bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Non-Standard Gearing as the Possibility of Increasing Resistance to Pitting
Authors: Kopiláková Beáta , Bošanský Miroslav
Published: May 2015

In this article are shown the influence of the type non-standard gearing to reduce damage to the pitting. The introduction of the article describes a fundamental difference between the involute and non-involute gearing and the influence of some parameters, especially of the slip ratio to damage of gearing. The paper describes the principle of evaluation pitting by makrofoto graphical method, too and also shows the basic results of the experiment, which was executed on two types of gearing (HCR gearing and C-C gearing) on the Niemann´s stend in term of the damage to pitting.
Control of Groundwater Remediation Process as Distributed Parameter System
Authors: Mendel M. , Kovács T. , Hulkó G.
Published: May 2015

Pollution of groundwater requires the implementation of appropriate solutions which can be deployed for several years. The case of local groundwater contamination and its subsequent spread may result in contamination of drinking water sources or other disasters. This publication aims to design and demonstrate control of pumping wells for a model task of groundwater remediation. The task consists of appropriately spaced soil with input parameters, pumping wells and control system. Model of controlled system is made in the program MODFLOW using the finitedifference method as distributed parameter system. Control problem is solved by DPS Blockset for MATLAB & Simulink.
Utilization of En Ac-42100 Cast Aluminum Alloy for Casting of Critical Components. I. Preparation and Mechanical Properties
Authors: Vanko Branislav , Stanček Ladislav , Bachratý Michal
Published: May 2015

Requirement on the minimum value of elongation for critical components is about 15 %. The research deals with the possibility of replacing the dendritic morphology of primary solid solution and brittle eutectic silicon plates with finer particles with a more suitable morphology and size, and the possibility of increasing the mechanical properties. Introduced first part is focused on the process of preparation of experimental material and mechanical properties.
Lost Confidence and Human Capability: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology of the Gendered, yet Capable Subject
Authors: Anderson Pamela Sue
Published: May 2015

In this contribution to Text Matters, I would like to introduce gender into my feminist response to Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutic phenomenology of the capable subject. The aim is to make, phenomenologically speaking, “visible” the gendering of this subject in a hermeneutic problematic: that of a subject’s loss of confidence in her own ability to understand herself. Ricoeurian hermeneutics enables us to elucidate the generally hidden dimensions in a phenomenology of lost self-confidence; Ricoeur describes capability as “originally given” to each lived body; but then, something has happened, gone wrong or been concealed in one’s loss of confidence. Ricoeur himself does not ask how the gender or sex of one’s own body affects this loss. So I draw on contemporary feminist debates about the phenomenology of the body, as well as Julia Kristeva’s hermeneutics of the Antigone figure, in order to demonstrate how women might reconfigure the epistemic limits of human capability, revealing themselves as “a horizon” of the political order, for better or worse.
To Look at Things as if They Could Be Otherwise: Educating the Imagination
Authors: Anderson Sathe Laurie
Published: May 2015

In this article I would like to argue that Paul Ricoeur can show us how a text matters in its ability to educate the imagination which, in turn, has the capacity to bring about change. The context of my argument is health care, the texts of concern are those written by a health care provider, Rachel Naomi Remen, and the subjects to be educated and transformed include the individual readers (e.g. students) and, ultimately, healthcare students and professionals alike. As a physician herself Remen configures both a personal story of her being healed and her professional story of providing care, in order to imagine new ways to health and healing more holistically. This holistic approach integrates the mind, body and spirit in the healing process. I gain support for applying Ricoeur’s theory of the imagination to Remen’s texts from Richard Kearney and Maxine Greene. Kearney and Greene focus on the productive role of the imagination for its transformative power within their own academic contexts of philosophy and of education, respectively. I gain from their extension of Ricoeurian and imaginative thinking to the texts of health care to look at healthcare as if it could be otherwise.
Testimony, Responsibility and Recognition: A Ricoeurian Response to Crises of Sexual Abuse
Authors: Crowley-Buck John
Published: May 2015

How can we, as individuals and as members of religious, educational, and/ or social institutions, more adequately respond to the crises of sexual abuse that have come to light in recent years? This paper will address this question through the philosophical lens of Paul Ricoeur. The argument proposed here is that through Ricoeur’s hermeneutics of testimony, responsibility, and recognition, we can begin to approach, address, and evaluate the crises of sexual abuse we face by grounding our ethical reflections, and actions, within a more robust philosophical framework. Therefore, this paper will proceed as follows. The first three sections will investigate Ricoeur’s writings in order to glean from them three distinct hermeneutical approaches to three different sets of criteria at play in contemporary crises of sexual abuse: first, a hermeneutics of testimony, related to memory and history; second, a hermeneutics of responsibility, related to authority and justice; and, finally, a hermeneutics of recognition, related to forgiveness and forgetting. Insofar as each of these hermeneutical approaches offers us some insight into the problematics underlying crises of sexual abuse, the fourth section will offer an evaluation of these approaches by focusing on the specific case of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. The final section will consider possible avenues for resolution of these crises through Ricoeur’s notion of exceptional “states of peace,” at the heart of which lies mutual recognition. My hope is that this contribution provides new avenues for conversation and deliberation, as well as new resources and frameworks for articulating and implementing responsible action in the face of sexual abuse.
Reading The Road with Paul Ricoeur and Julia Kristeva: The Human Body as a Sacred Connection
Authors: Arel Stephanie
Published: May 2015

Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road confronts readers with a question: what is there to live towards after apocalypse? McCarthy locates his protagonists in the aftermath of the world’s fiery destruction, dramatizing a relationship between a father and a son, who are, as McCarthy puts it, “carrying the fire.” This essay asserts that the body carrying the fire is a sacred, incandescent body that connects to and with the world and the other, unifying the human and the divine. This essay will consider the body as a sacred connection in The Road. Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutics and Julia Kristeva’s psychoanalytic approach will help to explore what is sacred. In addition, their works elucidate the body as a present site of human connection and sacredness while calling attention to what is glaringly absent yet hauntingly present in McCarthy’s text: the mother. In the aftermath of destruction, primitive, sacred connections become available through the sensual body, highlighting what is at stake in the novel: the connection of body and spirit. The essay will attempt to show that McCarthy’s rejection of a redemptive framework, or hope in an otherworldly reality, shrouds spirit in physicality symbolized by the fire carried by the body. This spirit offers another kind of hope, one based on the body’s potential to feel and connect to the other. The thought and works of Ricoeur and Kristeva will broaden a reading of McCarthy’s novel, especially as a statement about the unification of body and spirit, contributing a multidimensional view of a contemporary problem regarding what sustains life after a cataclysmic event.
Abjection and Sexually Specific Violence in Doris Lessing’s The Cleft
Authors: Filipczak Dorota
Published: May 2015

The article applies selected concepts from the writings of Julia Kristeva to the analysis of a novel by Doris Lessing entitled The Cleft. Published in 2007, The Cleft depicts the origin of sexual difference in the human species. Its emergence is fraught with anxiety and sexually specific violence, and invites comparison with the primal separation from the mother and the emancipation of the subject in process at the cost of relegating the maternal to the abject in the writings of Julia Kristeva. Lessing creates an ahistorical community of females (Clefts) from which the male community (Squirts) eventually evolves. The growing awareness of sexual difference dovetails with the emotional and intellectual development, as the nascent human subject gradually enters linear time viewed from perspective by the narrator of the novel, a Roman senator who hoards ancient manuscripts with the story of Clefts and Squirts. The article juxtaposes the ideas of Lessing and Kristeva, who have both cut themselves off from feminism, and have both been inspired by psychoanalysis. Primarily, Lessing’s fictional imaginary can be adequately interpreted in light of Kristeva’s concept of abjection as an element that disturbs the system. My interpretation of abjection is indebted to Pamela Sue Anderson’s reading of Kristeva, notably her contention that violence as a response to sexual difference lies at the heart of collective identity. Finally, the imaginary used by Lessing and Kristeva is shown to have stemmed from the colonial imaginary like the concepts of Freud and Jung.
Taking Sides on Severed Heads: Kristeva at the Louvre
Authors: Jasper Alison
Published: May 2015

The theorist and philosopher Julia Kristeva is invited to curate an exhibition at the Louvre in Paris as part of a series-Parti Pris (Taking Sides)- and to turn this into a book, The Severed Head: Capital Visions. The organiser, Régis Michel, wants something partisan, that will challenge people to think, and Kristeva delivers in response a collection of severed heads neatly summarising her critique of the whole of western culture! Three figures dominate, providing a key to making sense of the exhibition: Freud, Bataille, and the maternal body. Using these figures, familiar from across the breadth of her work over the last half a century, she produces a witty analysis of western culture’s persistent privileging of disembodied masculine rationality; the head, ironically phallic, ironically and yet necessarily severed; the maternal body continually arousing a “jubilant anxiety” (Kristeva, Severed Head 34), expressed through violence. Points of critique are raised in relation to Kristeva’s normative tendencies-could we not tell a different story about women, for example? The cultural context of the exhibition is also addressed: who are the intended viewers/readers and whose interests are being served here? Ultimately, however, this is a celebration of Kristeva’s tribute to psychic survivors.
Convention, Repetition and Abjection: The Way of the Gothic
Authors: Łowczanin Agnieszka
Published: May 2015

This paper employs Deleuze and Kristeva in an examination of certain Gothic conventions. It argues that repetition of these conventions- which endows Gothicism with formulaic coherence and consistence but might also lead to predictability and stylistic deadlock-is leavened by a novelty that Deleuze would categorize as literary “gift.” This particular kind of “gift” reveals itself in the fiction of successive Gothic writers on the level of plot and is applied to the repetition of the genre’s motifs and conventions. One convention, the supernatural, is affiliated with “the Other” in the early stages of the genre’s development and can often be seen as mapping the same territories as Kristeva’s abject. The lens of Kristeva’s abjection allows us to internalize the Other and thus to reexamine the Gothic self; it also allows us to broaden our understanding of the Gothic as a commentary on the political, the social and the domestic. Two early Gothic texts, Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto and Lewis’s The Monk, are presented as examples of repetition of the Gothic convention of the abjected supernatural, Walpole’s story revealing horrors of a political nature, Lewis’s reshaping Gothic’s dynamics into a commentary on the social and the domestic.
Recalling All the Olympians: W. B. Yeats’s “Beautiful Lofty Things,” On the Boiler and the Agenda of National Rebirth
Authors: Pietrzak Wit
Published: May 2015

