bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fibromyalgia: When Distress Becomes (Un)sympathetic Pain
Authors: Martinez-Lavin Manuel
Published: September 2011

Fibromyalgia is a painful stress-related disorder. A key issue in fibromyalgia research is to investigate how distress could be converted into pain. The sympathetic nervous system is the main element of the stress response system. In animal models, physical trauma, infection, or distressing noise can induce abnormal connections between the sympathetic nervous system and the nociceptive system. Dorsal root ganglia sodium channels facilitate this type of sympathetic pain. Similar mechanisms may operate in fibromyalgia. Signs of sympathetic hyperactivity have been described in this condition. Genetic factors and/or distressful lifestyle may lead to this state of sympathetic hyperactivity. Trauma and infection are recognized fibromyalgia triggers. Women who suffer from fibromyalgia have catecholamine-evoked pain. Sympathetic dysfunction may also explain nonpain-related fibromyalgia symptoms. In conclusion, in fibromyalgia, distress could be converted into pain through forced hyperactivity of the sympathetic component of the stress response system.
In vitro Comparison of Noise Levels Produced by Different CPAP Generators
Authors: Kirchner Lieselotte , Wald Martin , Jeitler Valerie , Pollak Arnold
Published: September 2011

Introduction: Minimization of noise exposure is an important aim of modern neonatal intensive care medicine. Binasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) generators are among the most important sources of continuous noise in neonatal wards. The aim of this study was to find out which CPAP generator creates the least noise. Method: In an experimental setup, two jet CPAP generators (Infant Flow® generator and MediJet®) and two conventional CPAP generators (Bubble CPAP® and Baby Flow®) were compared. Noise production was measured in decibels in an A-weighted scale [dB(A)] in a closed incubator at 2 mm lateral distance from the end of the nasal prongs. Reproduction of constant airway pressure and air leak was achieved by closure of the nasal prongs with a type of adhesive tape that is semipermeable to air. Results: The noise levels produced by the four generators were significantly different (p < 0.001). Values measured at a continuous constant flow rate of 8 l/min averaged 83 dB(A) for the Infant Flow® generator with or without sound absorber, 72 dB(A) for the MediJet®, 62 dB(A) for the Bubble CPAP® and 55 dB(A) for the Baby Flow®. Conclusion: Conventional CPAP generators work more quietly than the currently available jet CPAP generators.
Effect of Intravitreal Bevacizumab Based on Optical Coherence Tomography Patterns of Diabetic Macular Edema
Authors: Kim Moosang , Lee Pyung , Kim Younggyun , Yu Seung-Young , Kwak Hyung-Woo
Published: September 2011

Aim: To compare the effects of intravitreal bevacizumab on different morphologic patterns of diabetic macular edema (DME) classified using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Materials and Methods: Medical records for 65 eyes of 48 patients were retrospectively reviewed, and each subject was classified as one of three DME types according to the OCT features: diffuse retinal thickening (DRT), cystoid macular edema (CME), serous retinal detachment (SRD). Subjects were given three monthly intravitreal injections of bevacizumab (1.25 mg/0.05 ml). The clinical course of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) with a logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution chart and central foveal thickness (CFT) using OCT was monitored for 12 months after the injections. On follow-up, injections were repeated if DME remained or was aggravated. Results: Of the 65 eyes with DME, 29 eyes were of the DRT type, 21 of the CME type, and 15 of the SRD type. Before the injection, CFT and BCVA were, respectively, 377.1 ± 145.9 µm and 0.54 ± 0.36 in the DRT type, 427.7 ± 143.1 µm and 0.59 ± 0.42 in the CME type, and 485.1 ± 187.1 µm and 0.65 ± 0.27 in the SRD type; there was no significant difference in CFT and BCVA between DME types (p > 0.05). At 6 months, the changes in BCVA and CFT differed significantly between OCT types (p < 0.05). At 12 months, changes in CFT and BCVA from baseline were not significantly different between groups (p > 0.05). The DRT type was associated with a greater reduction in the CFT and greater BCVA improvement than the CME or SRD types. Conclusions: Three monthly injections of intravitreal bevacizumab seem to be effective treatment in the first 6 months, but the therapeutic effect is temporary and repeated injections of bevacizumab should be considered to maintain the therapeutic effect after 6 months. In addition, intravitreal injection of bevacizumab was more effective in the DRT type than in the CME or SRD types of DME.
Length variation and repetitive sequences of Internal Transcribed Spacer of ribosomal RNA gene, diagnostics and relationships of populations of potato rot nematode, Ditylenchus destructor Thorne, 1945 (Tylenchida: Anguinidae)
Authors: Subbotin Sergei A. , Deimi Abbas Mohammad , Zheng Jingwu , Chizhov Vladimir N.
Published: September 2011

