bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A tutorial on human activity recognition using body-worn inertial sensors
Authors: Bulling Andreas , Blanke Ulf , Schiele Bernt
Published: February 2014

The last 20 years have seen ever-increasing research activity in the field of human activity recognition. With activity recognition having considerably matured, so has the number of challenges in designing, implementing, and evaluating activity recognition systems. This tutorial aims to provide a comprehensive hands-on introduction for newcomers to the field of human activity recognition. It specifically focuses on activity recognition using on-body inertial sensors. We first discuss the key research challenges that human activity recognition shares with general pattern recognition and identify those challenges that are specific to human activity recognition. We then describe the concept of an Activity Recognition Chain (ARC) as a general-purpose framework for designing and evaluating activity recognition systems. We detail each component of the framework, provide references to related research, and introduce the best practice methods developed by the activity recognition research community. We conclude with the educational example problem of recognizing different hand gestures from inertial sensors attached to the upper and lower arm. We illustrate how each component of this framework can be implemented for this specific activity recognition problem and demonstrate how different implementations compare and how they impact overall recognition performance.
Loop invariants
Authors: Furia Carlo A. , Meyer Bertrand , Velder Sergey
Published: February 2014

Software verification has emerged as a key concern for ensuring the continued progress of information technology. Full verification generally requires, as a crucial step, equipping each loop with a “loop invariant.” Beyond their role in verification, loop invariants help program understanding by providing fundamental insights into the nature of algorithms. In practice, finding sound and useful invariants remains a challenge. Fortunately, many invariants seem intuitively to exhibit a common flavor. Understanding these fundamental invariant patterns could therefore provide help for understanding and verifying a large variety of programs.

We performed a systematic identification, validation, and classification of loop invariants over a range of fundamental algorithms from diverse areas of computer science. This article analyzes the patterns, as uncovered in this study, governing how invariants are derived from postconditions; it proposes a taxonomy of invariants according to these patterns; and it presents its application to the algorithms reviewed. The discussion also shows the need for high-level specifications based on “domain theory.” It describes how the invariants and the corresponding algorithms have been mechanically verified using an automated program prover; the proof source files are available. The contributions also include suggestions for invariant inference and for model-based specification.
Benchmarks for dynamic multi-objective optimisation algorithms
Authors: Helbig Mardé , Engelbrecht Andries P.
Published: February 2014

Algorithms that solve Dynamic Multi-Objective Optimisation Problems (DMOOPs) should be tested on benchmark functions to determine whether the algorithm can overcome specific difficulties that can occur in real-world problems. However, for Dynamic Multi-Objective Optimisation (DMOO), no standard benchmark functions are used. A number of DMOOPs have been proposed in recent years. However, no comprehensive overview of DMOOPs exist in the literature. Therefore, choosing which benchmark functions to use is not a trivial task. This article seeks to address this gap in the DMOO literature by providing a comprehensive overview of proposed DMOOPs, and proposing characteristics that an ideal DMOO benchmark function suite should exhibit. In addition, DMOOPs are proposed for each characteristic. Shortcomings of current DMOOPs that do not address certain characteristics of an ideal benchmark suite are highlighted. These identified shortcomings are addressed by proposing new DMOO benchmark functions with complicated Pareto-Optimal Sets (POSs), and approaches to develop DMOOPs with either an isolated or deceptive Pareto-Optimal Front (POF). In addition, DMOO application areas and real-world DMOOPs are discussed.
Aggregated search
Authors: Kopliku Arlind , Pinel-Sauvagnat Karen , Boughanem Mohand
Published: February 2014

Traditional search engines return ranked lists of search results. It is up to the user to scroll this list, scan within different documents, and assemble information that fulfill his/her information need.
Aggregated search
represents a new class of approaches where the information is not only retrieved but also assembled. This is the current evolution in Web search, where diverse content (images, videos, etc.) and relational content (similar entities, features) are included in search results.

In this survey, we propose a simple analysis framework for aggregated search and an overview of existing work. We start with related work in related domains such as federated search, natural language generation, and question answering. Then we focus on more recent trends, namely
cross vertical aggregated search
and
relational aggregated search,
which are already present in current Web search.
The Agony or the Empathy? An interview with Anne Bartlett-Bragg
Authors: Tracey Ryan
Published: February 2014

Anne Bartlett-Bragg holds a unique space in eLearning as both a researcher and a practitioner. In this interview, Anne discusses the importance of immersion. By empathizing with the learner, one can truly design the best solution.
Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor and the intestinal innate immune cell homeostasis in Crohn's disease
Authors: Däbritz Jan
Published: February 2014

