bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Melodye and Noyse : An Aesthetic of Musica in The Knight’s Tale and The Miller’s Tale
Authors: Chapman Juliana
Published: November 2015

This article argues that in the first two Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer employs music as a literary aesthetic for the sake of structural and narrative development. The music theory, forms, images, and performance practices in The Knight’s Tale and The Miller’s Tale constitute a literary aesthetic of musica that extends far beyond the more common and limited idea of music as simply song or sounded melody or harmony. In medieval texts on music theory, written almost exclusively in Latin, the term musica refers to performance as well as to theory, philosophy, and principles—all features that function in sounded music as well as in other artistic forms, such as literature. This is not to imply that a given literary passage necessarily mentions singing or musical instruments or would have originally been sung or set to musical accompaniment. Instead, an aesthetic of musica constitutes a literary use of music to shape a text’s structure and guide its interpretation, even in the absence of notated or sounded music. This aesthetic function of music contributes to the structural and narrative elements of the discursive interaction between The Knight’s Tale and The Miller’s Tale , which have often been compared, but not yet in terms of their music.
John Milton’s Beehive, from Polemic to Epic
Authors: Jacobs Nicole A.
Published: November 2015

While the bee simile in book 1 of Paradise Lost has garnered much critical attention, the significant image of the hive in Milton’s corpus remains largely overlooked. Deriving from an ancient literary tradition, the bee metaphor was enlisted in seventeenth-century England as a divine symbol of monarchical and ecclesiastical power structures. From his polemic to his epic, Milton, by contrast, consistently uses apian imagery to register harsh critiques of earthly monarchy, feminine influence, and Catholic superstition. Beginning with an unexamined bee passage in Eikonoklastes , this article traces Milton’s revisionist reading of the apiological kingdom, which culminates in his representation of insect and related serpentine imagery in Paradise Lost . I argue that the Miltonic hive serves as a symbol of a natural corruption of the divine hierarchy, an inevitable failure to replicate on earth or in hell the benevolent design of heaven.
“Al we wilniþ to ben old. wy is eld ihatid”: Aging and Ageism in Le Bone Florence of Rome
Authors: Tai Wanchen
Published: November 2015

This article explores the ways in which old age, as a socially constituted concept, functions to regulate the needs and desires of the aged during the natural course of aging and the ways in which an aging subject struggles to adapt to old age as a state of being. With the centenarian Garcy in Le Bone Florence of Rome as the focus, the discussion reconsiders his frail body in the context of medieval medicine, examines his desire for young Florence against the backdrop of medieval ethics, and understands his rise and doomed failure within the ageist framework of romance, as well as the penitential context of the manuscript CUL Ff. 2.38. Struggling with his own physical degradation and desires in opposition to social expectations of his age, the character of Garcy, “misbehaving” and “rebellious,” challenges, albeit to no avail, the injustice of ageism inflicted upon him. His final attempt at reversing the course of aging and unconsoled death urge readers to take a fresh look at the reality that the old have as many needs and desires as people from all other age groups.
John Milton, Paradox, and the Atonement: Heresy, Orthodoxy, and the Son’s Whole-Life Obedience
Authors: Urban David V.
Published: November 2015

This article demonstrates that Milton’s orthodox presentation of the Crucifixion and the substitutionary atonement is predicated on his orthodox presentation of Jesus’s whole-life obedience, a perfect obedience to God and his law that substitutes for the disobedience of those who put their faith in Jesus. This presentation, evident in Paradise Lost , “Upon the Circumcision,” Paradise Regained , and De Doctrina Christiana , is consistent with presentations in various orthodox sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Reformed documents. Paradoxically, however, Milton’s presentational emphasis on the orthodox notion of Jesus’s whole-life obedience is likely predicated upon his heterodox views regarding the deity of the Son of God.
Imagining the Author in Late Medieval England and France: The Transmission and Reception of Christine de Pizan’s Epistre au dieu d’Amours and Thomas Hoccleve’s Letter of Cupid
Authors: Critten Rory G.
Published: November 2015

Although it seems likely that Hoccleve’s translation of Christine de Pizan’s Epistre au dieu d’Amours was motivated by his desire to emulate her success as an author, this article shows that his Letter of Cupid played at best a limited role in establishing his literary reputation. While Christine could exercise a degree of control over the copying of her text, Hoccleve could not, and, as a result, his poem was circulated anonymously and often in damaged or truncated forms. This discrepancy is read as revelatory of differences between the modes of authorship available to Middle French and Middle English poets. Hoccleve’s status as a victim of the literary culture in which he wrote is not unequivocal, however, since the indeterminate attitude toward women that characterizes the Letter may have been a quality with which he deliberately imbued his text: thanks to his firsthand knowledge of the London book trade, Hoccleve was well placed to appreciate the potential popularity of such a versatile poem. Since the Letter is extant in ten non-autograph copies, it appears that a measure of that popularity was realized, even if the personal fame that might have accompanied it remained elusive.
Uncouth Rhymes: Thomas Gray, Prosody, and Literary History
Authors: Swidzinski Joshua
Published: November 2015

