bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Distribution and combinations of Czech consonants
Authors: Bičan Aleš
Published: June 2011

This paper outlines distributional and combinational potentials of consonants in Present Standard Czech. We adopt a notion distributional unit introduced by Jan W. F. Mulder. It is defined as a bundle of positions such that in every such position a phoneme can stand and commute with other phonemes or with ∅ (be empty). Nine positions are established for Czech: five pre-nuclear, one nuclear and three post-nuclear. The sum of these positions is an underlying grid upon which the structure of all the phonotagms (roughly: syllables) in Czech can be effectively mapped and thus exhaustively described. This paper focuses in particular on the distribution of Czech consonants and includes tables containing 413 pre-nuclear (= syllable-initial) and 82 post-nuclear (= syllable-final) consonantal combinations in Czech. Such a comprehensive list has not, to the best of our knowledge, been published elsewhere.
Translational and intermedial diversification: Michail Ju. Lermontov’s “Maskarad” (1835) in Czech (1929–2008)
Authors: Schultze Brigitte
Published: June 2011

Largely unobserved by philological research, the Czech culture has shown far above average receptiveness to a number of Russian dramatists, among them M. Ju. Lermontov. While the English speaking world keeps waiting for a translation of the canonic version of “Maskarad” (1835), there have been three independent Czech translations of this play – by František Táborský (1929), František Píšek (1941) and Emanuel Frynta (1951). Comparative analysis of these translations out of which two have been staged proves to forward the interpretation of this complex piece of dramatic literature (“a problem of interpretation forever”, Frynta). A discussion of several Czech theatre productions of “Maskarad” between 1941 and 2008 reveals historical and cultural context, but also impressive cases of actualization in all of these productions.
Buchbesprechung
Authors: Šefčík Ondřej
Published: June 2011

Čornejová, Michaela, Tvoření nejstarích českých místních jmen. Bohemika z 11.-13. století. Brno: Masarykova univerzita  MUNI Press, 2009. 204 S. ISBN 978-80-210-5027-3
Buchbesprechung
Authors: Rabus Achim
Published: June 2011

Rumjancev, Oleh Je., Pytannja nacional′noji identyčnosti rusyniv i ukrajinciv Juhoslaviji (19181991). München, Berlin: Sagner, 2010 (Studies on Language and Culture in Central and Eastern Europe; 11), 523 S. ISBN 978-3-86688-114-3
Monddaten aus dem Archiv von Illahun: Chronologie des Mittleren Reiches
Authors: Gautschyy Rita
Published: June 2011

Last/first sightings of the lunar crescent and new moon epochs between 2000 BC and 2000 AD were calculated using modern up-to-date lunar and solar ephemerides for different locations in Egypt and for Babylon. All results of these calculations are available online.

The lunar data from the archive of Illahun are reanalysed and the uncertainties of the data reduction and possible absolute chronological assessments are discussed. The data can be fit best when a reign length of 30 years is allowed for pharaoh Senwosret III, which is in accordance with the given number for this king in the Turin papyrus. The lunar data do not support a low chronology of the Middle Kingdom. Two temporal assignments are possible in combination with the recorded date of a heliacal rising of Sirius on either IIII Peret 16 or 17 in the surrounding of Memphis. The best fit (82.5% reproduced correctly) can be obtained with an assumed beginning of the day with dawn and year 1 of Senwosret III equalling 1872 BC and year 1 of Amenemhet III in 1842 BC respectively. In this case the correct Sirius date of year 7 Senwosret III in 1866 BC must have been IIII Peret 17 in order to match with the lunar data. The second possible fit (72.5% correct) is obtained with an assumed beginning of the day with sunrise and year 1 of Senwosret III equalling 1883 BC and year 1 of Amenemhet III in 1853 BC respectively. The correct Sirius date would be IIII Peret 16 in 1877 BC.
Malaysia's Foreign Policy under Najib
Authors: Md. Khalid Khadijah
Published: June 2011

Malaysian foreign policy and diplomacy under Mahathir Mohamad were both grandiose and pragmatic, if not audacious. Faced with a changing and uncertain global environment, current Prime Minister Najib Razak has formulated external strategies expected to sustain Malaysia's economic progress to ensure regime legitimacy and political stability.
Mongolia's Environmental Security
Authors: Reeves Jeffrey
Published: June 2011

This article examines China's “unconscious power” over Mongolia's environmental sector. It argues that Ulaanbaatar's state weakness and Chinese unconscious power constitute a mutually reinforcing threat to Mongolia's environmental security.
Explaining Central Intervention in Local Extra-Budgetary Practices in China
Authors: Zhan Jing Vivian
Published: June 2011

Chinese local governments widely resort to extra-budgetary exaction to finance themselves, which generates side effects that necessitate central intervention. Through statistical analysis, this paper finds that the central government intervenes only selectively, following a logic driven by economic development and political stability.
Explaining Overheating in China through Institutional Analysis (1992–2010)
Authors: Cary Eve Oleta
Published: June 2011

Economic overheating is a significant and recurring problem in modern China. This paper analyzes the many factors causing overheating and argues that there are systemic and largely structural explanations for overheating that arise from a number of theorized catalysts, including a bureaucratic catalyst and a historical catalyst.
L'Alcasta and the Emergence of Collective Patronage in Mid-Seventeenth-Century Rome
Authors: de Lucca Valeria
Published: June 2011

This article sheds new light onto the process of transformation of the figure of the opera patron in Rome during the mid-seventeenth century. Following the travels of Giovanni Filippo Apolloni's libretto Amor per vendetta, ovvero L'Alcasta, I trace the dissolution of the ubiquitous individual court patron of the earlier part of the century into a network of agents behind opera production in commercial contexts. In every phase of the story of L'Alcasta—its commission, plans for production, staging, dedication, and subsequent revivals—we can detect diverse agencies shaping the libretto and score, which accommodated different needs and tastes and conveyed multiple social and political meanings.

