bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“A Civic Tool of Modern Times”: Politics, Mass Society, and the Stadium in Twentieth-Century France
Authors: Lewis Robert W.
Published: March 2011

This article traces the relationship between athletic stadia and the transformation of mass politics in France from the 1920s through World War II. While much of the discussion about stadia focused on their role in boosting athletic participation and facilitating national regeneration in the wake of World War I, a wide variety of political actors paradoxically promoted the stadium-based spectacle as a visible manifestation of vitality and mass support. The stadium, as a political venue, thus offered more than a vast platform for political activity: it suggested a symbolic, spectacular, and emotional political language appropriate for a space devoted to physical activity and positioned the crowd itself as an essential participant in the framework of this kind of mass politics, while simultaneously offering authorities a heightened ability to police and regulate mass gatherings.

Cet article fait l'historique du rapport entre les stades de sport et la transformation de la politique de masse en France des années vingt jusqu'à la fin de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. A la suite de la Première Guerre mondiale, les stades étaient considérés principalement comme des lieux consacrés à la participation sportive et facilitant (selon certains) la régénération du pays. Mais en même temps toute une gamme d'acteurs politiques ont paradoxalement mobilisé les stades afin de développer un style politique basé sur le spectacle et les spectateurs. Le stade se révèle essentiel pendant cette période, mais pas uniquement de par son envergure comme scène politique: il suggère aussi un langage politique, spectaculaire et symbolique enraciné dans l'activité sportive. De plus, le stade met l'accent sur les spectateurs comme participants à cette activité politique tout en aidant les autorités à surveiller et réguler ces manifestations de masse.
Trp53 regulates Notch 4 signaling through Mdm2
Authors: Sun Youping , Klauzinska Malgorzata , Lake Robert J. , Lee Joseph M. , Santopietro Stefania , Raafat Ahmed , Salomon David , Callahan Robert , Artavanis-Tsakonas Spyros
Published: March 2011

Notch receptors and their ligands have crucial roles in development and tumorigenesis. We present evidence demonstrating the existence of an antagonistic relationship between Notch 4 and Trp53, which is controlled by the Mdm2-dependent ubiquitylation and degradation of the Notch receptor. We show that this signal-controlling mechanism is mediated by physical interactions between Mdm2 and Notch 4 and suggest the existence of a trimeric complex between Trp53, Notch 4 and Mdm2, which ultimately regulates Notch activity. Functional studies indicate that Trp53 can suppress NICD4-induced anchorage-independent growth in mammary epithelial cells and present evidence showing that Trp53 has a pivotal role in the suppression of Notch-associated tumorigenesis in the mammary gland.
Roles for microRNAs in the regulation of cell adhesion molecules
Authors: Valastyan Scott , Weinberg Robert A.
Published: March 2011

Maintenance of appropriate cell adhesion is crucial for normal cellular and organismal homeostasis. Certain microRNAs have recently been found capable of regulating molecules that oversee the fundamental cell biological events that drive cellular adhesion. It is now apparent that microRNAs play crucial roles in the great majority of biochemical pathways that contribute to normal cell adhesion. In this Commentary, we describe the latest advances within this still-emerging field, and highlight connections between the deregulation of microRNAs that affect cell-adhesion-associated molecules and the pathogenesis of several human diseases. Current evidence suggests that the ability of certain microRNAs – notably miR-17, miR-29, miR-31, miR-124 and miR-200 – to pleiotropically regulate multiple molecular components of the cell adhesion machinery endows these microRNAs with the capacity to function as key modulators of adhesion-associated processes. This, in turn, holds important implications for our understanding of both the basic biology of cell adhesion and the etiology of multiple pathological conditions.
Efficient Dehydration of Aldoximes to Nitriles Catalyzed by a Lewis Acid Ionic Liquid
Authors: Nakajima Mizuki , Qiao Kun , Kobayashi Nobuhisa , Bao Quanxi , Tomida Daisuke , Yokoyama Chiaki
Published: March 2011

A Lewis acid ionic liquid, 1-[4-(chlorosulfonyl)butyl]-3-methylimidazolium chlorosulfate ([CBMIm]SO3Cl), with Lewis acid sites in both the anion and cation was synthesized. This was demonstrated to be an efficient catalyst for dehydration of aldoximes to nitriles. An unexpected self-induced phase separation of the reaction mixture was observed when the reaction was carried out in acetonitrile. This could be attributed to the hydrolysis of [CBMIm]SO3Cl to regenerate 1-(4-sulfobutyl)-3-methylimidazolium hydrogensulfate ([SBMIm]HSO4), which was the Brønsted precursor of [CBMIm]SO3Cl.
Rod-shaped Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticle Formation Using AOT and Water without Oil
Authors: Oshitani Jun , Kataoka Nobuhide , Yoshida Mikio , Gotoh Kuniaki , Imamura Koreyoshi , Tanaka Hidekazu
Published: March 2011

