bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monitoring of Qualifications and Employment in Austria: An Empirical Approach Based on the Labour Force Survey
Authors: Lassnigg Lorenz , Vogtenhuber Stefan
Published: December 2011

The empirical approach referred to in this article describes the relationship between education and training (ET) supply and employment in Austria; the use of the new ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) fields of study variable makes this approach applicable abroad. The purpose is to explore a system that produces timely information on how the specialised and layered supply of initial vocational education and training (VET) is reflected in employment structures. This is done by ‘screening’ potential risks and opportunities related to ET specialisations, and by comparing a set of indicators across the whole ET supply (from simple occupations to higher education). The approach is based on theory of ‘constructivist’ knowledge management, and its intent is to provide input for reflection and learning among stakeholders regarding the empirical relationship between ET supply and demand. Consequently, the results do not aspire to offer ‘hard evidence’, but should instead draw attention to those areas of risk which merit further inquiry. The monitoring system comprises two parts: (1) a comprehensive classification of VET supply; and (2) a multifaceted set of indicators and measurement procedures. The latter is split into three sections: (a) demographics and gender; (b) employment, unemployment and income; and (c) competences, occupations and trades. In each section a number of indicators is defined to compare the risks and opportunities for the 44 programme categories of VET and higher education in several dimensions – for example, the relation of new entrants to potential replacement demand; specific aspects of employment and unemployment measures; relative incomes; and skills utilisation and projections of future demand. The results show interesting patterns of corresponding and contrasting relations between ET and employment for VET programmes. There are limitations, given the small sample size of the Labour Force Survey, while there is also room for greater methodological sophistication.
Organised Governmental Learning: Vocational Education and Training Practices between Peer Review and Peer Learning
Authors: Speer Sandra
Published: December 2011

Peer learning has already existed for a long time, as an informal as well as a formal practice between people from the same professional area. However, peer learning systems on the macro level are relatively newer concepts. Policy learning can be fostered by various types of organised activities, ranging from peer review frameworks, which often have a focus on accountability and learning, to international learning events, which are based on concepts like the ‘learning spiral’. This article reviews existing international practices of organised governmental learning on the system level, which are also linked to processes on the micro level. It thereby gives a framework to discuss two different VET peer learning activities across Europe which are organised by the European Union (EU) and the European Training Foundation (ETF).
Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Luminescent Properties of a 1D Cd(II) Complex with a Bent Connector: 1H-3-(3-pyridyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazole
Authors: Zhang Yun-Liang , Li Hai-Ye , Huang Fu-Ping , Li Jie-Hong , Qing Wu-Shi
Published: December 2011

A one-dimensional Cd(II) complex [Cd(3,4′-bpt)2(H2O)2]·H2O (1) (3,4′-Hbpt = 1H-3-(3-pyridyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazole) has been synthesised and characterised using single crystal X-ray diffraction, IR and elemental analysis. In [Cd(3,4′-bpt)2(H2O)2]·H2O, two types of 21 helical chain were formed by the 3,4′-bpt spacers bridging the Cd(II) centres along the crystallographic a axis. These two helices were both in an orderly arrangement with the Cd atoms functioning as hinges to form the one-dimensional ordered helical array. The thermal stability and luminescent properties of the title complex have been briefly investigated.
Triethylammonium Hydrogen Sulfate as a Catalyst for the Preparation of 1,5-diaryl-3-(arylamino)-1H-pyrrol-2(5H)-one derivatives
Authors: Shafiee Mohammad Reza Mohammad , Najafabadi Batool Hojati , Ghashang Majid
Published: December 2011

Triethylammonium hydrogen sulfate [Et3NH][HSO4]) has been used as an efficient acidic ionic liquid catalyst for the preparation of 1,5-diaryl-3-(arylamino)-1 H-pyrrol-2(5 H)-ones at room temperature. The present methodology offers the advantages of good yields, a simple procedure, shorter reaction times and mild condition. The products were purified without resorting to chromatography.
Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Fluorescent Property of a Novel Dansyl- based Fluorescent Probe
Authors: Yong Zhang , Zhi-Gang Ma , Zong-Jun Ku
Published: December 2011

A novel dansyl-based fluorescent probe has been synthesised. Its structure was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction, and its fluorescent property was also investigated.
An Improved One-Pot Synthesis of Dimethyl Carbonate from Propylene Oxide, CO2 and Methanol
Authors: Fan Bin , Qu Bo , Chen Qingchuan , Wen Yicun , Cai Liang , Zhang Rui
Published: December 2011

The direct synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and propylene glycol from propylene oxide, CO2 and methanol has been studied with potassium carbonate as catalyst. This is the first time that K2CO3 which is readily available has been used as a catalyst. It is quite simple and cheap to use. This route may be an effective way of producing DMC on the large-scale. DMC is used in polycarbonate synthesis, polyurethane synthesis, carbonylating reagents, alkylating reagents, polar solvents, octane boosters in gasoline, carbon-particle reducing agents for diesel engines It is a safe and environmentally benign alternative for phosgene in some reactions.
A Mild and Facile Synthesis of Cyclic Imides using Pyridinium Chlorochromate
Authors: Yang Yanyan , Wang Ge , Cao Xiaohui , Yan Xilong , Chen Ligong
Published: December 2011

