bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Novel Iron Oxyhydroxide Lepidocrocite Nanosheet as Ultrahigh Power Density Anode Material for Asymmetric Supercapacitors
Authors: Chen Ying‐Chu , Lin Yan‐Gu , Hsu Yu‐Kuei , Yen Shi‐Chern , Chen Kuei‐Hsien , Chen Li‐Chyong
Published: May 2014

A simple one‐step electroplating route is proposed for the synthesis of novel iron oxyhydroxide lepidocrocite (γ‐FeOOH) nanosheet anodes with distinct layered channels, and the microstructural influence on the pseudocapacitive performance of the obtained γ‐FeOOH nanosheets is investigated via in situ X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and electrochemical measurement. The in situ XAS results regarding charge storage mechanisms of electrodeposited γ‐FeOOH nanosheets show that a Li+ can reversibly insert/desert into/from the 2D channels between the [FeO6] octahedral subunits depending on the applied potential. This process charge compensates the Fe2+/Fe3+ redox transition upon charging–discharging and thus contributes to an ideal pseudocapacitive behavior of the γ‐FeOOH electrode. Electrochemical results indicate that the γ‐FeOOH nanosheet shows the outstanding pseudocapacitive performance, which achieves the extraordinary power density of 9000 W kg−1 with good rate performance. Most importantly, the asymmetric supercapacitors with excellent electrochemical performance are further realized by using 2D MnO2 and γ‐FeOOH nanosheets as cathode and anode materials, respectively. The obtained device can be cycled reversibly at a maximum cell voltage of 1.85 V in a mild aqueous electrolyte, further delivering a maximum power density of 16 000 W kg−1 at an energy density of 37.4 Wh kg−1.
Climate projections for ecologists
Authors: Harris Rebecca Mary B. , Grose Michael R. , Lee Greg , Bindoff Nathaniel L. , Porfirio Luciana L. , Fox‐Hughes Paul
Published: May 2014

Climate projections are essential for studying ecological responses to climate change, and their use is now common in ecology. However, the lack of integration between ecology and climate science has restricted understanding of the available climate data and their appropriate use. We provide an overview of climate model outputs and issues that need to be considered when applying projections of future climate in ecological studies. We outline the strengths and weaknesses of available climate projections, the uncertainty associated with future projections at different spatial and temporal scales, the differences between available downscaling methods (dynamical, statistical downscaling, and simple scaling of global circulation model output), and the implications these have for ecological models. We describe some of the changes in the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), including the new representative concentration pathways. We highlight some of the challenges in using model projections in ecological studies and suggest how to effectively address them.WIREs Clim Change2014, 5:621–637. doi: 10.1002/wcc.291

This article is categorized under:

Climate Models and Modeling > Knowledge Generation with Models

Future of Global Energy > Scenario Development and Application

Climate, Ecology, and Conservation > Modeling Species and Community Interactions
Time‐lapse observations to analyze the effects of assisted hatching
Authors: Goto Maki , Iwase Akira , Furusawa Naomi , Kobayashi Harumi , Kato Nao , Saito Ai , Mori Masahiko , Osuka Satoko , Kondo Mika , Nakamura Tomoko , Nakahara Tatsuo , Matsumoto Hiroyuki , Kikkawa Fumitaka
Published: May 2014

Purpose

Assisted hatching (AH) is an artificial disruption of the zona pellucida with the aim of facilitating embryo implantation. We used time‐lapse observations of mouse embryos to examine the effect of AH in mouse blastocysts.

Methods

AH techniques were performed with acid Tyrode's solution. We compared the rates of blastocyst formation and blastocyst attachment to Ishikawa cells between the control (n = 28) and the AH group (n = 24). To analyze the effects of AH, 8‐cell mice embryos were cultured under time‐lapse observations (every 15 min). The time required for hatching, the hatching rates, the frequency of contraction, and the contraction rates in the blastocysts were analyzed.

Results

There were no significant differences between the two groups in hatching rate or attachment rate. The times required for hatching were 286 ± 22 min in the AH group and 990 ± 437 min in the control group (P = 0.018). The contraction frequencies in blastocysts were 3.5 ± 0.7 times in the AH group and 7.5 ± 2.5 times in the control group (P = 0.020).

Conclusions

From the time‐lapse observations we found that the time required for hatching and the frequency of contraction in blastocysts were both reduced by AH, although blastocyst formation and attachment were not affected.
Religiousness and Social Support: A Study in Secular Norway
Authors: Kvande Marianne Nilsen , Reidunsdatter Randi Johansen , Løhre Audhild , Nielsen Michael E. , Espnes Geir Arild
Published: May 2014