We synthesized rod-shaped hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles using sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) as an additive in water without an oil. The length of the particles increases from 40 to 100 nm with increasing the concentration ratio AOT/Ca while maintaining a width of 12 nm. These results indicate that an oil phase is not necessarily needed to form the rod-shaped HAp nanoparticles using AOT.
Modeling a Paradigm Shift: From Producer Innovation to User and Open Collaborative Innovation
Authors: Baldwin Carliss , von Hippel Eric
Published: March 2011

In this paper, we assess the economic viability of innovation by producers relative to two increasingly important alternative models: innovations by single-user individuals or firms and open collaborative innovation. We analyze the design costs and architectures and communication costs associated with each model. We conclude that both innovation by individual users and open collaborative innovation increasingly compete with and may displace producer innovation in many parts of the economy. We explain why this represents a paradigm shift with respect to innovation research, policy making, and practice. We discuss important implications and offer suggestions for further research.
Achieving Demand-Side Synergy from Strategic Diversification: How Combining Mundane Assets Can Leverage Consumer Utilities
Authors: Ye Guangliang , Priem Richard L. , Alshwer Abdullah A.
Published: March 2011

We explore the overlooked issue of how certain strategic-level, interindustry diversification options might increase consumer utility. Discussions of inter-industry diversification typically focus on producer synergies obtainable from economies of scope or from skill transfer across business units. Discussions of intra-industry product diversification—generally, the province of marketing—typically focus on synergies obtainable from product bundling, which lowers producer costs or provides convenience for consumers. We take a different tack by linking interindustry diversification and consumer utility. We first separately examine two possible consumer benefits of interindustry diversification: (1) facilitating consumers' accomplishment of two tasks simultaneously or (2) attracting diverse consumer groups to a common platform when intergroup externalities exist. We then assess a simple empirical context that shows potential for simultaneous consumer utilities and two-sided market utility together. We analyze this context and concurrently develop a mathematical model showing how these demand-side synergies can create unique business value. We next introduce asymmetric preferences among consumer subgroups, and we refine our arguments by comparing their conclusions with the empirical data. We learn that combinations of otherwise mundane (i.e., commonplace) assets can create consumer value—“superior” assets are not necessary. Moreover, common ownership is necessary for the pricing flexibility required to deliver (and capture) maximum value through interindustry diversification, especially when consumer groups' preferences may change; the negotiations and settling up required for cooperation through alliances will, without common ownership, increase costs and reduce responsiveness. We discuss the sustainability of demand-side advantages and the implications of these ideas for future research and practice.
Computational Modeling for What-Is, What-Might-Be, and What-Should-Be Studies—And Triangulation
Authors: Burton Richard M. , Obel Børge
Published: March 2011

In this essay, we examine what-is, what-might-be, and what-should-be computational models where the purpose is to explore new concepts, ideas, boundaries, and limitations going beyond what we know at the moment. Computational models complement well with other approaches: ethnographies, field studies, human subject lab studies, and surveys in novel triangulations. Triangulation of two or more complementary approaches permits us to broaden and deepen our understanding and insights.
Engineering supramolecular photoactive nanomaterials by hydrogen-bonding interactions
Authors: Yoosaf K. , Belbakra Abdelhalim , Llanes-Pallas Anna , Bonifazi Davide , Armaroli Nicola
Published: March 2011

The photophysical properties of molecules containing anthracene, pyrene, or phenyleneethynylene chromophores bearing complementary triple H-bonding terminal units, namely, 2,6-di(acetylamino)pyridine (donor–acceptor–donor, DAD) and uracyl (acceptor–donor–acceptor, ADA) have been investigated as a function of solvent polarity. For asymmetric systems, presenting only one H-bonding unit, a solvatochromic effect is found, suggesting a charge-transfer character of the lowest electronic excited state. Systematic absorption and emission studies carried out as a function of temperature show that phenylene-ethynylenes having linear geometry and H-bonding functionalities at both ends undergo reversible self-aggregation in cyclohexane (CHX), leading to the formation of spherical nanoparticles, as evidenced by wide-field fluorescence microscopy (WFM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A combination of an anthracene derivative bearing only one ADA terminal functionality and a linear phenylene-ethynylene derivative possessing two DAD terminal groups in CHX (2:1 molecular ratio) leads to the formation of vesicular nanostructures. The interaction of linear phenylene-ethynylenes possessing two terminal 2,6-di(acetylamino)pyridine functionalities with that bearing bis uracylic units gives origin to nanofibers, while the assembly of the former with bisuracylic units exhibiting bent geometry leads to the formation of helical nanofibers. The length of these fibers can be controlled by addition of the anthracene derivative having only one uracyl group which effectively blocks the extent of H-bonding, prompting the formation of shorter nanorods.
Glossary of terms used in photocatalysis and radiation catalysis (IUPAC Recommendations 2011)
Authors: Braslavsky Silvia E. , Braun André M. , Cassano Alberto E. , Emeline Alexei V. , Litter Marta I. , Palmisano Leonardo , Parmon Valentin N. , Serpone Nick
Published: March 2011

