibly fatal outcome, early recognition of the condition and prompt discontinuation of clozapine are necessary.
Regression of Left Ventricular Mass after Implantation of the Sutureless 3f Enable Aortic Bioprosthesis
Authors: Concistrè Giovanni , Miceli Antonio , Marchi Federica , Chiaramonti Francesca , Glauber Mattia , Solinas Marco
Published: April 2015

Left ventricular hypertrophy in aortic stenosis is considered a compensatory response for the maintenance of systolic function but a risk factor for cardiac morbidity and death. We investigated the degree of left ventricular mass regression after implantation of the sutureless Medtronic 3f Enable® Aortic Bioprosthesis.

We studied 19 patients who, from May 2010 through July 2011, underwent isolated aortic valve replacement with the 3f Enable bioprosthetic valve, with clinical and echocardiographic follow-up at 6 months. The mean age was 77.1 ± 5.1 years (range, 68–86 yr); 14 patients were women (73.7%); and the mean logistic EuroSCORE was 15.4% ± 11.8%. Echocardiography was performed preoperatively, at discharge, and at 6 months' follow-up. The left ventricular mass was calculated by means of the Devereux formula and indexed to body surface area.

The left ventricular mass index decreased from 146.1 ± 47.6 g/m2 at baseline to 118.1 ± 39.8 g/m2 at follow-up (P=0.003). The left ventricular ejection fraction did not change significantly. The mean transaortic gradient decreased from 57.3 ± 14.2 mmHg at baseline to 12.3 ± 4.6 mmHg at discharge and 12.2 ± 5.3 mmHg at follow-up (P <0.001), and these decreases were accompanied by substantial clinical improvement. No moderate or severe paravalvular leakage was present at discharge or at follow-up.

In isolated aortic stenosis, aortic valve replacement with the 3f Enable bioprosthesis results in significant regression of left ventricular mass at 6 months' follow-up. However, this regression needs to be verified by long-term echocardiographic follow-up.
Pathways Involved in Interleukin-1β–Mediated Murine Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis
Authors: Shen Yi , Qin Jie , Bu Peili
Published: April 2015

Accumulating evidence suggests that interleukin-1 (IL-1) signaling plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of heart failure by inducing cardiomyocyte apoptosis, but the mechanisms of this process are poorly defined. We further explored these molecular pathways.

We isolated cardiomyocytes from neonatal mice and then cultured and stimulated them with murine IL-1β in vitro. Cell apoptotic ratios were measured by means of flow cytometry. Expression of effector molecules was analyzed by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blotting, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that IL-1β induced murine cardiomyocyte apoptosis through a release of cytochrome c into cytoplasm and through caspase 3 activation. Simultaneously, IL-1β signaling promoted expression of endonuclease G and high-temperature requirement protein A2 messenger RNA. Survivin and X-linked inhibitors of apoptosis protein (IAP), members of the IAP family, were inhibited on the messenger RNA level during IL-1β–mediated cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

We found that IL-1β signaling during cardiomyocyte apoptosis in vitro induced the activation of caspase-dependent and caspase-independent pathways, and inhibited IAPs. Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in IL-1β–mediated cardiomyocyte apoptosis might assist in the design of therapeutic approaches to protect cardiomyocyte function and prevent heart failure.
Prolonged Chest Compressions during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest due to Acute Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Nobre Carla , Thomas Boban , Santos Luis , Tavares João
Published: April 2015

Patients with hemodynamic collapse due to acute pulmonary embolism have a dismal prognosis if not treated rapidly. Therapeutic options include systemic thrombolytic therapy, rheolytic thrombectomy, and surgical embolectomy. However, the efficacy of thrombolytic therapy is diminished because the low-output state hinders effective delivery of the lytic agent to the thrombus. In the absence of any form of mechanical circulatory support, such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or cardiac surgery on site, we think that prolonged vigorous manual compressions might be the only way to support the circulation during the initial critical state, when thrombolytic therapy has been administered.

