bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Je me souviens de Beyrouth: Zeina Abirached’s Perecquian practice
Authors: Kemp Anna 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
The French experimental writing collective the Ouvroir de Littérature Potentielle, or Oulipo for short, is often imagined to be inward-looking, Pariscentric and deeply entangled in the threads of French literary history. However, the group has become increasingly diverse and its influence now extends far beyond l’Hexagone. This article will consider some of the ways in which oulipian techniques, games, themes and concerns might be transported and adapted to other national and cultural contexts. It will take, as a case in point, the complete works, to date, of the Franco-Lebanese graphic memoirist Zeina Abirached. Abirached adopts and transforms oulipian practices – in particular those of Georges Perec – in order to grapple with the memory of growing up during the Lebanese Civil War (1975–90). Like that of Perec, Abirached’s ‘oulipian’ practice appears as a means of managing individual and collective memory. However, Perec’s Parisian experiments take significantly new directions in the context of post-war Beirut where the relationship between individual and collective memory remains extremely fraught.
Exploring Researcher Identity Construction of University EFL Teachers in China
Authors: Nana Long , Jing Huang 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBased on the narratives of four Chinese university EFL teachers’ research experiences, this study reports on the dynamic construction of their researcher identities and the crucial socio-institutional and individual factors that have afforded and constrained researcher identity construction. The results presented different trajectories of researcher identity construction through the EFL teachers’ three stages of research experiences (beginning, stagnation/development, and struggle stages) in their professional lives. Academic learning contexts such as Master’s and PhD programs were shown to be replete with factors that contributed to the development of researcher identity, while the institutional context and the broad social context in China were exposed to be greatly constraining. Motivation, publications, academic qualifications, and networking with researchers were four important individual factors that impacted the EFL teachers’ researcher identity construction. The findings suggest that Chinese EFL teachers raise awareness of their researcher identities, make continuous critical reflections, and exercise agency to seek opportunities for development while governments and institutions should reform the current educational and promotion systems to support EFL teachers’ research engagement.
A Nonconforming Finite Element Method for an Acoustic Fluid-Structure Interaction Problem
Authors: Brenner Susanne C. , Çeşmelioğlu Ayçıl , Cui Jintao , Sung Li-Yeng 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
We study a nonconforming finite element approximation of the vibration modes
of an acoustic fluid-structure interaction. Displacement variables are used
for both the fluid and the solid. The numerical scheme is based on an irrotational
fluid displacement formulation and hence it is free of spurious eigenmodes.
The method uses weakly continuous

P
1

{P_{1}}

vector fields for the fluid and
classical piecewise linear elements for the solid, and it has

O
⁢

(

h
2

)