This glossary of terms covers phenomena considered under the very wide terms photocatalysis and radiation catalysis. A clear distinction is made between phenomena related to either photochemistry and photocatalysis or radiation chemistry and radiation catalysis. The term “radiation” is used here as embracing electromagnetic radiation of all wavelengths, but in general excluding fast-moving particles. Consistent definitions are given of terms in the areas mentioned above, as well as definitions of the most important parameters used for the quantitative description of the phenomena. Terms related to the up-scaling of photocatalytic processes for industrial applications have been included. This Glossary should be used together with the Glossary of terms used in photochemistry, 3rd edition, IUPAC Recommendations 2006: (doi:10.1351/pac200779030293) as well as with the IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the “Gold Book”, 2006– doi:10.1351/goldbook) because many terms used in photocatalysis are defined in these documents.
“Brainwash from English”?: Barunga Kriol Speakers’ Views on Their Own Language
Authors: Ponsonnet Maïa
Published: March 2011

This article deals with the sociolinguistics of Kriol, an English-lexifier creole widely used among Aboriginal people in the north of the Northern Territory in Australia. Some views and ideologies about their own language expressed by four first-language Barunga Kriol speakers in a series of speech interactions are presented, and possible interpretations are suggested, based on understanding of speakers’ local and personal backgrounds as well as sociolinguistic and historical clues. While the youngest speaker was somewhat critical of Kriol, older and middle-aged speakers expressed affection and pride for it, even though their depiction of Kriol as “in between” English and traditional Aboriginal languages was in line with the youngest speaker’s views. One must be cautious about drawing general conclusions from such a small number of cases, but two possible factors triggering the discrepant evaluations may be the older speakers’ greater awareness of the history of Kriol and of its recognition as a respectable language and their mastery of ancestral Aboriginal languages.
The Role of Social Networks in Endangered Language Maintenance and Revitalization: The Case of Guernesiais in the Channel Islands
Authors: Sallabank Julia
Published: March 2011

Numerous studies have found that high-density, “traditional” social networks correlate with the use of low-status or local language varieties. Why some people maintain an ancestral language and transmit it to their children, while others abandon it, is a major issue in the study of language endangerment. This study focuses on Guernesiais, the endangered indigenous language of Guernsey, Channel Islands. Baseline data were collected using a questionnaire and semistructured interviews; ethnographic methods then shed light on ideologies, attitudes, and the processes of language shift. Availability of interlocutors correlates strongly with fluency, for both native speakers and learners, but the increasing age and linguistic isolation of many native speakers contributes to both individual and societal language loss, along with other factors. Options for supporting (or reconstituting) social networks through language planning are examined.
Cultural Ecologies of Endangered Languages: The Cases of Wawa and Njanga
Authors: Griffiths Sascha Sebastian , Robson Laura
Published: March 2011

The study of endangered languages can reveal interesting information about how languages adapt to changes in the environment of their speakers and particularly to changes in their culture. This article introduces two understudied Cameroonian languages at different stages of endangerment: Wawa (endangered) and Njanga (moribund). Njanga has been replaced by a related dialect (Sundani) and Wawa is threatened by the dominant Fulfulde language and is undergoing gradual and unexpected changes in reaction to the threat. A language ecology perspective is employed to examine data on numerals, color terms, and days of the week.
Writer in the Hole: Desny v. Wilder , Copyright Law, and the Battle over Ideas
Authors: Hoyt Eric
Published: March 2011

This essay explores Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951) and the related lawsuit, Desny v. Wilder (1956), which changed the way idea disputes were litigated in California. By combining Film and Legal studies, the author argues, we achieve new understandings of the film, the filmmaker, and the relationship between Hollywood and the law.
Visual Aesthetics and Ways of Seeing: Comparing Ringu and The Ring
Authors: Wee Valerie
Published: March 2011

This essay examines the video images central to the supernatural events in the Japanese horror film Ringu (Hideo Nakata, 1998) and its Hollywood remake, The Ring (Gore Verbinski, 2002), exploring the intricate ways in which both video sequences offer insight into the cultural distinctions and inevitable intersections that exist between Japanese and non-Japanese/Hollywood cinematic aesthetic traditions.
Tarkovsky's Nostalghia : Refusing Modernity, Re-Envisioning Beauty
Authors: Burns Christy L.
Published: March 2011

In Nostalghia , Andrei Tarkovsky's refusal of narrative and use of long, slow takes distinguish him from Soviet realism and postmodern culture. His striking visuals provide a fresh treatment of the beautiful and create spatial-temporal correlatives to nostalgia and loss. The film contributes to suture theory, as well, and models a complex politics.
Reconsidering the Matronalia and Women’s Rites
Authors: Dolansky Fanny
Published: March 2011

