bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exhuming Saint-Hilaire: revision of the Drosera villosa complex (Droseraceae) supports 200 year-old neglected species concepts
Authors: Gonella Paulo Minatel , Rivadavia Fernando , Sano Paulo Takeo , Fleischmann Andreas
Published: January 2014

The Drosera villosa complex is here reviewed and includes six species endemic to Brazil: D. villosa, here identified for the first time as a narrow endemic species native to the neighboring highlands of the Serra Negra and Serra do Ibitipoca, in southern Minas Gerais state; D. ascendens, rediscovered nearly 200 years after its description, narrowly endemic to the Diamantina Plateau, central Minas Gerais; D. graomogolensis, endemic to northern Minas Gerais, but here found to be more widespread than previously reported; D. latifolia, a highly polymorphic and widespread taxon, previously placed in synonymy of D. villosa and heretofore misidentified as D. ascendens, is here elevated to species rank; and two new species here described, D. riparia and D. chimaera. Furthermore, two new natural hybrids are reported: D. villosa × D. tomentosa var. glabrata and D. latifolia × D. tomentosa. The morphological characters distinguishing these taxa from each other and from similar species are discussed, together with habitat and ecological information, detailed illustrations and photographs, distribution maps, and a key to the species of the D. villosa complex is provided.
The significance of one versus two styles: the return of Seddera section Socotroseddera to Convolvulus
Authors: Luna Javier A , Demissew Sebsebe , Darbyshire Iain , Carine Mark A
Published: January 2014

The generic placement of the Socotran endemic Seddera section Socotroseddera is reassessed. A molecular phylogenetic analysis using the chloroplast matK resolves Seddera as polpyphyletic with samples of Seddera section Socotroseddera resolved within Convolvulus. This placement is congruent with morphology, notably style morphology as the species of this section possess one style, in keeping with Convolvulus and in contrast to other species of Seddera. It also reflects the original generic placement of these species. The return of species of Seddera section Socotroseddera to Convolvulus is proposed. A new combination for a recently described species is necessary to enact this transfer and so is provided.
Ekman Veering, Internal Waves, and Turbulence Observed under Arctic Sea Ice
Authors: Cole Sylvia T. , Timmermans Mary-Louise , Toole John M. , Krishfield Richard A. , Thwaites Fredrik T.
Published: January 2014

The ice–ocean system is investigated on inertial to monthly time scales using winter 2009–10 observations from the first ice-tethered profiler (ITP) equipped with a velocity sensor (ITP-V). Fluctuations in surface winds, ice velocity, and ocean velocity at 7-m depth were correlated. Observed ocean velocity was primarily directed to the right of the ice velocity and spiraled clockwise while decaying with depth through the mixed layer. Inertial and tidal motions of the ice and in the underlying ocean were observed throughout the record. Just below the ice–ocean interface, direct estimates of the turbulent vertical heat, salt, and momentum fluxes and the turbulent dissipation rate were obtained. Periods of elevated internal wave activity were associated with changes to the turbulent heat and salt fluxes as well as stratification primarily within the mixed layer. Turbulent heat and salt fluxes were correlated particularly when the mixed layer was closest to the freezing temperature. Momentum flux is adequately related to velocity shear using a constant ice–ocean drag coefficient, mixing length based on the planetary and geometric scales, or Rossby similarity theory. Ekman viscosity described velocity shear over the mixed layer. The ice–ocean drag coefficient was elevated for certain directions of the ice–ocean shear, implying an ice topography that was characterized by linear ridges. Mixing length was best estimated using the wavenumber of the beginning of the inertial subrange or a variable drag coefficient. Analyses of this and future ITP-V datasets will advance understanding of ice–ocean interactions and their parameterizations in numerical models.
BMA Probabilistic Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting over the Huaihe Basin Using TIGGE Multimodel Ensemble Forecasts
Authors: Liu Jianguo , Xie Zhenghui
Published: January 2014

Bayesian model averaging (BMA) probability quantitative precipitation forecast (PQPF) models were established by calibrating their parameters using 1–7-day ensemble forecasts of 24-h accumulated precipitation, and observations from 43 meteorological stations in the Huaihe Basin. Forecasts were provided by four single-center (model) ensemble prediction systems (EPSs) and their multicenter (model) grand ensemble systems, which consider exchangeable members (EGE) in The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment (THORPEX) Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (TIGGE). The four single-center EPSs were from the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the National Centers for Environment Prediction (NCEP), and the Met Office (UKMO). Comparisons between the raw ensemble, logistic regression, and BMA for PQPFs suggested that the BMA predictive models performed better than the raw ensemble forecasts and logistic regression. The verification and comparison of five BMA EPSs for PQPFs in the study area showed that the UKMO and ECMWF were a little superior to the NCEP and CMA in general for lead times of 1–7 days for the single-center EPSs. The BMA model for EGE outperformed those for single-center EPSs for all 1–7-day ensemble forecasts, and mostly improved the quality of PQPF. Based on the percentile forecasts from the BMA predictive PDFs for EGE, a heavy-precipitation warning scheme is proposed for the test area.
A kaleidoscope: The role of the social work practitioner and the strength of social work theories and practice in meeting the complex needs of people trafficked and the professionals that work with them
Authors: Busch-Armendariz Noël , Nsonwu Maura Busch , Heffron Laurie Cook
Published: January 2014