{O(h^{2})}

convergence for the eigenvalues on properly graded meshes. The theoretical results
are confirmed by numerical experiments.
Geochemistry of Selected Kaolins from Cameroon and Nigeria
Authors: Bukalo Nenita N. , Ekosse Georges-Ivo E. , Odiyo John O. , Ogola Jason S. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe geochemical characteristics of selected kaolins from Cameroon and Nigeria are presented, with an attempt to elucidate on their possible industrial applications by comparing them to world-known kaolin deposits. Major oxides concentrations were subjected to factor analyses in interpreting their relationships. Geochemical indices, including chemical index of alteration (CIA), chemical index of weathering (CIW) and the index of compositional variability (ICV) were computed and plotted on binary and ternary diagrams to determine the intensity of weathering of the kaolins and discriminate their different source rock types. Kaolinite was the major phase, followed by quartz, illite and goethite as minor phases. Minerals in trace phases included smectite, anatase, muscovite, gibbsite, microcline, palygorskite and calcite. Mean abundances of major oxides in wt% were: SiO
Studies on the preparation and properties of biodegradable polyester from soybean oil
Authors: Xuebin Wang , Jincheng Wang 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
Crude dimer acid (DA) was prepared with soybean oil (SO) used as raw material and organic montmorillonite as a catalyst. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) were used to characterize the structure of DA. It was demonstrated that the synthesis of crude DA using SO was feasible. A molecular weight of 995–1304 g/mol was obtained by GPC measurement. Then, a type of polyester was synthesized using the crude DA and polyethylene glycol. The effects of reaction temperatures and different catalysts on the conversion rate were explored. The results showed that the esterification conversion rate was improved to 83.13% when SnCl2 was used as the catalyst, with a reaction temperature of 180°C The FTIR, 1H-NMR, GPC and TGA were used to characterize the structure and performance of this polyester. The polyester had a molecular weight ranging from 8259 to 10892 g/mol. In addition, its biodegradable behavior was analyzed by the soil burial test and was compared with that of terephthalic acid. The results showed that the composites prepared from DA had a pronounced effect on weight loss during biodegradation.
(l) as a sociolinguistic variable in Francoprovençal
Authors: Kasstan Jonathan , Müller Daniela 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis article argues for (l) as a sociolinguistic variable in Francoprovençal: (l) refers to variable palatalisation of /l/ in obstruent+lateral onset clusters (/kl, ɡl, pl, bl, fl/), a feature that has long been the subject of metalinguistic commentary, but no systematic analysis. Our data, which come from a larger study of Francoprovençal (FP), show significant intraspeaker variation. Sociolinguistic interviews were carried out in the Lyonnais region of France among 21 FP speakers with different acquisition routes. /l/-palatalisation is far from categorical in our sample, with increased rates of the French variant [l] over the traditional [j] variant. We interpret these data as contact-induced change: phonological leveling is underway, with convergence towards French. These findings are consistent with the language death literature, and are now widely reported in the context of other minority varieties spoken in the Hexagon. Conversely, somenew speakersshow different patterns with a greater range of palatalised variants. These findings add to a growing body of evidence that suggest laterals to be a locus for socio-indexical cues cross-linguistically.
Francoprovençal as social practice: comparative study in Italy, France and Switzerland
Authors: Bichurina Natalia 
Published: December 2017

AbstractA series of legal acts have transformed what used to be considered a group of “patois” at the borderland of Italy, France and Switzerland into a “minority/regional language”: the Francoprovençal language (FP). A trans-border language policy is being developed, based on the assumption that structural unity of FP would imply similarity of social issues linked to its use. At the same time, although extensive research has been carried out on linguistic features of FP, none of the approaches developed so far examine FP as it is used in interaction. Hence, the central question of this article is: what do people actually do with FP and what does it mean for them? The findings are based on fieldwork in the three countries (participant observation and 60 interviews). I argue that the FP space comprises two types of linguistic situations: thediffuse typeis where FP is spoken in daily communication, and its borders, be they linguistic, geographical or social, are uncertain for speakers. Problematic issues concern outdated negative sociopolitical connotations of its use. Thefocused typeis where FP is neither spoken in everyday interactions nor transmitted in families, but emerges, discursively and politically, as a language in its own right.
Heterometallic boride clusters: synthesis and characterization of butterfly and square pyramidal boride clusters*
Authors: Bag Ranjit , Mondal Bijan , Bakthavachalam K. , Roisnel Thierry , Ghosh Sundargopal 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
A number of heterometallic boride clusters have been synthesized and structurally characterized using various spectroscopic and crystallographic analyses. Thermolysis of [Ru3(CO)12] with [Cp*WH3(B4H8)] (1) yielded [{Cp*W(CO)2}2(μ
4-B){Ru(CO)3}2(μ-H)] (2), [{Cp*W(CO)2}2(μ
5-B){Ru(CO)3}2{Ru(CO)2}(μ-H)] (3), [{Cp*W(CO)2}(μ
5-B){Ru(CO)3}4] (4) and a ditungstaborane cluster [(Cp*W)2B4H8Ru(CO)3] (5) (Cp*=η
5-C5Me5). Compound 2 contains 62 cluster valence-electrons, in which the boron atom occupies the semi-interstitial position of a M4-butterfly core, composed of two tungsten and two ruthenium atoms. Compounds 3 and 4 can be described as hetero-metallic boride clusters that contain 74-cluster valence electrons (cve), in which the boron atom is at the basal position of the M5-square pyramidal geometry. Cluster 5 is analogous to known [(Cp*W)2B5H9] where one of the BH vertices has been replaced by isolobal {Ru(CO)3} fragment. Computational studies with density functional theory (DFT) methods at the B3LYP level have been used to analyze the bonding of the synthesized molecules. The optimized geometries and computed 11B NMR chemical shifts satisfactorily corroborate with the experimental data. All the compounds have been characterized by mass spectrometry, IR, 1H, 11B and 13C NMR spectroscopy, and the structural architectures were unequivocally established by crystallographic analyses of clusters 2–5.
Prognostic significance of tumor regression in locally advanced rectal cancer after preoperative radiochemotherapy
Authors: Omejc Mirko , Potisek Maja 
Published: December 2017

