bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gender Equity in Canadian Ice Hockey: the Legal Struggle
Authors: Eaton John 
Published: June 2012

AbstractIn this article, John Eaton details Canadians' passion for ice hockey and chronicles the legal struggles of Canadian women to partake in the sport on an equal basis to men. Readers interested in the law of ice hockey are referred to the authoritative work on the subject, John Barnes's The Law of Hockey (Markham: LexisNexis Canada Inc., 2010) and those who wish to read more of the story of women's ice hockey in Canada should consult Etue, Elizabeth & Williams, Megan K., On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History (Toronto: Second Story Press, 1996).
Between the crisis of democracy and world parliament: the development of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in the 1920s
Authors: Albers Martin 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe Great War created new challenges for the proponents of pre-1914 cosmopolitanism. This article explores this theme by studying the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an international association of members of parliament active in the interwar period. The IPU is first taken as a case study to discuss the difficulty of clearly differentiating between national politicians and agents of international civil society during the years between the wars. The article then shows how pre-war liberal internationalists had to reorient after the First World War, and how socialists and nationalists brought new agendas to the realm of international cooperation at the non-governmental level. These new perspectives shaping the international system even led to far-reaching plans for a world parliament. However, the IPU's history also shows how domestic political polarization contributed to the failure of interwar internationalism.
The League of Nations: a retreat from international law?
Authors: Wertheim Stephen 
Published: June 2012

AbstractDuring the First World War, civil society groups across the North Atlantic put forward an array of plans for recasting international society. The most prominent ones sought to build on the Hague Conferences of 1899 and 1907 by developing international legal codes and, in a drastic innovation, obligating and militarily enforcing the judicial settlement of disputes. Their ideal was a world governed by law, which they opposed to politics. This idea was championed by the largest groups in the United States and France in favour of international organizations, and they had likeminded counterparts in Britain. The Anglo-American architects of the League of Nations, however, defined their vision against legalism. Their declaratory design sought to ensure that artificial machinery never stifled the growth of common consciousness. Paradoxically, the bold new experiment in international organization was forged from an anti-formalistic ethos – one that slowed the momentum of international law and portended the rise of global governance.
Rotary International's ‘acid test’: multi-ethnic associational life in 1930s Southeast Asia
Authors: Lewis Su Lin 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe social history of colonial Southeast Asia has often been narrated through the lens of ‘plural societies’, where various ethnic groups rarely mixed. This article challenges that narrative by pointing to traditions of multi-ethnic interaction, particularly in port cities, dating back to an early modern age of commerce. Although colonialism introduced new racial hierarchies that reinforced stark ethnic divides, it also created arenas where these could be transgressed. In the interwar era, international organizations, such as Rotary clubs, provided a way of breaking the colour bar of colonial society and a venue for multi-ethnic representation in a shared associational space. They converged with existing notions of civic duty, while promoting a public intellectual culture in cities for both men and women, as well as a new sense of regionalism. In ethnically divided Malaya, Asian Rotarians questioned the importance of race and debated the possibilities of a multi-ethnic future for the nation. While such cosmopolitan ideals were more vulnerable in the post-colonial era of nation-states, the organizations of the interwar era left important legacies for civil society in the region.
French Wine and the U.S. Boycott of 2003: Does Politics Really Affect Commerce?
Authors: Ashenfelter Orley , Ciccarella Stephen , Shatz Howard J. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractIn early 2003, France actively tried to thwart the plans of the Bush administration to build international support for a war to depose Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein. In response, calls in the United States for a boycott of French products, wine in particular, rebounded through all forms of media. In the spring of 2003, French business people even reported that the boycott calls were hurting their U.S. sales. Using a dataset of sales of nearly 4,700 individual wine brands, we show that there actually was no boycott effect. Rather, sales of French wine dipped for two reasons. First, they experience a cyclical peak at holiday time, from November through early January, and the boycott was called during the February to May period. Second, sales of French wine have been in a secular decline in the United States. Sales in February through May 2003 merely stayed on trend. We contrast our results with other recent work that has found evidence of a boycott effect but that omits the holiday effect from several specifications. French wine producers may be having economic problems, but it is not because of their government's foreign policy. (JEL classification: D12, F14, L66, Q17)
Critical Exposure and Price-Quality Relationships for New World Wines in the U.S. Market
Authors: Roberts Peter W. , Reagans Ray 
Published: June 2012