Current literature consolidates the view of Crohn's disease (CD) as a form of immunodeficiency highlighting dysregulation of intestinal innate immunity in the pathogenesis of CD. Intestinal macrophages derived from blood monocytes play a key role in sustaining the innate immune homeostasis in the intestine, suggesting that the monocyte/macrophage compartment might be an attractive therapeutic target for the management of CD. Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a hematopoietic growth factor that also promotes myeloid cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation. GM-CSF has a protective effect in human CD and mouse models of colitis. However, the role of GM-CSF in immune and inflammatory reactions in the intestine is not well defined. Beneficial effects exerted by GM-CSF during intestinal inflammation could relate to modulation of the mucosal barrier function in the intestine, including epithelial cell proliferation, survival, restitution, and immunomodulatory actions. The aim of this review is to summarize potential mechanistic roles of GM-CSF in intestinal innate immune cell homeostasis and to highlight its central role in maintenance of the intestinal immune barrier in the context of immunodeficiency in CD.
Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor–Related Protein-1
Authors: Strickland Dudley K. , Au Dianaly T. , Cunfer Patricia , Muratoglu Selen C.
Published: February 2014

Low-density lipoprotein receptor–related protein-1 (LRP1) is a large endocytic and signaling receptor that is widely expressed. In the liver, LRP1 plays an important role in regulating the plasma levels of blood coagulation factor VIII (fVIII) by mediating its uptake and subsequent degradation. fVIII is a key plasma protein that is deficient in hemophilia A and circulates in complex with von Willebrand factor. Because von Willebrand factor blocks binding of fVIII to LRP1, questions remain on the molecular mechanisms by which LRP1 removes fVIII from the circulation. LRP1 also regulates cell surface levels of tissue factor, a component of the extrinsic blood coagulation pathway. This occurs when tissue factor pathway inhibitor bridges the fVII/tissue factor complex to LRP1, resulting in rapid LRP1-mediated internalization and downregulation of coagulant activity. In the vasculature LRP1 also plays protective role from the development of aneurysms. Mice in which the
lrp1
gene is selectively deleted in vascular smooth muscle cells develop a phenotype similar to the progression of aneurysm formation in human patient, revealing that these mice are ideal for investigating molecular mechanisms associated with aneurysm formation. Studies suggest that LRP1 protects against elastin fiber fragmentation by reducing excess protease activity in the vessel wall. These proteases include high-temperature requirement factor A1, matrix metalloproteinase 2, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and membrane associated type 1-matrix metalloproteinase. In addition, LRP1 regulates matrix deposition, in part, by modulating levels of connective tissue growth factor. Defining pathways modulated by LRP1 that lead to aneurysm formation and defining its role in thrombosis may allow for more effective intervention in patients.
MicroRNA-155 Deficiency Results in Decreased Macrophage Inflammation and Attenuated Atherogenesis in Apolipoprotein E–Deficient Mice
Authors: Du Fen , Yu Fang , Wang Yuzhen , Hui Yvonne , Carnevale Kevin , Fu Mingui , Lu Hong , Fan Daping
Published: February 2014

Objective—

microRNA-155 (miR155) plays a critical role in immunity and macrophage inflammation. We aim to investigate the role of miR155 in atherogenesis.

Approach and Results—

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that miR155 was expressed in mouse and human atherosclerotic lesions. miR155 expression in macrophages was correlated positively with proinflammatory cytokine expression. Lentivirus-mediated overexpression of miR155 in macrophages enhanced their inflammatory response to lipopolysaccharide through targeting suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 and impaired cholesterol efflux from acetylated low-density lipoprotein–loaded macrophages, whereas deficiency of miR155 blunted macrophage inflammatory responses and enhanced cholesterol efflux possibly via enhancing lipid loading–induced macrophage autophagy. We next examined the atherogenesis in apolipoprotein E–deficient (apoE
−/−
) and miR155
−/−
/apoE
−/−
(double knockout) mice fed a Western diet. Compared with apoE
−/−
mice, the double knockout mice developed less atherosclerosis lesion in aortic root, with reduced neutral lipid content and macrophages. Flow cytometric analysis showed that there were increased number of regulatory T cells and reduced numbers of Th17 cells and CD11b+/Ly6C
high
cells in the spleen of double knockout mice. Peritoneal macrophages from the double knockout mice had significantly reduced proinflammatory cytokine expression and secretion both in the absence and presence of lipopolysaccharide stimulation. To determine whether miR155 in leukocytes contributes to atherosclerosis, we performed a bone marrow transplantation study. Deficiency of miR155 in bone marrow–derived cells suppressed atherogenesis in apoE
−/−
mice, demonstrating that hematopoietic cell–derived miR155 plays a critical role.

Conclusions—

miR155 deficiency attenuates atherogenesis in apoE
−/−
mice by reducing inflammatory responses of macrophages, enhancing macrophage cholesterol efflux and resulting in an antiatherogenic leukocyte profile. Targeting miR155 may be a promising strategy to halt atherogenesis.
Chronic Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibition With Sitagliptin Is Associated With Sustained Protection Against Ischemic Left Ventricular Dysfunction in a Pilot Study of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: McCormick Liam M. , Kydd Anna C. , Read Philip A. , Ring Liam S. , Bond Simon J. , Hoole Stephen P. , Dutka David P.
Published: February 2014

Background—

The incretin hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1, promotes myocardial glucose uptake and may improve myocardial tolerance to ischemia. Endogenous glucagon-like peptide-1 (7–36) is augmented by pharmacological inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase-4. We investigated whether chronic dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibition by sitagliptin protected against ischemic left ventricular dysfunction during dobutamine stress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease.