While it has been omitted by numerous critics in their otherwise comprehensive readings of Yeats’s oeuvre, “Beautiful Lofty Things” has been placed among the mythical poems, partly in accordance with Yeats’s own intention; in a letter to his wife, he suggested that “Lapis Lazuli, the poem called ‘To D. W.’ ‘Beautiful Lofty Things,’ ‘Imitated from the Japanese’ & ‘Gyres’ . . . would go well together in a bunch.” The poem has been inscribed in the Yeats canon as registering a series of fleeting epiphanies of the mythical in the mundane. However, “Beautiful Lofty Things,” evocative of a characteristically Yeatsian employment of myth though it certainly is, seems at the same time to fuse Yeats’s quite earthly preoccupations. It is here argued that the poem is organized around a tightly woven matrix of figures that comprise Yeats’s idea of the Irish nation as a “poetical culture.” Thus the position of the lyric in the poet’s oeuvre deserves to be shifted from periphery towards an inner part of his cultural and political ideas of the time. Indeed, the poem can be viewed as one of Yeats’s central late comments on the state of the nation and, significantly, one in which he is able to proffer a humanist strategy for developing a culturally modern state rather than miring his argument in occasionally over-reckless display of abhorrence of modernity.
Urban tourism space research methods: evolution and patterns
Authors: Liszewski Stanisław
Published: May 2015

The author attempts to sum up research on urban tourism space conducted as a part of the tourism geography MA seminar at the University of Łódź. He checks and enhances the definition of tourism space and tests a method of analyzing the contents of guidebooks across time. He also defines the correlation between the range of forms of urban tourism space, changes to it as well as to population, and the past and the present functions of the city.
Maritime tourism space
Authors: Butowski Leszek
Published: May 2015

The aim of this article is to provide a description of the processes which take place within offshore and coastal areas treated as contemporary tourism space. The article presents the evolution of maritime space towards the formation of maritime tourism space. It also offers a classification of maritime tourism space types according to types of sailing tourism (investigated on a global scale). The analysis has covered the main geographical-structural conditions and forms of adaptation (with particular focus on coastal areas). The analysis covered seaside areas as well, but only in the context of their functional relation with sea areas. The entire investigation was conducted from the perspective of maritime sailing tourism (yachts and other recreational crafts).
Influence of tourism on the spatial development of seaside resorts: selected aspects
Authors: Durydiwka Małgorzata , Duda-Gromada Katarzyna
Published: May 2015

The paper presents the main trends in the development of seaside resorts worldwide and in Poland. Particular attention is called to the spatial aspects of this development. Based on their morphological differentiation, two forms of seaside resort in Poland can be distinguished: locations with a clearly heterogeneous spatial-functional structure, in which areas used for tourism are adjacent to others; and locations with a heterogeneous spatial-functional structure in which the tourism function is, to a certain extent, spatially isolated.
Art-tourism space in Łódź: the example of the Urban Forms Gallery
Authors: Mokras-Grabowska Justyna
Published: May 2015

Łódź, as a city of huge post-industrial and modern art potential, has become in recent years a unique Polish tourism destination whose urban fabric constitutes a perfect background for street art. Examples are the murals of the Urban Forms Gallery (large format artworks) which contribute to revitalisation as well as the creation of new tourism assets to form a new tourism space: art-tourism space. The paper describes both the process of creating this space as well as its distinctive features.
Research of Readability and Identification of the Items in the Postal and Logistics Environment
Authors: Kolarovszki Peter
Published: May 2015

This article deals with RFID technology, which is a part of automatic identification and data capture. Nowadays, the identification of parcels in postal sector is carried through barcodes. In this article we would like specify, how can be postal parcels located in postal container identified in the transmission process of postal main processing centre by UHF RFID technology. All results are verified by measurement in our AIDC laboratory, which is located at the University of Žilina. Our research contains 12 different types of orientation tags and antennas and more than 1000 tests. Our identification performance was close to 100%. All tested parcels were located in postal container. The results of our research bring the new point of view and indicate the ways using of UHF RFID technology in postal applications. At the end of this article the utilization of the RFID technology in postal logistics chain is characterized.
Dipole Approximation in the Calculation of the Perturbed Velocities
Authors: Solovyov Oleg , Yeryomenko Sergey , Kobrin Vitaliy , Vorobyov Yuriy
Published: May 2015

In this article we consider one of the approaches aimed at reducing time of calculation of aerodynamic characteristics of the studied objects using discrete vortex method. Also, accuracy assessment of calculation of aerodynamic characteristics was performed.

