bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Finding Their Place: How Adoptive Parents Utilize Chinese Activities for Inclusion in Multiple Americas
Authors: Pan Yung-Yi Diana
Published: March 2013

This article characterizes adoptive parents not as consumers of Chinese culture or identity, but as facilitators who seek inclusion for their children. Specifically, the author finds that adoptive parents utilize involvement in Chinese activities for their children to find a place in (1) Asian and (2) multi–racial, cultural, and ethnic Americas, primarily. A small segment of parents focus on inclusion in (3) upper/middle-class America through involvement in Chinese activities. By comparing the experiences and expectations of white and Asian American parents, the author argues that context shapes the way adoptive parents understand their children’s inclusion in multiracial America.
"Garba With Attitude": Creative Nostalgia in Competitive Collegiate Gujarati American Folk Dancing
Authors: Falcone Jessica Marie
Published: March 2013

Garba-raas, a dance form popular in the Indian state of Gujarat, is now being rearticulated onstage as an Indian American intercollegiate competitive dance form. Since most dancers have never lived in the rural Gujarat that they often portray in their dances, the attempts to solidify the dance are a symptom of a “nostalgia without memory,” which is often placed in dynamic tension with the imperative to be “creative.” By placing Garba-raas in the larger context of the complex politics of authenticity in the Indian diaspora, this article explores the ongoing construction of tradition in American collegiate Garba-raas competition venues by choreographers, dancers, judges, and spectators alike.
Investigation of Temperature Dependent Multi-Walled Nanotube G and D Doublet Using Pseudo-Voigt Functions
Authors: Freihofer Gregory , Raghavan Seetha , Gosztola David
Published: March 2013

A pseudo-Voigt (PV) function is used as a representation of the Stoke's phonon frequency distributions for a multi-walled nanotube (MWNT) composite G and D doublet. Variable peak assignments with the PV function have been shown to enhance the resolution of these bands commonly used for characterization of carbon nanotube (CNT) composites. The peak assignment study was applied to an in-situ temperature experiment where the addition of new sub-bands in the G and D doublet was determined to reduce the uncertainty of the Raman characteristics. Fitting the spectrum with five pseudo-Voigt bands was concluded to give the most consistent results, producing the lowest uncertainty values for G-peak position ( vG) and D/G intensity ratio.
A Subcutaneous Raman Needle Probe
Authors: Day John C. C. , Stone Nicholas
Published: March 2013

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying the biochemical composition of tissues and cells in the human body. We describe the initial results of a feasibility study to design and build a miniature, fiber optic probe incorporated into a standard hypodermic needle. This probe is intended for use in optical biopsies of solid tissues to provide valuable information of disease type, such as in the lymphatic system, breast, or prostate, or of such tissue types as muscle, fat, or spinal, when identifying a critical injection site. The optical design and fabrication of this probe is described, and example spectra of various ex vivo samples are shown.
Quantum Dots in Bioanalysis: A Review of Applications across Various Platforms for Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Imaging
Authors: Petryayeva Eleonora , Algar W. Russ , Medintz Igor L.
Published: March 2013

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are brightly luminescent nanoparticles that have found numerous applications in bioanalysis and bioimaging. In this review, we highlight recent developments in these areas in the context of specific methods for fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging. Following a primer on the structure, properties, and biofunctionalization of QDs, we describe select examples of how QDs have been used in combination with steady-state or time-resolved spectroscopic techniques to develop a variety of assays, bioprobes, and biosensors that function via changes in QD photoluminescence intensity, polarization, or lifetime. Some special attention is paid to the use of Forster resonance energy transfer-type methods in bioanalysis, including those based on bioluminescence and chemiluminescence. Direct chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, and charge transfer quenching are similarly discussed. We further describe the combination of QDs and flow cytometry, including traditional cellular analyses and spectrally encoded barcode-based assay technologies, before turning our attention to enhanced fluorescence techniques based on photonic crystals or plasmon coupling. Finally, we survey the use of QDs across different platforms for biological fluorescence imaging, including epifluorescence, confocal, and two-photon excitation microscopy; single particle tracking and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy; super-resolution imaging; near-field scanning optical microscopy; and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. In each of the above-mentioned platforms, QDs provide the brightness needed for highly sensitive detection, the photostability needed for tracking dynamic processes, or the multiplexing capacity needed to elucidate complex systems. There is a clear synergy between advances in QD materials and spectroscopy and imaging techniques, as both must be applied in concert to achieve their full potential.
Making memories on cloth, or Miss Liberty’s Pinafore: Acollaboration in textile narrative
Authors: Costello Moya , Rall Denise N.
Published: March 2013