Showing how the Roman aristocracy experimented with new systems of production that would radically change the history of opera, L'Alcasta also raises broader questions concerning the presence and functions of “patronage” in commercial opera theaters. The trajectory that emerges in the history of opera patronage in the papal city during the second half of the century begins with collective forms of sponsorship during the 1660s and develops further, giving rise to Rome's first commercial opera theater during the 1670s, the Teatro Tordinona. In this context, at a time in which opera in Rome did not find full institutional support, Queen Christina of Sweden represented, at least nominally, the missing patron, a highly representative figure who stood in as guarantor of the new theater on behalf of the aristocratic class that produced and conspicuously consumed opera.
Panoramas of Style
Authors: Hvattum Mari
Published: June 2011

Focusing on three nineteenth-century railroad lines in Norway, Mari Hvattum investigates the architectural and cultural significance of early railways. In Panoramas of Style: Railway Architecture in Nineteenth-century Norway, she argues that the seemingly frivolous historicism of mid-nineteenth-century railway architecture should be understood as an attempt to craft appropriate cultural associations for the new Norwegian nation state. Railway architects created an architecture that fused the local and the global, the modern and the traditional, into a new whole. They designed buildings with a mimetic and emblematic relationship to their surroundings, construing the railway journey as—to paraphrase the cultural historian Wolfgang Schivelbusch—a “panorama of style.”
The Spatial Practices of Privilege
Authors: Van Slyck Abigail A.
Published: June 2011

The Spatial Practices of Privilege focuses on the children's cottage that stands on the grounds of the Breakers, in Newport, Rhode Island. Designed by Peabody and Stearns in 1886, the cottage was the first of several changes Cornelius Vanderbilt made to the property after he purchased it in 1885. While the main house (designed by Richard Morris Hunt after the first Breakers burned in 1892) has long been interpreted as the architectural reflection of the Vanderbilts' class status, the cottage has been ignored. Bringing together the methodologies of cultural landscape studies, performance theory, and the history of childhood, Abigail A. Van Slyck argues that the estate played an active role in establishing, maintaining, and enhancing the family's class status, and that children—and their spatial management—were integral to the process. In its form and content, the cottage evoked middle-class domesticity, but did so in the service of an upper-class identity that sought to distinguish itself from the middle class. Ostensibly a site of play, it was also a place of work, both for the Vanderbilts' servants as well as for the Vanderbilt offspring. Modeled on an almshouse and devoted to the homely skills of cooking and sewing, the building made claims to humbleness that were refuted by its size, expense, and its spatial arrangements that supported the Vanderbilt children and their parents in the performance of their privileged status.
Mechanisms of Peer Influence among Adolescents: Cohesion versus Structural Equivalence
Authors: Berten Hans , Van Rossem Ronan
Published: June 2011

Peer influence is regarded as one of the strongest determinants of adolescents' behavior. Yet the concept of peer influence has been studied almost exclusively in terms of dyadic friendship relations. Based on actors' similar positions in the friendship network, the authors test an alternative mechanism of influence in this article, drawing on insights from network-inspired theories. This study focuses on both sexual activity and school deviant behavior. The authors used data from the Flemish Educational Assessment Study, which collected complete network data from a representative sample of Flemish secondary school adolescents ( N = 11,872), clustered in 160 networks. Results indicate that best friends influence both adolescents' sexual activity and their school deviancy. However, the authors found no evidence of influence between actors who share a similar position in the network.
Concentrated Disadvantage and Beliefs about the Causes of Poverty: A Multi-Level Analysis
Authors: Merolla David M. , Hunt Matthew O. , Serpe Richard T.
Published: June 2011

Studies of beliefs about social stratification have generally focused on how individual-level factors shape people's explanations of poverty and inequality. In this article, the authors contribute to this literature by adding a community-level measure of “concentrated disadvantage” (poverty and associated conditions) to models predicting support for individualistic (person-centered) and structuralist (system-challenging) beliefs about the causes of poverty. Using data from two Los Angeles County surveys and the 1990 Census, multi-level linear and logistic regression models reveal that higher levels of concentrated disadvantage are associated with increased support for both individualist and structuralist explanations of poverty—a “dual consciousness” pattern the authors attribute to increased exposure to social conditions that simultaneously foster sympathetic and antagonistic attitudes toward the poor. These findings add useful information to our knowledge of stratification beliefs and contribute to a growing body of studies showing that “place-level” factors can be important determinants of beliefs and attitudes net of individual-level covariates.
Stress and Physical Health Deterioration in the Aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Authors: Lu Alexander
Published: June 2011