Analysis of the obtained dependences allows us to make a conclusion that the considered approach to the calculation of the functions of the mutual influence on the stages of formation of the system of linear algebraic equations, position of vortex sheet nodes as well as aerodynamic loads reduces hardware costs about three times, with a relative error of less than 4%.
Use of a Phase Transition Concept for Traffic Flow Condition Estimation
Authors: Larin Oleg N. , Dosenko Victor A.
Published: May 2015

The article covers the main models of traffic flow conditions, analyzes the condition estimation criteria, and provides the classification of models. The article provides the grounds for the use of the phase transition concept for traffic flow condition estimation. The models of the aggregate condition of free and congested traffic have been developed, the phase boundaries between free and congested traffic have been defined. Applicability conditions for the models of the aggregate condition of have been analyzed.
Integrated Risk Management in Industries from the Standpoint of Safety and Security
Authors: Bischoff Hans-Jürgen , Sinay Juraj , Vargová Slavomíra
Published: May 2015

Manufacturing plants as well as robotic cells within their structures are complex systems, whose safety requires implementation of a wide ranging set of activities. These activities are mainly focused on risk minimization, with the aim of achieving acceptable levels of risk by means of appropriate measures. The human being, as a constituent of the man-machine-environment system, is in the centre of their attention. At the organizational level, risk management has to be integrated with strategic planning and managerial processes in the organization. This includes, inter alia, the need to effectively monitor and review the risk management processes. Comprehensive approach within the risk management process is based on interconnecting safety and security-related processes in the form of a generic approach.
Study on Flow Characteristics of in-Line Foam Concentrate Inducers Used in Fire Protection Area
Authors: Drzymała Tomasz , Gałaj Jerzy , Binio Joanna
Published: May 2015

Research on flow characteristics of selected in-line foam concentrate inducers used currently in fire protection and its comparison with standard requirements are discussed in the paper. On the basis of the studies carried out either theoretical or real characteristics of tested devices are presented. A comparative analysis of the tested ejectors and the final conclusions are included at the end of the paper.
Trends in Critical Infrastructure Protection in Germany
Authors: Eismann Christine
Published: May 2015

Critical Infrastructures failures cause harmful consequences to the population, because they disrupt the supply of necessary goods and services. The failures pose an indirect threat, as they will regularly be triggered by natural hazards, technical failure/human error or intentional acts. In the risk analyses on the national level in Germany, Critical Infrastructure failures are qualitatively described to estimate their impacts on society. Critical Infrastructure Protection is seen as a joint task of many different stakeholders. Rules and regulations with different degrees of compulsion build the framework for their cooperation, and a strategy is in place that promotes the trustful exchange of information among all the relevant stakeholders. The most important stakeholder groups are public authorities, infrastructure operators, and the population. An example is given on how a joint risk management of public authorities and infrastructure operators may be performed, and the cooperation of public authorities and the population is discussed. As Civil Protection covers the entire risk and crisis management cycle with its phases prevention, preparedness, response and recovery, the article ends with examples of the support, which the German Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance and the Federal Ministry of the Interior offer for other stakeholders in order to achieve well-protected infrastructures and, in consequence, well-protected citizens.
Industrial Safety - Public Demand and an Answer of Bam the Federal German Institute for Materials Research and Testing
Authors: Lexow Jürgen
Published: May 2015

Safe industrial operation is expected by the public. It contributes to a clean environment, innovation and prosperity. BAM the Federal German Institute for Materials Research and Testing has its responsibility in further developing safety in technology and chemistry by research, testing and expert advice. The basic reasoning for this activity and examples of current work are provided. Particular attention is given to the unique BAM Test site Technical Safety. Acceptance of findings and transfer of results are based on collaboration and exchange of personal. Modes of cooperation are described.
Characteristics of Handwriting of People With Cerebellar Ataxia: Three-Dimensional Movement Analysis of the Pen Tip, Finger, and Wrist
Authors: Fujisawa Yuhki , Okajima Yasutomo
Published: May 2015

Background

There are several functional tests for evaluating manual performance; however, quantitative manual tests for ataxia, especially those for evaluating handwriting, are limited.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of cerebellar ataxia by analyzing handwriting, with a special emphasis on correlation between the movement of the pen tip and the movement of the finger or wrist.

Design

This was an observational study.

Methods

Eleven people who were right-handed and had cerebellar ataxia and 17 people to serve as controls were recruited. The Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia was used to grade the severity of ataxia. Handwriting movements of both hands were analyzed. The time required for writing a character, the variability of individual handwriting, and the correlation between the movement of the pen tip and the movement of the finger or wrist were evaluated for participants with ataxia and control participants.

Results

The writing time was longer and the velocity profile and shape of the track of movement of the pen tip were more variable in participants with ataxia than in control participants. For participants with ataxia, the direction of movement of the pen tip deviated more from that of the finger or wrist, and the shape of the track of movement of the pen tip differed more from that of the finger or wrist. The severity of upper extremity ataxia measured with the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia was mostly correlated with the variability parameters. Furthermore, it was correlated with the directional deviation of the trajectory of movement of the pen tip from that of the finger and with increased dissimilarity of the shapes of the tracks.