We report the results of prolonged manual chest compressions (exceeding 30 minutes) on 6 patients who received tenecteplase in treatment of acute pulmonary embolism that induced in-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest. Four of 6 patients survived and were discharged from the hospital. In an era of increasing technologic complexity for patients with hemodynamic instability, we emphasize the importance of prolonged chest compressions, which can improve systemic perfusion, counteract the prothrombotic state associated with cardiopulmonary arrest, and give the lytic agent time to act.
Der Schutzvertrag von Raqqa und die Verlautbarung von Mosul. Ein Beitrag zur Diskussion über den „Islamischen Staat im Irak und in Syrien“
Authors: Sievert Henning
Published: April 2015

This contribution examines two documents issued by the terrorist organisation known as the ‘Islamic State in Iraq and Syria’ (IS) regarding the status and treatment of non-Muslims, namely the protection treaty with the Christians of Raqqa and the ultimatum to the Christians of Mosul. As IS’ claim to represent true Islam should be judged by the way in which they relate to Islamic tradition, the documents’ texts are presented with a commentary and translation. Both documents arbitrarily combine elements from authoritative texts with twenty first-century attitudes, disregarding more than a thousand years of Islamic scholarship. The Raqqa treaty, in particular, is part of the organisation’s professional public relations policy.
Quelques réflexions sur la traduction littéraire du chinois vers les langues européennes
Authors: Poizat-Xie Honghua
Published: April 2015

The present paper is the result of a workshop on the translation of Chinese literature that was held between March 2012 and May 2013 at the Confucius Institute at the University of Geneva. It aimed to identify major obstacles in rendering literary Chinese into English, French, Italian, German, and Russian, and to explore the differences and similarities of the problems encountered. Nine works of Chinese literature were selected for studying and examining a number of difficulties in translation: Terms with culturally specific connotations, transposition of certain grammatical structures, treatment of idioms and metaphors, translation of titles. We have found a great similarity of approaches chosen for the various target languages, Russian being an exception. Due to cultural and political influences, this language displays certain similarities to Chinese, especially in vocabulary; but there are additional aspects in which the Russian case differs from the other four languages.
The Politicization of Religion by the CCP: A Selective Retrieval
Authors: Laliberté André
Published: April 2015

This essays looks at the diversity of approaches used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in its politicization of religions. It first provides an overview of continuity with past practices by the Chinese state in the imperial and republican eras to stress the undetermined nature of ideological change in China. Then, it looks at the mechanisms by which the CCP makes religion a political issue and a matter of public concern within broader agendas. It stresses that this politicization of religions has unfolded in two different ways since 1949: besides the negative and coercive approach of the authorities, positive and cooperative strategy are also implemented. The regime hopes religions will be active politically to promote its objectives, such as projecting abroad an image of China’s soft power, raising funds for philanthropic activities within China, or supporting the state ‘patriotic’ agenda. The actions by the CCP suggest that it does not look at all religions as equally valuable to serve its political objectives, as it still maintains a distinction between official and banned religions. The article documents that the state’s encouragement to the revival of some religious activities is selective but on the other hand that CCP views are more nuanced than outsiders assume.
Aimé Humbert – Wertvorstellungen eines Bourgeois und das Japan der Bakumatsu-Zeit
Authors: Rüegg Jonas
Published: April 2015

Although it had no military presence in East Asia, Switzerland was the first landlocked European country to conclude an unequal treaty with the bakufu government of Japan in 1864. Aimé Humbert, initiator and leader of the Swiss delegation, spent 10 months in Japan waiting for the conclusion of the treaty. He is recognized not only for the significance of his mission regarding the economic relations between Switzerland and Japan, but also for his unique documentation of bakumatsu Japan’s everyday culture in his travel account Le Japon Illustré, which was published in 1870. This paper depicts Humbert’s perception of Japanese society and politics and analyzes private correspondence between him and his wife. His observations will be contextualized with the orientalist discourse in Europe and Swiss domestic politics in the 19th century. I will argue that Humbert clearly projected his value concepts as a bourgeois, liberalist and Protestant into Japan. For example, there is a parallelism between Humbert’s criticism of the Buddhist clergy and the liberalist’s anti-Catholicism. Of course, Humbert’s view of bakumatsu Japan and his way of describing the Japanese was strongly influenced by Eurocentric conceptions of the world in the 19th century. His belief in Japan’s ambitions as an independent nation, once liberated from despotism, however, can be considered as Humbert’s peculiarity and as implicit in his strategic situation: even though he profited from the West’s gunboat diplomacy, he did not need to justify any colonial ambitions of his nation, but rather predicted a “democratization” of trade with East Asia.
Relegitimizing the Chinese Party-State: “Old” Sources of Modern Chinese Party Power
Authors: Noesselt Nele
Published: April 2015