This qualitative research study explored responses to trafficking in persons. Fifty-five ( n = 55) interviews were collected and data were analyzed using qualitative iterative processes. The social worker and the utilization of social work perspectives provided a strong and effective framework for service delivery and effective interdisciplinary collaboration. The ecological, strengths-based, and victim-center approaches were a benefit to survivors and professionals specifically around coordinated efforts, trust-building, and increased cultural competence. Findings also support that individuals who are trafficked have unique needs and social workers’ theoretical and practice modalities are well suited to respond to and coordinate these distinct circumstances.
Teaching Social Studies to Upper Elementary Students With Learning Disabilities
Authors: Ciullo Stephen , Falcomata Terry , Vaughn Sharon
Published: January 2014

The authors report the effects of a single-case, multiple-probe design investigation for students with learning disabilities (LD) in Grades 4 and 5. Seven students classified as LD and with persistent difficulty with informational-text comprehension from two elementary schools participated. The study compared social studies learning across two conditions: a text-based summarization baseline and a treatment that used graphic organizers and explicit instruction. Results suggest the manifestation of a functional relation for all students on daily content quizzes and minimal performance overlap between conditions. On a pre/post social studies measure, students at both schools improved, but students at School B made greater gains at posttest. Results suggest that treatment components that have been effective for students in secondary school are promising for enhancing learning with social studies text in students with LD in Grades 4 and 5.
Antioxidant effect of garlic (Allium sativum) and black seeds (Nigella sativa) in healthy postmenopausal women
Authors: Mostafa Randa M , Moustafa Yasser M , Mirghani Zien , AlKusayer Ghader M , Moustafa Kareem M
Published: January 2014

Objectives:

The objective of this study is to investigate the antioxidant effects of garlic extract and crude black seeds’ consumption on blood oxidant/antioxidant levels in healthy postmenopausal women.

Methods:

In total, 30 healthy postmenopausal women (mean age = 50.31 ± 4.23 years) participated. They ingested two garlic soft gels per day (each is equivalent to 1000 mg of fresh garlic bulb) and crude black seed grounded to powder in a dose of 3 g/day for 8 weeks. Oxidant (malondialdehyde) activity in plasma and antioxidants superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities in erythrocytes were studied.

Results:

Significant low levels of plasma malondialdehyde with increased erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities.

Discussion:

Menopause is associated with an increase in oxidative stress and a decrease in some antioxidant parameters. Consumption of garlic extracts and crude black seeds may have a beneficial effect on improved balance between blood oxidants and antioxidants in healthy postmenopausal women.
Genome-wide comparative analysis of NBS-encoding genes between Brassica species and Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Yu Jingyin , Tehrim Sadia , Zhang Fengqi , Tong Chaobo , Huang Junyan , Cheng Xiaohui , Dong Caihua , Zhou Yanqiu , Qin Rui , Hua Wei , Liu Shengyi
Published: January 2014

Background

Plant disease resistance (R) genes with the nucleotide binding site (NBS) play an important role in offering resistance to pathogens. The availability of complete genome sequences of Brassica oleracea and Brassica rapa provides an important opportunity for researchers to identify and characterize NBS-encoding R genes in Brassica species and to compare with analogues in Arabidopsis thaliana based on a comparative genomics approach. However, little is known about the evolutionary fate of NBS-encoding genes in the Brassica lineage after split from A. thaliana.

Results

Here we present genome-wide analysis of NBS-encoding genes in B. oleracea, B. rapa and A. thaliana. Through the employment of HMM search and manual curation, we identified 157, 206 and 167 NBS-encoding genes in B. oleracea, B. rapa and A. thaliana genomes, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis among 3 species classified NBS-encoding genes into 6 subgroups. Tandem duplication and whole genome triplication (WGT) analyses revealed that after WGT of the Brassica ancestor, NBS-encoding homologous gene pairs on triplicated regions in Brassica ancestor were deleted or lost quickly, but NBS-encoding genes in Brassica species experienced species-specific gene amplification by tandem duplication after divergence of B. rapa and B. oleracea. Expression profiling of NBS-encoding orthologous gene pairs indicated the differential expression pattern of retained orthologous gene copies in B. oleracea and B. rapa. Furthermore, evolutionary analysis of CNL type NBS-encoding orthologous gene pairs among 3 species suggested that orthologous genes in B. rapa species have undergone stronger negative selection than those in B .oleracea species. But for TNL type, there are no significant differences in the orthologous gene pairs between the two species.

