bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diverse dose-response effects of yolk androgens on embryo development and nestling growth in a wild passerine
Authors: Muriel Jaime , Pérez-Rodríguez Lorenzo , Puerta Marisa , Gil Diego
Published: May 2015

Avian egg yolks contain various amounts of maternally derived androgens that can modify offspring phenotype and adjust their development to posthatching environment. Seemingly adaptive variation in yolk androgen levels with respect to breeding density conditions or male attractiveness has been found in numerous studies. One important consideration that has been overlooked in previous research is the likely non-linear nature of hormone effects. To examine possible complex dose-response effects of maternal androgens on chick development, we experimentally administered three different androgen doses of the naturally-occurring mixture of yolk testosterone and androstenedione to spotless starling eggs (Sturnus unicolor). We found that yolk androgens show a non-linear dose-response pattern for several traits. Thus, androgens had a stimulatory effect on hatching body mass and nestling skeletal growth, but maximum values were found at intermediate doses, whereas our highest dose resulted in a decrease. However, the opposite U-shaped effect was found on nestling body mass. We also detected linear negative and positive effects on embryonic development period and nestling gape width, respectively. Our results suggest differential tissue responsiveness to yolk androgens, which may result in compromises in maternal allocation to produce adapted phenotypes. Due to the non-linear dose-response pattern, future investigations should carefully consider a wide range of concentrations, since the balance of costs and benefits may strongly differ depending on concentration.
Fluctuating temperatures and ectotherm growth: distinguishing non-linear and time-dependent effects
Authors: Kingsolver Joel G. , Higgins Jessica K. , Augustine Kate E.
Published: May 2015

Most terrestrial ectotherms experience diurnal and seasonal variation in temperature. Because thermal performance curves are non-linear, mean performance can differ in fluctuating and constant thermal environments. However, time-dependent effects—effects of the order and duration of exposure to temperature—can also influence mean performance. We quantified the non-linear and time-dependent effects of diurnally fluctuating temperatures for larval growth rates in the Tobacco Hornworm, Manduca sexta L., with four main results. First, the shape of the thermal performance curve for growth rate depended on the duration of exposure: e.g. optimal temperature and thermal breadth were greater for growth rates measured over short (24h during the last instar) compared with long (the entire period of larval growth) time periods. Second, larvae reared in diurnally fluctuating temperatures had significantly higher optimal temperatures and maximal growth rates than larvae reared in constant temperatures. Third, we quantified mean growth rates for larvae maintained at three mean temperatures (20°C, 25°C, 30°C) and three diurnal temperature ranges (+0°C, +5°C, +10°C). Diurnal fluctuations had opposite effects on mean growth rates at low vs high mean temperature. Fourth, we used short-term and long-term thermal performance curves to predict the non-linear effects of fluctuating temperatures for mean growth rates, and compared these to our experimental results. Both short- and long-term curves yielded poor predictions of mean growth rate at higher mean temperatures with fluctuations. Our results suggest caution in using constant temperature studies to model the consequences of variable thermal environments.
Interactive effects of early and later nutritional conditions on the adult antioxidant defence system in zebra finches
Authors: Noguera José C. , Monaghan Pat , Metcalfe Neil B.
Published: May 2015

In vertebrates, antioxidant defences comprise a mixture of endogenously produced components and exogenously obtained antioxidants that are derived mostly from the diet. It has been suggested that early life micronutritional conditions might influence the way in which the antioxidant defence system operates, which could enable individuals to adjust the activity of the endogenous and exogenous components in line with their expected intake of dietary antioxidants if the future environment resembles the past. We investigated this possibility by experimentally manipulating the micronutrient content of the diet during different periods of postnatal development in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Birds that had a low micronutrient diet during the growth phase initially had a lower total antioxidant capacity (TAC) than those reared under a high micronutrient diet, but then showed a compensatory response, so that by the end of the growth phase the TAC of the two groups was the same. Interestingly, we found an interactive effect of micronutrient intake early and late in development: only those birds that continued with the same dietary treatment (low or high) throughout development showed a significant increase in their TAC during the period of sexual maturation. A similar effect was also found in the level of enzymatic antioxidant defences (glutathione peroxidase; GPx). No significant effects were found in the level of oxidative damage in lipids (MDA). These findings demonstrate the importance of early and late developmental conditions in shaping multiple aspects of the antioxidant system. Furthermore, they suggest that young birds may adjust their antioxidant defences to enable them to ‘thrive’ on diets rich or poor in micronutrients later in life.
Intrinsically Atomic-oxygen-resistant POSS-containing Polyimide Aerogels: Synthesis and Characterization
Authors: Fang Guangqiang , Li Hua , Liu Jingang , Ni Hongjiang , Yang Haixia , Yang Shiyong
Published: May 2015

A series of polyimide aerogels with intrinsically atomic-oxygen-resistant features have been synthesized. For this purpose, 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (s-BPDA) was copolymerized with 2,2′-dimethylbenzidine (DMBZ) and a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-containing aromatic diamine, N-[(heptaisobutylPOSS)propyl]-3,5-diaminobenzamide (DA-POSS), with octa(aminophenyl)silsesquioxane (OAPS) as the crosslinker via sol–gel procedures followed by supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) drying treatments.
Synthesis of Thieno[3,2-b]benzofurans by Palladium-catalyzed Intramolecular C–H/C–H Coupling
Authors: Kaida Hiroyuki , Satoh Tetsuya , Hirano Koji , Miura Masahiro
Published: May 2015