Methods and Results—

A total of 19 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus underwent dobutamine stress echocardiography with tissue Doppler imaging on 2 separate occasions: the first (control) while receiving oral hypoglycemic agents, and the second after the addition of sitagliptin (100 mg once daily) for ≈4 weeks. Sitagliptin increased plasma glucagon-like peptide-1 (7–36) levels and, at peak stress, enhanced both global (ejection fraction, 70.5±7.0 versus 65.7±8.0%;
P
<0.0001; mitral annular systolic velocity, 11.7±2.6 versus 10.9±2.3 cm/s;
P
=0.01) and regional left ventricular function, assessed by peak systolic velocity and strain rate in 12 paired, nonapical segments. This was predominantly because of a cardioprotective effect on ischemic segments (strain rate in ischemic segments, −2.27±0.65 versus −1.98±0.58 s
−1
;
P
=0.001), whereas no effect was seen in nonischemic segments (−2.19±0.48 versus −2.18±0.54 s
−1
;
P
=0.87). At 30 minutes recovery, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibition mitigated the postischemic stunning seen in the control scan.

Conclusions—

The addition of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor therapy with sitagliptin to the treatment regime of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease is associated with a sustained improvement in myocardial performance during dobutamine stress and a reduction in postischemic stunning.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.isrctn.org
. Unique identifier ISRCTN61646154.
Decision Making in Asymptomatic Aortic Regurgitation in the Era of Guidelines
Authors: Kusunose Kenya , Agarwal Shikhar , Marwick Thomas H. , Griffin Brian P. , Popović Zoran B.
Published: February 2014

Background—

The decision-making role of exercise echocardiography in the surgical timing for aortic regurgitation remains a matter of debate because of limited data on its link with outcome. The aim of this study was to assess the role of echocardiographic measurements at rest and during exercise as predictors of valve surgery in asymptomatic aortic regurgitation.

Methods and Results—

Comprehensive resting and exercise echocardiography was performed in 159 consecutive patients (50±15 years; 80% male) with isolated moderately severe to severe aortic regurgitation and preserved left ventricular (LV) function (LV ejection fraction >50%, LV end-diastolic dimension ≤70 mm, LV end-systolic dimension ≤50 mm or ≤25 mm/m
2
) in whom initial management was expectant. Echocardiographic measurements were performed at rest and during exercise. LV and right ventricular (RV) longitudinal strain was analyzed at rest using velocity vector imaging. Valve surgery was performed in 50 patients (31%) during 30±21 months. After adjustment for age and sex in a multivariable Cox proportional-hazards model, exercise tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE; hazards ratio [HR], 0.48;
P
=0.001) was associated with valve surgery-free, independent of resting LV strain (HR, 1.63;
P
=0.005), exercise LV end-diastolic volume (HR, 1.38;
P
=0.048), and resting RV strain (HR, 1.69;
P
=0.002). In sequential Cox models, a model based on clinical data (χ
2
, 20.4) was improved by resting LV strain (χ
2
, 30.1;
P
=0.001), resting RV strain (χ
2
, 49.7;
P
<0.001), and further increased by exercise TAPSE (χ
2
, 64.4;
P
<0.001).

Conclusions—

In asymptomatic aortic regurgitation, resting LV strain, resting RV strain, and exercise TAPSE were independently associated with the need for earlier aortic surgery.
Abū Qatāda and Palestine
Authors: Nesser Petter
Published: February 2014

Abū Qatāda “The Palestinian” is among the most influential ideologues of the salafi-jihadi movement. Born in Palestine, Abū Qatāda grew up in the Jordanian capital Amman, spent time among jihadi guerrillas in Pakistan, and ended up a militant preacher in London. Over the last decade, while going in and out of prison accused of aiding international terrorism, Abū Qatāda has worked to define the theological basis of al-Qaida and likeminded movements. This article explores the Palestinian preacher’s background, activism and ideological communication, focusing on the relationship with his land of origin. It finds that the jihadi thinker seems largely to have ignored his country of origin in both word and deed. This is counter-intuitive given that Abū Qatāda represents a movement presenting the liberation of Palestine as the heart of a worldwide armed holy struggle. However, jihadi ideologues tread a fine line between nationalism and worldliness on one hand, and transnational religious purism on the other.
Der ‚dekadente‘ Feldherr
Authors: Sannicandro Lisa
Published: February 2014

Abstract

The portrayal of Caesar’s dalliance with Cleopatra in Lucan’s Bellum civile (book 10) exploits the motif of the general who, seduced by a foreign woman, forgets his responsabilities to his country. This motif occurs from Homer through the Greek and Latin epic tradition to Latin historiography and Greek biography. The lexicon for the concept of forgetting is a recurring Leitmotiv.1
Dialectic and Who We Are in the Alcibiades
Authors: Joosse Albert
Published: February 2014