Scholars have long contended that the Matronalia was a “women’s festival,” dominated by matrons’ rites to Juno Lucina at her temple on the Esquiline hill. This paper challenges standard interpretations and argues that the Matronalia was much more comprehensive. A reexamination of evidence for the festival’s participants and distinct components reveals its significance as a family observance that contributed to the welfare of the domus as a whole. The Matronalia brought together the household’s diverse members in a ritual that had the potential to promote unity and collective identity, while reaffirming core social values regarding gender and juridical status in particular.
Spectral Rome from Female Perspective: An Experiment in Recouping Women’s Religious Experience ( CIL 6.18817 = ILS 8006 = Orelli 2.4775)
Authors: Mueller Hans-Friedrich
Published: March 2011

As a methodological experiment, this article privileges a female voice belonging to an inferior class that survives in a well-known inscription (CIL 6.18817 = ILS 8006) as its primary testimony regarding the manes, and it deploys parallels from Latin literature (Cicero, Propertius, Vergil, Ovid, Juvenal, and Apuleius) as subsidiary aids to the interpretation of what she had to say. Results suggest that we might use female-authored inscriptions as a means to assess the authenticity of male-authored representations of female experience, thus allowing us to recoup from both types of sources more evidence than we might have expected from either in isolation.
Women of Early Rome as Exempla in Livy, AB Urbe Condita , Book 1
Authors: Stevenson Tom
Published: March 2011

This paper examines Livy’s depiction of prominent women as exempla in book 1 of his history. It seems that the ideal public role of these women is to support the efforts of their men to make the Roman state strong and stable—a role which appears to be an elaboration of women’s efforts with respect to their families. It is clear, however, that Livy complicates each exemplum and that the women generally fall short in this role, so that the overall picture is one of inherent instability, in which men must be wary of the influence of prominent women.
Regulating the Shadow Banking System
Authors: Gorton Gary , Metrick Andrew
Published: March 2011

The shadow banking system played a major role in the recent financial crisis but remains largely unregulated. We propose principles for its regulation and describe a specific proposal to implement those principles. We document how the rise of shadow banking was helped by regulatory and legal changes that gave advantages to three main institutions: money-market mutual funds (MMMFs) to capture retail deposits from traditional banks, securitization to move assets of traditional banks off their balance sheets, and repurchase agreements (repos) that facilitated the use of securitized bonds as money. The evolution of a bankruptcy safe harbor for repos was crucial to the growth and efficiency of shadow banking; regulators can use access to this safe harbor as the lever to enforce new rules. History has demonstrated two successful methods for regulating privately created money: strict guidelines on collateral, and government-guaranteed insurance. We propose the use of insurance for MMMFs, combined with strict guidelines on collateral for both securitization and repos, with regulatory control established by chartering new forms of narrow banks for MMMFs and securitization, and using the bankruptcy safe harbor to incentivize compliance on repos.
State Fiscal Policies and Transitory Income Fluctuations
Authors: Hines James R.
Published: March 2011

State and local expenditure and tax revenue respond less to the business cycle than do federal spending and revenue, thereby reducing the countercyclicality of total government expenditure and revenue. This paper considers forces responsible for the cyclical pattern of state expenditure and revenue. Annual fluctuations in state personal income are associated with small changes in state spending and significant changes in tax receipts; receipt of federal grants is associated with greater state spending. Tax collections, and to a lesser degree expenditure, of larger states are more closely associated with annual income fluctuations than are the tax collections and expenditure of smaller states. These state size differences may proxy for other state characteristics, such as the extent to which a state faces interstate competition for mobile businesses and individuals, and the quality of state government. The spending and tax revenue of states with less mobile populations closely track income fluctuations, as does spending in states where convictions of public officials for federal corruption crimes are more common. In small states, and in states with more mobile populations and better corruption records, government expenditure and revenue appear to rise and fall less with income, and in that respect more closely resemble the federal government.
The Increase in Income Cyclicality of High-Income Households and Its Relation to the Rise in Top Income Shares
Authors: Parker Jonathan A. , Vissing-Jorgensen Annette
Published: March 2011

We document a large increase in the cyclicality of the incomes of high-income households, coinciding with the rise in their share of aggregate income. In the United States, since top income shares began to rise rapidly in the early 1980s, incomes of those in the top 1 percent of the income distribution have averaged 14 times average income and been 2.4 times more cyclical. Before the early 1980s, incomes of the top 1 percent were slightly less cyclical than average. The increase in cyclicality at the top is to a large extent due to increases in the share and the cyclicality of their earned income. The high cyclicality among top incomes is found for households without stock options; following the same households over time; for post-tax, post-transfer income; and for consumption. We study cyclicality throughout the income distribution and reconcile our findings with earlier work. Furthermore, greater top income share is associated with greater top income cyclicality across recent decades, across subgroups of top income households, and, in changes, across countries. This suggests a common cause. We show theoretically that increases in the production scale of the most talented can raise both top incomes and their cyclicality.
Where Did the Women Go?: Female Artists from the Ottoman Empire to the Early Years of the Turkish Republic
Authors: Shaw Wendy M. K.
Published: March 2011