Relying on Thomas Gray’s commonplace book, this article reconstructs the theoretical underpinnings of Gray’s unfinished History of English Poetry , a project to which the poet devoted nearly a decade of research, in order to shed light on Gray’s last published poems, a peculiar set of imitations of ancient Norse and Welsh verse originally composed as part of this historiographical project. In particular, it explores this History ’s preoccupation with prosody as a stratum of literary historical evidence. It argues that Gray was inspired by Richard Grey’s Memoria Technica (1730), a contemporary art of memory, to conceive of prosodic phenomena not simply as stylistic markers of the literary past but as figures for the process and challenge of fashioning historical knowledge as such. It contends that Gray’s imitations of “uncouth” ancient verse forms continue this historiographical project at a poetic register, adumbrating a novel theory of literary form that accords poetic measure a constitutive role in the conception of literary history.
“Worse than Philomel”: Violence, Revenge, and Meta-Allusion in Titus Andronicus
Authors: Weber William W.
Published: November 2015

Titus Andronicus provides uniquely direct dramatizations of allusive authorship and reception, particularly through its sustained engagement with Ovid’s tale of Philomela’s rape and revenge. Heroes and villains alike make use of this source: Aaron, Chiron, and Demetrius use it as explicit inspiration for their rape and mutilation of Lavinia; Marcus Andronicus invokes it as part of an eloquent rhetorical escape from the insufferable immediacy of finding his savaged niece; Lavinia directly quotes the material text of Ovid in order to communicate the full extent of her suffering; and Titus models his culinary revenge on that visited upon the rapist Tereus. One key distinction that can be made between certain of these instances of allusion is how they affect the action of the drama: the rapists clearly use Ovid as a pattern for their actions, and Lavinia’s explicit reference to the tale provides the impetus to revenge. Marcus’s allusive lament, though, notably fails to do anything. The reason for this absence of action is, this essay argues, the lack of perceivable authorial intentionality behind the allusion. This reading suggests that William Shakespeare emphasizes his own creative power, but in a way that implicates it in the destructively imitative cycle of revenge.
Ralph Crane and the Authorship of The Most Auntient Historie of God and Man , Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library MS PR2199.M67
Authors: Bowles Amy
Published: November 2015

This article examines the authorship of the 1629 manuscript poem The Most Auntient Historie of God and Man , now University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library, MS PR2199.M67 (fig. 1). The manuscript and its contents have previously been tentatively attributed to the early modern scribe and poet Ralph Crane. This article uses surviving evidence of Crane’s hand, his compositional habits, and his scribal career in order to establish that Crane was not the author or scribe of the Auntient Historie . It goes on to consider possible alternative authors, including Richard Crashaw, Richard Corbett, Robert Creighton, Robert Croft, and Roger Cocks.
But was it artistically vibrant? An analysis of the audience response to a community performance
Authors: Kelman Dave
Published: November 2015

This article examines audience response data from a young people’s community music-theatre performance in Victoria, Australia in 2013. The performance was created by groups of culturally diverse emerging artists and community members working with professional participatory artists. Using both qualitative and quantitative methodology, the article considers what the data do and do not reveal about who this audience was, how its members responded to the performance and what can be concluded from this information regarding what culturally diverse audience members who do not normally attend arts events want from the performing arts. This data analysis is considered in relation to audience reception theory and the literature concerning the term ‘artistic vibrancy’. The article considers barriers to engagement in the arts faced by community audiences, and looks at whether the community arts sector has anything to offer the mainstream performing arts industry in the light of research showing that the audience for this industry has declined in Victoria over the last five years and is now an ageing demographic.
Theatre for Development in the slums of Cairo: The impact on a disempowered community
Authors: Kandil Yasmine
Published: November 2015

In Mansheyet Nasser, one of the world’s biggest slums located on the outskirts of Cairo, a modest theatre project formed to engage children and youth of the garbagepicking trade, El-Zabaleen, in a process of celebrating their livelihood. The theatre work was able to challenge the stigma associated with being a Zabaleen, and fostered a renewed sense of self-worth in the young participants. When the project was discontinued in vague circumstances, the author set out to better understand the ethical implications of working with impoverished and marginalized communities. This article describes the history of El-Zabaleen and of Theatre for Development in the slums of Cairo, as well as the context and process of the theatre work. It points to some measures that might be taken in order for funding bodies, facilitators and participants to fully appreciate the impact of this work on a community’s hope for sustainability, self-development and social change.
Combining art and science in exploration of humanity and the universe: Teenagers’ storied experience of the universe played back in improvisational theatre in a learning context
Authors: Østern Anna-Lena , Kristoffersen Audun Mollan
Published: November 2015

