bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
O6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase in Tumors and Cells of the Oligodendrocyte Lineage
Authors: Nutt Catherine L. , Costello Joseph F. , Bambrick Linda L. , Yarosh Daniel B. , Swinnen Lode J. , Chambers Ann F. , Cairncross J. Gregory 
Published: February 2016

AbstractBackground:Oligodendrogliomas respond to nitrosourea-based chemotherapy and are induced in rats following transplacental exposure to ethylnitrosourea, observations suggesting that neoplastic and normal cells of the oligodendrocyte lineage are “sensitive” to nitrosoureas. Nitrosoureas alkylate DNA at O6-guanine with repair mediated by O6-methyIguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT). The cytotoxic and carcinogenic properties of the nitrosoureas appear related to MGMT activity.Methods:To explore why oligodendrogliomas respond to chemotherapy, we measured MGMT activity in five chemosensitive human oligodendrogliomas and in rat oligodendrocyte lineage cells. We also measured MGMT activity in rat astrocytes and compared the cytotoxic effects of carmustine (BCNU) on oligodendrocyte lineage cells and astrocytes.Results:Low levels of MGMT activity were found in five of five human oligodendrogliomas. Cultures of neonatal rat glia enriched for oligodendrocyte lineage cells also had low levels of MGMT activity, approximately one-third that found in astrocytes (p < 0.02), and oligodendrocyte lineage cells were more sensitive to BCNU than astrocytes.Conclusions:Low MGMT activity may contribute to the chemosensitivity of some human oligodendrogliomas and rat oligodendrocyte lineage cells also have low levels. If drug resistance mechanisms in tumors reflect the biochemical properties of their cells of origin, then normal glia may serve as a laboratory substitute for human glioma.
Representing and consuming “the East” in cultural markets
Authors: Öncü Ayşe 
Published: February 2016

Abstract“The East” is an exceptional territory identified with Kurdish ethnicity within the geographical boundaries of the Turkish nation. This paper focuses on a critical historical moment, circa 2000-2004, when the promise of peace in this region was coupled with the explosive growth of urban consumer markets, to bring into public circulation a host of commercialized images of “the East” and “Eastern people.” It examines how “the East” became codified in popular television melodrama. It also tracks how “Eastern tourism” became incorporated into middle-class leisure practices. By juxtaposing television narratives and tourist narratives, it argues that the commodification in cultural markets both affirms its “exceptionalism” and challenges its taken-for-granted parameters.
Turkish Economy in the 1990s: An Assessment of Fiscal Policies, Labor Markets and Foreign Trade
Authors: Haşim Köse Ahmet , Yeldan A. Erinç 
Published: February 2016

Turkey entered the 1990s under conditions of a truly “open economy”–a macroeconomic environment where its capital account was completely liberalized and the process of financial de-regulation was completed. In this setting, many of the instruments of macro and fiscal control have changed in nature, as the constraints of macro equilibrium have undergone major structural change.In the early 1990s, the domestic economy witnessed a massive inflow of (mostly short-term) foreign capital. Furthermore, the so-called foreign exchange gap which had constrained the growth potential of Turkey for more than three decades seemed to have been alleviated. The ready availability of foreign exchange enabled the Turkish Lira to appreciate against the major currencies in real terms and led to a rapid expansion of import demand. Moreover, it made possible the financing of both the rapidly growing fiscal deficit of the public sector and the sudden rise of wage costs in the labor market.
A theoretical prediction of super high-performance thermoelectric materials based on MoS2/WS2 hybrid nanoribbons
Authors: Zhang Zhongwei , Xie Yuee , Peng Qing , Chen Yuanping 
Published: February 2016