Abstract

Background
The majority of rectal cancers are discovered in locally advanced forms (UICC stage II, III). Treatment consists of preoperative radiochemotherapy, followed by surgery 6–8 weeks later and finally by postoperative chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to find out if tumor regression affected long-term survival in patients with localy advanced rectal cancer, treated with neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy.

Patients and methods
Patients with rectal cancer stage II or III, treated between 2006 and 2010, were included in a retrospective study. Clinical and pathohistologic data were acquired from computer databases and information about survival from Cancer Registry. Survival was estimated according to Kaplan-Meier method. Significance of prognostic factors was evaluated in univariate analysis; comparison was carried out with log-rank test. The multivariate analysis was performed according to the Cox regression model; statistically significant variables from univariate analysis were included.

Results
Two hundred and two patients met inclusion criteria. Median follow-up was 53.2 months. Stage ypT0N0 (pathologic complete response, pCR) was observed in 14.8% of patients. Pathohistologic stage had statistically significant impact on survival (p = 0.001). 5-year survival in patients with pCR was>90%. Postoperative T and N status were also found to be statistically significant (p = 0.011 for ypT and p < 0.001 for ypN). According to multivariate analysis, tumor response to neoadjuvant therapy was the only independent prognostic factor (p = 0.003).

Conclusions
Pathologic response of tumor to preoperative radiochemotherapy is an important prognostic factor for prediction of long-term survival of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.
Structural chemistry of fluoride and mixed-ligand fluoride complexes of gallium(III)
Authors: Davidovich Ruven , Fedorov Pavel , Popov Arthur 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
This article covers the structural chemistry of fluoride and mixed-ligand fluoride complexes of gallium(III), discusses more than 140 known crystal structures of anionic fluoride and mixed-ligand fluoride complexes and continues the discussion initiated in previous reviews dedicated to the stereochemistry and structural chemistry of group III–V metals fluoride complexes. Most of these structures have been established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques, but some were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction methods. This paper offers a discussion of the geometry of gallium and outer sphere cation coordination polyhedra, the association of gallium atoms in dimer and polymer formations, types of cation-anion interactions, and their contributions in actual three-dimensional crystal structures. The structural information has been compiled in a single table containing phase compositions and the corresponding standard crystallographic data (such as crystal system, space group, unit cell parameters, number of formula units per cell [Z], reliability factors [R
1], Ga-F, and Ga-O bond lengths).
Evaluating news actors in Chinese hard news reporting: language patterns and social values
Authors: Huan Changpeng 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper interrogates the ways Chinese journalists judge behaviors of different news actors (individuals or institutions written about in a news report) in Chinese hard news reporting on risk events. Drawing on a newly constructed corpus of hard news reporting and following theappraisalframework, the study examines language patterns ofjudgementand suggests how lexicogrammatical patterns ofjudgement, semantic features ofjudgementand social orders are intimately connected. Corpus analytic findings show that news actors of different social statuses are judged in different manners. Social elites are primarily judged positively in relation to their “capacity” and “tenacity” in dealing with risk situations, whereas ordinary risk makers are mainly judged negatively in relation to their “propriety” in producing risk situations. Additionally, the samejudgementmarker in the same phraseological pattern may realize different valences ofjudgementin relation to news actors of different social statuses, andjudgementof different news actors tends to select distinctive local patterns. It is argued that such different discursive patterns of judging news actors point to the distinction in the way social values are (re)produced and journalistic professional practices undertaken in the production of Chinese hard news.