We take a fictocritical approach, shifting between critical and creative discourses, to centre on the process of creating a memory piece, a collaboration in textile narrative between a creative writer and a textile artist. The basis of the memory dress is a green-and-white-checked empire
line cotton pinafore. The writer, here called M, bought the garment at Sydney's Saturday Paddington Markets because of its colour, empire line and its label which was 'Frank', her father's name. The textile artist, here called D, works with recycled fabrics to create wearable artworks and
textile sculptures on life-sized mannequins. In her sewing process, each figure she creates emerges with a personality. These personalities are recorded in short fictional histories, or 'backstories'. The memory piece, Miss Liberty's Pinafore, traces the collaborative process of making life
fictions between M's fabric scraps, her childhood memories and writing, and D's creative costuming. Miss Liberty's Pinafore could not exist without an analysis of the metaphorical capacity of fabric and dress, the affects resonant between cloth, memory and identity, and the process of making
art.
Australians and the Pacific Rim: The contested past in the popular fiction of Di Morrissey
Authors: Ling Rebecca
Published: March 2013

Former print and television journalist Di Morrissey is Australia's biggest-selling writer of popular fiction. Her novels incrementally construct an Australia re-shaped for the new century through the interplay of significant social forces and demographic shifts. Her imaginary also places
Australian culture within a global network of affiliations generated by the colonial and imperial past, as well as by more recent strategic alliances, and encompasses some of the darker elements of Australia's collective inheritance. The critical reception of Morrissey's work, however, has
hitherto been scant and dismissive. Yet the Pacific Rim novels - Tears of the Moon, Scatter the Stars, Kimberley Sun, Monsoon, and The Plantation - can be read within perspectives afforded by dark tourism research and theories of cognitive dissonance, revealing that they subvert widely received
understandings of Australia's relationships within the Pacific region and constitute a subliminal force for public education.
Colonial discourse as a Somebody Else’s Problem ( SEP) field: Reading Life, the Universe and Everything as a postcolonial text
Authors: Beech Megan
Published: March 2013

This article acknowledges the established links between popular/science fiction and colonialism and identifies a gap in the body of knowledge; the link between science fiction and Australian colonialism. It begins by indicating how this gap affects the way we view both the colonized
and the colonizer before going on to show how this blind spot can be revealed using literary analysis. The article begins with a textual analysis of Douglas Adams' Life the Universe and Everything to demonstrate how it can be read as a post colonial text, then the work of prominent cultural
and critical theorists is drawn upon to demonstrate why it should be read as a postcolonial text. This is achieved by first showing that the text is clearly a reflection and explanation of the effects of, and workings behind, colonial discourse. We then go on to address the question of why
it is important that this text, which is often labeled as comedic science fiction, is in fact making a poignant political comment on the effects and inner workings of colonial discourse, that it succeeds in bringing postcolonial theory into the present, appropriating the contemporary connotations
of science fiction and the accessibility of popular comedy, in order to enable a wide and varied audience to become aware of their own blind spot when it comes to the subject of colonialism.
EXHIBITION REVIEWS
Authors: Cecil Anne
Published: March 2013

McQueen’s new York MoMent – a review of savage BeautY, Metropolitan MuseuM of art May 4 –July 31, 2011 and daphne Guiness, MuseuM at fit septe Mber 16 – January 7, 2012
Classical myths and legendary journeys: Hercules, landscape, identity and New Zealand
Authors: Wright Andrea
Published: March 2013

In 1994, five made for television movies – Hercules and the Amazon Women by Bill L. Norton, Hercules and the Lost Kingdom by Harley Cokeliss, Hercules and the Circle of Fire by Doug Lefler, Hercules in the Underworld by Bill L. Norton and Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur by
Josh Becker – became the forerunners of two popular, even cult, series screened from the mid-1990s: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (Various, 1995–1999) and its spin-off Xena: Warrior Princess (Various, 1995–2001). Despite being set in a mythical Ancient Greece, the movies
and the subsequent programmes were filmed on location in New Zealand. Indeed, New Zealand has become a frequent site for fantasy cinema and television production, perhaps most notably through the work of Peter Jackson, and Film New Zealand have actively promoted the country’s potential
to be ‘many worlds’. The varied and dramatic topography has played a significant role in encouraging filmmakers to base their productions in the country, but New Zealand’s own mythology as a land of Edenic, untouched beauty and its relative ‘youth’ are also integral
to understanding its appeal. This article, which primarily focuses on the five Hercules films, will explore the unique relationship and the dynamic interaction between the classical/fantasy narrative and New Zealand.
Biggles sees red: Saving Australia from the communist menace
Authors: Ihde Erin
Published: March 2013

James Bigglesworth, known as ‘Biggles’, is a children’s fictional character created by the English author Captain W. E. Johns in the 1930s. The ‘Biggles’ books became some of the most popular children’s titles of the twentieth century. Biggles had
adventures worldwide, but after World War II his adversaries were often communists. These stories reflect Cold War tensions, and many explore issues that are directly pertinent to Australian readers, including Korea, China and even a story set in Australia itself – where Biggles was
particularly popular – in which Biggles thwarts a planned communist uprising involving Aborigines. This article explores the extent to which the books were influential in shaping Cold War attitudes during the 1950s and 1960s, in light of Johns’ expressed intentions when writing
the books.
The future of pole dance
Authors: Dale Joshua Paul
Published: March 2013