Limitations

The results may have been influenced by the scale and parameters used to measure movement.

Conclusions

Ataxic handwriting with increased movement noise is characterized by irregular pen tip movements unconstrained by the finger or wrist. The severity of ataxia is correlated with these unconstrained movements.
Health, Personal, and Environmental Predictors of Wheelchair-Use Confidence in Adult Wheelchair Users
Authors: Sakakibara Brodie M. , Miller William C. , Eng Janice J. , Routhier François , Backman Catherine L.
Published: May 2015

Background

There are no predictive models of wheelchair-use confidence. Therefore, clinicians and researchers are limited in their ability to screen for and identify wheelchair users who may be more prone to low wheelchair-use confidence and may benefit from clinical intervention.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to identify health-related, personal, and environmental factors that predict perceived wheelchair-use confidence in community-dwelling adults who use manual wheelchairs.

Design

A cross-sectional study was conducted.

Methods

Community-dwelling manual wheelchair users (N=124) were included in the study if they were ≥50 years of age, had ≥6 months of wheelchair use experience, and had no cognitive impairment. The Wheelchair Use Confidence Scale was used to assess wheelchair-use confidence. The sociodemographic information form, Functional Comorbidity Index, Seating Identification Tool, Interpersonal Support and Evaluation List, and Home and Community Environment Instrument captured the independent variables. Blocks of health, personal, and environmental variables were sequentially entered into the regression model.

Results

Five personal variables (age, standardized beta [β]=−0.18; sex, β=−0.26; daily hours of wheelchair occupancy, β=0.20; wheelchair-use training, β=0.20; and wheelchair-use assistance, β=−0.34) and one environmental variable (need for seating intervention, β=−0.18) were statistically significant predictors, explaining 44% of the confidence variance.

Limitations

The sample comprised volunteers and, therefore, may underrepresent or overrepresent particular groups within the population. The study's cross-sectional research design does not allow for conclusions to be made regarding causality.

Conclusion

Older women who use wheelchairs and who require assistance with wheelchair use may have low wheelchair-use confidence. The same is true for individuals who have no formal wheelchair-use training, who are in need of a seating intervention, and who report few hours of daily wheelchair use. These wheelchair users may require clinical attention and benefit from intervention.
Just Few Thoughts
Authors: Dokwal Chandra P
Published: May 2015

Abstract not availablePulse Vol.7 January-December 2014 p.4
Sexual lifestyle and socio-demographic profile of female floating sex workers in some selected areas of Dhaka city
Authors: Mahejabin F , Nahar L , Parveen S
Published: May 2015

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of six months in some locations of Dhaka city. Data was collected from 90 floating sex workers to find out their socio-demographic characteristics, sexual lifestyle particularly safe sex by using condom among them. Of the 90 respondents, mean age of the respondents was 22.21 (+4.87) with a range of < 18 to >26 years. 42 (46.7%) of the respondents were married. 73 (81.1%) of the respondents were the main earning member of the family. The mean family income was Taka 7700 (+3872.838). Majority 33(36.7%) of the respondents were illiterate. The main reason for accepting sex selling profession it was found that more than half i.e. 62 (68.9%) of the respondents were bluffed and 24 (26.7%) respondents accepted this profession of their own will. The duration of sex work of 29 (32.2%) of the respondents was less than 1 year (6-8 months) and 24 (26.6%) of the respondents were 4-5 years. 59 of the respondent always used condoms (65.6%). A significant number of respondents, 31 (34.4%) did not use condom. The reason for not using condom was clients dissatisfaction (25, 80.6%) and 4 (12.9%) respondents used other methods of contraception. Among the respondents, 78 (86.7%) used condom during last sexual intercourse. In the study, 45 (76.3%) respondents knew condom as a preventive measure and advocated its use in each sexual intercourse. (?² = 4.356; d f=1 P= 0.037). 60 (76.3%) of the respondents knew condom use as a preventive measure and used it in last sexual intercourse and highly significant association was found (?² = 17.61; df=1 P<0.001) between knowledge and practice. Promoting constant condom usage with clients among the female floating sex workers should be sustained and reinforced.Pulse Vol.7 January-December 2014 p.29-37
A case report of congenital high airway obstruction syndrome (CHAOS) caused by complete laryngeal obstruction
Authors: Rahman T , Khalequezzaman S , Ahsan S , Alam J , Sarker MK
Published: May 2015

CHAOS or Congenital High Airway Obstruction Syndrome is a blockage of the fetuss trachea or larynx due to a number of factors including narrowing of the airway, a web-like membrane or even tracheal atresia. In the uterus, the fetal lungs constantly produce fluid and as a result of this airway blockage in the trachea, the lung fluid cannot escape out of the fetal mouth. Because of this the fetuss lungs become distended with fluid and over distended lungs can put pressure on the heart and affect the hearts ability to function. If the heart cannot beat effectively hydrops or congestive heart failure can occur. We present a case of CHAOS with hydrops and associated anomalies, determined prenatally at about 21 weeks by MRI in our hospital.Pulse Vol.7 January-December 2014 p.38-41
A case report on interhemispheric epidermoid tumor
Authors: Joarder MA , Karim B , Kamal T , Suzon SI , Akhter N Nahid , Islam K , Hossain MZ , Mollik A , Sultana S , Shankar DRK , Chandy M
Published: May 2015