A mild and facile synthetic method of cyclic imides is presented. These compounds are widely used in the synthesis of novel medical, polymeric, photonic and electronic materials. Compared with traditional syntheses, the method reported has several advantages including mild conditions, simplified work-up and low cost.
Synthesis of Nanoparticles Silica Supported Sulfuric Acid
Authors: Sadeghi Bahareh , Hassanabadi Alireza , Bidaki Somayeh
Published: December 2011

Nanostructured SiO2–H2SO)4 has been prepared and shown to efficiently catalyse the one-pot, three-component reaction of an aromatic aldehyde, malononitrile and a cyclic 1,3-diketone at reflux, to afford the corresponding 4 H-chromene derivative in high yield. 4 H-Chromene derivatives are important pharmacological agents exhibiting spasmolytic, diuretic, anticoagulant, anticancer, and antianaphylactic activities.
Registration of ‘Stoneham’ Spring Feed Barley Resistant to Russian Wheat Aphid
Authors: Mornhinweg* D. W. , Bregitzer P. P. , Porter D. R. , Peairs F. B. , Baltensperger D. D. , Hein G. L. , Randolph T. A. , Koch M. , Walker T.
Published: December 2011

‘Stoneham’ (Reg. No. CV‐349, PI 641940), a spring, two‐rowed, feed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) that is resistant to the Russian wheat aphid (RWA; Diuraphis noxia Kurdjumov) was developed and released by the USDA‐ARS, Stillwater, OK and Aberdeen, ID and the Colorado and Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Stations in 2006. Introduction of the RWA to the United States effectively eliminated spring barley, the preferred alternate crop, from winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rotations in eastern Colorado and western Nebraska. ‘Otis’, a spring barley that is well adapted to the high dry plains, is susceptible to RWA. Stoneham, with RWA resistance from STARS 9577B transferred to Otis, outperformed Otis in yield trails at 11 location‐years in this marginal production area both in the presence and absence of RWA. A total of eight RWA biotypes (RWA1–RWA8) have been identified in the High Plains based on winter wheat differentials. Both Stoneham and Sidney, the first RWA‐resistant, drought‐hardy cultivar to be released, are resistant to all eight RWA biotypes. Resistance to RWA is under different genetic control in Stoneham and Sidney. The release of cultivars with different sources of resistance is an attempt to increase the durability of resistance in spring barley against future changes in biotype.
Registration of Maize Germplasm Lines Tx736, Tx739, and Tx740 for Reducing Preharvest Aflatoxin Accumulation
Authors: Mayfield Kerry , Betrán F. Javier , Isakeit Tom , Odvody Gary , Murray Seth C. , Rooney William L. , Landivar Jean Carlo
Published: December 2011

Maize (Zea mays L.) production in Texas, the southern United States, and much of the developing world is constrained by preharvest contamination from aflatoxins—potent mycotoxins produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus. When consumed, aflatoxin can lead to impaired growth, liver cancer, or death of both humans and livestock. Because of these effects, the presence of this mycotoxin is tightly regulated in the U.S. food supply. No complete resistance to A. flavus or aflatoxin is known to exist in maize; however, multiple quantitative traits and some sources of resistance have been identified. We propose the release of three maize lines that demonstrate reduced preharvest aflatoxin accumulation. Tx736 (Reg. No. GP‐578, PI 662937) is a germplasm line derived from modified pedigree selection of a cross between Tx772, a line with reduced aflatoxin accumulation, and T246, a temperate line with good yield and Texas adaptation, backcrossed to Tx772 once. Lines Tx739 (Reg. No. GP‐579, PI 662938) and Tx740 (Reg. No. GP‐580, PI 662939) were selected by pedigree methods from S3 plants selfed out of heterotic groups A, C, and E from Agricomseeds (Santa Cruz, Bolivia). These three lines were field tested as lines per se and as testcross hybrids with introduced inoculation in multienvironmental field trials. In trials, these lines and hybrids had between 30 and 73% lower aflatoxin content than commercial checks. These germplasm lines will serve as unique sources for novel traits and alleles that reduce aflatoxin in elite temperate and subtropical maize.
Registration of a Rice Gene‐Mapping Population Consisting of ‘TeQing’‐into‐‘Lemont’ Backcross Introgression Lines
Authors: Pinson Shannon R. M. , Liu Guangjie , Jia Melissa H. , Jia Yulin , Fjellstrom Robert G. , Sharma Arun , Wang Yueguang , Tabien Rodante E. , Li Zhikang
Published: December 2011

A new rice (Oryza sativa L.) mapping population consisting of 123 ‘TeQing’‐into‐‘Lemont’ backcross introgression lines (TILs) (Reg. No. MP‐5, NSL 477436 MAP) was developed by the USDA‐ARS Rice Research Unit at the Texas A&M University System AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Beaumont, TX, in cooperation with the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, the USDA‐ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and the International Rice Research Institute. One of the most studied and phenotypically characterized rice mapping populations available today is a set of 280 Lemont × TeQing recombinant inbred lines, which has been used by various groups to molecularly map more than 250 agronomically important loci. The current set of 123 TILs containing molecularly tagged portions of the indica TeQing genome now introgressed into the genetic background of Lemont, a U.S. tropical japonica rice cultivar, was developed to support efforts to fine map and further evaluate the previously mapped TeQing loci for their breeding value within a tropical japonica rice breeding program. The utility of the TILs was documented by verifying previously reported qualitative trait loci (QTLs) for Lemont and TeQing heading time. As a set of molecularly characterized chromosome‐segment substitution lines, the TILs are useful for QTL verification, de novo mapping, and evaluation of the agronomic value of indica loci to a tropical japonica rice breeding program.
‘Duster’ Wheat: A Durable, Dual‐Purpose Cultivar Adapted to the Southern Great Plains of the USA
Authors: Edwards J. T. , Hunger R. M. , Smith E. L. , Horn G. W. , Chen M.-S. , Yan L. , Bai G. , Bowden R. L. , Klatt A. R. , Rayas-Duarte P. , Osburn R. D. , Giles K. L. , Kolmer J. A. , Jin Y. , Porter D. R. , Seabourn B. W. , Bayles M. B. , Carver B. F.
Published: December 2011