From its genesis over two decades ago in exotic dance clubs, pole dance has consciously shed its striptease origins to become a global phenomenon. This article takes Japan as a case study to explain the evolution of pole dance as both a competitive sport and as a performance art, and
then proposes that Japanese pole dancers are leading the way in the latter category. The analysis is driven by the author’s personal experience as a pole dancer in Japan: an experience ineluctably marked by gender and ethnicity. As a Caucasian male, the author stands apart from Japanese
pole dancers; yet, this difference also enables him to stand in for the non-Japanese audience most likely to view the new performances in Japan through the racial stereotyping that defines ‘Oriental’ fetishism. However, the psychoanalytic concept of fetishism, reformulated and
depathologized in recent queer theory, also yields insights into how pole dancers across the world have developed the new pole dance around a shared, embodied experience. This article employs queer theory to analyse the new expressions of this shared experience that troupes of Japanese pole
dancers are developing. The article concludes by proposing that the global pole dance community comprises the best site of resistance to the inevitable fetishization that Japanese pole dancers will face as their highly theatrical ensemble shows debut to an international audience.
EXHIBITION REVIEWS
Authors: Byers Catherine , Cecil Anne
Published: March 2013

‘LOUIS VUITTON – MARC JACOBS’, LES ARTS DÉCORATIFS, PARIS, 9 MARCH–16 SEPTEMBER 2012

WHO TAKES THE PICTURES? AN EXHIBIT REVIEW OF CINDY SHERMAN, MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, 2012
Feedback: The impact of textual channel variance on student learning
Authors: Massie Keith
Published: March 2013

The current study examined the impact of the medium and valence of feedback on student learning. Three textual media – handwritten, printed and computer-mediated – were employed as well as two forms of valence – positive and negative. Using a 3×2 factorial design
a MANOVA was calculated to determine if there is a main effect for textual medium or valence, as well as if any interaction effect between the two variables existed. Such work parallels an earlier study by Edmund Carpenter and Marshall McLuhan. The results of this study are useful to better
understand textual feedback and have pragmatic value.
I Am Style: Tilda Swinton as Emma in Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love
Authors: De Perthuis Karen
Published: March 2013

This article examines the relationship between costume and character, self and appearance in Luca Guadagnino’s film, Io Sono l’Amore/I Am Love (Guadagnino, 2009). As played by Tilda Swinton, Emma Recchi is a woman whose dress reveals a meticulous record of her emotional
journey, providing an almost textbook case of costume performing emotional exteriority. Complicating any straightforward analysis of costume design in I Am Love, however, is a deep fashion consciousness that pervades the film and goes beyond the widely publicized association with fashion houses,
Jil Sander, Fendi and Hermès, to a recognition of fashion as a complex discourse able to canvas multiple, even contradictory, interpretations. Just as Guadagnino draws on other narratives and other films to tell his story, Swinton’s off-screen life and on-screen personae shadow
her portrayal of Emma, constructing a character who is both the unique individual of I Am Love and the hollow image of fashion that is the Emma of ‘I Am Style’.
Marked Woman (1937) and the dialectics of Art deco in the classical gangster genre
Authors: Todd Drew
Published: March 2013

In this article, I analyse the function of Art Deco designs in the 1930s gangster genre and, in particular, Warner Brothers’ Marked Woman (Bacon, 1937). Like many gangster films of the period, it associates high-style Art Deco with excess and the criminal underworld. My findings,
however, reveal a tension between the film’s moralist stance and its visual excess. Compelling visual signifiers of leisure, style and social mobility, the modern designs are free to circumvent the film’s critical message and reinforce American capitalist ideologies. My analyses
underscore Art Deco as an emblematic style of commercial modernity. Marked Woman and other gangster films not only reflect the latest trends in design, but also negotiate a constellation of values, ideologies and desires at a time of social and economic volatility.
Towards an epistemology of management and economics in the Zimbabwean music industry
Authors: Mhiripiri Joyce Tsitsi
Published: March 2013

This article examines the management, economics and political economy aspects of the Zimbabwe music industry. It compares management and policy practices in South Africa with those in Zimbabwe and identifies gaps that need to be filled in developing an epistemology of management and
economics in the Zimbabwe music industry. Some of the issues identified include the importance of strategy – especially an industry strategy – in developing music business, the interaction between majors and indies, the significance of intellectual property rights (IPRs) for this
industry, the role of government policy in nurturing a vibrant music industry and the role of stardom in creating a sustainable competitive advantage for musicians. A number of weaknesses in the Zimbabwe music industry were identified such as lack of an industry strategy, lack of coherent
statistics on the music industry and a need to develop the organizational infrastructure of industry associations. The article concludes by urging researchers to complement the basic business disciplines with critical political economy, sociology of creative labour industries and cultural
studies in order to produce work that focuses on the musicians as primary producers and attempts to improve their position in society
FILM REVIEW
Authors: Ndlela Martin Nkosi
Published: March 2013