Conclusion

This study is first identification and characterization of NBS-encoding genes in B. rapa and B. oleracea based on whole genome sequences. Through tandem duplication and whole genome triplication analysis in B. oleracea, B. rapa and A. thaliana genomes, our study provides insight into the evolutionary history of NBS-encoding genes after divergence of A. thaliana and the Brassica lineage. These results together with expression pattern analysis of NBS-encoding orthologous genes provide useful resource for functional characterization of these genes and genetic improvement of relevant crops.
Cyclooxygenase-2 and B-cell lymphoma-2 expression in cystitis glandularis and primary vesicle adenocarcinoma
Authors: Li Zhongxing , Ge Guangcheng , Feng Rui , Wu Dan , Shen Bin , Wang Xing , Cui Yan , Li Junrong , Ju Xiaobing
Published: January 2014

Background

Although cystitis glandularis (CG) is a common benign urinary bladder epithelial abnormality, it remains unclear whether CG is a premalignant lesion. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) overexpression has recently been reported as a potential tumor initiator or promoter. We evaluated and compared COX-2 and Bcl-2 expression in CG, chronic cystitis (CC), and primary vesicle adenocarcinoma (ADC) tissues.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study to investigate COX-2 and Bcl-2 levels in CG and ADC. We obtained tissue samples from 75 patients (including 11 cases of CC, 30 typical cases of CG (CGTP), 30 cases of intestinal CG (CGIT), and 4 cases of ADC) between 1989 and 2009 from the Surgical Pathology Archives of the No. 2 People’s Hospital of Zhenjiang, affiliated with Jiangsu University. COX-2 and Bcl-2 immunohistochemical staining was performed on all tissues. Nine normal bladder epithelial specimens were evaluated as control samples. Correlations between COX-2 and Bcl-2 expression in CG were also analyzed.

Results

COX-2 and Bcl-2 expression was higher in the ADC group compared to other groups (p < 0.05). COX-2 and Bcl-2 levels were higher in the CGIT group compared to the CGTP group (p = 0.000 for both). The CGIT and CGTP groups both showed higher COX-2 expression compared to the CC group (p = 0.000 for both). There was no difference in Bcl-2 expression between the CGTP and CC groups (p = 0.452). Additionally, the difference in COX-2 and Bcl-2 expression between the control and CC groups was also insignificant (p = 0.668 and p = 0.097, respectively). Finally, we found that COX-2 and Bcl-2 levels were positively related (r = 0.648, p = 0.000).

Conclusion

COX-2 and Bcl-2 overexpression in the CG group suggests that CG, particularly the intestinal type, may be a premalignant lesion that converts into a tumor in the presence of carcinogens.
To evaluate the effectiveness of health care ethics consultation based on the goals of health care ethics consultation: a prospective cohort study with randomization
Authors: Chen Yen-Yuan , Chu Tzong-Shinn , Kao Yu-Hui , Tsai Pi-Ru , Huang Tien-Shang , Ko Wen-Je
Published: January 2014

Background

The growing prevalence of health care ethics consultation (HCEC) services in the U.S. has been accompanied by an increase in calls for accountability and quality assurance, and for the debates surrounding why and how HCEC is evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of HCEC as indicated by several novel outcome measurements in East Asian medical encounters.

Methods

Patients with medical uncertainty or conflict regarding value-laden issues, and requests made by the attending physicians or nurses for HCEC from December 1, 2009 to April 30, 2012 were randomly assigned to the usual care group (UC group) and the intervention group (HCEC group). The patients in the HCEC group received HCEC conducted by an individual ethics consultant. Data analysis was based on the intention-to-treat principle. Mann–Whitney test and Chi-squared test were used depending on the scale of measurement.

Results

Thirty-three patients (53.23%) were randomly assigned to the HCEC group and 29 patients were randomly assigned to the UC group. Among the 33 patients in the HCEC group, two (6.06%) of them ultimately did not receive a HCEC service. Among the 29 patients in the UC group, four (13.79%) of them received a HCEC service. The survival rate at hospital discharge did not differ between the two groups. Patients in the HCEC group showed significant reductions in the entire ICU stay and entire hospital stay. HCEC significantly facilitated achieving the goal of medical care (p < .01). Furthermore, patients in the HCEC group had a shorter ICU stay and shorter hospital stay after the occurrence of medical uncertainty or conflict regarding value-laden issues than those in the UC group.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrated that HCEC were associated with reduced consumption of medical resources as indicated by shorter entire ICU stay, entire hospital stay, and shorter ICU and hospital stay after the occurrence of the medical uncertainty or conflict regarding value-laden issues. This study also showed that HCEC facilitated achieving a consensus regarding the goal of medical care, which conforms to the goal of HCEC.
Resiquimod and polyinosinic–polycytidylic acid formulation with aluminum hydroxide as an adjuvant for foot-and-mouth disease vaccine
Authors: Zhou Chun-Xue , Li Dong , Chen Ying-Li , Lu Zeng-Jun , Sun Pu , Cao Yi-Mei , Bao Hui-Fang , Fu Yuan-Fang , Li Ping-Hua , Bai Xing-Wen , Xie Bao-Xia , Liu Zai-Xin
Published: January 2014

Background

Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists reportedly have potent antiviral and antitumor activities and may be a new kind of adjuvant for enhancing immune efficacy. Resiquimod (R848) is an imidazoquinoline compound with potent antiviral activity and functions through the TLR7/TLR8 MyD88-dependent signaling pathway. Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)] is a synthetic analog of double-stranded RNA that induces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by the activation of NF-κB through TLR3. This study investigated the potential of R848 and poly(I:C) as an adjuvant 146S foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) vaccine formulated with aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3).