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars that gain commercial acceptance in the U.S. southern Great Plains must provide a definitive grain‐yield advantage, season‐long dependability in dual‐purpose management systems, effective resistance to foliar diseases, and tolerance to soil acidity. Our objective was to corroborate each of those strengths in the hard red winter (HRW) wheat cultivar ‘Duster’ (Reg. No. CV‐1065, PI 644016), which was released in 2006 by the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA‐ARS to complement ‘Endurance’ (Reg. No. CV‐994, PI 639233) with added dough strength and resistance to Wheat spindle streak mosaic. Duster was selected from a double cross, W0405/NE78488//W7469C/TX81V6187, made within the former Pioneer HRW‐wheat breeding program. Neither Duster nor its immediate parents are known to have a sib‐pair or parent‐offspring relationship with cultivars currently grown in the Great Plains. Duster is a descendent of an F2:3 line identified in Oklahoma in 1991, from which pedigree selection produced two F13‐derived lines that were composited to constitute breeder seed. The experimental line OK93P656H3299‐2C04 was tested in the 2005 and 2006 Southern Regional Performance Nursery, where it ranked first and fifth, respectively, for mean grain yield. Data from the Oklahoma Small Grains Variety Performance Tests were primarily used herein to demonstrate competitiveness for economic traits in a wide array of environmental conditions 5 yr following Duster's release.
Registration of ‘Ultimate’ Zoysiagrass
Authors: Scully B. T. , Nagata R. T. , Cherry R. H. , Nuessly G. S. , Trenholm L. E. , Kenworthy K. E. , Schwartz B. M. , Unruh J. B.
Published: December 2011

‘Ultimate’ (Reg. No. CV‐260, PI 652947) zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.) was developed and approved for release by the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station at the Everglades Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Belle Glade, FL and initially approved for release in 2004. A plant patent was submitted in mid‐2005 and is awaiting examination. This zoysiagrass cultivar was selected as an open‐pollinated progeny derived from ‘Meyer’, which was developed and released in 1952. Ultimate was tested in Florida as a breeding line under the experimental designation of BA‐189. Ultimate was selected in Florida for improved agronomic and horticultural traits, including reduced seedhead production and a faster rate of crop establishment and ground coverage in southern Florida, along with a finer leaf texture and a darker leaf color. In comparison to the standard cultivar Meyer, Ultimate produced 57% fewer seedheads, and the crop established 30 d faster than Meyer on an approximate annual basis. Ultimate produced leaves that were a darker green and had a deeper color value than those of Meyer. On average, the leaves of Meyer were 29% longer and 34% wider than those of Ultimate. The attenuated leaf morphology of Ultimate conferred the appearance of a more refined canopy structure than Meyer. Ultimate also had a distinct floral morphology from Meyer, and its foliar resistance to the tropical sod webworm (Herpetogramma phaeopteralis Guenee) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was improved over, but not significantly superior to, that of Meyer. Ultimate was developed to augment the specialty zoysiagrass market in Florida.
Registration of Twelve Sorghum Germplasm Lines Tolerant to Greenbug Feeding Damage
Authors: Kofoid K. D. , Perumal R. , Reese J. C. , Campbell L. R.
Published: December 2011

The biotypic diversity of the greenbug [Schizaphis graminum (Rondani)] and development of lines with tolerance to greenbug feeding are ongoing concerns of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.] breeding programs in the United States. The genetic male sterile population KP7B and four germplasm sources (IS 25246, IS 27002, IS 27834, and IS 27903) were used in population improvement for tolerance to greenbug feeding. Differences in tolerance were quantified by estimating the chlorophyll content of leaf tissues using a SPAD chlorophyll meter following a 7‐d period of greenbug feeding on leaves. Twelve sorghum germplasm lines KS 121 (Reg. No. GP‐718, PI 651584), KS 122 (Reg. No. GP‐719, PI 651585), KS 123 (Reg. No. GP‐720, PI 651586); KS 124 (Reg. No. GP‐721, PI 651587), KS 125 (Reg. No. GP‐722, PI 651588), KS 126 (Reg. No. GP‐723, PI 651589), KS 127 (Reg. No. GP‐724, PI 651590), KS 128 (Reg. No. GP‐725, PI 651591), KS 129(Reg. No. GP‐726, PI 651592), KS 130 (Reg. No. GP‐727, PI 651593), KS 131 (Reg. No. GP‐728, PI 651594), and KS 132 (Reg. No. GP‐729, PI 651595) with enhanced tolerance to greenbug feeding were developed and released by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station in October 2007. These lines are three‐dwarf (dw1, Dw2, dw3, dw4) in height, photoperiod‐insensitive, and possess unique combinations of plant color and tolerance to damage by greenbug biotypes E, I, and K. All 12 lines restore fertility in the A1 cytoplasm system and hence can be used as R‐lines in breeding programs to develop new hybrids with greenbug feeding tolerance.
Registration of 70 Common Spring Wheat Germplasm Lines Resistant to Stripe Rust
Authors: Wang Meinan , Chen Xianming , Xu Liangsheng , Cheng Peng , Bockelman Harold E.
Published: December 2011