The author examines how characteristics of evacuation management and FEMA trailer park communities affect hurricane evacuees' physical health. His objectives are (1) to examine to what extent typical factors influence physical health in post-disaster contexts, (2) to identify factors specific to the evacuation process and residential environment that exacerbate physical health, and (3) to expand the theoretical applicability of the stress process model by analyzing physical health under disaster conditions. Using survey data collected from 303 evacuees residing in FEMA trailer parks in Louisiana, the author estimates three nested regression models. Conditions of the evacuation process—loss of full-time employment, number of residences, and duration of residences, and FEMA trailer park environment—and sense of belonging and obstacles to involvement affect physical health when controlling for typical factors, indicating social support and social integration buffer the stress of residential instability. Findings necessitate attention to residential stability, social integration, and community involvement in disaster recovery.
Poverty among Asian Americans in the 21St Century
Authors: Takei Isao , Sakamoto Arthur
Published: June 2011

Using the American Community Survey from 2005 to 2007, this study investigates absolute and relative poverty among Asian-Americans. The results indicate that both absolute and relative poverty are slightly higher among Asians than among whites overall as well as by nativity status (i.e., foreign born vs. native born). More detailed analysis suggests, however, that these racial differences appear to be largely associated with factors relating to immigration. Poverty is much higher among recent immigrants than among those who have been in the United States for more than five years, and foreign-born Asians are more likely to be recent immigrants than are foreign-born whites. Furthermore, after controlling for basic demographic characteristics, poverty is actually lower among foreign-born Asians than among foreign-born whites. Among native-born adult Asians (i.e., those who are not dependent on the incomes of immigrant parents), poverty is lower than among whites especially in terms of being characterized as members of the “working poor.” However, significant ethnic differentials within the Asian category are evident. Poverty rates higher than those for whites continue to be evident among the native-born adult offspring of Cambodians, Hmong, and Thai. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
Retinoid X receptor α and retinoids are key regulators in apoptosis of trophoblasts of patients with recurrent miscarriages
Authors: Pestka A , Toth B , Kuhn C , Hofmann S , Wiest I , Wypior G , Friese K , Jeschke U
Published: June 2011

The retinoid X receptor α (RXRα) is a nuclear hormone receptor that is able to bind other nuclear receptors in a heterodimeric complex, thereby activating gene transcription. Recently, we identified enhanced expression of RXRα in extravillous trophoblasts (EVT) and villous trophoblasts (VT) of miscarried placentas. In addition, an increased number of apoptotic EVT was present in miscarried placentas. In this study, on the basis of immunocytochemical analysis, western blots, and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR, we could demonstrate a reduced expression of RXRα in choriocarcinoma cell lines and in human VTs after stimulation with the retinoids 9-cis-retinoic acid and all-trans-retinoic acid and the prostaglandin 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2. Furthermore, a simultaneous expression of RXRα and the apoptotic marker M30 CytoDEATH in EVT of miscarried placentas from the first trimester was shown. In EVT of control placentas from legal termination of pregnancies, no co-expression of RXRα and M30 could be detected. A likely conclusion is that RXRα plays an important role in the induction of apoptosis. Downregulation of RXRα, as observed in the tested choriocarcinoma cells and trophoblasts, might serve as a protection against apoptosis and miscarriage. In conclusion, RXRα represents a potential target in the treatment of recurrent miscarriages.
Helicobacter pylori before and after the kidney transplantation
Authors: Telkes Gábor
Published: June 2011

Renal disease is often accompanied by significant gastrointestinal symptoms, and Helicobacter pylori is related to these disorders. There is a paucity of data about the endoscopic findings of kidney recipients. HLA-class II genes have been repeatedly investigated for predisposition to H. pylori infection. The aim was to evaluate the H. pylori infection rate, study the relationship between HLA antigens and H. pylori, and assess the post-transplant gastrointestinal disorders. Data of 709 uraemic patients were collected for seroepidemiologic study; 58.7% of patients were male and the mean age was 45.1 years. The endoscopic results of 543 kidney transplant recipients were analysed; their mean age was 49.5 years and 56.9% were male. Of 709 patients, 49.37% were seropositive for H. pylori. Prevalence of H. pylori decreased strongly with the year of birth. Significant difference was observed in the occurrence of HLA-DR12 according to H. pylori serology. Twenty-nine per cent of endoscopies showed ulcer disease in the first 3 months, more frequent (p = 0.0014) than later. The presence of H. pylori was verified in 20.9% of cases, less than in the general, and in the uraemic population (p < 0.0001). There was no association between the presence of H. pylori and ulcer (p = 0.28). Steroid pulse treatment for rejection was not associated with more ulcers (p = 0.11).
Férfiemlőrák előfordulása osztályunk 5 éves anyagában
Authors: Cseh Imre , Kerekes Mária , Solymosi Tibor
Published: June 2011

