bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
State Fiscal Capacity and Tax Effort: Evidence for Indian States
Authors: Karnik Ajit , Raju Swati
Published: December 2015

This study analyzes the tax effort of 17 Indian states as a means of creating fiscal space. Four individual state-level taxes—stamp duty and registration fees, state sales tax, state excise duty and motor vehicles tax—are studied as well as the total own-tax revenue of states. Stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) models have been estimated for each of the taxes and for own-tax revenue in order to obtain a measure of inefficiency in tax collection. The data used for the SFA models span the time period 2000–2001 to 2010–2011. The results of the estimation exercises point to technical inefficiency as being the primary reason for states being unable to achieve their potential for revenue collection. Possible reasons for this inefficiency are examined. The estimated tax effort points to large budgetary room that states potentially enjoy for the purpose of raising revenues from existing taxes. Rather disconcertingly, the article notes that the average tax effort seems to be declining over time.

JEL Classification: H21, H71
Book Review: Rajat Acharyya and Saibal Kar. International Trade and Economic Development
Authors: Dutta Meghna
Published: December 2015

Rajat Acharyya and Saibal Kar. International Trade and Economic Development. Clarendon, UK: Oxford University Press, 2014, Hardcover £ 30.00.
Draft genome sequence of Halopiger salifodinae KCY07-B2T, an extremly halophilic archaeon isolated from a salt mine
Authors: Zhang Wei-Yan , Hu Jing , Pan Jie , Sun Cong , Wu Min , Xu Xue-Wei
Published: December 2015

Halopiger salifodinae strain KCY07-B2T, isolated from a salt mine in Kuche county, Xinjiang province, China, belongs to the family Halobacteriaceae. It is a strictly aerobic, pleomorphic, rod-shaped, Gram-negative and extremely halophilic archaeon. In this work, we report the features of the type strain KCY07-B2T, together with the draft genome sequence and annotation. The draft genome sequence is composed of 83 contigs for 4,350,718 bp with 65.41 % G + C content and contains 4204 protein-coding genes and 50 rRNA genes.
Daily Fasting Blood Glucose Rhythm in Male Mice: A Role of the Circadian Clock in the Liver
Authors: Ando Hitoshi , Ushijima Kentaro , Shimba Shigeki , Fujimura Akio
Published: December 2015

Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and hepatic glucose production are regulated according to a circadian rhythm. An early morning increase in FBG levels, which is pronounced among diabetic patients, is known as the dawn phenomenon. Although the intracellular circadian clock generates various molecular rhythms, whether the hepatic clock is involved in FBG rhythm remains unclear. To address this issue, we investigated the effects of phase shift and disruption of the hepatic clock on the FBG rhythm. In both C57BL/6J and diabetic ob/ob mice, FBG exhibited significant daily rhythms with a peak at the beginning of the dark phase. Light-phase restricted feeding altered the phase of FBG rhythm mildly in C57BL/6J mice and greatly in ob/ob mice, in concert with the phase shifts of mRNA expression rhythms of the clock and glucose production–related genes in the liver. Moreover, the rhythmicity of FBG and Glut2 expression was not detected in liver-specific Bmal1-deficient mice. Furthermore, treatment with octreotide suppressed the plasma growth hormone concentration but did not affect the hepatic mRNA expression of the clock genes or the rise in FBG during the latter half of the resting phase in C57BL/6J mice. These results suggest that the hepatic circadian clock plays a critical role in regulating the daily FBG rhythm, including the dawn phenomenon.
Reluctant Objects
Authors: Race Kane
Published: December 2015

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has so far emerged as a reluctant object in much gay community discourse, primarily because of its association with the supposed excesses of unbridled sex. Its approval in the United States sparked bitter debate and a new round of sexual health moralism issuing mainly from gay community-based commentators, with initial uptake much slower than expected. This article considers early gay community responses to PrEP and connects them to the failure of existing HIV scientific practices to produce inhabitable sexual pedagogies. The controversy surrounding PrEP speaks to how condoms have been a way to manage communal fears about sexual excess in the era of AIDS, providing not only a latex barrier but also symbolic reassurance that gay sex might in some way be made “safe.” Another mode of attending to what is risky and exciting about sexual and scientific encounters might be possible in conceiving them as events.
Cruising Henry James
Authors: Schmidt Michael D.
Published: December 2015

While it has become nearly axiomatic to read Henry James's style as a privileged site for discussions of the unrepresentability of desire, I argue that in The American Scene James exhibits a literary style intimately related to the historical specificity of homosexual desire and the material networks of male-male cruising. To do so, I focus on James's overriding interest in what he calls “the life ‘socially’ led.” Drawing on his use of the metaphor of a secret garden to praise the Presbyterian Hospital, I show how James's preferred social aesthetic forms appear modeled on a particular form of “the life ‘socially’ led”: the actual network of secret gardens, streets, and parks where men cruised other men. Male homosexual cruising, I suggest, can be read not only as James's model for aesthetic form itself but also as his privileged mode of sociality, and where both should be read as profoundly materialist in their confrontation with an increasingly pervasive commodity culture in America.
Relative Age Effects in Welsh Age Grade Rugby Union
Authors: Lewis Jason , Morgan Kevin , Cooper Stephen-Mark
Published: December 2015

