bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ChemInform Abstract: Synthetic Chemistry: Formation of the Amide Bond
Authors: Montalbetti Christian A. G. N. , Falque Virginie M.
Published: April 2010

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: The Holy Grail of Organocatalysis: Intermolecular α‐Alkylation of Aldehydes
Authors: Alba Andrea‐Nekane , Viciano Monica , Rios Ramon
Published: April 2010

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: Dosing Time Based on Molecular Mechanism of Biological Clock of Hepatic Drug Metabolic Enzyme
Authors: Matsunaga Naoya
Published: April 2010

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: Upstream Petroleum Degradation of Mangroves and Intertidal Shores: The Niger Delta Experience
Authors: Osuji Leo C. , Erondu Ebere S. , Ogali Regina E.
Published: April 2010

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: Hierarchical Structures Made of Proteins. The Complex Architecture of Spider Webs and Their Constituent Silk Proteins
Authors: Heim Markus , Roemer Lin , Scheibel Thomas
Published: April 2010

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: Fabrication of Biomolecular Devices via Supramolecular Contact‐Based Approaches
Authors: Akbulut Ozge , Yu Arum Amy , Stellacci Francesco
Published: April 2010

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: Fibre Optic Microarrays
Authors: Walt David R.
Published: April 2010

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: Natural and Artificial Peptide Motifs: Their Origins and the Application of Motif‐Programming
Authors: Shiba Kiyotaka
Published: April 2010

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: Functional Evolution on the Assembled DNA Template
Authors: Xu Lijin , Liu Dongsheng
Published: April 2010

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: Recent Advances in the Application of Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis in Forensic Chemistry
Authors: Daeid Niamh Nic , Buchanan Hilary A. S. , Savage Kathleen A. , Fraser James G. , Cresswell Sarah L.
Published: April 2010

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
Performance analysis of lognormally shadowed generalized Gamma fading channels
Authors: Samimi Hossein
Published: April 2010

A new composite channel model is proposed for the performance analysis of shadowed fading channels. This model is represented as a mixture of generalized Gamma (GG) multipath fading and lognormal shadowing. GG distribution includes the Rayleigh, Nakagami, and Weibull as special cases; hence the presented model, which is referred to as GG‐L, is a generic model that covers many well‐known composite fading models, including the Rayleigh–lognormal (R‐L), Nakagami–lognormal (N‐L), and Weibull–lognormal (W‐L). The main drawback of the lognormal‐based composite models is that the composite probability density function (PDF) is not in closed form, thereby making the performance evaluation of communication links in these channels cumbersome. To bypass this problem, an approximation method is developed which makes it possible to derive a closed‐form, analytical expression for GG‐L composite distribution. The proposed method only needs the mean and the variance of the underlying lognormal distribution, and hence, bypasses the required complicated integration needed to calculate the PDF of the received signal envelope in GG‐L channel. Based on this method, the most statistical characteristics, such as cumulative density function (CDF) and moments of the GG‐L composite distribution, are derived and used for the performance analysis of a single receiver operating over GG‐L fading channel. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Combinatorial Mapping of Substrate Step Edge Effects on Diblock Copolymer Thin Film Morphology and Orientation
Authors: Lawrence Nathaniel T. , Kehoe Jill M. , Hoffman David B. , Marks Carolyn , Yarbrough John M. , Atkinson Gary M. , Register Richard A. , Fasolka Michael J. , Trawick Matthew L.
Published: April 2010

We have used a combinatorial gradient technique to map precisely how the terrace structure and microdomain lattice alignment in a thin film of a sphere‐forming diblock copolymer are affected by both the thickness of the copolymer film and the height of a series of parallel step edges fabricated on the substrate. We find that for film thicknesses slightly incommensurate with integer numbers of sphere layers, the step edges act as nucleation sites for regions with one more or one fewer layers of spheres. We also find that for our system, the hexagonal lattice formed by a single layer of spheres on the low side of a step edge is aligned along the direction of the step edge only where the film on the high side is sufficiently thin to support only a wetting layer of copolymer material. This work will guide the tuning of film thickness and step height in future studies and applications of graphoepitaxy in block copolymer films.