Seventy-eight ITS rRNA gene sequences obtained from the potato rot nematode,
Ditylenchus destructor, collected across the world from
different hosts were compared and analysed. The ITS rRNA gene sequences
showed significant length variation between populations. The differences in
this rRNA fragment length were due to the presence of repetitive elements in
the ITS1, which were characterised by relatively higher rates of
substitution changes. Reconstruction of secondary structure for the ITS1
revealed that these minisatellites formed a stem structure. Phylogenetic
analyses of ITS rRNA and D2-D3 expansion segments of 28S rRNA gene sequences
showed that all studied populations clustered in two major clades: a group
of populations having the ITS sequences with the repetitive elements and a
group of populations without the repetitive elements in the ITS. We propose
to distinguish seven ITS rRNA haplotypes within potato rot nematode
populations. PCR-ITS-RFLP diagnostic profiles are presented for these ITS
haplotypes and usefulness of recently developed PCR methods with
species-specific primers for D. destructor are analysed and
discussed.
Effects of cyst components and low temperature exposure of Heterodera glycines eggs on juvenile hatching in vitro
Authors: Masler Edward P. , Rogers Stephen T.
Published: September 2011

The effects of low temperature treatment of Heterodera glycines eggs and the interaction of this treatment with egg condition and cyst influences were examined in vitro. Exposure of eggs to 5°C for 1 week followed by a return to normal culture temperature resulted in a 25-33% reduction in hatch after 2 weeks at 28°C but there was no effect on the timing of hatch. Hatch from encysted eggs was 40% lower than from free eggs at 2 weeks, and hatch from low temperature-encysted eggs was more than 60% lower during the same period. Encystment also altered the timing of hatch relative to free eggs from the same cohort. Hatch from free eggs in the presence of cyst contents was accelerated relative to free eggs without cyst contents, but the total cumulative percent hatch was not increased. Reduction in hatch as a result of low temperature treatment was significant only if the treatment was applied prior to the first juvenile stage (J1). J1 were not affected relative to the hatch of second-stage juveniles (J2). However, the effect of low temperature on earlier stages was not detected until development ceased at early J1 and later J1. Also, low temperature treatment affected the apparent locomotion of some newly hatched J2; 16-fold more J2 from treated eggs were retained on 30 μm pore sieves than those from control eggs. The depression of hatch by low temperature egg treatment was apparently the result of the residual effects on early embryo stages, leading to arrest of development prior to J2.
Effect of soil salinity on entomopathogenic nematode survival and behaviour
Authors: Nielsen Anne L. , Spence Kenneth O. , Nakatani Jamie , Lewis Edwin E.
Published: September 2011

Soil salinity, measured as electroconductivity (dS m–1), is a
major problem in crop production, including areas where entomopathogenic
nematodes (EPN) are applied as biological control agents. EPN species,
primarily Heterorhabditis, have been isolated from coastal
areas and agricultural soils with high salinity (> 4.0
dS m–1). Given the aqueous nature of their environment, soil
salinity may play an important role in EPN movement and host finding. We
assessed the survival of Steinernema riobrave, S.
glaseri, Heterorhabditis indica, H.
sonorensis and H. bacteriophora exposed to
saline soils within the range found in agricultural soils. Survival and
infectivity were generally unaffected by salinities ranging from 0 to 50 dS
m–1 (50 dS m–1 is similar to the salinity of
seawater). Salinity had been shown to negatively impact foraging in
S. riobrave so additional experiments analysing the
behaviour and attraction to host cues by S. riobrave and
H. indica were conducted. Agar-based behavioural assays
revealed species-specific responses to salinity. At the higher salinity
levels (30 and 50 dS m–1) movement of H. indica
decreased, the path taken was more circuitous and individuals did not move
toward a host. There was a strong antagonistic effect on H.
indica motility and host-finding behaviour. No significant
differences were observed for S. riobrave exposed to any of
these salinity levels. However, under simulated field conditions, high
saline conditions (30 and 50 dS m–1) reduced the distance both
H. indica and S. riobrave travelled
toward a host. Both species are used for biological control of weevil pests
in orchards where salinities have been recorded up to 20 dS m–1.
Field efficacy of EPN applied for biological control in saline soils may be
improved by timing applications to avoid late season build-up of salts in
irrigated crops and applying the appropriate EPN species.
Tra esoterismo, New Age e mistica cristiana: le dottrine del « Cerchio Firenze 77 »
Authors: Baroni Francesco
Published: September 2011

One of the most interesting features of the 20th-century esoteric revival in Italy is the rise of a lively spiritualist culture. Many spiritualist groups, while still paying attention to physical phenomena (levitation, apports, etc.), produced a rich doctrinal literature of increasingly sophisticated content. The 'Cerchio Firenze 77' is certainly the most famous among these groups. It emerged around the Florentine medium Roberto Setti (1930–1984) and was active throughout the 1950s, the 1960s and the 1970s. The doctrines exposed by the 'Masters' to the participants in the séances show a complex interweaving of esoteric themes, mystical ideas and scientific concepts that made the works of 'Cerchio' highly successful, and comparable to the great classics of 20th-century channeling, such as Jane Roberts's 'Seth books'.
'Spiritus et angeli sunt a Deo submissi sapienti et puro': il frammento del Magisterium eumantice artis sive scientiae magicalis. Edizione e attribuzione a Berengario Ganello
Authors: Gehr Damaris
Published: September 2011