The intramolecular C–H/C–H coupling of 3-aryloxythiophenes and 3-aryloxybenzo[b]thiophenes has been found to occur effectively in the presence of Pd(TFA)2 and AgOAc as catalyst and oxidant, respectively, to afford the corresponding cyclized products, thieno[3,2-b]benzofurans and [1]benzothieno[3,2-b]benzofurans.
Living Up to Expectations: Corporate Reputation and Persistence of Firm Performance
Authors: Cabral Luís
Published: May 2015

I develop a theory of corporate reputation as a source of persistence in firm performance. I show how a relatively simple and reasonable assumption regarding the dynamics of corporate reputation leads to a self-reinforcing process whereby cross-firm differences in corporate reputation (and performance) are significant and relatively permanent. Numerical simulations suggest that persistence in cross-firm differences is largely due to endogenous investment incentives: firms with higher corporate reputations invest more in corporate reputation. I provide a series of examples consistent with the model’s prediction.
Learning the value of the sea
Authors: Neville Sarah
Published: May 2015

The government has asked early years settings to promote British values; these lend themselves well to activities based on World Oceans Day, using the areas of learning.
Latest developments
Authors: Harrison Rachel
Published: May 2015

Send your letters, news stories or latest developments to: The Editor, Child Care, St Jude's Church, Dulwich Road, Herne Hill, London, SE24 0PB email: childcare@markallengroup.com
Responsible use of antimicrobials in lameness in dairy cattle
Authors: Tisdall David , Barrett David
Published: May 2015

Antimicrobial treatments are regularly used in the management of lameness in dairy cattle at both individual and herd levels. However, individual treatments may be prescribed and administered without specific indication and the examination and corrective trimming of the affected digit. Effective non-antibiotic alternatives are also available for use in foot baths as a component of herd level control programmes for infectious lameness. The focus of any control strategy must be on lameness prevention and prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment of any cases. This article explores how antimicrobial use in the treatment and control of bovine lameness can be made more responsible and sustainable.
Money matters: being financially aware
Authors: Brown Emily
Published: May 2015

As a care home manager, it is extremely important to be financially aware. A thorough knowledge of any issues that might arise could potentially save time and money in the long term, as Emily Brown advises
Let it out of the bag
Authors: Gibson Poppy
Published: May 2015

By creating mystery bags containing clues to a scenario and a person's identity, you can capture your pupils' imaginations and develop their inference and deduction skills.
Time to take stock of your school's technology needs
Authors: McKeown Sal , Spracklen Gary , Combes Michele , Philp Steve , Terrey Christine
Published: May 2015

Find out how schools across the country are analysing and costing their technology provision, and where their plans for development are taking their pupils' learning.
Development of an Algorithm to Classify Colonoscopy Indication from Coded Health
Care Data
Authors: Adams Kenneth F. , Johnson Eric A. , Chubak Jessica , Kamineni Aruna , Doubeni Chyke A. , Buist Diana S.M. , Williams Andrew E. , Weinmann Sheila , Doria-Rose V. Paul , Rutter Carolyn M.
Published: May 2015

Introduction: Electronic health data are potentially valuable resources for
evaluating colonoscopy screening utilization and effectiveness. The ability to
distinguish screening colonoscopies from exams performed for other purposes is critical
for research that examines factors related to screening uptake and adherence, and the
impact of screening on patient outcomes, but distinguishing between these indications in
secondary health data proves challenging. The objective of this study is to develop a
new and more accurate algorithm for identification of screening colonoscopies using
electronic health data.Methods: Data from a case-control study of colorectal cancer with
adjudicated colonoscopy indication was used to develop logistic regression-based
algorithms. The proposed algorithms predict the probability that a colonoscopy was
indicated for screening, with variables selected for inclusion in the models using the
Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO).Results: The algorithms had
excellent classification accuracy in internal validation. The primary, restricted model
had AUC= 0.94, sensitivity=0.91, and specificity=0.82. The secondary, extended model had
AUC=0.96, sensitivity=0.88, and specificity=0.90.Discussion: The LASSO approach enabled
estimation of parsimonious algorithms that identified screening colonoscopies with high
accuracy in our study population. External validation is needed to replicate these
results and to explore the performance of these algorithms in other settings.
Reviews
Authors: Brooking Tom , Biskup Przemyslaw , Bracefield Hilary , David-Ives Corinne , Carter Lynette , Russell Khyla , Tabe Tammy , Sofo Giuseppe , Aitken Tom , Biskup Przemyslaw , Tokolyova Tatiana , Meaher Augustine , Sedgwick Laura , Moura-Koçoglu Michaela , Leask Rognvald
Published: May 2015

Encounters: The Creation of New Zealand. A History, Paul Moon (2013) Auckland: Penguin New Zealand, 432 pp., ISBN 978 0 1435 6850 6 (hbk), NZ$55

Changing Times: New Zealand since 1945, Jenny Carlyon and Diane Morrow (2013) Auckland: Auckland University Press, 520 pp., ISBN 978 1 8694 0782 7 (pbk), NZ$49.99