This article considers the gap between the roles of women as signs of modernization and agents of artistic creation in the late Ottoman Empire and the early Turkish Republic, between the 1880s and the 1950s. It investigates why, during an era of remarkable achievements in women’s education and participation in the public sphere, women trained as artists rarely succeeded in forging professional careers. It suggests that although useful as a mode of memorial, the retroactive enumeration of female artists from this period repeats the use of women as tropes of modernization rather than critically evaluating their historical opportunities to participate fully as agents in the modern public sphere.
Physicianship: Educating for Professionalism in the Post-Flexnarian Era
Authors: Boudreau J. Donald , Cruess Sylvia R. , Cruess Richard L.
Published: March 2011

Although he did not write extensively about professionalism, Abraham Flexner clearly understood its critical role in medical practice. In discerning the basics of medical education he characterized scientific methodology as the instrumental minimum. He left open to future generations the task of defining its necessary complement, the "noble behaviors and fine feelings" required of the medical practitioner. Situated within the current professionalism movement, and informed by previous commentary on the enduring attributes of medicine, a curriculum based on "Physicianship"—the physician as healer and professional—can serve as a logical post-Flexnerian curriculum. The conceptual armature of Physicianship and the attributes necessary for the fulfillment of both the professional and healer role can assist in the selection of students and constitute the educational blueprint for medical teaching. The critically important concepts of identity formation and the requirements for the valid and reliable assessment of professional behaviors of students and faculty are essential components. A Physicianship curriculum, as conceived and deployed at the McGill University Faculty of Medicine, might resonate with Flexner.
"A Sudden Lift of Wings": Poetry and Prose about Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Coe Fredric L.
Published: March 2011

The editor has collected poems from people who have cared for loved ones with Alzheimer's disease. The writers range from prize-winning poets to amateurs, but all share in common a passion, an experience that evokes from them emotions they long to rest in the crystal of poetry. Their poems illuminate the dark terrors of this most disabling and dehumanizing disease, and, perhaps surprisingly, reveal an ancient truth: that love is stronger than death.
Evolution of the New Pathway Curriculum at Harvard Medical School: The New Integrated Curriculum
Authors: Dienstag Jules L.
Published: March 2011

In 1985, Harvard Medical School adopted a "New Pathway" curriculum, based on active, adult learning through problem-based, faculty-facilitated small-group tutorials designed to promote lifelong skills of self-directed learning. Despite the successful integration of clinically relevant material in basic science courses, the New Pathway goals were confined primarily to the preclinical years. In addition, the shifting balance in the delivery of health care from inpatient to ambulatory settings limited the richness of clinical education in clinical clerkships, creating obstacles for faculty in their traditional roles as teachers. In 2006, Harvard Medical School adopted a more integrated curriculum based on four principles that emerged after half a decade of self-reflection and planning: (1) integrate the teaching of basic/population science and clinical medicine throughout the entire student experience; (2) reestablish meaningful and intensive faculty-student interactions and reengage the faculty; (3) develop a new model of clinical education that offers longitudinal continuity of patient experience, cross-disciplinary curriculum, faculty mentoring, and student evaluation; and (4) provide opportunities for all students to pursue an in-depth, faculty-mentored scholarly project. These principles of our New Integrated Curriculum reflect our vision for a curriculum that fosters a partnership between students and faculty in the pursuit of scholarship and leadership.
Sex Without Friction: the Limits of Multi-Mediated Human Subjectivity in Cheang Shu Lea's Tech-Porn
Authors: Chen Jian
Published: March 2011

Sex Without Friction focuses on Cheang Shu Lea's science fiction porno I.K.U. (2000) as provocation to think through the limitations of social and cultural criticism that is premised on mediation. Directed by Taiwan-born digital nomad Cheang, multimedia film I.K.U . features a gender-morphing human clone, programmed to collect sexual experiences for the future mass production of sex simulation pills. I.K.U . positions viewers as spectators, users, and interceptors in the display and transmission of images and information as we follow the clone's movements through a globally non-descript Tokyo in search of sexual data. The essay is organized into four sections or frames. The first section explores the debate on film's lost specificity in digital media convergence. The second looks at the structure of feeling that shapes postmodern criticism on the dehumanizing aesthetics of postindustrial capitalism. Section three contrasts machinic forms of sexuality with liberal and anti-liberal conceptions of sexuality as an object and technology of social regulation. And the last section questions the presumed alignment between spectator and media apparatus in phenomenological and psychoanalytic approaches to film and video. Each section relies on the multimedia, machinic world of I.K.U . to bring into relief constraints on the notion of mediation under discussion—technological, critical, sexual, or spectatorial. The conclusion argues hyperbolically for the abandonment of reductive economies of cultural visibility aimed merely at rehabilitating the racially and sexually normative human.
Accounting for Socioeconomic Differences in Delaying the Transition to College
Authors: Goldrick-Rab Sara , Han Seong Won
Published: March 2011

