bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Introduction
Authors: Takezawa Yasuko , Okihiro Gary Y.
Published: May 2017

The Introduction explains how the book was generated through a series of dialogues between Japan- and US-based scholars held in Japan and the US. Those engagements highlighted what the contributors considered to be the subject matters and issues at stake in the field called “Japanese American studies.” While tracing the field’s literature and its past achievements in each country, the authors point out the field’s neglect in accounting for the subject positions, political commitments, and historical and social contexts of scholars and their consequences for their choice of subject matters and approaches to Japanese American studies. Finally, the Introduction describes the book’s structure and offers a brief summary of each chapter.
Shifting Grounds in Japanese American Studies
Authors: Takezawa Yasuko
Published: May 2017

By taking the examples of translations associated with “race” and “class” used in early Japanese American history, this chapter calls attention to the changes of the meaning and associated epistemological transformations through the translation of these terms from Japanese to English. It also provides the historical context in which Japanese American studies developed in Japan and discusses the strength and weakness of the field in Japan and in the United States with focus given to such issues as subject matter, production of knowledge, and socio-political context.
The Making of a Japanese American Race, and Why Are There No “Immigrants” in Postwar Nikkei History and Community?
Authors: Azuma Eiichiro
Published: May 2017

This study examines how orthodox narratives of Japanese American experience in popular and academic discourse have contributed to the skewed way in which the membership of Japanese America has been defined and its boundaries cemented since the 1910s. That process entails glorification and demonization of certain types of Japanese Americans as well as exclusion of other individuals from the race history. Based on the accumulated effects of such discursive contrivances, the established notions of community, identity, history, and indeed race in contemporary Japanese America have affirmed and even encouraged the marginalization of anomalous historical agents—like Kibei—while rendering others—like postwar immigrants—as perpetual co-ethnic foreigners.
Asian American History across the Pacific
Authors: Kurashige Lon
Published: May 2017

I have never had the opportunity to reflect on my developing interest in Japan, so I welcome the invitation by Professors Takezawa and Okihiro to consider my positionality as a researcher of Asian American history. I do this in light of the exchange between U.S.-based and Japan-based scholars of Nikkei studies held in Shinagawa (Tokyo) in July 2012. This reflection is rooted in personal views, memories, and experiences, because these have been the most powerful influences on my thinking. Yet in focusing on the personal I will not ignore structures of colonialism and racism that have shaped my personal identity within the United States and Japan....
The Gusuku Period
Authors: Akamine Mamoru
Published: May 2017

This chapter looks at the Gusuku period
(roughly the fifteenth century), when Ryukyu was divided into two cultural spheres – northern and southern. This period saw the rise of local fiefs, and increased trade between them and others in East Asia (Japan, China, Korea, etc.). The chapter describes how Song China developed an East Asian Trade sphere that encompassed all the surrounding countries, including the various fiefdoms in the Ryukyu Islands. The Ryukyus specialized in sulphur and mother-of-pearl, both in high demand in the region. As Japan ceased trading directly with China, Ryukyu became an important go-between.
Reform and Sinification of the Kingdom
Authors: Akamine Mamoru
Published: May 2017

In mid-1600s, Ryukyu reformed government to better align with Tokugawa Japan. This chapter details how class distinctions were codified and genealogies (kafu) became important, and also provides a description of the reorganized royal government. Ryukyu learned to play both sides—remaining a tributary state of China, and a vassal of Satsuma. Ryukyu began to “sinify” as a means to counterbalance Satsuma’s rule; yet Satsuma also benefited, since its “vassal,” Ryukyu, thereby maintained China’s trust. This chapter details aspects of Chinese culture, including architecture, feng shui, and family names, which Ryukyu embraced. The Kumemura district, home of many Chinese and Chinese scholars, gained importance. Selected Ryukyu students were again permitted to study in China officially, and unofficial “working students” also joined tribute ships’ crews to study in China during long layovers there. Satsuma’s “policy of concealment” discouraged openly “Japanese” behavior among Ryukyuans, to persuade China that Ryukyu was independent from Japan.
The Imperial Investiture System and the Ryukyu Kingdom
Authors: Akamine Mamoru
Published: May 2017