AbstractModern society is hungry for electrical power. To improve the efficiency of energy harvesting from heat, extensive efforts seek high-performance thermoelectric materials that possess large differences between electronic and thermal conductance. Here we report a super high-performance material of consisting of MoS2/WS2 hybrid nanoribbons discovered from a theoretical investigation using nonequilibrium Green’s function methods combined with first-principles calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. The hybrid nanoribbons show higher efficiency of energy conversion than the MoS2 and WS2 nanoribbons due to the fact that the MoS2/WS2 interface reduces lattice thermal conductivity more than the electron transport. By tuning the number of the MoS2/WS2 interfaces, a figure of merit ZT as high as 5.5 is achieved at a temperature of 600 K. Our results imply that the MoS2/WS2 hybrid nanoribbons have promising applications in thermal energy harvesting.
Kinetic Modeling of VOC Photocatalytic Degradation Using a Process at Different Reactor Configurations and Scales
Authors: Assadi Aymen Amine , Abdelkrim Bouzaza , Dominique Wolbert 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
This work investigated the performance of isovaleraldehyde (3-methylbutanal) removal from gas streams in photocatalytic reactors at room temperature. The feasibility of pollutant removal using the up-scaled reactor was systematically assessed by monitoring the removal efficiency at different operational parameters, such as geometries of reactor, air flow rate and inlet concentration. A proposal modeling for scaling up the photocatalytic reactors is described and detailed in this present study. In this context, the photocatalytic degradation of isovaleraldehyde (Isoval) in gas phase is studied. In fact, the removal rate has been compared at different continuous ﬂow reactors: a photocatalytic tangential reactor (PTR), planar reactor and P5000 pilot. The effects of the inlet concentration, ﬂow rate, geometries and size of reactors on the removal efficiency are also studied. A kinetic model taking into account the mass transfer step is developed. The modeling is done by introducing an equivalent intermediate (EI) formed by the photo-oxidation of Isoval. This new approach has substantially improved the agreement between modeling and experiments with a satisfactory overall description of the mineralization from lab to pilot scales.
Study on the Effect of Nickel Doping on Mo-Bi Based Catalyst for Selective Oxidation of Isobutene to Methacrolein
Authors: Wang Fang , Wang Guangjian , Niu Xinshan 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Small amount of different nickel precursors (nickel nitrate or nickel molybdate) were incorporated into MoBi-based catalyst to produce a series of modified composite oxides catalysts for the selective oxidation of isobutene (IB) to methacrolein (MAL). Nickel nitrate introduction can effectively improve IB conversion and nickel molybdate introduction can remarkably enhance the selectivity of MAL. The XRD results show that nickel introduction has some influence on the catalyst structure. The catalyst modified with NiMoO4 showed the highest MAL yield of 87.8%. According to the H2-TPR, BET and XPS results, the catalyst modified with NiMoO4 exhibits lower reduction temperature, higher pore volume and better lattice oxygen mobility, which were confirmed to be responsible for excellent catalytic performance for the title reaction. In the case of an excess of O2, an empirical kinetic model was used to evaluate the rate data. The activation energy (Ea) was found to be 172.4 kJ mol−1.
A collaboration investigating endocannabinoid signalling in brain and bone
Authors: Zimmer Andreas 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Investigations into the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the psychoactive effects of cannabis preparations have led to the discovery of the endocannabinoid system. Interest in the central nervous system effects was initially the main focus of the research, but it soon became evident that the endocannabinoid system affects virtually every organ. The research field has therefore experienced a tremendous growth over the last decade and is now truly interdisciplinary. This short review provides a personal account of an interdisciplinary collaboration between Itai Bab from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the author. It describes the discovery of the endocannabinoid system in bone and the analysis of its functions. I am summarising the role of CB1 signalling as a modulator of sympathetic inhibition of bone formation. Thus, activation of CB1 receptors on sympathetic nerve terminals in bone, presumably from endocannabinoids released from apposing osteoblasts, reduces the inhibition of bone formation of sympathetic norepinephrine. CB2 receptors on osteoblasts and osteoclasts also modulate the proliferation and functions of these cells. Thus, activation of CB2 stimulates bone formation and represses bone resorption, whereas the genetic disruption of CB2 results in an osteoporosis-like phenotype. This signalling mechanism is clinically relevant, as shown by the association of polymorphisms in the CB2 receptor gene, CNR2, with bone density and osteoporosis. Finally, the review provides a summary of the recently discovered role of endocannabinoid signalling in one elongation. This review will also discuss the benefits of interdisciplinary and international collaborations.
Use of a percutaneously controlled hydraulic occluder for treatment of refractory urinary incontinence in three female cats
Authors: Wilson Kendall E. , Berent Allyson C. , Weisse Chick W. 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION 3 cats were referred for evaluation of chronic urinary incontinence.
CLINICAL FINDINGS A presumptive diagnosis of urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence (USMI) was made in all 3 cats. Preoperatively, incontinence was mild in 1 cat (incontinence during sleep) and moderate to severe (incontinence while awake and at rest) in 2. Structural abnormalities noted during cystoscopy included urethrovestibular junction stenosis (n = 1), vaginal stenosis (1), short urethra (1), and intrapelvic bladder (1).
TREATMENT AND OUTCOME All 3 cats were treated by means of implantation of an inflatable silicone hydraulic occluder (HO) via a ventral midline celiotomy. Immediately prior to HO implantation, patients underwent cystoscopy to detect any anatomic abnormalities and confirm the absence of ureteral ectopia. Following surgery, all 3 patients attained complete continence, needing 0 or 1 inflation of the device. Complications included cystoscopy-associated urethral tear (n = 1), constipation (1), stranguria (1), hematuria (2), and urinary tract infection (2). Device explantation was performed 14 weeks after surgery in 1 cat because of postoperative constipation. Constipation persisted and urinary incontinence recurred but was markedly improved following device removal in this cat (leakage of urine only when sleeping at follow-up 29 months after surgery [26 months after device explantation]). At the time of last follow-up, 2 of the 3 cats remained fully continent approximately 3 and 6 years after device implantation.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE Findings suggested that implantation of an HO may be a safe and effective long-term treatment for some cats with USMI. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the potential for treatment-related complications and the long-term outcome.
Continuum structural topological optimizations with stress constraints based on an active constraint technique
Authors: Rong Jian Hua , Xiao Ting Ting , Yu Liao Hong , Rong Xuan Pei , Xie Ya Jun 
Published: February 2016