This article discusses the recent renaissance of political Confucianism under the fourth and fifth generations of Chinese political leaders. By conducting a context-sensitive analysis of references to pre-modern state philosophy and political symbolism in official political statements, it argues that the seemingly “Confucian” turn in Chinese politics should rather be interpreted as a strategic element of the PRC’s ongoing legitimation campaign and its leaders’ quest to consolidate the power of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). While philosophical reflections and popular Confucianism are flourishing all over the country, political Confucianism as operationalized by the CCP remains clearly restricted to moral aspects of political rule and thus mainly defines abstract principles of good governance and harmonious order. Structural Confucianism as developed by Jiang Qing has so far not been included into the party’s official (administrative) reform agenda.
Le retour de l’académie impériale dans la construction de la société harmonieuse: Le Hall des études nationales du devenir vertueux
Authors: Payette Alex
Published: April 2015

Comment s’exprime le renouveau confucéen sur le plan local en Chine contemporaine? Contrairement aux discours politiquement engagés qui occupent une grande partie des débats concernant le « renouveau du confucianisme », cet article tente de rendre compte de la vision locale de celui-ci à l’aide du cas du Hall des études nationales du devenir vertueux. Nous soutenons qu’à l’instar des discours qui défient le Parti communiste, le Hall vient, par le biais de son discours et de ses pratiques, participer de lui-même à la gouvernance. En plus, ce groupe d’initiative local nous a permis d’identifier deux éléments intéressants, soit une expression religieuse ainsi qu’identitaire. À ce titre, cet article se propose de faire une étude détaillée de ceux-ci afin d’offrir une vision plus près du « vécu confucéen » journalier en Chine contemporaine.
Party Ideology and the Changing Role of Religion: From “United Front” to “Intangible Cultural Heritage”
Authors: Hetmanczyk Philipp
Published: April 2015

In recent years, religious policy in China has faced an increasingly dynamic panorama of religious actors. The implementation of particular policies has proven to be at times pragmatic, at times incoherent and arbitrary. This may be interpreted as an intentional strategy that allows for a certain flexibility arbitrarily to tolerate or to suppress religious activities. At the same time, it can just as well be a result of institutional incoherence and incompetence. As this incoherence has the potential of endangering the legitimacy of religious politics, authorities resort to ideology as a means to solve these contradictions by integrating religion as a growing social factor, while still leaving space for flexible and sometimes inconsistent administration. The present paper shows that religious policy is framed into two directions: on the one hand, the inherited United Front approach is modified by a gradual revaluation of religion. On the other hand, what used to be labeled “superstition” is transformed into a resource for propagating cultural nationalism and patriotism.
Heat flow, weighted Bergman spaces, and real analytic Lipschitz approximation
Authors: Bauer Wolfram , Coburn Lewis A.
Published: April 2015

We show that,
for f any uniformly continuous (UC) complex-valued function on real Euclidean n-space ℝ
n
, the heat flow f˜(t) is Lipschitz for all t > 0 and f˜(t) converges uniformly to f as
t → 0. Analogously, let Ω be any irreducible bounded symmetric (Cartan) domain in complex n-space ℂ
n
and consider the Bergman metric β(·, ·) on Ω. For f any β-uniformly continuous function on Ω, we show that there is a Berezin–Harish-Chandra flow of real analytic functions B
λ
f which is β-Lipschitz for each λ ≥ p (p, the genus of Ω) and B
λ
f converges uniformly to f as λ → ∞. For a certain subspace of UC we obtain stronger approximation results and we study the asymptotic behaviour of the Lipschitz constants.
Polythelia and associated hydronephrosis: a case report in neonatal age
Authors: Zakanj Zora , Kotrulja Lena
Published: April 2015