“The game is rigged”: framing real life metaphorically in the TV epicThe Wire
Authors: Schröder Ulrike , Mendes Mariana Carneiro 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe aim of the paper is to show the extent to which thegamemetaphor shapes the Home Box Office (HBO) show (2002–2008)The Wire, which sets out the interconnection of the systems of drug dealing/trafficking, police department, court, organized labor, media, public school, and local policy, as well as the similar structure which all those systems are built upon. As our theoretical-methodological framework we will adopt cognitive and cultural linguistics as a starting point for a contextually embedded sequence analysis. We will focus on the multimodal ubiquity ofgameas a cultural model, as well as the contextual frames in which this metaphor is embedded with regard to the everyday life of the protagonists on the TV show and the institutions they are part of. Therefore, we will first analyze a specific metaphorical scenario where the conventionalized source and target domainschessanddrug businessare inverted, which has cultural-contextual implications, before we come to a second scene where the same domains are again accessed, this time in reverse.
America first! Donald Trump, the demise of the U.S. hegemony and chaos in the capitalist world-system
Authors: Parnreiter Christof 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
This paper discusses Donald Trump’s presidency and his motto “America First!” against the backdrop of the notion of a declining U.S. hegemony. For that purpose, conceptualizations of hegemony by word-system scholars, namely Immanuel Wallerstein and Giovanni Arrighi, are being contrasted with John Agnew’s account in political geography. The main difference refers to the geographies of hegemony: For Agnew, a stateless hegemony is conceivable, while for Wallerstein and Arrighi hegemony in the capitalist world-system requires a state to exercise it. The paper than goes on to argue that in order to operate successfully capitalism needs the cooperation of political and economic power and hence the bringing together of the spaces of places of the former and the spaces of flows of the latter. Against this backdrop I contend that Trump’s nationalist rhetoric and (so far conceivable) politics embody and communicate the loss of U.S. hegemony both inwards and outwards. While Trump’s geographical imaginations of power are downscaled to the national, U.S. big business is ever more moving in and using global commodity chains. The fusion of the political spaces of territory and the economic spaces of flows are drifting apart. Moreover, hegemony in the capitalist world-system is global by definition. In the paper’s conclusion, the notion of a stateless hegemony is questioned.
Improving the Abrasion Resistance of Concrete to Mitigate Concrete Crosstie Rail Seat Deterioration (RSD)
Authors: Shurpali Amogh A. , Edwards J. Riley , Kernes Ryan G. , Lange David A. , Barkan Christopher P. L. 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
Rail seat deterioration (RSD) refers to the degradation of concrete material at the contact interface between the concrete crosstie rail seat and the rail pad that protects the bearing area of the crosstie, which supports the rail. Abrasion is a viable mechanism that causes RSD. The objective of this study is to investigate the abrasion resistance of several approaches, such as the addition of mineral admixtures, fibers, and varying curing conditions, to mitigate abrasion of the rail seat. In order to achieve this objective, the abrasion mechanism of RSD was simulated using the small-scale test for abrasion resistance, which was designed by researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The results of this study show that the addition of optimal amounts of silica fume, fly ash, steel fibers, as well as increased moisture availability while curing improves the abrasion resistance of concrete.
Common Pathophysiology in Multiple Mouse Models of Pitt–Hopkins Syndrome
Authors: Thaxton Courtney , Kloth Alexander D. , Clark Ellen P. , Moy Sheryl S. , Chitwood Raymond A. , Philpot Benjamin D. 
Published: December 2017