A férfiemlőrák ritka betegség, statisztikai adatok szerint minden 100 női emlőrákra jut egy férfiemlőrák. Bármely életkorban előfordulhat, azonban inkább az idősebb kor betegsége. A férfi emlőrákosok átlag életkora 10 évvel magasabb a nőknél. A szerzők ismertetik a betegségre hajlamosító tényezőket, a férfiemlőrák gyakoribb típusait, a kivizsgálási és kezelési elveket. Részletezik az osztályukon előfordult 5 eset kivizsgálását, kezelését, szövettani erdményeit, adjuváns onkológiai kezelésüket.
Thoraco-myoplastica műtéteink számítógépes modellezése és tervezése
Authors: Balogh Gábor , Garbera István , ifj. Balogh Gábor
Published: June 2011

Bevezetés:A krónikus mellűri gennyedések súlyos eseteiben a betegek eredményes kezelése csak thoraco-myoplastica elvégzésével lehetséges. A műtét a lágy részekre és a csontstruktúrára is kiterjedő jelentős szöveti áldozattal, funkcionális károsodással és megmaradó deformitással jár. Az alkalmazott számítógépes műtéti terv kialakításának célja az, hogy a záróműtét lágyrész- és funkciókárosító hatását mérsékelje. A műtét kedvezőtlen hatásainak mérséklésében jelentős segítséget nyújt a CT és spirál-CT segítségével elkészített 3 dimenziós felvételek műtét előtti értékelése.Betegek és módszer:1990. január 1. és 2010. május 31. között 85 thoraco-myoplasticát végeztek különböző eredetű krónikus mellűri gennyedés miatt. Az átlagéletkor 62,7 év volt. A funkció- és szövetkímélő thoraco-myoplastica 76 esetben fenestratio után végzett nyitott kezelést követően történt, 9 betegnél tartós szívódrainage-t követően. 2006-ban vezettük be osztályunkon a krónikus mellűri gennyedés végleges megoldására szolgáló thoraco-myoplastica műtétek számítógépes tervezését, amelyet 8 beteg esetében alkalmaztunk. A spirál-CT segítségével előre modellezhető, hogy hány bordára és azok mekkora szakaszára terjedjen ki a thoracoplastica. Az üreg pontos térfogatának, lokalizációjának meghatározása és az elforgatható izomnyalábok (m. pectoralis maior, m. latissimus dorsi stb.) térfogatának műtét előtti mérése segít a krónikusan gennyedő üreg megszüntetésében. A szerzők által kidolgozott feltételrendszer alapján kerültek a betegek műtétre.Eredmények:A 20 év alatt végzett 85 thoracomyoplastica műtét mortalitása 4,8% volt. 8 esetben számítógépes modellezés és tervezés előzte meg a műtétet. Mindegyik beteg gyógyult.Következtetés:A szerzők megállapítása szerint a számítógépes tervezés a sebész munkáját jelentősen segíti abban, hogy a műtét során a mellkasi struktúra és a lágy részek feláldozásával járó hátrányos következményeket mérsékelhesse.
Current Knowledge on Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy Among Women with Sporadic Breast Cancer
Authors: Brewster Abenaa M. , Parker Patricia A.
Published: June 2011

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, the reader will be able to: Identify situations in which contralateral prophylactic mastectomy may be appropriate in breast cancer patients.Describe epidemiological data on the clinical benefits of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy for patients with breast cancer.

CME This article is available for continuing medical education credit at CME.TheOncologist.com

The use of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) in the U.S. among patients with unilateral invasive breast cancer increased by 150% from 1993 to 2003. Although CPM has been shown to reduce the risk for developing contralateral breast cancer, there is conflicting evidence on whether or not it reduces breast cancer mortality or overall death. The increase in the CPM rate is especially concerning among women with early-stage sporadic breast cancer who have a minimal annual risk for developing contralateral breast cancer, and for many of these women the risk for distant metastatic disease outweighs the risk for contralateral breast cancer. The lack of information about the clinical value of CPM in women with sporadic breast cancer is an important public health problem. This review evaluates current data on the clinical indications for CPM and long-term patient satisfaction and psychosocial outcomes. Gaps in knowledge about the clinical value of CPM, including patient- and physician-related psychosocial factors that influence the decision-making process of CPM among women with sporadic breast cancer, are highlighted.
Antioxidant and Free Radical Scavenging Activities of Some Fruits
Authors: Prakash Dhan , Upadhyay Garima , Pushpangadan P. , Gupta Charu
Published: June 2011