When a new king took the throne, China sent an envoy to formally “invest” him with legitimacy as part of the Chinese trade and cultural sphere. This chapter describes the formal process involved with this investiture. The Chinese envoy ships also carried cargo, and intense trading followed the investiture ceremony, before the Chinese returned home. The chapter ends with a recapitulation of the diplomatic balancing act Ryukyu played, remaining a tributary nation of China, while being, in effect, a vassal of Satsuma and Japan.
Nām Simran in the Sikh Religion
Authors: Myrvold Kristina
Published: May 2017

This essay explores the many varieties of the meditative practice of nām simran, or “remembering the divine name,” as it is practiced in contemporary Sikh traditions. This practice includes silent repetition and loud chanting and can be conducted both as an individual contemplation or a communal worship. The devotional emphasis precludes the regulation of strict techniques, but technical elements, such as cross-legged posture, regulated breathing and the adjustment of recitation to the heartbeat, are common. The sacred words used are valued not only for their semantic properties, but also for what they are capable of doing. Although the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib describe the ultimate goal as liberation from rebirth, nām simran is in practice widely seen as a means to procure a variety of protective and moral rewards and to sustain and develop devotion, in line with the focus on selfless devoutness.
Meditation Objects in Pali Buddhist Texts
Authors: Shaw Sarah
Published: May 2017

What makes a meditation object? This essay explores early Pāli accounts of objects still used in modern practice, especially in Southern Buddhism. Their very variety reflects this tradition’s stress on a graduated path, where different stages and individuals require different teaching approaches, at different times. Usually, in practice, objects inducing “calm” and various states known as jhāna, are recommended, before those producing “insight”. Some objects produce both calm and insight; others balance, ensuring health of mind. So, early Pāli literature describes many meditative routes: variety and skillful combinations for individuals are considered key. What is essential, however, is how objects are given and used. Dhammapada narratives in particular, describing a gradual path, a movement between internal and external, “shocks” in chance occurrences in the world, and skilled interventions by friends or teachers, demonstrate a pedagogy striking for its stress on individual need rather than rigid imposition and structure.
Introduction
Authors: Fowler Sherry D.
Published: May 2017

As this book makes former groups of Kannon visible, it also explores the fluidity of numerical categorizations of deities that attempt to quantify invisible beliefs. Although initially formed with the idea of corresponding to the six paths of transmigration in Buddhist thought, the Six Kannon were anything but a monolithic cult. As the Lotus sūtra explains, in order to save a sentient being most expediently Kannon can assume thirty-three different types of bodies. Yet the plethora of images of Kannon seen all over the world reveals that there are many more forms and that the number thirty-three stands for the great number of variations Kannon can take. Pious motivations commonly drove the faithful to use creative calculations to adjust the number of Kannon to suit their needs.
Reconstructing Six Kannon from the Tenth to the Twelfth Centuries
Authors: Fowler Sherry D.
Published: May 2017

In the tenth century Tendai and Shingon School monks adopted and modified six types of Guanyin found in early Chinese texts, especially Mohe zhiguan, into a cult in Japan. As the monks promoted the constellation of these images as particularly efficacious, sculpture sets were installed at temples in the capital. Many of the main sites that housed Six Kannon images in the Heian period (794–1185) are gone and known only through records, such as the Kyoto temples Hosshōji and Hōjōji. However, rare early vestiges of former sets from this period are found in sculptures from Buzaiin in Ishikawa and Konkaikōmyōji in Kyoto. Evidence for early Japanese images of Six Kannon and their records, such as iconographic manuals, diaries, and chronicles, demonstrate the wide extent of the cult and its images that flourished under elite patronage in the Heian period.
Tribal Feasting in Vietnam
Authors: Hayden Brian
Published: May 2017