Abstract

In the Platonic Alcibiades, Socrates raises two central philosophical questions: Who are we? and: How ought we to take care of ourselves? He answers these questions, I argue, in his famous comparison between eyes and souls. Both answers hinge upon dialectic: self-care functions through dialectic because we are communicating beings. I adduce arguments for this from the set-up and language of the comparison passage. Another important indication is that Socrates expressly refers back to an earlier, aborted attempt to describe who we are in terms of using discourse. Rather than recommending to Alcibiades a life of contemplation apart from interpersonal exchange, Socrates presents such exchange as central to our self-improvement and identity.
Charles Dickens and the Victorian “Mormon Moment”
Authors: Dransfield Scott
Published: February 2014

Abstract

The growth of Mormonism in England in the middle of the nineteenth century presented a number of challenges relating to the cultural status of the new religion and its followers. Charles Dickens’s “uncommercial traveller” sketch describing a group of 800 Mormon converts preparing to emigrate to the United States, “Bound for the Great Salt Lake,” represents the challenge effectively. While Mormons were quickly identified by their heresies and by those qualities that characterized cultural and religious otherness, they were also observed to possess traits of Englishness, reflecting the image of a healthy working class. This article considers the tensions among these contradictory qualities and traces them to a middle-class “secular gospel” that Dickens articulates in his novels. Dickens utilizes this “gospel”—an ethic that valorizes work and domestic order as bearing religious significance—to perceive the followers of the new religion.
Introduction: Rethinking Asian Media and Film
Authors: Hobart Mark
Published: February 2014

Abstract

This Introduction pulls together the main themes of the papers in this special issue, which covers major regions in Asia from Japan, Korea and China to Indonesia, India and Iran. The papers are all critical of the implications of imposing Eurocentric and metropolitan frameworks on the diverse assemblages of practices of producing, distributing and engaging with Asian media and film. Bringing a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds to bear, the contributors question existing approaches and concepts, reconsider what should count as objects of study and propose new theoretical approaches appropriate to the study of such large and rapidly changing industries. What emerges, however, is the extent to which issues of knowledge and power permeate not just the debates, but also the critiques. Drawing upon the papers, the Introduction concludes by suggesting the possibilities of a more rigorous and sustained analysis in terms of practice.
Transnational Culture in East Asia and the Logic of Assemblage
Authors: Berry Chris
Published: February 2014

Abstract

This essay examines the growth of transnational culture in East Asia, drawing heavily on the example of Chinese cinema. It notes the growth of a variety of transborder-based Chinese cinema cultures, ranging from blockbuster productions to independent documentary culture, and argues that similar phenomena can be found in other parts of East Asia and with other arts and media. Until now, the tendency has been to tag such phenomena as “transnational” without further elaboration. This essay argues that the time has come for a more rigorous interrogation of the transnational. It argues that the transnational order should be distinguished from both the earlier international order of nation-states and from the ideology of globalisation. Further, it argues that the cultural formations that grow under the logic of transnational and flexible production operate not as part of a stable national system but according to the contingent and fluid logic of assemblage.
Locating Advantages
Authors: Pan Yihong
Published: February 2014

Among all the states that emerged during the Period of Division in China, the Särbi (Ch. Xianbei) Tuyuhun kingdom was the longest lasting. Why was it able to keep its ethnic and political identity for so long? Tuyuhun’s geographical location and ecological conditions in the northeast section of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau benefited the state in several ways. They enabled the development of a multi-ethnic power with a self-sufficient mixed economy. Its distance from major powers in North and South China and on the Mongolian steppe protected Tuyuhun from annexation and offered it space to develop. Tuyuhun’s control over the so-called Qinghai road, a branch of the Silk Road south of the Hexi corridor, raised its status as a crucial intermediary for trade and regional diplomacy during the Period of Division. Tuyuhun was able to rise and flourish when North China was weak but lost its locational advantage when caught between the unified and expansive Tang and Tibetan empires; its land was subsequently incorporated into the Tibetan empire. Understanding Tuyuhun history illuminates important interactions between nomadic and agrarian societies in the history of Inner Asia and East Asia. 

D’entre tous les États qui ont émergé pendant la période de division en Chine, le plus durable a été le royaume Särbi (ch. Xianbei) de Tuyuhun. Comment a-t-il réussi à préserver son identité ethnique et politique aussi longtemps? Sa situation géographique et l’écologie de la partie nord-est du plateau tibétain qu’il occupait y ont contribué de plusieurs façons. Elles ont favorisé le développement d’un système de pouvoir pluriethnique appuyé sur une économie mixte autosuffisante. La distance séparant le royaume Tuyuhun des puissances qui dominaient la Chine du Nord et du Sud et la steppe mongole le protégeait des tentatives d’annexation et lui laissait un espace de développement. En contrôlant la “route du Qinghai” — une branche de la Route de la Soie au sud du corridor du Hexi —, L’État Tuyuhun a acquis le statut d’intermédiaire indispensable en matière de commerce et de diplomatie régionale pendant la période de division. Mais s’il avait pu prospérer grâce à la faiblesse de la Chine du Nord, il a perdu son avantage géographique lorsqu’il s’est trouvé pris entre deux empires unifiés et en pleine expansion, les Tang et le Tibet, ce dernier ayant fini par incorporer son territoire. La compréhension de l’histoire des Tuyuhun met en évidence d’importantes interactions entre les sociétés nomades et agrariennes au cours de l’histoire de l’Asie centrale et orientale.
My Servant Nebuchadnezzar
Authors: Smelik Klaas A. D.
Published: February 2014