Relative age effect (RAE) refers to the immediate and long-term consequences of age difference within an age grouping. In sporting contexts, it has been widely shown that those born in the first quarter gain an advantage over those born in the last quarter of the year. Rugby Union has received scant attention in relation to RAE. The primary purpose of the present study was to examine the presence and prevalence of RAE in Welsh age grade Rugby Union. A further purpose was to consider how coaches' selection processes have the potential to contribute to the manifestation of RAE. A sequential multi-method research typology was adopted to gain a richer, more contextualized understanding of RAE. Results revealed that RAE was evident in all age groups of Welsh junior club rugby from ‘Under 7–19 yrs'. Odds ratios showed that the magnitude of the RAE increases with the three levels of performance (district, regional and national) above the club game. Further, the process of selection had characteristics that increased the risk of RAE occurring, especially a propensity to use physical characteristics as the primary selection criteria when selecting for representative teams. Also, coaches' overemphasis on game performance and winning appeared to determine that the older, potentially bigger, faster, stronger players are preferred over the younger less physically mature players.
Don't Think about Your Movements: Effects of Attentional Instructions on Rowing Performance
Authors: Schücker Linda , Jedamski Jan , Hagemann Norbert , Vater Hans
Published: December 2015

The beneficial effect of adopting an external as opposed to an internal focus of attention during movement execution is well established for a range of motor tasks. As up-to-date findings in the field of endurance sports using physiological outcome measures are rare, the aim of this study was to examine attentional focus effects in rowing using oxygen consumption (V̇O2) as the main dependent variable. Eighteen experienced athletes rowed three times eight minutes at a submaximum intensity on a rowing ergometer. For each of the three rowing blocks they had to adopt a different focus of attention which was on leg movement (internal), on a video (external) or without instructions (control). Results revealed an increase in V̇O2 in the internal focus condition compared with the external as well as with the control condition. We conclude that it is an internal focus that led to performance decrements rather than an external focus enhancing performance. The implications of these findings for application in practice are discussed.
Effects of Unstable and Stable Resistance Training on Strength, Power, and Sensorimotor Abilities in Adolescent Surfers
Authors: Tran Tai T. , Nimphius Sophia , Lundgren Lina , Secomb Josh , Farley Oliver R.L. , Haff G. Gregory , Newton Robert U. , Brown Lee E. , Sheppard Jeremy M.
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate two different resistance-training interventions (unstable or stable) on strength, power, and sensorimotor abilities in adolescent surfers. Ten competitive female and male high school surfers were assessed before and after each of 2 × 7-week training intervention, using a within-subjects cross-over study design. Results for strength revealed no condition-by-time interaction or main effect for condition. However, there was a significant main effect for time, with significant strength gains post-training. There was a significant condition-by-time interaction for power exhibited as a significant decrease from pre- to post-training in the unstable condition, while the stable condition approached significant improvement. These results suggest that unstable and stable resistance training are both effective in developing strength in previously untrained competitive surfers, but with little effect on sensorimotor abilities. However, unstable training is inferior for the development of lower body power in this population.
Resistance Training for Shoulder Complex Stabilization
Authors: McCurdy Kevin , Vela Luzita
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this review is to provide resistance training recommendations to improve shoulder joint stabilization based on shoulder mechanics and mechanisms of injury. The shoulder encounters external axial loading and internal forces from the shoulder musculature that can lead to injury with shoulder stabilization weakness. Training the musculature to stabilize the shoulder increases the likelihood of achieving muscle balance and reducing the risk of injury. The selected exercises and exercise prescriptions are recommended to create this balance to prevent shoulder impingement and injury caused by common axial loading.
AVALIAÇÃO DO EFEITO DO AMBIENTE DE LOJA ON-LINE NAS INTENÇÕES DE APROXIMAÇÃO E REJEIÇÃO DOS CONSUMIDORES: UMA ANÁLISE POR MEIO DO PARADIGMA ESTÍMULO-ORGANISMO-RESPOSTA
Authors: Lopes Evandro Luiz , Lopes Eliane Herrero
Published: December 2015

O propósito deste estudo é analisar a influência do ambiente de lojas online nas intenções de aproximação e rejeição dos consumidores, por meio do paradigma Estímulo-Organismo-Resposta. Com os dados de um survey, que coletou informações de 1.437 consumidores de um varejista virtual, analisados por meio de equações estruturais com estimação dos mínimos quadrados parciais, testamos as relações de um modelo conceitual previamente concebido. Os resultados obtidos identificaram a importância relativa das dimensões do ambiente de loja virtual na formação das emoções, positivas e negativas, e o efeito destas nas intenções comportamentais da amostra.
CONSTRUÇÃO DE MERCADOS: UM ESTUDO NO MERCADO DE NOTEBOOKS PARA BAIXA RENDA
Authors: Nogami Vitor Koki da Costa , Vieira Francisco Giovanni David , Medeiros Juliana
Published: December 2015