A 30 year old man admitted with the complaints of generalized convulsions, headache and amnesia. The radiological and neuro-pathological findings were interhemispheric epidermoid tumor, which is a rare location. The tumor was removed completely. The diagnosis and management of epidermoid tumors are discussed by reviewing the literature.Pulse Vol.7 January-December 2014 p.46-49
A case of mr imaging detection of hemorrhages in cerebral amyloid angiopathy
Authors: Ruby FA , Ahsan S , Chandy MJ , Alam J
Published: May 2015

A 70-year-old diabetic and hypertensive male patient with mild renal impairment presented with recurrent stroke. CT scan of brain demonstrated acute hemorrhagic / nonhemorrhagic infarcts in the brain. Gradient sequences in the follow-up MRI showed extensive blooming in the cortex of both cerebral hemispheres. There were multiple foci of blooming in basal ganglia and cerebellar hemispheres. Hemosiderin staining was present in posterior fossa. MR findings were consistent with extensive primary cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA).Pulse Vol.7 January-December 2014 p.53-55
Oxygen Saturation and RR Intervals Feature Selection for Sleep Apnea Detection
Authors: Ravelo-García Antonio , Kraemer Jan , Navarro-Mesa Juan , Hernández-Pérez Eduardo , Navarro-Esteva Javier , Juliá-Serdá Gabriel , Penzel Thomas , Wessel Niels
Published: May 2015

A diagnostic system for sleep apnea based on oxygen saturation and RR intervals obtained from the EKG (electrocardiogram) is proposed with the goal to detect and quantify minute long segments of sleep with breathing pauses. We measured the discriminative capacity of combinations of features obtained from RR series and oximetry to evaluate improvements of the performance compared to oximetry-based features alone. Time and frequency domain variables derived from oxygen saturation (SpO2) as well as linear and non-linear variables describing the RR series have been explored in recordings from 70 patients with suspected sleep apnea. We applied forward feature selection in order to select a minimal set of variables that are able to locate patterns indicating respiratory pauses. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was used to classify the presence of apnea during specific segments. The system will finally provide a global score indicating the presence of clinically significant apnea integrating the segment based apnea detection. LDA results in an accuracy of 87%; sensitivity of 76% and specificity of 91% (AUC = 0.90) with a global classification of 97% when only oxygen saturation is used. In case of additionally including features from the RR series; the system performance improves to an accuracy of 87%; sensitivity of 73% and specificity of 92% (AUC = 0.92), with a global classification rate of 100%.
Leachability of Heavy Metals from Lightweight Aggregates Made with Sewage Sludge and Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Fly Ash
Authors: Wei Na
Published: May 2015

Lightweight aggregate (LWA) production with sewage sludge and municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash is an effective approach for waste disposal. This study investigated the stability of heavy metals in LWA made from sewage sludge and MSWI fly ash. Leaching tests were conducted to find out the effects of MSWI fly ash/sewage sludge (MSWI FA/SS) ratio, sintering temperature and sintering time. It was found that with the increase of MSWI FA/SS ratio, leaching rates of all heavy metals firstly decreased and then increased, indicating the optimal ratio of MSWI fly ash/sewage sludge was 2:8. With the increase of sintering temperature and sintering time, the heavy metal solidifying efficiencies were strongly enhanced by crystallization and chemical incorporations within the aluminosilicate or silicate frameworks during the sintering process. However, taking cost-savings and lower energy consumption into account, 1100 °C and 8 min were selected as the optimal parameters for LWA sample- containing sludge production. Furthermore, heavy metal leaching concentrations under these optimal LWA production parameters were found to be in the range of China’s regulatory requirements. It is concluded that heavy metals can be properly stabilized in LWA samples containing sludge and cannot be easily released into the environment again to cause secondary pollution.
Optimal Decision Rules for Biomarker-Based Subgroup Selection for a Targeted Therapy in Oncology
Authors: Krisam Johannes , Kieser Meinhard
Published: May 2015

Throughout recent years, there has been a rapidly increasing interest regarding the evaluation of so-called targeted therapies. These therapies are assumed to show a greater benefit in a pre-specified subgroup of patients—commonly identified by a predictive biomarker—as compared to the total patient population of interest. This situation has led to the necessity to develop biostatistical methods allowing an efficient evaluation of such treatments. Among others, adaptive enrichment designs have been proposed as a solution. These designs allow the selection of the most promising patient population based on an efficacy analysis at interim and restricting recruitment to these patients afterwards. As has recently been shown, the performance of the applied interim decision rule in such a design plays a crucial role in ensuring a successful trial. In this work, we investigate the situation when the primary outcome of the trial is a binary variable. Optimal decision rules are derived which incorporate the uncertainty about the treatment effects. These optimal decision rules are evaluated with respect to their performance in an adaptive enrichment design in terms of correct selection probability and power, and are compared to proposed ad hoc decision rules. Our methods are illustrated by means of a clinical trial example.
Subcellular Sequestration and Impact of Heavy Metals on the Ultrastructure and Physiology of the Multicellular Freshwater Alga Desmidium swartzii
Authors: Andosch Ancuela , Höftberger Margit , Lütz Cornelius , Lütz-Meindl Ursula
Published: May 2015