Webs of Empire: Locating New Zealand’s Colonial Past, Tony Ballantyne (2012) Wellington: Bridget Williams Books, 374 pp., ISBN 978 1 9271 3143 5 (pbk), NZ$49.99

Flying Kiwis: A History of the OE, Jude Wilson (2014) Dunedin: Otago University Press, 296 pp., ISBN 978 1 8775 7826 7 (pbk), NZ$44.99

Kerikeri Mission and Kororipo Pa: An Entwined History, Angela Middleton (2013) Dunedin: Otago University Press, 76 pp., ISBN 978 1 8775 7834 2 (pbk), NZ$29.95

Ko te whenua te utu / Land is the price: Essays on Maori History, Land and Politics, M. P. K. Sorrenson (2014) Auckland: Auckland University Press, 344 pp., ISBN 978 1 8694 0810 7 (pbk), NZ$49.99

The Spirit of Maori Leadership, Selwyn Katene (2013) Wellington: Huia, 180 pp., ISBN 978 1 7755 0121 3 (pbk), NZ$45

Greed and Grievance: Ex-militants’ Perspectives on the Conflict in Solomon Islands, 1998–2003, Matthew Allen (2013) Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 243 pp., ISBN 978 0 8248 3854 6 (pbk), US$55

Mystery Islands: Discovering the Ancient Pacific, Tom Koppel (2012) Suva: University of the South Pacific Press, 345 pp., ISBN 978 9 8201 0888 2 (pbk), US$25

Ancient Religions of the Austronesian World: From Australasia to Taiwan, Julian Baldick (2013) London: I.B. Tauris, 256 pp., ISBN 978 1 7807 6366 8 (hbk), £58

The Pacific Island in China’s Grand Strategy: Small States, Big Games, Jian Yang (2011) Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 254 pp., ISBN 978 0 2301 1323 7 (hbk), £64

No Ordinary Deal: Unmasking the Transpacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement, Jane Kelsey (ed.) (2010) Wellington: Bridget Williams Books, 220 pp., ISBN 978 1 8772 4250 2 (pbk), NZ$39.99

Greece, Crete, Stalag, Dachau: A New Zealand Soldier’s Encounters with Hitler’s Army, Jack Elworthy (2014) Wellington: Awa Press, 256 pp., ISBN 978 1 9272 4912 3 (pbk), NZ$40

Transnational Film Culture in New Zealand, Simon Sigley (2013) Bristol: Intellect, 208 pp., ISBN 978 1 8415 0660 9 (pbk), £20

Intersecting Identities: Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality in Contemporary Fiction from Aotearoa New Zealand, Katharina Luh (2013) Trier, Germany: WVT, 555 pp., ISBN 978 3 8682 1433 8 (pbk), ¤58.50

The Lonely and the Alone: The Poetics of Isolation in New Zealand Fiction, Doreen D’Cruz and John C. Ross (2011) Amsterdam: Rodopi, 407 pp., ISBN 978 9 0420 3474 7 (hbk), €102
This Is a Man's World: Drag Kings and the Female Embodiment of Masculinity
Authors: Aragón Varo Asunción
Published: May 2015

Portrayals of non-heteronormative characters have been more and more present in the mass media since the last decades of the 20th century. Gay and lesbian characters are now part of mainstream media in films, sitcoms, drama series, talk shows, etc. Apparently, this could mean that non-heteronormative identities and desires are tolerated by the general audience but this might be just so as long as these characters behave according to heteronormative standards of normality or their bodies are easily readable. The presence of trans, drags or genderqueer characters is minimal and with it the potential subversion of the heteronormative matrix. However, not all drag is subversive and therefore an inappropriate reading or decoding could end up reinforcing the same normative gender identities they intend to subvert. To understand the potential subversion of non-heteronormative characters this paper aims to analyze briefly the re/conceptualization of performativity in the work of Judith Butler, the representation of drag as a parody of gender performance, the female embodiment of masculinity and its representation in popular culture.
Performance and the City: Constructing Urban Identities in Contemporary London
Authors: Di Michele Laura
Published: May 2015

The relationship between spectators, performers and spaces is investigated in a critical perspective which aims at further developing the concept of the city as a performance place where precarious urban identities are dynamically and temporarily shaped and reshaped. Even if this essay takes into due account the seminal studies of Barthes (1971), H. Lefebvre (1974), and urban theorists such as Reyner Banham and Kevin Lynch who conceived of the city as a ‘legible’ text, at the same time it argues that textuality and performativity must be perceived as intertwined cultural practices that work together to shape the body of phenomenal, intellectual, psychic, and social encounters that frame a subject’s experience of the city. London 2012 Olympic Games, and in particular the stunning Opening Ceremony directed by Danny Boyle, for which visitors and overseas spectators were invited to transform themselves into a global theatrical audience, can be used as a privileged viewpoint from which to analyse the different ways of perceiving, but also being looked at and performing oneself, in and through spaces which tend at modifying, or at interrogating or destabilizing one’s traditional identity.
Myths of Primitiveness: A Barthean Interpretation of Rhetorical Devices in Early Jazz Criticism
Authors: Alonso Recarte Claudia
Published: May 2015