O presente artigo busca investigar a construção de mercados sob a perspectiva da literatura de Market-Making, especificamente em práticas de mercado, representadas pelas práticas de troca, práticas normativas e práticas representacionais; e na relação entre as organizações e o mercado, representada pela co-criação de valor entre os diferentes agentes. Como recorte empírico foi escolhido o mercado de notebooks para baixa renda. A coleta de dados foi realizada in loco com consumidores, varejistas e fabricantes, foram realizadas entrevistas do tipo survey e observação nas lojas e em websites. Os resultados apontam que a formatação deste mercado acontece em polos comerciais de ruas, devido à concentração de lojas e alto fluxo de pessoas; e o principal valor co-criado por esses agentes é o prazo de pagamento. Ademais, o artigo contribui com uma pesquisa teórico-empírica utilizando a literatura de Market-Making, ainda inicial na área de Marketing.
GESTÃO PORTUÁRIA NO BRASIL: CRIAÇÃO OU DESTRUIÇÃO DE VALOR?
Authors: Alves Alex da Silva , Da Silva João Gabriel Saraceni Lima
Published: December 2015

A gestão portuária, atividade que no Brasil vem tipicamente sendo realizada por entidades da administração pública, poderá ser executada por agentes de natureza privada. No entanto, há de se observar que diversas organizações responsáveis pela gestão de portos organizados no Brasil experimentaram desempenhos financeiros muito modestos, por vezes deficitários. Quando não deficitários, parte substancial dos ganhos se deu por receitas financeiras pouco ou nada vinculadas ao desempenho operacional do empreendimento. Tais aspectos ilustram a principal problemática abordada neste trabalho, definida pelo questionamento de quão atrativo realmente é o desempenho operacional dos portos brasileiros para o setor privado. Sob a perspectiva da geração de valor, neste trabalho apresenta-se uma análise fundamentada na métrica de Valor Econômico Adicionado, ou Economic Value Added (EVA), que busca entender as principais características associadas à gestão destes empreendimentos, além de observar como determinados fatores se relacionam na criação de valor para esta atividade.
AVALIANDO AS RELAÇÕES ENTRE ABORDAGEM BIOPSICOSSOCIAL DE QUALIDADE DE VIDA NO TRABALHO E A SÍNDROME DE BURNOUT
Authors: Charão Brito Lucas , Hennig Silva Andressa , Souto Bolzan Medeiros Flaviani , Obregon Sandra Leonara , Dias Lopes Luis Felipe
Published: December 2015

A síndrome de burnout apresenta atitudes como exaustão física e emocional, problemas nos relacionamentos interpessoais, sentimentos de baixa eficácia pessoal e produtividade. Com intuito de minimizar o estresse no trabalho e inibir o desenvolvimento desta síndrome, emerge a Qualidade de Vida no Trabalho (QVT). Nesse sentido, este artigo foi desenvolvido com o propósito de identificar as relações entre QVT e Burnout. A amostra estudada refere-se a uma survey com 575 indivíduos. Os dados foram analisados através de estatística descritiva e análise de correspondência. Como principais resultados evidencia-se que profissionais insatisfeitos com os programas de QVT apresentam maior predisposição no desenvolvimento da síndrome.
FRAUDE CONTÁBIL: ANÁLISE EMPÍRICA À LUZ DOS PRESSUPOSTOS TEÓRICOS DO TRIÂNGULO DA FRAUDE E DOS ESCÂNDALOS CORPORATIVOS
Authors: Condé Robson Augusto Dainez , Almeida Carlos Otávio Ferreira de , Quintal Renato Santiago
Published: December 2015

O presente estudo é uma investigação empírica de natureza qualitativa cujo objetivo é descrever, a partir dos pressupostos teóricos do triângulo da fraude (Cressey, 1953) e dos escândalos corporativos (Coffee Jr., 2005), características da fraude nas demonstrações contábeis de uma empresa norte-americana. Buscou-se investigar as motivações e finalidades da ação fraudulenta, os métodos de manipulação contábil utilizados e a governança corporativa da organização. O método de pesquisa utilizado foi o estudo de caso, cuja seleção foi feita com base em um rol de escândalos contábeis citado em pesquisas anteriores. Considerando-se o modelo de governança corporativa da empresa, pode-se explicar, pela teoria dos escândalos corporativos e pela teoria do triângulo da fraude, a motivação e o método de operacionalização da fraude, assim como a finalidade do agente fraudador. A relevância do estudo consiste na análise empírica de teorias pouco pesquisadas, possibilitando refletir se empresariado, gestores e acionistas brasileiros estariam sujeitos às mesmas mazelas observadas nas ações fraudulentas de corporações norte-americanas.
SATISFAÇÃO COM O CONSUMO DE VESTUÁRIO FEMININO DE TAMANHOS ESPECIAIS
Authors: Frederico Elias , Torres Rosane Rivera , Rodriguez Gabriela Caitano , Silva Bruna Munhoz
Published: December 2015

Investigou-se, em uma amostra não probabilística de 231 consumidoras, o consumo de vestuário feminino de tamanhos especiais. A revisão bibliográfica e um estudo exploratório possibilitaram identificar os fatores influenciadores da satisfação: as expectativas e as experiências com os aspectos do produto e da loja e os aspectos psicológicos. Os resultados indicam que a experiência com a marca e com a loja e os aspectos psicológicos influenciam a satisfação. Constatou-se também que mulheres mais jovens, com maior escolaridade e renda e que usam tamanhos menores tendem a ter mais expectativas e exigir mais para se sentirem satisfeitas.
CONFIGURAÇÕES ESTRATÉGICAS EM MICRO E PEQUENAS EMPRESAS: UM LEVANTAMENTO NO MUNICÍPIO DE LONDRINA/PR
Authors: Gimenez Fernando  Antonio Prado  , Melatti Gerson Antonio , Amâncio-Vieira Saulo Fabiano , Negreiros Letícia Fernandes de , Pereira Renata Storti
Published: December 2015