Previous research has shown that religiousness is related to social support, but most studies on this subject have been conducted in highly religious contexts. In the secular culture of Norway, we investigated the level of perceived social support among religious and non-religious individuals using the scale from the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey. Of the 3,000 randomly selected persons aged 18-75 years, 653 (22 %) participated in this cross-sectional postal questionnaire study in 2009. The results showed that the association between religiousness and social support differed by age, and was moderated by gender and by one's view of life enrichment. Among older adults (60-75 years), non-religious people reported higher levels on all five dimensions of social support compared to religious people, and for affectionate support, positive social interaction and tangible support this relationship depended on high view of life enrichment. In contrast, no differences in social support were seen among middle aged adults (40-59 years). Gender differences in social support were found in the younger adults (18-39 years), as religious men reported more tangible and emotional support compared to non-religious men, while the opposite was found for women. Results are discussed based on previous empirical findings on religiousness and social support, as well as the role of religiousness in society.
DHTP is an allosteric inhibitor of the kinesin‐13 family of microtubule depolymerases
Authors: Talje Lama , Ben El Kadhi Khaled , Atchia Kaleem , Tremblay-Boudreault Thierry , Carreno Sébastien , Kwok Benjamin H.
Published: May 2014

The kinesin‐13 family of microtubule depolymerases is a major regulator of microtubule dynamics. RNA interference‐induced knockdown studies have highlighted their importance in many cell division processes including spindle assembly and chromosome segregation. Since microtubule turnovers and most mitotic events are relatively rapid (in minutes or seconds), developing tools that offer faster control over protein functions is therefore essential to more effectively interrogate kinesin‐13 activities in living cells. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a selective allosteric kinesin‐13 inhibitor, DHTP. Using high resolution microscopy, we show that DHTP is cell permeable and can modulate microtubule dynamics in cells.
Placental proteome alterations in women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy
Authors: He Pei , Wang Furong , Jiang Yan , Zhong Yi , Lan Yongfei , Chen Shuqing
Published: May 2014

Objective

To investigate differences in the placental proteomes of women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and those with a normal pregnancy.

Methods

Ten pregnant women diagnosed with ICP were recruited at the First People's Hospital of Yuhang District from October 2011 to September 2012; 10 age‐matched healthy pregnant women acted as controls. Total placental proteins were extracted and subjected to two‐dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry to identify proteins that were differentially expressed in the two groups.

Results

In total, 37 protein spots with differentially expressed proteins were found. These comprised proteins involved in cytoskeleton activity, blood coagulation, and platelet activation as well as chaperones, heat shock proteins, RNA‐binding and calcium‐binding proteins, and various enzymes.

Conclusion

The placentas of women with ICP displayed significant proteome differences compared with women with a normal pregnancy. The results indicate that a variety of mechanisms and proteins may contribute to the development of ICP. Further verification and research are required to elucidate the exact roles of these proteins in ICP pathogenesis.
Introduction: Neglecting, Rediscovering and Thinking Again about Power in Finance
Authors: Moran Michael , Payne Anthony
Published: May 2014

The articles in this special issue survey comparatively the shape of power and finance. The introduction sketches the history of the study of the political role of financial markets and examines the reasons for the comparative neglect of the subject by the discipline of political science.
The Ideational Shaping of State Power and Capacity: Winning Battles but Losing the War over Bank Reform in the US and UK
Authors: Bell Stephen , Hindmoor Andrew
Published: May 2014

This article extends a recent line of research arguing that the power and capacity of political actors (including states) is not just the product of particular fixed attributes but is also the outcome of politicalrelationsbetween key interlocutors, including ideational relations. State elites, especially government leaders, have persisted with a mindset that still values the economic centrality of a large and complex banking sector. This way of thinking has conditioned the relationship between, on the one hand, the US and UK governments and, on the other, Wall Street and the City of London and has led to a form of ‘dysfunctional embeddedness’. Government leaders may have been able to win high-profile policy victories over the banking sector in the post-crisis period, but in accepting a large, complex and constantly evolving financial system with high levels of systemic risk, they have unwittingly placed themselves at a continuing disadvantage in the regulatory arena.
Power, Politics and the City of London after the Great Financial Crisis
Authors: Johal Sukhdev , Moran Michael , Williams Karel
Published: May 2014

Four faces of power are summarized, based on the established literature in political science and the work of Foucault: they are power over decision, the power of agenda control, hegemonic power and capillary power. The four faces correspond also to four strategies used by City elites in the UK to protect markets from democratic control. Strategies have developed out of conjunctural crises. The most recent strategy, which involved a form of capillary power, was greatly damaged in the financial crisis of 2007–8. Since then the City has been obliged to retreat to a reliance on the exercise of power over decision, which involves open lobbying.
Political Economy and Political Power: The American State and Finance in the Neoliberal Era
Authors: Panitch Leo , Gindin Sam
Published: May 2014