Results

Antibody titers to FMDV and CD8+ T cells were markedly enhanced in mice immunized to 146S FMDV + Al(OH)3 + R848 + poly(I:C) compared with mice immunized to FMDV + ISA206. IFN-γ secretion substantially increased compared with IL-4 secretion by splenic T cells stimulated with FMDV antigens in vitro, suggesting that R848, poly(I:C), and with Al(OH)3 together biased the immune response toward a Th1-type direction.

Conclusions

These results indicated that the R848 and poly(I:C) together with Al(OH)3 enhanced humoral and cellular immune responses to immunization with 146S FMDV antigens. Thus, this new vaccine formulation can be used for FMDV prevention.
Chemical composition and in vitroevaluation of the cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of supercritical carbon dioxide extracts of pitaya (dragon fruit) peel
Authors: Luo Hui , Cai Yongqiang , Peng Zhijun , Liu Tao , Yang Shengjie
Published: January 2014

Background

Hylocereus polyrhizus and Hylocereus undatus are two varieties of the commonly called pitaya fruits, and pitaya fruits have gained popularity in many countries all over the world. However, studies on chemical composition and the nutritional quality of pitaya flesh peel are limited.

Results

Extracts of pitaya (H. polyrhizus and H. undatus) peel were extracted by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. Their cytotoxic and antioxidant activities were investigated. The main components of H. polyrhizus extract were β-amyrin (15.87%), α-amyrin (13.90%), octacosane (12.2%), γ-sitosterol (9.35%), octadecane (6.27%), 1-tetracosanol (5.19%), stigmast-4-en-3-one (4.65%), and campesterol (4.16%), whereas H. undatus were β-amyrin (23.39%), γ-sitosterol (19.32%), and octadecane (9.25%), heptacosane (5.52%), campesterol (5.27%), nonacosane (5.02%), and trichloroacetic acid, hexadecyl ester (5.21%). Both of the two extracts possessed good cytotoxic activities against PC3, Bcap-37, and MGC-803 cells (IC50 values ranging from 0.61 to 0.73 mg/mL), and the activities of their main components were also studied. Furthermore, these extracts also presented some radical scavenging activities, with IC50 values of 0.83 and 0.91 mg/mL, respectively.

Conclusion

This paper provides evidence for studying the chemical composition of supercritical carbon dioxide extracts of pitaya peel and their biological activity.
Cloning and characterization of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit NR1 gene from chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum, 1792)
Authors: Yu Jeong-Nam , Ham Seung Hyub , Lee Seung Il , Jin Hyung-Joo , Ueda Hiroshi , Jin Deuk-Hee
Published: January 2014

Here, we report the information about molecular and expression characterization of NR1 gene in chum salmon for the first time. The complete NR1 subunit showed a large open-reading frame of 2844 bp in the total length of 3193 bp, and this cDNA contained a coding region encoding 948 amino acids and a stop codon. The organization of the NR1 subunit of chum salmon were similar of most other fishes, except C’ terminal. The expression of NR1 subunit was to show higher in the natal river near to the hatchery than near to the coast. We expect that the information reported herein may facilitate further investigations on the relationship between memory factors of natal rivers and homing mechanisms in Salmonidae.
Photobiomodulation with near infrared light mitigates Alzheimer’s disease-related pathology in cerebral cortex – evidence from two transgenic mouse models
Authors: Purushothuman Sivaraman , Johnstone Daniel M , Nandasena Charith , Mitrofanis John , Stone Jonathan
Published: January 2014

Introduction

Previous work has demonstrated the efficacy of irradiating tissue with red to infrared light in mitigating cerebral pathology and degeneration in animal models of stroke, traumatic brain injury, parkinsonism and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Using mouse models, we explored the neuroprotective effect of near infrared light (NIr) treatment, delivered at an age when substantial pathology is already present in the cerebral cortex.

Methods

We studied two mouse models with AD-related pathologies: the K369I tau transgenic model (K3), engineered to develop neurofibrillary tangles, and the APPswe/PSEN1dE9 transgenic model (APP/PS1), engineered to develop amyloid plaques. Mice were treated with NIr 20 times over a four-week period and histochemistry was used to quantify AD-related pathological hallmarks and other markers of cell damage in the neocortex and hippocampus.