Este artigo busca verificar a existência de diferentes configurações no processo de formação da estratégia em micro e pequenas empresas do município de Londrina/PR. O referencial teórico aborda contexto ambiental, o tipo de estratégia adotada, o grau empreendedor bem como as formas de desenvolvimento da estratégia das micro e pequenas empresas. A pesquisa define-se como quantitativa e descritiva, caracterizando-se como um survey em 219 organizações de Londrina/PR. Os resultados indicam que as MPES de Londrina possuem como perfil estratégico dominante o ambiente local e estão constantemente analisando seu ambiente de atuação para desenvolver novos conceitos. Ao analisar o perfil das empresas por ramo de atividade observam-se semelhanças na maioria das configurações estratégicas, sendo a principal diferença o tipo de estratégia adotada pelo comércio e indústria que difere do tipo estratégico das empresas de serviços; enquanto comércio e industria são mais cautelosos e estáveis, as empresas de serviços ousam mais.
REPATRIATION: REFLECTIONS ON ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON INDIVIDUALS, AROUND THE GLOBE
Authors: Bianchi Eliane Maria Pires Giavina
Published: December 2015

This paper aims to understand and analyze the field and focus of study on repatriation, promoting a discussion based on specific literature review. The motivation of this research comes from some precariousness in the emphasis to this stage of the process given by academic studies. Having the organization as field of study, the reviewed studies reinforce the practices and roles on a universalistic approach and, afterwards, aggregate the perspective of differentiation between size and moment of the company. In most cases, they are theoretical propositions, which have not been tested. On the other hand, the studies that emphasize the individuals reinforce individual nuances and changing processes, questioning the organizational practices, challenging the adoption of the Universalistic approach. Subjects such as knowledge (retention and management) and ROI were little discussed by this paper due to the few references available, but will be key to the future of the field.
Exploring the ONC's Health IT Dashboard
Authors: Fox Brent I. , Felkey Bill G.
Published: December 2015

Readers are living the reality of the government's efforts to move the United States health care system into an electronic environment. It is often easy to develop tunnel vision and focus on efforts at your home institution. In this column, we explore a big picture perspective using an online resource that provides national-level data focused on specific areas of interest.
Fashion and fandom on TV and social media: Claire Underwood’s power dressing
Authors: Andò Romana
Published: December 2015

This article seeks to discuss the relation between TV series characters, fashion and fandom through social media. It focuses on a specific kind of TV series, quality dramas, and in particular Netflix’s House of Cards (Netflix, 2013–). This series is a model example of the way clothing is a key factor that elicits audience engagement: the fashion universe of the female protagonist, Claire Underwood, is clearly included in the story, contributing to the definition of both the environment and the character. The relevance of style, outfits, clothes and fashion accessories is underlined by several online fandom interactions: audiences talk daily about how particular characters dress or act, check and share information and images about outfits and brands and buy online the products seen on TV. Audience members build and negotiate their gender identity through a performative self-representation, using (buying and wearing) fashion-symbolic materials provided by TV. These practices, now enabled by the social TV phenomenon, allow audiences to engage with the contents in a sort of expanded TV experience, which is the focus of this article. In particular, the aim of the article is to explore the process of fashion appropriation and reworking enacted by the audience with respect to Claire Underwood’s power dressing and to provide evidence as to how TV shows can offer diverse fashion experiences by which individuals can be inspired in representing the self.
A close shave: The taboo on female body hair
Authors: Smelik Anneke
Published: December 2015

In the past two decades body hair has fast become a taboo for women. The empirical data of sociological and medical research reveal that the vast majority of women remove most of their body hair since the beginning of this century. Body hair is typically a marker that polices significant boundaries: between human–animal, male–female and adult–child. Removal or refusal to remove body hair places the female body on either side of the boundary, thus upholding and displacing binary oppositions between fundamental categories. The new beauty ideal requires techniques of control, manipulation and self-improvement. This article first assesses how empirical studies map and confirm existing trends of body hair removal, and then explores indepth the cultural reasons for the development of the normative ideal of a hairless female body. While body hair functions socially as a taboo, it refers psychologically to the realm of the abject. One line of argument places the taboo in the realm of abjection, while another argument attempts to demystify the Freudian anxieties surrounding the visibility and invisibility of the female sex organ. While the hairless body connotes perfected femininity, it simultaneously betrays a fear of adult female sexuality. The hairless body may be picture-perfect, but its emphasis on visual beauty runs the risk of disavowing the carnality of lived life. The hair-free trend of today’s beauty ideals affirms that the twenty-first-century body is a work in progress.
DISTRIBUIÇÃO DE NaCl NO QUEIJO REINO AO LONGO DA MATURAÇÃO
Authors: Barbosa Taveira Lia , Golin Bueno Costa Renata , Gonçalves Costa Júnior Luiz Carlos , Sobral Denise , Jacinto de Paula Junio César
Published: December 2015

