bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Properties of novel PMMA‐co‐EHA bone cements filled with hydroxyapatite
Authors: Ferreira Bárbara J.M. Leite , Barroca Natalia B. , Lopes Poliana P. , Daniel‐da‐Silva Ana L. , Helena Maria , Fernandes V. , Correia Rui N.
Published: October 2013

To design bone cements with predictable intraoperative and postoperative behavior, researchers must understand how cement formulations affect the polymerization reaction and specially the properties of the end product. In this study, a bioactive filler (commercial hydroxyapatite, HA) was incorporated into poly(methyl methacrylate)‐co‐ethyl hexyl acrylate (PMMA‐co‐EHA) matrices to prepare new bone cement formulations. The new PMMA‐co‐EHA/HA composites were obtained by varying the relative contents of the monomers, MMA, and EHA. The resulting composites were evaluated in terms of the curing parameters, water uptake and weight loss in phosphate buffer solution and mechanical properties. The results obtained showed that incorporation of 25% HA particles induced major changes in the final properties of the bone cements comparing with the unfilled parent matrices. In particular, the peak temperature decreased and the setting time and the bending elastic modulus increased in all formulations containing HA particles. Composites with low EHA content exhibited a decrease in strength after HA incorporation, which was attributed to the poor interfacial adhesion between the components of the composites. Additionally, the immersion results showed that the amount of 25% HA (regarding the total mass) in the composites was not enough to induce in vitro bioactive properties in the materials. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:759–767, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
A local power‐law approximation to a smooth viscosity curve with application to flow in conduits and coating dies
Authors: Ruschak Kenneth J. , Weinstein Steven J.
Published: October 2013

Coating dies distribute liquid into a uniform layer for coating onto a moving substrate. A die comprises one or two cavities spanning the coating width and adjoining narrow slots of much higher resistance to flow. In modeling coating dies, the flows in the slots and cavities are often approximated as one‐dimensional to achieve a fully geometrically parameterized model of low computational load suitable for optimizing design for multiple liquids and flow rates. The power‐law model is mathematically efficient for one‐dimensional flows of shear‐thinning liquids but does not include limiting viscosities at low and high shear rates that are frequently present. In previous work, the truncated power‐law model, which is terminated at the limiting Newtonian viscosities, was used to alleviate this shortcoming without sacrificing the mathematical advantages. In this work, the Carreau–Yasuda model replaces the truncated power‐law model as an improvement. For flows in slots and cavities, the Carreau–Yasuda model can be approximated accurately by a local power‐law model with little increase in computational load over the truncated power‐law model. In the transition regions of the Carreau–Yasuda model between Newtonian and power‐law behavior, the local power‐law model gives more accurate results than the truncated power‐law model. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:2301–2309, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
Successful management of Churg–Strauss syndrome using omalizumab as adjuvant immunomodulatory therapy: First documented pediatric case
Authors: Iglesias E. , Camacho Lovillo M. , Delgado Pecellín I. , Lirola Cruz M.J. , Falcón Neyra M.D. , Salazar Quero J.C. , Bernabeu‐Wittel J. , González Valencia J.P. , Neth O.
Published: October 2013

Churg–Strauss syndrome (CSS) is an anti‐neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis; it is extremely rare in childhood and defined according to the Chapel–Hill Consensus as an eosinophil‐rich and granulomatous inflammation involving the respiratory tract and necrotizing vasculitis affecting small to medium‐sized vessels. Children commonly have a history of asthma and sinusitis whilst clinical presentation typically involves pulmonary tract and less frequently skin, heart, gastrointestinal tract, and peripheral nerves. Cardiopulmonary disease is higher in children and prognosis is worse. It is associated with significant eosinophilia and raised serum IgE‐levels. ANCA are only found in 25% of childhood cases. Here we report the case of a 10‐year‐old girl who presented to us with vomiting, abdominal pain, and weight loss, paresthesias of lower extremities and breathlessness as well as a history of asthma, sinusitis and allergic rhinitis. She was treated with corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide, intravenous immunoglobulin, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and rituximab. However, remission was only achieved after initiation of omalizumab therapy, a recombinant humanized anti‐IgE antibody. To the best of our knowledge this is the first pediatric patient suffering from CSS successfully managed with adjuvant anti‐IgE therapy resulting in the control of respiratory as well as gastrointestinal symptoms. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2014; 49:E78–E81. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Kinetic properties of the two‐dimensional conducting system formed by CrSi2 nanocrystallites in plane (111) of silicon
Authors: Andrievskii V. V. , Komnik Yu. F. , Berkutov I. B. , Mirzoiev I. G. , Galkin N. G. , Goroshko D. L.
Published: October 2013