Abstract

In the book of Jeremiah, the title עבדי (“my servant”) is conferred on the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, the personal suffix referring to God. However, in the same book of the Hebrew Bible, this king is depicted as a cruel enemy. This makes it difficult to understand why in three instances, Jeremiah 25:9; 27:6 and 43:10, the title עבדי is nevertheless used in relation to the Babylonian king. In this article, various solutions to this problem are discussed and a new one is proposed.
Physiological cost of maternal care? Effect of pre- and post-hatching care on the clutch size in the earwig Anisolabis maritima
Authors: Suzuki Seizi
Published: February 2014

There may be a trade-off between parental care and future reproductive success. Parental care usually consists of multiple components, and quantifying the cost of each component is necessary to assess the exact costs of parental care. In this study, I examined the trade-offs associated with maternal care in the earwig Anisolabis maritima (Dermaptera: Anisolabididae). I evaluated how many clutches A. maritima can produce and how the number and size of the clutch are affected by maternal care, distinguishing the cost of each component. The interval from the time point at which the mothers were removed from their eggs or young to produce the next clutch differed with treatment, and a significant interaction was observed between the effects of clutch order and presence of care on the size of the next clutch when the first clutch was removed immediately. However, longevity and total lifetime fecundity were not different in the presence or absence of care. This showed that females which were removed from a clutch produced the second or later clutches more rapidly although the clutch sizes were smaller. Because the total lifetime fecundity did not differ, irrespective of the presence or absence of care, it is possible that the costs of such care in A. maritima have a small effect.
Parental behaviour of prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and meadow voles (M. pennsylvanicus) in relation to sex of offspring
Authors: McGuire Betty , Bemis William E. , Vermeylen Francoise
Published: February 2014

Monogamous parents are predicted to invest equally in male and female offspring whereas polygynous parents in good condition are predicted to invest more in male than female offspring. Sex-biased parental investment can occur in three ways: (1) mothers and fathers invest different amounts of care in their offspring (effect of parent sex); (2) parents invest different amounts of care in male and female offspring (effect of offspring sex); and (3) one parent, but not the other, invests different amounts of care in male and female offspring (interaction between parent sex and offspring sex). Studies of parent–offspring interactions in rodents have focused on either effect of parent sex or effect of offspring sex, but not the interaction between parent sex and offspring sex, and most studies have examined only one species. We studied prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), a monogamous species, and meadow voles (M. pennsylvanicus), a polygynous (or promiscuous) species, under laboratory conditions designed to simulate field conditions. For each species, we recorded the frequency and duration with which mothers and fathers licked their male and female offspring. We found that meadow vole fathers licked male offspring for longer durations than female offspring. However, prairie vole fathers, prairie vole mothers, and meadow vole mothers did not lick male and female pups for different durations. From the standpoint of the pups, male prairie vole pups, female prairie vole pups, and female meadow vole pups were licked for longer durations by their mothers than by their fathers. In contrast, for male meadow vole pups there was no difference in the duration with which they were licked by mothers and fathers. We also detected effects of litter size: as litter size increased, the frequency and duration of pup licking decreased for mothers and increased for fathers. For duration (but not frequency) of pup licking, these changes were more dramatic in meadow voles than in prairie voles. Our data are generally consistent with predictions that monogamous parents, such as prairie voles, should invest equally in male and female offspring whereas polygynous (or promiscuous) parents, such as meadow voles, should invest more in male offspring when conditions are favourable. Our data also highlight the complexity of parent–offspring interactions in rodents and emphasize the need to examine whether male and female offspring within a species differ in their behaviour or ability to obtain parental care.
The retinoid-X receptor gene from the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium nipponense: cloning, expression pattern and different responses of two splice variants during the molting cycle
Authors: Shen Huaishun , Zhou Xin , Bai Aixu , Ren Xiufang
Published: February 2014