BITTER ROOTS: THE ENDS OF A KALAHARI MYTH (2010) 71 MINUTES, DIRECTED BY ADRIAN STRONG, DOCUMENTARY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Relationship Among Serum and Urine Neopterin, Fibrinogen, and Other Serum Analytes in Atherosclerotic Patients and the Long-term Effect of H.E.L.P. Therapy
Authors: Vrecko Karoline , Walz Manfred , Tafeit Erwin , Reibnegger G.
Published: March 2013

In 30 atherosclerotic patients different serum analytes and neopterin concentrations in serum and urine were determined before and after Heparin-Induced Extracorporeal LDL and Fibrinogen Precipitation therapy. Neopterin concentrations in serum of all 30 patients were increased (mean=9.18 nmol/l, SD=3.23) compared to age matched healthy people (mean=5.34 nmol/l, SD=2.70) and were significantly lowered after H.E.L.P therapy (mean=S.22 nmol/l; SD=3.22, p=0.002, t-test) . These results suggest the involvement of the cellular immune system in the occurrence of atherosclerosis. Further neopterin, the macrophagederived immune activation marker, is significantly correlated with fibrinogen (linear correlation coefficient r=0.36, p=0.05). Long-term neopterin concentrations in serum of 4 patients (three with coronary heart disease and one with Papilla edema), from the first up to the 9th, respectively 12th therapy decreased, in contrast to fibrinogen which stayed stable or even increased during long-term treatment.
Modulation of LPS-induced Cell Death by 5,6,7,8-Tetrahydrobiopterin
Authors: Iizuka Hiroyuki , Sagara Hirofumi , Kojima Shuji
Published: March 2013

It has been previously reported that 5,6,7,S-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) modulates HL-60 cell death induced by a nitric oxide (NO) donor, S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D, L-penicillamine (SNAP). In this study, the role of endogenous BH4 was investigated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced apoptotic cell death. LPS induced an increase of DNA fragmentation and of nitrite and nitrate content (NOx content) in the macrophage- like RAW 264.7 cell line. 2,4-Diamino-6-hydroxypyrimidine (DAHP) , an inhibitor of BH4 synthesis, suppressed both of them. The NOx content of cells treated with LPS and interferon-y was much higher than that of cells treated with LPS alone. However, the degree of apoptotic cell death induced by LPS and interferon-y did not differ significantly from that induced by LPS alone. Further investigation revealed that LPS-induced cell death of RAW264.7 cells was mainly mediated by reactive oxygen species, such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). From these data, it was speculated that BH4 might be a modulator in NO-induced apoptosis, in which BH4 involves LPS-induced cell death by its function asa cofactor of inducible NO synthase and it suppresses the cell death mediated by NO and/or H2O2 via an antioxidative activity.
Correlation of Neopterin Concentrations In Amniotic Fluid and Urine of Pregnant Women at Delivery
Authors: Widner Bernhard , Fuith Lothar C. , Czarnecki Maryan , Fuchs Dietmar
Published: March 2013

Median neopterin concentration in amniotic fluid at delivery was 72 nM which is approximately 10-fold the maternal and fetal serum concentration. A strong correlation existed between neopterin concentrations in amniotic fluid and urine, except an unproportionally high level in amniotic fluid in one case with an intrauterine infection.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Levels of α-tocopherol and Neopterin In Patients with Dementia
Authors: Sattler Wolfgang , Leblhuber Friedrich , Walli Johannes , Widner Bernhard , Fuchs Dietmar
Published: March 2013

In patients with different forms of dementia we compared serum and cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of α-tocopherol (vitamin-E), the major circulating lipid-soluble antioxidant, and neopterin, a product released from monocytic cells upon stimulation with interferon-γ. A significant inverse correlation was found between the concentrations of both compounds in the cerebrospinal fluid. The data point to a role of oxidative stress to reduce antioxidant levels in elderly demented patients with neurodegenerative diseases.
Soluble Fas ligand and neopterin in patients with systemic and cutaneous discoid lupus erythematosus
Authors: Wirleitner Barbara , Kowald Elisabeth , Widner Bernhard , Ortner Ulrike , Baier-Bitterlich Gabriele , Sepp Norbert , Fuchs Dietmar
Published: March 2013

Evidence accumulates suggesting that the pathogenesis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with modulations in the Fas/FasL system. Serum concentrations of soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) were found to be elevated in patients with SLE. In this study we wanted to determine the levels of sFasL and the status of immune activation - monitored by neopterin secretion - in patients with SLE and cutaneous discoid lupus erythematosus (CDLE). Sixty-five serum samples were assayed. We found elevated concentrations of sFasL in patients with SLE and CDLE. The levels of sFasL in COLE patients were significant lower compared to SLE patients. Neopterin concentrations in serum were found to be slightly increased in patients with CDLE. Compared to patients with SLE, activation of the immune system was significant lower in COLE. Taken together, we found d evated levels of sFasL in patients with SLE as well as CDLE, connected with ar activation of the immune system and thereby increased concentration of neopterin in serum.
Neopterin and kynurenine concentrations in aqueous humour of the anterior chamber of the eye and in serum of cataract patients with pseudoexfoliation
Authors: Laganovska Guna , Martinsons Agris , Pitrans Bronislavs , Widner Bernhard , Fuchs Dietmar
Published: March 2013