Ever since jazz began to make an impact in white aesthetic culture in the late 1910s and 1920s, critics, regardless of whether they celebrated or condemned the music, enmeshed their discourse with images of exoticism, noble savageness, and racial brutishness. As Jazz Studies emerged as an academic discipline, scholars have shown increasing interest in exposing these images in order to illustrate the pervading racist sentiment inscribed within white perception of the jazz idiom and also to establish the connections between jazz and the modernist obsession with primitivism. The aim of this paper is to contribute further study to the intricacies of primitivism through a close examination of the rhetorical devices enabling the subsistence and efficiency of the white supremacy’s mystification of jazz. In this way, we may better comprehend how the primitivist construct is not a matter of an ideology’s conglomeration of superficial images, nor of mere associations between the music and rituals. These features are certainly operative, but by approaching the metaliguistic techniques implicit in what Roland Barthes calls the bourgeois myth, jazz primitiveness can be conceived as an act of colonization that begins and is self-nurtured by patterns of speech.
Authorial Voice Behind the Use of Multimodal Metaphors in Fashion Magazine Advertising
Authors: Martín de la Rosa Victoria
Published: May 2015

This paper proposes the integration into a coherent whole of current insights from two linguistic approaches, cognitive and systemic functional linguistics, with the aim of trying to develop an analytical tool that will allow users a deeper understanding when examining advertising discourse, which is characterized by relying on a multimodal universe since two are the semiotic modes used: language and pictures. Under this framework, two different advertisements, taken from two magazines, Telva and Gentleman, have been analyzed with specific attention to the role of the authorial voice. The goal is twofold: firstly to investigate how, in every advertisement, this multimodality works towards presenting a particular product from a very desirable and attractive perspective; and secondly to unravel the values and ideology behind the use of this type of discourse. The results show that values such as those of exclusivity or refinement (first advert) or having a perfect shape (second advert) are highly valued in the culture where those adverts are embedded.
The Spectral Evidence of Photography in Rachel Seiffert’s The Dark Room: An Album of Fractured Lives
Authors: Martínez Alfaro María Jesús
Published: May 2015

This article focuses on Rachel Seiffert’s The Dark Room (2001), which I place in the context of what Froma I. Zeitlin (2006) regards as an emerging trend in Holocaust literature: fictional stories that move away from the victims and focus instead on the victimisers, as well as on the impact and legacy of the Nazi period on average Germans. The Dark Room consists of three independent but related stories, entitled after each German protagonist, and taking place in Germany at different moments of the 20th century. It is my aim to analyse the themes that connect these three stories —loss, guilt, shame, secrets and deception, traumatic awakenings and the fall from innocence, the crisis of identity, etc.— and to relate them to the motif already suggested by the work’s title: photography. Pictures recur insistently throughout the book’s pages and, like the past, they constitute a spectral presence in Seiffert’s novella triptych, where photographs emerge as a vehicle for exploring the problems posed by photographic evidence. Thus, I argue, the thread that ultimately weaves the stories together has to do with each protagonist’s negative epiphany, that is to say, his/her painful discovery that, in spite of all that a picture can be said to capture or show, the truth turns out to be disturbingly absent, lying in an unreachable elsewhere, always beyond the frame.
“Things which don’t shift and grow are dead things”: Revisiting Betonie’s Waste-Lands in Leslie Silko’s Ceremony
Authors: Brígido-Corachán Anna M.
Published: May 2015

This article explores the socio-political background that led to widespread Native American urban relocation in the period following World War II – a historical episode which is featured in Leslie Marmon Silko’s acclaimed novel Ceremony (1977). Through an analysis of the recycling, reinterpreting practices carried out by one of Ceremony’s memorable supporting characters, Navajo healer Betonie, Silko’s political aim to interrogate the state of things and to re-value Native traditions in a context of ongoing relations of coloniality is made most clear. In Silko’s novel, Betonie acts as an organic intellectual who is able to identify and challenge the 1950s neocolonial structure that forced Native American communities to either embrace hegemonic practices and lifestyles or else be condemned to cultural reification and abject poverty. Through his waste-collecting and recycling activities, Betonie develops alternative solutions that go beyond a merely spiritual or epistemological dimension of life and materially intervene in the social text. The margins of 1950s urban sprawl functioned as repositories of indigenous cultural and intellectual capital that was being consciously, actively transformed by Native agents such as him. Thus, through Ceremony’s medicine man, Leslie Silko criticizes disempowering attitudes of victimhood and Native self-shame while vindicating indigenous historical territories and unconventional political strategies. She also anticipates the liminal practices of material and cultural recycling we see in countless Western cities today, in the aftermath of the most recent world economic crisis.
The Medical Recipes in the Antidotary in GUL MS Hunter 513 (ff. 37v–96v)
Authors: Marqués-Aguado Teresa
Published: May 2015

Many Middle English medical texts contain medical recipes where remedies for various conditions are put forward. Recent scholarly research has characterised the recipe text-type from a linguistic viewpoint and also according to its elements, paying special attention to the writing tradition that the texts they are found in belong to. In this line, the present article explores and characterises the recipes contained in a 15th-century Antidotary found in GUL MS Hunter 513 (ff. 37v–96v) according to the two parameters mentioned. This analysis is based on the previous evaluation of the writing tradition where the text should be placed according to its composition.
Dictionaries in the Internet Era: Innovation or Business as Usual? (Enrique Alcaraz Memorial Lecture 2014)
Authors: Tarp Sven
Published: May 2015