Understanding the role of the American state in the era of neoliberal finance requires a scale of analysis that can identify not only the domestic but also the international role of the informal empire the US established in the middle of the twentieth century for superintending capitalism on a world scale. This article demonstrates that it was not so much neoliberal ideology that broke the old system of financial regulations, as it was the latter’s increasingly dysfunctional effects as finance outgrew the New Deal incubator through the post-war decades. Through the Bretton Woods crisis and the stagflation of the 1970s, institutional reform in the financial sector became a key dimension of broader competitive capitalist strategies for innovation and expansion. While this certainly involved extensive leveraging and speculation, it met the hedging needs not only of financial institutions but also of the many corporations seeking protection from the rapidly evolving vulnerabilities associated with global trade and investment. Yet the financial volatility that inevitably resulted from those very transformations meant that the Federal Reserve’s function as lender of last resort was increasingly called upon, just as the Treasury came to define its role as that of ‘failure containment’ on a global scale. On the basis of this theoretical and historical perspective, the article analyses the causes and consequences of the 2007–8 financial crisis and the ‘old/new practice of failure containment’ that has characterized the American state’s response to it.
Kim Chi-Ha'sHanAnthropology and Its Challenge to Catholic Thought
Authors: Considine Kevin P.
Published: May 2014

The Korean anthropology ofhanremains an untapped resource for envisioning Roman Catholic soteriologies within a globalizing context.Hanrefers to the deep wounds of the violated that are imbued with energy that will cause either creation or destruction. One means by which Catholic theologians can engagehanis through the writings of Korean poet Kim Chi-Ha (b. 1941). Kim's works,Groundless Rumors: The Story of a Sound, Torture Road—1974,andChang Il-Dam, provide evocative and challenging images ofhanand how God works for the salvation of both sinned-against and sinner in this world. Kim's artistic rendering ofhanin his works challenges Catholic soteriology to attend as thoroughly to salvation for the “sinned-against” as to salvation for sinners.
Debating “Intrinsic Evil”
Authors: Bretzke James T.
Published: May 2014

Recent US election cycles, debates about the Affordable Care Act, and a variety of so-called culture war issues have placed the term “intrinsic evil” into public discourse. This issue's roundtable affords readers the opportunity to probe deeply various dimensions of the concept, such as the pedagogical effectiveness of the term, its current use in virtue ethics, and the rhetorical effectiveness of competing moral discourses. The authors' explorations range from consideration of classical questions about the substance and circumstances of acts to a taxonomy for “intrinsic evil” to how social processes affect the discourses available to ethicists.
Debating “Intrinsic Evil”
Authors: Dillon Dana L.
Published: May 2014

Recent US election cycles, debates about the Affordable Care Act, and a variety of so-called culture war issues have placed the term “intrinsic evil” into public discourse. This issue's roundtable affords readers the opportunity to probe deeply various dimensions of the concept, such as the pedagogical effectiveness of the term, its current use in virtue ethics, and the rhetorical effectiveness of competing moral discourses. The authors' explorations range from consideration of classical questions about the substance and circumstances of acts to a taxonomy for “intrinsic evil” to how social processes affect the discourses available to ethicists.
Adiabatic eigenflows in a vertical porous channel
Authors: Barletta A. , Storesletten L.
Published: May 2014

The existence of an infinite class of buoyant flows in a vertical porous channel with adiabatic and impermeable boundary walls, called adiabatic eigenflows, is discussed. A uniform heat source within the saturated medium is assumed, so that a stationary state is possible with a net vertical through-flow convecting away the excess heat. The simple isothermal flow with uniform velocity profile is a special adiabatic eigenflow if the power supplied by the heat source is zero. The linear stability analysis of the adiabatic eigenflows is carried out analytically. It is shown that these basic flows are unstable. The only exception, when the power supplied by the heat source is zero, is the uniform isothermal flow, which is stable. The existence of adiabatic eigenflows and their stability analysis is extended to the case of spanwise lateral confinement, viz. in the case of a vertical rectangular channel. A generalisation of this study to a vertical channel with an arbitrary cross-sectional shape is also presented.
Numerical Solution for Variable Viscosity and Internal Heat Generation Effects on Boundary Layer Flow Over an Exponentially Stretching Porous Sheet with Constant Heat Flux and Thermal Radiation
Authors: Megahed A. M.
Published: May 2014

A numerical study has been carried out to analyze the constant heat flux, internal heat generation, variable viscosity and thermal radiation effects on the flow and heat transfer of a Newtonian fluid over an exponentially stretching porous sheet. Using a similarity transformation, the governing partial differential equations are transformed into coupled, non-linear ordinary differential equations with variable coefficients. Numerical solutions to these equations subject to appropriate boundary conditions are obtained by using an efficient Chebyshev spectral method. The effects of various physical parameters such as viscosity parameter, the suction parameter, the radiation parameter, internal heat generation or absorption parameter and the Prandtl number on velocity and temperature are discussed by using graphical approach. Moreover, numerical results indicate that in the presence of constant heat flux, the skin-friction coefficient as well as Nusselt number is strongly affected by the viscosity parameter, suction parameter, radiation parameter and the internal heat generation parameter.
Buckling Analysis for a Ring-Stiffened FGM Cylindrical Shell Under Hydrostatic Pressure and Thermal Loads
Authors: Dai H.-L. , Qi L.-L. , Zheng H.-Y.
Published: May 2014