With this article I aim to introduce the only known fragment of the Magisterium eumantice artis sive scientiae magicalis, an anonymous Christian text on magic preserved in a Florentine manuscript of the late fifteenth century. Five sections are included: an analysis of the work's title and my suggestion for its emendation; an analysis of the fragment's contents, related to my attribution of the text to Berengarius Ganellus, a Spanish author known to have written the Summa sacre magice in Perpignan in 1346; the dating of the work; some observations on the historiographical interpretation of medieval necromancy; an appendix with the first edition of the fragment of the Magisterium.
Jewish-Muslim Veneration at Pilgrimage Places in the Holy Land
Authors: Berger Pamela
Published: September 2011

For millennia human communities have designated certain sites as sacred and nowhere more so than in the Holy Land. The Bible records that Canaanites worshipped in “high places,” and the prophets railed against the Israelites for continuing the practice. Jesus castigated the Pharisees for adorning the tombs of the prophets. When Jews were expelled from Jerusalem, those who remained on the land did not abandon their devotion to the holy sites. When the Muslims arrived they continued the practice of visiting the tombs of those figures mentioned in both the Bible and the Quran. Throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern period Muslims and Jews wrote about their visits to these jointly-venerated tombs. Jews made illustrated scrolls, wall hangings, and other works of art depicting these sites, representing the shrines with prominent Islamic crescents on top, an indication that Jewish viewers felt no discomfort at the use of this iconography. The Jewish valorization of the Islamic crescent atop shrines common to Jews and Muslims reflects a relationship very different from that existing between the two cultures today.
“Earth has clear call of daily bells”: Nature’s Apocalyptic Liturgy in Christina Rossetti’s Verses
Authors: Heady Faulstick Chene
Published: September 2011

This essay reconsiders Charles Ryder’s religious conversion in Brideshead Revisited in terms of a primarily emotional conversion. When reading the novel as a pilgrimage to passion, readers can see in Charles a legitimate, convincing emotional conversion, which should—when emphasizing traditional Catholic ideals—ultimately also be understood as a religious conversion. Charles’s emotional interaction with Catholicism includes his intimate, formative relationship with the Catholic Flyte family, especially Sebastian, and aspects of his career as a Baroque artist, as Baroque art is often identified with Catholicism. It also includes Charles’s disenchantment with both the soullessness of war, which drains its participants of any emotional experience, and the modern world, which lacks connection to depth and tradition. Finally, the emotive power of his inadvertent pilgrimage to Brideshead also connects Charles to Catholicism as the house facilitates Charles’s memories of his religious experience at Lord Marchmain’s deathbed, his artistic conversion to Baroque art, and his passionate friendship with Sebastian. Such a broad definition of Catholicism calls for an expansive understanding of religion, but it is this kind of a religious understanding that Brideshead Revisited recommends.
Moral Contagion Attitudes towards Potential Organ Transplants in British and Japanese Adults
Authors: Hood Bruce M. , Gjersoe Nathalia L. , Donnelly Katherine , Byers Alison , Itajkura Shoji
Published: September 2011

In two studies we investigated whether people evidence an effect of moral contamination with respect to hypothetical organ transplants. This was achieved by asking participants to make judgements after presenting either positive or negative background information about the donor. In the first study, positive/negative background information had a corresponding effect on three judgements with attitudes to a heart transplant most pronounced by negative background information relative to good information and controls. This effect was replicated in the second study with both heart and liver transplantation. Negative effects were stronger than positive effects in all conditions consistent with a negativity bias, but again stronger with regards to organs than controls. These results confirm findings from surveys that reveal real patients are concerned about moral contamination following organ transplantation and show that this bias in evident even in hypothetical, non-life-threatening scenarios. In a third study we found a significantly stronger moral contagion effect in Japanese relative to English participants, suggesting that concerns about moral contagion may be moderated by culture.
Male Sexual Orientation and Avuncularity in Canada: Implications for the Kin Selection Hypothesis
Authors: Forrester Deanna L. , VanderLaan Doug P. , Parker Jessica L. , Vasey Paul L.
Published: September 2011

Androphilia refers to sexual attraction and arousal to adult males, whereas gynephilia refers to sexual attraction and arousal to adult females. The Kin Selection Hypothesis (KSH) posits that genes for male androphilia can persist if androphilic males offset the fitness costs of not reproducing directly by enhancing indirect fitness. In theory, by directing altruistic behavior toward kin, androphilic males can increase the reproduction of kin, thereby enhancing indirect fitness. Evidence supporting the KSH has been documented in Samoa. Samoan transgendered, androphilic males, known locally as fa’afafine, are socially accepted by the majority of Samoans. In contrast, no supportive evidence has been garnered from other cultures (i.e., USA, UK, Japan) that are characterized by less social tolerance toward male androphiles. Tests of the KSH in Canada might be more likely to yield findings consistent with Samoa because Canadian social and political attitudes toward male androphiles are markedly more tolerant and accepting. Here, we compared the willingness of Canadian androphilic men, gynephilic men, and androphilic women to invest in nieces and nephews as well as in non-kin children. Consistent with the KSH and findings from Samoa, androphilic men exhibited a significantly greater cognitive dissociation between altruistic tendencies directed toward kin versus non-kin children relative to gynephilic men and androphilic women. The present study, therefore, provides some tentative support for the KSH from a culture other than Samoa. Findings and future directions for research are considered within the context of the existing cross-cultural literature.
The Isomorphism of Space, Time and Matter in Seventeenth-century Natural Philosophy
Authors: Palmerino Carla Rita
Published: September 2011