Results

In the K3 mice, NIr treatment was associated with a reduction in hyperphosphorylated tau, neurofibrillary tangles and oxidative stress markers (4-hydroxynonenal and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine) to near wildtype levels in the neocortex and hippocampus, and with a restoration of expression of the mitochondrial marker cytochrome c oxidase in surviving neurons. In the APP/PS1 mice, NIr treatment was associated with a reduction in the size and number of amyloid-β plaques in the neocortex and hippocampus.

Conclusions

Our results, in two transgenic mouse models, suggest that NIr may have potential as an effective, minimally-invasive intervention for mitigating, and even reversing, progressive cerebral degenerations.
Petrophysical rock classification in the Cotton Valley tight-gas sandstone reservoir with a clustering pore-system orthogonality matrix
Authors: Xu Chicheng , Torres-Verdín Carlos
Published: January 2014

Petrophysical rock classification is an important component of the interpretation of core data and well logs acquired in complex reservoirs. Tight-gas sandstones exhibit large variability in all petrophysical properties due to complex pore topology resulting from diagenesis. Conventional methods that rely dominantly on hydraulic radius to classify and rank reservoir rocks are prone to rock misclassification at the low-porosity and low-permeability end of the spectrum. We introduce a bimodal Gaussian density function to quantify complex pore systems in terms of pore volume, major pore-throat radii, and pore-throat radius uniformity. We define petrophysical dissimilarity (referred to as orthogonality) between two different pore systems by invoking the classic “bundle of capillary tubes” model and subsequently classify rocks by clustering an orthogonality matrix constructed with all available mercury injection capillary pressure data. The new method combines several rock textural attributes including porosity, pore-throat radius, and tortuosity for ranking reservoir rock quality in terms of flow capacity. We verify the new rock classification method with field data acquired in the Cotton Valley tight-gas sandstone reservoir located in the East Texas basin. The field case shows that the new method consistently identifies and ranks rock classes in various petrophysical data domains, including porosity-permeability trends, pore-size distribution, mercury injection capillary pressure, and NMR transverse relaxation time ([Formula: see text]) spectra. Relative permeability curves, which are difficult to measure in the laboratory for tight rocks, are quantified with Corey-Burdine’s model using the bimodal Gaussian pore-size distribution and are validated with core data.
 And : Marks, Maps, Media, and the Materiality of Ambrose Bierce’s Style
Authors: Carey Craig
Published: January 2014

Reveling in the language and logic of markup thrown into relief by digital media, Carey’s essay calls for a renewed scholarly focus on the material histories of markup encoded in literary and cultural history. The essay relocates Ambrose Bierce’s stylistic operations at the intersection of literary and media history, drawing attention to what contemporary German media theorists refer to as cultural techniques, a complex term that combines an attention to media with a focus on the elementary techniques (reading, writing, and counting) that historically and logically precede the aesthetic distinctions they generate. Drawing on archival material related to Bierce’s experience as a topographical engineer in the Civil War—maps, telegrams, circulars, and other official war documents—Carey reengages Bierce’s style in a mutually constitutive relationship with the cultural techniques that marked it up. In the midst of media, the idiosyncratic mark of Bierce’s style emerges not only as an aesthetic quality, but also as a strategically deployed technology for tagging, marking, and remixing points and properties on paper. The essay reminds us that procedures of markup are not new, only newly mediated by different techniques and technologies.
The Image of Absence: Archival Silence, Data Visualization, and James Hemings
Authors: Klein Lauren F.
Published: January 2014

In recent years, scholars from across the humanities, including literary critics Stephen Best and Saidiya Hartman, have theorized about how best to account for the silences endemic to the archive of American slavery. These critics call for a shift away from what Best has described as a “logic and ethic of recovery” to a new focus, instead, on animating the mysteries of the past. With the example of James Hemings, Thomas Jefferson’s enslaved chef (and Sally Hemings’s older brother), this essay shows how a set of techniques associated with the digital humanities—in particular, techniques that derive from the fields of computational linguistics and data visualization—can further illuminate these mysteries. It also describes how the unique demands of the archive of slavery pose challenges to the field of digital humanities as it is currently conceived. By contrasting a set of visualizations of Hemings’s archival trace with Jefferson’s own charts and tables, Klein demonstrates how we must rethink the empiricist epistemology of the visible that endures to this day. After a brief discussion of data visualization as it relates to the construction of race, Klein turns to the issue of labor, and concludes that Hemings’s culinary labor, when considered as techne, can inform discussions of digital labor today.
Literary Information Warfare: Eileen Chang, the US State Department, and Cold War Media Aesthetics
Authors: So Richard Jean
Published: January 2014

So’s essay reconstructs a literary genealogy for the emergence of “information warfare” in the early Cold War period (the 1950s). Specifically, it argues that this form of warfare—which So dubs “literary information warfare”—took shape first and most keenly within the US state’s encounter with Communist China. The essay narrates this story by exploring the United States Information Agency’s (USIA) recruitment of a major Chinese author, Eileen Chang, to the cause of information fabrication and deployment in Hong Kong. It combines this story with a brief history of 1950s US communications studies in which Chang’s work and new theories of information converge through the figure of Wilbur Schramm. Schramm, cofounder of the Iowa Writers Workshop and “father” of modern communications studies, worked with Chang via the USIA. In sum, Chang’s story sheds light on how the US state’s confrontation with Communist China in the 1950s provided the basis and impetus for developing a new model of information theory through the weaponizing of literature.
Labors Lost: The Work of Devotion in Tudor Literature
Authors: Phillips Joshua
Published: January 2014

The dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s and early 1540s had significant effects on Tudor England, transforming traditional understandings of work and religious devotion. This article examines three elements of social life, associated with monasticism, that were drastically altered by the dissolution: prayer, otium, and withdrawal. As Tudor society sought to reshape or relocate these elements, writers including Edmund Spenser and William Shakespeare explored and appropriated them, crafting within their literary texts a place for the monastic impulse. Writers of the period transformed the inefficacy, idleness, and withdrawal that Reformers associated with Catholic religious life into the terms through which they defined their own relative autonomy. Concluding with an examination of Shakespeare's Love's Labours Lost, the essay argues that in Renaissance England the ascetic contributes to the formation of the aesthetic.
Sentiments of Devotion and Experimental Philosophy in Seventeenth-Century England
Authors: Harrison Peter
Published: January 2014

Historians of science have become increasingly aware of the connections between religion and science in the early modern period. Science, or more strictly “natural philosophy,” is understood as having pointed to the existence of a designing deity. Conversely, religion is seen as providing a fledgling science with social legitimation. Another connection between seventeenth-century science and religion is less well known, and that is the way in which the experimental practices of the new science were then thought to promote a particular kind of moral and religious formation. As Robert Boyle put it, the study of nature would instill “sentiments of devotion and particular virtues.” This feature of experimental science represents a significant link with the classical notion of philosophy (including natural philosophy), which stressed the importance of the moral formation of the philosopher. The intellectual labors of the experimentalist could thus be understood as a form of spiritual exercises.
In vivo functions of small GTPases in neocortical development
Authors: Shah Bhavin , Püschel Andreas W.
Published: January 2014

The complex mammalian cortex develops from a simple neuroepithelium through the proliferation of neuronal progenitors, their asymmetric division and cell migration. Newly generated neurons transiently assume a multipolar morphology before they polarize to form a trailing axon and a leading process that is required for their radial migration. The polarization and migration events during cortical development are under the control of multiple signaling cascades that coordinate the different cellular processes involved in neuronal differentiation. GTPases perform essential functions at different stages of neuronal development as central components of these pathways. They have been widely studied using cell lines and primary neuronal cultures but their physiological function in vivo still remains to be explored in many cases. Here we review the function of GTPases that have been studied genetically by the analysis of the embryonic nervous system in knockout mice. The phenotype of these mutants has highlighted the importance of GTPases for different steps of development by orchestrating cytoskeletal rearrangements and neuronal polarization.
Functional cointegration: definition and nonparametric estimation
Authors: Banerjee Anurag , Pitarakis Jean-Yves
Published: January 2014

We formally define a concept of functional cointegration linking the dynamics of two time series via a functional coefficient. This is achieved through the use of a concept of summability as an alternative to I(1)’ness which is no longer suitable under nonlinear dynamics. We subsequently introduce a nonparametric approach for estimating the unknown functional coefficients. Our method is based on a piecewise local least squares principle and is computationally simple to implement. We establish its consistency properties and evaluate its performance in finite samples. We subsequently illustrate its usefulness through an application that explores linkages between stock prices and dividends via a sentiment indicator.
Design of an intelligent tracking system for solar cells
Authors: Cao Jun , Gao Zhijin , Wei Dongcheng
Published: January 2014

A new intelligent tracking system that consists of a mechanical transmission mechanism and intelligent control is designed for a solar cell. All aspects of the design process are described in detail. It is shown with the help of a prototype that this system can judge weather conditions and track the sun accurately. On comparing this system with a ‘two-axis’ tracking system, it is found that the energy produced by this system is nearly the same as by the ‘two-axis’ tracking system when the energy consumed by tracking the sun is taken into consideration; however, it has several further advantages such as a simple mechanism, straightforward intelligent tracking programs and low overall construction cost.
Designing Manhattan, New York, USA in the face of climate change
Authors: Strickland Roy
Published: January 2014

This paper describes the results of a recent urban design studio conducted at the University of Michigan's A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, USA. The studio focused on redesigning the borough of Manhattan in New York City in the face of climate change. The paper summarises the impetus behind the studio (recent ‘100-year’ storms symptomatic of climate changes that challenge Manhattan's habitability), outlines the study's goals and objectives (including leveraging climate-change mitigation strategies towards creating an economically and socially more equitable urban environment), describes features of the studio's concept for Manhattan related to infrastructure, waterfront and community development, and presents the studio process as an example of urban design pedagogy.
Evaluation of the Physiological Relationship Between Oxidative Stress and
Metabolic Characters: Insights From Hybridization Between Anarhichas
minor × A. lupus
Authors: Mavreas C.M. , Le François N.R. , Tveiten H. , Blier P.U.
Published: January 2014