This paper studies the buckling analysis for a ring-stiffened cylindrical shell consisted of functionally graded material (FGM) subjected to hydrostatic pressure and thermal loads. Material properties of the ring-stiffened FGM cylindrical shell are assumed to be temperature-dependent, and vary smoothly through the thickness direction of the structure according to a volume exponent. Based on the Donnell assumptions, buckling loads of the ring-stiffened FGM cylindrical shell are presented by utilizing the Galerkin method. Numerical results reveal that thermal loads, volume exponent and geometric parameters have significant effects on the buckling behavior of the ring-stiffened cylindrical shell.
Systematic Review of Interventions for Racial/Ethnic-Minority Pregnant Smokers
Authors: Washio Yukiko , Cassey Heather
Published: May 2014

Introduction:Large disparities exist in smoking rates during pregnancy by racial/ethnic status.Aims:The current review examined controlled studies that predominantly included racial/ethnic-minority pregnant smokers for providing smoking cessation treatment.Methods:Two authors independently conducted the literature searches in the standard databases using a combination of the keywords with minority, pregnancy, smoking and cessation identifiers.Results:The searches identified nine articles that met the inclusion criteria. Only two studies exclusively targeted specific minority groups. Most of them provided some form of brief smoking cessation counselling, with two combining with incentives and one combining with pharmacotherapy. Two studies provided intensive cognitive interventions. Pregnant smokers of American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic subgroups, and Asian or Pacific Islander are under-studied.Conclusions:Future studies to treat minority pregnant smokers could target under-studied minority groups and may need to directly and intensely target smoking behaviour, address cultural and psychosocial issues in an individualised and comprehensive manner, and analyse the cost-benefit of an intervention.
The Critics’ Count: Revisions ofDraculaand the Postcolonial Irish Gothic
Authors: Keogh Calvin W.
Published: May 2014

This article revisits Irish criticism of the foundational period of postcolonial studies in view of its relevance to the topic of revisionism in contemporary postcolonial theory. Situating the status of Ireland and its literature in postcolonial studies, it suggests that the early distinction between academic “rereading” and creative “writing back” is a false one and that developments in Irish studies in the 1980s anticipate the more nuanced brands of contemporary postcolonialism. As a case in point, the article considers critical revisions of Irish Gothic fiction, which provided a context for various revisions conducted in the 1990s and early 2000s of the novelDracula(1897) by Bram Stoker (1847–1912). It focuses on the “metrocolonial” concept introduced by Joseph Valente, which offers a means not only of connecting these revisions but of specifying the postcolonial status of Ireland and of relating revisionism to the revolutionary and reconciliatory strands of contemporary postcolonial theory.
THE MINIMAL GROWTH OF A -REGULAR SEQUENCE
Authors: BELL JASON P. , COONS MICHAEL , HARE KEVIN G.
Published: May 2014

We determine a lower gap property for the growth of an unbounded $\mathbb{Z}$-valued $k$-regular sequence. In particular, if $f:\mathbb{N}\to \mathbb{Z}$ is an unbounded $k$-regular sequence, we show that there is a constant $c>0$ such that $|f(n)|>c\log n$ infinitely often. We end our paper by answering a question of Borwein, Choi and Coons on the sums of completely multiplicative automatic functions.
Effets et évolution des instruments d'action publique participatifs : le cas de la Régie de l'énergie
Authors: Simard Louis
Published: May 2014

Cet article propose un bilan de l'expérience des instruments participatifs de la Régie de l'énergie du Québec et rend compte, à travers l'analyse d'entretiens semi-directifs menés auprès d'un échantillon des principaux acteurs, du fonctionnement et des effets de ces instruments. Adoptant l'approche par les instruments d'action publique mise de l'avant par Pierre Lascoumes et Patrick Le Galès, cette étude montre comment s'articulent la robustesse et la plasticité des instruments participatifs de la Régie de l'énergie et comment la transformation de ceux-ci au cours des ans a favorisé une gouvernance régulée de plus en plus confinée et suivi une trajectoire qui leur est propre, fruit tant des effets des instruments que des stratégies des acteurs.
Triple primary cancers of the head and neck: case report and literature review
Authors: Adams M , Caffrey R
Published: May 2014

Background:

Coincident thyroid and head and neck squamous cell carcinomas are rare. This paper presents a case of synchronous laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, follicular thyroid carcinoma and micropapillary thyroid carcinoma.

Methods:

A PubMed search was performed for articles describing synchronous thyroid and head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, using the search terms ‘thyroid cancer’, ‘cancer of the head and neck’, ‘synchronous’ and ‘synchronous neoplasm’.

Results:

The literature suggests that the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma stage is a better predictor of outcome than the extent of surgical treatment of the thyroid gland in synchronous malignancies.