This article documents the general tendency of seventeenth-century natural philosophers, irrespective of whether they were atomists or anti-atomists, to regard space, time and matter as magnitudes having the same internal composition. It examines the way in which authors such as Fromondus, Basson, Sennert, Arriaga, Galileo, Magnen, Descartes, Gassendi, Charleton as well as the young Newton motivated their belief in the isomorphism of space, time and matter, and how this belief reflected on their views concerning the relation between geometry and physics. Special attention is paid to the fact that most of the authors mentioned above regarded rarefaction and condensation, on the one hand, and acceleration and deceleration, on the other hand, as analogous phenomena, which consequently had to be explained in similar terms.
Conversion and the Alignments of Colonial Culture
Authors: Peterson Derek R.
Published: September 2011

This essay – composed to honor Of Revelation and Revolution on its twentieth anniversary – argues that conversion was a means by which hegemonic cultural discourses were rendered subject to examination. The focus is on the East African Revival, a Christian conversion movement that began in Rwanda and spread throughout east Africa over the course of the 1940s and 50s. Following the directions given in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, revivalists sorted through cultural property, identified their sins, and set themselves in motion toward another world. Their path set them at a tangent from the dialectics of the colonial encounter. In the study of the Revival we can see conversion as a political action that unsettles the alignments of colonial culture.
A Revised Framework for Analyzing Soil Moisture Memory in Climate Data: Derivation and Interpretation
Authors: Seneviratne Sonia I. , Koster Randal D.
Published: September 2011

A revised framework for the analysis of soil moisture memory characteristics of climate models and observational data is derived from the approach proposed by Koster and Suarez. The resulting equation allows the expression of the month-to-month soil moisture autocorrelation as a function of 1) the initial soil moisture variability, 2) the (atmospheric) forcing variability over the considered time period, 3) the correlation between initial soil moisture and subsequent forcing, 4) the sensitivity of evaporation to soil moisture, and 5) the sensitivity of runoff to soil moisture. A specific new feature is the disentangling of the roles of initial soil moisture variability and forcing variability, which were both (for the latter indirectly) contributing to the seasonality term of the original formulation. In addition, a version of the framework entirely based on explicit equations for the underlying relationships (i.e., independent of soil moisture statistics at the following time step) is proposed. The validity of the derived equation is exemplified with atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) simulations from the Global Land–Atmosphere Coupling Experiment (GLACE).
Meat, a Damaging Extravagence: A Response to Grumett and Gorringe
Authors: Barclay John M.G.
Published: September 2011

This response to the preceding articles by Grumett and Gorringe develops the case for the growing damage caused by livestock production and calls for a Christian response that includes, at least, major reduction in the consumption of meat and dairy products.
Culturally Sensitive Transformational Learning
Authors: Ntseane Peggy Gabo
Published: September 2011

Informed by the Afrocentric learning paradigm, this conceptual piece argues that Mezirow’s version of the theory of transformative learning is useful, but it would be more so if applied to be culturally sensitive. Using Botswana cultural learning values as an example, the article demonstrates how the theory can be made culturally sensitive to an African learning context. African values identified to inform a collective process of transformational learning are that (a) there is no absolute knowledge because of the communal involvement in knowledge construction and knowledge acquisition, (b) spiritual obligation that is influenced by the metaphysical world means that the knowledge context is complex, (c) knowledge is communal because social change depends on collective responsibility, and (d) gender roles/expectations are critical for processing knowledge. In conclusion, the article argues that the continued marginalization of diverse cultural contexts denies new insight into the positive development of a useful critical theory such as transformational learning.
Foucault’s Critical (Yet Ambivalent) Affirmation: Three Figures of Rights
Authors: Golder Ben
Published: September 2011

Michel Foucault is not often read as a theorist of human rights. On the one hand, there is a tendency to read his works of the mid-1970s — his celebrated poststructuralist genealogies of subjectivity, of discipline, of bio-politics, and so forth — as proposing a critique of rights discourse which definitively rules out any political appeal to rights. On the other hand, somewhat curiously it has to be said, there is a tendency to read his works of the late 1970s and early 1980s — his perhaps less celebrated concern with ethics and with technologies of the self — as tacitly re-introducing a liberal humanist notion of subjectivity and, with that, an embrace of orthodox rights discourse. Beginning from this curious disjunction between the rejectionist Foucault and the liberal Foucault, this article attempts to articulate a Foucauldian politics of human rights along the lines of a critical affirmation. Neither a full embrace nor a total rejection of human rights, the Foucauldian politics of human rights developed here elaborates (and attempts to connect) several disparate figures in his thought: rights as ungrounded and illimitable, rights as the strategic instrument-effect of political struggle, and rights as a performative mechanism of community.
Labelling the Victims of Sex Trafficking: Exploring the Borderland between Rhetoric and Reality
Authors: Hoyle Carolyn , Bosworth Mary , Dempsey Michelle
Published: September 2011