This article is the written version of the Enrique Alcaraz Annual Memorial Lecture, given by the author at the University of Alicante on March 26, 2014. After a brief overview of the past and present of lexicography, it presents some of the challenges and paradoxes facing the discipline in the current transition to the digital media. Through examples from lexicographical practice it provides a vision of dictionaries as information tools and presents the core elements of a general theory covering all types of lexicographical work. Upon this basis, the article discusses principles, methods and techniques which can be applied to improve the quality of present and future online dictionaries. Finally, it presents the main concept of an online business dictionary under construction where some of these principles, methods and techniques are used in order to adapt the articles visualised on the screen to the foreseen Spanish and English users’ needs in five different situations.
A IMPORTÂNCIA DO PRINCÍPIO DA INFORMAÇÃO: A NECESSIDADE DE CONSCIÊNCIA SOCIAL ACERCA DOS PROBLEMAS AMBIENTAIS PARA MAIOR PROTEÇÃO AMBIENTAL
Authors: Antunes de Souza Greyce Kelly
Published: May 2015

As normas jurídicas se dividem em normas princípios e normas regras. Os princípios são mais amplos e abstratos que as regras, tornando esta mais específica em relação a ele. Outra particularidade que distingue princípio de regra é que, para o princípio ser aplicado, e por ser mais amplo e abstrato, é necessário que haja uma ponderação por parte do aplicador durante a análise do caso concreto, já a regra não precisa de mediação, pois se encontra pronta para ser aplicada. O princípio é passível de reflexão, já a regra não. Para ser aplicado o princípio precisa ser analisado, já a regra não possui esse meio termo, ou é aplicada no caso concreto ou não é. Então, para concluir essa distinção, o princípio é caracterizado por ser fundamentador, integrador, explicador, já a regra apresenta caráter proibitivo ou permissivo. Por esta prever determinada conduta, apresenta um exercício mais rígido que o princípio. Tratando de princípios, tendo em vista o enfoque do presente artigo, sua função é fundamentar para a formação das normas de direito, complementar e interpretar o ordenamento jurídico. No que diz respeito ao direito à informação o presente artigo elucida que a informação protege cada pessoa, tendo em vista que ela será base sobre o qual se tomará decisões que afetarão o interesse e necessidade de cada um. Ainda que a informação se torna pública não só porque está em poder do Poder Público, mas em razão de que a natureza representa interesse público, sendo assim a mesma adquire natureza pública, ainda que esteja em mãos de pessoas ou das empresas privadas. E por fim, destaca-se a especial importância do direito à informação quanto ao meio ambiente e seus efeitos positivos, uma vez que quanto maior for o conhecimento acerca das características, das fragilidades, e singularidades do conjunto de bens ambientais existentes, maior será a respectiva da proteção ambiental e, por consequência, da preservação dos recursos naturais.
A REFORMA DOS TRIBUNAIS DE CONTAS: UMA REVISÃO A PARTIR DAS PROPOSTAS DE EMENDAS CONSTITUCIONAIS
Authors: Costa Ramires Celso , Gomes da Rocha Neto Odir
Published: May 2015

Na medida em que a sociedade anseia a boa governança pública, com a prestação de serviços públicos eficientes, cresce a discussão sobre a atuação dos Tribunais de Contas no Brasil. O presente artigo analisa as propostas de emendas constitucionais entre os anos de 2007 e 2013, que buscam alterar aspectos da fiscalização pública externa, com foco na modificação do modelo de controle externo, na mudança da composição dos órgãos de controle externo e na criação de controle administrativo das Cortes de Contas. Tais propostas debatem a autonomia das Cortes de Contas em relação aos Poderes do Estado, bem como a separação entre o Corpo Deliberativo e o quadro técnico. Assim, o estudo constatou que as propostas dos congressistas procuram aprimorar o controle externo no Brasil de maneiras diferentes. Ora prevendo a criação da Auditoria-Geral em substituição aos Tribunais de Contas, ora fortalecendo o atual modelo de controle com a criação do Conselho Nacional dos Tribunais de Contas, ora modificando a forma de designação e exoneração dos ministros e conselheiros.
DA CONSTRUÇÃO DA SEXUALIDADE AOS DIREITOS LGBT: UMA LENTA CONQUISTA
Authors: Gross Jacson , Pinhal de Carlos Paula
Published: May 2015

Este artigo tem como objetivo principal tratar dos direitos de lésbicas, gays, bissexuais e transgêneros (LGBT). Parte-se dos estudos sobre sexualidade de Foucault, Weeks e Bozon, para entender a construção social da sexualidade, já que esses estudiosos demonstram que ela não é algo que pertence somente à natureza, devendo ser considerado o papel da cultura. É justamente a forma com que a sexualidade é construída em nossa sociedade, que dificulta a aceitação das pessoas LGBT na sociedade e incrementa o cerceamento de direitos a esses indivíduos. Por fim, trata-se aqui dos direitos LGBT nos âmbitos constitucional, civil e penal, pensando-se acerca da sua recepção e garantia pelo Direito Brasileiro.
OS DIREITOS FUNDAMENTAIS NAS RELAÇÕES PRIVADAS: DA EFICÁCIA À TEORIA GARANTISTA DE LUIGI FERRAJOLI
Authors: Westphalen Leusin Rodrigo , Cademartori Sergio
Published: May 2015