The behaviors of resistance, magnetoresistance (up to 5 T), and Hall electromotive force (EMF) with varying temperature (10–300 K) and measuring current (A–10 mA) are studied for the Si sample with CrSi2 nanocrystallites (NC) in the plane (111). The conduction in such heterostructure proceeds in the plane with the NC and is the conduction of a two‐dimensional system of charge carriers that shows some unusual effects. The temperature variation of resistivity may be treated as the result of the effect of thermal activation but in this case it is characterized by a low activation energy different in value in different temperature ranges. This suggests that the mechanism of conduction is more complex. It is found that the conduction is determined by the effect of temperature variation not only on carrier concentration but also on its mobility. Magnetoresistivity is also of different shape in different temperature ranges. All the above features are treated in terms of the proposed model of electron hopping through the conduction band (or hole hopping through the valence band). A peculiar effect of giant reduction in resistivity with increasing the measuring current has been revealed. Discussed are some possible factors responsible for this effect.
Realization of high‐efficiency deep‐UV LEDs using transparent p‐AlGaN contact layer
Authors: Maeda Noritoshi , Hirayama Hideki
Published: October 2013

We demonstrated high‐efficiency deep‐ultraviolet light‐emitting diodes (DUV‐LEDs) by improving light‐extraction efficiency (LEE) by using a transparent p‐AlGaN contact layer and a highly‐reflective p‐type electrode. We fabricated DUV‐LEDs with emission wavelengths between 265‐288 nm using p‐AlGaN contact layers with compositional wavelength at around 275 nm. The reflectivity of p‐type electrode was increased to be approximately 70% by introducing Ni(1nm)/Al layers. The external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the 287 nm LED was increased from 2% to 5.5% by replacing conventional p‐GaN contact layer by transparent p‐AlGaN contact layer. The increase of LEE was estimated to be by approximately more than 1.7 times. The use of transparent p‐AlGaN contact layer is considered to be basic and quite important technique in order to obtain high LEE in DUV LEDs. The EQE of DUV‐LED would be much increased by optimizing the device structure and by combining with other approaches to improve LEE. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Design of high‐Q nanocavity in three‐dimensional woodpile photonic crystal with vertically mirror‐symmetric structure
Authors: Fu Jiapeng , Tandaechanurat Aniwat , Iwamoto Satoshi , Arakawa Yasuhiko
Published: October 2013

We report a simple design of high quality‐factor (Q) three‐dimensional woodpile photonic crystal (PC) nanocavity with vertically mirror‐symmetric structure, which can be realized by changing the stacking order of layers above the cavity layer from ordinary woodpile structures. A Q of 1.7×105 in the mirror‐symmetric structure was obtained with a relatively small PC size. This is ∼3.6 times as high as the maximum Q of the same nanocavity embedded in an ordinary woodpile structure of the same PC volume. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Understanding Systems Science: A Visual and Integrative Approach
Authors: Hieronymi Andreas
Published: October 2013

Systems thinking is considered a much‐needed competence to deal better with an increasingly interlinked and complex world. The many streams within systems science have diversified perspectives, theories and methods, but have also complicated the field as a whole. This makes it difficult to understand and master the field. Short introductions to fundamental questions of systems science are rare. This paper is divided into three parts and aims to do the following: (1) to provide a broad overview of the structure and purpose of systems science; (2) to present a set of key systems principles and relate them to theoretical streams; and (3) to describe aspects of systems‐oriented methodologies within a general process cycle. Integrative visualizations have been included to highlight the relationships between concepts, perspectives and systems thinkers. Several new attempts have been made to define and organize system concepts and streams in order to provide greater overall coherence and easier understanding. © 2013 The Author.Systems Research and Behavioral Sciencepublished by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effective sensor deployment based on field information coverage in precision agriculture
Authors: An Wei , Ci Song , Luo Haiyan , Wu Dalei , Adamchuk Viacheslav , Sharif Hamid , Wang Xueyi , Tang Hui
Published: October 2013

Coverage is an importance issue in wireless sensor networks. In this work, we first propose a novel notion of information coverage, which refers to the coverage efficiency of field information covered by deployed sensor nodes. On the basis of information coverage, we consider an optimization problem of how to partition the given field into multiple parcels and to deploy sensor nodes in some selected parcels such that the field information covered by the deployed sensor nodes meets the requirement. First, we develop two effective polynomial‐time algorithms to determine the deployed locations of source nodes for information 1‐coverage and q‐coverage of the field, respectively, without consideration of communication, where information q‐coverage implies that the field information in terms of information point is covered by at least q source nodes. Also, we prove the upper bound in the theoretical for the approximate solution derived by our proposed method. Second, another polynomial‐time algorithm is presented for deriving the deployed locations of relay nodes. In the theoretical, this proposed algorithm can achieve the minimized number of relay nodes. Further, the related information 1‐coverage algorithms are applied in our wireless sensor network‐based automatic irrigation project in precision agriculture. Experimental results show the major trade‐offs of impact factors in sensor deployment and significant performance improvements achieved by our proposed method. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Activation of 1, 2‐Dihydrodisilanes at Platinum(0) Phosphine Complexes: Syntheses and Structures of Bissilyl Platinum(II) Complexes
Authors: Ahrens Theresia , Braun Thomas , Braun Beatrice
Published: October 2013