The retinoid-X receptor (RXR) is among the most conserved members of the nuclear receptor superfamily and is widely studied in vertebrate and invertebrate families. RXR plays an important role in regulation of molting and/or metamorphosis, development and reproduction. We cloned the full-length cDNA sequence of the RXR from the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium nipponense (De Haan, 1849) (MnRXR) and investigated the expression profile of MnRXR in different developmental stages of embryos, in different tissues and in the molting cycle. Two MnRXR splice variants were identified: One, MnRXR-L, the full length of which was 2472 bp, encoded a 449-amino-acid protein; the second, MnRXR-S, the full length of which was 1832 bp, encoded a 420-amino-acid protein, in which the first 29 amino-acid residues of MnRXR-L were absent. MnRXR was observed in all developmental stages of embryos and had the highest expression level in the embryonised-zoea stage, it was highly expressed in hepatopancreas, gill and intestine among the ten tissues examined. The expression of MnRXR was rapidly up-regulated in the premolt stage and rapidly down-regulated after molting. Moreover, of the two MnRXR splice variants, only MnRXR-S was induced during the molting cycle, suggesting that the two splice variants play different roles in the molting cycle.
Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer, 1837): second nauplius and copepodid locomotor appendages, surface areas and possible appendage functions
Authors: Allen Susan E. , Lewis A. G.
Published: February 2014

Locomotor appendage-body relationships were used to examine whether swimming or reduction in sinking rate is the more important function in the second nauplius and copepodid stages ofLepeophtheirus salmonis(Krøyer, 1837). Except for the similarity in swimming appendage surface areas without setae, the appendages of the two stages are morphologically distinct. Although the nauplius is smaller than the copepodid it has long slender appendages that, with setae, provide greater total surface area than the paddle-shaped copepodid thoracic legs. Copepodid thoracic legs are more similar to those used for swimming by planktonic copepods although with more limited propulsion capability. Naupliar appendages project from the body while copepodid appendages can be folded against the ventral surface, improving hydrodynamic flow as well as body position after attachment to a host. Both copepodid and naupliar appendages are of sufficient size that they should provide escape velocities of more than 100 mm ⋅ s−1. The nature and display of the naupliar appendages suggest they could be used to reduce sinking rate by as much as 64%, reducing the need to swim to maintain a suitable location in the water. Although copepodid thoracic legs could reduce sinking rate by over 40%, their position on the ventral surface and the nature of other appendages suggests a more important use, for orientation and attachment once a host is located.
Zooplankton in Laguna Lejía, a high-altitude Andean shallow lake of the Puna in northern Chile
Authors: Muñoz-Pedreros Andrés , De los Ríos Patricio , Möller Patricia
Published: February 2014

The Puna is a high altitude ecosystem of the Central Andes located in the desert plateaus above 3500 m a.s.l. that covers parts of north-eastern Chile, north-western Argentina, south-eastern Peru and mid-western Bolivia. It is characterised by the presence of endorheic basins. Laguna Lejía is an oligohaline shallow lake with alkaline pH, located in the Atacama Puna above 4000 m a.s.l. It is surrounded by volcanoes and enclosed in a secluded basin that is of great scientific interest, due to its ecological insularity. It has been designated by the government as a priority site for biodiversity conservation. The object of this study was to analyse the specific composition and the structure of the zooplankton community in this shallow, high altitude lake. In March 2012, zooplankton samples were taken for qualitative and quantitative analysis from 13 sampling stations in the lake and two adjacent pools. The bodies of water were characterised in the field using portable equipment, with the following parameters being measured: pH, water temperature, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen. The results indicate that the type of zooplankton community matches relatively well that observed in other low salinity, high Andean wetlands, although no calanoid copepods were found. The species found have been reported for high Andean zones and shallow lakes in countries bordering Chile. The absence of species with wide geographical distribution specific for low salinity, high Andean environments, is presumably due to the presence of geographical and environmental barriers that prevent colonization by those species.
Fuzzy Set Theory and Concepts: A Proposal for Concept Formation and Operationalization
Authors: Quaranta Mario
Published: February 2014

Abstract

The quantity-quality debate in social sciences also concerns concept formation and operationalization. The first approach has strong naturalist assumptions, while the second one focuses on the historical specificity of concepts. The solution to overcome this divide would be finding a path which balances the two perspectives. In this article we argue that fuzzy set theory can be a helpful tool for concept formation and operationalization. The application of fuzzy set theory to concept formation and operationalization provides, first, the opportunity of looking at concepts as complex constructs made up of attributes logically interconnected one with the other and, second, of measuring them accordingly. Thus, after presenting our general argument, we show a theoretical and an empirical application of how to use fuzzy sets in concept formation and operationalization.
The Ruling Israeli Elite and the Unilateral Withdrawal Plan from Gaza
Authors: Jabali Saqer
Published: February 2014

Abstract

This study analyzes, using the elite approach, the relationship between the Israeli ministerial elite and their adoption of a unilateral withdrawal plan from the Palestinian territories because the socio-economic constituents of this elite are so strong and influential that it affects the political conduct of its members.

The study shows, through an analysis of the relationship between party affiliation and members’ adoption of the withdrawal plan, that all members of the Shinui Party and 85.7% of Kadima members supported the plan and that all the ministers from the National Religious Party, Yisrael Baaliah and Yisrael Beiteinu opposed it.

The study also finds that the socio-economic status of the ministerial elite affects the members’ stand on the unilateral withdrawal plan: those who were seventy, sixty or fifty years old supported the plan while those who were forty opposed it. The study also shows that 56.3% of the ministers who were born in Israel supported the withdrawal plan and 80% of the members of the Israeli elite who lived in major cities ( Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa) approved the plan, while all members of the elite who lived in settlements rejected the plan completely.

