bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Native macrophages genetically modified to express heme oxygenase 1 protect rat liver transplants from ischemia/reperfusion injury
Authors: Shen Xiu-Da , Ke Bibo , Uchida Yoichiro , Ji Haofeng , Gao Feng , Zhai Yuan , Busuttil Ronald W. , Kupiec-Weglinski Jerzy W.
Published: October 2010

We investigated whether native macrophages overexpressing heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) could protect rat orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) against cold ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). Livers from Sprague-Dawley rats were stored at 4°C in University of Wisconsin solution for 24 hours, and then they were transplanted into syngeneic recipients. Bone marrow–derived macrophages (BMMs) that were transfected ex vivo with heme oxygenase 1 adenovirus (Ad-HO-1), β-galactosidase adenovirus (Ad-β-gal), or HO-1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) were infused directly into the OLT before reperfusion. Controls were OLT conditioned with unmodified or scrambled siRNA–transfected cells. The transfer of Ad-HO-1/BMMs increased the survival of OLT to 100% (versus 40%-50% for controls) and decreased serum alanine aminotransferase levels and histological features of hepatocellular damage. In contrast, an infusion of macrophages transfected with HO-1 siRNA/Ad-β-gal failed to affect IRI. Gene therapy–induced HO-1 suppressed toll-like receptor 4 expression, decreased expression of proinflammatory tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-1β, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10, and attenuated endothelial intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1 expression with resultant diminished OLT leukocyte sequestration. Although Ad-HO-1/BMMs decreased the frequency of apoptotic cells positive for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling and ameliorated caspase-3 activity, the expression of interleukin-10 and antiapoptotic B cell lymphoma 2/B cell lymphoma extra large increased in well-functioning OLT. Thus, the transfer of native macrophages transfected ex vivo with HO-1 can rescue rat iso-OLT from IRI. Our study validates a novel and clinically attractive concept: native macrophages transfected ex vivo with the antioxidant HO-1 can be applied at the time of transplantation to mitigate otherwise damaging antigen-independent liver inflammation and injury resulting from the peritransplant harvesting insult. If this new, refined strategy is proven to be effective in allo-OLT recipients, it should be considered in clinical settings to increase the supply of usable donor organs and ultimately improve the overall success of liver transplantation. Liver Transpl 17:201–210, 2011. © 2011 AASLD.
Safety and efficacy of high dose intravenous desferrioxamine for reduction of iron overload in sickle cell disease
Authors: Kalpatthi Ram , Peters Brittany , Kane Ian , Holloman David , Rackoff Elizabeth , Disco Deborah , Jackson Sherron , Laver Joseph H , Abboud Miguel R.
Published: October 2010

Background

Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) receiving chronic blood transfusions are at risk of developing iron overload and organ toxicity. Chelation therapy with either subcutaneous (SQ) desferrioxamine (DFO) or oral deferasirox is effective in preventing and reducing iron overload but poses significant challenges with patient compliance. Intravenous (IV) infusions of high dose DFO have been utilized in non‐compliant patients with heavy iron overload in small case series.

Procedure

We review our experience of high dose IV DFO in 27 patients with SCD who had significant iron overload and were noncompliant with subcutaneous (SQ) DFO. All patients were treated in‐hospital with DFO 15 mg/kg/hr IV for 48 hr every 2–4 weeks with a mean duration of 19.6 months.

Results

We observed a significant decrease in liver iron burden with high dose intermittent IV DFO. Histological examination of liver biopsies revealed a decrease in the grade of liver iron storage. Also there was significant improvement in liver enzymes (ALT, AST) after high dose IV DFO. No audiologic or ophthalmologic toxicity or acute or chronic pulmonary complications were observed.

Conclusions

In our cohort of patients with SCD we observed a significant decrease in liver iron burden with high dose IV DFO. Our patients tolerated the therapy well without any major toxicity. This regimen is safe and may be an option for poorly compliant patients with significant iron overload. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010;55:1338–1342. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A isoform mRNA expression in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Kruizinga R.C. , de Jonge H.J.M. , Kampen K.R. , Walenkamp A.M.E. , de Bont E.S.J.M.
Published: October 2010

In AML high VEGFA protein expression correlates with poor overall and relapse‐free survival (OS/RFS). To date, the relevance of the various VEGFA isoforms is unclear. We determined VEGF121, VEGF145, VEGF148, VEGF165, VEGF183, and VEGF189 mRNA expression in pediatric AML samples and investigated the relation between VEGFA isoform expression and clinicopatholologic characteristics and outcome. A significant co‐expression of VEGF121, VEGF165, VEGF183, and VEGF189 isoforms was apparent (mean rho = 0.716, P < 0.0001). This co‐expression justifies measuring a single VEGFA isoform (e.g., 121, 165, 183, and 189) as representative expression of all VEGFA isoforms in future studies designed to determine the prognostic importance of VEGFA isoforms. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2011;56:294–297. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Case study summary of dryer explosion and venting design
Authors: Davis Scott G. , Engel Derek , Hansen Olav R.
Published: October 2010