The bissilyl complexes 3–6 were synthesized by reactions of the platinum(0) complexes [Pt(η2‐C2H4)(diphos)] (1: diphos = dppe; 2: diphos = dcpe) with the disilanes 1, 1,2, 2‐tetramethyldisilane and 1, 1,2, 2‐tetraphenyldisilane via Si–Si bond activation. The molecular structures of 4 and 5 in the solid state are reported. The reaction of 2 with HPh2SiSiPh2H led to the immediate formation of the hydrido disilanyl complex [Pt(H)(SiPh2SiPh2H)(dcpe)] (7), which converts slowly into the bissilyl complex [Pt(SiHPh2)2(dcpe)] (6). The latter was reported before to be a η2‐disilene complex.
Epsilon‐aminocaproic Acid Improves Postrecirculation Hemodynamics by Reducing Intraliver Activated Protein C Consumption in Orthotopic Liver Transplantation
Authors: Kong H. Y. , Wen X. H. , Huang S. Q. , Zhu S. M.
Published: October 2013

Background

Activated protein C (APC) is related to regulating the inflammatory response and hemodynamic stability upon reperfusion in cardiac operations and orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Epsilon‐aminocaproic acid (EACA) is frequently used to treat fibrinolysis during OLT. It also has inhibitory effects related to the inflammatory response. However, it remains to be determined whether EACA can attenuate intraliver APC consumption and improve hemodynamic stability after reperfusion during OLT.

Methods

Fifty‐nine recipients were randomized to receive either EACA (150 mg kg−1 given intravenously prior to incision, followed by 15 mg kg−1 h−1 infusion until 2 h after the graft reperfusion) or the same volume of saline. Blood samples to assess plasma APC and protein C were obtained immediately before and after reperfusion from the inferior caval effluent or the portal veins for calculation of transliver differences (Δ). Hemodynamics and vasoactive medication use during the reperfusion period were observed in both groups.

Results

No transhepatic changes in protein C were found in either group. Immediately after reperfusion, a marked intraliver consumption of APC was noted in all recipients (P < 0.001), and intraliver consumption of APC in the control group was greater than that in the EACA‐treated group (P < 0.05). Fewer requirements for vasoactive medication use after reperfusion and better initial graft function were noted in the EACA‐treated group (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

EACA can attenuate intraliver APC consumption and improve hemodynamic stability after reperfusion and initial graft function during OLT.
Improvement of Sleep Disturbance and Insomnia Following Parathyroidectomy for Primary Hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Murray Sara E. , Pathak Priya R. , Schaefer Sarah C. , Chen Herbert , Sippel Rebecca S.
Published: October 2013

Background

The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of sleep disturbance and insomnia in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), and to evaluate the effect of parathyroidectomy.

Methods

A questionnaire was prospectively administered to adult patients with PHPT who underwent curative parathyroidectomy over an 11‐month period. The questionnaire, administered preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively, included the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and eight additional questions regarding sleep pattern. Total ISI scores range from 0 to 28, with >7 signifying sleep difficulties and scores >14 indicating clinical insomnia.

Results

Of 197 eligible patients undergoing parathyroidectomy for PHPT, 115 (58.3 %) completed the preoperative and postoperative questionnaires. The mean age was 60.0 ± 1.2 years and 80.0 % were women. Preoperatively, 72 patients (62.6 %) had sleep difficulties, and 29 patients (25.2 %) met the criteria for clinical insomnia. Clinicopathologic variables were not predictive of clinical insomnia. There was a significant reduction in mean ISI score after parathyroidectomy (10.3 ± 0.6 vs 6.2 ± 0.5, p < 0.0001). Postoperatively, 79 patients (68.7 %) had an improved ISI score. Of the 29 patients with preoperative clinical insomnia, 21 (72.4 %) had resolution after parathyroidectomy. Preoperative insomnia patients had an increase in total hours slept after parathyroidectomy (5.4 ± 0.3 vs 6.1 ± 0.3 h, p = 0.02), whereas both insomnia patients and non‐insomnia patients had a decrease in the number of awakenings (3.7 ± 0.4 vs 1.9 ± 0.2 times, p = 0.0001).

Conclusions

Sleep disturbances and insomnia are common in patients with PHPT, and the majority of patients will improve after curative parathyroidectomy.
Prospecting genomes for lasso peptides
Authors: Maksimov Mikhail O , Link A James
Published: October 2013

Genome mining has unlocked a veritable treasure chest of natural compounds. However, each family of natural products requires a genome-mining approach tailored to its unique features to be successful. Lasso peptides are ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified products with a unique three-dimensional structure. Advances in the understanding of these molecules have informed the design of strategies to identify new members of the class in sequenced genomes. This review presents the bioinformatic methods used to discover novel lasso peptides and describes how such analyses have afforded insights into the biosynthesis and evolution of this peptide class.
Potential role of vitamin D deficiency on Fabry cardiomyopathy
Authors: Drechsler Christiane , Schmiedeke Benjamin , Niemann Markus , Schmiedeke Daniel , Krämer Johannes , Turkin Irina , Blouin Katja , Emmert Andrea , Pilz Stefan , Obermayer‐Pietsch Barbara , Weidemann Frank , Breunig Frank , Wanner Christoph
Published: October 2013