Furthermore the study shows that all those who practiced or worked in journalism and 75% of lawyers and managers had supported the Israeli unilateral withdrawal plan. With regard to the level of education, the study also shows that the highest percentage of supporters of the unilateral withdrawal plan among the members of the ministerial elite amounted to 75% among master’s degree holders, 66.7% among doctorate degree holders and 56.3% with a bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, the highest percentage of opponents amounted to 33% among doctoral degree holders, followed by bachelor’s degree 31.2% and then master’s degree by 25%. The percentage of the members of the educated ministerial elite who studied in Israel and voted for the plan was 56% while all members who studied in the United States backed the unilateral disengagement plan, while 66.7% of those who studied in foreign universities outside Israel agreed on that plan. This indicates that American universities promote the principles of coexistence in the region.

With respect to the recruitment in the army or the political administrative system, about 95% of the ministerial elite had done military service and that about 68.4% of them supported the unilateral withdrawal plan.
Students’ Mathematics Academic Performance: An Interaction of Inputs from the Students, Schools, and Voters
Authors: Koshal Rajindar K. , Koshal Manjulika , Gupta Ashok K.
Published: February 2014

Abstract

This study proposes and tests a model affecting students’ mathematical academic performance in public schools. We postulate that students’ mathematical academic performance depends on the interaction of key factors associated with students, the schools, and the voters. The model incorporates variables such as the attendance rate, social and economic background of parents of the students, marital status of parents, expenditure per pupil that voters are willing to invest, proportion of school expenditure from local sources, and quality of teachers. Academic performance of students is measured by the percentage of the total number of students passing the mathematics part of the proficiency test. The three simultaneous-equations model is estimated by using data for 576 Ohio school districts. Our analysis suggests that an increased expenditure on education would improve the mathematics skills of the students. However, money alone is not sufficient. Our study implies that, along with the increased investment in education, a number of other socioeconomic variables need attention. For example, an increase in the attendance rate of students can bring a substantial improvement in the academic performance of students. An improvement in attendance rate requires reduction in poverty and an increase in the percentage of two-parent families.
Social Impacts of Resource Extraction: A Comparative Examination of Andean Latin America and Implications for Rising Colombia
Authors: Graham Felicia Christine
Published: February 2014

Abstract

Resource extractive conflicts are typically attributed to environmental or economic concerns. In this article I argue, however, that conflicts in Andean Latin America are also shown to incorporate social concerns born from structural shifts inherent in resource extraction that alter land use, labor, and community relations. I also seek to bring to the fore the actual social impacts of resource extraction to argue that these factors play a larger role in shaping individual, community, and even political consciousness. An examination of this sort allows for a more comprehensive understanding of extractive conflicts and can further efforts to foster inclusive collaboration between governments, companies, and communities by exposing the linkages between resource extraction and the community.
Jonah and God: Plants, Beasts, and Humans in the Book of Jonah (An Essay in Interpretation)
Authors: Abusch Tzvi
Published: February 2014

Abstract

The book of Jonah concludes with a puzzling rhetorical question by God, connecting plants, animals, and the people of Nineveh (4:10–11). This essay attempts to explain the logic of this rhetoric and to lay out its precise force, thereby clarifying the literary message of the book.
VOS in Greek
Authors: Sifaki Evi
Published: February 2014

This paper looks into the VOS order in Greek and its focusing patterns. Evidence from main and embedded VOS reveals that embedded VOS is more restricted in its focusing possibilities. If the focus effects of main and embedded VOS differ, then we cannot advocate fixed Focus Projections in the syntactic architecture like the cartographic approaches do. Chomsky (2007; 2008) divides features in two types; the probe-agreement ones which trigger obligatory movement and the E(dge) F(eature) which facilitates movement and yields information structure effects at the Interface. In effect, Greek VOS is viewed as the result of a single derivation in which movement is induced for the satisfaction of an EF. The focus effects that are present in VOS are not assigned in Syntax, but at the Interface. The claim here is that Syntax is ‘blind’ to information structure properties. Yet, in order to explain how one single derivation maps out to two distinct focusing possibilities, we employ the notions of accessibility and saliency, as these are discussed in Slioussar (2007) and developed in Kechagias (2010). Roughly, accessibility corresponds to topics and saliency to foci. In Greek VOS, saliency tends to mark constituents to the right of the verb (i.e. object, or manner adverb).
Thamudic Inscriptions from Wādī Samarmada
Authors: Maani Sultan , Alzoubi Mahdi
Published: February 2014

Abstract

This research is an analytical study of eleven thamudic inscriptions found in Samarmada valley at the al-Jafr region in south Jordan. These inscriptions have been presented here in transcription, and facsimile together with a discussion of a number of points which have been arisen from their study. The study aims at analyzing the inscriptions, meanings and structure of the words and the proper nouns contained therein
(En)gendering Muslim Self-Assertiveness: Muslim Schooling and Female Elite Formation in Uganda
Authors: Schulz Dorothea E.
Published: February 2014

Abstract

The article takes the role of school education in the historical marginalization of Muslims in Uganda to argue that recent transformations in the educational field have created new opportunities for Muslims to become professionally successful and to articulate a self-assertive identity as minority Muslims. In a second step the articles points to the particular significance that the recent shift in Muslims’ educational opportunities bears for Muslim girls and women. It argues that the structural transformations in the field of education since the late 1980s had paradoxical implications for female Muslims and for the situation of Muslims in Uganda more generally. The diversification of the field of primary, secondary, and higher education since the mid-1990s facilitated career options that had been unavailable to the majority of Muslims.

