bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Path Planning for Spray Painting Robot of Workpiece Surfaces
Authors: Chen Wei , Zhao Dean
Published: August 2013

A new optimization algorithm of the path planning for spray painting robot of workpiece surfaces is proposed. This paper first provides the paint deposition rate function on a plane according to the experiment data. And the model of film thickness on surface is discussed. A multiobjective constraint optimization problem is formulated. An optimal tool path with an optimal time and film quantity deviation is generated. And the min-max method is adopted here to calculate the values. A workpiece, which is a free-form surface, is used to test the scheme. The results of experiments have shown that the path optimization algorithm achieves satisfactory performance. This algorithm can also be extended to other applications.
Determination of L-Argininamide Based on Water-Soluble Fluorescent Conjugated Polymer-Aptamer
Authors: Guan Hongliang , He Zhike
Published: August 2013

Water-soluble fluorescent conjugated polymer is a promising material which could be used as an optical platform in highly sensitive molecular sensors. In this paper, a simple label-free DNA sensor, which consisted of a poly(3-alkoxy-4-methylthiophene) and an aptamer, was used to detect L-argininamide (L-Arm). Due to the specific binding reaction between L-Arm and its aptamer, the proposed method can easily determinate the L-Arm through the recovery of fluorescence without any modification. Other ions or similar molecules had little effect on the detection. Moreover, there was a linear relationship between fluorescence intensity and the concentration of L-Arm. The detection limit of L-Arm was as low as 4.7 nM.
Anthelmintic Effects of Alkylated Diamines and Amino Alcohols againstSchistosoma mansoni
Authors: Fernandes Fábio de Souza , Rezende Júnior Celso O. , Fernandes Tayrine Silva , da Silveira Lígia Souza , Rezende Carlos A. M. , De Almeida Mauro V. , de Paula Renato G. , Rodrigues Vanderlei , Da Silva Filho Ademar A. , Couri Mara R. C.
Published: August 2013

Polyamines are substances involved in many aspects of cell growth, division, and differentiation. Because of the metabolic differences between host cells and parasite cells, polyamine metabolism has been considered as a potential target for the chemotherapy of parasitic diseases. The aim of this work was to evaluate the schistosomicidal activity of differentN-alkylated diamines (3a–3h), amino alcohols (4a–4d), and glycosylated amino alcohols (10a–10d). Compounds were prepared by synthetic methods and submitted toin vitroevaluation against adult worms ofSchistosoma mansoni. At 100 μM,3b,3e, and3has well as4a,4b,4d,10a,10b, and10dresulted in 100% mortality of adult schistosomes. Compound3d(12.5 to 100 μM) caused the death of 100% of both male and female adult schistosomes, while3f(12.5 to 100 μM) resulted in 100% mortality of only male adult worms, whereas no mortality in female worms was observed. Compounds3dand3fwere also able to reduce viability and decrease production of developed eggs in comparison with the negative control group. Diamines3dand3fmay represent useful lead compounds for further optimization in order to develop new schistosomicidal agents.
Stochastic 2D Incompressible Navier-Stokes Solver Using the Vorticity-Stream Function Formulation
Authors: El-Beltagy Mohamed A. , Wafa Mohamed I.
Published: August 2013

A two-dimensional stochastic solver for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations is developed. The vorticity-stream function formulation is considered. The polynomial chaos expansion was integrated with an unstructured node-centered finite-volume solver. A second-order upwind scheme is used in the convection term for numerical stability and higher-order discretization. The resulting sparse linear system is solved efficiently by a direct parallel solver. The mean and variance simulations of the cavity flow are done for random variation of the viscosity and the lid velocity. The solver was tested and compared with the Monte-Carlo simulations and with previous research works. The developed solver is proved to be efficient in simulating the stochastic two-dimensional incompressible flows.
Obesity Promotes Breast Cancer by CCL2-Mediated Macrophage Recruitment and Angiogenesis
Authors: Arendt Lisa M. , McCready Jessica , Keller Patricia J. , Baker Dana D. , Naber Stephen P. , Seewaldt Victoria , Kuperwasser Charlotte
Published: August 2013

Obesity is one of the most important preventable causes of cancer and the most significant risk factor for breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Compared with lean women, obese women are more likely to be diagnosed with a larger, higher grade tumor, an increased incidence of lymph node metastases, and elevated risk of distant recurrence. However, the mechanisms connecting obesity to the pathogenesis of breast cancer are poorly defined. Here, we show that during obesity, adipocytes within human and mouse breast tissues recruit and activate macrophages through a previously uncharacterized CCL2/IL-1β/CXCL12 signaling pathway. Activated macrophages in turn promote stromal vascularization and angiogenesis even before the formation of cancer. Recapitulating these changes using a novel humanized breast cancer model was sufficient to promote angiogenesis and prime the microenvironment prior to neoplastic transformation for accelerated breast oncogenesis. These findings provide a mechanistic role for adipocytes and macrophages before carcinogenesis that may be critical for prevention and treatment of obesity-related cancer. Cancer Res; 73(19); 6080–93. ©2013 AACR.
Molecular Pathways: Protein Methyltransferases in Cancer
Authors: Copeland Robert A.
Published: August 2013