Seventy common spring wheat (Triticum aestivum subsp. aestivum L.) germplasm lines (Reg. No. GP‐873, PI 660056—Reg. No. GP‐942, PI 660125) that are resistant to stripe rust (caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) were developed from crosses of 66 common and 4 durum [T. turgidum subsp. durum (Desf.) Husn.] wheat lines originating from 28 countries. Among the new lines, 4 have all‐stage resistance that is effective against the currently predominant races in the United States, 11 have high‐temperature adult‐plant (HTAP) resistance, 13 have effective all‐stage resistance and possibly HTAP resistance, and 42 have HTAP resistance and ineffective all‐stage resistance. Based on their origins and reactions to stripe rust, the majority of the 70 lines may have different genes for stripe rust resistance. These lines were also selected for their relatively good agronomic traits, such as excellent tillering, plump spikes, lodge resistance, proper height, and early maturity and should be useful in diversifying resistance genes used in breeding programs for developing wheat cultivars with stripe rust resistance.
Registration of a Hard Red Winter Wheat Genetic Stock Homozygous for ph1b for Facilitating Alien Introgression for Crop Improvement
Authors: Friebe Bernd , Qi Lili , Liu Cheng , Liu Wenxuan , Gill Bikram S.
Published: December 2011

Wild relatives of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) are important sources of disease and pest resistance that can be exploited in wheat improvement. However, in wheat–alien species hybrids the pairing homeologous gene, Ph1, suppresses the pairing and recombination of wheat and alien chromosomes and no alien genetic transfer can occur. However, in plants nullisomic for the Ph1 gene, and in ph1b mutant stocks, having a large deletion at the Ph1 locus, homeologous wheat and alien chromosomes can pair and recombine. The original ph1b mutant stock is in Chinese Spring background, which has poor agronomic characteristics, and several backcrosses with adapted wheat cultivars are necessary before the agronomic performance of recombinants can be evaluated. The present report describes the transfer and characterization of the ph1b mutant allele into an adapted Kansas winter wheat, which was released as KS12WGGRC55 (TA5092) (Reg. No. GS‐170, PI 663870), which will accelerate the evaluation and utilization of wheat alien recombinants in cultivar improvement.
Registration of Four Rice Germplasm Lines with Improved Resistance to Sheath Blight and Blast Diseases
Authors: Jia Y. , Liu G. , Correa-Victoria F. J. , McClung A. M. , Oard J. H. , Bryant R. J. , Jia M. H. , Correll J. C.
Published: December 2011

Rice sheath blight (ShB) and blast caused by the fungal pathogens Rhizoctonia solani Kühn and Magnaporthe oryzae B.C. Couch, respectively, are the two most serious diseases of rice worldwide. Four rice (Oryza sativa L.) germplasm lines, designated as LJRIL103 (Reg. No. GP‐140, PI 660982), LJRIL158 (Reg. No. GP‐141, PI 660983), LJRIL186 (Reg. No. GP‐142, PI 660984), and LJRIL220 (Reg. No. GP‐143, PI 660985), were selected from among 256 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross of the U.S.‐adapted cultivars ‘Lemont’ (PI 475833) and ‘Jasmine 85’ (PI 595927). These Lemont–Jasmine (LJ) RILs were officially released by the USDA‐ARS and the University of Arkansas Agricultural Experimental Station in cooperation with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Colombia, and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. These four RILs have resistance to ShB as determined in two greenhouse chamber assays and in inoculated field trials conducted in Stuttgart, AR; Beaumont, TX; and Crowley, LA in 2008 and 2009. They are also resistant to some blast races as determined in inoculated greenhouse tests. These LJ RILs contain most of the ShB quantitative trait loci (QTLs) identified on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 9 and blast QTLs identified on chromosomes 8, 9, 11, and 12 originating from the parents Jasmine 85 and Lemont. These four LJ RILs have agronomic and grain‐quality characteristics comparable with those of both parents. These LJ RILs can be used in rice‐breeding programs for pyramiding both ShB and blast resistance genes.
Registration of ‘UA48’ Cotton Cultivar
Authors: Bourland Fred M. , Jones Don C.
Published: December 2011

‘UA48’ (Reg. No. CV‐129, PI 660508) is a conventional cultivar of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), that was released by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station in November 2010. Parents of UA48 included Arkot 8712 and FM 966. UA48 was released as part of an ongoing effort to develop improved genotypes having enhanced yield, yield components, earliness, host‐plant resistance, and fiber properties. In most tests, UA48 had a lint yield comparable to that of DP 393, a well‐adapted conventional cultivar. It appears to be best adapted to silt loam soils in the northern areas of U.S. cotton production. UA48 matures as early as any cultivar that is adapted to the Mississippi River Delta. It displays high resistance to bacterial blight and is equal to DP 393 in its response to other diseases. Fiber quality of UA48 is exceptional. In most tests, its fiber length, length uniformity, and strength exceeded most, and frequently all, other entries. Its micronaire is comparable to DP 393. UA48 displays an unusual combination of high yield, early maturity, and high fiber quality.
Registration of the TM‐1/NM24016 Cotton Recombinant Inbred Mapping Population
Authors: Gore Michael A. , Percy Richard G. , Zhang Jinfa , Fang David D. , Cantrell Roy G.
Published: December 2011