Access to an education-based status is now possible for a wider segment of the Muslim population of Uganda. Yet in spite of long-standing efforts by representational bodies such as UMEA, educational reforms have not put an end to significant socioeconomic and regional differences among Muslims. There are still notable inequalities in access to high-quality education that have existed historically between Muslims from different regions of Uganda. These unequal schooling opportunities delimit the pool of those Muslims who may access institutions of higher education and hence articulate a new, education-based middle-class identity.
Rethinking the Festival: Power and Politics
Authors: Testa Alessandro
Published: February 2014

Abstract

This article discusses several recent approaches to the study of festivals and points out in which ways certain theories of power can be fruitfully applied to better interpret both historical and contemporary festivals. The structure of the text is tripartite: in the first part, I present a brief, critical history of the studies in order to construct a genealogy of the category of festival (and of its criticism); in the second part, I discuss certain major speculations on power and reflect upon their applicability to the study of festivals; in the third part, I present some case-studies and investigate the political dimensions of festivals by applying and problematizing, to selected examples, the theories discussed in the second part. Concepts as “power,” “hegemony,” “function,” “playground” and others are explored in their implications and (re)discussed in the attempt of both delineating different ranges of theoretical issues and developing new methodological attitudes.
The Identity of NAASR and the Character of the Critical Study of Religion: Introduction
Authors: Arnal William E.
Published: February 2014

Abstract

Introduction to the following set of papers: Aaron W. Hughes, Sleeping with Elephants; Julie Ingersoll, Establishing a Beachhead or Kicking up Sand?; Nicole Kelley, Making Myths and Policing Borders: NAASR and the Critical Study of Religion; Russell T. McCutcheon, A Modest Proposal on Method; and Donald Wiebe, Change the Name! On the Importance of Reclaiming NAASR’s Original Objectives for the Twenty-First Century.
“Pseudo-Speciation of the Human Race:Religions as Hazard-Precaution Systems”
Authors: Wiebe Donald
Published: February 2014

Abstract

Human individuals and groups have faced not only immediate and obvious threats to their welfare that trigger a flight-fight-or-freeze response but also long-term and unpredictable challenges to their general security. Defence systems against such threats involve detecting subtle signs of potential danger and eliciting precautionary responses to them. I will argue here that there is sufficient evidence in the historical, psychological, and anthropological literature to suggest that religions emerged as such “natural security systems.” I will also suggest, however, that with the global improvement in human physical well-being religions no longer play this kind of protective role and may themselves have become a threat to modern civilization.
“ ‘Epiphanius’ and Patristic Debates on the Marital Status of Peter and Paul”
Authors: Eastman David L.
Published: February 2014

Abstract

A Syriac fragment erroneously ascribed to Epiphanius of Salamis allegedly preserves the names of the wives of Peter and Paul and draws our attention to patristic debates over the marital status of the apostles. In these contexts scriptural interpretation and ascetic ideals interacted, producing varied conclusions about the apostolic teaching and examples. Some patristic authors accepted the married apostles as a matter of fact, while others saw such suggestions as offensive and dangerous. This essay examines the exegetical approaches to key New Testament passages and explores how this fragment fits within the history of interpretation and biographical reception of Peter and Paul.
Spiritual Transformation: Concept and Measurement
Authors: Hermans Chris A.M.
Published: February 2014

Abstract

Spiritual experiences are defined as experiences of ultimate meaning, which are existentially relevant, unexpected and sometimes (but not necessarily) objectively strange compared to normal experience. Two types of spiritual experiences can be distinguished: an orientation type and a transformation type. Spiritual transformation is defined as a process of self-awareness to unify the divided self. The ultimate (final, eternal, sublime) guides this process of change into a true self (wholeness, unification). We distinguish between five types of transformation, following the seminal work by Kees Waaijman,Spirituality: forms, foundations, methods(Dutch, 2000; English translation, 2003). They are labelled form-given, re-forming, con-forming, transparent-form and beyond-form. A measuring instrument was developed, based on this theoretical framework, and tested on a sample of school leaders in South Africa (n=132). Three types of transformation are confirmed (form-given, re-forming and beyond-form); two types clustered together (con-forming, transparent-form). The article concludes with a reflection on this result and suggestions for further development of the measuring instrument and the concept of spiritual transformation.