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Hybrid predictive control of a DC–DC boost converter in both continuous and discontinuous current modes of operation
Authors: Hejri Mohammad , Mokhtari Hossein
Published: April 2010

Developing efficient and appropriate modeling and control techniques for DC–DC converters is of major importance in power electronics area and has attracted much attention from automatic control theory. Since DC–DC converters have a complex hybrid nature, recently several techniques based on hybrid modeling and control have been introduced. These techniques have shown better results as compared with conventional averaging‐based schemes with limited modeling and control abilities. But the current works in this field have not considered all possible dynamics of the converters in both continuous and discontinuous current modes (CCM, DCM) of operations. These dynamics are results of controlled and uncontrolled switching phenomena in DC–DC converters. This paper proposes a new switching scheme for modeling and controlling a DC–DC boost converter. The converter is represented as a hybrid automaton by considering the all three possible modes. The hybrid automaton is translated into the mixed logical dynamical (MLD) mathematical framework. The switching among these modes is generated by hybrid predictive control method which is calculated by Mixed Integer Quadratic Programming (MIQP). Using the exact model of the converter, the proposed switching algorithm can globally control the converter in all operation regimes, including CCM and DCM operations, considering all constraints in the physical plant, such as maximum inductor current and capacitor voltage limits. The switching algorithm is applied to a real converter circuit, modeled with various parasitic components. Simulation results are provided to show the advantages of the proposed control scheme. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Glass forming ability and nanocrystallization kinetics of Fe65Nb10B25 metallic glasses
Authors: Torrens‐Serra J. , Rodríguez‐Viejo J. , Clavaguera‐Mora M. T.
Published: April 2010

In this work the mechanisms controlling the nanocrystallization kinetics of the Fe65Nb10B25 metallic glasses have been determined by the combination of the analysis microstructural data from XRD and TEM, and the kinetic analysis performed using the Master Curve method of the continuous heating and isothermal calorimetric curves. The results show that the transformation starts by the nucleation and interface controlled growth of the Fe23B6‐type phase that changes to diffusion controlled growth as the transformation advances until is stopped by the soft‐impingement effect. The transformation is modeled in the framework of the Kolmogorov–Johnson–Mehl–Avrami (KJMA) theory using constant activation energy expressions for the nucleation frequency and interface‐controlled growth and taking into account the reduction of those quantities with the transformed fraction due to the change in the matrix composition using a mean‐field approximation. The parameters of the modeling are determined from the coupling between the isothermal and constant heating rate calorimetric analysis and from the quantitative analysis of microstructural data. This is the outset for the determination of the viscosity, driving force for crystallization, and interfacial energy when replacing the constant activation energy expressions by the classical nucleation and growth ones. Both the glass forming ability in Fe–Nb–B based bulk metallic glasses and the temperature dependence of the interfacial energy are discussed in terms of the influence of the minor alloying elements.
Nanocrystallization kinetics under instantaneous growth approximation: Experiments and cellular automata simulations
Authors: Blázquez J. S. , Millán M. , Conde C. F. , Conde A.
Published: April 2010

Nanocrystallization kinetics is analyzed in the frame of instantaneous growth approximation, which implies that the time required for a crystallite to reach its final size is negligible with respect to the time required for the nanocrystallization process. This approach strongly simplifies the kinetic analysis and allows us to obtain the nucleation rate from both isothermal and non‐isothermal nanocrystallization processes. Moreover, as no constraining mechanism is considered but the absence of growth, the results could be discussed in the frame of Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov theory with a growth index equal to zero. Cellular automata simulations are in agreement with the observed kinetics and microstructure.
Hydriding properties of Mg‐3d/M‐type nanocomposites (3d = Cu, Ni; M = C, Ni, Cu, Pd)
Authors: Okonska I. , Jurczyk M.
Published: April 2010

Magnesium‐based hydrogen storage alloys have been also considered to be possible candidates for electrodes in Ni‐MH batteries. In this work, we have studied experimentally the structure and properties of Mg2Ni(Cu)/M‐type hydrogen storage nanocomposite materials (M = C, Ni, Pd). These materials were prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) followed by annealing and by ball milling, respectively. In nanocrystalline Mg2Cu powder, discharge capacities up to 26 mA h g−1 were measured. It was found that nickel substituting copper in Mg2(Cu–Ni) alloy greatly improved the discharge capacity of studied material. In nanocrystalline Mg2Ni powder, discharge capacities up to 100 mA h g−1 were measured. Additionally, mechanically coated Mg2Ni‐based alloys with graphite, nickel, copper or palladium have effectively reduced the degradation rate of the studied electrode materials. They show substantially enhanced cycle life, at room temperature. Results showed also that the strong modifications of the electronic structure of the nanocrystalline alloys could significantly influence on their hydrogenation properties.
Mg‐based nanocomposites for room temperature hydrogen storage
Authors: Nowak M. , Jurczyk M.
Published: April 2010

Nanostructured composite Mg2Ni/LaNi5 materials have been synthesised using the mechanical alloying process. Hydrogen storage capacities and discharge capacities of the produced materials have been measured. The results show that nanostructured 50% Mg1.5Mn0.5Ni/50% LaNi3.75Mn0.75Al0.25Co0.25 composite material releases 1.6 wt.% hydrogen at room temperature. The nanocrystalline metal hydrides offer a breakthrough in prospects for practical applications. Their excellent properties (significantly exceeding traditional hydrides) are a result of the combined engineering of many factors: alloy composition, surface properties, microstructure, grain size and others.
Decay rate constrained stabilization of positive systems using static output feedback
Authors: Feng Jun‐e , Lam James , Li Ping , Shu Zhan
Published: April 2010

