bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Learner Identity, Learner Agency, and the Assessment of Language Proficiency: Some Reflections Prompted by theCommon European Framework of Reference for Languages
Authors: Little David , Erickson Gudrun 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTThis article starts from the assumption that education is a process of “people shaping” designed to help learners extend and perhaps in some ways modify their identity while exploiting and developing their agency. This view is harmonious with the approach to language education that the Council of Europe has developed since the 1970s, and especially with its early commitment to learner autonomy and self-assessment. The approach adopted by theCommon European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment(CEFR) to the description of language proficiency clearly implicates the user-learner's identity and agency, which are also central to the CEFR's companion piece, the European Language Portfolio (ELP), in which self-assessment plays a key role. The article proposes that taken together, the CEFR and the ELP imply an assessment culture in which learning and assessment are reciprocally integrated. From the perspective thus established, the authors review some current trends in language assessment and their potential impact on learner identity and learner agency, focusing in turn on self-assessment, peer assessment, teacher assessment, and large-scale testing and assessment. The article concludes by arguing that although recent developments in language assessment pay significantly more attention to the learner than was previously the case, a great deal of work remains to be done to further increase the engagement of learner agency in processes of self-assessment and peer assessment and to align them with other forms of assessment.
Red and processed meat consumption and purchasing behaviours and attitudes: impacts for human health, animal welfare and environmental sustainability
Authors: Clonan Angie , Wilson Paul , Swift Judy A , Leibovici Didier G , Holdsworth Michelle 
Published: March 2015

AbstractObjectiveHigher intakes of red and processed meat are associated with poorer health outcomes and negative environmental impacts. Drawing upon a population survey the present paper investigates meat consumption behaviours, exploring perceived impacts for human health, animal welfare and the environment.DesignStructured self-completion postal survey relating to red and processed meat, capturing data on attitudes, sustainable meat purchasing behaviour, red and processed meat intake, plus sociodemographic characteristics of respondents.SettingUrban and rural districts of Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, UK, drawn from the electoral register.SubjectsUK adults (n 842) aged 18–91 years, 497 females and 345 males, representing a 35·6 % response rate from 2500 randomly selected residents.ResultsWomen were significantly more likely (P<0·01) to consume≤1 portion of meat/d compared with men. Females and older respondents (>60 years) were more likely to hold positive attitudes towards animal welfare (P<0·01). Less than a fifth (18·4 %) of the sample agreed that the impact of climate change could be reduced by consuming less meat, dairy products and eggs. Positive attitudes towards animal welfare were associated with consuming less meat and a greater frequency of ‘higher welfare’ meat purchases.ConclusionsHuman health and animal welfare are more common motivations to avoid red and processed meat than environmental sustainability. Policy makers, nutritionists and health professionals need to increase the public’s awareness of the environmental impact of eating red and processed meat. A first step could be to ensure that dietary guidelines integrate the nutritional, animal welfare and environmental components of sustainable diets.
Evaluation of plitidepsin in patients with primary myelofibrosis and post polycythemia vera/essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis: results of preclinical studies and a phase II clinical trial
Authors: Pardanani A , Tefferi A , Guglielmelli P , Bogani C , Bartalucci N , Rodríguez J , Extremera S , Pérez I , Alfaro V , Vannucchi A M 
Published: March 2015