AbstractNotwithstanding the observed positive correlations between critics' quality ratings and wine prices, the range of these correlations is quite high. In light of this, researchers must consider the factors that either strengthen or weaken the association between quality ratings and prices. In this paper, we propose that the slope of the relationship between quality ratings and wine prices is moderated by the amount of attention that producers receive. Because attention increases with a producer's critical exposure (i.e., its history of critical coverage), price-quality relationships will be steeper for producers with more critical exposure. This prediction is confirmed in an analysis of New World wines selling into the U.S. market over the 1987 to 2001 period. While a wine's price is a positive function of its own quality rating, the strength of the price-quality relationship increases with a producer's critical exposure (JEL classifications: L11, L13, L15).
The Sideways Effect: A Test for Changes in the Demand for Merlot and Pinot Noir Wines
Authors: Cuellar Steven S. , Karnowsky Dan , Acosta Frederick 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThis paper examines the effect of the movie Sideways on US wine consumption. Specifically, we examine the affects of the movie on the consumption of Merlot, which is derided in the movie and the affect on Pinot Noir, which is praised. We examine the trends in consumption before and after the movie and perform statistical tests for structural changes in consumption. We also test for changes in consumption of each varietal by price point. (JEL Classification: C22)
When Does the Price Affect the Taste? Results from a Wine Experiment
Authors: Almenberg Johan , Dreber Anna 
Published: June 2012

AbstractWe designed an experiment that examines how knowledge about the price of a good, and the time at which the information is received, affects how the good is experienced. The good in question was wine, and the price was either high or low. Our results suggest that hosts offering wine to guests can safely reveal the price: much is gained if the wine is expensive, and little is lost if it is cheap. Disclosing a high price before tasting the wine produces considerably higher ratings, although only from women. Disclosing a low price, by contrast, does not result in lower ratings. Our finding supports the notion that price not only serves to clear markets, it also influences expectations that in turn shape a consumer's experience. In addition, our results suggest that men and women respond differently to attribute information concerning wine. (JEL Classification: C91, D03, D83, M31)
The Impact of Gurus: Parker Grades anden primeurWine Prices
Authors: Ali Héla Hadj , Lecocq Sébastien , Visser Michael 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to measure the impact of Robert Parker's oenological grades on Bordeaux wine prices. We study their impact on the so-calleden primeurwine prices, i.e., the prices determined by the château owners when the wines are still extremely young. The Parker grades are usually published in the spring of each year, before the wine prices are established. However, the wine grades attributed in 2003 have been published much later, in the autumn,afterthe determination of the prices. This unusual reversal is exploited to estimate a Parker effect. We find that, on average, the effect is equal to 2.80 euros per bottle of wine. We also estimate grade-specific effects, and use these estimates to predict what the prices would have been had Parker attended the spring tasting in 2003. (JEL Classification: C21, D89, L15).
Evaluation of Wine Judge Performance through Three Characteristics: Bias, Discrimination, and Variation
Authors: Cao Jing , Stokes Lynne 
Published: June 2012

AbstractJudge performance is a critical component of a wine competition's success. A number of studies have shown that wine judges may differ considerably in their opinions. In this paper, we have conducted an in-depth examination of wine judge performance at a U.S. wine competition. Three characteristics of judge's performance are examined: bias, discrimination ability, and variation. Based on the analysis, we can identify the judges who had discrepant scoring patterns and can gain insight into which of the three characteristics cause particular judges to disagree. The evaluation of wine judge performance through these three characteristics may provide useful information for training them to have consistent performance and in assisting competition coordinators in judge selection. (JEL Classification: C1, D8, Q13)
Ground deformations and volcanic processes as imaged by CGPS data at Mt. Etna (Italy) between 2003 and 2008
Authors: Bruno Valentina , Mattia Mario , Aloisi Marco , Palano Mimmo , Cannavò Flavio , Holt William E. 
Published: June 2012