Conclusion:

The decision regarding surgical treatment of the thyroid in synchronous thyroid and head and neck squamous cell carcinomas should take several factors into account. The head and neck squamous cell carcinoma stage is the strongest predictor of outcome, although patient-related factors and the location of malignant thyroid tissue may also affect management.
The music culture of older adults in Cantonese operatic singing lessons
Authors: LO WAI HAN
Published: May 2014

Cantonese operatic singing, one of the regional opera forms in China, flourishes mainly in the southern province of Guangdong. By exploring the culture of Cantonese operatic singing, this study relates older people's music participation to a sense of collectivism, thereby contributing to the maintenance of interpersonal relationships and promoting successful ageing. The study also illustrates how the musical participation of older adults can be influenced by the lifecourse and ageing in terms of both vocal abilities and levels of participation. Data analysed through participation observation in two Cantonese operatic singing lessons identify the rituals and core values of Cantonese operatic singing lessons. The findings help to explain how this particular music genre interacts with ageing.
Pseudoinverse-type bi-criteria minimization scheme for redundancy resolution of robot manipulators
Authors: Liao Bolin , Liu Weijun
Published: May 2014

In this paper, a pseudoinverse-type bi-criteria minimization scheme is proposed and investigated for the redundancy resolution of robot manipulators at the joint-acceleration level. Such a bi-criteria minimization scheme combines the weighted minimum acceleration norm solution and the minimum velocity norm solution via a weighting factor. The resultant bi-criteria minimization scheme, formulated as the pseudoinverse-type solution, not only avoids the high joint-velocity and joint-acceleration phenomena but also causes the joint velocity to be near zero at the end of motion. Computer simulation results based on a 4-Degree-of-Freedom planar robot manipulator comprising revolute joints further verify the efficacy and flexibility of the proposed bi-criteria minimization scheme on robotic redundancy resolution.
Inverse kinematics solution of a new circumferential drilling machine for aircraft assembly
Authors: Zhu Weidong , Mei Biao , Ke Yinglin
Published: May 2014

Inverse kinematics solutions are the basis for position and orientation control of automated machines in their Cartesian workspace. This paper presents an efficient and robust inverse kinematics algorithm for a new circumferential drilling machine for aircraft fuselage assembly. After a brief introduction to the circumferential drilling machine and its forward kinematics, the paper discusses the nonlinear optimization method for solving inverse kinematics problems. The objective function is defined as a weighted combination of a position error function and an orientation error function. By representing orientation error as the geodesic distance between two points on a unit sphere, the paper proposes to define the orientation error function by using faithful geodesic distance functions, which are accurate approximations to the geodesic distance when it is small. For increased efficiency, robustness, and easy setting of initial values, the inverse kinematics problem is decomposed into two subproblems. The revolute joint coordinates are obtained by nonlinear optimization, and the prismatic joint coordinates are calculated with closed-form formulas. Numerical experiments show that the objective function defined with faithful geodesic distance functions is effective, and the proposed algorithm is efficient, robust, and accurate. The algorithm has been successfully integrated into the control system of the circumferential drilling machine. Preliminary drilling experiments show that the position accuracy of drilled holes is within ±0.5 mm, which is acceptable for the assembly of large aircrafts.
Incidence, immunological and clinical characteristics of reactivation of latentToxoplasma gondiiinfection in HIV-infected patients
Authors: KODYM P. , MALÝ M. , BERAN O. , JILICH D. , ROZSYPAL H. , MACHALA L. , HOLUB M.
Published: May 2014

To determine changes in incidence of reactivation ofToxoplasma gondiiinfection, manifesting as toxoplasmic encephalitis, and to assess the immunological mechanisms controlling reactivation in HIV-infected patients, a Czech cohort of 502 HIV/T. gondiico-infected patients was followed for 2909·3 person-years. The incidence of toxoplasmic encephalitis between the periods before and after the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) was compared. Toxoplasmic encephalitis was diagnosed in 21 patients. In those patients the geometric mean value of CD4+T lymphocytes was 12·6 times lower than in patients with non-reactivatedT. gondiiinfection but an additionally significant decline in CD8+T lymphocytes (3·3-fold) and natural killer cells (4·3-fold) was observed. This confirms the significance of these parameters. A twelvefold decrease inToxoplasmareactivation incidence (40·2vs. 3·4/1000 person-years) between monitored periods was seen. In the cART era,Toxoplasmareactivation was observed only in patients with unrecognized HIV infection or refusing therapy.
Lab generated retina: Realizing the dream
Authors: MELLOUGH CARLA B. , COLLIN JOSEPH , SERNAGOR EVELYNE , WRIDE NICHOLAS K. , STEEL DAVID H.W. , LAKO MAJLINDA
Published: May 2014

Blindness represents an increasing global problem with significant social and economic impact upon affected patients and society as a whole. In Europe, approximately one in 30 individuals experience sight loss and 75% of those are unemployed, a social burden which is very likely to increase as the population of Europe ages. Diseases affecting the retina account for approximately 26% of blindness globally and 70% of blindness in the United Kingdom. To date, there are no treatments to restore lost retinal cells and improve visual function, highlighting an urgent need for new therapeutic approaches. A pioneering breakthrough has demonstrated the ability to generate synthetic retina from pluripotent stem cells under laboratory conditions, a finding with immense relevance for basic research,in vitrodisease modeling, drug discovery, and cell replacement therapies. This review summarizes the current achievements in pluripotent stem cell differentiation toward retinal cells and highlights the steps that need to be completed in order to generate human synthetic retinae with high efficiency and reproducibly from patient-specific pluripotent stem cells.
English learning websites and digital resources from the perspective of Chinese university EFL practitioners
Authors: Shen Huizhong , Yuan Yifeng , Ewing Robyn
Published: May 2014