Phenols, a major group of antioxidant phytochemicals, have profound importance due to their biological and free radical scavenging activities. To identify their potential sources extracts of some fruits and their different parts were studied for total phenolic contents (TPC), antioxidant (AOA) and free radical scavenging activities (FRSA). The amount of TPC varied from 10.5 (Carissa carandus, fruit peel) to 343.2 mg/g (Caesalpinia Mexicana, fruits) and AOA from 20.3% (Musa paradisiacal, fruits) to 96.7% (Caesalpinia Mexicana, fruits). Fruits of Caesalpinia Mexicana, Acacia auriculiformis, fruit pericarp green fibres of Cocus nucifera, and fruits of Emblica officinalis were found to have high TPC (73.1-343.2 mg/g) and high AOA (68.5-96.7%). Promising fruits were studied for their FRSA and reducing power (RP) measured by DPPH assay where the fruits of Caesalpinia mexicana, fruit pericarp fibres of Cocus nucifera, fruits of Emblica officinalis showed very low IC50 ranging from 0.009 to 0.016 mg/ml, EC50 from 0.39 to 0.70 mg/mg DPPH and reasonably high values (142.1-256.3) of anti radical power (ARP), indicating their strong FRSA and reducing power (RP) as evident by their low ASE/ml values (0.42-1.08). They also showed better inhibition of lipid peroxidation measured by using ferric thiocyanate assay and by using egg yolk compared to the reference standard quercetin. The ferrous and ferric ion chelating capacity of the promising fruits and their underutilized parts in terms of IC50 varied from 0.12 (Emblica officinalis, fruits) to 2.44 mg/ml (Mangifera indica, Seed kernel) and 0.22 (Caesalpinia Mexicana, fruits) to 2.59 mg/ml (Litchi chinensis, fruit peel) respectively. Fruit pulp, peel and seeds of Litchi chinensis with reasonable amount of phenols (48.3, 43.9, 50.1 mg/ml) showed low ARP (23.5, 38.3, 33.8) and ASE/ml (3.13, 2.18, 2.62) respectively in contrast to Aegle marmelos with comparatively lower phenols (35.1 mg/g) exhibited good ARP (57.4) and RP (1.67 ASE/ml). Extracts (20 µg/ml) of fruits of Acacia auriculiformis, Caesalpinia Mexicana, Emblica officinalis, fruit pericarp fibres of Cocus nucifera, were found effective in protecting plasmid DNA nicking induced by Fentons reagent generated hydroxyl radicals. They were further assayed for their specific phenolic composition through HPLC and MS/MS where the amount of caffeic acid varied from 48.5 to 2231 µg/g, chlorogenic acid 63.8 to 912.1 µg/g, ellagic acid 46.4 to 1429.1 µg/g, ferulic acid 36.7 to 762.9 µg/g, gallic acid 181.6 to 2831.6 µg/g, protocatechuic acid 41.7 to 322.8 µg/g, and quercetin 44.6 to 367.6 µg/g.
Performance Evaluation of a Centrifugal Peeling System for Pistachio Nuts
Authors: Khodabakhshian Rasool , Bayati Mohammad Reza , Shakeri Mohsen
Published: June 2011

In this paper, performance evaluation of the centrifugal peeling system for pistachio nuts was studied as a function of moisture content (in five levels: 4.10, 10.50, 28.50 and 36.10 % d.b) and peripheral speed of separate rotating circular base  plate (in four levels: 35, 40, 45 and 50 m/s) in a factorial design based on completely randomized block. The overall performance was expressed in terms of peeling efficiency and breakage percent. Peeling efficiency and breakage increased with (i) increase in peripheral speed (ii) decrease in the pistachio moisture content. The results of an optimization technique revealed that the best peeling performance could be obtained if the machine is operated at peripheral speed of 50 m/s and moisture content of 4.10 % d.b. Under these conditions, the values of peeling efficiency and breakage percent were 96.5 and 8.7 %, respectively.
Comparative study of exhaustion and pad-steam methods for improvement of handle, dye uptake and water absorption of polyester/cotton fabric
Authors: Haji Aminoddin , Malek Reza , Mazaheri Firoozmehr
Published: June 2011

In this study, a pad-steam process for treatment of polyester/cotton fabric
with sodium hydroxide is developed and the effects of process parameters on
selected properties of the fabric are investigated. The results are compared
with the conventional exhaustion process. Both processes improved the
handle, dyeability and water absorption of the polyester/cotton fabric but
the pad-steam process has the advantage of less strength loss of the fibers,
less treatment time, less consumption of water and chemicals that make the
process to be less hazardous to the environment.
Comparison of the effect of single-site and multiple-site disk fenestration on the rate of recurrence of thoracolumbar intervertebral disk herniation in dogs
Authors: Brisson Brigitte A. , Holmberg David L. , Parent Joane , Sears William C. , Wick Sara E.
Published: June 2011

Objective—To prospectively assess whether multiple-site disk fenestration decreases the incidence of recurrent thoracolumbar intervertebral disk herniation (IVDH), compared with single-site disk fenestration, in small-breed dogs treated for IVDH.

Design—Randomized controlled clinical trial.

Animals—207 client-owned dogs.

Procedures—Dogs undergoing decompressive surgery of the spinal cord because of thoracolumbar IVDH between 2001 and 2004 were randomly assigned to receive single-site disk fenestration at the level of surgical decompression (n = 103) or multiple-site disk fenestration of all disks from T11 through L4 (104). Follow-up consisted of complete reevaluation of patients, telephone surveys, and further surgery if signs indicative of recurrence occurred.