Patients with Fabry disease frequently develop left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and renal fibrosis. Due to heat intolerance and an inability to sweat, patients tend to avoid exposure to sunlight. We hypothesized that subsequent vitamin D deficiency may contribute to Fabry cardiomyopathy. This study investigated the vitamin D status and its association with LV mass and adverse clinical symptoms in patients with Fabry disease. 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) was measured in 111 patients who were genetically proven to have Fabry disease. LV mass and cardiomyopathy were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography. In cross‐sectional analyses, associations with adverse clinical outcomes were determined by linear and binary logistic regression analyses, respectively, and were adjusted for age, sex, BMI and season. Patients had a mean age of 40 ± 13 years (42 % males), and a mean 25(OH)D of 23.5 ± 11.4 ng/ml. Those with overt vitamin D deficiency (25[OH]D ≤ 15 ng/ml) had an adjusted six fold higher risk of cardiomyopathy, compared to those with sufficient 25(OH)D levels >30 ng/ml (p = 0.04). The mean LV mass was distinctively different with 170 ± 75 g in deficient, 154 ± 60 g in moderately deficient and 128 ± 58 g in vitamin D sufficient patients (p = 0.01). With increasing severity of vitamin D deficiency, the median levels of proteinuria increased, as well as the prevalences of depression, edema, cornea verticillata and the need for medical pain therapy. In conclusion, vitamin D deficiency was strongly associated with cardiomyopathy and adverse clinical symptoms in patients with Fabry disease. Whether vitamin D supplementation improves complications of Fabry disease, requires a randomized controlled trial.
Recovery of Sinapic Acid from the Waste Effluent of Mustard Protein Isolation by Ion Exchange Chromatography
Authors: Prapakornwiriya N. , Diosady L. L.
Published: October 2013

Sinapic acid present in the waste stream of yellow mustard protein isolation was purified by strong base Dowex (1 × 8, Cl−) ion exchange chromatography. The ratio of loading volume to resin bed volume was 19:1. Approximately 80 % of sinapic acid was adsorbed. The column was washed with two bed volumes of water to remove remaining undesirable components. Approximately 75 % of sinapic acid adsorbed by the resins in the column was eluted by ten bed volumes of a solution containing 0.9 M acetic acid and methanol (4:6, v/v). Up to 15 adsorption and regeneration cycles resulted in only a slight, 3–5 %, reduction in ion exchange capacity, indicating that this is a viable approach to the recovery and purification of sinapic acid. The recovery of this valuable nutraceutical ingredient improves the economic viability of an integrated extraction process for this Canadian oilseed crop.
Essential facets of competence that enable trust in medical graduates: a ranking
study among physician educators in two countries
Authors: Wijnen-Meijer Marjo , Nillesen Kirstin , Ten Cate Olle , Van der Schaaf Marieke , Harendza S.
Published: October 2013

One way to operationalize the assessment of trainees in a competency-based context
is to determine whether they can be entrusted with critical activities. To determine
which facets of competence (FOCs) are most informative for such decisions, we performed
a Delphi study among Dutch educators. In the current study, the resulting list of facets
of competence was evaluated among experienced Dutch and German clinical educators to
determine which facets appear most relevant and to evaluate the agreement among experts
in different countries as a support for their external validity. Eight Dutch and eight
German experts scored each FOC on a five-point scale for relevance. A rank-order
comparison showed that there was almost full agreement about the top 10 FOCs, among
which ‘Scientific and empirical grounded method of working’, ‘Knowing and maintaining
own personal bounds and possibilities’, ‘Active professional development’, ‘Teamwork and
collegiality’, ‘Active listening to patients’, and ‘Verbal communication with colleagues
and supervisors’. We conclude that these facets of competence may be used in a training
for educators who need to make entrustment decisions about trainees.
An integrative framework identifies alternative splicing events in colorectal cancer development
Authors: Bisognin Andrea , Pizzini Silvia , Perilli Lisa , Esposito Giovanni , Mocellin Simone , Nitti Donato , Zanovello Paola , Bortoluzzi Stefania , Mandruzzato Susanna
Published: October 2013

Alternative splicing (AS) is a common mechanism which creates diverse RNA isoforms from a single gene, potentially increasing protein variety. Growing evidence suggests that this mechanism is closely related to cancer progression. In this study, whole transcriptome analysis was performed with GeneChip Human exon 1.0 ST Array from 80 samples comprising 23 normal colon mucosa, 30 primary colorectal cancer and 27 liver metastatic specimens from 46 patients, to identify AS events in colorectal cancer progression. Differentially expressed genes and exons were estimated and AS events were reconstructed by combining exon‐level analyses with AltAnalyze algorithms and transcript‐level estimations (MMBGX probabilistic method). The number of AS genes in the transition from normal colon mucosa to primary tumor was the most abundant, but fell considerably in the next transition to liver metastasis. 206 genes with probable AS events in colon cancer development and progression were identified, that are involved in processes and pathways relevant to tumor biology, as cell–cell and cell‐matrix interactions. Several AS events in VCL, CALD1, B3GNT6 and CTHRC1 genes, differentially expressed during tumor development were validated, at RNA and at protein level. Taken together, these results demonstrate that cancer‐specific AS is common in early phases of colorectal cancer natural history.
Editorial
Authors: The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education
Published: October 2013