A recent explosion occurred in a single burner, recirculating solids ring dryer. The explosion caused significant damage to the dryer. All of the explosion panels opened, with two of the doors on the external ring duct were separated from their hinges, with one landing on the upper roof section, while the other fell back through the roof of the facility in the area of workers. The facility owners thought the accident was caused by a dust explosion, because they recently converted to a new process with finer solid particulates. However, process data also showed that the explosion could have been the result of a gas explosion. A computational fluids dynamic model was used to help evaluate the consequences associated with a dust or gas explosion during the incident. The simulated results showed that this was a gas explosion and not a dust explosion. Preventative recommendations are included. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2010
High‐throughput approach to detection of knockdown resistance (kdr) mutation in mosquitoes, Culex quinquefasciatus, based on real‐time PCR using single‐labelled hybridisation probe/melting curve analysis
Authors: Sarkar Manas , Baruah Indra , Srivastava Ravi B , Borkotoki Aparajita , Bhattacharyya Indra Kumar
Published: October 2010

BACKGROUND: Knockdown resistance (kdr) mutation (L1014F) is a well‐defined mechanism of resistance to pyrethroids and DDT in many insect species. Sensitive detection of the mutations associated with resistance is a prerequisite for resistance management strategies. The authors have developed a new real‐time molecular diagnostic assay based on SimpleProbe®/melting curve analysis for large‐scale kdr genotyping in the wild population of Culex quinquefasciatus Say, the principal vector of bancroftian filariasis. Melting curve analysis is based on the thermal stability difference between matched and mismatched DNA duplexes. The application of SimpleProbe® chemistry in insects described here is novel in entomology research.

RESULTS: The mosquitoes homozygous for knockdown‐resistant and knockdown‐susceptible allele showed melting peaks at 60.45 °C ( ± 0.25) and 64.09 °C ( ± 0.24) respectively. The heterozygous mosquitoes yielded both peaks at approximately 60.5 °C ( ± 0.2) and 64.20 °C ( ± 0.23). Among the 92 samples genotyped, 16 were found to be homozygous resistant, 44 homozygous susceptible and 32 heterozygous. Comparative assessments were made of all the reported methods for kdr genotyping.

CONCLUSION: The present method is cheaper, faster, more reliable and versatile than other alternatives proposed in detecting correct kdr genotypes in mosquitoes. This is the first report using a single‐labelled hybridisation probe to detect point mutations in insect populations. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Olfactory and visual responses of the longlegged chafer Hoplia spectabilis Medvedev (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Qinghai Province, China
Authors: Zhang Qing‐He , Ma Jian‐Hai , Yang Qi‐Qing , Byers John A , Klein Michael G , Zhao Feng‐Yu , Luo You‐Qing
Published: October 2010

BACKGROUND: Monitoring traps and control methods are needed for the long‐legged chafer, Hoplia spectabilis Medvedev, which has recently reached outbreak numbers in pastureland of Qinghai Province, China.

RESULTS: Field trapping experiments, using cross‐pane funnel (barrier) traps, showed that H. spectabilis adults were not significantly attracted to branches of the host plant Dasiphora fructicosa (L.) Rydb. However, beetles were slightly attracted to similar host plant branches infested by conspecific beetles, possibly owing to weakly attractive volatiles, primarily (Z)‐3‐hexenyl acetate, released from beetle‐damaged host leaves. This compound was weakly attractive when released from traps. However, H. spectabilis beetles showed strong visual responses to yellow‐ or white‐painted trap panes, with weaker responses to blue, red or green panes, and least response to black panes. Black traps at 0.2–1.5 m above ground intercepted significantly more beetles than traps at 2.5 m. The mean flight height based on trap catches was 0.88 m (SD = 0.76), yielding an effective flight layer of 1.9 m. Flight response of beetles to colored barrier traps occurred between 10:00 and 18:00, and peaked between 12:00‐14:00, when daily temperatures reached their maximum.

CONCLUSION: Unbaited yellow or white cross‐pane funnel traps are recommended for both monitoring and mass‐trapping programs against this economically and ecologically important scarab beetle. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Lepidopteran larva consumption of soybean foliage: basis for developing multiple‐species economic thresholds for pest management decisions
Authors: de Freitas Bueno Regiane Cristina Oliveira , de Freitas Bueno Adeney , Moscardi Flávio , Postali Parra José Roberto , Hoffmann‐Campo Clara Beatriz
Published: October 2010

BACKGROUND: Defoliation by Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hübner), Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), Spodoptera eridania (Cramer), S. cosmioides (Walker) and S. frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was evaluated in four soybean genotypes. A multiple‐species economic threshold (ET), based upon the species' feeding capacity, is proposed with the aim of improving growers' management decisions on when to initiate control measures for the species complex.

RESULTS: Consumption by A. gemmatalis, S. cosmioides or S. eridania on different genotypes was similar. The highest consumption of P. includens was 92.7 cm2 on Codetec 219RR; that of S. frugiperda was 118 cm2 on Codetec 219RR and 115.1 cm2 on MSoy 8787RR. The insect injury equivalent for S. cosmoides, calculated on the basis of insect consumption, was double the standard consumption by A. gemmatalis, and statistically different from the other species tested, which were similar to each other.