Despite popular conceptions of the "gap year" as a time of personal enrichment, the incidence of delay between high school and college is greatest among students from socioeconomically disadvantaged families, suggesting other motivations. This article examines two explanations for socioeconomic inequalities in rates of delay: disparities in high school course-taking and family formation. Students from disadvantaged families more often become parents before college and less often engage in rigorous science coursework. These factors (along with family background, educational expectations, and other kinds of high school preparation) account for nearly one-fifth of the unconditional socioeconomic gap in the "gap year."
Practicing Sovereignty in Greg Sarris's Watermelon Nights
Authors: Dyck Reginald
Published: March 2011

In 1998, when Watermelon Nights was published, the Southern Pomo and Coast Miwok people were concluding a decade-long struggle to regain federal recognition. In his fictional account, tribal chairman Greg Sarris depicts both the necessity and the challenge of confronting the tribe’s colonial past in order to address present conflicts. As an intervention into the current discussion on sovereignty, Sarris’s narrative presents sovereignty as a legal concept that is essential but insufficient in itself. Rather than seeing institutional and cultural definitions as mutually exclusive, the novel presents them as mutually enhancing. With a relational and pragmatic understanding of sovereignty, characters develop genealogical charts to meet federal requirements as they struggle to use their history to gain mutual understanding and acceptance. Only by confronting its colonial past can the tribe effectively practice its sovereignty and gain a more harmonious inclusiveness that heals differences of class, geography, generation, and personal experience.
Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Troponin I in Human Whole Blood Samples by Using Silver Nanoparticle Films and Microwave Heating
Authors: Aslan Kadir , Grell Tsehai AJ
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of mortality in developed countries. It is widely recognized that troponin I (TnI) can be used for the assessment of a myocardial infarction.

METHODS

We investigated the use of the microwave-accelerated and metal-enhanced fluorescence (MA-MEF), a technique based on the combined use of low-power microwave heating, silver nanoparticle films (SNFs), and fluorescence spectroscopy for the detection of TnI from human whole blood samples. SNFs were deposited onto amine-modified glass microscope slides by use of Tollen's reaction scheme and characterized by optical absorption spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The detection of TnI from buffer solutions and human whole blood samples on SNFs was carried out by using fluorescence-based immunoassays at room temperature (control immunoassay, 2 h total assay time) or microwave heating (MA-MEF–based immunoassay, 1 min total assay time).

RESULTS

We found that the lower limits of detection for TnI from buffer solutions in the control immunoassay and MA-MEF–based immunoassay were 0.1 μg/L and 0.005 μg/L, respectively. However, we were unable to detect TnI in whole blood samples in the control immunoassays owing to the coagulation of whole blood within 5 min of the incubation step. The use of the MA-MEF technique allowed detection of TnI from whole blood samples in 1 min with a lower detection limit of 0.05 μg/L.

CONCLUSIONS

The MA-MEF–based immunoassay is one of the fastest reported quantitative detection methodos for detection of TnI in human whole blood and has low detection limits similar to those obtained with commercially available immunoassays.
Post-transcriptional regulation of human cathepsin L expression
Authors: Mittal Shivani , Mir Riyaz A. , Chauhan Shyam S.
Published: March 2011

The expression of cathepsin L, a lysosomal protease, is known to be elevated in cancer and other pathologies. Multiple splice variants of human cathepsin L with variable 5′UTRs exist, which encode for the same protein. Previously we have observed that variant hCATL A (bearing the longest 5′UTR) was translatedin vitrowith significantly lower efficiency than variant hCATL AIII (bearing the shortest 5′UTR). Contrary to these findings, results of the present study reveal that in cancer cells, hCATL A mRNA exhibits higher translatability in spite of having lower stability than AIII. This is the first report demonstrating a highly contrasting trend in translation efficiencies of hCATL variants in rabbit reticulocytes and live cells. Expression from chimeric mRNAs containing 5′UTRs of A or AIII upstream to luciferase reporter cDNA established the A UTR to be the sole determinant for this effect. Transient transfections of bicistronic plasmids and mRNAs confirmed the presence of a functional Internal Ribosome Entry Site in this UTR. Our data suggest that differential stability and translation initiation modes mediated by the 5′UTRs of human cathepsin L variants are involved in regulating its expression.
Air-coupled ultrasound inspection of glued laminated timber
Authors: Sanabria Sergio J. , Furrer Roman , Neuenschwander Jürg , Niemz Peter , Sennhauser Urs
Published: March 2011