The protein methyltransferases (PMT) constitute a large and important class of enzymes that catalyze site-specific methylation of lysine or arginine residues on histones and other proteins. Site-specific histone methylation is a critical component of chromatin regulation of gene transcription—a pathway that is often genetically altered in human cancers. Oncogenic alterations (e.g., mutations, chromosomal translocations, and others) of PMTs, or of associated proteins, have been found to confer unique dependencies of cancer cells on the activity of specific PMTs. Examples of potent, selective small-molecule inhibitors of specific PMTs are reviewed that have been shown to kill cancers cells bearing such oncogenic alterations, while having minimal effect on proliferation of nonaltered cells. Selective inhibitors of the PMTs, DOT1L and EZH2, have entered phase I clinical studies and additional examples of selective PMT inhibitors are likely to enter the clinic soon. The current state of efforts toward clinical testing of selective PMT inhibitors as personalized cancer therapeutics is reviewed here. Clin Cancer Res; 19(23); 6344–50. ©2013 AACR.
Older People and Digital Disengagement: A Fourth Digital Divide?
Authors: Olphert Wendy , Damodaran Leela
Published: August 2013

Digital technologies are becoming more pervasive in all areas of society. Enabling everyone to have access and capability to use the Internet and associated digital technologies, summed up in the term ‘digital inclusion', is seen to have wide-ranging benefits to the individual, to the economy and to society. For older people, being digitally included can help them to maintain their independence, social connectedness and sense of worth in the face of declining health or limited capabilities, as well as also offering new opportunities to improve their quality of life. At present however, access to the technology and to the benefits is not equally distributed either between or within nations, and older people tend to be on the ‘wrong' side of what is termed the ‘digital divide'. Governments globally are developing strategies to promote digital inclusion and indeed Internet uptake is increasing steadily, including amongst older people. However, such strategies have focussed on getting people online, and there appears to be an assumption that once someone is online they will remain ‘digitally engaged'. In fact statistics show that some users give up using the Internet, and there is emerging evidence that older people are more vulnerable to the factors which can lead to this outcome. The authors see this phenomenon as a potential but largely unrecognised ‘fourth digital divide' which has serious implications for social inclusion. The objectives of this article are (a) to raise awareness of the phenomenon of digital disengagement by considering some of the emerging evidence, (b) to explore some of the potential implications of not recognising and therefore not addressing the needs of the digitally disengaged older population, and (c) to reveal the prevailing gap in knowledge which future research should address.
Feasibility of Laparoscopic Intersphincteric Resection for Patients with cT1-T2 Low Rectal Cancer
Authors: Shiomi Akio , Kinugasa Yusuke , Yamaguchi Tomohiro , Tsukamoto Syunsuke , Tomioka Hiroyuki , Kagawa Hiroyasu
Published: August 2013

Aims: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of laparoscopic intersphincteric resection (LAP-ISR) for rectal cancer in terms of morbidity, oncological outcomes, and functional results. Methods: Thirty-seven patients with primary low rectal cancer cT1-T2 underwent LAP-ISR. Surgical outcomes, pathological results, postoperative complications, oncological outcomes, and functional results were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Three patients (8.1%) had carcinoma in situ, 22 (59.5%) had pT1 tumor, and 11 (29.7%) had pT2 tumor. Eleven patients (29.7%) were diagnosed as being node positive, while 26 (70.3%) had node-negative disease. The median operative time was 315 min (range: 195-502). The median blood loss was 37 ml (range: 0-745). One case was converted to open surgery. Pathological complete resection was achieved in all cases. There was no surgical mortality. Postoperative complications of grade III-IV on the Clavien-Dindo classification were observed in 16.2% of the patients. The median follow-up period was 2.8 years (range: 187-2,241 days), and 3-year disease-free survival was 93.1%. No patient developed local recurrence. The functional result was objectively good. Conclusion: LAP-ISR can be recommended as a feasible, ultimate sphincter-preserving procedure with acceptable functional and intermediate-term oncological outcomes in patients with cT1-T2 very low rectal cancer.
Atherosclerotic Plaque Composition and Classification Identified by Coronary Computed Tomography
Authors: Obaid Daniel R. , Calvert Patrick A. , Gopalan Deepa , Parker Richard A. , Hoole Stephen P. , West Nick E.J. , Goddard Martin , Rudd James H.F. , Bennett Martin R.
Published: August 2013

Background—

Computed tomography (CT) is used routinely for coronary angiography, and higher-risk features of plaques can also be identified. However, the ability of CT to discriminate individual plaque components and classify plaques according to accepted histological definitions is unknown.