CONCLUSIONS: As S. cosmioides always defoliated nearly twice the leaf area of the other species, the injury equivalent would be 2 for this lepidopteran species and 1 for the other species. The recommended multiple‐species ET to trigger the beginning of insect control would then be 20 insect equivalents per linear metre. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Labdane‐type diterpenoids from Leonurus heterophyllus and their cholinesterase inhibitory activity
Authors: Hung Tran Manh , Luan Tran Cong , Vinh Bui The , Cuong To Dao , Min Byung Sun
Published: October 2010

In the course of screening plants used in natural medicines as memory enhancers, a 70% ethanol extract of the aerial parts of Leonurus heterophyllus showed significant AChE inhibitory activity. Bioassay‐guided fractionation and repeated column chromatography led to the isolation of a new labdane‐type diterpenoids (1), named leoheteronin F, and six known compounds (2–7). The chemical structures of isolated compounds were elucidated based on extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data. The isolates 1–7 were investigated in vitro for their anticholinesterase activity using mouse cortex AChE enzyme. Leoheteronin A (5) and leopersin G (7), which possess a 15,16‐epoxy group at the side chain, were found to be potent in the inhibition of AChE. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The DFT study on mechanisms for NCO with C2H5 reaction
Authors: Pan Ya‐Ru , Tang Yi‐Zhen , Sun Jing‐Yu , Sun Hao , Wang Rong‐Shun
Published: October 2010

A detailed investigation has been performed at the QCISD(T)/6‐311++G(d,p)//B3LYP/6‐311+G(d,p) level for the reaction of NCO with C2H5 by constructing singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces (PES). The results show that the title reaction is more favorable on the singlet PES than on the triplet PES. On the singlet PES, the initial addition processes are barrierless and release lots of energy. The dominant channel occurs via the fragmentations of the initial adduct C2H5NCO and C2H5OCN to form C2H4 + HNCO and HOCN, respectively. With higher barrier heights, other products such as CH4 + HNC + CO, CH3CHNH + CO, CH3CH + HNCO, and CH3CN + H2 + CO are less competitive. On the triplet PES, the entrance reactions surpass significant barriers; therefore, it could be negligible at the normal atmospheric condition. However, the most feasible channel on the triplet PES is the direct hydrogen abstraction channel to form CH2CH2 + HNCO. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011
A theoretical study on electronic structure and structure–activity properties of novel drug precursor 6‐acylbenzothiazolon derivatives
Authors: Gülseven Sidir Yadİgar , Sidir İsa , Taşal Erol , Öǧretir Cemİl
Published: October 2010

In this work, electronic properties and structure–activity relationship (SAR) parameters of 20 novel drug precursor 6‐acylbenzothiazolon derivatives with analgesic activity have been investigated theoretically by performing Austin Model‐1 (AM1) and DFT‐B3LYP/6‐31G (d) calculations with the aim to correlate the properties of each substance—particularly electronic properties and SAR parameters—with the biological interactions that are linked to their pharmacological effects. Their molecular properties were related to the biological activity of these drug precursor molecules. The relationship between octanol–water partition coefficient (logP) and each of the SAR parameters [ELUMO–HOMO, molecular volume (Vm), ionization potential (IP), electron affinity, electronegativity (χ), chemical hardness (η), chemical softness (S), electrophilic index (ω), and molar refractivity] present linear correlation except for IP and χ. This result suggests that there are future prospects for designing or developing new drugs based on the correlation between the theoretically calculated parameters. According to AM1 calculation, the values of heat of formation of 6‐acylbenzothiazolon derivatives are negative (exothermic), which shows that these molecules are thermodynamically stable.ELUMO–HOMOenergy levels of the studied molecules are 4–5 eV, which also indicate that they are kinetically unstable. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011
Magnetic excitation and thermodynamics of BaFe2As2
Authors: Wang Y. , Shang S. L. , Chen L. Q. , Liu Z. K.
Published: October 2010

Magnetic excitation of the iron‐based superconductor parent compound BaFe2As2 at finite temperature are addressed with a first‐principles formulation of the Helmholtz energy, which can account for the finite temperature mixture of many magnetic configurations. We find that it is the spin exchange coupling in the interplane c direction that dictates the spin density wave ordering. We have also quantitatively predicted the pressure dependence of the spin density wave ordering temperature, the Schottky anomaly, and the temperature dependence of thermal populations of several low‐energy spin configurations, all in agreement with available experimental data. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011
Theoretical study on the smallest endohedral metallofullerenes: TM@C20 (TM = Ce and Gd)
Authors: Wu Julong , Sun Zhicheng , Li Xiaojun , Ma Bing , Tian Maosheng , Li Shirong
Published: October 2010

The structure, electronic property, and infrared spectroscopy of endohedral metallofullerenes TM@C20 (TM = Ce and Gd) have been systematically investigated with the aid of the hybrid DFT‐B3LYP functional. It is found that in the endohedral metallofullerenes the average CC bond lengths are obvious longer than those of empty cage. The frontier orbital analyses show that the endohedral metallofullerene Gd@C20 has the high‐thermodynamic stability. Natural population analysis also tells us that only in the Ce@C20, the Ce atom acts as an electron acceptor with the negative charges, and the 4f orbitals of Ce and Gd atoms have a significant contribution in the formation of chemical bonding. Additionally, the analyses of harmonic vibrational frequencies reveal that when the TM atoms are encapsulated into the C20 cage, the strongest absorption peaks are characterized by a mixture of TM−C bending and CC stretching vibrations. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011
Seed predator deterrence by seed‐carrying ants in a dyszoochorous plant, Chamaesyce maculata L. Small (Euphorbiaceae)
Authors: Ohnishi Yoshihiro K. , Suzuki Nobuhiko
Published: October 2010