O objetivo foi determinar o tempo mínimo necessário para a distribuição igualitária do sal em todas as partes do queijo Reino, ou seja, desde a superfície até o centro, e verificar se houve diferença significativa nessa distribuição em diferentes condições de maturação. Os queijos de um mesmo lote foram submetidos a dois tratamentos, com diferentes temperaturas, umidade relativa do ar e também com e sem embalagem. No primeiro tratamento o queijo foi maturado sem embalagem termoencolhível, à temperatura de 18 °C a 22 °C, com 55% - 65% de URA. Já no segundo tratamento, o queijo inicialmente foi maturado sem embalagem (apenas nos cinco primeiros dias) e nas mesmas condições do primeiro tratamento e, após este período, foi embalado em película termoencolhível e maturado a 5 °C - 10 °C, com 70% - 80% de URA, até completar o tempo de maturação total estipulado. A caracterização do perfil de distribuição de sal nos queijos Reino foi conduzida por meio da determinação do teor percentual de cloreto de sódio (m/m) nas porções centrais, intermediárias e superficiais. A análise de variância indicou que não houve diferença entre os tratamentos na distribuição de sal no queijo Reino, porém, houve diferença entre a porção de queijo analisada e o tempo de maturação, o que demonstrou a dependência da distribuição do sal em função destas variáveis. Conclui-se que a partir do 27º dia após a fabricação, o sal se distribui homogeneamente em todas as partes do queijo Reino, independentemente das diferentes condições empregadas na maturação.
PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND RHEOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF COMMERCIAL DAIRY FERMENTED BEVERAGES
Authors: MENDONÇA KAMILLA SOARES , Gonçalves Bárbara Jordana , Teixeira Jacyara Thaís , Pinto Sandra Maria , De Abreu Luiz Ronaldo
Published: December 2015

O Regulamento Técnico de Identidade e Qualidade de Bebida Láctea estabelece poucos parâmetros às bebidas lácteas, o que pode comprometer o fornecimento de um produto padronizado ao consumidor. O levantamento das características físico-químicas fornece informações que permitem a padronização e conferem mais segurança ao consumidor, enquanto a caracterização reológica é importante para o processamento. Amostras de cinco marcas comerciais de bebidas lácteas fermentadas sabor morango, com dez a quatorze dias de fabricação, de três diferentes lotes foram analisadas em triplicata quanto aos teores de proteína, gordura, pH, acidez titulável total, extrato seco total, resíduo mineral fixo e teor de lactose. Foi executada ainda a determinação colorimétrica e verificação da presença de amido. Os testes reológicos foram executados em reômetro rotacional e os dados ajustados pelo modelo de Herschel-Bulkley. A análise estatística foi feita por análise de variância e teste de médias de Tukey com 5% de significância. As análises mostraram que os teores de lipídios de três marcas estavam abaixo dos exigidos na legislação. Além disso, foi detectada a presença de amido na composição de todas as bebidas analisadas. Tanto para os parâmetros físico-químicos como reológicos as marcas de bebidas lácteas examinadas diferiram entre si em relação a diversos parâmetros. Esses resultados indicaram a necessidade de se estabelecer padrões bem definidos de identidade e qualidade objetivando o controle de qualidade do produto e a segurança do consumidor.
Hepatoprotective effect of aqueous extract of cardamom against gentamicin induced hepatic damage in rats
Authors: Aboubakr Mohamed , Abdelazem Abdelazem Mohamed
Published: December 2015

The study was designed to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extract of cardamom in acute experimental liver injury induced by gentamicin. Twenty four male albino rats were randomly divided into four groups (six rats in each). Animals of the first group served as control and orally (p.o.) received (1 ml/kg saline). The second experimental group was given gentamicin (80 mg/kg i.p.) for 7 days. Third and fourth groups were given aqueous extract of cardamom (100 and 200 mg/kg p.o.) + gentamicin for 7 days, respectively. The degree of hepatoprotection was measured using serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), bilirubin, albumin, and lipid profile levels. In the acute liver damage induced by gentamicin, cardamom aqueous extracts (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reduced the elevated serum levels of AST, ALT, bilirubin, cholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-chol) in gentamicin induced hepatotoxicity. Also cardamom aqueous extracts (100 & 200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly increased the lowered serum levels of albumin and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-chol) in gentamicin induced hepatotoxicity rats. Histopathological examination of the liver tissues supported the hepatoprotection. Our findings concluded that cardamom aqueous extracts possessed hepatoprotective activity against gentamicin induced hepatotoxicity in rats.
Environmentální prvky jako součást skrytého kurikula v učebnici anglického jazyka
Authors: Kubrická Jana , Hromádka Zdeněk
Published: December 2015