Results—189 dogs were available for long-term follow-up: 95 dogs in the single-site disk fenestration group and 94 in the multiple-site disk fenestration group. Twenty-four dogs developed 28 confirmed episodes of recurrent thoracolumbar IVDH. The rate for first-time recurrence was 12.7% (24/189). First-time recurrence rates for single-and multiple-site disk fenestration groups were 17.89% (17/95) and 7.45% (7/94), respectively. Dogs undergoing single-site disk fenestration were significantly more likely to have recurrent thoracolumbar IVDH than were dogs undergoing multiple-site disk fenestration. Disk mineralization at the time of first surgery was associated with recurrence, and 87.5% (21/24) of recurrences occurred at a disk space adjacent to or 1 disk away from the initial lesion. Regardless of disk fenestration group, 22 of 24 (91.7%) recurrences occurred at a nonfenestrated disk space.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Multiple-site disk fenestration decreased the rate of recurrent IVDH in small-breed dogs, compared with the use of single-site disk fenestration.
Clinical factors associated with death before discharge and overall survival time in dogs with generalized megaesophagus
Authors: McBrearty Alix R. , Ramsey Ian K. , Courcier Emily A. , Mellor Dominic J. , Bell Rory
Published: June 2011

Objective—To investigate the association of 6 clinical features with outcome of dogs with generalized megaesophagus.

Design—Retrospective cohort study.

Animals—71 client-owned dogs with radiographic evidence of generalized esophageal dilation.

Procedures—Medical records were reviewed for data on signalment, age at onset of clinical signs, body weight, evidence of undernutrition, and the administration of drugs to treat or prevent esophagitis. Radiographs were reviewed for evidence of aspiration pneumonia (AP) and to calculate the relative esophageal diameter. Details of outcome were collected from the medical records and by contacting owners and referring veterinarians. The association of 6 factors with death before discharge and overall survival time was assessed.

Results—Overall median survival time was 90 days. Nineteen (26.7%) patients died before discharge from the hospital. Radiographic evidence of AP was both positively associated with death before discharge and negatively associated with overall survival time. An age at onset of clinical signs of >13 months was negatively associated with overall survival time. No evidence of an association of the degree of esophageal dilation or the use of drugs to prevent or treat esophagitis with death before discharge or overall survival time was found.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Radiographic evidence of AP and the age at onset of clinical signs were the only variables found to be significantly associated with survival time in this study, and this should be considered when advising on prognosis in dogs with megaesophagus.
A dynamical systems approach to online event segmentation in cognitive robotics*
Authors: Nery Bruno , Ventura Rodrigo
Published: June 2011

This paper addresses the problem of segmenting perception in physical robots into meaningful events along time. In structured environments this problem can be approached using domain-specific techniques, but in the general case, as when facing unknown environments, this becomes a non-trivial problem. We propose a dynamical systems approach to this problem, consisting of simultaneously learning a model of the robot's interaction with the environment (robot and world seen as a single, coupled dynamical system), and deriving predictions about its short-term evolution. Event boundaries are detected once synchronization is lost, according to a simple statistical test. An experimental proof of concept of the proposed framework is presented, simulating a simple active perception task of a robot following a ball. The results reported here corroborate the approach, in the sense that the event boundaries are correctly detected.
Learning Grasp Affordance Densities
Authors: Detry R. , Kraft D. , Kroemer O. , Bodenhagen L. , Peters J. , Krüger N. , Piater J.
Published: June 2011

We address the issue of learning and representing object grasp affordance models. We model grasp affordances with continuous probability density functions (grasp densities) which link object-relative grasp poses to their success probability. The underlying function representation is nonparametric and relies on kernel density estimation to provide a continuous model. Grasp densities are learned and refined from exploration, by letting a robot “play” with an object in a sequence of grasp-and-drop actions: the robot uses visual cues to generate a set of grasp hypotheses, which it then executes and records their outcomes. When a satisfactory amount of grasp data is available, an importance-sampling algorithm turns it into a grasp density. We evaluate our method in a largely autonomous learning experiment, run on three objects with distinct shapes. The experiment shows how learning increases success rates. It also measures the success rate of grasps chosen to maximize the probability of success, given reaching constraints.
Pattern Generation by Network composed of Oscillators and Capacitive Couplers
Authors: Moriyama Takuro , Kurabayashi Daisuke
Published: June 2011

This article proposes a network system composed of oscillators and capacitive couplers as an abstract neural circuit model for use in elucidating functional combinations of neural elements. The capacitive couplers produce changes in the interactions between the oscillators and enable various functions that the oscillators alone cannot realize. The functions added by these capacitive couplers include NOR-based logic operations, a falling edge detector, an astable multivibrator, and sequential pattern generation. The results of this study suggest that the incorporation of capacitive functions in an oscillatory network system is a beneficial means of extending the functionality of the system.
Culture, events, speech genres and stories
Authors: Michalovič Peter
Published: June 2011

The aim of this paper is to interpret systematically M. M. Bakhtin’s views on genre. Although Aristotle was the first philosopher—and one of the first thinkers in general who focused on the issues of artistic and rhetorical genres, philosophy as such did not treat these issues for a considerably long time. One of the first philosophers who approached the genre issue within the larger context of the philosophy of language was Mikhail M. Bakhtin, a Russian philosopher and a literary scholar. As early as the 1920s he founded philosophical thinking on the so-called small speech genres, which later served as the basis for a remarkable theory of primary and secondary genres. Bakhtin is a world renowned theoretician on the novel, but his genre theory is nevertheless very topical, too, since it relates to issues focused on by philosophers much later.
Human being transcending itself: Creative process in art as a model of our relation to the ultimate reality
Authors: Mistrík Erich
Published: June 2011