English language learning (ELL) websites and digital resources have been recognized as an important source of linguistic and cultural knowledge for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to explore. The up-to-date information carried by authentic materials is invaluable for learners to develop an understanding of the target language/culture. However, there appears to be a gap between what the designer intends and what the user wants. This paper investigates Chinese university EFL teachers’ perceptions of online English language websites and resources. The study focuses on a number of components of major language areas and skills in ELL websites, website materials, language users’ preferences, and website usability. A total of 1519 English academics from 139 universities across China completed the online survey, and 164 of them voluntarily participated in focus group interviews anonymously.

The empirical evidence of this study has highlighted that a pedagogically-oriented ELL website, targeting audiences with a variety of language proficiencies, was much liked by the Chinese EFL teachers. A preference was observed to see more current authentic language, examination-oriented English learning materials and tasks, and Eastern/non-Anglophone topics in the websites. In addition, it is found that website usability is another key factor that would impact ELL website popularity. A well-designed ELL website can effectively assist Chinese EFL learners to enhance their language competence and achieve optimal learning outcomes. This study provides a context-specific empirical base for innovative web-based EFL learning and teaching as well as website design and materials development in China. The proposed key features of a preferred ELL website may help better inform website designers, content writers and evaluators in their ELL website design/evaluation.
Germination niche of the permanent wetland specialist, Parnassia grandifolia DC
Authors: Albrecht Matthew A. , Long Quinn G.
Published: May 2014

Temperate wetland species often require light and warm temperatures for seed germination. However, recent studies indicate that species which specialize on permanently saturated wetlands that are maintained by groundwater discharge (fens, seeps and mountain springs), rather than wetlands with surface-water-driven hydrologic regimes, diverge from the typical wetland germination niche by germinating at cool temperatures and lacking photoblastic seeds. We conducted laboratory experiments that manipulated stratification conditions (non-stratified versus cold stratification in light and darkness), thermal regime (15/6, 25/15 and 35/20°C), and light (14 h photoperiod versus continuous darkness) to test whether seeds of the North American calcareous fen specialist Parnassia grandifolia diverged from the typical temperate wetland germination niche. After 30 d, fresh seeds were conditionally dormant and could only germinate to high percentages in light at 25/15°C. During 16 weeks of incubation, non-stratified seeds germinated to low percentages ( < 40%) at all thermal regimes in darkness. In contrast, cold-stratified seeds germinated to high percentages in both light and darkness at all thermal regimes, although germination was incomplete (no cotyledon emergence) at 35/20°C. Further, seeds did not require light during cold stratification to germinate to high percentages when incubated in light or darkness. Thus, seeds diverged from the typical temperate wetland germination syndrome in lacking a light and warm temperature requirement for germination. Our results reinforce previous work from European fens and Mediterranean wetlands. This indicates that multiple germination strategies are found in fen wetlands that are maintained by the continuous or near-continuous discharge of cool groundwater.
The Largest Missing Value in a Sample of Geometric Random Variables
Authors: ARCHIBALD MARGARET , KNOPFMACHER ARNOLD
Published: May 2014

We consider samples ofngeometric random variables with parameter 0 <p< 1, and study the largest missing value, that is, the highest value of such a random variable, less than the maximum, that does not appear in the sample. Asymptotic expressions for the mean and variance for this quantity are presented. We also consider samples with the property that the largest missing value and the largest value which does appear differ by exactly one, and call this the LMV property. We find the probability that a sample ofnvariables has the LMV property, as well as the mean for the average largest value in samples with this property. The simpler special case ofp= 1/2 has previously been studied, and verifying that the results of the present paper coincide with those previously found forp= 1/2 leads to some interesting identities.
Comparison of the effects of thermal stress and CO2-driven acidified seawater on fertilization in coral Acropora digitifera
Authors: Iguchi Akira , Suzuki Atsushi , Sakai Kazuhiko , Nojiri Yukihiro
Published: May 2014

Global warming (GW) and ocean acidification (OA) have been recognized as severe threats for reef-building corals that support coral reef ecosystems, but these effects on the early life history stage of corals are relatively unknown compared with the effects on calcification of adult corals. In this study, we evaluated the effects of thermal stress and CO2-driven acidified seawater on fertilization in a reef-building coral, Acropora digitifera. The fertilization rates of A. digitifera decreased in response to thermal stress compared with those under normal seawater conditions. In contrast, the changes of fertilization rates were not evident in the acidified seawater. Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) predicted that sperm/egg crosses and temperature were explanatory variables in the best-fitted model for the fertilization data. In the best model, interactions between thermal stress and acidified seawater on the fertilization rates were not selected. Our results suggested that coral fertilization is more sensitive to future GW than OA. Taking into consideration the previous finding that sperm motility of A. digitifera was decreased by acidified seawater, the decrease in coral cover followed by that of sperm concentration might cause the interacting effects of GW and OA on coral fertilization.
Difficult risks and capital models: a report from the Extreme Events
Working Party ‐ Abstract of the Edinburgh Discussion
Authors: Sharp Alexander
Published: May 2014