Methods and Results—

We first determined CT attenuation ranges for individual plaque components using combined in vivo CT coregistered with virtual histology intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) in 108 plaques from 57 patients. Comparison with contrast attenuation created plaque/contrast attenuation ratios that were significantly different for each component. In a separate validation cohort of 47 patients, these Plaque Maps correlated significantly with VH-IVUS–determined plaque component volumes (necrotic core:
r
=0.41,
P
=0.002; fibrous plaque:
r
=0.54,
P
<0.001; calcified plaque:
r
=0.59,
P
<0.001; total plaque:
r
=0.62,
P
<0.001). We also assessed VH-IVUS and CT Plaque Maps against coregistered histology in 72 (VH-IVUS) and 87 (CT) segments from 8 postmortem coronary arteries. The diagnostic accuracy of CT to detect calcified plaque (83% versus 92%), necrotic core (80% versus 65%), and fibroatheroma (80% versus 79%) was comparable with VH-IVUS. However, although VH-IVUS could identify thin-cap fibroatheromas (TCFA) with a diagnostic accuracy of between 74% and 82% (depending on the TCFA definition used), the spatial resolution of CT prevented direct identification of TCFA.

Conclusions—

CT-derived Plaque Maps based on contrast-adjusted attenuation ranges can define individual plaque components with a similar accuracy to VH-IVUS ex vivo. However, coronary CT Plaque Maps could not reliably classify plaques and identify TCFA, such that high-risk plaques may be misclassified or overlooked.
MicroRNA-Mediated Epigenetic Silencing of Sirtuin1 Contributes to Impaired Angiogenic Responses
Authors: Volkmann Ingo , Kumarswamy Regalla , Pfaff Nils , Fiedler Jan , Dangwal Seema , Holzmann Angelika , Batkai Sandor , Geffers Robert , Lother Achim , Hein Lutz , Thum Thomas
Published: August 2013

Rationale:

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β was linked to abnormal vessel function and can mediate impairment of endothelial angiogenic responses. Its effect on microRNAs and downstream targets in this context is not known.

Objective:

To study the role of microRNAs in TGF-β–mediated angiogenic activity.

Methods and Results:

MicroRNA profiling after TGF-β treatment of endothelial cells identified miR-30a-3p, along with other members of the miR-30 family, to be strongly silenced. Supplementation of miR-30a-3p restored function in TGF-β–treated endothelial cells. We identified the epigenetic factor methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) to be a direct and functional target of miR-30a-3p. Viral overexpression of MeCP2 mimicked the effects of TGF-β, suggesting that derepression of MeCP2 after TGF-β treatment may be responsible for impaired angiogenic responses. Silencing of MeCP2 rescued detrimental TGF-β effects on endothelial cells. Microarray transcriptome analysis of MeCP2-overexpressing endothelial cells identified several deregulated genes important for endothelial cell function including sirtuin1 (Sirt1). In vivo experiments using endothelial cell–specific MeCP2 null or Sirt1 transgenic mice confirmed the involvement of MeCP2/Sirt1 in the regulation of angiogenic functions of endothelial cells. Additional experiments identified that MeCP2 inhibited endothelial angiogenic characteristics partly by epigenetic silencing of Sirt1.

Conclusions:

TGF-β impairs endothelial angiogenic responses partly by downregulating miR-30a-3p and subsequent derepression of MeCP2-mediated epigenetic silencing of Sirt1.
Effect of Renal Denervation on Neurohumoral Activation Triggering Atrial Fibrillation in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Authors: Linz Dominik , Hohl Mathias , Nickel Alexander , Mahfoud Felix , Wagner Michael , Ewen Sebastian , Schotten Ulrich , Maack Christoph , Wirth Klaus , Böhm Michael
Published: August 2013

Obstructive sleep apnea is characterized by repetitive collapses of the upper airway, negative thoracic pressure periods, and intermittent hypoxia, stimulating the autonomic nervous system. The increased sympathetic drive during obstructive sleep apnea results in postapneic blood pressure rises and neurohumoral activation potentially involved in the initiation and progression to permanent atrial fibrillation (AF). In a pig model mimicking obstructive sleep apnea, we studied the effects of repetitive obstructive respiratory events for 4 hours on the occurrence of spontaneous AF episodes, postapneic blood pressure rises, and neurohumoral activation. In addition, renal sympathetic denervation was performed to investigate the impact of the sympathetic nervous system. Repetitive obstructive respiratory events caused pronounced postapneic blood pressure rises, prolonged duration of spontaneous AF episodes triggered by spontaneous atrial beats, and increased plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentrations. This was associated with increased nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase activity, reduced antioxidative capacity, and elevated expression of connective tissue growth factor, a redox-sensitive mediator of fibrosis. Renal sympathetic denervation inhibited postapneic blood pressure rises and decreased plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentrations. The occurrence and duration of spontaneous AF were reduced comparable with a combined pharmacological blockade of angiotensin receptor and β-adrenoceptor. Increased atrial oxidative stress, together with the activation of profibrotic pathways and intermittent hypoxia, was not attenuated after renal sympathetic denervation. Repetitive obstructive respiratory events triggered spontaneous AF, increased atrial oxidative stress, and activated profibrotic pathways in the atrium. Renal sympathetic denervation reduced spontaneous AF and postapneic blood pressure rises by combined reduction of sympathetic drive and components of the circulating renin–angiotensin system. However, the generation of atrial oxidative stress was not modulated.
Circulating Endothelin-1 Alters Critical Mechanisms Regulating Cerebral Microcirculation
Authors: Faraco Giuseppe , Moraga Ana , Moore Jamie , Anrather Joseph , Pickel Virginia M. , Iadecola Costantino
Published: August 2013