The TM‐1/NM24016 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) mapping population (Reg. No. MP‐1, NSL 477435 MAP) consists of 95 F5:9 recombinant inbred lines. This cotton mapping population was constructed from a cross between inbred lines TM‐1 (PI 662944 MAP), the genetic standard for G. hirsutum, and NM24016 (PI 662945 MAP), an advanced selection with introgressed traits from G. barbadense L. and G. hirsutum. In 2007, the population was released jointly by the Plant Physiology and Genetics Research Unit, USDA‐ARS, Maricopa, AZ and New Mexico State Agricultural Experiment Station, Las Cruces, NM. The primary goal was to construct a mapping population segregating for attributes introgressed from G. barbadense into a G. hirsutum germplasm background. The TM‐1/NM24016 population was genotyped with 392 simple sequence repeat markers. A wide range of phenotypic diversity among individuals was observed for fiber and agronomic traits, with transgressive variation for the majority of fiber traits. The registration of this recombinant inbred mapping population provides geneticists and breeders with an opportunity to explore the genetic basis of transgressive variation in cotton and exploit potentially novel allelic combinations for the genetic improvement of fiber quality and other traits in G. hirsutum.
Registration of Three Germplasm Lines of Cotton Derived from Gossypium hirsutum L. Accession T2468 with Moderate Resistance to the Reniform Nematode
Authors: McCarty J. C. , Jenkins J. N. , Wubben M. J. , Hayes R. W. , LaFoe J. M.
Published: December 2011

Three upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) germplasm lines, MT2468 Ren1 (Reg. No. GP‐944, PI 663908), MT2468 Ren2 (Reg. No. GP‐945, PI 663909), and MT2468 Ren3 (Reg. No. GP‐946, PI 663910), that are moderately resistant to the reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford and Oliveria) were jointly developed and released by the USDA‐ARS and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station in 2011. The day‐neutral germplasm lines originated from the photoperiodic G. hirsutum accession T2468. Resistance to the reniform nematode suppresses reproduction approximately by one‐half of that occurring on a susceptible check. The lines exhibit considerable differences for agronomic and fiber traits, and their moderate level of resistance should be valuable to cotton breeding programs.
Lures and Horrors of Alterity: Adapting Korean Tales of Fox Spirits
Authors: Lee Sung-Ae
Published: December 2011

Core incidents and motifs in retellings and adaptations of Korean folktales about supernatural foxes, known as Gumihos, have coalesced into a common, readily recognised fox-woman script. Since the end of the 1980s, the fox-woman script has become a focus for cultural conflict. The traditional stories are acknowledged to be part of Korea's intangible cultural heritage, and as such have been retold conservatively to preserve that heritage (especially in picture books) or have undergone major reinterpretation in attempts to reshape that heritage and imbue it with contemporary significance. According to the fox-woman script, the Gumiho is humankind's monstrous other, but a variety of works in film or television drama have challenged the assumptions about alterity and monstrosity. This challenge first emerged when moral awareness was attributed to the Gumiho character, especially in conjunction with the narrative strategy of aligning perspective with her, of transforming her from object to subject, and demonstrating that humanity is evidenced by behaviour and not by race or social privilege. Subsequently, general audience television drama and children's film have explored homologies between a reworked fox-woman script and ethnic otherness, and have transformed the script into a narrative about cultural otherness that advocates an open and other-embracing society.
Skin Colour, Surveillance and Subjectivity: Deconstructing Race in Jan Mark'sUseful Idiots
Authors: Flanagan Victoria
Published: December 2011

Although discussions of race in children's literature tend to focus on realist narrative fictions, fantasy has rich potential for critically examining the concept of racial difference. Useful Idiots (2004), a young adult novel by British author Jan Mark, acts as the focus of my analysis because it is a fantasy novel that offers readers a highly innovative and unconventional exploration of the social discourses that construct and perpetuate racial hierarchies. Using David Lyon's theories about modern surveillance, whiteness studies and Bakhtin's concept of grotesque realism as a theoretical framework, this article argues that Mark inventively interrogates numerous assumptions that underpin race in modern society by depicting a character who, throughout the course of the narrative, gradually becomes a racialised subject. The portrayal of this process constitutes a highly effective and original representation of what it means to be considered ‘the other’.
Otherness, Discrimination, and Cats in Eugene Trivizas'sThe Last Black Cat
Authors: Paparoussi Marita
Published: December 2011

This paper examines Greek writer Eugene Trivizas's 2001 crossover animal fantasy The Last Black Cat, considering the implications of using the trope of the animal both to interrogate the construction of black cats as Other and to challenge examples of prejudice, or rather the grounds of prejudice, discrimination, and scapegoating. Extended consideration is devoted to the ways in which the narrative produces black cats as the marginalised and demonised Other of both humans and other cats, while at the same time it questions the culturally established hierarchy between humans and animals, and the paradigm of animal victim. It is argued that the focus on how the human/animal relations are articulated in Trivizas's novel makes it possible to perceive both the irrationality of the ideology behind the discrimination and the beast in humankind; in others words, by using misfortunes of animals as a tool for social criticism it subverts dominant discriminatory discourses and redefines prevailing ideas of humanity.
A Parable for our Times: Activism and Terrorism in Anne Fine's Survival Quest,The Road of Bones
Authors: Hammer Yvonne
Published: December 2011