AbstractPrevious data established that plitidepsin, a cyclic depsipeptide, exerted activity in a mouse model of myelofibrosis (MF). New preclinical experiments reported herein found that low nanomolar plitidepsin concentrations potently inhibited the proliferation of JAK2V617F-mutated cell lines and reduced colony formation by CD34+ cells of individuals with MF, at least in part through modulation of p27 levels. Cells of MF patients had significantly reduced p27 content, that were modestly increased upon plitidepsin exposure. On these premise, an exploratory phase II trial evaluated plitidepsin 5 mg/m2 3-h intravenous infusion administered on days 1 and 15 every 4 weeks (q4wk). Response rate (RR) according to the International Working Group for Myelofibrosis Research and Treatment consensus criteria was 9.1% (95% CI, 0.2–41.3%) in 11 evaluable patients during the first trial stage. The single responder achieved a red cell transfusion independence and stable disease was reported in nine additional patients (81.8%). Eight patients underwent a short-lasting improvement of splenomegaly. In conclusion, plitidepsin 5 mg/m2 3-h infusion q4wk was well tolerated but had a modest activity in patients with primary, post-polycythaemia vera or post-essential thrombocythaemia MF. Therefore, this trial was prematurely terminated and we concluded that further clinical trials with plitidepsin as single agent in MF are not warranted.
NIK is required for NF-κB-mediated induction of BAG3 upon inhibition of constitutive protein degradation pathways
Authors: Rapino F , Abhari B A , Jung M , Fulda S 
Published: March 2015

AbstractRecently, we reported that induction of the co-chaperone Bcl-2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) is critical for recovery of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cells after proteotoxic stress upon inhibition of the two constitutive protein degradation pathways, that is, the ubiquitin-proteasome system by Bortezomib and the aggresome-autophagy system by histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibitor ST80. In the present study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms mediating BAG3 induction under these conditions. Here, we identify nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)-inducing kinase (NIK) as a key mediator of ST80/Bortezomib-stimulated NF-κB activation and transcriptional upregulation of BAG3. ST80/Bortezomib cotreatment upregulates mRNA and protein expression of NIK, which is accompanied by an initial increase in histone H3 acetylation. Importantly, NIK silencing by siRNA abolishes NF-κB activation and BAG3 induction by ST80/Bortezomib. Furthermore, ST80/Bortezomib cotreatment stimulates NF-κB transcriptional activity and upregulates NF-κB target genes. Genetic inhibition of NF-κB by overexpression of dominant-negative IκBα superrepressor (IκBα-SR) or by knockdown of p65 blocks the ST80/Bortezomib-stimulated upregulation of BAG3 mRNA and protein expression. Interestingly, inhibition of lysosomal activity by Bafilomycin A1 inhibits ST80/Bortezomib-stimulated IκBα degradation, NF-κB activation and BAG3 upregulation, indicating that IκBα is degraded via the lysosome in the presence of Bortezomib. Thus, by demonstrating a critical role of NIK in mediating NF-κB activation and BAG3 induction upon ST80/Bortezomib cotreatment, our study provides novel insights into mechanisms of resistance to proteotoxic stress in RMS.
Higher order microfibre modes for dielectric particle trapping and propulsion
Authors: Maimaiti Aili , Truong Viet Giang , Sergides Marios , Gusachenko Ivan , Nic Chormaic Síle 
Published: March 2015

AbstractOptical manipulation in the vicinity of optical micro- and nanofibres has shown potential across several fields in recent years, including microparticle control and cold atom probing and trapping. To date, most work has focussed on the propagation of the fundamental mode through the fibre. However, along the maximum mode intensity axis, higher order modes have a longer evanescent field extension and larger field amplitude at the fibre waist compared to the fundamental mode, opening up new possibilities for optical manipulation and particle trapping. We demonstrate a microfibre/optical tweezers compact system for trapping and propelling dielectric particles based on the excitation of the first group of higher order modes at the fibre waist. Speed enhancement of polystyrene particle propulsion was observed for the higher order modes compared to the fundamental mode for particles ranging from 1 μm to 5 μm in diameter. The optical propelling velocity of a single, 3 μm polystyrene particle was found to be 8 times faster under the higher order mode than the fundamental mode field for a waist power of 25 mW. Experimental data are supported by theoretical calculations. This work can be extended to trapping and manipulation of laser-cooled atoms with potential for quantum networks.
Highly transparent triboelectric nanogenerator for harvesting water-related energy reinforced by antireflection coating
Authors: Liang Qijie , Yan Xiaoqin , Gu Yousong , Zhang Kui , Liang Mengyuan , Lu Shengnan , Zheng Xin , Zhang Yue 
Published: March 2015