Endothelin-1 (ET1) is a potent vasoconstrictor peptide implicated in the cerebrovascular alterations occurring in stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and brain trauma. Brain or circulating levels of ET1 are elevated in these conditions and in risk factors for cerebrovascular diseases. Most studies on the cerebrovascular effects of ET1 have focused on vascular smooth muscle constriction, and little is known about the effect of the peptide on cerebrovascular regulation. We tested the hypothesis that ET1 increases cerebrovascular risk by disrupting critical mechanisms regulating cerebral blood flow. Male C57Bl6/J mice equipped with a cranial window were infused intravenously with vehicle or ET1, and somatosensory cortex blood flow was assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry. ET1 infusion increased mean arterial pressure and attenuated the blood flow increase produced by neural activity (whisker stimulation) or neocortical application of the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine but not A23187. The cerebrovascular effects of ET1 were abrogated by the ET
A
receptor antagonist BQ123 and were not related to vascular oxidative stress. Rather, the dysfunction was dependent on Rho-associated protein kinase activity. Furthermore, in vitro studies demonstrated that ET1 suppresses endothelial nitric oxide (NO) production, assessed by its metabolite nitrite, an effect associated with Rho-associated protein kinase–dependent changes in the phosphorylation state of endothelial NO synthase. Collectively, these novel observations demonstrate that increased ET1 plasma levels alter key regulatory mechanisms of the cerebral circulation by modulating endothelial NO synthase phosphorylation and NO production through Rho-associated protein kinase. The ET1-induced cerebrovascular dysfunction may increase cerebrovascular risk by lowering cerebrovascular reserves and increasing the vulnerability of the brain to cerebral ischemia.
Connecting Tubule Glomerular Feedback in Hypertension
Authors: Wang Hong , D’Ambrosio Martin A. , Garvin Jeffrey L. , Ren Yilin , Carretero Oscar A.
Published: August 2013

In Dahl salt-sensitive rats (Dahl SS), glomerular capillary pressure increases in response to high salt intake and this is accompanied by significant glomerular injury compared with spontaneously hypertensive rats with similar blood pressure. Glomerular capillary pressure is controlled mainly by afferent arteriolar resistance, which is regulated by the vasoconstrictor tubule glomerular feedback (TGF) and the vasodilator connecting TGF (CTGF). We hypothesized that Dahl SS have a decreased TGF response and enhanced TGF resetting compared with spontaneously hypertensive rats, and that these differences are attributable in part to an increase in CTGF. In vivo, using micropuncture we measured stop-flow pressure (a surrogate of glomerular capillary pressure). TGF was calculated as the maximal decrease in stop-flow pressure caused by increasing nephron perfusion, TGF resetting as the attenuation in TGF induced by high salt diet, and CTGF as the difference in TGF response before and during CTGF inhibition with benzamil. Compared with spontaneously hypertensive rats, Dahl SS had (1) lower TGF responses in normal (6.6±0.1 versus 11.0±0.2 mm Hg;
P
<0.001) and high-salt diets (3.3±0.1 versus 10.1±0.3 mm Hg;
P
<0.001), (2) greater TGF resetting (3.3±0.1 versus 1.0±0.3 mm Hg;
P
<0.001), and (3) greater CTGF (3.4±0.4 versus 1.2±0.1 mm Hg;
P
<0.001). We conclude that Dahl SS have lower TGF and greater CTGF than spontaneously hypertensive rats, and that CTGF antagonizes TGF. Furthermore, CTGF is enhanced by a high-salt diet and contributes significantly to TGF resetting. Our findings may explain in part the increase in vasodilatation, glomerular capillary pressure, and glomerular damage in SS hypertension during high salt intake.
Knockdown of the Hypertension-Associated Gene
NOSTRIN
Alters Glomerular Barrier Function in Zebrafish (
Danio rerio
)
Authors: Kirsch Torsten , Kaufeld Jessica , Korstanje Ron , Hentschel Dirk M. , Staggs Lynne , Bollig Frank , Beese Michaela , Schroder Patricia , Boehme Lisa , Haller Hermann , Schiffer Mario
Published: August 2013

Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for chronic kidney disease. Using quantitative trait loci analysis, we identified the gene of the F-BAR protein NOSTRIN in the center of an overlapping region in rat and human quantitative trait loci that are associated with hypertension. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed a predominantly podocytic expression pattern of NOSTRIN in human and mouse glomeruli. Further, NOSTRIN colocalizes with cell–cell contact–associated proteins β-catenin and zonula occludens-1 and interacts with the slit-membrane–associated adaptor protein CD2AP. In zebrafish larvae, knockdown of
nostrin
alters the glomerular filtration barrier function, inducing proteinuria and leading to ultrastructural morphological changes on the endothelial and epithelial side and of the glomerular basement membrane of the glomerular capillary loop. We conclude that NOSTRIN expression is an important factor for the integrity of the glomerular filtration barrier. Disease-related alteration of NOSTRIN expression may not only affect the vascular endothelium and, therefore, contribute to endothelial cell dysfunction but might also contribute to the development of podocyte disease and proteinuria.
Where You Come From or Where You Go? Distinguishing Between School Quality and the Effectiveness of Teacher Preparation Program Graduates
Authors: Mihaly Kata , McCaffrey Daniel , Sass Tim R. , Lockwood J. R.
Published: August 2013