We are very pleased to bring you Volume 42.1 of the Australian Journal of Indigenous
Education. The articles in this Volume collectively address the urgent need to disrupt ‘business as
usual’ in Indigenous education in national and global contexts, and in doing so, engage in new ways of
thinking and framing policy and pedagogy. Currently in Australia, discussions around what ‘counts’ as ‘good’
policy and pedagogy in Indigenous education are increasingly placed in conversation with one of three agendas:
Noel Pearson's ‘radical vision’ for contemporary schooling for Indigenous students, with a renewed emphasis
and return to direct instruction; Chris Sarra's ‘stronger and smarter’ strategy, which promotes a commitment
to a high-expectation, high-performance and a relational approach to Indigenous education; and initiatives
driven by the ‘Closing the Gap’ reform agenda. Indeed, situated within the present climate of neo-liberalism
orchestrating policy by numbers, there is ‘serious stuff’ happening at the moment that impacts in very real
ways on the experiences and outcomes of our Indigenous children at all levels of schooling, the capacity of
teachers to work within an Indigenous Australian education space for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous
students, and the positioning of education as a location of possibility for ‘doing business differently’. The
time for us as educators and researchers has never been more urgent — we have to be the ones to talk loud and
to talk strong against colonial and neo-colonial moves to silence and exclude the counter stories we have to
tell. In conversation as Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators working towards social justice in education,
the articles in this Volume bring us these narratives.
Social Networks and the Mass Media
Authors: SIEGEL DAVID A.
Published: October 2013

How do global sources of information such as mass media outlets, state propaganda, NGOs, and national party leadership affect aggregate behavior? Prior work on this question has insufficiently considered the complex interaction between social network and mass media influences on individual behavior. By explicitly modeling this interaction, I show that social network structureconditionsmedia's impact. Empirical studies of media effects that fail to consider this risk bias. Further, social network interactionscan amplify media bias, leading to large swings in aggregate behavior made more severe when individuals can select into media matching their preferences. Countervailing media outlets and social elites with unified preferences can mitigate the effect of bias; however, media outlets promulgating antistatus quo bias have an advantage. Theoretical results such as these generate numerous testable hypotheses; I provide guidelines for deriving and testing hypotheses from the model and discuss several such hypotheses.
„La filiation est directe“ Der Einfluss von Marcel Mauss auf das Werk von Claude Lévi-Strauss
Authors: Moebius Stephan , Nungesser Frithjof
Published: October 2013

The paper argues that Claude Lévi-Strauss’ thought was influenced by Marcel Mauss’ works in a much deeper way than has been remarked in the literature. Far from being restricted to Lévi-Strauss’ seminal 1949 work onThe Elementary Structures of KinshipMauss’ constitutive impact can already be found in Lévi-Strauss’ early ethnographic studies (starting in the mid-1930s). Moreover, it can be shown that decisive theses and arguments of Lévi-Strauss’ later thought – ranging from the anthropology of kinship to classification theory and the specifics of the “savage mind” – are clearly prefigured in these early texts. In the end, the arguments presented here do not only call into question the well-known and widespread portrayal of Lévi-Strauss as a solitary scientist and “born structuralist” but also show how the specific interpretation of Mauss by Lévi-Strauss directed and restricted the further reception of Mauss’ works.
The Impact Factor Fetishism
Authors: Fleck Christian
Published: October 2013

One of the most popular indicators is the Impact Factor. This paper examines the coming into being of this highly influential figure. It is the offspring of Eugene Garfield’s experimentation with the huge amounts of data available at his Institute for Scientific Information and the result of a number of attempts to find appropriate measurements for the success (“impact”) of articles and journals. The completely inductive procedure was initially adjusted by examining the data thoughtfully and by consulting with experts from different scientific disciplines. Later, its calculation modes were imposed on other disciplines without further consideration. The paper demonstrates in detail the inopportune consequences of this, in particular for sociology. Neither the definition of disciplines, nor the selection of journals for the Web of Science/Social Science Citation Index follows any comprehensible rationale. The procedures for calculating the impact factor are inappropriate. Despite its obvious unsuitability, the impact factor is used by editors of sociological journals for marketing and impression management purposes. Fetishism!
A sixteenth-century Neoplatonic synthesis: Francesco Piccolomini's theory of mathematics and imagination in theAcademicae contemplationes
Authors: CLAESSENS GUY
Published: October 2013

The metamathematical framework of the early modern period is primarily determined by two presuppositions stemming from the Aristotelian tradition: (1) mathematical objects are abstracted from sensible matter; (2) imagination is a reproductive faculty exclusively connected with the sensible realm. The recovery of the works of the Greek commentators confronted the early modern readers with rivalling philosophical–mathematical views that explicitly called into question some of their previously undisputed assumptions. In this article I will argue that Francesco Piccolomini (1523–1607) in hisAcademicae contemplationesbrings about an original fusion of these colliding horizons, by transposing the synthesis established by (?)Simplicius between Aristotelian abstractionism and Neoplatonic innatism into the sixteenth century.
Mineral ages and zircon Hf isotopic composition of the Andong ultramafic complex: implications for the evolution of Mesozoic subduction system and subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath SE Korea
Authors: JEONG GI YOUNG , CHEONG CHANG-SIK , YI KEEWOOK , KIM JEONGMIN , KIM NAMHOON , KWON SEOK-KI , GENG JIAN-ZHEN , LI HUAI-KUN
Published: October 2013