AbstractWater-related energy is an inexhaustible and renewable energy resource in our environment, which has huge amount of energy and is not largely dictated by daytime and sunlight. The transparent characteristic plays a key role in practical applications for some devices designed for harvesting water-related energy. In this paper, a highly transparent triboelectric nanogenerator (T-TENG) was designed to harvest the electrostatic energy from flowing water. The instantaneous output power density of the T-TENG is 11.56 mW/m2. Moreover, with the PTFE film acting as an antireflection coating, the maximum transmittance of the fabricated T-TENG is 87.4%, which is larger than that of individual glass substrate. The T-TENG can be integrated with silicon-based solar cell, building glass and car glass, which demonstrates its potential applications for harvesting waste water energy in our living environment and on smart home system and smart car system.
Synthetic magnetoelectric coupling in a nanocomposite multiferroic
Authors: Jain P. , Wang Q. , Roldan M. , Glavic A. , Lauter V. , Urban C. , Bi Z. , Ahmed T. , Zhu J. , Varela M. , Jia Q. X. , Fitzsimmons M. R. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractGiven the paucity of single phase multiferroic materials (with large ferromagnetic moment), composite systems seem an attractive solution to realize magnetoelectric coupling between ferromagnetic and ferroelectric order parameters. Despite having antiferromagnetic order, BiFeO3 (BFO) has nevertheless been a key material due to excellent ferroelectric properties at room temperature. We studied a superlattice composed of 8 repetitions of 6 unit cells of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) grown on 5 unit cells of BFO. Significant net uncompensated magnetization in BFO, an insulating superlattice, is demonstrated using polarized neutron reflectometry. Remarkably, the magnetization enables magnetic field to change the dielectric properties of the superlattice, which we cite as an example of synthetic magnetoelectric coupling. Importantly, controlled creation of magnetic moment in BFO is a much needed path toward design and implementation of integrated oxide devices for next generation magnetoelectric data storage platforms.
Unified model of hyperthermia via hysteresis heating in systems of interacting magnetic nanoparticles
Authors: Ruta S. , Chantrell R. , Hovorka O. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractWe present a general study of the frequency and magnetic field dependence of the specific heat power produced during field-driven hysteresis cycles in magnetic nanoparticles with relevance to hyperthermia applications in biomedicine. Employing a kinetic Monte-Carlo method with natural time scales allows us to go beyond the assumptions of small driving field amplitudes and negligible inter-particle interactions, which are fundamental to the applicability of the standard approach based on linear response theory. The method captures the superparamagnetic and fully hysteretic regimes and the transition between them. Our results reveal unexpected dipolar interaction-induced enhancement or suppression of the specific heat power, dependent on the intrinsic statistical properties of particles, which cannot be accounted for by the standard theory. Although the actual heating power is difficult to predict because of the effects of interactions, optimum heating is in the transition region between the superparamagnetic and fully hysteretic regimes.
Suppressing Side-Lobe Radiations of Horn Antenna by Loading Metamaterial Lens
Authors: Qi Mei Qing , Tang Wen Xuan , Ma Hui Feng , Pan Bai Cao , Tao Zui , Sun Yong Zhi , Cui Tie Jun 
Published: March 2015