Seeds are often carried by omnivorous ants even if they do not carry elaiosomes. Although many seeds carried by ants are consumed, both seeds abandoned during the seed carrying and leftover seeds are consequently dispersed (dyszoochory). These non‐myrmecochorous seeds do not necessarily attract ants quickly. Therefore, these seeds often seem to be exposed to the danger of consumption by pre‐dispersal seed predators. We propose the hypotheses, “seed predator deterrence hypothesis” that plants may benefit from seed‐carrying ants if they deter seed predators from visiting plants, and seed‐carrying ants may play additional roles in plant reproductive success, besides dyszoochory by ants. To test the hypotheses, we investigated the abundance of seed‐carrying ants of the species Tetramorium tsushimae Linnaeus and Pheidole noda Smith F., and of the seed predatory stinkbug, Nysius plebeius Distat, on the spotted sandmat, Chamaesyce maculata L. Small, of which the seeds have no elaiosomes but are consumed by both ants and bugs. In the field, ants and stinkbugs seldom encountered each other on the plant. The number of stinkbugs beneath the plants with ants was smaller than that beneath the plants without ants. In laboratory experiments, the number of stinkbugs on the shoot was smaller when ants were present than when they were absent. These results might support the seed predator deterrence hypothesis: the probability of seed predation by stinkbugs seems to be reduced by the ant visits on plants and/or the existence of ants beneath the plants. This study highlights a new ant–plant interaction in seed dispersal by ants.
Diagnosis of glutaric aciduria type 1 by measuring 3‐hydroxyglutaric acid in dried urine spots by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Al‐Dirbashi Osama Y. , Kölker Stefan , Ng Dione , Fisher Lawrence , Rupar Tony , Lepage Nathalie , Rashed Mohamed S. , Santa Tomofumi , Goodman Stephen I. , Geraghty Michael T. , Zschocke Johannes , Christensen Ernst , Hoffmann Georg F. , Chakraborty Pranesh
Published: October 2010

Accumulation of glutaric acid (GA) and 3‐hydroxyglutaric acid (3HGA) in body fluids is the biochemical hallmark of type 1 glutaric aciduria (GA1), a disorder characterized by acute striatal degeneration and a subsequent dystonia. To date, methods for quantification of 3HGA are mainly based on stable isotope dilution gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) and require extensive sample preparation. Here we describe a simple liquid chromatography tandem MS (LC‐MS/MS) method to quantify this important metabolite in dried urine spots (DUS). This method is based on derivatization with 4‐[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethylaminosulfonyl]‐7‐(2‐aminoethylamino)‐2,1,3‐benzoxadiazole (DAABD‐AE). Derivatization was adopted to improve the chromatographic and mass spectrometric properties of the studied analytes. Derivatization was performed directly on a 3.2‐mm disc of DUS as a sample without extraction. Sample mixture was heated at 60°C for 45 min, and 5 μl of the reaction solution was analyzed by LC‐MS/MS. Reference ranges obtained were in excellent agreement with the literature. The method was applied retrospectively for the analysis of DUS samples from established low‐ and high‐excreter GA1 patients as well as controls (n = 100). Comparison of results obtained versus those obtained by GC‐MS was satisfactory (n = 14). In populations with a high risk of GA1, this approach will be useful as a primary screening method for high‐ or low‐excreter variants. In these populations, however, DUS analysis should not be implemented before completing a parallel comparative study with the standard screening method (i.e., molecular testing). In addition, follow‐up DUS GA and 3HGA testing of babies with elevated dried blood spot C5DC acylcarnitines will be useful as a first‐tier diagnostic test, thus reducing the number of cases requiring enzymatic and molecular analyses to establish or refute the diagnosis of GA1.
Comparing system‐specific chaperone interactions with their Tat dependent redox enzyme substrates
Authors: Chan Catherine S. , Chang Limei , Winstone Tara M.L. , Turner Raymond J.
Published: October 2010

MINT‐8046409: NapD (uniprotkb:P0A9I5) and NapA (uniprotkb:P33937) physically interact (MI:0915) by two hybrid (MI:0018)
Endoscopic trans-sphenoidal removal of cholesterol granuloma of the petrous apex: case report and literature review
Authors: Dhanasekar G , Jones N S
Published: October 2010

Objective:

We report a case of cholesterol granuloma of the petrous apex which was surgically treated via an endoscopic trans-sphenoidal approach.

Methods:

Case report and review of the literature concerning cholesterol granulomas of the petrous apex and their management.

Results:

The lesion was approached endoscopically via a bilateral sphenoidotomy with removal of the vomer. A large cholesterol granuloma was evacuated and marsupialised. The patient made an uneventful recovery.