The paper deals with the environmental content in an English foreign language textbook Time to Talk. The purpose of the text is to classify environmental elements in the textbook in the context of Czech curricular documents for environmental education and analyse the presentation of this content. The potential ideological message and the degree of manipulativeness of the environmental content is described by selected techniques of critical discourse analysis and the concept of open and closed text. In total 4 texts and 19 tasks are analysed. The results of the analysis imply that the textbook can be used in teaching the cross-curricular topic environmental education as it is related to the key topics of Czech curricular documents. Special attention is paid to ideological elements in closed texts where the environmental content is presented as unquestionable and presupposes the reader ́s passive cooperation.
Jak lidově na outdoorové vzdělávání v Jižní Americe?
Authors: Kmínek Jiří
Published: December 2015

There has been an “afternoon school” called Imagion in Pucallpa on the Ucayali River for the last 8 years. The goal of this school in Peru is not to substitute primary education, but to nurture a relationship to the wilderness. The author (with permission from Dr. Jan Dungel from Vracov) has used approximately 300 of his excellent paintings of wild South American fauna. These unique pictures have not only an educational value, but are also poetic. They are installed within a labyrinth which has about 400 possible paths through it – their placement imitates the jungle. Children go through the maze with a guide, with their friends or alone, and learn to recognize different species. They also put on theater performances in the school from the Amazon’s very rich mythology. Overall, this “teaching” is directed, inter alia, against prejudice, gossipy spiritualism and shamanism. In 2016, the project will move to one charming town under the eastern foothills of the Andes mountains in the jungle. In Satipo it will offer decent accommodation at cost price to about 20 European teachers for any length of time. And then an international Imagion campus for environmental and other types of schools will be patiently built there over a number of years.
Aké sú postoje žiakov základných škôl na Slovensku k vydre riečnej? What are the attitudes of primary school pupils in Slovakia toward the Eurasian Otter?
Authors: Urban Peter
Published: December 2015

The aim of this paper was to find out the attitudes of  primary school students from all over Slovakia towards the  Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). The survey was carried out in 2013 and 2014. The investigation into pupils’ attitudes was based on a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire contained 20 questions. Primary school pupils were together distributed and received 1,162 questionnaires, of which 258 (22,2 %) were in an electronic version and 904 (77,8 %) in print version. We assessed only complete questionnaires, derived from 1,149 students, 534 (46,5 %) males and 615 (53,5 %) females. Their average age was 11,2 (Min = 10, Max = 15). The results showed that the majority of pupils know about the otter and its food sources.  Most information about otters was received from the school, television and the internet. Pupils had positive attitudes toward otters and their conservation. Most of them demonstrated their willingness to engage in the protection of otters.
Philosophy of Ecology as a Specific and Direct Method of Ecological and Humanistic Research and Management
Authors: Vladyková Lubov
Published: December 2015

The philosophy of ecology is an intersectional, multi-discursive foundation, which covers a vast area characterised by an extensive research agenda, connecting a number of established scientific disciplines. It is our aim to highlight the interdisciplinary character of the problem under discussion, as well as the fact that different conceptions of the philosophy of ecology would be hard to sustain and hard to respect if they did not respond to the findings of latest research, be it in the field of ecology or in the field of philosophy. In order to be able to envisage a future for the Earth that would be sustainable in the long term, we need knowledge and we need to internalise a method for evaluating information, which would enable us to discard irrelevant information in times of critical change.
Využití modelu RWL pro evaluaci pobytového programu
Authors: Činčera Jan
Published: December 2015

On the basis of a specific example, the article discusses the application of the Real World Learning (RWL) model for an evaluation of a residential environmental education program. It describes the application of the model for an entry program analysis, the formulation of key concepts and a follow-up observation of the program. In conclusion it discusses the strong and weak points of the model's application in evaluation practice. The model is rated as a useful but demanding tool requiring experienced evaluators.
K personální etice
Authors: Svobodová Zuzana
Published: December 2015

In the text entitled "The Ethics of Persona" are successively opened following questions: What is the basis of ethics? What constitutes the humanity of man? How have views of human nature in history changed? What has the discovery of the subject-object approach to the world meant? Why do we now talk about the need for a new ethics? After emphasizing the role of communication in the human being, a consequence of the difference of social or individual bases of human existence is shown. Also depicted is the gradual discovery of the personal dimension of man and the tension, which can be   expressed following Levinas's formulation, as a question: nominative, or accusative? Referring to the prioritisation of accusative "selves" before the nominative "Ego" leads to the prioritisation of responsibility and care as the (existential) significant ethical basis for the meaningful development of man and the world.
Možnosti a rizika využití otevřených vzdělávacích zdrojů v environmentálních oborech na vysokoškolské úrovni v ČR: kritéria pro posouzení kvality
Authors: Dlouhá Jana , Petiška Eduard , Dlouhý Jiří , Kapitulčinová Dana
Published: December 2015