This paper investigates the stabilization problem by means of a static output feedback control for positive systems with/without interval uncertainties. The designed closed‐loop system is ensured to be positive and stable with a prescribed decay rate. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of such controllers are established in terms of linear matrix inequalities together with a matrix equality constraint. Furthermore, the desired static output feedback controllers can be derived directly via the cone complementarity linearization techniques. Finally, an illustrative example is presented to show the validity of results obtained in this paper. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An output feedback sliding mode control strategy for MIMO systems of arbitrary relative degree
Authors: Floquet Thierry , Spurgeon Sarah K. , Edwards Christopher
Published: April 2010

This paper develops an output feedback sliding mode controller for multi‐input multi‐output (MIMO) systems of any relative degree. A minimal set of outputs and output derivatives are identified to determine an augmented system which is relative degree 1, and a robust sliding mode differentiator is presented as the means to construct the extended output signal. It is shown that the transmission zeroes of the original plant appear directly in the reduced order sliding mode dynamics relating to the augmented system. A super twisting control algorithm is shown to provide robust control performance. Simulation results for a rationalized helicopter model taken from the literature are used to demonstrate the attraction of the approach. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stability and stabilization of Boolean networks
Authors: Cheng Daizhan , Qi Hongsheng , Li Zhiqiang , Liu Jiang B.
Published: April 2010

The stability of Boolean networks and the stabilization of Boolean control networks are investigated. Using semi‐tensor product of matrices and the matrix expression of logic, the dynamics of a Boolean (control) network can be converted to a discrete time linear (bilinear) dynamics, called the algebraic form of the Boolean (control) network. Then the stability can be revealed by analyzing the transition matrix of the corresponding discrete time system. Main results consist of two parts: (i) Using logic coordinate transformation, the known sufficient condition based on incidence matrix has been improved. It can also be used in stabilizer design. (ii) Based on algebraic form, necessary and sufficient conditions for stability and stabilization, respectively, are obtained. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adaptive output feedback stabilization for a class of nonlinear systems with inherent nonlinearities and uncertainties
Authors: Shang Fang , Liu Yungang , Zhang Chenghui
Published: April 2010

This paper investigates the problem of adaptive stabilization by output feedback for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems. The distinguishing feature of such a class of systems is the presence of uncertain control coefficient and unmeasured states dependent growth with growth rate of polynomial‐of‐output multiplying an unknown constant. First, new high‐gain K‐filters with two dynamic gains are introduced, and an appropriate state observer is constructed based on the K‐filters. Then, motivated by the universal control idea, the backstepping scheme is successfully developed for the adaptive output feedback control design. By appropriate choice of the design parameters, the global stability of the closed‐loop system can be guaranteed. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to illustrate the correctness of the theoretical results. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Further results onH∞filtering for discrete‐time systems with state delay
Authors: Li Xianwei , Li Zhicheng , Gao Huijun
Published: April 2010

This article studies the problem ofH∞filtering for linear discrete‐time systems with state delay. Via delay partitioning idea, two newH∞filter design methods are proposed with much less conservatism than most existing results. The improvement lies in constructing two new Lyapunov–Krasovskii functionals by partitioning the known constant lower bound of delay into several segments equally. Using free‐weighting matrix and Jensen inequality methods, two new delay‐dependent bound real lemmas (BRLs) are obtained, which depend on both the delay and the partitioning number. Based on the obtained BRLs, newH∞filter design approaches are proposed in terms of linear matrix inequalities. The results are immediately extended to multiple time delay case and polytopic uncertain case, respectively. Three numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and advantage of the proposed approaches. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Splanchnic Vasoregulation After Major Abdominal Surgery in Pigs
Authors: Brügger Lukas E. , Beldi Guido , Beck Mario , Porta Francesca , Bracht Hendrik , Candinas Daniel , Takala Jukka , Jakob Stephan M.
Published: April 2010

Background

Unrecognized reduction of blood supply to intestinal organs is associated with significant postoperative morbidity in abdominal surgery. The aim of this study was to determine whether—in the absence of hypovolemia—intestinal hypoperfusion as a result of blood flow redistribution occurs after abdominal surgery.

Methods

Standardized operative trauma was induced in 14 healthy pigs. Systemic, regional, and local blood flow, intestinal and gastric intraluminal‐to‐end‐tidal pCO2 gradients representing mucosal perfusion, and oxygen transport variables were measured for 10 postoperative hours. Normovolemia was maintained using continuous infusion of Ringer’s lactate and additional boluses of colloids in response to blood pressure, pulmonary wedge pressure, and urinary output.