Conclusion:

Trans-sphenoidal access to the petrous apex represents an alternative route for the drainage and ventilation of cholesterol granulomas. This approach is the technique of choice when the cholesterol granuloma abuts the posterior wall of the sphenoid sinus. The trans-sphenoid approach, unlike other lateral approaches to the petrous apex, spares cochlear and vestibular function and allows post-operative endoscopic follow up.
On the inertia term in the momentum equation in the free-fall regime of discharge maintenance
Authors: LISHEV ST. ST. , SHIVAROVA A. P. , TARNEV KH. TS.
Published: October 2010

The study, being on two-dimensional modelling of low pressure discharges, suggests an approach to the nonlinear inertia term in the momentum equation of the positive ions needed to be accounted for in the free-fall regime of the discharge maintenance. On the basis of conclusions that the inertia term acts in the wall sheath, where the ions fly perpendicularly to the walls, it is shown that (i) the parallel – to the walls – velocity component can be neglected, and (ii) the rest of the convective derivative can be determined by using the energy conservation law in the collisionless case. In a way, the inertia term acting as a retarding force is joined to the momentum loss term by introducing effective collision frequencies. The validity of the procedure is proved in a model of a low pressure argon discharge by comparison with the exact solutions for the two-dimensional spatial distribution of the discharge characteristics (ion velocity, electron density and temperature and DC electric field and its potential). The conclusion is that (i) ignoring the velocity component that is parallel to the walls does not cause deviation from the exact solution, and (ii) the approximation of using the energy conservation law in the collisionless case is good enough.
Writing about listening: alternative discourses in rock journalism
Authors: ATTON CHRIS
Published: October 2010

‘Alternative’ publications challenge the conventional discourses of rock journalism. In particular, the dominant discourses of authenticity, masculinity and mythology might be countered by publications that emphasise historical and (sub)cultural framing, and that present radicalised ‘spaces of listening’. Using Bourdieu’s field theory to identify autonomous and semi-autonomous sites for rock criticism, the paper compares how a fanzine (the Sound Projector) and what Frith has termed an ideological magazine (the Wire) construct their reviews. The findings suggest that, whilst there is no evidence for an absolute break with the dominant conventions of reviewing, there is a remarkable polyglottism in alternative music reviewing. The paper emphasises differing cultural and social practices in the multiple ways the publications write about music, and argues for the value of such polyglottism.
Bounded minimalisation and bounded counting in argument-bounded idc's
Authors: BARRA MATHIAS
Published: October 2010

We define and investigate a number of small inductively defined classes (idc's),à laGregorczyk, that are based onargument-boundedinitial functions and thebounded minimalisationandbounded countingschemata. We establish equivalences between these and other classes in the literature, with an emphasis on minimalism. We also obtain characterisations of the classes in terms of well-known fragments of first-order predicate logic.
Diamond embeddings into the enumeration degrees
Authors: SORBI ANDREA , WU GUOHUA , YANG YUE
Published: October 2010

We show that the diamond lattice can be embedded into the Σ02enumeration degrees preserving 0 and 1, with atoms one high and Π01, and the other one low.
Axiomatic semantics of projection temporal logic programs
Authors: YANG XIAOXIAO , DUAN ZHENHUA , MA QIAN
Published: October 2010

In this paper, we investigate the axiomatic semantics of the projection temporal logic programming language MSVL. To this end, we employ Propositional Projection Temporal Logic (PPTL) as an assertion language to specify the desired properties. We give a set of state axioms and state inference rules. In order to deduce a program over an interval, we also formalise a set of rules in terms of a Hoare logic-like triple. These rules enable us to deduce a program into its normal form and from the current state to the next one. They also enable us to verify properties over intervals. In this way, an axiom system for proving the correctness of MSVL programs is established. The axiom system is proved to be sound and relatively complete with respect to an operational model of MSVL, and give an example showing how the axiom system works. Finally, we employ a recently developed prototype verifier based on PVS as an example of semi-automatic verification using MSVL.
Connection between logical and algebraic approaches to concurrent systems
Authors: ZHAN NAIJUN
Published: October 2010

The logical and algebraic approaches are regarded as two of the dominant methodologies for the development of reactive and concurrent systems. It is well known that the logic approach is more abstract, but lacks compositionality; while the algebraic approach is inherently compositional, but lacks abstractness. However, connecting the two approaches is a major challenge in computer science, and many efforts have been directed to resolving the problem. Linking the algebraic approach to the logical approach has been satisfactorily resolved through the notion of characteristic formulae. But very limited success has been achieved so far in the other direction, as most of the established results have been developed only with respect to a simple semantics, which has usually been strong bisimulation. However, in practice, an observational semantics like weak bisimulation, which is much more complicated, is thought to be more useful. In this paper, we investigate how to connect the logical and algebraic approaches with respect to the observational preorder, which is a generalisation of weak bisimulation that takes divergence into account. We show the following results. First, we prove that the non-deterministic operator of process algebra can be defined in modal and temporal logics (such as the μ-calculus and the Fixpoint Logic with Chop) with respect to the observational preorder (in fact, the kernel of its precongruence). In this way, we can apply the logical approach to the design of a complex system in a compositional way. Second, we present two algorithms for constructing the characteristic formulae for a context-free process up to the preorder and its precongruence, respectively. The effect of this is that all the reductions for processes that are usually done in an algebraic setting can be handled in a logical setting.
Successful closure for a case of congenital coronary artery fistula using a patent ductus arteriosus occluder
Authors: Zhao Gang , Jin Heng , Wu Hongping
Published: October 2010