The expansion of open educational resources (OER) in documents and practice at various levels is related to, among other things, the options these resources offer for the study, sharing, and possibly joint creation of information materials. This has important implications for the knowledge economy, but also the ways of its production and reproduction in education. The article introduces the concept of OER from a legislative perspective (copyright issues), its role in global commitments to sustainable development and particularly in relation to the teaching/learning methods and approaches in the process of their current transformation; the innovative potential of OER for the multidisciplinary field of environment and sustainable development is highlighted. A brief overview of the types of OER which are available in the Czech Republic for the study of environmental and sustainability fields is provided, and qualitative methods of analysis are used to develop a set of criteria through which the quality of the resource can be easily assessed. Different types of OER are evaluated according to these criteria and the overall character of the information environment available to university students is discussed. This brief overview is concluded by underlining significant opportunities of OER particularly in the environment and sustainability oriented disciplines owing to the multidisciplinary nature of these fields. These opportunities, however, are not fully exploited especially because the quality of these resources available on the internet is difficult to assess. Another issue is also the possibility that students themselves are not skilled in distinguishing the quality of resources, and perhaps the reluctance of university teachers to encourage and support students in applying consistent ethical standards in their use of materials in their studies.
Permit to sell alcoholic beverages: optimisation of the procedure of issuing decisions
Authors: Kisiel Wiesław
Published: December 2015

Retail trade in alcoholic beverages may be carried out in Poland upon obtainment of an individual permit issued by the mayor of the respective municipality. The proposal presented in this paper is to modify the discretionary power of an administrative agency that issues such individualdecisions. The criteria for successful application should be made public before the very first application is submitted.For an applicant seeking an individual permit, a local self-government is nothing else but a model of democratic staffing of local public offices, not a safeguard of an individual’s legal interests. Therefore, entrusting a local self-government entity with the authority to issue discretionary decisions in individual cases does not relieve the parliament of the responsibility to protect the addressees of discretionary decisions against arbitrary choices by a local self-government authority. Every time a local self-government decides on public law duties and prerogatives of an individual whilst not-being a unit of public administration, a negative presumption of competence should apply that ‘nothing, not expressly permitted by law is allowed to be used by an administrative authority.’
Ewolucja systemu kontroli wewnętrznej w jednostkach samorządu terytorialnego na przestrzeni 25 lat samorządności w Polsce
Authors: Budzeń Daniel
Published: December 2015

Artykuł jest podsumowaniem funkcjonowania systemu kontroli wewnętrznej w jednostkach samorządu terytorialnego w Polsce z okazji 25-lecia istnienia samorządu. Autor prezentuje najważniejsze kwestie związane z kontrolą wewnętrzną w administracji publicznej. Zwrócono również uwagę na realizację kontroli zarządczej w sektorze samorządowym. W publikacji zaprezentowano schemat ewolucji kontroli wewnętrznej w jednostkach samorządu terytorialnego z uwzględnieniem pełnego wdrożenia koncepcji New Public Management. Autor koncentruje się na najważniejszych kwestiach związanych z systemem kontroli wewnętrznej. Zaprezentowano również wyniki ankiety poruszającej problematykę wdrożenia oraz roli kontroli zarządczej i audytu wewnętrznego w samorządzie lokalnym. Jest to również próba zwrócenia uwagi na konieczność zmiany mentalności i świadomości społeczeństwa, zarówno pracowników administracji, jak i mieszkańców.
Confined Pressuremeter Tests for the Assessment of the Theoretically Back-Calculated Cross-Anisotropic Elastic Moduli
Authors: Foriero Adolfo , Ciza Ferdinand
Published: December 2015

This study considered the determination of the elastic cross-anisotropic moduli of two base course materials. The cross-anisotropic moduli were back-calculated from a series of vertical and horizontal laboratory pressuremeter tests in a confined mold. First, a theoretical model of an expanding cylindrical cavity in an elastic cross-anisotropic confined medium was developed. Subsequently, an estimate of four (Ghh, μ′hh, μ′vh, μ′hv) of the five independent cross-anisotropic moduli were determined based on a fixed point iteration scheme, which processed the analytically back-calculated test results. Finally, in order to assess the estimated moduli, results of the finite element simulations of the pressuremeter lab tests were compared with the actual measurements.
The Cultural Center
Authors: Cupers Kenny
Published: December 2015

The Cultural Center: Architecture as Cultural Policy in Postwar Europe examines how culture became an explicit domain of state policy in postwar Europe and why the modern architecture of cultural centers and culture halls became central to such policy. Kenny Cupers uses a variety of archival and primary sources to analyze maisons de la culture in France and Kulturpaläste or Kulturhäuser in the German Democratic Republic during the 1960s and 1970s. Focusing on the roles of bureaucrats, policy makers, and designers, he reveals how architecture articulated cultural politics in which participation was harnessed to bolster the intervention of the state in everyday life—whether through unqualified support, as in France, or through often-oppressive regulation, as in the GDR. This premise is what shaped the design approaches of programmatic integration, polyvalence, and communication for new cultural institutions across the Cold War divide.
A case of severe ectopic ACTH syndrome from an occult primary – diagnostic and management dilemmas
Authors: Venugopal Harish , Griffin Katherine , Amer Saima
Published: December 2015