We analyze the kinematic and crustal deformations of Mt. Etna from 2003 to 2008 as imaged by the Mt. Etna continuous GPS (CGPS) network (Etn@net). Through a careful analysis of GPS time series, six coherent phases of crustal deformations have been identified, three inflation phases and three deflation phases, superimposed on a major inflation of the volcanic edifice since 2001. The inversions of GPS velocities have enabled: 1) a better understanding of the evolution of the volcanic sources acting beneath the volcano; 2) analysis of the strain rate patterns; and 3) a delineation of potential coupling between volcanic sources and the observed ground deformations. The modeling of the pressure sources has shown a separation between inflation and deflation sources. The deflation sources show an upward migration, from 5.5 toward 2.0 km (b.s.l.), while the inflation sources are located within 5.5 and 4.0 km (b.s.l.). Our results indicate that the kinematic and ground deformations of the mid‐upper eastern flank are driven by the interplay between the effect of the magmatic sources and a southeastward motion. Furthermore, clockwise rotations have been detected that prevailed over the eastern motion of the flank during the inflation phases preceding the 2004–2005 and 2006 eruptions. Finally, the accordance between the higher geodetic shear strain rates and the area with the highest seismic energy release shows that measured geodetic shear strain rates can provide useful information on the potential occurrence of seismic activity.
Stress perturbations and seismic response associated with the 2011 M9.0 Tohoku‐oki earthquake in and around the Tokai seismic gap, central Japan
Authors: Enescu B. , Aoi S. , Toda S. , Suzuki W. , Obara K. , Shiomi K. , Takeda T. 
Published: June 2012

The M9.0 Tohoku‐oki event is the largest earthquake in Japan's modern history. Social concerns and scientific interests require an urgent evaluation of this event's impact on other megathrust zones nearby Japan. Here we investigate the stress transfer from the Tohoku‐oki event on the Tokai subduction zone, where an M8‐class megathrust earthquake has been long‐time anticipated. First we demonstrate that the clear increase of crustal seismicity around Izu Peninsula, near the Tokai gap, is the consequence of a Coulomb static stress increase due to the Tohoku‐oki earthquake, calculated using a variable slip model for the mainshock and regional focal mechanisms of events occurred before and after the M9.0 earthquake. The largest stress increase is of about 1.0 bar, as estimated on earthquake nodal planes of maximum stress change. The time‐decay characteristics of the activated seismicity favor the triggering by static stresses. Such validations of the Coulomb hypothesis support our stress perturbation assessment on the Tokai gap. To precisely calculate the stress changes on the Tokai source, we use the curved plate interface and plate‐motion inferred rake directions. The computed stress changes are predominantly positive but have relatively small values, of less than 0.1 bar. The large afterslip (Mw8.6) and the aftershocks following the Tohoku‐oki earthquake caused additional, but minor, stress increases. Our results imply that the stress‐state on the Tokai plane did not change significantly after the Tohoku‐oki event, however static stress driven seismic activation in neighboring areas can bring a secondary impact on the interplate seismicity.
Differential effects of cyclic uniaxial stretch on human mesenchymal stem cell into skeletal muscle cell
Authors: Haghighipour Nooshin , Heidarian Saeide , Shokrgozar Mohammad Ali , Amirizadeh Naser 
Published: June 2012