In this article we discuss findings from a small scoping study into the experiences of victims of trafficking and those who work with them. We use testimonies from our interviews to examine issues of choice, slavery and escape. We challenge some of the current language and terminology in the literature on trafficking and call for a more nuanced appreciation of the relationship between agency and victimization.
Focal therapy for prostate cancer – where are we in 2011?
Authors: Borofsky Michael S. , Ito Timothy , Rosenkrantz Andrew B. , Taneja Samir S.
Published: September 2011

Prostate cancer treatment is a controversial topic amongst physicians and patients alike. Radical therapies such as prostatectomy and whole gland radiation offer the best outcomes in terms of oncologic efficacy, but the decision to undergo treatment must be weighed against its potential morbidity. Over the past decade, the concept of focal therapy for prostate cancer has been introduced as a potential method of achieving oncologic control with a lesser degree of morbidity. Focal therapy refers to isolated ablation of a tumor focus with sparing of uninvolved, surrounding tissue. While it remains in the early stages of development, considerable research is underway that will help determine the optimal method of achieving this goal. Current areas of investigation include appropriate candidate selection, lesion identification, modality of treatment, and follow-up strategies.
Advances in bypassing agent therapy for hemophilia patients with inhibitors to close care gaps and improve outcomes
Authors: Shapiro Amy D. , Hedner Ulla
Published: September 2011

In the past, patients with hemophilia and inhibitors have had less-than-optimal treatment and have experienced more orthopedic complications than patients without inhibitors. Bypassing agents offer the potential to close treatment gaps between inhibitor and noninhibitor patients by helping the former better attain key treatment goals, including: facilitating early initiation of treatment and hemostatic control in hemarthroses; providing effective treatment in serious hemorrhagic episodes; and performance of major surgery. Effective treatment with a bypassing agent minimizes joint and/or muscle damage and potentially can serve as an effective prophylactic agent to minimize the number of hemarthroses experienced per year, thereby mitigating the development of arthropathy. The reported efficacy of the currently available bypassing agents ranges from approximately 50–80% (50–64% in controlled studies) for plasma-derived activated prothrombin complex concentrate (pd-aPCC) and 81–91% (in controlled studies) for recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa), including use in major orthopedic surgery. Both bypassing agents have undergone key improvements in their formulation and/or properties in recent years. The nanofiltered, vapor-heated formulation of pd-aPCC has diminished the risk of acquiring blood-borne viral infections and the room temperature stable formulation of rFVIIa allows more convenient storage, increased ease to dissolve and inject, and smaller volumes, thereby increasing overall ease of administration. Use of recommended dosing has been demonstrated to provide effective hemostasis with a minimal number of injections for both agents. In this paper, we review the individual characteristics of pd-aPCC and rFVIIa and discuss clinical data from studies conducted in inhibitor patients that demonstrate the potential benefits of these bypassing agents in this difficult-to-treat population, and underscore the potential opportunities to close the gap in care between inhibitor and noninhibitor hemophilic patients.
Laser material processing
Authors: Dutta Majumdar J , Manna I
Published: September 2011

Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (laser) is a coherent and monochromatic source of electromagnetic radiation that can propagate in a straight line with negligible divergence. As a result, laser finds diverse applications ranging from mere mundane to most sophisticated uses either for totally commercial or purely scientific purposes, and from life saving to life threatening causes. High power lasers can produce intense heating and perform various manufacturing operations or material processing. The present contribution provides an overview of the application of high power laser only for material processing in engineering applications, and intentionally excludes the scope of application of laser in metrology, biomedical technology, spectroscopy, etc. The manufacturing processes covered have been broadly divided into four major categories, namely, laser assisted forming, joining, machining and surface engineering. Besides discussing the scope and principle of these processes, each section enumerates a detailed update of literature, scientific issues and technological innovations. At the beginning, a brief introduction to different types of lasers and their general applications, fundamentals of laser–matter interaction and classification of laser material processing has been provided. The entire discussion primarily focuses on correlating the properties with processing parameters and microstructure and composition of the material.
Nickel-catalyzed Heteroannulation of o-Haloanilines with Alkynes
Authors: Yoshida Yuji , Kurahashi Takuya , Matsubara Seijiro
Published: September 2011

A nickel-catalyzed heteroannulation has been developed where o-haloanilines react with alkynes to afford 2,3-disubstituted indoles. IPr (1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) was found to be an effective ligand for the reaction.
pH-Responsive Self-assembly of Partially Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide in Aqueous Solution
Authors: Fang Yun , Pang Ping-Ping , Lai Zhong-Yu
Published: September 2011