SummaryStress‐related problems have not been given the same attention as the minimum compliance topological optimization problem in the literature. Continuum structural topological optimization with stress constraints is of wide engineering application prospect, in which there still are many problems to solve, such as the stress concentration, an equivalent approximate optimization model and etc. A new and effective topological optimization method of continuum structures with the stress constraints and the objective function being the structural volume has been presented in this paper. To solve the stress concentration issue, an approximate stress gradient evaluation for any element is introduced, and a total aggregation normalized stress gradient constraint is constructed for the optimized structure under the r−th load case. To obtain stable convergent series solutions and enhance the control on the stress level, two p‐norm global stress constraint functions with different indexes are adopted, and some weighting p‐norm global stress constraint functions are introduced for any load case. And an equivalent topological optimization model with reduced stress constraints is constructed,being incorporated with the rational approximation for material properties, an active constraint technique, a trust region scheme, and an effective local stress approach like the qp approach to resolve the stress singularity phenomenon. Hence, a set of stress quadratic explicit approximations are constructed, based on stress sensitivities and the method of moving asymptotes. A set of algorithm for the one level optimization problem with artificial variables and many possible non‐active design variables is proposed by adopting an inequality constrained nonlinear programming method with simple trust regions, based on the primal‐dual theory, in which the non‐smooth expressions of the design variable solutions are reformulated as smoothing functions of the Lagrange multipliers by using a novel smoothing function. Finally, a two‐level optimization design scheme with active constraint technique, i.e. varied constraint limits, is proposed to deal with the aggregation constraints that always are of loose constraint (non active constraint) features in the conventional structural optimization method. A novel structural topological optimization method with stress constraints and its algorithm are formed, and examples are provided to demonstrate that the proposed method is feasible and very effective. © 2016 The Authors. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Transvaginal treatment of anterior or central urogenital prolapse using six tension‐free straps and light mesh
Authors: Guyomard Aurélie , Delorme Emmanuel 
Published: February 2016

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, complications, and outcomes of treatment of anterior or central compartment urogenital prolapse by placement of an anteroposterior 22‐g/m2 mesh with six straps through one anterior vaginal incision.MethodsIn a prospective study, patients treated for urogenital prolapse at a center in France between February 2008 and June 2011 were enrolled. Previous treatments, related interventions, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and anatomic outcomes were recorded during 3 years of follow‐up. Failure was defined as recurrence of prolapse of stage II or higher according to the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification system.ResultsOverall, 74 patients were included. Preoperatively, 55 (74%) patients had stage III cystocele, 13 (18%) had stage IV cystocele, and 44 (59%) had associated uterine prolapse of at least stage II. Postoperative hematoma occurred in three patients and vaginal exposure in two patients. There were no cases of visceral injury. Vaginal comfort improved postoperatively: 68 (92%) patients were satisfied with the outcome and there were no cases of de novo dyspareunia. Seventeen (23%) patients subsequently had stress urinary incontinence that was treated by placement of suburethral tape. The anatomic outcomes were satisfactory for 72 (97%) women, including sexually active patients.ConclusionTransvaginal prolapse repair by placement of an anteroposterior six‐strap 22‐g/m2 mesh was feasible and effective with satisfactory 3‐year outcomes.
Transient Response of Functionally Graded Material Circular Cylindrical Shells with Magnetostrictive Layer
Authors: Hong C.-C. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method is used to investigate the transient response of magnetostrictive functionally graded material (FGM) circular cylindrical shells. The effects of control gain value, thermal load temperature and power-law index on transient responses of dominant normal displacement and thermal stress are analyzed. With velocity feedback and suitable product values of coil constant by control gain in the magnetostrictive FGM shells can reduce the transient amplitude of displacement into a smaller value.
Anticipatory Self-Defence in the Legislative History of the United Nations Charter
Authors: McCormack Timothy L. H. 
Published: February 2016