This paper examines representational issues that emerge when Anne Fine's coming of age depiction of an extreme journey based on an historic period of social and political conflict is read as a parable about world politics. The Road of Bones explores, through an adolescent character's struggle to survive State-led terrorism against its subjects, political process, societal upheaval, and the loss of human rights. But if Fine's novel raises issues about political governance in ways that interrogate post 9/11 contemporary politics, the work also raises issues about cultural representation and global audiences when the compromised position of Fine's heroic subject draws upon previously established East/West polarities that privilege a Western readership. In the concluding scenes the protagonist's agentic response may be dually interpreted: is this response to be construed as activism or, more negatively, as a form of terrorism?
‘Different Backgrounds’: Post-Devolution Citizenship and Community in Theresa Breslin'sDivided City(2005)
Authors: McCulloch Fiona
Published: December 2011

This article considers the reconfiguration of community and citizenship within post-devolution Scotland in Theresa Breslin's Divided City (2005). Utilising the imaginative space of young adult fiction, Divided City explores the entrenched sectarianism within Glasgow and its associated football rivalries. Such traditionalist subjectivity is set amidst the diversity of an increasingly glocalised cosmopolitan community and the challenges and opportunities arising from transcultural mobility. Exploring the interstices of deterritorialised space, Breslin's text recognises post-devolution Scotland's potential for a curative cosmopolitan direction and echoes Rosi Braidotti's philosophical nomadism insofar as its citizens exist ‘in a globally linked world’ (Transpositions 93). Rather than remaining insularly driven by cartographical narratives of difference, Divided City posits an alternative outlook that encourages its future citizens to seek reconciliation and mutual understanding. It is a timely reminder that, far from existing in hegemonic national isolation, ‘ “we” are indeed in this together’ (Transpositions 93) and, as such, must strive to accommodate evolving communities.
Being There: The Spatiality of ‘Other World’ Fantasy Fiction
Authors: Pavlik Anthony
Published: December 2011

Fantasy other worlds are often seen as alternative, wholly ‘other’ locations that operate as critiques of the ‘real’ world, or provide spaces where child protagonists can take advantage of the otherness they encounter in their own process of growth. Rather than consider fantasy fiction's presentations of ‘other’ worlds in this way, this article proposes reading them as potential thirdspaces of performance and activity that are neutral rather than confrontational such that, in fantasy other world fiction for children and young adults, the putative ‘other’ world may not, in fact, be ‘other’ at all.
Assessment of Indoor Air Pollution in Homes with Infants
Authors: Pickett Anna Ruth , Bell Michelle L.
Published: December 2011

Infants spend most of their indoor time at home; however, residential air quality is poorly understood. We investigated the air quality of infants’ homes in the New England area of the U.S. Participants (N = 53) were parents of infants (0–6 months) who completed telephone surveys to identify potential pollutant sources in their residence. Carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤0.5 µm (PM0.5), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) were measured in 10 homes over 4–7 days, and levels were compared with health-based guidelines. Pollutant levels varied substantially across homes and within homes with overall levels for some homes up to 20 times higher than for other homes. Average levels were 0.85 ppm, 663.2 ppm, 18.7 µg/m3, and 1626 µg/m3 for CO, CO2, PM0.5, and TVOCs, respectively. CO2, TVOCs, and PM0.5 levels exceeded health-based indoor air quality guidelines. Survey results suggest that nursery renovations and related potential pollutant sources may be associated with differences in urbanicity, income, and presence of older children with respiratory ailments, which could potentially confound health studies. While there are no standards for indoor residential air quality, our findings suggest that additional research is needed to assess indoor pollution exposure for infants, which may be a vulnerable population.
Increased Glutathione Synthesis Following Nrf2 Activation by Vanadyl Sulfate in Human Chang Liver Cells
Authors: Kim Areum Daseul , Zhang Rui , Kang Kyoung Ah , You Ho Jin , Hyun Jin Won
Published: December 2011

Jeju ground water, containing vanadium compounds, was shown to increase glutathione (GSH) levels as determined by a colorimetric assay and confocal microscopy. To investigate whether the effects of Jeju ground water on GSH were specifically mediated by vanadium compounds, human Chang liver cells were incubated for 10 passages in media containing deionized distilled water (DDW), Jeju ground water (S1 and S3), and vanadyl sulfate (VOSO4). Vanadyl sulfate scavenged superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical and intracellular reactive oxygen species. Vanadyl sulfate effectively increased cellular GSH level and up-regulated mRNA and protein expression of a catalytic subunit of glutamate cysteine ligase (GCLC), which is involved in GSH synthesis. The induction of GCLC expression by vanadyl sulfate was found to be mediated by transcription factor erythroid transcription factor NF-E2 (Nrf2), which critically regulates GCLC by binding to the antioxidant response elements (AREs). Vanadyl sulfate treatment increased the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and the accumulation of phosphorylated Nrf2. Extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) contributed to ARE-driven GCLC expression via Nrf2 activation. Vanadyl sulfate induced the expression of the active phospho form of ERK. Taken together, these results suggest that the increase in GSH level by Jeju ground water is, at least in part, due to the effects of vanadyl sulfate via the Nrf2-mediated induction of GCLC.
Spectroscopic Study of Solvent Effects on the Electronic Absorption Spectra of Flavone and 7-Hydroxyflavone in Neat and Binary Solvent Mixtures
Authors: Sancho Matias I. , Almandoz Maria C. , Blanco Sonia E. , Castro Eduardo A.
Published: December 2011