As a simulacrum of random copolymer poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid), partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) self-assembled into polymeric micelles in pure aqueous solution in pH response. Spherical nanoparticles (D = 150 nm) were generated at pH 12, and giant semihexagonal nanoplates (450 nm × 250 nm × 50 nm) were obtained at pH 1.3, but no visible micelles were observed in pH 3–10. This is important for drug release considering the pH environment in human stomach and intestines. The giant semihexagonal micelles obtained at pH 1.3 are hierarchical multivesicular vesicles with the structure of (hydrophilic inner vesicle)@(hydrophobic continuous cyst wall)@(hydrophilic shell). These multivesicular vesicles were formed because the random copolymer has a random distribution of the hydrophilic units in the hydrophobic core. In addition, a new contrast enhancing strategy by in situ reduction gold doping that we established was efficient at illuminating the nanostructure of polymeric micelles with low contrast, and this strategy came with a way to obtain polymer nanoparticles smaller than 20 nm.
Days of Heaven and Waco: Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life
Authors: Sterritt David
Published: September 2011

A review of Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life which argues that the remarkable aesthetic ambition of the film and its great success in depicting a mid-century American childhood are to an extent undermined by its invocation of a benign divinity.
When They Hear What We Say: Ethical Challenges in Presenting Research Findings to the Huntington Disease Community
Authors: Bombard Yvonne , Cox Susan M. , Semaka Alicia
Published: September 2011

Sharing findings with the Huntington disease (HD) community and other genetic disease communities is challenging because of the sensitivity involved in effectively communicating findings to participants. We describe our experiences of presenting multi-disciplinary research findings to the HD community, and discuss the need to: (1) balance potential benefits and harms for participants, researchers, and others; (2) demonstrate respect for participants' needs, expectations, and priorities; and (3) ensure transparency and respect for autonomy.
How Often are Ethics Approval and Informed Consent Reported in Publications on Health Research in Cameroon? A Five-Year Review
Authors: Munung Nchangwi Syntia , Che Chi Primus , Ouwe-Missi-Oukem-Boyer Odile , Tangwa Godfrey B.
Published: September 2011

We assessed the extent of research ethics approval and informed consent reporting in publications emanating from Cameroon and indexed in PubMed from 2005–2009. In our review of 219 full-length articles, we found that 57.53% reported ethics approval, 70.78% informed consent, and 50.68% both ethics approval and informed consent. Reporting these procedures was more common in randomized clinical trials than in other study designs. Also, 59.52% of the articles on vulnerable populations documented ethics approval and 76.19% documented informed consent. This study also identified some structures for ethics review and recommends some next steps for research on the quality of ethics review in Cameroon.
Our Varying Histories and Future Potential: Models and Maps in Science, the Humanities, and in Music Theory
Authors: Narmour Eugene
Published: September 2011

part 1 briefly recounts the influence of social unrest and the explosion of knowledge in both psychology and the humanities circa 1970-1990. As the sciences rely on explicit top-down theories connected to bottom-up maps and models, and whereas the humanities build on bottom-up differences within malleable top-down “theories” (approaches, themes, theses, programs, methods, etc.), the changes in the sciences during this period contrasted sharply with the changes in the humanities. Part 2 discusses in detail how these two social transformations affected the histories of music theory and cognitive music theory. The former fractiously withdrew from its parent organization (AMS), whereas the latter was welcomed into SMPC. Inasmuch as both music theory and cognitive music theory rely on maps and models, Part 3 examines the metatheoretical importance of these terms for music cognition, music theory, and cognitive music theory. Part 4 speculates about the future—how music cognition, cognitive music theory, and music theory contribute to the structure of musical knowledge. The intellectual potential of this unique triadic collaboration is discussed: psychology provides a commanding empirical framework of the human mind, while music theory and cognitive music theory logically model moment-to-moment temporal emotions and the auditory intellections at the core of musical art.
Photocatalytic activity, hydrophilic and optical properties of nanocrystalline titania thin films prepared by sol-gel dip coating
Authors: Ferrara M.C. , Pilloni L. , Mevoli A. , Mazzarelli S. , Tapfer L.
Published: September 2011

Nanocrystalline anatase titania thin films were prepared by using two different precursor solutions, a highly acid solution (Sol-1) and a polymer-like solution (Sol-2), via the dip-coating technique on different substrates (<100>-Si wafer, fused silica and soda lime glass). The influence of the two sol-gel titania precursor solutions and of the substrate type on the film morphology, coating porosity, surface roughness, crystalline phases and grain size of the titania films were investigated. Our experimental results clearly indicate that the sol - composition and substrate type remarkably influence the microstructural/morphological properties of the titanium dioxide. They consequently modify the optical response and hydrophilic performances of the samples. The photocatalytic oxidations of the methylene blue in water of the samples grown on the glass substrate were monitored to investigate the influence of the sol-gel precursor solution on the photocatalytic activity of the titania coatings, and the results were put in relation with the hydrophilic and optical properties of the films. The outcome demonstrates that the optical properties and the hydrophilic and photocatalytic performances of nanocrystalline titania can be opportunely tailored tuning the size dimension of the crystalline domain according to the specific coating applications.
Promoting effect of the alloy formation over Ni-Fe/Al2O3 catalysts for the steam reforming of biomass tar to synthesis gas
Authors: Wang Lei , Li Dalin , Koike Mitsuru , Nakagawa Yoshinao , Tomishige Keiichi
Published: September 2011