Vietnam has an unusual number and diversity of hill tribe groups. Some of these still lived in long houses until recently. These groups provided important information on how feasting differed in communities dominated by corporate groups. Residential corporate groups constitute important phenomena in prehistoric archaeology. This chapter tries to address reasons for corporate group formation, variability in corporate group organization and dynamics, and reasons for abandoning residential corporate group lifestyles. Defense and elder control via bridewealth are viewed as the main proximate reasons for creating corporate groups, while aggrandizer strategies based on self-interest provide the ultimate reasons for their creation. This chapter describes the dynamics of corporate groups and the way in which feasting patterns help create these organizations among the Rhadé, Monong, and Ta Oi. Benefits for member families are also discussed.
Exemplary Death
Authors: Stone Jacqueline I.
Published: May 2017

Premodern Japanese hagiographies called ōjōden provide a model of ideal death. Persons who are to be born in Pure Land withdraw before dying to a separate room or chapel (mujōin), which helped separate them from worldly attachments (and also protected the living from death pollution). There they lie or sit upright before a buddha image and pass away calmly, chanting the nenbutsu, the Lotus Sutra, or other holy invocations. Afterward, marvelous signs manifest, such as purple clouds or unearthly music. Such signs both inspired and were shaped by Buddhist art and liturgical performances. Since survivors could not know whether the deceased had died with a focused mind or not, conformity to this model was the standard by which a good death was judged as such. Exemplary death was both the cause for achieving birth in the Pure Land and the “proof” that it had been achieved.
Conclusion
Authors: Stead Victoria C.
Published: May 2017

Mapping the destabilization of land and power in conditions of entanglement is a complex task. If there is a dominant tendency emerging out of entanglement and the destabilisation of structures of power, it is to the diminishing of local autonomy. Still, even in deeply unequal and hierarchical situations, Melanesians and others do speak to—and speak back to—an entangled world. For many, customary land is the place from which they speak. Moving beyond Melanesia and the Pacific, a metaphor of entanglement offers possibilities for thinking globally about the impacts and experiences of change, and the significance of forms of connection to land. A globalized world is an entangled world, in which all people and places are implicated. Globally, entanglements confront and disrupt the smooth workings of capital and the state system, fracturing taken-for-granted assumptions about what it means to be in the world, and offering powerful articulations of alterity.
Tangled Roots
Authors: Suryanata Krisnawati , Lowry Kem
Published: May 2017

Many competing visions are imposed on rural Hawaii, visions that are shaped by history, culture, and political economic interests in this state. Efforts to improve food democracy and food production for local consumption must be viewed against this backdrop. Furthermore, they must be placed in the context of globalized agro-food systems as well as global capital mobility that has played a large role in the flow of investment to the state. This chapter presents an overview of the changing uses of agricultural and rural lands, and the different policy tools that have been developed by state and county officials in Hawai‘i. Through an analysis of Acts 183 and 233 on “important agricultural lands”, the chapter shows that protecting prime agricultural lands has become an end in itself rather than a means to the achievement of a vision for a new agricultural future for Hawaiʻi. It has had as little impact on the processes of rural gentrification as it has had on improving food security for the islands. The chapter provides a macro perspective to situate the case studies presented in the subsequent chapters.
Kaulana O‘ahu me he ‘Āina Momona
Authors: Kame‘eleihiwa Lilikalā K.
Published: May 2017

This chapter provides examples of projects by native Hawaiian groups to grow their food in a way that is consistent with their tradition and values. A native Hawaiian historian, Kameʻeleihiwa relates these projects to the long history of the Ahupuaʻa system that had been devastated by centuries of plantation agriculture and privatization of land. It argues that food democracy is not only about the sufficiency in terms of the amount of food grown locally, but rather, is crucially about cultural revitalization and community building.
Seeds of Contestation
Authors: Schrager Benjamin
Published: May 2017