The solvatochromic characteristics of flavone and 7-hydroxyflavone were investigated in neat and binary solvent mixtures. The spectral shifts of these solutes were correlated with the Kamlet and Taft parameters (α, β and π*) using linear solvation energy relationships. The multiparametric analysis indicates that both specific hydrogen bond donor ability and non-specific dipolar interactions of the solvents play an important role in absorption maxima of flavone in pure solvents. The hydrogen bond acceptor ability of the solvent was the main parameter affecting the absorption maxima of 7-hydroxyflavone. The simulated absorption spectra using a TD-DFT method were in good agreement with the experimental ones for both flavones. Index of preferential solvation was calculated as a function of solvent composition. Preferential solvation by ethanol was detected in cyclohexane-ethanol and acetonitrile-ethanol mixtures for flavone and in acetonitrile-ethanol mixtures for 7-hydroxyflavone. These results indicate that intermolecular hydrogen bonds between solute and solvent are responsible for the non-linear variation of the solvatochromic shifts on the mole fraction of ethanol in the analyzed binary mixtures.
Tertiary Alkylamines as Nucleophiles in Substitution Reactions at Heteroaromatic Halide During the Synthesis of the Highly Potent Pirinixic Acid Derivative 2-(4-Chloro-6-(2,3-dimethylphenylamino)pyrimidin-2-ylthio)octanoic Acid (YS-121)
Authors: Gabler Matthias , Schubert-Zsilavecz Manfred
Published: December 2011

YS-121 [2-(4-chloro-6-(2,3-dimethylphenylamino)pyrimidin-2-ylthio)octanoic acid] is the result of target-oriented structural derivatization of pirinixic acid. It is a potent dual PPARα/γ-agonist, as well as a potent dual 5-LO/mPGES-1-inhibitor. Additionally, recent studies showed an anti-inflammatory efficacy in vivo. Because of its interference with many targets, YS-121 is a promising drug candidate for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Ongoing preclinical studies will thus necessitate huge amounts of YS-121. To cope with those requirements, we have optimized the synthesis of YS-121. Surprisingly, we isolated and characterized byproducts during the resulting from nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions by different tertiary alkylamines at a heteroaromatic halide. These amines should actually serve as assisting bases, because of their low nucleophilicity. This astonishing fact was not described in former publications concerning that type of reaction and, therefore, might be useful for further reaction improvement in general. Furthermore, we could develop a proposal for the mechanism of that byproduct formation.
Extraction of Lepidium apetalum Seed Oil Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide and Anti-Oxidant Activity of the Extracted Oil
Authors: Xu Wei , Chu Kedan , Li Huang , Chen Lidian , Zhang Yuqin , Tang Xuchong
Published: December 2011

The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of Lepidium apetalum seed oil and its anti-oxidant activity were studied. The SFE process was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite design (CCD). Independent variables, namely operating pressure, temperature, time and flow rate were evaluated. The maximum extraction of Lepidium apetalum seed oil by SFE-CO2 (about 36.3%) was obtained when SFE-CO2 extraction was carried out under the optimal conditions of 30.0 MPa of pressure, 70 °C of temperature, 120 min of extraction time and 25.95 L/h of flow rate. GC-MS analysis showed the presence of four fatty acids in Lepidium apetalum seed oil, with a high content (91.0%) of unsaturated fatty acid. The anti-oxidant activity of the oil was assessed by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay and 2,2′-azino- bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) test. Lepidium apetalum seed oil possessed a notable concentration-dependent antioxidant activity, with IC50 values of 1.00 and 3.75 mg/mL, respectively.
Mechanisms of Light Energy Harvesting in Dendrimers and Hyperbranched Polymers
Authors: Bradshaw David S. , Andrews David L.
Published: December 2011

Since their earliest synthesis, much interest has arisen in the use of dendritic and structurally allied forms of polymer for light energy harvesting, especially as organic adjuncts for solar energy devices. With the facility to accommodate a proliferation of antenna chromophores, such materials can capture and channel light energy with a high degree of efficiency, each polymer unit potentially delivering the energy of one photon—or more, when optical nonlinearity is involved. To ensure the highest efficiency of operation, it is essential to understand the processes responsible for photon capture and channelling of the resulting electronic excitation. Highlighting the latest theoretical advances, this paper reviews the principal mechanisms, which prove to involve a complex interplay of structural, spectroscopic and electrodynamic properties. Designing materials with the capacity to capture and control light energy facilitates applications that now extend from solar energy to medical photonics.
Development of a 3D Parallel Mechanism Robot Arm with Three Vertical-Axial Pneumatic Actuators Combined with a Stereo Vision System
Authors: Chiang Mao-Hsiung , Lin Hao-Ting
Published: December 2011