We describe a case of transcatheter occlusion of a large and tortuose coronary artery fistula in an 8-year-old girl. During 2.5 years’ of follow-up, she had no complaints and developed normally. This method of reserving the guide wire in cardiac catheterisation is extremely useful. Through the application of a patent ductus arteriosus occluder, the transcatheter closure of coronary artery fistulas proves to be a safe, feasible, and cost-effective option to surgery.
Comprehensive four-dimensional phase-contrast flow assessment in hemi-Fontan circulation: systemic-to-pulmonary collateral flow quantification
Authors: Valverde Israel , Rachel Clough , Kuehne Titus , Beerbaum Philipp
Published: October 2010

Precise lung perfusion quantification is essential for evaluation of patients with hemi-Fontan surgery. It is possible for two-dimensional cardiac magnetic resonance phase contrast flow (two-dimensional flow) to evaluate non-invasively the systemic-to-pulmonary collateral blood flow. This case report intends to illustrate the benefit of four-dimensional flow over the current two-dimensional flow in the comprehensive assessment of hemi-Fontan patients.
Unbelievable but improved cookstoves are not helpful in reducing firewood demand in Nepal
Authors: NEPAL MANI , NEPAL APSARA , GRIMSRUD KRISTINE
Published: October 2010

This paper analyzes the effect of different types of cookstoves on firewood demand at the household level. Using nationally representative household survey data from Nepal, we find that stove type significantly affects the firewood demand for household uses. Traditional mud-stove user households seem to use less firewood than the open-fire stove users. Surprisingly, households with the so-called ‘improved’ stoves seem to use more firewood than the households with mud stoves. Thus, converting traditional open-fire stoves to mud stoves may be a better conservation strategy in the short term rather than installing improved stoves, unless the technology improves. However, in the long run, making cleaner fuel more accessible to rural households is desirable to reduce indoor air pollution.
The Construction of an Islamic City in Palestine. The Case of Umayyad al-Ramla
Authors: Luz Nimrod
Published: October 2010

At the beginning of the eighth century A.D. a new town was built in Palestine, called al- Ramla (Ramlah of today). It was founded by the then provincial governor, Sulaymān b. ‘Abd al-Malik (d. 717) in order to serve as the capital of Jund Filasṭīn, the southern province of Palestine. The building of a new town, and especially of a capital city, constituted a significant departure in the Palestine environment, for two main reasons. First, it was the first city to be founded after a period of 350 years, i.e., for most of the Byzantine epoch. Second, though the Muslims ruled the country for 1100 years, al-Ramla remained the sole example of a new town in the whole of Palestine.
Pre-Kuṣāṇa Reliquaries from Pātaka, Swāt
Authors: Swāti Muhammad Farooq
Published: October 2010

Pātaka marks the site of a Buddhist establishment that lies about two miles to the west from Chindākhwara village, situated on the main Kabal–Parrai road, in the Kabal Tehsīl of the Swāt District. The site is situated in the midst of cultivated fields, at the foothills of the mountains that stretch between Koṭlai and Khiamdara. On the way, from the main road to the site, one encounters four dry beds of hill torrents, khwars. Immediately to the north of the site, there is a seasonal stream called Pātaka khwargai, descending from the nearby hills to the west of the site and forming the only source of water in this far flung area.
A Recipe to Qubilai Qa’an on Governance: the Case of Chang Te-hui and Li Chih
Authors: Chan Hok-Lam
Published: October 2010

It has been well established in modern scholarship that the Mongol successors to Chinggis Qan (1162–1227), who launched the campaign against the Chin state in 1213 that led to its extinction in 1234, were heavily indebted to the counsel and support of the Chinese grandees of Jurchen rule in their consolidation of north China. This passed through different stages, beginning with Ögödei Qa’an (r. 1229–41) and continued by Möngke (r. 1251–9), through trial and error amid factional strifes and political bickering among different Mongol rulers and their supporters and dissenters.
Fichte and Schelling
Authors: Hausheer Roger
Published: October 2010

Intellectual historians have often remarked that German thought from its earliest beginnings is marked by two major features that distinguish it from the greater part of the remainder of Western European thought. These are, first, the tendency to seek some kind of participatory relationship with nature and the universe conceived in quasi-animistic terms, which represents a kind of reversion to a much older, much more primitive way of conceiving the world and man's place in it, and has led to all kinds of mysticism. It is a strain in the history of German thought which has been brought out very clearly by Lévy-Bruhl and others.
Hegel's Critique of Foundationalism in the ‘Doctrine of Essence’
Authors: Houlgate Stephen
Published: October 2010

It is a commonplace among certain recent philosophers that there is no such thing as theessenceof anything. Nietzsche, for example, asserts that things have no essence of their own, because they are nothing but ceaselessly changing ways of acting on, and reacting to, other things. Wittgenstein, famously, rejects the idea that there is an essence to language and thought – at least if we mean by that somea priorilogical structure underlying our everyday utterances. Finally, Richard Rorty urges that we ‘abandon … the notion of “essence” altogether’, along with ‘the notion that man's essence is to be a knower of essences’.
German Philosophy of Mathematics from Gauss to Hilbert
Authors: Gillies Donald
Published: October 2010