The Phanerozoic subduction system of the Korean peninsula is considered to have been activated by at least Middle Permian time. The geochemically arc-like Andong ultramafic complex (AUC) occurring along the border between the Precambrian Yeongnam massif and the Cretaceous Gyeongsang back-arc basin provides a rare opportunity for direct study of the pre-Cretaceous mantle wedge lying above the subduction zone. The tightly constrained SHRIMP U–Pb age of zircons extracted from orthopyroxenite specimens (222.1±1.0 Ma) is indistinguishable from the Ar/Ar age of coexisting phlogopite (220±6 Ma). These ages represent the timing of suprasubduction zone magmatism likely in response to the sinking of cold and dense oceanic lithosphere and the resultant extensional strain regime in a nascent arc environment. The nearly coeval occurrence of a syenite-gabbro-monzonite suite in the SW Yeongnam massif also suggests an extensional tectonic setting along the continental margin side during Late Triassic time. The relatively enriched ɛHf range of dated zircons (+6.2 to −0.6 at 222 Ma) is in contrast to previously reported primitive Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic features of Cenozoic mantle xenoliths from Korea and eastern China. This enrichment is not ascribed to contamination by the hypothetical Palaeozoic crust beneath SE Korea, but is instead attributable to metasomatism of the lithospheric mantle during the earlier subduction of the palaeo-Pacific plate. Most AUC zircons show a restricted core-to-rim spread of ɛHf values, but some grains testify to the operation of open-system processes during magmatic differentiation.
Whole transcriptome analysis of the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778)
Authors: SCHICHT SABINE , QI WEIHONG , POVEDA LUCY , STRUBE CHRISTINA
Published: October 2013

Although the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778) is the major parasitic pest in poultry farming causing substantial economic losses every year, nucleotide data are rare in the public databases. Therefore, de novo sequencing covering the transcriptome of D. gallinae was carried out resulting in a dataset of 232 097 singletons and 42 130 contiguous sequences (contigs) which were subsequently clustered into 24 140 isogroups consisting of 35 788 isotigs. After removal of sequences possibly originating from bacteria or the chicken host, 267 464 sequences (231 657 singletons, 56 contigs and 35 751 isotigs) remained, of which 10·3% showed homology to proteins derived from other organisms. The most significant Blast top-hit species was the mite Metaseiulus occidentalis followed by the tick Ixodes scapularis. To gain functional knowledge of D. gallinae transcripts, sequences were mapped to Gene Ontology terms, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes (KEGG) pathways and parsed to InterProScan. The transcriptome dataset provides new insights in general mite genetics and lays a foundation for future studies on stage-specific transcriptomics as well as genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic explorations and might provide new perspectives to control this parasitic mite by identifying possible drug targets or vaccine candidates. It is also worth noting that in different tested species of the class Arachnida no 28S rRNA was detectable in the rRNA profile, indicating that 28S rRNA might consists of two separate, hydrogen-bonded fragments, whose (heat-induced) disruption may led to co-migration with 18S rRNA.
‘Will make a good Admiral’: a reassessment of Captain Scott's naval career
Authors: Lewis George , May Karen
Published: October 2013

In his book Scott and Amundsen (1979) Roland Huntford described Captain Robert Falcon Scott R.N. as ‘not well thought of in the Service’ and ‘an obscure, rather dull torpedo lieutenant with mediocre prospects’. A myth has subsequently arisen that Scott was forced into Antarctic exploration as his only route to naval promotion. In reality, Scott was an extremely able officer held in high regard by his naval contemporaries; he was on course for promotion to flag rank (rear-admiral and above) had he not taken up polar exploration; and his primary motivation for polar work was financial support for his family. In addition to a chronological account of Scott's career, this article will present his Admirals’ reports in full.
A reuse oriented representation model for capturing and formalizing the evolving design rationale
Authors: Liu Jihong , Hu Xujie
Published: October 2013

Design rationale (DR) explains why an artifact is designed the way it is. An explicit representation of DR is helpful to designers, allowing them to understand, improve, and reuse previous designs. The argumentation-based representation is the mainstream approach to DR representation. It has a semiformal graphical format to depict the structure of arguments for solving a design problem. This paper argues that because the design is not just a problem-solving process but also a cognitive activity that is continuously iterative and evolving, the conventional argumentation-based representation of DR has some inherent limitations. An improved, intent-driven representation model is proposed to capture and formalize the DR and its evolving history to support DR reuse. The model's knowledge structure, consisting of DR elements and their relationships, is detailed. A preliminary knowledge representation of the model based on Web Ontology Language is introduced. Furthermore, the context of DR is defined to document the complete DR and support effective traceability of design thinking. A graphical DR modeling system is developed, and an example is demonstrated to verify the system's application and the effectiveness of the proposed representation model. The paper provides an effective method to retain and manage a designer's implicit design knowledge, which has the potential to significantly improve the integrated management of product development knowledge.
The impact of milk proteins and peptides on blood pressure and vascular function: a review of evidence from human intervention studies
Authors: Fekete Ágnes A. , Givens D. Ian , Lovegrove Julie A.
Published: October 2013