In 40 cataract patients and in 51 patients without pseudoexfoliation (PES) we determined serum concentrations of neopterin, kynurenine, and selenium and concentrations of neopterin in aqueous humour from the anterior chamber of the eye. In addition, selenium content in lenses was determined. Significantly increased kynurenine and neopterin concentrations in serum and neopterin concentrations in aqueous humour were observed in mature cataract patients with PES compared to those without. These patients also presented with the lowest content of selenium in serum and lens, compared with cataract patients without PES. Increased concentrations of neopterin in serum and aqueous humour of the anterior chamber of eyes suggest an increased degree of oxidative stress in patients with PES. Thus, the results support the role of oxidative stress in the development of PES in cataract patients. The decreased content of selenium may elicit immune system activation via an increased oxidative stress as it is indicated by the increased formation of kynurenine and neopterin.
Helicobacter pylori infection and neopterin
Authors: Ledochowski Maximilian , Murr Christian , Lass-Flörl Cornelia , Fuchs Dietmar
Published: March 2013

In order to find out whether chronic immune stimulation is associated with Helicobacter pylori infection we studied 425 healthy individuals (aged 57.6 ± 9.22 years, s.d.) who were performing a health check up without having any specific health problems. Blood was drawn for Hpylori antibody testing, determination of routine laboratory parameters, differential blood count and measuring neopterin concentrations. In addition, in individuals seropositive for H pylori, measurement of 13C02 exhalation after administration of 75 mg 13C-Urea was performed to test for the presence of these microorganisms in the gut. One hundred and ninety subjects were H pylori seropositive (antibody titer> 4) and they had higher serum neopterin concentrations (serum neopterin: 6.38 nM ± 3.3 S.D.) compared to seronegative subjects (serum neopterin: 5.74 ± 2.7 nM, p =0.027, Student's ttest). Among the H pylori seropositive individuals no such difference existed between breath test positive (serum neopterin: 6.1 ± 3.1 nM) and negative ones (serum neopterin: 6.1 ± 2.0 nM; p = n. s.). Increased production of neopterin is indicative for an activated cellular immune response. Antibody seropositive patients present with higher neopterin levels than seronegatives even when H pylori seemed to be no longer present in the gut. Surprisingly neopterin concentrations were not related to the presence/absence of bacteria in the gut. Higher neopterin concentrations in H pylori seropositive individuals would be in good agreement with the view of H pylori infection as a risk factor for developing atherosclerosis, since in earlier studies carotid stenosis was found to be associated with higher neopterin concentrations. In that study as in ours, the great majority of neopterin concentrations found were well within the normal range of healthy controls. Our data point to a role of H. pylori to induce a long-lasting albeit moderate deterioration of the cellular immune system, which may contribute to increase the risk of atherosclerosis.
Neopterin Acting as a Bone Marrow Stem Cell Factor on Early Common Haematopoietic (Myeloid) and Stromal (Dendritic, CD34+) Cell Progenitors in vitro
Authors: Zvetkova E. , Fuchs D. , Katzarova E. , Bakalska M. , Svetoslavova M. , Nikolov B.
Published: March 2013

The in vitro response of early haematopoietic progenitors or stem cells, common for myeloid (granulocyte, eosinophil, megacaryocyte) and marrow stromal (including dendritic CD34+) cells series, to neopterin, exogenously added to the liquid- and semi-liquid (agar-) mouse bone marrow cultures, at doses 12.5 - 25 Jlg/ml culture medium, has been studied. The results obtained show a significant stimulation of common myeloid and stromal dendritic cell (CD34+) progenitors' proliferation and/or differentiation as early as 24h after the in vitro treatment of marrow cultures with neopterin. On day 4 of cultivation the granulocyte/macrophageal proliferation and differentiation has been attenuated giving place to the marrow stromal dendritic cell (probably CD34+) differentiation. The engagement of the nuclear proliferative factor NF-K B may playa role in the light of recent data that neopterin could activate this transcriptionally active nuclear factor. The significance of clonal selective stimulation of healthy (but not of leukaemic) dendritic CD34+ cells in some pathological cases as acute myeloid leukaemia has been also discussed because neopterin could be a more efficient marrow stem cell factor than cytokine cocktails with granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor. The ex vivo or clinical application of neopterin, alone and/or in specific combinations with other cytokines, in the induction of marrow myeloid and stromal cell proliferation and differentiation towards the dendritic (CD34+) cells merits further investigations ..
Neopterin Concentrations in Colon Dialysate
Authors: Ledjeff E. , Artner-Dworzak E. , Witasek A. , Fuchs D. , Hausen A.
Published: March 2013