Polythelia, the presence of supernumerary nipples, is a common anomaly usually limited to cosmetic concerns. However, the existence of accessory mammary tissue may indicate associated anomalies of the kidneys and the urinary tract or other systemic diseases. The association of these anomalies and systemic disease is often controversial, although some authors report their significance in neonates and infants. We report the association of accessory nipple and right-sided hydronephrosis in a female term newborn. Prenatal ultrasound monitoring did not indicate hydronephrosis and it was diagnosed after birth with an ultrasound examination of the newborn, which was due to a fever and suspected urinary infection. We consider that in symptomatic infants with accessory breast tissue, a thorough physical examination, urine analysis, and renal ultrasound should be done in order to exclude associated urinary tract abnormalities.
Development and Validation of a Scale for Measuring Sustainability Factors of Informal Microenterprises – A Qualitative and Quantitative Approach
Authors: Khan Eijaz Ahmed , Quaddus Mohammed
Published: April 2015

The growing interest in sustainability has dominated the area of entrepreneurship research. However, the measuring of sustainability factors has been largely ignored. As a result, so far, no researchers have developed sustainability factor scales and this might lead to a question of scale validity. This paper attempts to fill this gap: the aim of this study is to develop and validate scales of sustainability factor by investigating a microenterprise from the informal sector. In its design, the study uses a mixed method research approach. In the qualitative phase, content analysis has been applied to analyse the transcribed field study interviews. This procedure explores and confirms the sustainability variables and factors. The quantitative data are analysed through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) followed by Partial Least Square (PLS) approach. Quantitative analysis then validates the variables and factors. The study then specifies scales of sustainability factors in the context of an informal microenterprise and assesses them as reflective in nature. The limitations of the study are then identified and thoughts to stimulate future investigations discussed.
Higher-order Bernoulli and poly-Bernoulli mixed type polynomials
Authors: Kim Dae San , Kim Taekyun
Published: April 2015

In this paper, we consider higher-order Bernoulli and poly-Bernoulli mixed type polynomials and give some interesting identities for the polynomials arising from umbral calculus.
Analysis of Stochastic Nonlinear Dynamics in the Gear Transmission System with Backlash
Authors: Wang Jingyue , Wang Haotian , Guo Lixin
Published: April 2015

In order to study the different backlash, gear damping ratio and random disturbance on dynamic behavior of gear transmission system, stochastic dynamic equations of the three-degree-of-freedom spur gear transmission system are established considering random disturbances of a low-frequency external excitation induced by torque fluctuation, gear damping ratio, gear backlash, excitation frequency and meshing stiffness. Using bifurcation diagram, phase diagram, time course diagram, Poincaré map and power spectrum of the system, the dynamic characteristics of the gear transmission system with different backlash under gear damping ratio changing, and the influence of the random disturbance of gear damping ratio on the bifurcation characteristic of system are analyzed. Numerical simulation shows that the gear transmission system will be from periodic motion with a noisy disturbance to chaotic-like motion by period-doubling bifurcation with decreasing gear damping ratio. In the small damping ratio range, the backlash has great effect on the motion characteristics. Random disturbance has an important effect on the bifurcation characteristics.
Transnacionalidad e identidades lingüísticas en la frontera dominico-haitiana
Authors: Ortiz López Luis
Published: April 2015

Zones of Dominican-Haitian contact can be analyzed from anthropological, sociolinguistic and language-acquisition perspectives. Despite recent advances in the linguistic study of this area (Ortiz López 2010), many contact phenomena remain unexamined. Building on previous work, I analyze Dominican-Haitian contact from a transnational (Duany 2011) and ethno-sociolinguistic perspective. Here, I document the roles that Dominican Spanish, Haitian Kreyòl and Haitianized Spanish play for speakers in the speech community of the Dominican-Haitian border, while considering the ethno-social dimension in which language acquires meanings associated with race, power, status, prestige, etc. I tackle the following questions: how do the aforementioned linguistic varieties become instruments for negotiating a fluid yet conflictive and ambiguous ethnolinguistic identity (Coupland 2001; Fishman 1987; Le Page and Tabouret-Keller 1985; Zentella 2000; Duany 2010, 2011)?; where lie the specific connections between these linguistic varieties and ethnic components within the +/− black, +/− Haitian-Dominican, +/− Dominican, +/− monolingual continuum?; what values do these (often hybrid) linguistic varieties represent for the distant (Dominican and Haitian) neighbors from Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince as well as for the members of the hybrid, transnational and bifocal community of “others”?; and which linguistic varieties emerge from such a complex continuum?
Representing and regimenting languages in a transnational setting: the case of the Haitian-Dominican border
Authors: Valdez Juan R.
Published: April 2015