Results

Postoperative blood flow was significantly increased in the celiac trunk (76% increase [percentage of baseline flow], p = 0.003) and the hepatic (136% increase, p = 0.002) and splenic (36% increase, p = 0.025) arteries. Blood flow was significantly decreased in the mesenteric artery (25% decrease, p = 0.007) and portal vein (13% decrease, p = 0.028). Carotid and renal artery blood flow remained unchanged.

Conclusions

Maintenance of normovolemia is insufficient to protect from intestinal hypoperfusion after abdominal surgery. Postoperative redistribution of cardiac output results in decreased intestinal and increased hepatic and splenic arterial blood flow.
Median Nerve Injury following K-wire Fixation of Bennett's Fracture—Lessons Learned
Authors: Sidharthan Sujith , Shetty Sanath K. , Hanna Amir W.
Published: April 2010

Bennett's fracture is a relatively common injury. The fracture is unstable due to the displacing forces acting on the distal fragment and very commonly treated by stabilization with Kirschner wires. This would seem a relatively safe procedure, and injury to the median nerve has never been reported. We present this unusual complication following one such procedure with the evaluation of a safe approach utilizing the relevant surgical and radiological anatomy.
EULER NUMBERS MODULO 2n
Authors: SUN ZHI-HONG
Published: April 2010

Let {En} be the Euler numbers. We give a general congruence modulo 2(m+2)n for E2mk+b, where k,m,n are positive integers and b∈{0,2,4,…}.
Orally administered emu oil decreases acute inflammation and alters selected small intestinal parameters in a rat model of mucositis
Authors: Lindsay Ruth J. , Geier Mark S. , Yazbeck Roger , Butler Ross N. , Howarth Gordon S.
Published: April 2010

Mucositis resulting from cancer chemotherapy is a serious disorder of the alimentary tract. Emu oil has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties in animal models of arthritis and wound healing; however, its effects on the intestine remain unknown. We investigated emu oil for its potential to decrease the severity of mucositis in a rat model. Female Dark Agouti rats (110–150 g) were orogastrically gavaged with emu oil (0·5 or 1 ml) or water (1 ml) for 5 d before intraperitoneal injection of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU, 150 mg/kg) or saline (control), and this was continued up to the day of sacrifice (48, 72 and 96 h post 5-FU administration). Histological (villus height, crypt depth (CD) and disease severity score) and biochemical (myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity) parameters were determined in intestinal tissues collected at sacrifice. Sucrase activityin vivowas quantified by the sucrose breath test. Activated neutrophil activity (MPO) in the ileum was significantly decreased by emu oil (0·5 ml, 451 (sem168) U/g and 1 ml, 503 (sem213) U/g) compared with 5-FU-treated controls (1724 (sem431) U/g) 96 h post 5-FU administration. There were also significant increases in CD (152 (sem8) μm) in the ileum of rats that receivied 1 ml emu oil at 96 h compared with 5-FU-treated controls (CD (106 (sem12) μm)). Emu oil did not affect sucrase activity. Emu oil decreased acute ileal inflammation, and improved mucosal architecture in the intestine during recovery from chemotherapy in rats. Further studies investigating the potential benefits of emu oil as a nutritional supplement for the treatment of intestinal disorders are indicated.
Plautus
Authors: Marples Morris
Published: April 2010

Of all Latin writers whose works have come down to us there is none so live as Plautus, and none more calculated to give a modern reader the real ‘feel’ of Latin. He is worth reading for this alone, apart from the fun to be got out of his comedy, and there is much to be said for using him judiciously in the elementary stages of Latin teaching. But unfortunately not all his plays are of equal merit, and for most people selection is desirable. For that reason attention in this article will be confined to five plays—Rudens, Mostellaria, Aulularia, Miles Gloriosus, and Menaechmi—which in themselves are worth reading for sheer entertainment, and which also incidentally illustrate the influence of Plautus on modern drama. Any reader who masters these may be sure that he has got nearly all that is best and most characteristic in Plautus, and will have enjoyed himself into the bargain.
The role of diffusion on the interface thickness in a ventilated filling box
Authors: KAYE N. B. , FLYNN M. R. , COOK M. J. , JI Y.
Published: April 2010