The chapter examines the emergence of Hawai‘i’s seed corn industry (HSCI) that has skyrocketed since the mid-2000s while other types of agriculture faltered. Hawai‘i had served as a winter nursery for seed corporations since the 1960s, but this relatively minor role dramatically changed in the 2000s when the corn seed industry underwent a series of techno-scientific innovations and organizational restructuring. The chapter demonstrates how operating a year-round nursery such as those found in Hawai‘i became a critical strategy for a seed corporation to remain competitive. The new structure also increases technical and capital barrier to entry and furthers consolidation of the seed supply industry. As these agricultural corporations became more dominant, genetic engineering became a potent symbol of everything that was wrong with globalization and agricultural industrialization, and the most vigorously contested agricultural technology, especially in Hawai‘i.
Farming on the Margin
Authors: Kimura Aya Hirata
Published: May 2017

The chapter examines the circumstances of organic agriculture in Hawai‘i. Given the prominent role played by women in organic agriculture in the US, a particular attention is paid to the role of women and the gendered challenges they face. The chapter shows how women organic farmers have to navigate tensions around hobby farm vs. real farm, philosophical commitment to organic agriculture vs. commercial motivations, and intensification of agriculture vs. more community-oriented one.
Female Leaders and Gendered Spaces
Authors: Griffiths Caitilin J.
Published: May 2017

Chin’ichibō, a female leader of a mixed-gender practice hall, forms a paradox when viewed through Buddhist canon. This chapter, by examining the spatial layout and the culture surrounding the creation of these fourteenth-century jishū practice halls, demonstrates that Chin’ichibō was not an anomaly. Rather, women were important members of this religious group.
Itinerant Path
Authors: Griffiths Caitilin J.
Published: May 2017

Tracing the Yugyō school’s initial traveling mission, we find women performing integral roles. Officiating the ten nembutsu for a dying individual to ensure their safe entry to Pure Land was one of the key duties of a jishū. This led monks and nuns to the battlefield as spiritual guides. This clashed with the needs of their warrior patrons who wanted them to act beyond their roles as jishū. Interesting parallels between the battlefield and childbirth are strengthened when we realize the nuns were involved with both.
Fourteenth-Century Mixed-Gender Practice Halls
Authors: Griffiths Caitilin J.
Published: May 2017

Jishū practice halls flourished during the fourteenth century. Although the only extant letters from this time were by the leaders, some were addressed to female jishū. This chapter introduces translations and analysis of these letters; revealing the challenges and concerns of these women.
Practice Halls of Kyoto
Authors: Griffiths Caitilin J.
Published: May 2017

Jishū were also active in Kyoto, the most populated urban area in Japan during the fourteenth century. This chapter examines the codes of conduct for jishū who resided and practiced in the city. There were many different schools of jishū with female and male members, all providing practical as well as spiritual services for the urban dwellers.
The Yugyō School
Authors: Griffiths Caitilin J.
Published: May 2017

Gender distinctions were always asserted in the Yugyō school, as evidenced by the assignment of names. However, this was not initially discriminatory toward participation within the group. This chapter demonstrates the institutional change of the Yugyō school from the fifteenth century. The shifting group dynamics, and in particular the attitude towards the female members as expressed by the leaders, transitioned from acceptance to dismissal.
Hey, You, Get Out of My Womb!
Authors: Seaman Amanda C.
Published: May 2017

This chapter focuses on women writers who have challenged the traditional identification of pregnancy as a standard and "natural" aspect of female existence, depicting childbearing instead as a destabilizing experience and the fetus as an alien, occupying presence within the mother. Takahashi Takako's 1969 "Kodomo-sama" uses an "invasive pregnancy" trope, to chart a woman's pre-partum anxieties that her unborn child is a malevolent spirit, fears amplified by the eerie behavior of her six-year-old daughter. In Takekawa Sei's "On a Moonless Night" (1984), this alienation is explicit, as a woman's ambivalent feelings about her own adulthood elide with her irrational fear of insects to produce a gothic nightmare of impregnation by an enormous bee. Finally, Ogawa Yoko's 1991 Pregnancy Calendar chronicles the revulsion felt by a young woman about her older sister's pregnancy, which she feels compelled to destroy to prevent the parasitical fetus from upsetting her family's delicate balance.
Manual Labor
Authors: Seaman Amanda C.
Published: May 2017