This abstract relates to the following paper: FranklandR.EshunS.HewittL.JakhriaP.JarvisS.RoweA.SmithA.D.SharpA.C.SharpeJ.
and WilkinsTDifficult
risks and capital models: a report from the Extreme Events Working
Party. British Actuarial
Journal, doi: 10.1017/S1357321713000524
Validation of the German version of the Schedule of Attitudes Toward Hastened Death (SAHD–D) with patients in palliative care
Authors: Galushko Maren , Strupp Julia , Walisko-Waniek Johanna , Hahn Moritz , Löffert Sabine , Ernstmann Nicole , Pfaff Holger , Radbruch Lukas , Nauck Friedemann , Ostgathe Christoph , Voltz Raymond
Published: May 2014

Objective:

Reliable and validated instruments are needed in order to study the desire for hastened death (DHD). As there is no instrument in the German language to measure DHD, our aim was to validate a German version of the Schedule of Attitudes Toward Hastened Death (SAHD–D).

Method:

The SAHD was translated following guidelines promulgated by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). In eligible patients (clinical situation adequate, MMSE ≥21), the following instruments were employed: a symptom checklist (HOPE), the HADS–D (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), the EORTC-QLQ-PAL15, and the SAHD–D, as well as an external estimation of DHD provided by the attending physician. A high level of DHD was defined as the mean plus one standard deviation (SD).

Results:

Of the 869 patients assessed, 92 were eligible for inclusion (66% females, mean age of 64.5 years). The SAHD–D total score ranged from 0 to 18, with a mean of 5 and a standard deviation (SD) of 3.7. A high level of DHD was found in 20% (n = 19). For discriminant validity, significant correlations were found between the SAHD–D and depression (rrho = 0.472), anxiety (rrho = 0.224), and clinical state (rrho = 0.178). For criterion validity, the external estimate of DHD showed a low significant correlation with patient score (rrho = 0.290). Factor analysis of the SAHD–D identified two factors.

Significance of results:

Validation of the SAHD–D illustrated good discriminant validity, confirming that a desire to hasten death is a construct separate from depression, anxiety, or physical state. The unidimensionality of the SAHD could not be reproduced. Our findings support the multifactorial interdependencies on DHD and suggest that the SAHD–D should be refined by considering actual wishes, general attitudes, and options of patients.
Landscape characterization of integrated crop–livestock systems in three case studies of the tropics
Authors: Poccard-Chapuis Rene , Navegantes Alves Livia , Grise Marcia Mascarenha , Bâ Alassane , Coulibaly Doubangolo , Ferreira Laura Angelica , Lecomte Philippe
Published: May 2014

Integrated crop–livestock systems in the tropical region are diverse and not well characterized. To better understand the conditions and potential of these systems, we characterized the spatial and social arrangement of integrated systems within a landscape context. Integrated systems are defined by biomass and nutrient flows, linking crop, livestock and human components of agriculture. The landscape is defined within a spatial framework of these flows. To understand the diversity of integrated systems in the tropics, we characterized three case study areas: Southern Mali, BrazilianCerradosand Amazon frontier. Methodology was based on historical and descriptive approaches of these cases, mobilizing interdisciplinary knowledge of a large research team. This provided a retrospective view to discuss four key points about the future of integrated systems in the tropics: (i) importance of landscape structure for conception and adaptation of the integrated systems; (ii) key role of local institutions in managing such integrated systems; (iii) trade-offs between external and internal resources; and (iv) role of nitrogen to improve system efficiency. This paper concludes with the relevance of social sciences in the further development of integrated systems.
The Herschel view of the Galactic center
Authors: Bally John ,   the Hi-GAL team
Published: May 2014