We consider the challenges and implications of controlling for school contextual bias when modeling teacher preparation program effects. Because teachers are not randomly distributed across schools, failing to account for contextual factors in achievement models could bias preparation program estimates. Including school fixed effects controls for school environment by relying on differences among student outcomes within the same schools to identify the program effects, but this specification may be unidentified. Using statewide data from Florida, we examine whether the inclusion of school fixed effects is feasible, compare the sensitivity of the estimates to assumptions underlying for fixed effects, and determine what their inclusion implies about the precision of the preparation program estimates. We discuss the implications of our results on the feasibility, precision, and ranking of programs using the school fixed effect model for policy makers designing teacher preparation program evaluation systems.
Managing the Teacher Workforce in Austere Times: The Determinants and Implications of Teacher Layoffs
Authors: Goldhaber Dan , Theobald Roddy
Published: August 2013

Over 2,000 teachers in the state of Washington received reduction-in-force (RIF) notices across the 2008–09 and 2009–10 school years. We link data on these RIF notices to an administrative data set that includes student, teacher, school, and district variables to determine the factors that predict the likelihood of a teacher receiving a RIF notice. Not surprisingly, we find that a teacher's seniority is the strongest predictor, but we also find (all else equal) that teachers with master's degrees and those credentialed in the high-need areas of math, science, and special education were less likely to receive a RIF notice. Value-added measures of teacher effectiveness, which can be calculated for a subset of the teachers, were not correlated with the probability of receiving a RIF notice. Finally, simulations suggest that a very different group of teachers would be targeted for layoffs under an effectiveness-based layoff scenario than under the seniority-driven system that exists today.
The Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce from 1990 through 2010: Changing Dynamics and Persistent Concerns
Authors: Bassok Daphna , Fitzpatrick Maria , Loeb Susanna , Paglayan Agustina S.
Published: August 2013

Historically, the early childhood care and education (ECCE) workforce has been characterized as a low-education, low-compensation, low-stability workforce. In recent years, considerable investments have been made to correct this, but we lack evidence about the extent to which these investments were accompanied by changes in the characteristics of the workforce. Using nationally representative data, we find that the historical characterization of the ECCE workforce continues to apply. However, we also find that the average educational attainment, compensation, and stability of ECCE workers increased substantially from 1990 to 2010. Surprisingly, the shift in the composition of the ECCE workforce toward more regulated settings and away from home-based settings is not the primary driver of these changes. Contrary to our expectations, gains within the home-based workforce are the primary drivers, though the education and wages of home-based workers remain substantially lower than among formal-care workers.
İTALYA-İSPANYA / ITALY-SPAIN
Authors: Esteban Lator S. I. P.
Published: August 2013

RÉSUMÉ FRANÇAIS

Deux savants viennent de publier simultanément la version latine et française du „Livre de l'Echelle", la légende du Miʿrâğ ou voyage outretombe de Mahomet. Avec cela la question des rapports de la Divine Comédie avec l'Eschatologie musulmane semble définitivement tranchée. Asfn Palacios avait soulevé la question en 1919 et y avait répondu par l'affirmative, se basant surtout sur la légende du Miʿrâğ. Il s'agissait de découvrir la voie par laquelle Dante aurait pu connaître cette légende. Or Monneret de Villard annonça en 1944 (voir les notes) l'existence à Paris et Oxford de manuscrits de cette version. Aussitôt la guerre finie Cerulli entreprit l'étude de ces textes, qu'il publie maintenant: version latine et française, exécutées en 1264 par le notaire italien Bonaventure de Siène par ordre du roi Alphonse le Sage, utilisant la version espagnole qu'avait faite par ordre du même roi le médecin et traducteur juif Abraham Alfaquin ou Abraham de Tolède. Cerulli et Muñoz en ont publié les textes. Cerulli y ajoute des variantes, identifie les mots et locutions arabes, ajoute nombre de notes bibliographiques et critiques très pertinentes, ainsi que des tables des citations de la Bible, du Coran et des quelque 40 manuscrits utilisés dans son ouvrage.

Dans la seconde partie, Cerulli publie plusieurs textes médiévaux qui montrent la diffusion de la légende dans la chrétienté médiévale. De ces textes, Muñoz en a, lui aussi, publié trois. Quelques uns prouvent que la légende était connue outre que par les dites traductions. Aux matériaux étudiés par Asin, Monneret de Villard etc., Cerulli ajoute encore d'autres, parmi lesquels prédominent ceux provenant de l'Espagne. Cerulli montre, en passant, l'intensité des rapports entre Orient et Occident au Moyen Age.