Physiological indicators such as lipid peroxidation and enzymes involved in aerobic/anaerobic energy metabolism
were measured in pure and hybrid lines of wolffish juveniles (Anarhichas minor, ♀ A. minor ⨯ ♀ A. lupus). Interspecific
hybridization was introduced as a powerful tool to promote augmentation of phenotypic variability and consequently
improve our capacity for the detection of clear physiological relationships amongst oxidative stress and metabolic
characters. Mitochondrial sequence genes analysis between the Atlantic (A. lupus) and spotted wolffish (A. minor) were
later performed to further assess the extent of divergence between A. lupus and A. minor mitochondrial haplotypes. The
observed divergences (2.0% and the number of nonsynonymous substitution n=23) do not seem to be sufficient to generate
detectable differences in ETS complexes catalytic capacities. Total LDH activity was however higher in hybrids than
in the pure strands and tightly correlated to TBARS levels which suggest that LDH actively participates to the regulation
of cellular redox status. Our results are discussed in comparison with a similar study on a charr hybrid (Salvelinus alpinus
× S. fontinalis).
Validation of a Design Procedure for Failure Mode Control of EB-Frames: Push-Over and IDA Analyses
Authors: Mastrandrea Luigi , Nastri Elide , Piluso Vincenzo
Published: January 2014

The paper is devoted to the investigation of the seismic response of eccentrically braced frames characterised
by links having different length. In addition, the analysed structures have been designed according to a methodology, already
proposed by the authors, aiming to guarantee a collapse mechanism of global type. Therefore, the results of the nonlinear
analyses herein presented provide the validation of the proposed design procedure, by testifying that all the designed
structures exhibit a global failure mode where all the links are yielded while all the columns remain in elastic range
with the exception of the base section of first storey columns, leading to high energy dissipation capacity and global
ductility.

Furthermore, two different distributions of the link lengths are examined. The first one is characterised by short links with
uniform lengths along the height of the structure. The second one is characterised by the use of link elements having different
length at the different storeys which are selected to assure the same value of the non-dimensional link length.

The seismic response of EB-Frames with such distributions of the link length is investigated by means of both push-over
analyses and dynamic non-linear analyses. The comparison of the performances is mainly carried out in terms of plastic
hinges distribution, local ductility demand and frame lateral stiffness.
Treating Arterial Stiffness Associated with Features of Metabolic Syndrome Not Included in its Diagnostic Criteria: Cutting Off the Heads of Lernaean Hydra, Keeper of the Underworld
Authors: Athyros Vasilios G. , Ferlita Alessandra , Tziomalos Konstantinos , Rizzo Manfredi
Published: January 2014

The clustering of cardio-metabolic risk factors, regardless if this is called metabolic syndrome (MetS) or not,
substantially increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. One of the possible mechanisms
of the rise in CVD incidence is the increase in arterial stiffness (AS), which is a significant and independent CVD risk factor.
Hypertension has long been connected to AS. Besides MetS components (obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, dysglycaemia),
MetS-associated disease states, not included in the MetS diagnostic criteria (renal dysfunction, hyperuricaemia,
non alcoholic fatty liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea, polycystic ovary syndrome and hypercoaglutability) have
been implicated in the increase of CVD risk through the increase of AS, among other mechanisms. Treatment options for
AS induced by these non-diagnostic features of MetS are discussed. The impact of lifestyle changes is analyzed. Among
pharmacological interventions, statin treatment seams to hold a pivotal role. Furthermore, we discuss specific measures
for each disease state separately.
Recommender and guidance strategies for creating personal mashup learning environments
Authors: Nussbaumer Alexander , Dahrendorf Daniel , Schmitz Hans-Christian , Kravcík Milos , Berthold Marcel , Albert Dietrich
Published: January 2014

This article presents an approach that supports the creation of personal
learning environments (PLE) suitable for self-regulated learning (SRL). PLEs
became very popular in recent years offering more personal freedom to
learners than traditional learning environments. However, creating and
configuring PLEs demand specific meta-skills that not all learners have.
This situation leads to the challenge how learners can be supported to
create PLEs that are useful to achieve their intended learning outcomes. The
theory of SRL describes learners as self-regulated if they are capable of
taking over control of the own learning process. Grounding on that theory, a
model has been elaborated that offers guidance for the creation of PLEs
containing tools for cognitive and meta-cognitive learning activities. The
implementation of this approach has been done in the context of the ROLE
infrastructure. A quantitative and qualitative evaluation with teachers
describes advantages and ideas for improvement.
Revisiting snapshot algorithms by refinement-based techniques
Authors: Andriamiarina Bruno , Méry Dominique , Singh Kumar
Published: January 2014