The 3.5 meter diameter Herschel Space Observatory conducted a ∼720 square-degree survey of the Galactic plane, the Herschel Galactic plane survey (Hi-GAL). These data provide the most sensitive and highest resolution observations of the far-IR to sub-mm continuum from the central molecular zone (CMZ) at λ = 70, 160, 250, 350, and 500 μm obtained to date. Hi-GAL can be used to map the distributions of temperature and column density of dust in CMZ clouds, warm dust in Hii regions, and identify highly embedded massive protostars and clusters and the dusty shells ejected by supergiant stars. These data enable classification of sources and re-evaluation of the current and recent star-formation rate in the CMZ. The outer CMZ beyond |l| = 0.9 degrees (Rgal > 130 pc) contains most of the dense (n > 104 cm−3 gas in the Galaxy but supports very little star formation. The Hi-GAL and Spitzer data show that almost all star formation occurs in clouds moving on x2 orbits at Rgal < 100 pc. While the 106 M⊙ Sgr B2 complex, the 50 km s−1 cloud near Sgr A, and the Sgr C region are forming clusters of massive stars, other clouds are relatively inactive star formers, despite their high densities, large masses, and compact sizes. The asymmetric distribution of dense gas about Sgr A* on degree scales (most dense CMZ gas and dust is at positive Galactic longitudes and positive VLSR) and compact 24 μm sources (most are at negative longitudes) may indicate that eposidic mini-starbursts occasionally ‘blow-out’ a portion of the gas on these x2 orbits. The resulting massive-star feedback may fuel the compact 30 pc scale Galactic center bubble associated with the Arches and Quintuplet clusters, the several hundred pc scale Sofue-Handa lobe, and the kpc-scale Fermi/LAT bubble, making it the largest ‘superbubble’ in the Galaxy. A consequence of this model is that in our Galaxy, instead of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) limiting star formation, star formation may limit the growth of the SMBH.
Ionized gas dynamics in the inner 2 pc of Sgr A West
Authors: Lacy John H. , Irons Wesley T. , Richter Matthew J.
Published: May 2014

We present a data cube of the [NeII] (12.8 μm) emission from the inner 2 pc of Sgr A West with 1″ and 4 km s−1 resolution, and with substantially better SNR and velocity resolution than previous observations of the ionized gas. We compare the observations to two proposed models of the gas motions and distribution: flows along tidally stretched streamers, and more nearly circular motions with density wave compression. The density wave model provides a considerably better fit to the kinematics of the northern arm and western arc. Neither model fits the eastern arm and bar kinematics well.

To help understand the origin of the spiral pattern we calculated orbits in the potential of a black hole in a star cluster and find that the orbits naturally evolve to set up a one-armed spiral wave very similar to that observed, both spatially and kinematically. Magnetic or other perturbing forces may influence the formation of the spiral wave, but self gravity is not required. Because a density wave evolves on the orbit precession timescale, rather than the orbital timescale, a wave pattern should persist for several 105 yr. No net inward motion of the gas is required by the model. If there is inflow, it is much smaller than is suggested by the infalling streamer model.
Detailed distributions of the CO J = (2 − 1)/J = (1 − 0) intensity ratios toward a large area of the central molecular zone
Authors: Torii Kazufumi , Enokiya Rei , Fukui Yasuo , Yamamoto Hiroaki , Kawamura Akiko , Mizuno Norikazu , Onishi Toshikazu , Ogawa Hideo
Published: May 2014

We present the first results of the new CO J = (2 − 1) observations toward the central molecular zone (CMZ) using the NANTEN2 telescope at an angular resolution of 100″. Large area coverage of 4° × 2° in l and b and a high angular resolution of 100″ enable us to investigate detailed structures of the molecular gas in the CMZ including peculiar molecular filaments perpendicularly to the Galactic plane to b > |0.5°|. The major components of the CMZ, e.g., Sgr A, Sgr B and Sgr C cloud complexes, show high CO J = (2 − 1)/J = (1 − 0) ratios around 0.9, indicating highly excited conditions of the molecular gas, while the local foreground components show less than 0.4. The molecular filaments show the typical ratios of 0.6–0.7 indicate that they are indeed located in the Galactic center.
Class I methanol masers in the Galactic center
Authors: Sjouwerman L. O. , Pihlström Y. M.
Published: May 2014

We report on the detection of 36 and 44 GHz Class I methanol (CH3OH) maser emission in the Sagittarius A (Sgr A) complex with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). These VLA observations show that the Sgr A complex harbors at least three different maser tracers of shocked regions in the radio regime. The 44 GHz masers correlate with the positions and velocities of previously detected 36 GHz CH3OH masers, but less with 1720 MHz OH masers. Our detections agree with theoretical predictions that the densities and temperatures conducive for 1720 MHz OH masers may also produce 36 and 44 GHz CH3OH maser emission. However, many 44 GHz masers do not overlap with 36 GHz methanol masers, suggesting that 44 GHz masers also arise in regions too hot and too dense for 36 GHz masers to form. This agrees with the non-detection of 1720 MHz OH masers in the same area, which are thought to be excited under even cooler and less dense conditions. We speculate that the geometry of the 36 GHz masers outlines the current location of a shock front.
Methanol masers in Galactic center region supernova remnants
Authors: Pihlström Y. M. , McEwen B. C. , Sjouwerman L. O.
Published: May 2014

Methanol masers can be used to constrain densities and estimate kinematical distances to supernova remnants (SNRs), important parameters in cosmic ray acceleration models. With the goal of testing those models both for SNRs inside and outside the Galactic center (GC) region, we have used the Very Large Array to search for 36 GHz and 44 GHz methanol lines in Galactic SNRs. We report on the overall results of the maser search, and in particular the results of the GC SNR G1.4–0.1 in which more than 40 masers were found. They may be due to interactions between the SNR and at least two separate molecular clouds. Methanol masers were also detected in W28 and in Sgr A East.