This study aimed to develop a novel 3D parallel mechanism robot driven by three vertical-axial pneumatic actuators with a stereo vision system for path tracking control. The mechanical system and the control system are the primary novel parts for developing a 3D parallel mechanism robot. In the mechanical system, a 3D parallel mechanism robot contains three serial chains, a fixed base, a movable platform and a pneumatic servo system. The parallel mechanism are designed and analyzed first for realizing a 3D motion in the X-Y-Z coordinate system of the robot’s end-effector. The inverse kinematics and the forward kinematics of the parallel mechanism robot are investigated by using the Denavit-Hartenberg notation (D-H notation) coordinate system. The pneumatic actuators in the three vertical motion axes are modeled. In the control system, the Fourier series-based adaptive sliding-mode controller with H∞ tracking performance is used to design the path tracking controllers of the three vertical servo pneumatic actuators for realizing 3D path tracking control of the end-effector. Three optical linear scales are used to measure the position of the three pneumatic actuators. The 3D position of the end-effector is then calculated from the measuring position of the three pneumatic actuators by means of the kinematics. However, the calculated 3D position of the end-effector cannot consider the manufacturing and assembly tolerance of the joints and the parallel mechanism so that errors between the actual position and the calculated 3D position of the end-effector exist. In order to improve this situation, sensor collaboration is developed in this paper. A stereo vision system is used to collaborate with the three position sensors of the pneumatic actuators. The stereo vision system combining two CCD serves to measure the actual 3D position of the end-effector and calibrate the error between the actual and the calculated 3D position of the end-effector. Furthermore, to verify the feasibility of the proposed parallel mechanism robot driven by three vertical pneumatic servo actuators, a full-scale test rig of the proposed parallel mechanism pneumatic robot is set up. Thus, simulations and experiments for different complex 3D motion profiles of the robot end-effector can be successfully achieved. The desired, the actual and the calculated 3D position of the end-effector can be compared in the complex 3D motion control.
The Possible Clinical Predictors of Fatigue in Parkinson’s Disease: A Study of 135 Patients as Part of International Nonmotor Scale Validation Project
Authors: Metta Vinod , Logishetty Kartik , Martinez-Martin P. , Gage Heather M. , Schartau P. E. S. , Kaluarachchi T. K. , Martin Anne , Odin Per , Barone P. , Stocchi Fabrizio , Antonini A. , Chaudhuri K. Ray
Published: December 2011

Fatigue is a common yet poorly understood and underresearched nonmotor symptom in Parkinson’s disease. Although fatigue is recognized to significantly affect health-related quality of life, it remains underrecognised and empirically treated. In this paper, the prevalence of fatigue as measured by a validated visual analogue scale and the Parkinson’s disease nonmotor symptoms scale (PDNMSS) was correlated with other motor and nonmotor comorbidities. In a cohort of patients from a range of disease stages, occurrence of fatigue correlated closely with more advanced Parkinson’s disease, as well as with depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders, hinting at a common underlying basis.
Study on effect of anti-diarrheal medicinal plants on enteropathogenic Escherichia coli induced interleukin-8 secretion by intestinal epithelial cells
Authors: Brijesh S. , Tetali Pundarikakshudu , Birdi Tannaz J.
Published: December 2011

Diarrhea is a major health concern in developing countries with enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) being a leading cause of infantile diarrhea. Much of the pathology of EPEC infection is due to the inflammatory responses of infected intestinal epithelium through secretion of pro-inflammatory cytoki - nes such as interleukin (IL)-8. With medicinal plants gaining popularity as prospective antidiarrheal agents, we aimed to evaluate the effect of anti-diarrheal medicinal plants on secretion of IL-8 by epithelial cells in response to EPEC infection. The effect of the decoctions of four anti-diarrheal medicinal plants viz. Aegle marmelos, Cyperus rotundus, Psidium guajava and Zingiber officinale was studied on secretion of IL-8 by a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line, HT-29 infected with E. coli E2348/69. Two protocols were used viz. pre-incubation and post-incubation. The data obtained demonstrated that out of the four plants used, only P. guajava decreased secretion of IL-8 in the post-incubation protocol although in the pre-incubation protocol an increase was observed. A similar increase was seen with C. rotundus in the preincubation protocol. No effect on IL-8 secretion was observed with A. marmelos and Z. officinale in both protocols and with C. rotundus in the post-incubation protocol. The post-incubation protocol, in terms of clinical relevance, indicates the effect of the plant decoctions when used as treatment. Hence P. guajava may be effective in controlling the acute inflammatory response of the intestinal epithelial cells in response to EPEC infection.
 
Protective role of Plumbago zeylanica extract against the toxic effects of ethinylestradiol in the third instar larvae of transgenic Drosophila melanogaster (hsp70-lacZ)Bg9 and cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes
Authors: Siddique Yasir Hasan , Ara Gulshan , Faisal Mohammad , Afzal Mohammad
Published: December 2011

In the present study the effects of Plumbago zeylanica extract were studied against the toxic effects induced by 10 μM of ethinylestradiol in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes using chromosomal aberrations as a parameter and in the third instar larvae of transgenic Drosophila melanogaster (hsp70-lacZ)Bg9 (by 0.50 and 1.0 μl/mL of ethinylestradiol) using hsp70 expression as a parameter. The selected doses of P. zeylanica extract i.e. 1.075x10–4, 2.125x10–4, 3.15x10–4 and 4.17x10–4 g/mL were not toxic but were potent enough to reduce significantly the toxic effects induced by ethinylestradiol in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The selected doses for the estimation of hsp70 expression in the third instar larvae of transgenic D. melanogaster (hsp70-lacZ) Bg9. i.e. 1, 2, 4 and 6 µl/mL were not toxic though reduced significantly the expression of hsp70 induced by 0.5 and1.0 µl/mL of ethinylestradiol.