Suppose we were to ask some students of philosophy to imagine a typical book of classical German philosophy and describe its general style and character, how might they reply? I suspect that they would answer somewhat as follows. The book would be long and heavy, it would be written in a complicated style which employed only very abstract terms, and it would be extremely difficult to understand. At all events a description of this kind does indeed fit many famous works of German philosophy. Let us take for example Hegel'sPhenomenology of Spiritof 1807. The 1977 English translation published by Oxford has 591 pages, and as for style here is a typical passage:

Self-consciousness found the Thing to be like itself, and itself to be like a Thing; i.e., it is aware that it isin itselfthe objectively real world. It is no longer theimmediatecertainty of being all reality, but a certainty for which the immediate in general has the form of something superseded, so that theobjectivityof the immediate still has only the value of something superficial, its inner being and essence being self-consciousness itself. The object, to which it is positively related, is therefore a self-consciousness. It is in the form of thinghood, i.e. it isindependent; but it is certain that this independent object is for it not something alien, and thus it knows that it isin principlerecognized by the object. It is Spirit which, in the duplication of its self-consciousness and in the independence of both, has the certainty of its unity with itself. This certainty has now to be raised to the level of truth; what holds good for itin principle, and in its inner certainty, has to enter into its consciousness and becomeexplicitfork. (p. 211)
Husserl's Concept of Being: From Phenomenology to Metaphysics
Authors: Priest Stephen
Published: October 2010

Western philosophy since Kant has been essentially operating within a Kantian anti-metaphysical paradigm. German-language philosophy, and a fortiori Husserl's phenomenology, is no exception to this. Here I argue that despite his putative eschewal of metaphysics in the phenomenological reduction or epoché Husserl deploys an ontological, even fundamental ontological, vocabulary and may be read as a metaphysician malgre lui. To the extent to which this interpretation is viable, one escape route from the critical paradigm would seem to be opened up.
Frege and the Later Wittgenstein
Authors: Hacker P. M. S.
Published: October 2010

In the preface to the Tractatus Wittgenstein acknowledged ‘Frege's great works’ as one of the two primary stimulations for his thoughts. Throughout his life he admired Frege both as a great thinker and as a great stylist. This much is indisputable. What is disputable is how he viewed his own philosophical work in relation to Frege's and, equally, how we should view his work in this respect. Some followers of Frege are inclined to think that Wittgenstein's work builds on or complements that of Frege. If that were true it would be plausible to suppose that the joint legacy of these two great philosophers can provide a coherent foundation for our own endeavours. But it is debatable whether their fundamental ideas can be synthesized thus. The philosophy of Wittgenstein, both early and late, is propounded to a very large extent in opposition to Frege's. They can no more be mixed than oil and water – or so I shall argue.
The Career of Aesthetics in German Thinking
Authors: Seel Martin
Published: October 2010

In German philosophy of the last 250 years, aesthetics has played a leading part. Any arbitrary list of great names contains mainly authors who either have written classical texts on aesthetics or are strongly influenced by aesthetic reflection, for instance, Kant, Hegel, Schelling, Schopenhauer, Marx, Nietzsche, Dilthey, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Gadamer, and Adorno – the few exceptions being Husserl and Frege. It is not by chance that Frege is one of the founding fathers of modern Anglo-Saxon philosophy, where, generally speaking, aesthetics has had only marginal influence. That is not an insignificant difference. The wildest dreams of one tradition were focused on logic, those of the other on aesthetics.
New and old peripheries: Britain, the Baltic, and the Americas in the Great Divergence
Authors: Rönnbäck Klas
Published: October 2010

In his seminal bookThe Great Divergence, Kenneth Pomeranz has argued that access to inputs from the vast acreages available in the Americas was crucial for the Industrial Revolution in Britain. But could no other regions of the world have provided the inputs in demand? Recent research claims that this could have been the case. This article takes that research one step further by studying Britain’s trade with an old and important peripheral trading partner, the Baltic, contrasting this to the British trade with America. The article shows that production for export was not necessarily stagnating in the Baltic, as Pomeranz has claimed. Qualitative aspects of the factor endowment of land did not, however, enable the production of specific raw materials, such as cotton, to meet the increasing demand. Thus, the decreasing role of the Baltic ought to a large extent to be attributed to the patterns of British industrialization, and the demand it created for specific raw materials, rather than internal, institutional constraints in the Baltic region.
Creating a local black identity in a global context: the French writer Alexandre Dumas as an African Americanlieu de mémoire
Authors: Martone Eric
Published: October 2010