The addition of Fe addition with suitable amount to Ni /Al2O3 catalyst showed higher catalytic performance than corresponding monometallic Ni and Fe catalysts in the steam reforming of tar from the pyrolysis of cedar wood. Characterization of the catalysts indicates the formation of the Ni-Fe alloys and the surface segregation of Fe atoms on the alloys, and it was also suggested that the structure was almost maintained during the reaction. The surface Fe atoms accept oxygen atom from steam and subsequently supply oxygen species to adsorbed carbonaceous species on neighboring surface Ni atoms, which is connected to the promotion of the steam reforming reaction of tar and the suppression of the coke formation.
Magnetic Quantum Oscillations from Surface States of Bi Nanowires
Authors: Konopko L. A. , Huber T. E. , Nikolaeva A. A.
Published: September 2011

In this work, we report the results of studies of the transverse magnetoresistance (MR) of single-crystal Bi nanowires with diameter d<80 nm. The single-crystal nanowire samples were prepared by the Taylor-Ulitovsky technique. Due to the semimetal-to-semiconductor transformation and high density of surface states with strong spin-orbit interactions, the charge carriers are confined to the conducting tube made of surface states. The non monotonic changes of transverse MR that are equidistant in a direct magnetic field were observed at low temperatures in a wide range of magnetic fields up to 14 T. The period of oscillations depends on the wire diameter d as for the case of longitudinal MR. An interpretation of transverse MR oscillations is presented.
Slow Aggregation of Titania Nanocrystals in Acidic Hydrosols
Authors: Pavlova-Verevkina Olga , Ozerina Ludmila , Golubko Natalia , Chemseddine Abdelkrim
Published: September 2011

The kinetics of slow aggregation of monodisperse TiO2 nanocrystals in the acidic hydrosols at room temperature was studied for months by turbidimetry. The dependence of the initial rate of aggregation on the pH was calculated. The comparison of results obtained by turbidimetry and small angle X-ray scattering permits to suppose that very loose aggregates form at the low pH in HCl solution. The dependencies obtained in this work for room temperature can be taken into consideration at the tuning of TiO2 nanoparticles morphology through thermal treatment of hydrosols.
Hydrazine oxidation at preferentially oriented Pt (100) nanowires array electrodes
Authors: Garbarino S. , Ponrouch A. , Bertin E. , Guay D.
Published: September 2011

In this study, platinum was electroplated onto bare Ti substrates (Pt black) and through a porous AAO membrane (Pt nanowires). The morphology of the deposits was observed by scanning electron microscopy. Preferential orientation along the (100) direction into the bulk material was evidenced through XRD analysis, as well as at the nanowire surface by using electrochemical characterization. These highly oriented Pt nanowires exhibited an increased activity for the electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine oxidation, as compared to Pt black.
Temperature Effects on Charge Transfer Mechanisms of nc-ITO Embedded ZrHfO High-k Nonvolatile Memory Devices
Authors: Yang Chia-Han , Kuo Yue , Lin Chen-Han , Kuo Way
Published: September 2011

The nanocrystalline ITO embedded Zr-doped HfO2 high-k dielectric thin film has been made into MOS capacitors for nonvolatile memory studies. The devices showed large charge storage densities, large memory windows, and long charge retention times. In this paper, authors investigated the temperature effect on the charge transport and reliability of this kind of device in the range of 25°C to 125°C. The memory window increased with the increase of the temperature. The temperature influenced the trap and detrap of not only the deeply-trapped but also the loosely-trapped charges. The device lost its charge retention capability with the increase of the temperature. The Schottky emission relationship fitted the device in the positive gate voltage region. However, the Frenkel-Poole mechanism was suitable in the negative gate voltage region.
RBS, XRD, Raman and AFM Studies of Microwave Synthesized Ge Nanocrystals
Authors: Srinivasa Rao N , Pathak A P , Devaraju G , Saikiran V , Nageswara Rao S V S
Published: September 2011

Ge nanocrystals embedded in silica matrix have been synthesized on Si substrate by co-sputtering of SiO2 and Ge using RF magnetron sputtering technique. The as-deposited films were subjected to microwave annealing at 800 and 9000C. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) has been used to measure the Ge composition and film thickness. The structural characterization was performed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectrometry. XRD measurements confirmed the formation of Ge nanocrystals. Raman scattering spectra showed a peak of Ge-Ge vibrational mode around 299 cm−1, which was caused by quantum confinement of phonons in the Ge nanocrystals. Surface morphology of the samples was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Variation of nanocrystal size with annealing temperature has been discussed. Advantages of microwave annealing are explained in detail.
Length scales of interactions in magnetic, dielectric, and mechanical nanocomposites
Authors: Skomski R. , Balamurugan B. , Schubert E. , Enders A. , Sellmyer D. J.
Published: September 2011