My analysis focuses on linguistic representations in order to shed light on the political, ethnic, and linguistic boundaries of the two nation-states that share the island of Hispaniola. In the context of the 20th century, Dominican politicians and philologists converged, creating a concentrated network of schools with Spanish as the language of instruction, prohibiting the use of Haitian Creole (Kreyòl), renaming numerous places from French or Kreyòl to Spanish, and producing a corpus of texts which described and represented the Dominican linguistic landscape proper. Literacy practices and speech practices were engaged for the purpose of Hispanizing border communities. I approach the sociopolitical transformation of this region by analyzing the representations of speech practices and the related linguistic policies of the Dominican state which targeted bilingual and multicultural communities in the 1930s and 1940s. To these interrelated issues, I apply the analytical tools from research on linguistic discourse and language ideologies (Arnoux and del Valle 2010; Irvine and Gal 2000; Woolard 2008) and insights from border studies (Wilson and Donnan 2012; Houtum and Naerssen 2002). My guiding question is whether, in the case of the Dominican-Haitian border in the 20th century, linguistic difference was represented in metalinguistic discourse in order to create a Dominican identity particularly through dissimilarity.
Ethnic difference and language ideologies in popular Dominican literature: the case of Haitianized speech
Authors: Jansen Silke
Published: April 2015

In the vast amount of popular and folkloric literature which depicts everyday life in the rural Dominican Republic, Haitian characters are perpetually present. In particular, Juan Antonio Alix's (1833–1918)
On commutator fully transitive Abelian groups
Authors: Chekhlov Andrey R. , Danchev Peter V.
Published: April 2015

There are two rather natural questions which arise in connection with the endomorphism ring of an
Abelian group: when is the ring generated
by its commutators, and
when is the ring additively generated by
its commutators?
The current work explores these two problems
for arbitrary Abelian groups.
This leads in a standard way to consideration of
two improved versions of
Kaplansky's notion of full transitivity,
which we call
commutator full transitivity
and strongly commutator full transitivity.
We establish, inter alia,
that these notions are strictly stronger
than the classical concept of full transitivity,
but there are nonetheless many parallels between
these things.
Folate status and health: challenges and opportunities
Authors: Obeid Rima , Oexle Konrad , Rißmann Anke , Pietrzik Klaus , Koletzko Berthold
Published: April 2015

Each year approximately 2400 pregnancies develop folic acid-preventable spina bifida and anencephaly in Europe. Currently, 70% of all affected pregnancies are terminated after prenatal diagnosis. The prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs) has been significantly lowered in more than 70 countries worldwide by applying fortification with folic acid. Periconceptional supplementation of folic acid also reduces the risk of congenital heart diseases, preterm birth, low birth weight, and health problems associated with child mortality and morbidity. All European governments failed to issue folic acid fortification of centrally processed and widely eaten foods in order to prevent NTDs and other unwanted birth outcomes. The estimated average dietary intake of folate in Germany is 200 μg dietary folate equivalents (DFE)/day. More than half of German women of reproductive age do not consume sufficient dietary folate to achieve optimal serum or red blood cell folate concentrations (>18 or 1000 nmol/L, respectively) necessary to prevent spina bifida and anencephaly. To date, targeted supplementation is recommended in Europe, but this approach failed to reduce the rate of NTDs during the last 10 years. Public health centers for prenatal care and fortification with folic acid in Europe are urgently needed. Only such an action will sufficiently improve folate status, prevent at least 50% of the NTD cases, reduce child mortality and morbidity, and alleviate other health problems associated with low folate such as anemia.
Effect of cutting tool lead angle on machining forces and surface finish of CFRP laminates
Authors: Ghafarizadeh Seyedbehzad , Chatelain Jean-François , Lebrun Gilbert
Published: April 2015