Cerulli consacre la troisième partie de l'ouvrage à étudier les connaissances, dans l'Europe médiévale, des matériaux eschatologiques islamiques: il étudie en détail plusieurs écrits des théologiens. L'ouvrage se ferme pas un long chapitre sur la question „Dante et l'Islam", où il est démontré que Dante a pu connaître la légende, que celle-ci a pu lui fournir des lignes générales, que tel ou tel détail de la Comédie (le tout analysé avec la plus grande acribie) a du être suggéré en sa forme concrète par le Miʿrâğ. Cerulli tire donc une conclusion historique très prudente. Il ajoute en même temps que Dante eut le mérite de donner à ces matériaux une brillante forme artistique et un profond esprit chrétien. Cette question montrerait aussi combien intime était la collaboration humaine au Moyen Age et combien grand est le mérite de l'Espagne d'avoir, en même temps qu'elle combattait l'Islam, su transmettre à l'Europe les richesses culturelles qu'elle recevait de l'ennemi traditionnel. — L'ouvrage de Cerulli marquera une date dans l'histoire.
Analyzing the Presence and Consequences of Unobserved Heterogeneity in Recidivism Research
Authors: Morris Robert G. , Barnes J. C. , Worrall John L. , Orrick Erin A.
Published: August 2013

This study extends research on recidivism by examining the phenomenon via a survival mixture modeling approach, a method that is analogous to mixture modeling approaches used in trajectory analyses. Using this approach, the authors discover that multiple recidivism profiles are identifiable within a random sample of inmates released from Florida prisons between January 1998 and June 2001. Findings revealed that certain covariates predicted class membership and operated differently across the groups in predicting the hazard of recidivism, suggesting that a unilateral approach to reducing recidivism risk is an ineffective strategy. The Discussion section presents the findings in the context of theory, research, and policy.
Applying General Strain Theory to Youth Commercial Sexual Exploitation
Authors: Reid Joan A. , Piquero Alex R.
Published: August 2013

Scholarly research on commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) of youth has been impeded due to difficulties in researching hidden and vulnerable populations. Drawing from Agnew’s general strain theory, this study utilized multigroup structural equation modeling to explore similarities and differences in vulnerability to CSE across gender. The strain reactive pathway, linking caregiver strain to youth susceptibility to CSE, was tested with data from 1,354 serious youthful offenders, 8.4% of whom indicated CSE. Findings revealed that caregiver strain, such as arrests and substance use, similarly impacted nurturing of boys and girls. Across both genders, poor nurturing was linked to higher negative psychosocial emotion, running away, and initiating substance use and sexual relationships at earlier ages. For males, negative psychosocial emotion and earlier initiation of sexual relationships were significantly related to CSE. In contrast, vulnerability of females was more strongly linked to earlier substance use.
Cultural Resonance and the Diffusion of Suicide Bombings
Authors: Braun Robert , Genkin Michael
Published: August 2013

Why do some terrorist organizations, but not others, adopt suicide bombing as a tactic? Dominant accounts focusing on organizational capacity, ideology, and efficacy leave certain elements of the phenomenon unexplained. The authors argue that a key factor that influences whether a terrorist organization does or does not adopt suicide terrorism is cultural resonance. This is the idea that deep and specific cultural logics, which transcend religion and nationalism, enable and constrain the sorts of instrumental behaviors that can be utilized in the pursuit of group goals. The article investigates the role of a well-established cultural orientation of collectivism, which enables the authors to measure culture systematically. Case studies, survey data, and experimental research are used to illustrate that collectivism lowers the cost of adoption by facilitating the recruitment of attackers and reducing societal backlash against self-sacrifice. The authors then test for the relationship between collectivism and suicide-bombing adoption using an event history analysis framework, finding a strong correlation.
Tolerating the Intolerant
Authors: Aguiar Fernando , Parravano Antonio
Published: August 2013

We model a community of individuals whose relationships are governed by the rules of the so-called Heider balance theory, but modified to address the impact of tolerating intolerant individuals. To consider tolerance toward a different group, the elements are assigned one of the two flags, A or B, and the elements of each group can be tolerant or intolerant. Two additional parameters, p and q, respectively, characterize the propensity of elements to cooperate and the propensity of tolerants to reject intolerant attitudes. We find that (1) parameter q does not affect the degree of conflict at the micro level, but has an important influence on the degree of conflict in the whole system; (2) segregation into two cliques occurs whenever there exists intolerants in both groups; (3) when intolerants are present in only one of the groups, segregation can be avoided for appropriate combinations of parameters p and q that depend on the fraction of intolerants and the size of the groups; (4) as the size of the system increases, two balanced solutions dominate: segregation into two cliques or the isolation of intolerants; and (5) endemic partially balanced configurations are observed in large systems.
Questioning the Effect of Nuclear Weapons on Conflict
Authors: Bell Mark S. , Miller Nicholas L.
Published: August 2013

We examine the effect of nuclear weapons on interstate conflict. Using more appropriate methodologies than have previously been used, we find that dyads in which both states possess nuclear weapons are not significantly less likely to fight wars, nor are they significantly more or less belligerent at low levels of conflict. This stands in contrast to previous work, which suggests nuclear dyads are some 2.7 million times less likely to fight wars. We additionally find that dyads in which one state possesses nuclear weapons are more prone to low-level conflict (but not more prone to war). This appears to be because nuclear-armed states expand their interests after nuclear acquisition rather than because nuclear weapons provide a shield behind which states can aggress against more powerful conventional-armed states. This calls into question conventional wisdom on the impact of nuclear weapons and has policy implications for the impact of nuclear proliferation.
Numerical simulation and prediction of the performance of a direct injection turbocharged diesel engine
Authors: Menacer Brahim , Bouchetara Mostefa
Published: August 2013