This article explores and interprets how a Playback Theatre performance with the topic ‘Humanity and the Universe’ works as aesthetic pedagogical design in a project where art and science are combined in explorative learning for secondary school students. We analyse what Playback Theatre contributes to the research and development project SPACE ME, a project about humanity in the universe, which includes several different elements. Using the concepts ‘communication’ and ‘reception’ as analytical lenses, we interpret what this design can contribute to the learning processes of the students. As a conclusion regarding the pedagogical design, we suggest that in their responses, most of the students showed that the culture, the context, the social situation and the artistic communication in the Playback Theatre form had been meaningful to them.
Empowering the disempowered: The dùndún drumming tradition in a British prison
Authors: Eluyefa Dennis
Published: November 2015

There are many reasons why people lose their confidence, including social discrimination and/or lack of love. As a result of the social practice and value system, some people also experience deprivation within society (like people incarcerated in prison), leading to loss of personal identity and power. The theory of empowerment has been used by many scholars to deal with the issues of the powerlessness of ethnic minority groups who experience denigration (Collins 1990). This article focuses on four workshops that took place in a prison in Hampshire, England, where I explored drumming as an empowering activity using the dùndún (the ‘talking drums’), a set of a double-headed hourglass drums used by the Yorùbá, an ethnic group in Nigeria. The workshops gave participants the opportunity to express themselves freely within the British prison system. The names of the people have been anonymized. I introduce a theory called ‘Nonsense Theory’, which I coined and explored with the workshop participants. The main theme is empowerment, with a focus also on control, self-esteem, tradition and identity. The article analyses the concept of empowerment within the dùndún drumming tradition, and explores why it might have resonance in a prison.
Acting for health: Effective actor preparation for health-care simulations
Authors: Loth Jo , Andersen Patrea , Mitchell Patrick
Published: November 2015

This article provides a summary of the current literature (1975–2015) on the subject of effective ‘simulated patient’ training, with a focus on developing best practice for actor preparation for simulated patient work. There has been a great deal written about the efficacy of simulation in health care, and the importance of training for actors in simulation learning is acknowledged by a range of academics. This article discusses the theatrical and performative contexts of simulated patients and the training needs for actors. It concludes that actors must be acutely aware of the educational needs of the students, and the importance of maintaining a controlled and equitable learning environment. Understandings from this literature review are currently informing the project Acting 4 Health, in which drama students are trained as simulated patients for learning events in nursing at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
(M)asking the landscape and body-scape in South Africa: The Well Worn theatre company and site-specific theatre
Authors: Jacobs Tristan
Published: November 2015

By focusing on the use of body and ensemble in performance practice, this article aims to draw links between site-specific theatre, the neutral mask, sustainability and the work of the Johannesburg-based Well Worn theatre company, established in 2008. Using performance and play as an activist tool to examine, interpret and discuss the most pressing eco-social themes of our time, Well Worn creates the space and conditions necessary for critical thinking and open dialogue. The company devises physical and visual theatre work for crafting a poetic and meaningful connection between audience, subject-matter and play. Essentially, the company is committed to acting imaginatively to address and reflect on issues of eco-socialism, climate justice and earth-consciousness, thus placing more emphasis on that ancestral act of monitoring ourselves and our communities. As a case-study, Well Worn theatre company – particularly the Baobab Project – provides an area of focus for our considerations of embodied heritage as well as how the efficacy of mask-work and site-specific theatre breaks the boundaries (and theatrical conventions) with regard to framing culture.
Reviews
Authors: Bamuturaki Keneth , Lee Kate
Published: November 2015

Applied Drama: A Facilitator’s Handbook for Working in Community by Monica Prendergast and Juliana Saxton (2013) Intellect, Bristol ISBN 9 7818 4150 7408, 241 pp., £16 (pb)

A Reflective Pra ctitioner’s Guide to (Mis)Adventures in Drama Education – or What wa s I Thinking? edited by Peter Duffy (2015) Intellect, Bristol ISBN 9 7817 8320 4731, £30.00
From Mbale (Eastern Uganda) to Newport (South Wales): A Case Study
Authors: Filipponi Maria Teresa , Elley Kath , Harris Anthony , Magolo John Faith
Published: November 2015