We examine the role of diffusivity, whether molecular or turbulent, on the steady-state stratification in a ventilated filling box. The buoyancy-driven displacement ventilation model of Linden et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 212, 1990, p. 309) predicts the formation of a two-layer stratification when a single plume is introduced into an enclosure with vents at the top and bottom. The model assumes that diffusion plays no role in the development of the ambient buoyancy stratification: diffusion is a slow process and the entrainment of ambient fluid into the plume from the diffuse interface will act to thin the interface resulting in a near discontinuity of density between the upper and lower layers. This prediction has been corroborated by small-scale salt bath experiments; however, full-scale measurements in ventilated rooms and complementary numerical simulations suggest an interface that is not sharp but rather smeared out over a finite thickness. For a given plume buoyancy flux, as the cross-sectional area of the enclosure increases the volume of fluid that must be entrained by the plume to maintain a sharp interface also increases. Therefore the balance between the diffusive thickening of the interface and plume-driven thinning favours a thicker interface. Conversely, the interface thickness decreases with increasing source buoyancy flux, although the dependence is relatively weak. Our analysis presents two models for predicting the interface thickness as a function of the enclosure height, base area, composite vent area, plume buoyancy flux and buoyancy diffusivity. Model results are compared with interface thickness measurements based on previously reported data. Positive qualitative and quantitative agreement is observed.
Contingent Democratisation? The Rise and Fall of Participatory Budgeting in Buenos Aires
Authors: RODGERS DENNIS
Published: April 2010

The implementation of participatory budgeting in Buenos Aires following the crisis of December 2001 was a highly unlikely event. The different parties involved had competing and contradictory agendas that did not coincide with participatory budgeting's stated aims of extending citizen participation in government, but these interacted in a way that contingently created a space for a viable process to develop. Subsequent political shifts led to the demise of participatory budgeting, but the Buenos Aires case is nevertheless important because it highlights the way in which such processes can emerge in the absence of strong programmatic politics, thereby potentially opening new avenues for the promotion of democratic innovation.
To Conform or to Confront? CSOs and Agrarian Conflict in Post-Conflict Guatemala
Authors: VAN LEEUWEN MATHIJS
Published: April 2010

This article is about the role of civil society after violent conflict. It argues that the transformations that civil society organisations (CSOs) make are more ambiguous than supporting donors and NGOs presume. The article analyses how, ten years after the 1996 peace agreements, Guatemalan CSOs deal with agrarian conflict. It discusses in detail the case of a church-related organisation assisting peasants with agrarian conflicts and the challenges it faced in defining its strategies. The article argues that supporting donors and NGOs should stop seeing the difficulties of organisational change in post-conflict situations exclusively in terms of the internal incapacities of civil society. Instead, they should re-politicise their analyses and focus on the importance of broader social and political processes in post-conflict settings for the strategic options open to CSOs.
Confronting the Crisis of the Slave-Based Plantation System in Puerto Rico: Bureaucratic Proposals for Agricultural Modernisation, Diversification and Free Labour, c. 1846–1852
Authors: CHINEA JORGE L.
Published: April 2010

By the late 1820s, Puerto Rico and Cuba had become Spain's only remaining colonies in the Americas and its major source of colonial returns. A decade later, however, the slave-based plantation system in Puerto Rico was beginning to show signs of stagnation due to the convergence of a number of domestic and international forces. In the late 1840s the Iberian colonial bureaucracy initiated a series of proposals to stimulate Puerto Rico's transformation into an agriculturally modern, diversified, free-labour economy. This initiative failed due to an adverse economic environment, administrative confusion and rivalries, and the failure of officials on the island to enlist the support either of local planters or those at the lower levels of society. This paper explores the reasons for this failure in detail.
Integrating evolutionary and social science approaches to the family
Authors: Cox Donald
Published: April 2010

Recent work on the evolution of utility has brought the blunt instrument of kin selection closer to the cluttered scalpel kit of social science. The concept of diminishing marginal utility can help streamline the latter. Reconciling ultimate causes with proximate inclinations, however, will be easier for the case of assistance from grandparents than assistance to them.
Is contemporary grandparental care an evolutionary mismatch?
Authors: Euler Harald A.
Published: April 2010

In order to evaluate the impact of contemporary grandparenting, the view should not be restricted to developmental achievement effects in grandchildren. Both child happiness and grandparent happiness are high-ranking goals with implications for public policy. The beneficial impact of grandparenting for risk families appears unequivocal, and modern life still encounters all kinds of unpredictable risks. Contemporary grandparental care is no evolutionary mismatch.
Intergenerational conflict over grandparental investment
Authors: Fawcett Tim W. , van den Berg Pieter , Weissing Franz J. , Park Justin H. , Buunk Abraham P.
Published: April 2010

Selection on grandparental investment is more complex than Coall & Hertwig (C&H) propose. Patterns of investment are subject to an intergenerational conflict over how resources should be distributed to maximize fitness. Grandparents may be selected to distribute resources unevenly, while their descendants will be selected to manipulate investment in their own favor. Here we outline the evolutionary basis of this conflict.
An evolutionary perspective can help unify disparate accounts of grandparental investment
Authors: Gurven Michael , Schniter Eric
Published: April 2010