Increased production of neopterin in humans is indicative for an activated cellular immune response. The intestinal immune system encounters an enormous amount of infectious agents or injurious substances evoking a cellular immune response. The objective of this pilot study was to measure neopterin levels in colon dialysates of healthy individuals and in comparison with individuals under a starvation diet and with patients. In parallel, urinary and salivary neopterin levels were determined in these subjects. The mean neopterin concentration in colon dialysate was about J 0, times higher than in serum. These high neopterin values agree with a great impact of the cellular immune system within the human colon. Common diseases had a strong and prompt effect on the neopterin levels in colon dialysate, e.g. three individuals with acute gastritis had very high neopterin concentrations. In subjects with a starvation diet according to F.X.Mayr, which is characterized by low fiber and low calorie intake, the neopterin levels in colon dialysate were lower. The data may argue for a regeneration of the cellular immune system during fasting.
Location of CO2 on silicalite-1 zeolite using a single-crystal X-ray method
Authors: Fujiyama Shinjiro , Kamiya Natsumi , Nishi Koji , Yokomori Yoshinobu
Published: March 2013

The location of physisorbed CO2 molecules on silicalite-1 zeolite (MFI-type) is determined using a single-crystal X-ray method. There are four sorption sites for CO2 molecules in the three-dimensional channel system of the silicalite-1. Two of them are in the straight channel in disorder (STR1 and STR2), while the other sites are in the sinusoidal channel (SIN) and at the intersection (INT). Their occupancy factors indicate that a large portion of the CO2 molecules are located in the straight channel. It is also revealed that the straight channel is the most favorable for CO2 molecules as sorption sites.
Interconnection and incentive regulation in network industries
Authors: Major Iván , Kiss Károly
Published: March 2013

The price regulation of network industries has changed tremendously all over the world recently. Theoretical contributions specifically advocate and telecommunications, energy and other market regulators in various parts of the world practice cost-based pricing for inter-firm network access services. Cost-based pricing is performed under the assumption that the regulator has perfect information regarding the costs of producing the services. We show that — under fairly general conditions — cost-based pricing creates incentives for regulated firms not to improve their efficiency. Allowing for information asymmetry between the regulator and the regulated firms, we find that incentive regulation will eliminate the adverse effect of cost-based pricing on the firms’ efficiency and on social welfare.
The real price of intellectual property: evaluation of franchisees’ benefits
Authors: Kotliarov Ivan
Published: March 2013

It is demonstrated that models of royalty rate calculations developed for licensing should not be applied to franchising because the benefits received by a licensee and a franchisee are different. It is proposed that the risk reduction generated by the franchisor’s effective technologies and the managerial support given to a franchisee also be included in the model of royalty calculation. It is demonstrated that a franchisee may wish to acquire the franchise even if the franchisor takes the full amount of additional income or if this additional income is negative.
The Greek economy in a Kaldorian developmental framework
Authors: Katrakilidis Konstantinos , Tsaliki Persefoni , Tsiakis Theodosios
Published: March 2013

This paper empirically explores the validity of the Kaldorian insights into economic growth and development. In doing so, we examine the three laws outlined in Kaldor’s analysis and test their relevance to the Greek economy for the period 1970–2006. We employ the ARDL method to analyse the long-run and short-run relationships among the variables. The empirical results confirm Kaldor’s proposition about the importance of the demand side of the economy and thus provide the necessary theoretical and empirical ground for innovative economic policies in these difficult times for Greece.
Effects of Curing Time on Properties of Spin-On Glass as Low-Temperature Insulator
Authors: Dominguez Miguel A. , Rosales Pedro , Torres Alfonso , Moreno Mario
Published: March 2013

In this work, we report the effects of curing time on properties of SiO2 films produced from Spin-On Glass (SOG) diluted with H2O and cured at 200°C. The electrical characterization showed that the insulator breakdown field for the films produced from SOG diluted with H2O with 1 Hr of curing time was approximately 5 MV/cm while for 6.5 Hrs of curing time the breakdown field was 21 MV/cm. Also, the refractive index and surface roughness were improved with longer curing time.
X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies for the determination of adsorption binding modes of selenium oxoanions onto iron and manganese based nanomaterials
Authors: Gonzalez Christina M. , Parsons Jason G. , Hernandez Jeffrey , Gardea-Torresdey Jorge L.
Published: March 2013

Increasing concentrations of selenium oxoanions in the environment are placing many animals at risk for reproduction failure and deformities. The understanding of binding mechanisms of selenium oxoanions to iron and manganese based oxide minerals could lead to enhanced understanding of selenium mobility in the environment. In this study, the binding mechanisms of selenium oxoanions, selenite and selenate, to non microwave-assisted and microwave-assisted synthetic Fe3O4, Mn3O4, and MnFe2O4 nanomaterials were investigated through the use of X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy studies revealed the oxidation state of selenite and selenate remains the same after binding occurs to all nanomaterials in pH 2, 4, or 6 environments. The binding modes of selenite and selenate were determined to be bidentate binuclear through use of Extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and were independent of nanomaterials, synthetic technique, and pH.
Theoretical and experimental advances in Bi2Te3 / Sb2Te3 - based and related superlattice systems
Authors: Winkler M. , Liu X. , Schürmann U. , König J. D. , Kienle L. , Bensch W. , Böttner H.
Published: March 2013