Due to modern life with increasing traffic, industrial production and agricultural practices, high amounts of heavy metals enter ecosystems and pollute soil and water. As a result, metals can be accumulated in plants and particularly in algae inhabiting peat bogs of low pH and high air humidity. In the present study, we investigated the impact and intracellular targets of aluminum, copper, cadmium, chromium VI and zinc on the filamentous green alga Desmidium swartzii, which is an important biomass producer in acid peat bogs. By means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) it is shown that all metals examined are taken up into Desmidium readily, where they are sequestered in cell walls and/or intracellular compartments. They cause effects on cell ultrastructure to different degrees and additionally disturb photosynthetic activity and biomass production. Our study shows a clear correlation between toxicity of a metal and the ability of the algae to compartmentalize it intracellularly. Cadmium and chromium, which are not compartmentalized, exert the most toxic effects. In addition, this study shows that the filamentous alga Desmidium reacts more sensitively to aluminum and zinc when compared to its unicellular relative Micrasterias, indicating a severe threat to the ecosystem.
TCF4 Is a Molecular Target of Resveratrol in the Prevention of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Jeong Jin , Lee Jihye , Lee Seong-Ho
Published: May 2015

The Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays an essential role in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer. T-cell factor-4 (TCF4) is a member of the TCF/LEF (lymphoid enhancer factor) family of transcription factors, and dysregulation of β-catenin is decisive for the initiation and progression of colorectal cancer. However, the role of TCF4 in the transcriptional regulation of its target gene remained poorly understood. Resveratrol is a dietary phytoalexin and present in many plants, including grape skin, nuts and fruits. Although resveratrol has been widely implicated in anti-tumorigenic and pro-apoptotic properties in several cancer models, the underlying cellular mechanisms are only partially understood. The current study was performed to elucidate the molecular mechanism of the anti-cancer activity of resveratrol in human colorectal cancer cells. The treatment of resveratrol and other phytochemicals decreased the expression of TCF4. Resveratrol decreases cellular accumulation of exogenously-introduced TCF4 protein, but did not change the TCF4 transcription. The inhibition of proteasomal degradation using MG132 (carbobenzoxy-Leu-Leu-leucinal) and lactacystin ameliorates resveratrol-stimulated down-regulation of TCF4. The half-life of TCF4 was decreased in the cells exposed to resveratrol. Resveratrol increased phosphorylation of TCF4 at serine/threonine residues through ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinases) and p38-dependent pathways. The TCF4 knockdown decreased TCF/β-catenin-mediated transcriptional activity and sensitized resveratrol-induced apoptosis. The current study provides a new mechanistic link between resveratrol and TCF4 down-regulation and significant benefits for further preclinical and clinical practice.
Humic Acid Increases Amyloid β-Induced Cytotoxicity by Induction of ER Stress in Human SK-N-MC Neuronal Cells
Authors: Li Hsin-Hua , Lu Fung-Jou , Hung Hui-Chih , Liu Guang-Yaw , Lai Te-Jen , Lin Chih-Li
Published: May 2015

Humic acid (HA) is a possible etiological factor associated with for several vascular diseases. It is known that vascular risk factors can directly increase the susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is a neurodegenerative disorder due to accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptide in the brain. However, the role that HA contributes to Aβ-induced cytotoxicity has not been demonstrated. In the present study, we demonstrate that HA exhibits a synergistic effect enhancing Aβ-induced cytotoxicity in cultured human SK-N-MC neuronal cells. Furthermore, this deterioration was mediated through the activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by stimulating PERK and eIF2α phosphorylation. We also observed HA and Aβ-induced cytotoxicity is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction caused by down-regulation of the Sirt1/PGC1α pathway, while in contrast, treating the cells with the ER stress inhibitor Salubrinal, or over-expression of Sirt1 significantly reduced loss of cell viability by HA and Aβ. Our findings suggest a new mechanism by which HA can deteriorate Aβ-induced cytotoxicity through modulation of ER stress, which may provide significant insights into the pathogenesis of AD co-occurring with vascular injury.
Investigation of the Anti-Melanogenic and Antioxidant Characteristics of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Flower Essential Oil and Determination of Its Chemical Composition
Authors: Huang Huey-Chun , Ho Ya-Chi , Lim Jia-Min , Chang Tzu-Yun , Ho Chen-Lung , Chang Tsong-Min
Published: May 2015