CVD are the leading cause of death worldwide. Hypertension, a major controllable risk factor of CVD, is intimately associated with vascular dysfunction, a defect which is also now recognised to be a major, modifiable risk factor for the development of CVD. The purpose of the present review was to critically evaluate the evidence for the effects of milk proteins and their associated peptides on blood pressure (BP) and vascular dysfunction. After a detailed literature search, the number of human trials evaluating the antihypertensive effects of casein-derived peptides (excluding isoleucine-proline-proline and valine-proline-proline) was found to be limited; the studies were preliminary with substantial methodological limitations. Likewise, the data from human trials that examined the effects of whey protein and peptides were also scarce and inconsistent. To date, only one study has conducted a comparative investigation on the relative effects of the two main intact milk proteins on BP and vascular function. While both milk proteins were shown to reduce BP, only whey protein improved measures of arterial stiffness. In contrast, a growing number of human trials have produced evidence to support beneficial effects of both milk proteins and peptides on vascular health. However, comparison of the relative outcomes from these trials is difficult owing to variation in the forms of assessment and measures of vascular function. In conclusion, there is an accumulating body of evidence to support positive effects of milk proteins in improving and/or maintaining cardiovascular health. However, the variable quality of the studies that produced this evidence, and the lack of robust, randomised controlled intervention trials, undermines the formulation of firm conclusions on the potential benefits of milk proteins and peptides on vascular health.
FOUR NEW SPECIES OF CYRTANDRA (GESNERIACEAE) FROM THE LATIMOJONG MOUNTAINS, SOUTH SULAWESI
Authors: Bone R. E. , Atkins H. J.
Published: October 2013

Four new species of Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) from the Latimojong Mountains, South Sulawesi (Sulawesi Selatan) are described and illustrated: C. floccosa R.Bone & H.J.Atkins, C. kjellbergii R.Bone & H.J.Atkins, C. purpureofucata R.Bone & H.J.Atkins, and C. spectabilis R.Bone & H.J.Atkins. Conservation recommendations are made for the four species.
A NEW NAME FOR AN ENDEMIC JAMAICAN SPECIES OF RENEALMIA L.F. (ZINGIBERACEAE)
Authors: Maas P. J. M. , Veldkamp J. F. , Newman M.
Published: October 2013

An endemic species of Renealmia (Zingiberaceae) was treated under the illegitimate name R. sylvestris in Flora Neotropica (Maas, 1977). The new combination Renealmia striata (Stokes) Govaerts ex Maas is published for this species.
A Canonical Ramsey Theorem for Exactly m-Coloured Complete Subgraphs
Authors: KITTIPASSORN TEERADEJ , NARAYANAN BHARGAV P.
Published: October 2013

Given an edge colouring of a graph with a set of m colours, we say that the graph is exactly m-coloured if each of the colours is used. We consider edge colourings of the complete graph on $\mathbb{N}$ with infinitely many colours and show that either one can find an exactly m-coloured complete subgraph for every natural number m or there exists an infinite subset X ⊂ $\mathbb{N}$ coloured in one of two canonical ways: either the colouring is injective on X or there exists a distinguished vertex v in X such that X\{v} is 1-coloured and each edge between v and X\{v} has a distinct colour (all different to the colour used on X\{v}). This answers a question posed by Stacey and Weidl in 1999. The techniques that we develop also enable us to resolve some further questions about finding exactly m-coloured complete subgraphs in colourings with finitely many colours.
Involvement of l(–)-rhamnose in sea urchin gastrulation: a live embryo assay
Authors: Smith Tiffany N. , Oppenheimer Steven B.
Published: October 2013

The sea urchin embryo is a National Institutes of Health model system that has provided major developments, and is important in human health and disease. To obtain initial insights to identify glycans that mediate cellular interactions, Lytechinus pictus sea urchin embryos were incubated at 24 or 30 h post-fertilization with 0.0009–0.03 M alpha-cyclodextrin, melibiose, l(–)-rhamnose, trehalose, d(+)-xylose or l(–)-xylose in lower-calcium artificial sea water (pH 8.0, 15°C), which speeds the entry of molecules into the interior of the embryos. While α-cyclodextrin killed the embryos, and l(–)-xylose had small effects at one concentration tested, l(–)-rhamnose caused substantially increased numbers of unattached archenterons and exogastrulated embryos at low glycan concentrations after 18–24 h incubation with the sugar. The results were statistically significant compared with the control embryos in the absence of sugar (P < 0.05). The other sugars (melibiose, trehalose, d(+)-xylose) had no statistically significant effects whatsoever at any of the concentrations tested. In total, in the current study, 39,369 embryos were examined. This study is the first demonstration that uses a live embryo assay for a likely role for l(–)-rhamnose in sea urchin gastrula cellular interactions, which have interested investigators for over a century.
Exploring the effectiveness of linguistic knowledge for biographical relation extraction
Authors: GARCIA MARCOS , GAMALLO PABLO
Published: October 2013