AbstractBoth fetal and adult skeletal muscle cells are continually being subjected to biomechanical forces. Biomechanical stimulation during cell growth affects proliferation, differentiation and maturation of skeletal muscle cells. Bone marrow‐derived hMSCs [human MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells)] can differentiate into a variety of cell types, including skeletal muscle cells that are potentially a source for muscle regeneration. Our investigations involved a 10% cyclic uniaxial strain at 1 Hz being applied to hMSCs grown on collagen‐coated silicon membranes with or without IGF‐I (insulin‐like growth factor‐I) for 24 h. Results obtained from morphological studies confirmed the rearrangement of cells after loading. Comparison of MyoD and MyoG mRNA levels between test groups showed that mechanical loading alone can initiate myogenic differentiation. Furthermore, comparison of Myf5, MyoD, MyoG and Myf6 mRNA levels between test groups showed that a combination of mechanical loading and growth factor results in the highest expression of myogenic genes. These results indicate that cyclic strain may be useful in myogenic differentiation of stem cells, and can accelerate the differentiation of hMSCs into MSCs in the presence of growth factor.
What to Do About Adolescent Psychopathy? Commentary on Dawson et al.
Authors: Vincent GinaM. 
Published: June 2012

Dawson et al. tackle the controversial issue of assessing psychopathic personality disorder in children and adolescents. They use two case studies assessed with the CAPP and the PCL:YV to suggest that 1) symptoms of psychopathy look different in youth than in adults, and 2) the CAPP may be a better assessment tool for youth than the PCL:YV. They also suggest youth psychopathy researchers conduct studies using the CAPP and PCL:YV together to examine more distinctive features of psychopathy in youth. I agree with the authors’ conclusions in part. The CAPP is a very promising tool for the assessment of psychopathic personality. I would add several caveats, however, including the limited evidence for the CAPP's construct validity (currently) and unanswered questions about its developmental appropriateness. The potential advantages to research with the CAPP may include 1) aiding our understanding of developmental changes in symptoms, and 2) further exploration of the variants of psychopathy. However, until the CAPP establishes construct validity and developmental applicability, I suggest any future studies include the PCL:YV/PCL-R, known psychopathy correlates, and compare youth to adult samples.
Extending ontologies by finding siblings using set expansion techniques
Authors: Fabian Götz , Wächter Thomas , Schroeder Michael 
Published: June 2012

AbstractMotivation: Ontologies are an everyday tool in biomedicine to capture and represent knowledge. However, many ontologies lack a high degree of coverage in their domain and need to improve their overall quality and maturity. Automatically extending sets of existing terms will enable ontology engineers to systematically improve text-based ontologies level by level.Results: We developed an approach to extend ontologies by discovering new terms which are in a sibling relationship to existing terms of an ontology. For this purpose, we combined two approaches which retrieve new terms from the web. The first approach extracts siblings by exploiting the structure of HTML documents, whereas the second approach uses text mining techniques to extract siblings from unstructured text. Our evaluation against MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) shows that our method for sibling discovery is able to suggest first-class ontology terms and can be used as an initial step towards assessing the completeness of ontologies. The evaluation yields a recall of 80% at a precision of 61% where the two independent approaches are complementing each other. For MeSH in particular, we show that it can be considered complete in its medical focus area. We integrated the work into DOG4DAG, an ontology generation plugin for the editors OBO-Edit and Protégé, making it the first plugin that supports sibling discovery on-the-fly.Availability: Sibling discovery for ontology is available as part of DOG4DAG (www.biotec.tu-dresden.de/research/schroeder/dog4dag) for both Protégé 4.1 and OBO-Edit 2.1.Contact: ms@biotec.tu-dresden.de; goetz.fabian@biotec.tu-dresden.deSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Novel domain combinations in proteins encoded by chimeric transcripts
Authors: Frenkel-Morgenstern Milana , Valencia Alfonso 
Published: June 2012