O artigo apresenta um panorama a respeito da eficácia e aplicação dos direitos fundamentais às relações privadas, buscando uma solução não excludente de técnicas e doutrinas que podem ser complementares. Para tanto, faz-se uma breve abordagem histórica da recepção pelos ordenamentos civis das normas de direitos humanos, desde as instituições estabelecidas no 2.º pós guerra mundial, até a realidade civil-constitucional do Brasil. Opondo, não para excluir, mas para se complementar, teorias de juristas brasileiros e alemães, com Luigi Ferrajoli e sua teoria do garantismo, pretende-se evidenciar que a temática, ainda que exaustivamente abordada na doutrina europeia e latino-americana, continua rica e fomentadora de ideais para o direito.
A EFETIVIDADE DO CONTROLE DA ADMINISTRAÇÃO PÚBLICA NO CONSTITUCIONALISMO CONTEMPORÂNEO: CONTRIBUTO DE RONALD DWORKIN PARA A TEORIA DO DIREITO ADMINISTRATIVO
Authors: Pires Ohlweiler Leonel
Published: May 2015

o artigo objetiva destacar a evolução do controle da Administração Pública fundado nos princípios do Estado Moderno, bem como a ruptura causada pelo Constitucionalismo, além da teoria de Ronald Dworkin, especialmente o ideal político de integridade. A metodologia utilizada foi a pesquisa bibliográfica. A estrutura administrativa do Estado é compreendida a partir do modelo que concentra o conjunto de atividades e poderes. A Revolução Francesa e o surgimento do Estado Liberal influenciaram os critérios de controle da atividade administrativa e o alcance. Também se destaca a relevância do constitucionalismo para modificar a teoria das fontes do Direito Administrativo. O fundamento da legalidade modifica-se com a ideia de supremacia constitucional, permitindo o controle mais qualificado dos poderes. A integridade do Direito Administrativo permite compreender o controle com base no conjunto de princípios coerentes que formam a unidade de sentido do Estado Democrático de Direito.
O PAPEL DO VEREADOR NO ESTADO DE DIREITO NO BRASIL: A DEFESA DOS SUBSÍDIOS COMO EQUAÇÃO DEMOCRÁTICA
Authors: P. Colet Gimenez Charlise , Veronese Osmar
Published: May 2015

O presente estudo examina os subsídios dos vereadores à luz dos parâmetros constitucionais estabelecidos na Lei Fundamental brasileira. Após indicar a conexão entre os vereadores e o Parlamento moderno, o qual traz a marca institucional gestada na Revolução Francesa de 1789, busca-se definir a função da vereança e examinar o tratamento dispensado pelas diversas Constituições pátrias aos edis, em breve perspectiva histórica a auxiliar na compreensão do desenho dos parlamentares locais vertente na Constituição de 1988. Em relação a interrogação principal a que se propõe enfrentar o trabalho, parte-se dos argumentos dos defensores da vereança como serviço honorífico, passando pelos parâmetros normativos regentes da matéria, até chegar à defesa dos subsídios aos vereadores como equação democrática, decorrente dos mandados constitucionais e do modelo de Estado de Direito adotado pelo Brasil. Retribuir dignamente a quem trabalha para o público, longe de qualquer ilícito, além de ser medida de justiça é uma providência importante para combater a demagogia e afirmar as instituições democráticas.
O ENSINO DA EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL
Authors: Farias de Moraes Kelly , Rodrigues da Cruz Monique
Published: May 2015

A Constituição brasileira de 1988 prevê em seus artigos 6º e 225 a educação e o meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado como um direito de todos, além disso, seu artigo 205 traz a educação como um dispositivo de inclusão social que objetiva preparar qualquer pessoa para o exercício da cidadania e do trabalho. O professor é o principal responsável pela transmissão de conhecimento, tendo o árduo e prazeroso trabalho de contribuir para a formação de cidadãos, indivíduos habilitados a compreender e contestar informações transformando o meio ambiente onde se encontram inseridos. Neste contexto, a presente pesquisa aborda os direitos fundamentais à educação e ao meio ambiente, bem como considerações sobre as formas de transmissão de conhecimentos. A metodologia utilizada no estudo, quanto aos meios, é a pesquisa bibliográfica com análise de legislações nacionais e fontes doutrinárias, e, quanto aos fins, trata-se de trabalho qualitativo.
Time series analysis of water consumption in the Hohoe municipality of the Volta region, Ghana
Authors: Amponsah S. K. , Otoo Dominic , Todoko C. A. K.
Published: May 2015

Water is considered as a lifeline of all living things, especially humans; hence its availability is a critical component in the measurement of human wellbeing through the Human Development Index (HDI). Its production and distribution in Ghana, particularly in the Hohoe Municipality of the Volta Region is a challenge. This study seeks to identify the best-fit time series model to the water consumption data in the Hohoe Municipality and to forecast water consumption in the Municipality. This underpins the development of a time-series model for forecasting water consumption levels of the residents, institutions and businesses in the municipality. Several time series models, including AR, MA, ARMA, ARIMA and SARIMA were fitted to the data, and it emerged that the most adequate model for the data was ARIMA (2, 1, and 2). The model was then used to forecast the consumption for the next four years, to advise Ghana Water Company Limited in the municipality to meet the demand of the people.
Modelling the feed mix for poultry production, the case of Adama Musa farms, in Ghana
Authors: Amponsah S. K. , Otoo Dominic , Peprah A. K. , Ampofo S. D.
Published: May 2015