The paper reviews some of the links between the notion of “ultimate reality” and everyday life, mainly art, beauty, the creative processes in art, and citizenship. If, according to M. Heidegger, art reveals the truth of being (i.e., also of ultimate reality), then we may find some historical descriptions of creative processes that are very close to descriptions of ultimate reality. Three examples of these kinds of descriptions are discussed (Abhinavagupta, St. Augustine, F. Engels). The final aim is to show how the interpretation of ultimate reality can contribute to a better understanding of the creative process in art. These considerations can also throw light on one particular aspect of civil life—the relations between everyday life and its final goals. If we are to gain an understanding of the relations between ultimate reality, art and civil life, then the disciplines of aesthetics, philosophy, history and anthropology, and cultural history should all contribute together.
Subjectivity as a play of territorialization: Exploring affective attachments to place through collective biography
Authors: Zabrodska Katerina , Ellwood Constance
Published: June 2011

In this paper the authors seek to contribute to a new ontology of an embodied, desiring subject through an exploration of their own subjectivities and of the ways in which subjectivities are produced and transformed through affective attachments to place. Using the method of collective biography (Davies, Gannon 2006) and drawing on Deleuze and Guattari’s concepts of desire and territorialization they examine their affective responses and attachments to place: Australia and the Czech Republic. As a point of departure for their analysis, the authors ask: What does it mean to be homesick for a place which is not one’s home? What does it mean to desire a place? What of the other place is inscribed in the body? In asking this, the authors show the extent to which place is a zone of immanence in which a continual play of de- and re-territorialization occurs.
Fall-Bedding for Reduced Digging Losses and Improved Yield in Strip-Till Peanut
Authors: Jackson J. L. , Beasley J. P. , Tubbs R. S. , Lee R. D. , Grey T. L.
Published: June 2011

Most peanut (Arahcis hypogaea L.) production occurs under highly intensive conventional tillage systems. With recent volatility in input prices, reducing tillage trips is a viable way of reducing production costs. However, growers can experience yield loss when switching from conventional tillage to strip-tillage in peanut on certain soil types due to the lack of an elevated bed at harvest time. Studies were conducted to compare standard strip-till with strip-till on two-row raised beds as well as rip and beds prepared in the fall. Comparisons were made on a coarse textured soil at Tifton, GA and a fine textured soil at Plains, GA. The three bed types, with and without wheat cover, were evaluated over two years at both locations. No effects of cover or interactions with bed type were present. At Plains, the rip and bed and raised bed reduced digging losses by 62 and 47%, respectively. Soil compaction within the harvest depth was reduced by 3.3 and 4.7 times by the raised bed and rip and bed, respectively compared to flat strip-till. The rip and bed increased peanut yield by 465 kg ha−1 over flat bed. At Tifton, no significant differences in yield or digging losses occurred between tillage methods. Soil compaction in the harvest depth was reduced by 1.9 and 2.5 times by raised bed and rip and bed, respectively on this coarse soil type. Reduced compaction and digging losses along with increased yield suggest bedding is more important on finer textured soils.
Implications of fungicide application timing and post-spray irrigation on disease control and peanut yield
Authors: Augusto J. , Brenneman T. B.
Published: June 2011

Applying fungicides at night when the leaves are folded and using irrigation water after application have both been shown to increase deposition of fungicides in the lower plant canopy, improve control of stem rot (caused by Sclerotium rolfsii), and increase peanut (Arachis hypogaea) yield. To evaluate the interactive effects of these two practices, four applications of a protectant fungicide, chlorothalonil (1.26 kg a.i./ha), or a systemic, prothioconazole + tebuconazole (0.23 kg a.i./ha), tebuconazole (0.21 kg a.i./ha), flutolanil + propiconazole (0.45 kg a.i./ha), pyraclostrobin (0.21 kg a.i./ha), or two applications of a systemic, fluoxastrobin (0.17 kg a.i./ha) or azoxystrobin (0.31 kg a.i./ha) were sprayed either at night (3 a.m. to 5 a.m., when peanut leaves were folded) or during daylight (10 a.m. to 12 p.m., when peanut leaves were unfolded). Fungicides were applied as sub-subplots and night and day fungicide application timings as subplots in a split-split plot design with post-spray irrigation and nonpost-spray irrigation as whole plots to evaluate disease control and peanut yield in 2008 and 2009. In 2008, leaf spot intensity (early leaf spot caused by Cercospora arachidicola) was low and disease control was similar regardless of application timing or fungicide across post-spray irrigation treatments. In 2009, leaf spot was severe and disease control for night and day applications of a systemic fungicide was similar across post-spray irrigation, but pyraclostrobin and prothioconazole + tebuconazole had the lowest ratings. Interaction of fungicide, application timing and post-spray irrigation was significant for stem rot and yield. Night application of prothioconazole + tebuconazole, flutolanil + propiconazole or pyraclostrobin showed the most increase in stem rot control and yield compared with day application among the evaluated fungicides, but the positive effects on stem rot control and yield were minimal with post-spray irrigation. The effects of application timing and post-spray irrigation on fungicide efficacy were not the same for all fungicides.
Fertilization of Peanut with Selenium
Authors: Sorensen R. B. , Nuti R. C.
Published: June 2011