Machining is one of the most practical processes for finishing operations of composite components, allowing high-quality surface and controlled tolerances. The high-precision surface milling of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) is particularly applicable in the assembly of complex components requiring accurate mating surfaces as well as for surface repair or mold finishing. CFRP surface milling is a challenging operation because of the heterogeneity and anisotropy of these materials, which are the source of several types of damage, such as delamination, fiber pullout, and fiber fragmentation. To minimize the machining problems of CFRP milling and improve the surface quality, this research focuses on the effect of multiaxis machining parameters, such as the feed rate, cutting speed, and lead angle, on cutting forces and surface roughness. The results show that the surface roughness and cutting forces increase with the feed rate, whereas their variations are not uniform when changing the cutting speed. Generally, a lower surface roughness was achieved by using a lower cutting feed rate (0.063 mm/rev) and higher cutting speeds (250–500 m/min). It was also found that the cutting forces and surface roughness vary significantly and nonlinearly with the lead angle of the cutting tool with respect to the surface.
Optimierung des temperaturzyklischen Betriebs von
Halbleitergassensoren
Authors: Baur Tobias , Schütze Andreas , Sauerwald Tilman
Published: April 2015

Wir stellen ein Verfahren zur Optimierung des temperaturzyklischen
Betriebs (TCO, temperature cycled operation) im Hinblick auf
Sensorsignal, Sensitivität und Selektivität vor. Dieses basiert auf
der Grundlage eines Sensormodells unter der Annahme, dass die
Leitwertänderung durch die Besetzungsänderung mit ionosorbierten
Sauerstoff auf dem Sensor hervorgerufen wird. Das Verfahren wurde mit
einem SnO2-Sensor (AS-MLV, ams Sensor Solutions Germany
GmbH, Reutlingen) auf einem Membransubstrat getestet, welches aufgrund
der geringen thermischen Masse eine schnelle Temperaturänderung
zulässt. Das Optimierungsverfahren kann sehr hohe Sensorsignale
(G

Gas
/G

Luft
 − 1) erzielen, beispielsweise
ein Sensorsignal von ca. 8000 bei 1 ppm ethanolhaltiger
synthetischer Luft, die das isotherme Sensorsignal um den Faktor 800
übertrifft. Der Zusammenhang zwischen dem Sensorsignal und der
Gaskonzentration kann für die meisten Zeitpunkte im TCO durch eine
Potenzfunktion mit Exponenten von 0,5 bis 4 beschrieben werden. Es
zeigt sich, dass direkt nach einem Temperaturabfall das Modell so
stark vereinfacht werden kann, dass nur noch ein freier
Modellparameter bleibt. Die Geschwindigkeit der Relaxation bei
reduzierendem Gasangebot kann durch Ratenkonstanten beschrieben
werden, die in guter Näherung proportional zur Gaskonzentration
sind. Die Temperaturcharakteristik der Ratenkonstanten variiert für
verschiedene Gase unabhängig von der Konzentration. Daher kann auch
die Selektivität optimiert werden, wie am Beispiel von ethanol- und
benzolhaltiger synthetischer Luft gezeigt wird.
Effect of Spray Cone Angle on Flame Stability in an Annular Gas Turbine Combustor
Authors: Mishra R. K. , Kumar S. Kishore , Chandel Sunil
Published: April 2015

Effect of fuel spray cone angle in an aerogas turbine combustor has been studied using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and full-scale combustor testing. For CFD analysis, a 22.5° sector of an annular combustor is modeled and the governing equations are solved using the eddy dissipation combustion model in ANSYS CFX computational package. The analysis has been carried out at 125 kPa and 303 K inlet conditions for spray cone angles from 60° to 140°. The lean blowout limits are established by studying the behavior of combustion zone during transient engine operation from an initial steady-state condition. The computational study has been followed by testing the practical full-scale annular combustor in an aerothermal test facility. The experimental result is in a good agreement with the computational predictions. The lean blowout fuel–air ratio increases as the spray cone angle is decreased at constant operating pressure and temperature. At higher spray cone angle, the flame and high-temperature zone moves upstream close to atomizer face and a uniform flame is sustained over a wide region causing better flame stability.
New Visual Hermeneutics
Authors: Kath Roxana , Schaal Gary S. , Dumm Sebastian
Published: April 2015

In digital humanities, research insights are often achieved by the interpretation of visualizations of data, but the interpretation of visualization is not self-evident.