The poultry industry has a significant importance on national economy. It is a popular industry for the small holders with tremendous contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment creation. Poultry feed cost represents over sixty (60) percent of the total cost of poultry production; consequently, efficient feed formulation practice is required for a sustainable poultry industry. Many Ghanaian poultry farmers, however, employ inefficient methods like rule of thumb, experiences, and intuition to handle feed formulation problem. This paper presents a deterministic linear programming model to solve blending problem facing poultry farmers, using locally available feed ingredients from the Ghanaian poultry industry. In the model, we shall minimize cost of producing a particular diet and maintain the ingredient. Over 3% reductions in the cost of producing broiler starter and finisher feed formulation compared to the existing method on the farm was achieved.
One-Step Pad Dyeing and DP Finishing of Cotton: Part 1. Reactive Dyes with DMDHEU
Authors: Li Shiqi , Freeman Harold S. , Boyter Henry , Qian Lei
Published: May 2015

One-step dyeing and durable press (DP) finishing offers potential advantages such as energy savings, reduced production time, and quick response to the market. In the present research, six reactive dyes were used in combination with DMDHEU, a DP finishing agent, in one-step and conventional two-step dyeing and finishing processes. Colorfastness properties and DP ratings of fabrics treated by the one-step dyeing and finishing process were comparable to those fabrics dyed and finished in separate steps.
On The Convergence of Domain Decomposition Algorithm for The Body with Thin Inclusion
Authors: Styahar Andriy , Savula Yarema
Published: May 2015

We consider a coupled 3D model that involves computation of the stress-strain state for the body with thin inclusion. For the description of the stress-strain state of the main part, the linear elasticity theory is used. The inclusion is modelled using Timoshenko theory for shells. Therefore, the dimension of the problem inside the inclusion is decreased by one. For the numerical solution of this problem we propose an iterative domain decomposition algorithm (Dirichlet-Neumann scheme). This approach allows us to decouple problems in both parts and preserve the structure of the corresponding matrices. We investigate the convergence of the aforementioned algorithm and prove that the problem is well-posed.
Time delay and Lagrangian approximation for Navier–Stokes flow
Authors: Asanalieva Nazgul , Heutling Carolin , Varnhorn Werner
Published: May 2015

We consider the nonstationary nonlinear Navier–Stokes equations
describing the motion of a viscous incompressible fluid flow for

0
<
t
≤
T

${0 < t
\le T}$

in a bounded domain

Ω
⊆

ℝ
3

${\Omega \subseteq \mathbb {R}^3}$

with sufficiently smooth boundary

∂
Ω

${\partial \Omega }$

. We use a particle method in connection with a time delay to approximate the nonlinear convective term by a single central Lagrangian difference quotient constructed from autonomous systems of ordinary differential equations. We show that the resulting approximate Navier–Stokes system has a uniquely determined global solution satisfying the energy equation and having a high degree of regularity uniformly in time. Moreover, we prove that the sequence of
approximate solutions has an accumulation point satisfying the
Navier–Stokes equations in a weak sense and the energy inequality.
Two constant sign solutions for a nonhomogeneous Neumann boundary value problem
Authors: Klimczak Liliana
Published: May 2015

We consider a nonlinear Neumann problem with a nonhomogeneous elliptic differential operator. With some natural conditions for its structure and some general assumptions on the growth of the reaction term we prove that the problem has two nontrivial solutions of constant sign. In the proof we use variational methods with truncation and minimization techniques.
A spatial analysis of gating in Bloemfontein, South Africa
Authors: Ferreira Verno , Visser Gustav
Published: May 2015

Growing trends of fear and insecurity in cities have sparked the re-visitation of gating, posing significant problems for citizens and policy makers alike. Gated developments are a global phenomenon occurring in diverse countries in both the developed North and developing South. Metropolitan areas in South Africa have also witnessed a rapid increase in the number and spread of gated developments since the late 1980s. Development of enclosed neighbourhoods has become increasingly popular, gaining widespread support for their utopic lifestyle and safety features. On the whole, high levels of crime and fear of crime have led to the construction of defensible space, in the form of gated developments, resulting in elevated levels of segregation. This paper provides a spatial analysis on gated developments in the non-metropolitan setting of Bloemfontein. The pattern and timeframe of gating in this city is shown to be similar to those found elsewhere in South Africa and, indeed, globally. Overall, it is the contention that gating is a trend not only seen in large metropolitan areas, but across the entire urban hierarchy of South Africa, and, as a consequence, requires investigation far beyond its metropolitan regions to more fully understand gated developments.
Ecological awareness of tourists in the coastal areas of Poland - preliminary results of the survey
Authors: Głąbiński Zbigniew
Published: May 2015

The article presents the results of the questionnaire survey studying the level of Polish tourists’ ecological awareness, as well as the degree of their familiarity and interest in the European Ecological Network Natura 2000 in the coastal areas. The survey was held in the years 2012-2013 and was conducted among the respondents visiting the Polish Baltic coast. The majority of tourists (80%) arriving at the seaside for recreational purposes declare a high level of interest in environmental protection and daily pro-ecological behaviours. The most popular sources of information on the environment comprise television and the Internet. The majority of tourists express their interest in recreation in protected areas, yet up to 82% of them are not familiar with the notion of Natura 2000. The knowledge about the locations of Natura 2000 sites in the vicinity of tourists’ holiday spots is equally poor. The visitors to the coastal areas are highly critical of the availability of information on Natura 2000 and indicate the information boards, websites and leaflets as the most desired sources of information.
Spatial heterogeneity and spatial bias analyses in hedonic price models: some practical considerations
Authors: Khalid Haniza
Published: May 2015