Selenium (Se) is identified as an antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic and increasing Se the peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) plant could benefit human and animal health. In 2006, Se was applied to soil at two locations and four concentrations to determine Se concentration in the peanut plant. Selenium (Sodium Selenite) was applied at rates of 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 and 10 mg Se/kg soil. Prior to harvest, plant samples were collected, washed, partitioned, dried, and ground to pass through a 2 mm sieve and analyzed for Se. Composite soil samples were taken prior to peanut digging, air dried, and analyzed for Se. In general, the higher the concentration of Se applied to the soil the higher the concentration of Se in peanut leaf, stem, root, peg, kernel, and hull. There was no difference in Se concentration between sites for leaf, stem, root, or pegs. There was a difference of Se with hulls and kernels between sites possibly attributed to soil series. Pooled data over both sites showed the untreated areas had an average 0.495 mg Se/kg kernel. The 0.5Se and 1Se treatment had an average Se concentration of 3.97 mg Se/kg kernel which could decrease the quantity of peanuts a person would need to consume from 760 to 14 g/day to get the needed requirement of Se. The treatments 5Se and 10Se averaged 16.1 mg Se/kg kernel. Adding Se to the soil can increase Se in the peanut kernel and plant which could be beneficial to human and/or animal health. However, application of high grade Se to peanut land at 0.5 mg Se/kg would cost about $526/ha which may not be economical for the grower.
Weed Management in Evenly-Spaced 38- vs. 76-cm Row Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)
Authors: Stephenson D. O. , Brecke B. J.
Published: June 2011

Research was conducted in Florida in 2005 through 2008 to evaluate weed management systems in narrow (38-cm)- and wide (76-cm)-row peanut. Benghal dayflower control increased when peanut row spacing was narrowed. Paraquat plus bentazon early-postemergence (EPOST) followed by (fb) imazapic or imazethapyr mid-postemergence (MPOST) or chlorimuron late-postmergence (LPOST) controlled Benghal dayflower at least 90%. Imazapic EPOST with or without 2,4-DB MPOST controlled Benghal dayflower 98 to 100%. Diclosulam or flumioxazin preemergence (PRE) fb paraquat plus bentazon EPOST fb 2,4-DB MPOST or either PRE herbicide fb 2,4-DB MPOST did not increase Benghal dayflower control compared with imazapic-containing treatments. Browntop millet control was 98 to 100% for treatments with imazapic or imazethapyr EPOST and control was greater in narrow-row compared to wide-row peanut. All herbicide treatments controlled pitted morningglory at least 90% and peanut row spacing did not influence control. Only treatments with imazapic EPOST as a component controlled sicklepod at least 90%. No difference between peanut row spacing was observed for sicklepod control. Peanut planted in narrow-rows yielded greater than wide-row peanut. Few differences in peanut yield were observed among herbicide treatments, but all herbicide treatments resulted in yields greater than the nontreated control. Data indicates that seeding peanut in narrow-rows will improve Benghal dayflower and browntop millet control and will increase peanut yield compared to wide-row peanut.
Geometry of q-Exponential Family of Probability Distributions
Authors: Amari Shun-ichi , Ohara Atsumi
Published: June 2011

The Gibbs distribution of statistical physics is an exponential family of probability distributions, which has a mathematical basis of duality in the form of the Legendre transformation. Recent studies of complex systems have found lots of distributions obeying the power law rather than the standard Gibbs type distributions. The Tsallis q-entropy is a typical example capturing such phenomena. We treat the q-Gibbs distribution or the q-exponential family by generalizing the exponential function to the q-family of power functions, which is useful for studying various complex or non-standard physical phenomena. We give a new mathematical structure to the q-exponential family different from those previously given. It has a dually flat geometrical structure derived from the Legendre transformation and the conformal geometry is useful for understanding it. The q-version of the maximum entropy theorem is naturally induced from the q-Pythagorean theorem. We also show that the maximizer of the q-escort distribution is a Bayesian MAP (Maximum A posteriori Probability) estimator.
Estimation of Fine Particulate Matter in Taipei Using Landuse Regression and Bayesian Maximum Entropy Methods
Authors: Yu Hwa-Lung , Wang Chih-Hsih , Liu Ming-Che , Kuo Yi-Ming
Published: June 2011

Fine airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) has adverse effects on human health. Assessing the long-term effects of PM2.5 exposure on human health and ecology is often limited by a lack of reliable PM2.5 measurements. In Taipei, PM2.5 levels were not systematically measured until August, 2005. Due to the popularity of geographic information systems (GIS), the landuse regression method has been widely used in the spatial estimation of PM concentrations. This method accounts for the potential contributing factors of the local environment, such as traffic volume. Geostatistical methods, on other hand, account for the spatiotemporal dependence among the observations of ambient pollutants. This study assesses the performance of the landuse regression model for the spatiotemporal estimation of PM2.5 in the Taipei area. Specifically, this study integrates the landuse regression model with the geostatistical approach within the framework of the Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) method. The resulting epistemic framework can assimilate knowledge bases including: (a) empirical-based spatial trends of PM concentration based on landuse regression, (b) the spatio-temporal dependence among PM observation information, and (c) site-specific PM observations. The proposed approach performs the spatiotemporal estimation of PM2.5 levels in the Taipei area (Taiwan) from 2005–2007.