AbstractWe propose a new approach to control the amplitude and phase distributions of electromagnetic fields over the aperture of a horn antenna. By loading a metamaterial lens inside the horn antenna, a tapered amplitude distribution of the aperture field is achieved, which can suppress the side-lobe radiations of the antenna. The metamaterial is further manipulated to achieve a flat phase distribution on the horn aperture to avoid the gain reduction that usually suffers in the conventional low-sidelobe antenna designs. A prototype of the metamaterial-loaded horn antenna is designed and fabricated. Both numerical simulations and measured results demonstrate the tapered aperture-field distribution and significant reduction of side-lobe and back-lobe radiations in the operating frequency band.
Length Dependent Thermal Conductivity Measurements Yield Phonon Mean Free Path Spectra in Nanostructures
Authors: Zhang Hang , Hua Chengyun , Ding Ding , Minnich Austin J. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThermal conductivity measurements over variable lengths on nanostructures such as nanowires provide important information about the mean free paths (MFPs) of the phonons responsible for heat conduction. However, nearly all of these measurements have been interpreted using an average MFP even though phonons in many crystals possess a broad MFP spectrum. Here, we present a reconstruction method to obtain MFP spectra of nanostructures from variable-length thermal conductivity measurements. Using this method, we investigate recently reported length-dependent thermal conductivity measurements on SiGe alloy nanowires and suspended graphene ribbons. We find that the recent measurements on graphene imply that 70% of the heat in graphene is carried by phonons with MFPs longer than 1 micron.
Constraint-Induced Aphasia Therapy Versus Intensive Semantic Treatment in Fluent Aphasia
Authors: Wilssens Ineke , Vandenborre Dorien , van Dun Kim , Verhoeven Jo , Visch-Brink Evy , Mariën Peter 
Published: March 2015

Objective
The authors compared the effectiveness of 2 intensive therapy methods: Constraint-Induced Aphasia Therapy (CIAT; Pulvermüller et al., 2001) and semantic therapy (BOX; Visch-Brink & Bajema, 2001).

Method
Nine patients with chronic fluent aphasia participated in a therapy program to establish behavioral treatment outcomes. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups (CIAT or BOX).

Results
Intensive therapy significantly improved verbal communication. However, BOX treatment showed a more pronounced improvement on two communication—namely, a standardized assessment for verbal communication, the Amsterdam Nijmegen Everyday Language Test (Blomert, Koster, & Kean, 1995), and a subjective rating scale, the Communicative Effectiveness Index (Lomas et al., 1989). All participants significantly improved on one (or more) subtests of the Aachen Aphasia Test (Graetz, de Bleser, & Willmes, 1992), an impairment-focused assessment. There was a treatment-specific effect. BOX treatment had a significant effect on language comprehension and semantics, whereas CIAT treatment affected language production and phonology.

Conclusion
The findings indicate that in patients with fluent aphasia, (a) intensive treatment has a significant effect on language and verbal communication, (b) intensive therapy results in selective treatment effects, and (c) an intensive semantic treatment shows a more striking mean improvement on verbal communication in comparison with communication-based CIAT treatment.
STAT3-driven transcription depends upon the dimethylation of K49 by EZH2
Authors: Dasgupta Maupali , Dermawan Josephine Kam Tai , Willard Belinda , Stark George R. 
Published: March 2015

Significance
Protein lysine methyl transferases and demethylases, previously identified for histone modification, now are known to modify several nonhistone proteins as well. Their deregulation leads to the development and progression of various diseases, including cancer. Thus these enzymes now stand out as attractive therapeutic targets. We present a detailed study of STAT3 posttranslational modification at K49 by the histone methyl transferase, enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2). Dimethylation of K49 modulates IL-6–responsive transcription, revealing a previously unrecognized important functional modification of STAT3 activity. Because STAT3 is a major oncogene, and EZH2 function is modified in many cancers, this functional connection between the two raises the possibility that modulation of EZH2 activity might be useful in inhibiting the oncogenic activity of STAT3.
Asymmetric synthesis of (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate by sorbose reductase from Candida albicans with two co-existing recombinant Escherichia coli strains
Authors: Cai Ping , An Mingdong , Xu Sheng , Yan Ming , Hao Ning , Li Yan , Xu Lin 
Published: March 2015