Roughly a decade ago an outstanding thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of 2.4 was reported for nanostructured Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3-based thin film superlattice (SL) structures. The published results strongly fueled and renewed the interest in the development of efficient novel nanostructured thermoelectric materials. This review article shall give an overview over the most recent theoretical and experimental advances on Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 SLs and related superlattice systems. The presented theoretical models are subdivided into electronic and phononic aspects. The experimental results are summarized with regard to the method used. A more detailed elaboration on structural and transport properties is given in the subsequent sections.
Carbon Nanomaterials for Energy Efficient Green Electronics
Authors: Kaul Anupama B.
Published: March 2013

Developing energy efficient electronics or green electronics is an area that is largely driven by the performance limitations of scaled Si-based CMOS due to the exceptionally high power dissipation and high leakage currents arising in such devices at nanoscale dimensions. It is clear now that Si-based CMOS has been stretched over the past several decades to the point that further miniaturization will make such simple size scaling non-sustainable in the future. New materials and technologies are thus vigorously being explored beyond Si, in order to overcome performance limitations from ultra-miniaturized Si-CMOS. Among these materials, carbon-based nanostructures such as graphene and carbon nanotubes are being considered as viable alternatives to Si-CMOS to enable energy efficient green electronics. Novel architectures for enabling low-power, energy-efficient computation are currently being explored, which include tunneling field-effect-transistors (TFETs), as well as nano-electro-mechanical-systems (NEMS) due to their abrupt ON/OFF transitions, low OFF state currents and high speed operation. In this paper, an overview of carbon nanomaterials is presented and the role they play in enabling energy efficient TFETs and NEMS is also highlighted. Finally, the emergence of a new class of 2D systems beyond graphene is discussed such as MoS2, which may open up new avenues for exploration and enabling applications in electronics.
Electron and Phonon Transport in n- and p-type Skutterudites
Authors: Yang Jiong , Wang S. , Yang Jihui , Zhang W. , Chen L.
Published: March 2013

Filled skutterudites are one of the most promising materials for thermoelectric (TE) power generation applications at intermediate temperatures due to their superior TE and thermomechanical performance as compared to other materials. In the past, we have demonstrated that n-type skutterudites can be optimized so that their maximum TE figure of merit reaches 1.7 at 850 K. TE performance of the p-type, however, is lagging behind, which hinders the optimization of skutterudites-based TE module development. In this paper we reveal that the underlying reasons for inferior TE properties of the p-type root in their electronic band structures, which result in higher thermal conductivity at elevated temperatures due to bipolar lattice thermal conduction and lower power factor because of heavy valance bands induced strong electron-phonon interactions. We also identify means of improving the power factor and reducing bipolar effect.
Diffusion barriers for CeFe4Sb12/Cu thermoelectric devices
Authors: Boulat Laetitia , Viennois Romain , Ravot Didier , Fréty Nicole
Published: March 2013

The efficiency of a tantalum nitride interlayer as a diffusion barrier for CeFe4Sb12 thermoelectric material against electrode copper material has been investigated. The thermal stability of CeFe4Sb12/TaN/Cu stackings has been investigated after annealing at 600°C from a microstructural study. CeFe4Sb12 and Cu appear to chemically react through the formation of CeCu2 and Cu2Sb phases whereas no reaction is observed for CeFe4Sb12 with TaN. This study showed that the TaN interlayer cannot inhibit the diffusion of Sb from the skutterudite substrate to the copper electrode but prevents the diffusion of Ce and consequently the formation of the CeCu2 phase.
Interações entre herbicidas e protetores para o controle de capim-annoni em pastagem natural
Authors: Goulart Ives Clayton Gomes dos Reis , Nunes Anderson Luis , Kupas Valmir , Merotto Junior Aldo
Published: March 2013

A similaridade botânica do capim-annoni com as espécies forrageiras nativas ou cultivadas dificultam o seu controle em pastagens naturais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de associações entre herbicidas e protetores sobre o controle de capim-annoni e a seletividade em pastagem natural. Foram realizados dois experimentos a campo em área de pastagem natural típica do Bioma Pampa avaliando-se herbicidas aplicados em pré e pós-emergência. Outro experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação com as espécies capim-annoni e grama forquilha onde foram avaliados os herbicidas glufosinate-ammonium e imazethapyr. Em ambos os experimentos os herbicidas foram avaliados isolados ou em associação com os protetores anidrido naftálico, dietholate e fluxofenim. Os experimentos a campo demonstraram que os herbicidas aplicados em pré ou pós-emergência em interação com os protetores não proporcionaram controle satisfatório do capim-annoni e nem aumento da seletividade à pastagem natural. Por outro lado, o experimento em condições controladas indicou a ocorrência de sinergismo do herbicida glufosinate-ammonium em interação com os protetores anidrido naftálico, dietholate e fluxofenim sobre o capim-annoni. As diferenças relacionadas a estádio de desenvolvimento e densidade de infestação estão relacionadas as variações das respostas nos estudos a campo e em condições controladas. A utilização de herbicidas em associações com protetores apresenta potencialidade de controle seletivo de capim-annoni quando aplicado em plantas em estádios iniciais de desenvolvimento.
Development of a laboratory-scale pressuremeter
Authors: Johnston Grey , Doherty James , Lehane Barry
Published: March 2013