Background: The need to equip students with the theoretical knowledge and applied skills is an essential requirement for professional practice; even more in an increasingly competitive job market. The opportunity to travel to Mbale, Eastern Uganda, as part of a field course, identified areas of professional development which were then transferred and extended to students who were not able to make the travel commitment. Description: As part of the ongoing collaboration between the University of South Wales (USW) and the charity Partnerships Overseas Networking Trust (PONT), the nutrition and geography students took part in a range of community development and research projects. Of particular focus here, the nutrition students designed and delivered a training course aimed at volunteer community health workers on nutrition and food combining. The same approach was taken for students who were not able to travel to Africa. In partnership with the Communities First Health Team of Newport West Cluster, a nutrition course was also developed. The students took part in all the stages of the projects and gained a variety of skills; from developing, planning, implementing and evaluating a ‘real’ project to working with an interpreter. Conclusions: The increasing competitive and challenging employment market requires the need to equip students with appropriate skills for their working lives and to play a constructive role in a world that is ‘shrinking’. Increased geographical and social mobility supports multicultural living and working and demands certain cultural competencies. Such learning opportunities bring with them challenges along with opportunities from the perspective of the learner. Therefore, the teacher has a role in supporting the student in this process that enhances the potential of the opportunities while making those challenges enjoyable and fun to manage. Furthermore, collaborations, such as those described, benefit everyone providing a ‘win-win’ experience.
‘Virtual Internationalisation’ and the Undergraduate Curriculum in UK and Overseas Universities
Authors: Middlemas Bridget M. , Peat Joanna G.
Published: November 2015

The challenge of offering an international university experience is proving to be an expensive and time-consuming business for many institutions of higher education, with less than 1% of students participating in a semester or year abroad. Some students are simply unable to commit to travelling abroad for reasons such as inadequate finance, family commitments or health/disability issues. The adoption of practices such as ‘internationalisation at home’ or ‘virtual internationalisation’ can therefore offer institutions a viable alternative to expensive and lengthy overseas visits. Roehampton’s Promoting Internationalisation through Cultural and Structural Adaptations (PICASA) project is currently investigating these alternative ways of working. Our research indicates that there are some effective alternative ways of ensuring that a university is able to work collaboratively with international partners, in order to offer all its students the possibility of an international experience at the home institution. Through the setting up of Web 2.0 based virtual, co-run and co-validated modules on traditional taught programmes, students can gain an excellent understanding of their discipline from an international perspective. Such modules can be run with students studying in a range of related or unrelated subject areas, and students will gain an awareness of the challenges of learning and working internationally. For the staff involved, the modules offer an opportunity to work with international academic and research colleagues, which gives them an enhanced and up to date understanding of disciplinary developments in other countries. The ‘virtual internationalisation’ model will be explored with a selection of recent case studies from UK and European universities who co-validate modules with universities in other countries. Implications for joint planning, quality assurance and institutional learningteaching policies will be reviewed. Case studies from the PICASA Project are due to be published in December 2016.
Investigating the relationship between school-level accountability practices and science achievement
Authors: Gandara Fernanda , Randall Jennifer
Published: November 2015

This study investigates the relationship between school-level accountability practices and science achievement of 15-year-olds, across four counties: Australia, Korea, Portugal, and the United States. We used PISA 2006 data, since 2006 is the only administration that has focused on science. School-level accountability practices are here defined as activities that: (a) provide school achievement data to external stakeholders, or (b) establish consequences according to the achievement results. Using linear regression analysis, we found that school-level accountability practices varied across these four countries, albeit not all pairs of countries were significantly different from each other in this regard. Using hierarchical linear modelling, we found that school-level accountability practices had a small effect on science achievement. Importantly, this effect was not independent of schools’ and students’ socio-economic status.
The revised SAT score and its potential benefits for the admission of minority students to higher education
Authors: Santelices Maria Veronica , Wilson Mark
Published: November 2015

This paper investigates the predictive validity of the Revised SAT (R-SAT) score, proposed by Freedle (2003) as an alternative to compensate minority students for the potential harm caused by the relationship between item difficulty and ethnic DIF observed in the SAT. The R-SAT score is the score minority students would have received if only the hardest questions from the test had been considered and was computed using a formula score and a regression approach. In this article we examine the potential effects of using the R-SAT of minority students in the admissions decision to selective institutions, and its capacity to predict short and long-term academic outcomes as well as its potential benefits regarding differential prediction of college grades for minority students. To test this out, we examined the performance of the R-SAT score compared to the standard SAT score in a sample of graduates from California public schools and in a subsample ofstudents who enrolled in the University of California. We found that, in terms of the potential for college admissions for minority students, prediction power and the issue of overprediction, the R-SAT score did not perform significantly better than the SAT score.
Comparativo entre a distribuição dos tempos na produção com índices de produtividade para o serviço de montagem de fôrma de madeira
Authors: Souza Bruno Almeida , Santos Debora De Gois
Published: November 2015