The effects of essential oil from Eucalyptus camaldulensis flowers oil on melanogenesis and the oil’s antioxidant characteristics were investigated. Assays of mushroom and cellular tyrosinase activities and melanin content of mouse melanoma cells were performed spectrophotometrically, and the expression of melanogenesis-related proteins was determined by Western blotting. The possible signaling pathways involved in essential oil-mediated depigmentation were also investigated using specific protein kinase inhibitors. The results revealed that E. camaldulensis flower essential oil effectively suppresses intracellular tyrosinase activity and decreases melanin amount in B16F10 mouse melanoma cells. The essential oil also exhibits antioxidant properties and effectively decreases intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. The volatile chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The chemical constituents in the essential oil are predominately oxygenated monoterpenes (34.9%), followed by oxygenated sesquiterpenes (31.8%), monoterpene hydrocarbons (29.0%) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (4.3%). Our results indicated that E. camaldulensis flower essential oil inhibits melanogenesis through its antioxidant properties and by down-regulating both mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathways. The present study indicates that the essential oil has the potential to be developed into a skin care product.
Dihydroaustrasulfone Alcohol (WA-25) Impedes Macrophage Foam Cell Formation by Regulating the Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Pathway
Authors: Wang Yi-Chen , Hung Han-Chun , Feng Chien-Wei , Huang Shi-Ying , Chen Chun-Hong , Lin Yen-You , Chen Yao-Chang , Yang San-Nan , Su Jui-Hsin , Sheu Jyh-Horng , Wen Zhi-Hong
Published: May 2015

Atherosclerosis is considered an inflammatory disease. However, clinically used anti-atherosclerotic drugs, such as simvastatin, have many side effects. Recently, several unique marine compounds have been isolated that possess a variety of bioactivities. In a previous study, we found a synthetic precursor of the marine compound (austrasulfone), which is dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol (WA-25), has anti-atherosclerotic effects in vivo. However, the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, to clarify the mechanisms through which WA-25 exerts anti-atherosclerotic activity, we used RAW 264.7 macrophages as an in vitro model to evaluate the effects of WA-25. In lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, WA-25 significantly inhibited expression of the pro-inflammatory proteins, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). In contrast, simvastatin increased the COX-2 expression compared to WA-25. In addition, WA-25 impedes foam cell formation and up-regulated the lysosomal and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway. We also observed that transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) was up-regulated by WA-25 and simvastatin in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells, and the promising anti-atherosclerosis effects of WA-25 were disrupted by blockade of TGF-β1 signaling. Besides, WA-25 might act through increasing lipolysis than through alteration of lipid export. Taken together, these data demonstrate that WA-25 may have potential as an anti-atherosclerotic drug with anti-inflammatory effects.
Antitrypanosomal Acetylene Fatty Acid Derivatives from the Seeds of Porcelia macrocarpa (Annonaceae)
Authors: De Á. Santos Luciana , Cavalheiro Alberto , Tempone Andre , Correa Daniela , Alexandre Tatiana , Quintiliano Natalia , Rodrigues-Oliveira André , Oliveira-Silva Diogo , Martins Roberto , Lago João
Published: May 2015

Chagas’ disease is caused by a parasitic protozoan and affects the poorest population in the world, causing high mortality and morbidity. As a result of the toxicity and long duration of current treatments, the discovery of novel and more efficacious drugs is crucial. In this work, the hexane extract from seeds of Porcelia macrocarpa R.E. Fries (Annonaceae) displayed in vitro antitrypanosomal activity against trypomastigote forms of T. cruzi by the colorimetric MTT assay (IC50 of 65.44 μg/mL). Using chromatographic fractionation over SiO2, this extract afforded a fraction composed by one active compound (IC50 of 10.70 µg/mL), which was chemically characterized as 12,14-octadecadiynoic acid (macrocarpic acid). Additionally, two new inactive acetylene compounds (α,α'-dimacro-carpoyl-β-oleylglycerol and α-macrocarpoyl-α'-oleylglycerol) were also isolated from the hexane extract. The complete characterization of the isolated compounds was performed by analysis of NMR and MS data as well as preparation of derivatives.
Synthesis, Molecular Structure and Spectroscopic Investigations of Novel Fluorinated Spiro Heterocycles
Authors: Islam Mohammad , Al-Majid Abdullah , Barakat Assem , Soliman Saied , Ghabbour Hazem , Quah Ching , Fun Hoong-Kun
Published: May 2015

This paper describes an efficient and regioselective method for the synthesis of novel fluorinated spiro-heterocycles in excellent yield by cascade [5+1] double Michael addition reactions. The compounds 7,11-bis(4-fluorophenyl)-2,4-dimethyl- 2,4-diazaspiro[5.5] undecane-1,3,5,9-tetraone (3a) and 2,4-dimethyl-7,11-bis (4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-2,4-diazaspiro[5.5]undecane-1,3,5,9-tetraone (3b) were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, FT-IR and NMR techniques. The optimized geometrical parameters, infrared vibrational frequencies and NMR chemical shifts of the studied compounds have also been calculated using the density functional theory (DFT) method, using Becke-3-Lee-Yang-Parr functional and the 6-311G(d,p) basis set. There is good agreement between the experimentally determined structural parameters, vibrational frequencies and NMR chemical shifts of the studied compounds and those predicted theoretically. The calculated natural atomic charges using NBO method showed higher polarity of 3a compared to 3b.The calculated electronic spectra are also discussed based on the TD-DFT calculations.