Resection of primary tumour is the management of choice in patients with ectopic ACTH syndrome. However, tumours may remain unidentified or occult in spite of extensive efforts at trying to locate them. This can, therefore, pose a major management issue as uncontrolled hypercortisolaemia can lead to life-threatening infections. We present the case of a 66-year-old gentleman with ectopic ACTH syndrome from an occult primary tumour with multiple significant complications from hypercortisolaemia. Ectopic nature of his ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome was confirmed by non-suppression with high-dose dexamethasone suppression test and bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling. The primary ectopic source remained unidentified in spite of extensive anatomical and functional imaging studies, including CT scans and Dotatate-PET scan. Medical adrenolytic treatment at maximum tolerated doses failed to control his hypercortisolaemia, which led to recurrent intra-abdominal and pelvic abscesses, requiring multiple surgical interventions. Laparoscopic bilateral adrenalectomy was considered but decided against given concerns of technical difficulties due to recurrent intra-abdominal infections and his moribund state. Eventually, alcohol ablation of adrenal glands by retrograde adrenal vein approach was attempted, which resulted in biochemical remission of Cushing's syndrome. Our case emphasizes the importance of aggressive management of hypercortisolaemia in order to reduce the associated morbidity and mortality and also demonstrates that techniques like percutaneous adrenal ablation using a retrograde venous approach may be extremely helpful in patients who are otherwise unable to undergo bilateral adrenalectomy.

Learning points

Evaluation and management of patients with ectopic ACTH syndrome from an unidentified primary tumour can be very challenging.

Persisting hypercortisolaemia in this setting can lead to debilitating and even life-threatening complications and hence needs to be managed aggressively.

Bilateral adrenalectomy should be considered when medical treatment is ineffective or poorly tolerated.

Percutaneous adrenal ablation may be considered in patients who are otherwise unable to undergo bilateral adrenalectomy.
Rendering the Intractable More Tractable: Tools from Caenorhabditis elegans Ripe for Import into Parasitic Nematodes
Authors: Ward Jordan D
Published: December 2015

Recent and rapid advances in genetic and molecular tools have brought spectacular tractability to Caenorhabditis elegans, a model that was initially prized because of its simple design and ease of imaging. C. elegans has long been a powerful model in biomedical research, and tools such as RNAi and the CRISPR/Cas9 system allow facile knockdown of genes and genome editing, respectively. These developments have created an additional opportunity to tackle one of the most debilitating burdens on global health and food security: parasitic nematodes. I review how development of nonparasitic nematodes as genetic models informs efforts to import tools into parasitic nematodes. Current tools in three commonly studied parasites (Strongyloides spp., Brugia malayi, and Ascaris suum) are described, as are tools from C. elegans that are ripe for adaptation and the benefits and barriers to doing so. These tools will enable dissection of a huge array of questions that have been all but completely impenetrable to date, allowing investigation into host–parasite and parasite–vector interactions, and the genetic basis of parasitism.
“Ukrainian soil properties” database and its application
Authors: Laktionova T. , Medvedev V. , Savchenko K. , Bigun O. , Nakis’ko S. , Sheyko S.
Published: December 2015

The structure and the main characteristics of the multi-purpose soil database “Ukrainian Soil Properties”, de- signed on the basis of the data of long-term soil studies comprisin, analysis of the samples and mapping of the soils are presented. The attributive data for the 2,075 soil profiles are ranked and grouped into nine separate thematic tables. The key field of each table is the indexing number for the soil profile. It ensures a genuine link between the profile sets of attributive data and the cartographic units on the soil maps in the different scales, on the map chart of economic and agricultural zoning and the administrative map of Ukraine. The main indicators of the soil properties were determined; the legends of both Ukrainian and the WRB classifications were used to code the names of soils. The main results of scientific research were listed, including the ones, obtained in the framework of international projects, implemented using the mentioned database.
The features of microbiota isolated from the honeycombs with affected bee brood
Authors: Yaroshko O. , Halata M. , Shepelevych V. , Stepura L. , Grytsenko L. , Yavorska N. , Svyatetska V. , Voychuk S. , Yefimenko T.
Published: December 2015

Aim. To investigate the microbiota of honeycombs with affected bee brood. Methods. Visual, immunochro- matographic, cultural-morphological, biochemical, electron-microscopic methods were used to isolate and previously identify a number of microorganisms. Results. 10 samples of honeycombs with sealed brood were studied. The following agents of bee diseases were isolated and previously identifi ed: Paenibacillus larvae – American foulbrood; Вasillus paraalvei – parafoulbrood; Melissococcus pluton – European foulbrood. Con- clusions. The number of cocci, spore-forming coli and yeasts, found in the samples of honeycombs, commonly represent normal microfl ora of bees, but their number increases signifi cantly in case of viral and bacterial infections.
Reactions of physiological systems in the organisms of rats to feeding with low and high doses of germanium “nanoaquacitrate”
Authors: Fedoruk R. , Dolaychuk O. , Kovalchuk I. , Tsap M.
Published: December 2015

Aim. To investigate the genetic structure of New Zealand white rabbits population by different types of DNA- markers. Methods. The individual genotypes of animals were identifi ed using the polymerase chain reaction with further determination of the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP-analysis). Results. The data on the distribution of allele variants of molecular markers in the population of rabbits were obtained; the impact of the genotype factor on meat production, prolifi cacy and milk production traits was determined. The relationship between genotypes by polymorphic DNA-markers of myostatin and progesterone receptor of animals and the values of meat productivity traits and reproduction capability was established. It was demonstrated that TT homozygotes excel other animals in the indices of average daily growth, while GG homozygotes excel others in prolifi cacy. Conclusions. The “desired” genotypes by myostatin gene (CC) and myostatin of rabbits were revealed. They may be used for targeted
selection with the purpose of increasing the indices of meat production.