A mão de obra é um dos principais recursos para qualquer setor da indústria, não sendo diferente para a construção civil. Devido a sua importância, deve-se buscar que a mão de obra seja cada vez mais eficiente melhorando o seu índice de produtividade. Para isso, o primeiro passo é buscar conhecer o seu próprio índice de produtividade, aferindo-o em campo. É importante também que não só o calcule como também conheça os fatores que influenciam em sua melhora ou piora. Esta análise pode ser feita através de pesquisas de amostragem do trabalho. Diante deste cenário esta pesquisa faz um comparativo entre os índices de produtividade para as fôrmas encontrados em tabelas e ou sistemas de preços com o índice utilizado no orçamento da obra, utilizando ainda a técnica de amostragem do trabalho. Levantados os índices foi realizada uma comparação entre a equipe presente na obra, com a equipe teórica calcula através desses índices. Ao final foi feita uma pesquisa de amostragem do trabalho na busca de obter informações que mostrassem possíveis pontos de melhora nos processos para melhorar o índice de produtividade dessa mão de obra.
Competing Risks Copula Models for Unemployment Duration: An Application to a German Hartz Reform
Authors: Lo Simon M.S. , Stephan Gesine , Wilke Ralf A.
Published: November 2015

The copula graphic estimator (CGE) for competing risks models has received little attention in empirical research, despite having been developed into a comprehensive research method. In this paper, we bridge the gap between theoretical developments and applied research by considering a general class of competing risks copula models, which nests popular models such as the Cox proportional hazards model, the semiparametric multivariate mixed proportional hazards model (MMPHM), and the CGE as special cases. Analyzing the effects of a German Hartz reform on unemployment duration, we illustrate that the CGE imposes fewer restrictions on partial covariate effects than standard methods do. Differences are less evident when a more flexible difference-in-differences estimator is applied. It is also found that the MMPHM estimates react more strongly to the choice of the copula than the CGE in terms of the shape of the treatment effect function over time. Thus, the MMPHM produces less robust results in our application.
The Function of Fiction: King Edward I, King Arthur and Velthem’s Continuation
Authors: Summerfield Thea
Published: November 2015

In his Continuation of a voluminous ‘Mirror of History’, written in Middle Dutch between c. 1315 and 1317, Lodewijk van Velthem describes a number of festivities and exploits in which the recently deceased King Edward I becomes closely associated with the King Arthur of romance and legend. Despite obvious flaws in Velthem’s rendition of English history and clearly fictive elements, the idea that King Edward I was ‘an Arthurian enthusiast’ who indulged in recreating Arthurian romances as part of particular festivities has become widespread, even though archival evidence to support this view has always been lacking. In my article I propose a closer look at the remarkably coherent, interlaced Edwardian/Arthurian account within the Continuation, parts of which have been consistently ignored in modern scholarship. By adopting a contextual approach it is possible to understand the function of the fictionality of the narrative, its close links with Middle Dutch Arthurian romances in Velthem’s possession and its polemical qualities.
Le cas du compilateur compilé: une

œuvre

inconnue de Rusticien de Pise et la réception de

Guiron le Courtois
Authors: Lagomarsini Claudio
Published: November 2015

L’étude de l’histoire textuelle de la Compilation guironienne, une œuvre jusqu’à présent inédite que nous proposons d’attribuer à Rusticien de Pise, permet d’analyser de manière détaillée les procédés par lesquels les copistes-éditeurs des grands cycles arthuriens ont découpé et rassemblé les matériaux narratifs de leurs sources afin d’obtenir de nouveaux produits littéraires à offrir à leurs commanditaires. La première partie de l’article donne un aperçu général sur ce «nouveau» texte et examine la question de l’attribution: sont discutés ici des éléments d’ordre linguistique (présence de formes italianisantes attestées seulement chez Rusticien) et stylistique (réécriture des joutes chevaleresques de la source). Dans la seconde partie est étudiée la réception de la Compilation guironienne à l’aide du stemma codicum dressé lors des travaux préparatoires portant sur l’édition critique du texte. Comme l’œuvre est attestée dans des manuscrits italiens du xiii
e siècle ainsi que dans des témoins français plus tardifs, il est intéressant de remarquer des attitudes différenciées de la part des copistes-éditeurs face à notre compilation, qui a été démontée et réutilisée dans des contextes narratifs assez variés. Ainsi, l’étude de la structure globale des manuscrits contenant la Compilation guironienne montre que les copistes-éditeurs ont attribué à ce textedes fonctions différentes. Finalement on présente quelques observations sur un épilogue postiche ajouté dans deux manuscrits tardifs, où l’on attribue à Rusticien tout le cycle de Guiron le Courtois.
Linear approaches to resilient aggregation in sensor networks
Authors: Henry Kevin J. , Stinson Douglas R.
Published: November 2015

A sensor network is a network comprised of many small, wireless, resource-limited nodes that sense data about their environment and report readings to a base station. One technique to conserve power in a sensor network is to aggregate sensor readings hop-by-hop as they travel towards a base station, thereby reducing the total number of messages required to collect each sensor reading. In an adversarial setting, the ability of a malicious node to alter this aggregate total must be limited. We present three aggregation protocols inspired by three natural key pre-distribution schemes for linear networks. Assuming no more than k consecutive nodes are malicious, each of these protocols limits the capability of a malicious node to altering the aggregate total by at most a single valid sensor reading. Additionally, our protocols are able to detect malicious behavior as it occurs, allowing the protocol to be aborted early, thereby conserving energy in the remaining nodes. A rigorous proof of security is given for each protocol. We then demonstrate how to extend our linear protocols to tree-based topologies, thereby allowing linear-based approaches to be applied in a much wider range of network topologies.
Defects of copper patina / Vady mìdìných patin
Authors: Stoulil J. , Šedá P. , Anisová M. , Fencl Z. , Novák P. , Děd J.
Published: November 2015