Coall & Hertwig (C&H) bring attention to alternative accounts of grandparental investment from economics, evolutionary anthropology, psychology, and sociology, which have yet to be reconciled. We attempt to help integrate some of the disparate perspectives by expanding the scope of the evolutionary perspective, highlighting some gaps, and discussing problems with the authors' treatment of grandparents in traditional societies.
Continuity between pre- and post-demographic transition populations with respect to grandparental investment
Authors: Huber Brad R.
Published: April 2010

This commentary suggests that there is more continuity in pre- and post-demographic transition populations with respect to grandparental investments than is assumed by Coall & Hertwig (C&H). Recent research employing high-quality data supports the claim that sex-biased grandparental investments are likely to exist in industrialized societies, and that the economic status of grandparents is related to their long-term fitness.
Fitness effects of grandparental investments in contemporary low-risk societies
Authors: Kaptijn Ralf , Thomese Fleur
Published: April 2010

Coall & Hertwig (C&H) suggest that, because grandparental investments do not impact on child mortality in low-risk societies, fitness effects are not plausible any more. We found that grandparental investments could very well alleviate contemporary constraints on fertility. Cultural factors may influence both the occurrence and impact of grandparental investments.
Intergenerational transfers and the cost of allomothering in traditional societies
Authors: Kramer Karen L.
Published: April 2010

The question of why helpers help is debated in the cooperative breeding literature. Recent reevaluations of inclusive fitness theory have important implications for traditional populations in which the provisioning of young occurs in the context of intergenerational transfers. These transfers link older and younger generations in an economic relationship that both minimizes the demand for help and the cost of helping.
Population aging and the economic role of the elderly: Bonanza or burden?
Authors: Lee Ronald D.
Published: April 2010

As societies industrialize, the age profile of consumption tilts strongly toward the elderly, while elder labor supply drops. Low fertility and long life lead to population aging. For millennia, material resources have, on net, flowed downward from older to younger within populations, but now in many rich societies net flows have reversed and go upwards from young to old.
The generation game is the cooperation game: The role of grandparents in the timing of reproduction
Authors: Sear Rebecca , Dickins Thomas E.
Published: April 2010

Coall & Hertwig (C&H) demonstrate the importance of grandparents to children, even in low fertility societies. We suggest policy-makers interested in reproductive timing in such contexts should be alerted to the practical applications of this cooperative breeding framework. The presence or absence of a supportive kin network could help explain why some women begin their reproductive careers “too early” or “too late.”
Are humans cooperative breeders?: Most studies of natural fertility populations do not support the grandmother hypothesis
Authors: Strassmann Beverly I. , Kurapati Nikhil T.
Published: April 2010

In discussing the effects of grandparents on child survival in natural fertility populations, Coall & Hertwig (C&H) rely extensively on the review by Sear and Mace (2008). We conducted a more detailed summary of the same literature and found that the evidence in favor of beneficial associations between grandparenting and child survival is generally weak or absent. The present state of the data on human alloparenting supports a more restricted use of the term “cooperative breeding.” Human stem family situations with celibate helpers-at-the-nest can be described as cooperatively breeding, but the term is a poor fit to many human family systems.
Toward an integrative framework of grandparental investment
Authors: Coall David A. , Hertwig Ralph
Published: April 2010

This response outlines more reasons why we need the integrative framework of grandparental investments and intergenerational transfers that we advocated in the target article. We discusses obstacles – from misconceptions to poor measures – that stand in the way of such a framework and of a better understanding of the effects of grandparenting in the developed world. We highlight new research directions that have emerged from the commentaries, and we end by discussing some of the things in our target article about which we may have been wrong.
Medical Analogies in Buddhist and Hellenistic Thought: Tranquillity and Anger
Authors: Gowans Christopher W.
Published: April 2010

Medical analogies are commonly invoked in both Indian Buddhist dharma and Hellenistic philosophy. In the Pāli Canon, nirvana (or, in Pāli,nibbāna) is depicted as a form of health, and the Buddha is portrayed as a doctor who helps us attain it. Much later in the tradition, Śāntideva described the Buddha’s teaching as ‘the sole medicine for the ailments of the world, the mine of all success and happiness.’ Cicero expressed the view of many Hellenistic philosophers when he said that philosophy is ‘a medical science for the mind.’ He thought we should ‘hand ourselves over to philosophy, and let ourselves be healed.’ ‘For as long as these ills [of the mind] remain,’ he wrote, ‘we cannot attain to happiness.’ There are many different forms of medical analogy in these two traditions, but the most general form may be stated as follows: just as medicine cures bodily diseases and brings about physical health, so Buddhist dharma or Hellenistic philosophy cures mental diseases and brings about psychological health—where psychological health is understood as the highest form of happiness or well-being. Insofar as Buddhist dharma involves philosophy, as it does, both renditions of the analogy may be said to declare that philosophy cures mental diseases and brings about psychological health. This feature of the analogy—philosophy as analogous to medical treatment—has attracted considerable attention.
Two Pedagogies for Happiness: Healing Goals and Healing Methods in theSumma Theologiaeof Thomas Aquinas and TheŚrī Bhāṣyaof Rāmānuja
Authors: Ganeri Martin
Published: April 2010