Abstract
An NADPH-dependent sorbose reductase from Candida albicans was identified to catalyze the asymmetric reduction of ethyl 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate (COBE). The activity of the recombinant enzyme toward COBE was 6.2 U/mg. The asymmetric reduction of COBE was performed with two coexisting recombinant Escherichia coli strains, in which the recombinant E. coli expressing glucose dehydrogenase was used as an NADPH regenerator. An optical purity of 99% (e.e.) and a maximum yield of 1240 mM (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate were obtained under an optimal biomass ratio of 1:2. A highest turnover number of 53,900 was achieved without adding extra NADP+/NADPH compared with those known COBE-catalytic systems.
Rational self-affine tiles
Authors: Steiner Wolfgang , Thuswaldner Jörg 
Published: March 2015

An integral self-affine tile is the solution of a set equation

A

T

=

⋃

d
∈

D

(

T

+
d
)

\mathbf {A} \mathcal {T} = \bigcup _{d \in \mathcal {D}} (\mathcal {T} + d)

, where

A

\mathbf {A}

is an

n
×
n

n \times n

integer matrix and

D

\mathcal {D}

is a finite subset of

Z

n

\mathbb {Z}^n

. In the recent decades, these objects and the induced tilings have been studied systematically. We extend this theory to matrices

A

∈

Q

n
×
n

\mathbf {A} \in \mathbb {Q}^{n \times n}

. We define rational self-affine tiles as compact subsets of the open subring

R

n

×

∏

p

K

p

\mathbb {R}^n\times \prod _\mathfrak {p} K_\mathfrak {p}

of the adèle ring

A

K

\mathbb {A}_K

, where the factors of the (finite) product are certain

p

\mathfrak {p}

-adic completions of a number field

K
K

that is defined in terms of the characteristic polynomial of

A

\mathbf {A}

. Employing methods from classical algebraic number theory, Fourier analysis in number fields, and results on zero sets of transfer operators, we establish a general tiling theorem for these tiles.

We also associate a second kind of tile with a rational matrix. These tiles are defined as the intersection of a (translation of a) rational self-affine tile with

R

n

×

∏

p

{
0
}
≃

R

n

\mathbb {R}^n \times \prod _\mathfrak {p} \{0\} \simeq \mathbb {R}^n

. Although these intersection tiles have a complicated structure and are no longer self-affine, we are able to prove a tiling theorem for these tiles as well. For particular choices of the digit set

D

\mathcal {D}

, intersection tiles are instances of tiles defined in terms of shift radix systems and canonical number systems. This enables us to gain new results for tilings associated with numeration systems.
Offshoring
Authors: De Felice Fabio , Petrillo Antonella , Silvestri Alessandro 
Published: March 2015

Purpose– Nowadays, especially after the recent financial downturn, companies are looking for much more efficient and creative business processes management. They need to place better solutions on the market in less time and with lower costs. Companies are achieving these goals of efficiency always more by using the offshoring strategy. It commonly describes a company’s relocation of a business process from one country to another, typically manufacturing processes towards low-cost countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – BRICS area). The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodological approach based on project management tools that supports the decision-making process in order to help companies in optimizing the re-engineering production processes and improve management costs. The framework provided in this paper is grounded on available literature and from the authors’ personal experiences in managing several projects.Design/methodology/approach– This paper seeks to propose a Project Management Process Reengineering performance model (PMPR) for managing projects of reengineering of processes and applies it in a real case study concerning the relocation of an automotive glass production line.Findings– The model proposed in this paper should serve as a valuable tool to facilitate a successful BPR design in the project management and intends to assist companies as they operate projects of transferring and optimizing production lines.Originality/value– This paper proposes a PMPR model with a methodological approach which integrates efficiency and effectiveness estimators applicable to company needs. Thus, the aim of the paper is to develop a methodology and technical approach for the redesign and realization of a production line in consequence of its relocation.