The paper is focused on analyses of dark copper patina defects that were formed on one sheet under the same conditions. Roofs of ten historical buildings were studied by image analysis and samples of two roofs were subjected to more detailed destructive analysis. These samples were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. Both types of patina are composed of brochantite. Green patinas consisted of a pure brochantite and they had a fl at and compact surface. Conversely, black patina contained a high degree of impurities (ammonia cations, nitrates, silicates) and the surface was rough. The proportion of dark patina was higher in south and east facing surfaces, where washing by rainfall is more difficult.
Parameters influencing the low-cycle fatigue life of materials in pressure water reactor nuclear power plants / Parametry ovlivòující únavové chování materiálù pro tlakovodní jaderné reaktory v režimu nízkocyklové únavy
Authors: Šefl V.
Published: November 2015

In this literature review we identify and quantify the parameters influencing the low-cycle fatigue life of materials commonly used in nuclear power plants. The parameters are divided into several groups and individually described. The main groups are material properties, mode of cycling and environment parameters. The groups are further divided by the material type - some parameters influence only certain kind of material, e.g. sulfur content may decreases fatigue life of carbon steel, but is not relevant for austenitic stainless steel; austenitic stainless steel is more sensitive to concentration of dissolved oxygen in the environment compared to the carbon steel. The combination of parameters i.e. conjoint action of several detrimental parameters is discussed. It is also noted that for certain parameters to decrease fatigue life, it is necessary for other parameter to reach certain threshold value. Two different approaches have been suggested in literature to describe this complex problem - the Fen factor and development of new design fatigue curves. The threshold values and examples of commonly used relationships for calculation of fatigue lives are included. This work is valuable because it provides the reader with long-term literature review with focus on real effect of environmental parameters on fatigue life of nuclear power plant materials.
Vývoj autoklávu pro zkoušení materiálù v prostøedí tìžkých tekutých kovù / Development of autoclave for testing materials in the environment of heavy liquid metals
Authors: Chocholoušek M. , Fulín Z. , Janoušek J.
Published: November 2015

V rámci projektu SUSEN rozšiřuje společnost CVŘ oblast výzkumu na prostředí těžkých tekutých kovů se zaměřením korozního vlivu média na mechanické vlastnosti materiálů. Součástí je vývoj korozních autoklávů pro zkoušení tahových a únavových vlastností a také vlastností v oblasti tečení. Zkušební cela je určena pro zkoušky do teplot 600 °C s regulací obsahu kyslíku v médiu (olovo, eutektikum olovo-bismut). Pro zabezpečení těsnosti a umožnění regulace obsahu kyslíku je v systému udržována ochranná atmosféra argonu s provozním přetlakem do 2 bar. Systém je řešen jako dvoukomorové provedení, kde jedna komora slouží k přípravě korozního média a druhá komora je určena pro materiálové zkoušky. Tavící komora je řešena jako mobilní cela, kterou je možno připojit na další zkušební cely a provést přečerpání média. Zkušební cely jsou umístěny v pracovním prostoru zkušebních strojů a dimenzovány na maximální tahové zatížení 10 kN. Jsou vybaveny adaptéry pro uchycení tyčových vzorků bez závitových hlav a malých CT-vzorků. Navazující činnost bude zaměřena na vývoj měření deformace v tekutých těžkých kovech.
Magnetite hybrid photocatalysis: advance environmental remediation
Authors: Bagheri Samira , Julkapli Nurhidayatullaili Muhd
Published: November 2015

One of the main public concerns is the aquatic habitat and its corresponding issues because of the incessant contamination of the ecological water systems. In recent years, research attention has been focused on processes that lead to an improved oxidative degradation of organic pollutants. Therefore, semiconductor photocatalysis technology has aroused scientists’ interest in environmental remediation. Although several semiconductors have proven to be ideal candidates for the treatment of water pollution, the efficient separation and recycling of this fine-powdered photocatalyst is still a scientific problem when applied in practice, including separation process, selectivity, and dispersion. A photocatalyst with magnetic properties allows the use of the technique of magnetic separation, which is one of the most effective and simple methods for removing suspended solids from wastewater without the need for further separation processes. The magnetic photocatalyst allows its use as a suspended material, providing the advantage to have a high surface area for reaction. This review highlights the advantages and disadvantages of current photocatalyst systems. Moreover, it focuses on hybrid magnetic photocatalysts, including metals and nonmetals, metal oxides, carbon-based materials, and ceramics.
Nonlinear stability of shear deformable eccentrically stiffened functionally graded plates on elastic foundations with temperature-dependent properties
Authors: Cong Pham Hong , Ngoc An Pham Thi , Duc Nguyen Dinh
Published: November 2015