In this paper we present a new methodology to attain interpretations of visualizations which may be accepted intersubjectively. New Visual Hermeneutics is an integrated research framework with special attention to the episte­mology of visualizations. Adapting Don Ihde’s experimental phenomenology it addresses the research process as a whole, focusing on the impact of all research decisions which result in the final visualization(s) in four distinct steps: 1. data sampling, 2. algorithmic analysis of the sampled data, 3. choosing visualization of the algorithmic analysis, 4. hermeneutic interpretation of the chosen visualization.
Incoherent Feed-Forward Regulatory Loops Control Segregation of C-Mechanoreceptors, Nociceptors, and Pruriceptors
Authors: Lou Shan , Pan Xiaoxin , Huang Tianwen , Duan Bo , Yang Fu-Chia , Yang Juan , Xiong Mulin , Liu Yang , Ma Qiufu
Published: April 2015

Mammalian skin is innervated by diverse, unmyelinated C fibers that are associated with senses of pain, itch, temperature, or touch. A key developmental question is how this neuronal cell diversity is generated during development. We reported previously that the runt domain transcription factor Runx1 is required to coordinate the development of these unmyelinated cutaneous sensory neurons, including VGLUT3+low-threshold c-mechanoreceptors (CLTMs), MrgprD+polymodal nociceptors, MrgprA3+pruriceptors, MrgprB4+c-mechanoreceptors, and others. However, how these Runx1-dependent cutaneous sensory neurons are further segregated is poorly illustrated. Here, we find that the Runx1-dependent transcription factor geneZfp521is expressed in, and required for establishing molecular features that define, VGLUT3+CLTMs. Furthermore, Runx1 and Zfp521 form a classic incoherent feedforward loop (I-FFL) in controlling molecular identities that normally belong to MrgprD+neurons, with Runx1 and Zfp51 playing activator and repressor roles, respectively (in genetic terms). A knock-out ofZfp521allows prospective VGLUT3 lineage neurons to acquire MrgprD+neuron identities. Furthermore, Runx1 might form other I-FFLs to regulate the expression of MrgprA3 and MrgprB4, a mechanism preventing these genes from being expressed in Runx1-persistent VGLUT3+and MrgprD+neurons. The evolvement of these I-FFLs provides an explanation for how modality-selective sensory subtypes are formed during development and may also have intriguing implications for sensory neuron evolution and sensory coding.
Distributed Representation of Visual Objects by Single Neurons in the Human Brain
Authors: Valdez André B. , Papesh Megan H. , Treiman David M. , Smith Kris A. , Goldinger Stephen D. , Steinmetz Peter N.
Published: April 2015

It remains unclear how single neurons in the human brain represent whole-object visual stimuli. While recordings in both human and nonhuman primates have shown distributed representations of objects (many neurons encoding multiple objects), recordings of single neurons in the human medial temporal lobe, taken as subjects' discriminated objects during multiple presentations, have shown gnostic representations (single neurons encoding one object). Because some studies suggest that repeated viewing may enhance neural selectivity for objects, we had human subjects discriminate objects in a single, more naturalistic viewing session. We found that, across 432 well isolated neurons recorded in the hippocampus and amygdala, the average fraction of objects encoded was 26%. We also found that more neurons encoded several objects versus only one object in the hippocampus (28 vs 18%,p< 0.001) and in the amygdala (30 vs 19%,p< 0.001). Thus, during realistic viewing experiences, typical neurons in the human medial temporal lobe code for a considerable range of objects, across multiple semantic categories.
Neuronal Kmt2a/Mll1 Histone Methyltransferase Is Essential for Prefrontal Synaptic Plasticity and Working Memory
Authors: Jakovcevski Mira , Ruan Hongyu , Shen Erica Y. , Dincer Aslihan , Javidfar Behnam , Ma Qi , Peter Cyril J. , Cheung Iris , Mitchell Amanda C. , Jiang Yan , Lin Cong L. , Pothula Venu , Stewart A. Francis , Ernst Patricia , Yao Wei-Dong , Akbarian Schahram
Published: April 2015