Increases in fuel prices are constraining car manufacturers to produce highly efficient engines, noting greater regulation in terms of pollutant emissions. The greater complexity of modern engines has rendered the prototyping phase long and expensive. This is where engine modeling has in recent years become extremely useful and an indispensable tool when developing new engine concepts. This study deals with the numerical simulation and performance prediction for a turbocharged diesel engine with direct injection. To predict engine performance we developed a computer program for simulating the operation of a turbocharged diesel engine, and used the commercial software GT-Power to validate the simulation results. We then carried out a comparative study of indicated mean effective pressure, mean effective pressure, power, torque and brake specific fuel consumption obtained by an analytical model for thermodynamic cycle simulation of a turbocharged diesel engine using a computer program developed in Fortran and GT-Power. The Fortran program that was developed is currently used for modeling and the simulation of engine performance.
Habitus Transformation and Hidden Injuries
Authors: Lehmann Wolfgang
Published: August 2013

As the numbers of working-class students at university grow, we need to gain a better understanding of the different ways in which they consolidate their working-class habitus with the middle-class culture of the academic field. Drawing on data from a four-year longitudinal, qualitative study of working-class students at a large, research-intensive Canadian university, I focus on the experiences of those participants who fully embraced, became integrated, and achieved academic success at university. They not only spoke about gaining new knowledge, but also about growing personally, changing their outlooks on life, growing their repertoire of cultural capital, and developing new dispositions and tastes about a range of issues, from food to politics and their future careers. Yet, the interviews also reflect a complex and complicated mix of allegiances to and dismissal of their working-class roots, as many recognize this transformative process as having made relationships with parents or former friends and peers more difficult. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for working-class students who increasingly distance themselves from the class culture in which they grew up, but who are still likely to find themselves in adult situations in which they are perceived as cultural outsiders.
Rethinking City-regionalism as the Production of New Non-State Spatial Strategies: The Case of Peel Holdings Atlantic Gateway Strategy
Authors: Harrison John
Published: August 2013

City-regions are widely recognised as key to economic and social revitalisation. Hardly surprising then is how policy elites have sought to position their own city-regions strategically within international circuits of capital accumulation. Typically this geopolitics of city-regionalism has been seen to represent a new governmentalised remapping of state space conforming to the prevailing orthodoxy of neoliberal state spatial restructuring. Through a case study of the Atlantic Gateway Strategy, this paper provides a lens on to an alternative vision for city-region development. The brainchild of a private investment group, Peel Holdings, the Atlantic Gateway is important because it points towards the production of new non-state spatial strategies. Examining Peel’s motives for invoking the city-region concept, the paper goes on to explore the tensions which currently surround the strategy to further identify the potential and scope for non-state spatial strategies. Connecting this to emerging debates around the key role of asset ownership and the privatisation of local democracy and the democratic state, the paper concludes by suggesting that the key question arising is can and will the state maintain its degree of governmental control over capital investment in major urban regions in an era where persistent underprovision of investment in urban economic infrastructure behoves institutions of the state to become ever more reliant on private investment groups to deliver the deliver the jobs, growth and regeneration of the future.
The Nature of Urban Growth and the Commuting Transition: Endless Sprawl or a Growth Wave?
Authors: Sultana Selima , Weber Joe
Published: August 2013

The concept of an urban growth wave expanding outwards is used to examine the commuting characteristics of residents of recently developed housing areas within the 50 largest US metropolitan areas at multiple points of time between 1980 and 2000. The results show that not only do areas of recent housing booms have longer commuting times and differing socioeconomic characteristics than older parts of the cities, but this commuting time will subside as these areas age (although average commuting times may rise for the entire metropolitan area). Like a growth wave, a commuting transition move outwards and therefore newer growth areas (or sprawl) should be considered as a temporary stage in the ongoing process of urban growth. Focusing on building cycles avoids the pejorative sprawl label and reconceptualises this sort of low density, auto-dependent urban form as a normal part of the urban growth process.
Optimal Commuting and Migration Decisions under Commuting Cost Uncertainty
Authors: Schmidt Christian
Published: August 2013

The aim of this paper is to assess the implications of economic uncertainty on individual mobility behaviour at the local and regional levels. Focusing especially on uncertainty with respect to the evolution of commuting costs, a model is developed that describes the interrelated decisions of residential choice and the appropriate type of mobility connecting workplace and residence. Results indicate that higher uncertainty about commuting costs increases the number of residentially immobile individuals in that the decision regarding a relocation of residence is accordingly deferred to a later point in time. This also means that individuals initially commuting between residence and workplace remain in this mobility mode despite an apparently favourable net present value of moving to the workplace region.
The Impact of Intermunicipal Cooperation on Local Public Spending
Authors: Frère Quentin , Leprince Matthieu , Paty Sonia
Published: August 2013