The scholastic mode of intellectual enquiry has been looked down upon in Western philosophical circles over the last few centuries, not least because of the central role of authorities shaping the reasoning that takes place and because of the fine distinctions and disputational mode of discourse it employs. The scholastic approach is, however, a prime example of philosophy astherapeia, of intellectual inquiry and reflection concerned with the healing transformation of human life, with what kind of knowledge and behaviour brings about human happiness. The scholastic approach is motivated and determined by consideration of what the final human goal might be and what are the means to achieve it. Authorities are important because they tell us about the goal and means. Distinctions and disputation are important because they help us learn in a way that transforms our minds and actions.
The Thinker and The Draughtsman: Wittgenstein, Perspicuous Relations, and ‘Working on Oneself’
Authors: Hagberg Garry L.
Published: April 2010

In 1931, in the remarks collected as Culture and Value, Wittgenstein writes: ‘A thinker is very much like a draughtsman whose aim it is to represent all the interrelations between things.’ At a glance it is clear that this analogy might contribute significantly to a full description of the autobiographical thinker as well. And this conjunction of relations between things and the work of the draughtsman immediately and strongly suggests that the grasping of relations is in a sense visual, or that networks or constellations of relations are the kinds of things (to continue the ocular metaphor) brought into focus by seeing in the right way.
Therapy and Theory Reconstructed: Plato and his Successors
Authors: Clark Stephen R. L.
Published: April 2010

When we speak of philosophy and therapy, or of philosophy as therapy, the usual intent is to suggest that ‘philosophizing’ is or should be a way to clarify the mind or purify the soul. While there may be little point in arguing with psychoses or deeply-embedded neuroses our more ordinary misjudgements, biases and obsessions may be alleviated, at least, by trying to ‘see things clearly and to see them whole’, by carefully identifying premises and seeing what they – rationally – support, and by seeking to eliminate the residual influence of premises that we have long since, rationally, dismissed. I don't intend to argue with this account – though of course it may be as well to remember that ‘philosophizing’ may have more dangerous effects. It is not obvious that philosophical argument will always help us ‘see things straight’, and the Athenian democracy was not altogether wrong to think that some of Socrates' followers or pupils learnt quite the wrong things from him.
The Teacher as Mother or Midwife? A Comparison of Brahmanical and Socratic Methods of Education
Authors: Wharton Kate
Published: April 2010

Socrates famously compares himself to a midwife in Plato'sTheaetetus. Much less well known is the developed metaphor of pregnancy at the centre of the initiation ritual that begins Brahmanical education. In this ritual, calledUpanayana, the teacher is presented as becoming pregnant with the student. TheArthavavedastates:

The teacher leads the student towards himself, makes him an embryo within; he bears him in his belly three nights.
The Philosopher as Pathogenic Agent, Patient, and Therapist: The Case of William James
Authors: Gunnarsson Logi
Published: April 2010

One way to understand philosophy as a form of therapy is this: it involves a philosopher who is trying to cure himself. He has been drawn into a certain philosophical frame of mind—the ‘disease’—and has thus infected himself with this illness. Now he is sick and trying to employ philosophy to cure himself. So philosophy is both: the ailment and the cure. And the philosopher is all three: pathogenic agent, patient, and therapist.
Curing Diseases of Belief and Desire: Buddhist Philosophical Therapy
Authors: Burton David
Published: April 2010

It seems uncontroversial that Buddhism is therapeutic in intent. The word ‘therapy’ is often used, however, to denote methods of treating medically defined mental illnesses, while in the Buddhist context it refers to the treatment of deep-seated dissatisfaction and confusion that, it is claimed, afflict us all. The Buddha is likened to a doctor who offers a medicine to cure the spiritual ills of the suffering world. In the Pāli scriptures, one of the epithets of the Buddha is ‘the Great Physician’ and the therapeutic regimen or healing treatment is his teaching, theDhamma. This metaphor is continued in later literature, most famously in theSaddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra, where the Buddha is said to be like a benevolent doctor who attempts to administer appropriate medicine to his sons. In the Mahāyāna pantheon, one of the most popular of the celestial Buddhas is Bhaiṣajyaguru, the master of healing, who is believed to offer cures for both the spiritual and more mundane ailments of sentient beings. The four truths, possibly the most pervasive of all Buddhist teachings, are expressed in the form of a medical diagnosis. The first truth, that there is suffering (dukkha), is the diagnosis of the disease. The second truth, that suffering arises from a cause (or causes), seeks to identify the root source of the disease. The third truth, that suffering can be ended, is a prognosis that the disease is curable. The fourth truth describes the path to end suffering, and is the prescription of treatment.
Visualization of the Orai1 Homodimer and the Functional Coupling of Orai1-STIM1 by Live-Cell Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging
Authors: Huang Ping-Chun , Chiu Tai-Yu , Wang Li-Chun , Teng Hsiao-Chuan , Kao Fu-Jen , Yang De-Ming
Published: April 2010