AbstractMotivation: Chimeric RNA transcripts are generated by different mechanisms including pre-mRNA trans-splicing, chromosomal translocations and/or gene fusions. It was shown recently that at least some of chimeric transcripts can be translated into functional chimeric proteins.Results: To gain a better understanding of the design principles underlying chimeric proteins, we have analyzed 7,424 chimeric RNAs from humans. We focused on the specific domains present in these proteins, comparing their permutations with those of known human proteins. Our method uses genomic alignments of the chimeras, identification of the gene–gene junction sites and prediction of the protein domains. We found that chimeras contain complete protein domains significantly more often than in random data sets. Specifically, we show that eight different types of domains are over-represented among all chimeras as well as in those chimeras confirmed by RNA-seq experiments. Moreover, we discovered that some chimeras potentially encode proteins with novel and unique domain combinations. Given the observed prevalence of entire protein domains in chimeras, we predict that certain putative chimeras that lack activation domains may actively compete with their parental proteins, thereby exerting dominant negative effects. More generally, the production of chimeric transcripts enables a combinatorial increase in the number of protein products available, which may disturb the function of parental genes and influence their protein–protein interaction network.Availability: our scripts are available upon request.Contact: avalencia@cnio.esSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Improved synapse detection for mGRASP-assisted brain connectivity mapping
Authors: Feng Linqing , Zhao Ting , Kim Jinhyun 
Published: June 2012

Abstract
Motivation: A new technique, mammalian green fluorescence protein (GFP) reconstitution across synaptic partners (mGRASP), enables mapping mammalian synaptic connectivity with light microscopy. To characterize the locations and distribution of synapses in complex neuronal networks visualized by mGRASP, it is essential to detect mGRASP fluorescence signals with high accuracy.
Results: We developed a fully automatic method for detecting mGRASP-labeled synapse puncta. By modeling each punctum as a Gaussian distribution, our method enables accurate detection even when puncta of varying size and shape partially overlap. The method consists of three stages: blob detection by global thresholding; blob separation by watershed; and punctum modeling by a variational Bayesian Gaussian mixture models. Extensive testing shows that the three-stage method improved detection accuracy markedly, and especially reduces under-segmentation. The method provides a goodness-of-fit score for each detected punctum, allowing efficient error detection. We applied this advantage to also develop an efficient interactive method for correcting errors.
Availability: The software is available on http://jinny.kist.re.kr
Contact: tingzhao@gmail.com; kimj@kist.re.kr
Towards 3D structure prediction of large RNA molecules: an integer programming framework to insert local 3D motifs in RNA secondary structure
Authors: Reinharz Vladimir , Major François , Waldispühl Jérôme 
Published: June 2012

Abstract
Motivation: The prediction of RNA 3D structures from its sequence only is a milestone to RNA function analysis and prediction. In recent years, many methods addressed this challenge, ranging from cycle decomposition and fragment assembly to molecular dynamics simulations. However, their predictions remain fragile and limited to small RNAs. To expand the range and accuracy of these techniques, we need to develop algorithms that will enable to use all the structural information available. In particular, the energetic contribution of secondary structure interactions is now well documented, but the quantification of non-canonical interactions—those shaping the tertiary structure—is poorly understood. Nonetheless, even if a complete RNA tertiary structure energy model is currently unavailable, we now have catalogues of local 3D structural motifs including non-canonical base pairings. A practical objective is thus to develop techniques enabling us to use this knowledge for robust RNA tertiary structure predictors.
Results: In this work, we introduce RNA-MoIP, a program that benefits from the progresses made over the last 30 years in the field of RNA secondary structure prediction and expands these methods to incorporate the novel local motif information available in databases. Using an integer programming framework, our method refines predicted secondary structures (i.e. removes incorrect canonical base pairs) to accommodate the insertion of RNA 3D motifs (i.e. hairpins, internal loops and k-way junctions). Then, we use predictions as templates to generate complete 3D structures with the MC-Sym program. We benchmarked RNA-MoIP on a set of 9 RNAs with sizes varying from 53 to 128 nucleotides. We show that our approach (i) improves the accuracy of canonical base pair predictions; (ii) identifies the best secondary structures in a pool of suboptimal structures; and (iii) predicts accurate 3D structures of large RNA molecules.
Availability: RNA-MoIP is publicly available at: http://csb.cs.mcgill.ca/RNAMoIP.
Contact: jeromew@cs.mcgill.ca