It is investigated how figures of merits of nanocomposites are affected by structural and interaction length scales. Aside from macroscopic effects without characteristic lengths scales and atomic-scale quantum-mechanical interactions there are nanoscale interactions that reflect a competition between different energy contributions. We consider three systems, namely dielectric media, carbon-black reinforced rubbers and magnetic composites. In all cases, it is relatively easy to determine effective materials constants, which do not involve specific length scales. Nucleation and breakdown phenomena tend to occur on a nanoscale and yield a logarithmic dependence of figures of merit on the macroscopic system size. Essential system-specific differences arise because figures of merits are generally nonlinear energy integrals. Furthermore, different physical interactions yield different length scales. For example, the interaction in magnetic hard-soft composites reflects the competition between relativistic anisotropy and nonrelativistic exchange interactions, but such hierarchies of interactions are more difficult to establish in mechanical polymer composites and dielectrics.
Investigation of Amorphous IGZO TFT Employing Ti/Cu Source/Drain and SiNx Passivation
Authors: Lee Young Wook , Choi Sung-Hwan , Lee Jeong-Soo , Kwon Jang-Yeon , Han Min-Koo
Published: September 2011

We successfully fabricated a-IGZO TFTs employing a Ti/Cu source/drain (S/D) and SiNx passivation in order to reduce the line-resistance, as compared to most oxide TFTs that use Mo (or TCO) and SiO2 for their S/D and passivation, respectively. Although passivated with SiNx, the TFT exhibits good transfer characteristics without a negative shift. However, the TFT employing a Mo S/D exhibited conductor-like characteristics when passivated with SiNx. Our investigation suggests that the IGZO oxygen vacancies found in the Ti/Cu S/D are controlled, resulting in low concentrations, and so prevent the SiNx-passivated TFT from having a negative shift.
Theoretical Studies of Structure and Doping of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon
Authors: Cai Bin , Drabold D. A.
Published: September 2011

In a-Si:H, large concentrations of B or P (of order 1%) are required to dope the material, suggesting that doping mechanisms are very different than for the crystal for which much smaller concentrations are required. In this paper, we report simulations on B and P introduced into realistic models of a-Si:H and a-Si, with concentrations ranging from 1.6% to 12.5% of B or P in the amorphous host. The results indicate that tetrahedral B and P are effective doping configurations in a-Si, but high impurity concentrations introduce many defect states. For a-Si:H, we report that both B(3,1) and P(3,1) (B or P atom bonded with three Si atoms and one H atom) are effective doping configurations. We investigate H passivation in both cases. For both B and P, there exists a “hydrogen poison range” of order 6 Å for which H in a bond-center site can suppress doping. For B doping, nearby H prefers to stay at the bond-center of Si-Si, leaves B four-fold and neutralizes the doping configuration; for P doping, nearby H spoils the doping by inducing a reconstruction rendering initially tetrahedral P three-fold.
Hierarchical Macroporous Mesoporous Materials for Biodiesel Synthesis.
Authors: Wilson Karen , Lee Adam F , Dacquin Jean-Philippe
Published: September 2011

The combination of dwindling oil reserves and growing concerns over carbon dioxide emissions and associated climate change is driving the urgent development of routes to utilize renewable feedstocks as sustainable sources of fuels. Catalysis has a rich history of facilitating energy efficient selective molecular transformations and contributes to 90% of chemical manufacturing processes and to more than 20% of all industrial products. In a post-petroleum era catalysis will be central to overcoming the engineering and scientific barriers to economically feasible routes to bio-fuels. This article will highlight some of the recent developments in the development of solid acid and base catalysts for the transesterification of oils to biodiesel. Particular attention will be paid to the challenges faced when developing new catalysts and importance of considering the design of pore architectures to improve in-pore diffusion of bulky substrates.
X-ray Diffraction Investigations of TiO2 Thin Films and Their Thermal Stability
Authors: Kužel Radomír , Nichtová Lea , Matěj Zdeněk , Hubička Zdeněk , Buršík Josef
Published: September 2011

In-situ laboratory measurements in X-ray diffraction (XRD) high-temperature chamber and detailed XRD measurements at room temperature were used for the study of the thickness, temperature and time dependences of crystallization of amorphous TiO2 thin films. The films deposited by magnetron sputtering, plasma jet sputtering and sol-gel method were analyzed. Tensile stresses were detected in the first two cases. They are generated during the crystallization and inhibit further crystallization that also depends on the film thickness. XRD indicated quite rapid growth of larger crystallites unlike the sol-gel films when the crystallites grow mainly by increasing of annealing temperature.
Photocarrier Excitation and Transport in Hyperdoped Planar Silicon Devices
Authors: Persans Peter D. , Berry Nathaniel E. , Recht Daniel , Hutchinson David , Said Aurore J. , Warrender Jeffrey M. , Peterson Hannah , DiFranzo Anthony , McGahan Christina , Clark Jessica , Cunningham Will , Aziz Michael J.
Published: September 2011

We report an experimental study of photocarrier lifetime, transport, and excitation spectra in silicon-on-insulator doped with sulfur far above thermodynamic saturation. The spectral dependence of photocurrent in coplanar structures is consistent with photocarrier generation throughout the hyperdoped and undoped sub-layers, limited by collection of holes transported along the undoped layer. Holes photoexcited in the hyperdoped layer are able to diffuse to the undoped layer, implying (μτ)h ∼ 5 × 10−9 cm2/V. Although high absorptance of hyperdoped silicon is observed from 1200 to 2000 nm in transmission experiments, the number of collected electrons per absorbed photon is 10−4 of the above-bandgap response of the device, consistent with (μτ)e < 1 × 10−7cm2/V.