Recent Development of Cognitive and Neuropsychological Assessment in Asian Countries.

There is a growing trend of research in neuropsychological assessment in Asia: The mean number of published studies increased from 1.8 in the 1980s to 16.0 in 2 recent years. About 40% of the studies reviewed concerned test development or adaptation, with the latter greatly outnumbering the former. To facilitate the test selection for clinical use, 36 clinical measures were evaluated based on some statistical criteria. The results showed that only 8 neuropsychological tests (5 Chinese. 2 Korean, and 1 Japanese) met the criteria. Given that Asian and Western populations differ on certain cognitive processes, future development of neuropsychological assessment measures in Asia should move from the adaptation of Western tests toward the construction of original tests with better ecological validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new environmental friendly method for the preparation of sugar acids via catalytic oxidation on gold catalysts

A novel and efficient way of producing of aldonic acids is reported. The selective catalytic oxidation of monosaccharides (arabinose, ribose, xylose, lyxose, mannose, rhamnose, glucose, galactose, N-acetyl-glucosamine) and disaccharides (lactose, maltose, cellobiose, melibiose) on Au, Pd and Pt catalysts was investigated. By using the gold catalyst, a total selectivity with respect to aldonic acids and a high catalytic activity for all investigated sugars was found. The reaction conditions for the production of maltobionic and lactobionic acids via oxidation on gold catalysts were optimised. A high long-term stability of two different gold catalysts for the oxidation of maltose and lactose, respectively, was found.     

An elementary proof of Sylvester’s double sums for subresultants

In 1853 Sylvester stated and proved an elegant formula that expresses the polynomial subresultants in terms of the roots of the input polynomials. Sylvester’s formula was also recently proved by Lascoux and Pragacz using multi-Schur functions and divided differences. In this paper, we provide an elementary proof that uses only basic properties of matrix multiplication and Vandermonde determinants.     

Towards a distributed multi-agent framework for shared resources scheduling

Nowadays, manufacturers have to share some of their resources with partners due to the competitive economic environment. The management of the availability periods of shared resources causes a problem because it is achieved by the scheduling systems, which assume a local environment where all resources are on the same site. Therefore, distributed scheduling with shared resources is an important research topic. In this communication, we introduce the architecture and behaviour of DSCEP framework (Distributed, Supervisor, Customer, Environment, and Producer) under shared resources situation with disturbances. We are using a simple example of manufacturing system to illustrate the ability of DSCEP framework to solve the shared resources scheduling problem in complex systems.     

Mechanical and dynamical mechanical properties of chloroprene rubber and cellulose II composites

Vulcanized composites of chloroprene rubber (CR) with cellulose II (Cel II) as a filler were investigated. Cel II, obtained by the coagulation of cellulose xanthate, was incorporated in the rubber by the traditional method. The filler content varied from 0 to 30 phr. For comparison purposes, carbon black (CB)–CR composites were also studied. The CB amount varied from 0 to 45 phr. The mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties were determined, and the CR composite containing 20 phr of Cel II showed the best set of properties. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 2425–2430, 2004     

German Water Infrastructure in China: Colonial Qingdao 1898–1914

Within the colorful tapestry of colonial possessions the German empire acquired over the short period of its existence, Qingdao stands out because it fulfilled a different role from settlements in Africa—especially because of its exemplary planned water infrastructure: its technological model, the resulting (public) hygiene, and the adjunct brewery. The National Naval Office (Reichsmarineamt), which oversaw the administration of the future “harbour colony”—at first little more than a little fishing village—enjoyed a remarkable degree of freedom in implementing this project. The German government invested heavily in showing off its techno-cultural achievements to China and the world and thereby massively exploited the natural resources of the mountainous interior. This contribution focuses on Qingdao’s water infrastructure and its role in public hygiene and further area development. This article will not only use new empirical evidence to demonstrate that the water infrastructure was an ambivalent “tool of empire”. Relying on the concept of “urban metabolism,” this paper primarily traces the ecological consequences, particularly the landscape transformation of the mountains surrounding the bay and the implications for the region’s water resources. When evaluating colonial enterprises, changes in local ecology should play a significantly greater role.     

Inflammation in the Human Periodontium Induces Downregulation of the α1- and β1-Subunits of the sGC in Cementoclasts

Nitric oxide (NO) binds to soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), activates it in a reduced oxidized heme iron state, and generates cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate (cGMP), which results in vasodilatation and inhibition of osteoclast activity. In inflammation, sGC is oxidized and becomes insensitive to NO. NO- and heme-independent activation of sGC requires protein expression of the α₁- and β₁-subunits. Inflammation of the periodontium induces the resorption of cementum by cementoclasts and the resorption of the alveolar bone by osteoclasts, which can lead to tooth loss. As the presence of sGC in cementoclasts is unknown, we investigated the α₁- and β₁-subunits of sGC in cementoclasts of healthy and inflamed human periodontium using double immunostaining for CD68 and cathepsin K and compared the findings with those of osteoclasts from the same sections. In comparison to cementoclasts in the healthy periodontium, cementoclasts under inflammatory conditions showed a decreased staining intensity for both α₁- and β₁-subunits of sGC, indicating reduced protein expression of these subunits. Therefore, pharmacological activation of sGC in inflamed periodontal tissues in an NO- and heme-independent manner could be considered as a new treatment strategy to inhibit cementum resorption.     

Estimation of material functions using system identification techniques

Material properties of an elastic material are characterized by the elastic modulus, which is real-valued and constant. For viscoelastic materials, such as plastics and polymers, the relationship between stress and strain is instead dynamic, and characterized by the complex-valued and frequency-dependent complex modulus. It is in this paper described how system identification techniques can be used to determine the complex modulus using strain data from wave propagation experiments on a test specimen. Modeling, derivation of estimators, and analysis of their numerical and statistical properties are included. Identifiability and experimental design are examined in some detail. Several practical examples are presented using real-world data, and a number of extensions are outlined.