This paper presents details of the design, fabrication and operation of a laboratory-scale pressuremeter recently built at the University of Western Australia. The device is significantly different to any previously built miniature pressuremeter in that it uses air as the pressurising fluid and the membrane displacement is measured using strain-gauged ‘feeler-arm’ transducers, rather than inferring displacements from measured volume changes in the pressuring fluid. It is believed that the direct measurement of radial cavity displacement removes a number of potential sources of error inherent in the inference of displacement from the volume of hydraulic fluid applied. The requirement for system de-airing is also removed. Preliminary results from stress chamber testing are presented and basic interpretation of results indicates that the device is capable of producing high-quality stress–strain data.
Analyzing animal movement patterns using potential functions
Authors: Preisler Haiganoush K. , Ager Alan A. , Wisdom Michael J.
Published: March 2013

The advent of GPS technology has made it possible to study human‐wildlife interactions on large landscapes and quantify behavioral responses to recreation and other anthropogenic disturbances at increasingly fine scales. Of particular interest are the potential impacts on habitat use patterns, energetics, and cascading impacts on fecundity and other life history traits for key wildlife species that are exposed to human activities. Statistical models quantifying effects of human activity on animal movement on a heterogeneous landscape are essential for understanding these potential impacts. Here we present a statistical framework for analyzing movement data that is based on the concept of a potential surface. The potential surface is motivated by the assumption that animals are moving on a space‐time surface with regions or points of attraction or of repulsion. We demonstrate the use of the technique by analyzing movement data from a long‐term controlled experiment to evaluate the responses of free ranging Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) to anthropogenic disturbances that vary in time and space. Our results demonstrated a strong avoidance of elk to all‐terrain vehicles detected up to one km from the disturbance. Elk avoidance of mountain bikers was detected up to 500 m, and avoidance of hikers and horseback riders was detected to 200 m.
Risk Assessment in Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review of Contemporary Approaches
Authors: Nicholls Tonia L. , Pritchard Michelle M. , Reeves Kim A. , Hilterman Edward
Published: March 2013

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has profound and widespread health and economic implications at an individual, familial, and societal level. Violence risk assessment measures offer an evidence-informed approach to ascertain the degree of threat an abuser poses, transparent and defensible indicators for intervention and treatment decisions, and can be used to inform professionals, perpetrators, and victims alike regarding the nature and intensity of services required to help prevent IPV. This article summarizes the state of knowledge regarding risk assessment for IPV through a systematic examination of all English publications from westernized nations from 1990 to 2011. Three search engines—PsychINFO, ScienceDirect, and Social Sciences Citation Index—identified 3,361 potentially relevant articles. After dropping duplicates and removing articles that did not explicitly examine risk assessment for IPV, 39 articles remained. Several themes emerged: (a) There is a relatively small body of empirical evidence evaluating risk assessment measures in the context of IPV; (b) continued advancements are needed in the methodological rigor of the research; (c) investigations should expand cross-validation research to diverse samples (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender [GLBT]; male victims/female perpetrators); and (d) an exciting development in IPV risk assessment research is evidence that risk assessments can serve to reduce risk levels (Belfrage et al., 2011). In terms of clinical implications, the review demonstrated considerable promise of several measures but generally reveals modest postdictive/predictive validity. Limited evidence for the superiority of IPV specific risk assessment measures over general violence risk assessment measures was revealed; however, this may largely be a reflection of study limitations. Given the challenges in comparing across studies and the heterogeneity of partner abusers, it seems premature to recommend one preferred assessment measure/approach to clinicians.
Water Quality Assessment and Analysis of Spatial Patterns and Temporal Trends
Authors: Gazzaz Nabeel M. , Yusoff Mohd Kamil , Juahir Hafizan , Ramli Mohammad Firuz , Aris Ahmad Zaharin
Published: March 2013

This study investigated relationships of a water quality index (WQI) with multiple water quality variables (WQVs), explored variability in water quality over time and space, and established linear and non‐linear models predictive of WQI from raw WQVs. Data were processed using Spearman's rank correlation analysis, multiple linear regression, and artificial neural network modeling. Correlation analysis indicated that from a temporal perspective, the WQI, temperature, and zinc, arsenic, chemical oxygen demand, sodium, and dissolved oxygen concentrations increased, whereas turbidity and suspended solids, total solids, nitrate nitrogen (NO3‐N), and biochemical oxygen demand concentrations decreased with year. From a spatial perspective, an increase with distance of the sampling station from the headwater was exhibited by 10 WQVs: magnesium, calcium, dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, temperature, NO3‐N, arsenic, chloride, potassium, and sodium. At the same time, the WQI; Escherichia coli bacteria counts; and suspended solids, total solids, and dissolved oxygen concentrations decreased with distance from the headwater. Lastly, regression and artificial neural network models with high prediction powers (81.2% and 91.4%, respectively) were developed and are discussed.