A novel air-coupled ultrasound (ACU) 120 kHz normal transmission system enabled successful imaging of bonding and saw cut defects in multilayered glulam beams up to 280 mm in height with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 40 dB. The main wave propagation paths were modeled; quasi-longitudinal and quasi-transverse modes were coupled in each lamella and the sound field was found to be shifted from the insonification axis as a function of the ring angle, leading to interference of wave paths in the receiver and to 15 dB amplitude variability in defect-free glulam. The assessment was improved with spatial processing algorithms that profited from the arbitrary scanning resolution and high reproducibility of ACU. Overlapped averaging reduced in-band noise by 15 dB, amplitude tracking captured only the first incoming oscillation, thus minimizing diffraction around defect regions, and image normalization compensated 6 dB of systematic amplitude variability across the fiber direction. The application of ACU to in situ defect monitoring was demonstrated by using multiparameter difference imaging of measurements of the same sample with and without saw cut defects. The segmentation of the defect geometry was improved significantly and the amplitude variability was reduced by 10 dB. Further work is planned to model additional insonification setups and grain and density heterogeneities.
Development of an integrated thermal and enzymatic hydrolysis for lignocellulosic biomass in fixed-bed reactors
Authors: Kirsch Christian , Zetzl Carsten , Smirnova Irina
Published: March 2011

The limitations of the current biorefinery process utilizing stirred-tank reactors for the enzymatic step include poor mixing in the case of high biomass loadings, additional steps for the product separation, and a long reaction time. In this study the hydrothermal pretreatment and the enzymatic hydrolysis of the lignocellulosic biomass were combined in one fixed-bed reactor. The influence of the shear forces during recirculation and enzyme stability at elevated temperatures were investigated. It has been shown that the shear forces resulting from pumping have a negligible effect on enzyme activity. However, large pressure drops reduce the enzyme activity significantly. Furthermore, the enzyme stability was significantly increased at elevated temperatures (60°C) by applying static pressures up to 200 bar (56% residual activity at 60°C after 24 h). This is beneficial for the process as a higher temperature accelerates the reaction. Further improvement of the overall process efficiency was achieved by increasing the solid-to-water ratio and circulation of the enzyme solution. At a biomass content of 7%, a glucose concentration of 61 g l-1 and a yield of 85% was achieved. The integrated process was first done on a laboratory scale (50 ml). At 100 bar, 60°C and 10% biomass loading an increased initial reaction rate was observed. However, this effect was followed by the stagnation of the glucose yield as one of the enzymes, Novozyme 188, showed no remarkable stabilization with pressure. Nevertheless, an overall glucose yield of 40% was achieved after 5.5 h, compared to 14 h under normal pressure and 50°C.
Surface chemistry of vessel elements by FE-SEM, μ-XPS and ToF-SIMS
Authors: Orblin Elina , Eta Valerie , Fardim Pedro
Published: March 2011

Separation of vessel elements and fibers was carried out for Eucalyptus kraft and recycled pulp as raw materials. A new separation method is presented. The surface morphology, surface chemical characteristics and chemistry of individual vessel elements were studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), microbeam X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (μ-XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). By FE-SEM it could be seen that vessel elements in recycled pulp were almost intact or only partly broken via the pits. They were also detected on the surface of newsprint paper. The chemical composition of vessel element surfaces was similar to that of fibers. The surface coverage by lignin in vessels showed scattered results by μ-XPS. However, normalized lignin peak intensities of ToF-SIMS indicated that vessels had lower surface lignin counts than fibers. Vessel elements in recycled pulp were rich in phthalates and other hydrocarbons originating probably from printing ink and paper chemicals. Fillers, sizes, and other paper chemicals were not completely removed from the recycled vessel surfaces during the de-inking.
Local impact of thyroid hormone inactivation
Authors: Dentice Monica , Salvatore Domenico
Published: March 2011

Deiodination is a critical process by which the minimally active thyroxine (T4) molecule is converted into the favorite ligand for thyroid hormone (TH) receptors, triiodothyronine (T3). The iodothyronine deiodinases type 1, 2, and 3 (D1, D2, and D3) constitute a potent mechanism of TH activation (D1 and D2) or inactivation (D3), which functions by tissue specifically regulating TH bioavailability. D2 and D3 are widely expressed and in a dynamically and tightly coordinated fashion, thereby allowing cells to customize their own TH activity. D3, the major T3 and T4 inactivating deiodinase, catalyzes their conversion to 3,3′-diiodothyronine and to reverse T3 respectively. According to common wisdom, D3 plays a major role in lowering serum TH concentrations during development, as supported by the much wider D3 tissue expression in the embryo structures than in the adult tissues. However, several recent studies show that D3 is reexpressed in adult life in various pathophysiological contexts, which strengthens the concept that cell-specific TH inactivation is a critical mediator in cellular TH metabolism. This review focuses on the progress made in understanding the physiological function and significance of D3. It summarizes the intriguing evidence that D3 plays a pivotal role in defining local TH concentration in the developing fetus and in several conditions in adult life.
High Speed 1, UK: a silty sustainable earthworks case study
Authors: Barker Chris , Phear Alan
Published: March 2011