The snapshot problem addresses a collection of important algorithmic issues
related to distributed computations, which are used for debugging or
recovering distributed programs. Among existing solutions, Chandy and Lamport
have proposed a simple distributed algorithm. In this paper, we explore the
correct-byconstruction process to formalize the snapshot algorithms in
distributed system. The formalization process is based on a modeling language
Event B, which supports a refinement-based incremental development using
RODIN platform. These refinement-based techniques help to derive correct
distributed algorithms. Moreover, we demonstrate how other distributed
algorithms can be revisited. A consequence is to provide a fully mechanized
proof of the resulting distributed algorithms.
Towards hybrid client-side cache management in network-based file systems
Authors: Li Xiuqiao , Xiao Limin , Ke Xie , Dong Bin , Li Ruan , Liu Dongmei
Published: January 2014

Client-side caching is an effective technique to hide network latency and
improve I/O performance in network-based file systems. Current methods mainly
adopt block-indexed caching structures, which suffer cache inefficiency
problems in high concurrency environment. In this paper, we present a hybrid
client-side caching scheme (HCCache) to avoid performance degradation caused
by the block interleaving problem and increase the cache space efficiency by
customizing content addressable levels for files with different sizes. Two
new metrics are also proposed to accurately evaluate cache efficiency
compared with the metrics of hit rate. Extensive simulations show the I/O
performance with HCCache can be improved by 34.2 percent and 6.1 percent in
average for read requests and 37.8 percent and 27.8 percent in average for
write requests in terms of I/O bandwidth and access latency, respectively.
Meanwhile, HCCache can significantly reduce the lookup times of content
addressable data blocks and improve the access latency for small files.
SABUMO-dTest: Design and evaluation of an intelligent collaborative distributed testing framework
Authors: Colomo-Palacios Ricardo , López-Cuadrado Luis , González-Carrasco Israel , García-Peñalvo José
Published: January 2014

Software development must increasingly adapt to teams whose members work
together but are geographically separated leading to distributed development
projects. Such projects consist of teams working together, but sited in
different geographic locations. Under these conditions, Global Software
Engineering is having a profound impact on the way products are conceived,
designed, constructed and tested. One of the problems with this area is the
lack of tools which supports the distributed process. Focusing on the testing
process, this paper presents SABUMO-dTest, a framework based on Semantic
technologies that allows software organizations to represent testing
processes with the final aim of trading their services or modeling their
testing needs in a social and competitive environment. The proposed framework
benefits from a set of shared and controlled vocabularies that permit
knowledge and process sharing with potential partners, experts and testing
service providers. The evaluation of the system included two kinds of
projects, the ones in which testing was not determined by SABUMO-dTest and
the ones developed under its influence. Results show remarkable outcomes in
SABUMO-dTest driven projects.
Duplication problem in treaty systems: Causes and solutions
Authors: Zhao Yining , Wood Alan
Published: January 2014

Capabilities are a more scalable and adaptive access control approach
compared with the conventional approaches such as ACLs, due to their being
held and managed by users or agents in systems, but not the middleware. This
feature makes capabilities more suitable in distributed environments that
have dynamic populations. Treaties have been proposed to enhance the
capability approach by introducing sequences of actions, such that treaties
can capture characteristics of behaviours, and provide finer control over
accesses. However there is a new problem brought by the behaviour modeling of
treaties which is called duplication problem, which concerns preventing users
from gaining unauthorized behaviour by duplicating treaties. In this paper we
provide the formal definitions of treaty operations, and discuss the causes
of the duplication problem, and how treaty operations can affect this. We
also propose three models of treaty systems that aim to solve the duplication
problem, and evaluating their performance and scalability.
Same wavelength group identification from online social networks: A general framework
Authors: Chalil Rafeeque , Sendhilkumar Selvaraju
Published: January 2014

Reacting to social issues or events through Online Social Networks has become
a social habit. Social scientists have identified several network
relationships and dimensions that induce homophily. Sentiments or opinions
towards different issues have been observed as a key dimension which
characterizes human behaviour. People usually express their sentiments
towards various issues. Different persons from different walks of social life
may share same opinion towards various issues. When these persons constitute
a group, such groups can be conveniently termed same wavelength groups. We
propose a novel framework based on sentiments and an algorithm to identify
such same wavelength groups from online social networks like twitter. The
proposed algorithm generates same wavelength groups in polynomial time for
relatively small set of events. The analysis of such groups would be of help
in unravelling their response patterns and behavioural features.
Black-box testing of practical movie recommendation systems: A comparative study
Authors: Lee Namhee , Jung Jason , Selamat Ali , Hwang Dosam
Published: January 2014

Many practical recommendation systems have been studied, and also the
services based on such recommendation systems have been opened in real world.
The main research questions of this work are i) how these recommendation
services provide users with useful information, and ii) how different the
results from the systems are from each other. In this paper, we propose a
black-box evaluation framework of the practical recommendation services.
Thus, we have designed user modeling process for generating synthesized user
models as the inputs for the recommendation services. User models (i.e., a
set of user ratings) have been synthesized to discriminate the recommendation
results. Given a set of practical recommendation systems, the proposed
black-box testing scheme has been applied by comparing recommendation
results. Particularly, we focus on investigating whether the services
consider attribute selection.