Article 51 of the United Nations Charter states that:Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of selfdefense shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.International lawyers are still arguing about the scope of the right of self-defence in Article 51 of the U.N. Charter. Most of the arguments focus on the semantics of Article 51. Those who argue for a “restrictive view” of the provision emphasise the qualifying phrase “if an armed attack occurs”.
Retributive Punishment — Ideals and Actualities
Authors: Duff Antony 
Published: February 2016

A consequentialist holds that systems of criminal punishment must be justified, if they can be justified at all, by their consequential benefits. It is a contingent fact, if it is a fact at all, that these benefits are most efficiently attained by a system of punishment, and by punishments which ordinary moralists would regard as just; and a thorough-going consequentialist must be ready in principle to justify punishments which many would condemn as unjust. A retributivist, on the other hand, insists that the justice of a system or instance of punishment is essential to its justification; and that the demands of justice cannot be reduced to those of consequential utility.Retributivist accounts of punishment come in a variety of forms: we must distinguish those who insist only that guilt is a necessary, not a sufficient, condition of justified punishment from those who insist that punishment must be fully justified by reference to a past offence; and amongst the latter we find various accounts of how it is that an offence justifies or requires punishment. But essential to any retributivist account is the claim that an adequate justification of punishment must cite not, or not only, its consequential benefits, but its relationship to a past offence: it is a non-consequentialist requirement of justice that punishment must be of an offender, for an offence; that only the guilty may be punished, and that the severity of their punishments should be limited, if not completely determined, by the seriousness of the offences for which they are punished.
Norm Versus Discretion in Sentencing
Authors: Weigend Thomas 
Published: February 2016

Should judges have discretion in sentencing? The answer cannot be “yes” or “no” but only the further question “how much?”. The bulk of this statement will be devoted to this second question, but I will first explain why there is no absolute answer to the issue of judicial discretion in sentencing.Most legal systems grant the sentencing judge (practically) unlimited freedom to choose among a vast array of dispositions in any given case. Legal standards guiding their decision-making are typically non-directive, vague, or non-existent. The result, not unexpectedly, is a great disparity in sentencing outcomes. This state of affairs can best be explained in terms of unquestioned tradition and judicial self-image.
Sentencing as Art — A Response: Sentencing as a Just System
Authors: Kremnitzer Mordechai 
Published: February 2016

The approach of my good friend Shachar illustrates the saying that uncompromising aspiration to perfection is a hindrance to progress. To me, his approach, whereby “we will only have our personal intuitions to tell us who was judged correctly, but our personal intuitions may be wrong”, is unacceptable, both in itself, and from the point of view of the conclusions to be drawn therefrom under Shachar's central thesis.A.Ambiguity in Shachar's ThesisBut first, the thesis is not entirely clear. On page 648, he writes as follows: “… I believe that intuitive answers to complex moral questions are not necessarily arbitrary. One choice is probably better or worse than the others, yet it often cannot be rationally and conclusively demonstrated to be so”.
ENDOGENOUS PROCESSES OF COLONIAL SETTLEMENT. THE SUCCESS AND FAILURE OF EUROPEAN SETTLER FARMING IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Authors: Frankema Ewout , Green Erik , Hillbom Ellen 
Published: February 2016

ABSTRACTThis paper comments on studies that aim to quantify the long-term economic effects of historical European settlement across the globe. We argue for the need to properly conceptualise «colonial settlement» as an endogenous development process shaped by the interaction between prospective settlers and indigenous peoples. We conduct three comparative case studies in West, East and Southern Africa, showing that the «success» or «failure» of colonial settlement critically depended on colonial government policies arranging European farmer’s access to local land, but above all, local labour resources. These policies were shaped by the clashing interests of African farmers and European planters, in which colonial governments did not necessarily, and certainly not consistently, abide to settler demands, as is often assumed.
Migraine and Oral Contraceptives
Authors: Becker W.J. 
Published: February 2016

ABSTRACT:Initiation of oral contraceptive (OC) therapy in migraine may worsen pre-existing migraine or change the pattern of the individual migraine attacks. Many women experience no change in their migraine and a few show improvement. Evidence is accumulating that migraine increases ischemic stroke risk and that this risk is higher in migraine with aura than in migraine without aura. OCs also increase stroke risk, and the increased stroke risk attributable to each of migraine and OC therapy may be additive. The risk of ischemic stroke in young women is very low and likely remains acceptably low in young women with migraine without aura and in those with a simple migraine aura when OCs are prescribed. However, the presence of a complex or prolonged migraine aura, or of additional stroke risk factors such as increased age, smoking, and hypertension likely increases the ischemic stroke risk further in patients with migraine when OCs are prescribed. Whether OCs can be prescribed safely for the patient with migraine depends upon many factors including patient age, type of migraine, and the presence or absence of other stroke risk factors.