The Orai1-STIM1 constructed store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOCs) have been found to exert several essential Ca2+ entry/signaling cascades, e.g., the generation of immune response in T lymphocytes. Although biochemical and novel imaging evidence appear to indicate that Orai1 and STIM1 interact with each other to achieve store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE), the detailed mechanism of functional SOCE in situ has yet to be fully understood. In this study, green fluorescence protein (EGFP as donor) targeted to either the N- or C-terminal of Orai1 (wild type or ▵1-90+▵267-301 double deletion type) and mOrange (as acceptor) tagged STIM1 were used to comprise a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) pair within living PC12 cells. The fluorescence lifetime map and histogram/distribution of each single cell, determined by one-photon excitation fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), was used to visualize FRET and show the Orai1 homodimer and Orai1-STIM1 binding. Both the color-coded lifetime map and the distribution of EGFP-tagged Orai1 significantly changed after the administration of thapsigargin, the SOCE stimulating agent. The FRET efficiency from each experimental set was also calculated and compared using double exponential analysis. In summary, we show the detailed interactions Orai1-Orai1 and Orai1-STIM1 within intact living cells by using the FLIM-FRET technique.
Defect and Interfacial Structure of Heteroepitaxial Fe3O4/BaTiO3 Bilayers
Authors: Xie Sujing , Sterbinsky George E. , Wessels Bruce W. , Dravid Vinayak P.
Published: April 2010

The defect and interfacial structure in a Fe3O4/BaTiO3 heteroepitaxial bilayer was investigated by scanning transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the Fe3O4 film grew epitaxially on BaTiO3. The orientation relationship between Fe3O4, BaTiO3 and MgO is [100]Fe3O4//[100]BaTi3O//[100]MgO and (010)Fe3O4//(010)BaTiO3//(010)MgO. An initial interfacial nucleation layer was formed that partially accommodated the lattice mismatch strain between BaTiO3 and MgO. This investigation indicates that the formation of this buffer layer provides a high-quality BaTiO3 surface for subsequent Fe3O4 growth, resulting in a semicoherent interface. The Fe3O4 surface is nearly atomically abrupt (roughness Rrms = 0.78 nm). The Fe3O4 film exhibits magnetic domains with a diameter in the range of 0.4–2 μm.
Intermittent release of transients in the slow solar wind: 2. In situ evidence
Authors: Rouillard A. P. , Lavraud B. , Davies J. A. , Savani N. P. , Burlaga L. F. , Forsyth R. J. , Sauvaud J.‐A. , Opitz A. , Lockwood M. , Luhmann J. G. , Simunac K. D. C. , Galvin A. B. , Davis C. J. , Harrison R. A.
Published: April 2010

In paper 1, we showed that the Heliospheric Imager (HI) instruments on the pair of NASA STEREO spacecraft can be used to image the streamer belt and, in particular, the variability of the slow solar wind which originates near helmet streamers. The observation of intense intermittent transient outflow by HI implies that the corresponding in situ observations of the slow solar wind and corotating interaction regions (CIRs) should contain many signatures of transients. In the present paper, we compare the HI observations with in situ measurements from the STEREO and ACE spacecraft. Analysis of the solar wind ion, magnetic field, and suprathermal electron flux measurements from the STEREO spacecraft reveals the presence of both closed and partially disconnected interplanetary magnetic field lines permeating the slow solar wind. We predict that one of the transients embedded within the second CIR (CIR‐D in paper 1) should impact the near‐Earth ACE spacecraft. ACE measurements confirm the presence of a transient at the time of CIR passage; the transient signature includes helical magnetic fields and bidirectional suprathermal electrons. On the same day, a strahl electron dropout is observed at STEREO‐B, correlated with the passage of a high‐plasma beta structure. Unlike ACE, STEREO‐B observes the transient a few hours ahead of the CIR. STEREO‐A, STEREO‐B, and ACE spacecraft observe very different slow solar wind properties ahead of and during the CIR analyzed in this paper, which we associate with the intermittent release of transients.