A great number of contemporary studies are incorporating explicit consideration of spatial effects in the estimation of hedonic price functions. At the most basic level, interactive spatial regime models are employed to detect the presence of spatial heterogeneity in datasets. A full-scale spatial analysis would include determination and adjustments for spatial lag and spatial error dependences. However, there is still plenty of room for future research to help unravel the numerous modelling and practical issues associated with a comprehensive spatial examination, such as the specification of the spatial dependence structure or functional ‘neighbourhoods’. Another important issue relates to the use of spatial multipliers to filter spatial bias particularly in models which use log-transformed variables. Estimation of a hedonic price function using Malaysian dataset of agricultural land sale values indicates spatial disaggregation and spatial dependence. However, diagnostic tests and actual estimation of spatial models do not always provide unambiguous conclusions while predicted errors do not vary all that much from those generated by simpler models. Despite the conceptual appeal of spatial analyses, the inefficiency attributable to spatial biases may not be large enough to cause critical errors in policy decisions.
Regional distance: the concept and empirical evidence from Poland
Authors: Nazarczuk Jarosław M.
Published: May 2015

The main aim of this paper is to present the concept of regional distance as a measure of economic diversity at the regional level. Additionally, the paper is devoted to the identification of regional inequalities in Poland, based on the metric presented. Estimates of the regional distance between specific regions (NUTS 2) and the mean level of development of the national economy or Mazowieckie Voivodship (the region with the highest GDP per capita in Poland) were based on calculations conducted using logarithmic equations. Two different distances were calculated: (a) the mean number of years required to achieve the present reference area level of development, (b) the mean number of years necessary to achieve the reference area GDP per capita, taking into consideration the growth rate of the reference area. The empirical example of regional distance application revealed significant inequalities between regions of Poland at NUTS 2 level.
Applied use of taxonomy: lessons learned from the first German intercalibration exercise for benthic diatoms
Authors: Dreßler Mirko , Verweij Geurt , Kistenich Sonja , Kahlert Maria , Werner Petra
Published: May 2015

The first German intercalibration exercise for benthic diatoms was conducted to improve the application of the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive for running waters and lakes in Germany. The intercalibration exercise revealed several taxonomic problems. Among others, considerable problems occurred with identifying and differentiating species of the following four groups: (I) Amphora indistincta Levkov and A. pediculus (Kützing) Grunow, (II) Cocconeis placentula var. euglypta Ehrenberg and C. placentula var. lineata (Ehrenberg) Van Heurck, (III) Navicula cryptotenella Lange-Bertalot and N. cryptotenelloides Lange-Bertalot and (IV) N. reichardtiana Lange-Bertalot and N. caterva Hohn & Hellermann. The taxonomic problems that emerged occurred due to both insufficient use of given taxonomic details (by limnologists) and ambiguous species descriptions and documentation (by taxonomists). Thus, we recommend to the applied limnologist to use the mandatory identification literature and to document any ambiguous valves during routine counts. Also, it would be desirable to further investigate certain species by taxonomists and, in general, to provide more basic data with species descriptions or in identification manuals. These measures will improve the use of diatoms as bioindicators and consequently benefit both applied limnologists and taxonomists.
Morphological study of Chaetoceros wighamii Brightwell (Chaetocerotaceae, Bacillariophyta) from Lake Vrana, Croatia
Authors: Bosak Sunčica , Udovič Marija Gligora , Sarno Diana
Published: May 2015

Chaetoceros wighamii Brightwell is a planktonic diatom species originally described from brackish waters. Since its original description, the species has been reported in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from freshwater to marine. Varying descriptions exist in the taxonomic literature and several taxa have been considered as synonyms, including freshwater species Chaetoceros amanita. In this study we provide morphological and ultrastructural information on a cultured strain isolated from freshwater sample collected in the Lake Vrana (Vransko jezero) in Croatia, in April 2011. The cells form short and robust chains with very narrow apertures, often partially occluded by silica membranes. Other distinctive features observable in light microscopy are the shape and orientation of the setae which are very long, straight and robust, diverging in various directions from the chain axis and the single parietal chloroplast extending from valve to valve. Distinct ultrastructural characteristics are the absence of processes either in intercalary or terminal valves and the ornamentation of the valve face with densely distributed ribs spreading from an irregular eccentric hyaline area without a clearly defined annulus. The outer surface of the terminal valve is ornamented with small spines and setae are composed of fl at longitudinal filaments interconnected with short bars and ornamented with small spines tightly arranged around the setae. Our description agrees well with that reported for the freshwater morphotypes of C. wighamii (syn. C. amanita) and contributes for a reliable distinction of this intriguing taxon from similar morphotypes. This finding supports the interpretation of Chaetoceros wighamii as a freshwater/brackish species and represents the first report of a Chaetoceros species in lacustrine environment in Croatia and possibly in any Central European habitats.