Western expansion and domination through colonial systems served as a form of globalization, spreading white hegemony across the globe. While whites retained the monopoly on ‘modernity’ as the exclusive writers of historical progress, ‘backward’ African Americans were perceived as ‘outside’ Western culture and history. As a result, there were no African American individuals perceived as succeeding in Western terms in the arts, humanities, and sciences. In response, African American intellectuals forged a counter-global bloc that challenged globalization conceived as hegemonic Western domination. They sought to insert African Americans as a whole into the history of America, (re)creating a local blackAmericanhistory ‘forgotten’ because of slavery and Western power. African American intellectuals thus created a ‘usable past’, or counter-memory, to reconstitute history through the inclusion of African Americans, countering Western myths of black inferiority. The devastating legacy of slavery was posited as the cause of the African Americans’ lack of Western cultural acclivity. Due to the lack of nationally recognized African American figures of Western cultural achievement, intellectuals constructed Dumas as alieu de mémoireas part of wider efforts to appropriate historical individuals of black descent from across the globe within a transnational community produced by the Atlantic slave trade. Since all blacks were perceived as having a uniting ‘essence’, Dumas’ achievements meant that all blacks had the same potential. Such identification efforts demonstrated African Americans’ social and cultural suitability in Western terms and the resulting right to be included in American society. In this process, African Americans expressed a new, local black identity by expanding an ‘African American’ identity to a wider range of individuals than was commonly applied. While constructing a usable past, African Americans redefined ‘America’ beyond the current hegemonic usage (which generally restricted the term geographically to the US) to encompass an ‘Atlantic’ world – a world in which the Dumas of memory was re-imagined as an integral component with strong connections to slavery and colonialism.
Ambivalence towards law: Business Improvement Associations, public disorder and legal consciousness
Authors: Ranasinghe Prashan
Published: October 2010

This article examines the ways the business community – here operationalised through Business Improvement Associations (BIAs) – thinks about and makes sense of the Law and the legal system, its legal consciousness, in other words. I suggest that the way BIAs think about and make sense of the Law is best described as ambivalent, ranging from reverence to disenchantment: on the one hand, the Law is (like) God, but on the other, the Law is also a source of angst, frustration, hopelessness and powerlessness. Drawing on the analytical framework of legal consciousness, I suggest, provides a good platform from which to explore whether the ‘haves’ come out ahead, and what coming out ahead might mean and look like to them. Equally, the ambivalence towards law shows that the ways the ‘haves’ make sense of the Law might not always be that antithetical to the way the ‘have-nots’ make sense of the Law.
Mechanical aspects of the ID26 emission spectrometer II: improving stability for a large instrument by the use of multiple air pad supports
Authors: Ducotté L. , Glatzel P. , Marion P. , Lapras C. , Lesourd M. , Harris A. , Heyman C.
Published: October 2010

An instrument for X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) based on perfect crystal Bragg optics was recently commissioned at beam line ID26 of the ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility). The spectrometer is used to record high-energy resolution fluorescence-detected X-ray absorption spectra with sub-lifetime resolution and to perform resonant and non-resonant XES. The hard X-ray probe is material bulk sensitive and allows demanding sample environments (in situ chemistry, high pressure, etc.). Spectrometers for XES are being installed or designed at almost all upcoming synchrotron radiation sources worldwide. The particularity of the ID26 spectrometer is to accommodate five analyser crystals with exact Rowland tracking in the vertical plane and with crystals radii between 0.5 and 2 m.The main upgrade of the new version of this large instrument (3 tonnes, overall size 2.5 m and height 3 m) is to allow the change of the scattering angle over the range 0–180°. This involves rotating the entire spectrometer around a vertical axis that passes through the sample. In order to optimize the vibration stability of the spectrometer's structure, we chose to support the structure in multiple points and not only on three (kinematic mount) like it is specified to do with air pads. According to this choice, we have developed special foot holders for air pads.The calculations during the design phase have shown that we can obtain a first modal frequency of the spectrometer's structure at more than 30 Hz. To confirm our predictive calculations, we have performed some vibration measurements.
Stability of mirror chambers and mechanics: an example of the improvement of vibrational behaviour
Authors: Ruget C. , Nikitina L. , Nicolas J. , Martinez J.C. , Juanhuix J.
Published: October 2010

ALBA synchrotron light facility includes a 3 GeV low-emittance storage ring capable of running in the top-up mode which will feed a number of beamlines. Xaloc and CIRCE are among these beamlines. These beamlines are equipped with mirrors which need high stability. There are a lot of mirror chambers in the market and we decided to improve one of them rather than developing a new one. For this purpose, the ALBA team organized a collaboration with a supplier of beamline components. ALBA did the conceptual design of the improvements, the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) optimization and the metrology tests. The supplier provided a detailed design and the production. The improvement was implemented on several mirror chambers including actuators from two to five degrees of freedom. At the beginning of the project, the hypothesis was an excitation coming from the ground lower than 1 µm for frequencies below 45 Hz and negligible above it. The strategy[0] in terms of dynamical stability was not to amplify the ground excitation below 45 Hz or around 50 Hz. That is, to increase the frequency of the system resonances above 45 Hz (excluding the range of about 50 Hz). As a result, we obtained a high level of stability for such mirror systems and we almost met the target value for the first mode of vibration.
Overview of diagnostics and instrumentation for National Synchrotron Light Source II
Authors: Kosciuk B. , Blednykh A. , Padrazo D. , Singh O.
Published: October 2010

National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), a new state-of-the-art third-generation light source under construction at Brookhaven National Laboratory is expected to have extremely small emittance and extraordinary beam stability. The mechanical requirements for beam diagnostics and instrumentation are exceptionally challenging. Here we present an overview of the mechanical aspects of some NSLS-II diagnostics as well as the performance levels of some systems currently under development.