This article investigates the nonlinear stability of eccentrically stiffened moderately thick plates made of functionally graded materials (FGM) subjected to in-plane compressive, thermo-mechanical loads. The equilibrium and compatibility equations for the moderately thick plates are derived by using the first-order shear deformation theory of plates, taking into account both the geometrical nonlinearity in the von Karman sense and initial geometrical imperfections, temperature-dependent properties with Pasternak type elastic foundations. By applying the Galerkin method and using a stress function, the effects of material and geometrical properties, temperature-dependent material properties, elastic foundations, boundary conditions, and eccentric stiffeners on the buckling and post-buckling loading capacity of the eccentrically stiffened moderately thick FGM plates in thermal environments are analyzed and discussed.
Fight for Life
Authors: Clark Jennifer M. , Begley Matthew T.
Published: November 2015

Optimal foraging theory explains that organisms whose foraging is as energetically efficient as possible should be favored by natural selection. However, many individuals must exhibit trade-offs between foraging and other factors in their environment (i.e., predation risk, competitive interactions). We present a hands-on activity for undergraduates using just a deck of cards, bingo chips, and dice to introduce ecological concepts of foraging theory, predator–prey interactions, and energy trade-offs. Specifically, this activity will focus on optimal foraging theory and giving-up density. Students should gain an understanding of how organisms balance predation risk and competitive interactions with energetic demands. Further, this activity can be scaled for nonmajors and introductory courses to introduce general ecological concepts, or for upper-division courses to explore advanced topics in foraging theory.
Mobile Botany
Authors: Harper John D. I. , Burrows Geoffrey E. , Sergio Moroni J. , Quinnell Rosanne
Published: November 2015

In our first-year university botany classes at Charles Sturt University, we noticed that in laboratory class, students were taking photographs of their specimens with the dissecting and compound microscopes using their mobile phones. Student-generated images as “learning objects” were used to enhance the engagement of all students, including Distance Education students who used images provided by the on-campus students. The Distance Education students did all the laboratory work at an intensive residential school, and they were encouraged to take images; these were shared with on-campus students, making them aware of the laboratory practical work they were yet to do. In other cases, images from students were incorporated into lectures and tutorials, preparing students for the lab exam. Botany students have shared their photomicrographs with their friends and family via social media. We saw interesting examples of students excitedly describing their images to non-science friends, teaching them what they were learning! In the second year, students were also encouraged to use their phones to capture their own images of plant specimens to help them master plant identification. Although we do not have any quantitative evidence of these activities enhancing student learning, it was evident that those students who took and shared their own images were more engaged in the learning process.
Novel adipocyte aminopeptidases are selectively upregulated by insulin in healthy and obese rats
Authors: Alponti Rafaela Fadoni , Alves Patricia Lucio , Silveira Paulo Flavio
Published: November 2015

The lack of a complete assembly of the sensitivity of subcellular aminopeptidase (AP) activities to insulin in different pathophysiological conditions has hampered the complete view of the adipocyte metabolic pathways and its implications in these conditions. Here we investigated the influence of insulin on basic AP (APB), neutral puromycin-sensitive AP (PSA), and neutral puromycin-insensitive AP (APM) in high and low density microsomal and plasma membrane fractions from adipocytes of healthy and obese rats. Catalytic activities of these enzymes were fluorometrically monitoring in these fractions with or without insulin stimulus. Canonical traffic such as insulin-regulated AP was not detected for these novel adipocyte APs in healthy and obese rats. However, insulin increased APM in low density microsomal and plasma membrane fractions from healthy rats, APB in high density microsomal fraction from obese rats and PSA in plasma membrane fraction from healthy rats. A new concept of intracellular compartment-dependent upregulation of AP enzyme activities by insulin emerges from these data. This relatively selective regulation has pathophysiological significance, since these enzymes are well known to act as catalysts and receptor of peptides directly related to energy metabolism. Overall, the regulation of each one of these enzyme activities reflects certain dysfunction in obese individuals.
Radionuclide activity and the immune system functioning in residents of radiation contaminated areas
Authors: Sokolenko V. L. , Sokolenko S. V.
Published: November 2015