Neuronal histone H3-lysine 4 methylation landscapes are defined by sharp peaks at gene promoters and othercis-regulatory sequences, but molecular and cellular phenotypes after neuron-specific deletion of H3K4 methyl-regulators remain largely unexplored. We report that neuronal ablation of the H3K4-specific methyltransferase,Kmt2a/Mixed-lineage leukemia 1(Mll1), in mouse postnatal forebrain and adult prefrontal cortex (PFC) is associated with increased anxiety and robust cognitive deficits without locomotor dysfunction. In contrast, only mild behavioral phenotypes were observed after ablation of theMll1orthologKmt2b/Mll2in PFC. Impaired working memory afterKmt2a/Mll1ablation in PFC neurons was associated with loss of training-induced transient waves ofArcimmediate early gene expression critical for synaptic plasticity. Medial prefrontal layer V pyramidal neurons, a major output relay of the cortex, demonstrated severely impaired synaptic facilitation and temporal summation, two forms of short-term plasticity essential for working memory. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by deep sequencing inMll1-deficient cortical neurons revealed downregulated expression and loss of the transcriptional mark, trimethyl-H3K4, at <50 loci, including the homeodomain transcription factorMeis2. Small RNA-mediatedMeis2knockdown in PFC was associated with working memory defects similar to those elicited byMll1deletion. Therefore, mature prefrontal neurons critically depend on maintenance ofMll1-regulated H3K4 methylation at a subset of genes with an essential role in cognition and emotion.
Auditory Distance Coding in Rabbit Midbrain Neurons and Human Perception: Monaural Amplitude Modulation Depth as a Cue
Authors: Kim Duck O. , Zahorik Pavel , Carney Laurel H. , Bishop Brian B. , Kuwada Shigeyuki
Published: April 2015

Mechanisms underlying sound source distance localization are not well understood. Here we tested the hypothesis that a novel mechanism can create monaural distance sensitivity: a combination of auditory midbrain neurons' sensitivity to amplitude modulation (AM) depth and distance-dependent loss of AM in reverberation. We used virtual auditory space (VAS) methods for sounds at various distances in anechoic and reverberant environments. Stimulus level was constant across distance. With increasing modulation depth, some rabbit inferior colliculus neurons increased firing rates whereas others decreased. These neurons exhibited monotonic relationships between firing rates and distance for monaurally presented noise when two conditions were met: (1) the sound had AM, and (2) the environment was reverberant. The firing rates as a function of distance remained approximately constant without AM in either environment and, in an anechoic condition, even with AM. We corroborated this finding by reproducing the distance sensitivity using a neural model. We also conducted a human psychophysical study using similar methods. Normal-hearing listeners reported perceived distance in response to monaural 1 octave 4 kHz noise source sounds presented at distances of 35–200 cm. We found parallels between the rabbit neural and human responses. In both, sound distance could be discriminated only if the monaural sound in reverberation had AM. These observations support the hypothesis. When other cues are available (e.g., in binaural hearing), how much the auditory system actually uses the AM as a distance cue remains to be determined.
Deletion of Mitochondrial Anchoring Protects Dysmyelinating Shiverer: Implications for Progressive MS
Authors: Joshi Dinesh C. , Zhang Chuan-Li , Lin Tien-Min , Gusain Anchal , Harris Melissa G. , Tree Esther , Yin Yewin , Wu Connie , Sheng Zu-Hang , Dempsey Robert J , Fabry Zsuzsanna , Chiu Shing Yan
Published: April 2015

The demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis (MS) has an early inflammatory phase followed by an incurable progressive phase with subdued inflammation and poorly understood neurodegenerative mechanism. In this study, we identified various parallelisms between progressive MS and the dysmyelinating mouse modelShivererand then genetically deleted a major neuron-specific mitochondrial anchoring protein Syntaphilin (SNPH) from the mouse. Prevailing evidence suggests that deletion of SNPH is harmful in demyelination. Surprisingly, SNPH deletion produces striking benefits in theShivererby prolonging survival, reducing cerebellar damage, suppressing oxidative stress, and improving mitochondrial health. In contrast, SNPH deletion does not benefit clinical symptoms in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model for early-phase MS. We propose that deleting mitochondrial anchoring is a novel, specific treatment for progressive MS.