Machine learning techniques have been implemented to extract instances of semantic relations using diverse features based on linguistic knowledge, such as tokens, lemmas, PoS-tags, or dependency paths. However, there has been little work aiming to know which of these features works better in the relation extraction task, and less in languages other than English. In this paper, various features representing different levels of linguistic knowledge are systematically evaluated for biographical relation extraction. The effectiveness of these features was measured by training several supervised classifiers that only differ in the type of linguistic knowledge used to define their features. The experiments performed in this paper show that some basic linguistic knowledge (provided by lemmas and their combination in bigrams) behaves better than other complex features, such as those based on syntactic analysis. Furthermore, some feature combinations using different levels of analysis are proposed in order (i) to avoid feature overlapping as well as (ii) to evaluate the use of computationally inexpensive and widespread tools such as tokenization and lemmatization. This paper also describes two new freely available corpora for biographical relation extraction in Portuguese and Spanish, built by means of a distant-supervision strategy. Experiments were performed with five semantic relations and two languages, using these corpora.
Investing in Couple Relationship Education in the UK: A Gender Perspective
Authors: van Acker Liz
Published: October 2013

The UK Conservative–Liberal Democratic Coalition government has declared that marriage is imperative for society. This article examines couple relationship education (CRE), which aims to strengthen marriage and relationships. It argues that these programmes have potential because they offer opportunities for women and men to enhance their relationships through adult education that develops relationship skills and knowledge. For CRE to have a population level impact, however, knowledge of how to promote access to services designed for disadvantaged or vulnerable couples is critical. Gender disadvantage interacts with class, ethnicity, age and disability. Advocating marriage per se is too simplistic a solution to the complex problems of couples with diverse needs or low-income earners. If the government is serious about wanting to strengthen relationships and marriage, CRE would be a better investment if it was coordinated with policies and services such as balancing work and family and alleviating problems for low-income families.
IL‐21 Modulates Activation of NKT Cells in Patients with Stage IV Malignant Melanoma
Authors: Coquet Jonathan M , Skak Kresten , Davis Ian D , Smyth Mark J , Godfrey Dale I
Published: October 2013

Interleukin‐21 (IL‐21) is a common γ‐chain cytokine produced by T helper and natural killer T (NKT) cells. It has been shown to regulate the response of various lymphocyte subsets including NK, NKT, T and B cells. Owing to its potent anti‐tumor function in preclinical studies and its ability to induce cytotoxicity and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) production in NK and CD8 T cells, recombinant IL‐21 (rIL‐21) was fast‐tracked into early‐phase clinical trials of patients with various malignancies. In a phase 2a trial of patients with metastatic melanoma, we analyzed the frequency and function of NKT cells in patients receiving rIL‐21. NKT cells were present at a low frequency, but their levels were relatively stable in patients administered rIL‐21. Unlike our observations in NK and CD8 T cells, rIL‐21 appeared to reduce IFN‐γ and TNF production by NKT cells, whereas it enhanced IL‐4 production. It also modulated the expression of cell surface markers, specifically on CD4− NKT cells. In addition, an increase in CD3+CD56+ NKT‐like cells was observed over the course of rIL‐21 administration. These results highlight that IL‐21 is a potent regulator of NKT cell function in vivo.
Animals in research: a stony road
Authors: Paterlini Marta
Published: October 2013

The EU Directive on the use of animals in research should now be law across Europe. However, some countries have yet to implement the directive and scientists still fear that it might hinder research.
Involvement of proteinase activated receptor-2in the vascular response to sphingosine 1-phosphate
Authors: Roviezzo Fiorentina , De Angelis Antonella , De Gruttola Luana , Bertolino Antonio , Sullo Nikol , Brancaleone Vincenzo , Bucci Mariarosaria , De Palma Raffaele , Urbanek Konrad , D’Agostino Bruno , Ianaro Angela , Sorrentino Raffaella , Cirino Giuseppe
Published: October 2013

S1P (sphingosine 1-phosphate) represents one of the key latest additions to the list of vasoactive substances that modulate vascular tone. PAR-2 (proteinase activated receptor-2) has been shown to be involved in cardiovascular function. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of PAR-2 in S1P-induced effect on vascular tone. The present study has been performed by using isolated mouse aortas. Both S1P and PAR-2 agonists induced endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation. L-NAME (NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) and wortmannin abrogated the S1P-induced vasorelaxatioin, while significantly inhibiting the PAR-2-mediated effect. Either ENMD1068, a PAR-2 antagonist, or gabexate, a serine protease inhibitor, significantly inhibited S1P-induced vasorelaxation. Aortic tissues harvested from mice overexpressing PAR-2 displayed a significant increase in vascular response to S1P as opposed to PAR-2-null mice. Immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence studies demonstrated that S1P1 interacted with PAR-2 and co-localized with PAR-2 on the vascular endothelial surface. Furthermore, S1P administration to vascular tissues triggered PAR-2 mobilization from the plasma membrane to the perinuclear area; S1P-induced translocation of PAR-2 was abrogated when aortic rings were pre-treated with ENMD1068 or when caveolae dysfunction occurred. Similarly, experiments performed in cultured endothelial cells (human umbilical vein endothelial cells) showed a co-localization of S1P1 and PAR2, as well as the ability of S1P to induce PAR-2 trafficking. Our results suggest that S1P induces endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation mainly through S1P1 and involves PAR-2 transactivation.