The objective of this research is to assess the relation of radioactive contamination degree to immune system functioning, in the absence or presence of additional potential immunosuppressants. To achieve the objective, during the period of 1995–2015 we examined 250 people, students of Cherkasy State University, who lived in the areas of enhanced radiation monitoring before. Also we evaluated the additional impact of the emotional stress caused by examinations on examined students. Indicators of cellular immunity were determined by immunophenotyping and dyeing using Romanowsky-Giemsa method. The level of immunoglobulins in blood serum was determined by radial immunodiffusion (Mancini method). The level of cortisol in blood serum was determined by immunoenzyme method. We have found that in absence of the emotional stress among residents of the areas contaminated with radionuclides, cortisol level remained at the upper limit of homeostatic norm. There is an average positive correlation between the activity of radionuclides in the territories of residence and the level of cortisol. There are marked average positive correlations between the activity of radionuclides and the level of neutrophils, and low positive correlations with the levels of IgG and IgM in blood serum. Average negative correlations between the activity of radionuclides and the following parameters are also observed: absolute and relative number of functionally mature T-lymphocytes with phenotype CD3+, absolute and relative number of their helper subpopulation CD4+, absolute and relative number of natural killer cells with phenotype CD16+; and strong negative correlations with immunoregulatory index CD4+/CD8+. Cortisol level shows the similar correlation with the same parameters, but correlation coefficient is lower. Under conditions of additional stress, caused by emotional load during the examinations, cortisol level significantly increases. This enhanced previously discovered correlations and revealed new ones: average negative correlations between radionuclide activity / cortisol level and expression of pan-T cell marker CD5, medium positive correlations with absolute and relative number of suppressor T-lymphocytes with phenotype CD8+, correlation with the level of serum IgG changes from positive to negative. Additional short-term stress factor combined with chronic influence of low doses of radiation increases the dependence of immunosuppression, caused by radiation contamination of the areas where examined students live, and causes failures in the work of compensatory mechanisms, particularly at the level of serum immunoglobulin products.
Peculiarities of tissue water fractional composition in case of experimental whole-body hyperthermia
Authors: Kuznetsova O. V.
Published: November 2015

The present study, using proton nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation (NMR) method, was undertaken to compare the water fractional composition in nature tissues (group 1) with those damaged by experimental whole-body hyperthermia (group 2). We measured longitudinal or “spin-lattice” (T1) and transverse or “spin-spin” (T2) relaxation times of protons of tissues (brain, the atria of the heart, the kidneys and the renal cortex) from adult Wistar rats. The differences in T1, T2 and percentage of the intra- and extracellular water between group 1 and 2 were studied to help understand how the water moves in tissues at hyperthermia. The results of this study and the literature data allow to make conclusions about tissue water fractional composition in case of experimental whole-body hyperthermia: (1) fractional composition of water and the distribution of intra- and extracellular fluid in the tissue of the atria of the heart did not change (T1 and T2 relaxation times remained unchanged); (2) the crystalline water fraction increased in brain (longer T1 relaxation rate and shorter T2 relaxation rate). This is obstructing the exchange of protons between free and bound water in brain. Thus, loss of water by brain cells is prevented. The distribution between intra- and extracellular fluid in brain remained unchanged; (3) fraction of free water increased in renal tissue (simultaneous longer T1 and T2 relaxation rates) by reducing the volume of extracellular fluid; (4) thick hydration layer of water (longer T1 relaxation rate, T2 remained unchanged) was formed in the extracellular fluid of renal cortex. This water layer is formed around the sodium ions which concentration is increased in renal cortex tissue of rats from group 2. Аs a result, the amount of fluid secreted by kidneys is reduced, i.e. there is a retention of water in the body. The relevance of our research for the understanding of high temperatures’ adaptation mechanisms is discussed in this paper.
Protective/detoxicative function of metallothionein in the rat brain and blood induced by controlled cadmium doses
Authors: Shiyntum H. N. , Ushakovа G. A.
Published: November 2015

Cadmiumclassified as a major carcinogen is considered a poisonous and unwanted heavy metal to a lot of tissues in many organisms. Of many publications already available, the general consensus is that the cadmium attenuating element is metallothionein (MT) through its interchangeable mechanism with Zn triggered by the presence of Cd, providing binding sites for Cd ions. MT was first discovered in the kidney cortex of the horse; it represents a low molecular weight protein, rich in cysteine residues which effectively bind with metals. Its functions consist in detoxification of heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, cadmium, homeostasis of essential metals including copper and zinc, anti-oxidation against reactive oxygen species, protection against DNA damage, oxidative stress, cell survival, angiogenesis, apoptosis, and increase of proliferation. In this work, we sought to highlight the protective function of MT in the brain and serum of rats by means of detoxification under induced effects of controlled Cd doses. We have done this by exposing Wistar rats to Cd at different doses in drinking water at different time intervals. In two independent experiments, 58 rats were subjected to 0.1 or 1.0 µg Cd2+/kg of body weight for 15 or 36 days under different conditions. The obtained data indicates the different functioning systems for the brain and the blood for MT metabolism under Cd effect. Our results indicate significant loss of metallothionein level in the brain and important increases in the amount of MT in serum proving that even minimal ingestion of toxic Cd is enough to trigger the release of MT protein in blood.