Mutations or deletions of the transcription factorTCF4are linked to Pitt–Hopkins syndrome (PTHS) and schizophrenia, suggesting that the precise pathogenic mutations dictate cellular, synaptic, and behavioral consequences. Here, we generated two novel mouse models of PTHS, one that mimics the most common pathogenicTCF4point mutation (human R580W, mouse R579W) and one that deletes three pathogenic arginines, and explored phenotypes of these lines alongside models of pan-cellular or CNS-specific heterozygousTcf4disruption. We used mice of both sexes to show that impairedTcf4function results in consistent microcephaly, hyperactivity, reduced anxiety, and deficient spatial learning. All four PTHS mouse models demonstrated exaggerated hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), consistent with deficits in hippocampus-mediated behaviors. We further examined R579W mutant mice and mice with pan-cellularTcf4heterozygosity and found that they exhibited hippocampal NMDA receptor hyperfunction, which likely drives the enhanced LTP. Together, our data pinpoint convergent neurobiological features in PTHS mouse models and provide a foundation for preclinical studies and a rationale for testing whether NMDAR antagonists might be used to treat PTHS.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTPitt–Hopkins syndrome (PTHS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder associated withTCF4mutations/deletions. Despite this genetic insight, there is a need to identify the function of TCF4 in the brain. Toward this goal, we developed two mouse lines, including one harboring the most prevalent pathogenic point mutation, and compared them with two existing models that conditionally deleteTcf4. Our data identify a set of overlapping phenotypes that may serve as outcome measures for preclinical studies of PTHS treatments. We also discovered penetrant enhanced synaptic plasticity across mouse models that may be linked to increased NMDA receptor function. These data reveal convergent neurobiological characteristics of PTHS mouse models and support the further investigation of NMDA receptor antagonists as a possible PTHS treatment.
Lack of Parkin Anticipates the Phenotype and Affects Mitochondrial Morphology and mtDNA Levels in a Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Pinto Milena , Nissanka Nadee , Moraes Carlos T. 
Published: December 2017

PARK2is the most common gene mutated in monogenic recessive familial cases of Parkinson's disease (PD). Pathogenic mutations cause a loss of function of the encoded protein Parkin. ParkinKO mice, however, poorly represent human PD symptoms as they only exhibit mild motor phenotypes, minor dopamine metabolism abnormalities, and no signs of dopaminergic neurodegeneration. Parkin has been shown to participate in mitochondrial turnover, by targeting damaged mitochondria with low membrane potential to mitophagy. We studied the role of Parkin on mitochondrial quality controlin vivoby knocking out Parkin in the PD-mito-PstI mouse (males), where the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) undergoes double-strand breaks only in dopaminergic neurons. The lack of Parkin promoted earlier onset of dopaminergic neurodegeneration and motor defects in the PD-mito-PstI mice, but it did not worsen the pathology. The lack of Parkin affected mitochondrial morphology in dopaminergic axons and was associated with an increase in mtDNA levels (mutant and wild type). Unexpectedly, it did not cause a parallel increase in mitochondrial mass or mitophagy. Our results suggest that Parkin affects mtDNA levels in a mitophagy-independent manner.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTParkinson's disease is characterized by progressive motor symptoms due to the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Loss-of-function mutations of Parkin cause some monogenic forms of Parkinson's disease, possibly through its role in mitochondrial turnover and quality control. To study whether Parkin has a rolein vivoin the context of mitochondrial damage, we knocked out Parkin in a mouse model in which the mitochondrial DNA is damaged in dopaminergic neurons. We found that the loss of Parkin did not exacerbate the parkinsonian pathology already present in the mice, but it was associated with an increase in mtDNA levels (mutant and wild-type) without altering mitochondrial mass. These results shed new light on the function of Parkinin vivo.