The purpose of this paper is to assess the effects of intermunicipal fiscal cooperation on municipal public spending, based on the French experience. A model of municipal spending choice is estimated using panel data and spatial econometrics for municipalities over the period 1994–2003. Two main results are provided. First, intermunicipal cooperation has no significant impact on the level of municipal public spending, which suggests that cooperation does not achieve its goal of reducing municipal spending by the sharing of local responsibilities. Second, there are no spending interactions between municipalities belonging to the same intermunicipal community. This is in line with the goal assigned to cooperation in terms of internalisation of spatial externalities. However, the results show that benefit spillovers remain highly significant outside intermunicipal communities.
Sampled-data H∞ control for a class of Markovian jump systems with input saturation via stochastic sampling design
Authors: Li Bo , Song Xiaona , Zhao Junjie
Published: August 2013

This paper deals with the problem of [Formula: see text] control for a stochastic sampling Markovian jump system subject to input saturation. The stochastic sampling we address is a Bernoulli distribution and two different sampling periods are considered whose occurrence probabilities are known constants. Actually the control method in this paper can be applied to a system with multiple stochastic sampling periods. By transforming the original stochastic sampling Markovian jump system into a continuous Markovian jump delayed systems, the plant can be stabilized by a state-feedback controller with input saturation. By applying an appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii function, some sufficient conditions for the stabilization of the system and the [Formula: see text] controller design are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, in order to validate the efficiency of the approach mentioned above, a simulation example is provided.
Continuous finite-time anti-disturbance control for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems
Authors: Su Jinya , Yang Jun , Li Shihua
Published: August 2013

The continuous finite-time anti-disturbance control problem for a class of nonlinear system under external disturbances and parameter uncertainties is investigated in this article. First, a continuous terminal sliding mode control (CTSMC) is introduced to stabilize the nominal system dynamics. Concerning the unsatisfying performance of the CTSMC in the presence of severe external disturbances and parameter uncertainties, a finite-time disturbance observer (FTDO) is employed to estimate the uncertainties to its nominal dynamics. By integrating the CTSMC method with the FTDO technique, a composite controller is presented for such kind of nonlinear system under external disturbances and parameter uncertainties. The composite controller obtains finite-time convergence property in the presence of disturbances and also nominal control performance recovery in the absence of disturbances. Moreover, compared with conventional sliding mode control, the proposed control law is continuous and no chattering phenomenon exists. The property of stability and the finite-time convergence of the closed-loop system under the proposed controller is guaranteed by means of Lyapunov stability criteria. The proposed control method is finally applied for the tracking control problem of robotic manipulators. Simulation results show that the proposed method exhibits promising control performance in the presence of severe external disturbances and parameter uncertainties.
Preliminary report: An application of the Good Behavior Game in the developing nation of Belize
Authors: Nolan Julene D. , Filter Kevin J. , Houlihan Daniel
Published: August 2013

Educating children on a global level is a dynamic process where policy, procedure and guideline changes can leave teachers searching for new programs to resolve new challenges. This brief report shows a successful application of the Good Behavior Game in a school in the country of Belize following a significant change in policy regarding acceptable practices in addressing school-based behavioral challenges.
Reorganizing the General Clinical Research Center to Improve the Clinical and Translational Research Enterprise
Authors: Allen David , Ripley Elizabeth , Coe Antoinette , Clore John
Published: August 2013

In 2010, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) was granted a Clinical and Translational Science Award which prompted reorganization and expansion of their clinical research infrastructure. A case study approach is used to describe the implementation of a business and cost recovery model for clinical and translational research and the transformation of VCU’s General Clinical Research Center and Clinical Trials Office to a combined Clinical Research Services entity. We outline the use of a Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle that facilitated a thoughtful transition process, which included the identification of required changes and cost recovery processes for implementation. Through this process, the VCU Center for Clinical and Translational Research improved efficiency, increased revenue recovered, reduced costs, and brought a high level of fiscal responsibility through financial reporting.
The 26-Week Tg.Rash2 Mice Carcinogenicity Studies
Authors: Paranjpe Madhav G. , Denton Melissa D. , Elbekai Reem H.
Published: August 2013

A typical 26-week Tg.rasH2 mouse carcinogenicity study usually has 4 dose groups, composed of 25 mice/sex, which include 1 control and 3 test article–treated groups. In every study, there is a protocol required full tissue list of 49 tissues which is examined microscopically in all animals of these 4 dose groups. Based on retrospective analysis of the historical control data collected from studies conducted in Tg.rasH2 mice from 2004 to 2012, we propose that a full tissue list be examined as usual in the control and high-dose groups; however, in the low- and mid-dose groups, only select tissues should be examined. The select tissue list is generated after analyzing common tumors, uncommon tumors seen grossly, uncommon tumors not seen grossly, organ weight variations with accountable microscopic lesions, and target organs identified in the high-dose groups. The proposed changes to the International Conference on Harmonization S1 guidance may lead to an increased need for 26-week Tg.rasH2 mice studies. The time savings resulting from processing and evaluating a select tissue list rather than a full tissue list from low- and mid-dose groups of Tg.rasH2 mouse studies will further accelerate early completion of these studies without compromising the quality and integrity.