In the UK, the High Speed 1 project formally pioneered on a large scale the earthworks design philosophy of maximising reuse of excavated materials and minimising waste. Now, in 2011, it is considered best practice for sustainable earthworks on all major infrastructure projects. This philosophy was a requirement of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996, and a waste minimisation hierarchy was therefore included within construction specifications. This paper presents two different solutions found on one contract to enable two difficult silty soils, which would historically have gone to mitigation or taken off site, to be successfully retained and used as engineered fill. The first soil was quarry overburden material of Thanet Sand with considerably varying optimum moisture contents. A ‘family of curves' approach was developed to enable rapid single-point compaction testing to predict optimum moisture contents. The second was an artificial soil called cement kiln dust, generated as a by-product of cement manufacture. This material had a high silt proportion, and very high natural and optimum moisture contents, and was in a condition much wetter than optimum. A strength-based end-product acceptance criterion was developed using a CBR MEXE probe.
Compaction of fills involving stabilisation of expansive soils
Authors: Rahmat Mohamad Nidzam , Kinuthia John Mungai
Published: March 2011

Stabilisation of sulphate-bearing soils with lime/cement-based binders has always been problematic, owing to excessive sulphate-induced expansion. This paper reports on investigations conducted on the consistency and compaction properties of Lower Oxford Clay (LOC), a sulphate-bearing soil that has been difficult to stabilise in the traditional manner using lime. In the investigations, LOC was stabilised both in the conventional manner using lime as the control, and also using a wide range of sustainable stabilisers incorporating industrial waste and by-product materials. The sustainable binders included wastepaper sludge ash (WSA) used on its own, as well as binary binders comprising WSA–lime, WSA–Portland cement (PC) and WSA–ground granulated blastfurnace slag. The results obtained showed that the blended stabilisers incorporating WSA were able to modify the soil by reducing the plasticity index, coupled with good compaction, strength and volume stability properties. The findings suggested that there are economic and environmental advantages of utilising WSA and similar industrial by-products in the modification and compaction of soils, including sulphate-bearing clay soils, as equal or at times superior alternatives to the traditional stabilisers of lime and/or PC.
Study of carbonate sedimentary rocks as engineered dry fills
Authors: Brocklebank Hugh T. , Sharp Peter
Published: March 2011

During feasibility studies for the planned 75 km long Arabian Canal project, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the reuse of a variety of calcareous sedimentary rocks was investigated so as to inform the specification for bulk earthworks operations associated with plot development adjoining the canal route. Laboratory and field testing were undertaken through a series of large-scale earthwork compaction trials. The practicalities were investigated of compacting weak rocks at natural moisture content, taking into account that in situ moisture contents are typically dry of the optimum. With such large earthworks volumes, maximum thickness of fill layer, high productivity and consistent compaction were key considerations. Fundamental parameters controlling compaction were assessed, such as particle density, grading, and applied compactive effort, degree of saturation and final air voids, along with the performance of the fills. The results enabled the specification for the bulk earthworks to be developed making use of permissible air voids, and so permitting maximum potential for reuse of all fill types without the addition of water.
Assessment of pyritic Lower Lias mudrocks for earthworks
Authors: Czerewko Mourice A. , Cross Stephen A. , Dumelow Philip G. , Saadvandi Amon
Published: March 2011

The weathering of pyritic mudrocks can have serious consequences for construction, and in particular for earthworks. Prediction of the likely behaviour of pyritic mudrocks involved in earthworks tends to be overlooked, with only the determination of aggressivity to steel and cementitious materials carried out. British Jurassic mudrocks tend to be soil-like overconsolidated deposits, typically with significant calcite and pyrite content. They may have appropriate engineering properties for earthworks under certain conditions, but they are susceptible to rapid atmospheric deterioration in the presence of both oxygen and water. The rate and products of pyrite oxidisation are dependent upon the mineralogy and fabric of the host material, its hydrological setting, and its immediate environment following exposure. This ultimately controls the rate and impact on construction. This paper outlines the construction through an area of Lower Lias mudrocks of Jurassic age for the A46 Newark to Widmerpool Improvement Scheme. The approach adopted allowed an understanding of the likely reactions and implications for construction at a site-specific level. This provided confidence for the client, designer and contractor that the adopted methodology was appropriate for long-term performance.
Earthworks to reclaim UK quarry for housing development
Authors: Jarvis Stewart T.
Published: March 2011

This case study describes the partial reclamation of the derelict Midland Quarry, Nuneaton, UK, to provide a ‘platform' for residential development. The reclamation involved constructing a dramatic reinforced soil slope with a maximum height of 38 m and face angle of 45°, and filling behind it to create the additional development space. The unusually large retained height and depth of filling presented significant design challenges. These included the requirement for low maintenance, and the need to limit self-weight settlement to allow early construction of the development. Materials available for the reclamation essentially comprised waste from a sister site, and site arisings. Optimisation of soil preparation and compaction resulted in a robust design and specification. The relatively shallow face angle required careful attention to the compaction of the stone facing layer, and careful placement resulted in installation to a high standard. Encouragingly, monitoring of movement of the slope face during construction showed no significant movement. Following construction, long-term settlement, pore pressure and other monitoring of the slope is required for a minimum period of two years, and details of the initial results are included in this paper. The work has enabled the reclamation of two development sites by the housing developer client. Sustainability was a significant driver for the concept, design and construction decisions.