The twenty-first century canonical pregnancy in Japan is one where from the moment of conception the incipient mother is molded internally and externally by both the medical profession and the advice manual industry. In two works, authors push back against the notion of canonical motherhood, by rejecting the idea of the mother-fetus dyad. Pregnancy they say is a social enterprise, demanding that the mother develop or strengthen bonds with her husband and family. In Kakuta Mitsuyo’s My Due Date is Jimmy Page’s Birthday (2007), she traces a conventional story of how a woman grows closer to her husband and family through her pregnancy. In Tadano Miako’s 2005 Three Year Pregnancy, her protagonist remains pregnant for three years while she works out her relationship with her husband, her mother, and finally her sister. These narratives reflect changes in Japanese society—the woman’s demand for the father’s participation in the family.
Chinul’s Excerpts and the Sudden/Gradual Debate in East Asian Buddhism
Authors: Buswell Robert E.
Published: May 2017

The introduction offers extended coverage of the history and influence of the Korean Zen master Chinul’s (1158-1210) Excerpts on Zen practice and its treatment of the “sudden/gradual issue” in East Asian Buddhism. The introduction describes how Chinul’s Excerpts serves as his “religious autobiography” and sets the agenda for the entire subsequent history of Korean Buddhist thought and practice. In Chinul’s analysis, enlightenment is actually both sudden and gradual: an initial sudden awakening to the numinous awareness that is inherent in all sentient beings, followed by gradual cultivation that removes the deep-seated habitual proclivities of thought and conduct that continue to manifest themselves even after awakening. Chinul’s preferred approach of “sudden awakening/gradual cultivation” becomes emblematic of the Korean Buddhist tradition. The introduction concludes with a discussion of the mature Korean seminary curriculum and the pivotal role Excerpts plays in that curriculum. Through the evidence marshalled, Chinul’s Excerpts emerges as the single most influential work written within the Korean Buddhist tradition.
Translator’s Introduction
Authors: McBride Richard D.
Published: May 2017

The introduction includes a brief sketch of the life of Ŭich’ŏn, a reassessment of Ŭich’ŏn’s life and contribution to Koryŏ Buddhism, an overview of the structure and contents of his collected works, a discussion of the rationale for the translation, and an overview of Ŭich’ŏn’s thought.
UPLC Method Optimisation and Validation for the Estimation of Sodium Cromoglycate in Pressurized Metered Dosage Form
Authors: Rasheed Anas , Ahmed Osman
Published: May 2017

UPLC assay method optimised and validated for sodium cromoglycate in metered dose inhaler (MDI) using metronidazoleas an internal standard.The separation of Sodium Cromoglycate was achieved on Hypersil BDS C18 (100 mm x 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with gradient mobile phase containing methanol, orthophosphoric acid and acetonitrile in the ratio of 50:15:35 %v/v/v. The flow rate was 0.25 mLmin-1, injection volume 20μl and detection wavelength was set at 326nm, at ambient temperature. The validation of the proposed method was carried outfor linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness, limit of detection and limit of quantification test as per ICH guideline. The retention time of sodium cromoglycate found to be 4.73 min. Calibration graph was found to be linear at range 8- 40μg/ml. The regression coefficient (r2) was found tobe 0.9978.The proposed method was rapid with adequate accuracy, precision, ruggedness and robustness and hence be suitable for theroutine analysis of sodium cromoglycate in meter dose inhalation and in bulk.
UPLC Method Development and Validation for the Determination of Chlophedianol Hydrochloride in Syrup Dosage Form
Authors: Rasheed Anas , Ahmed Osman
Published: May 2017

A specific, precise, accurate ultra pressure liquid chromatography (UPLC) method is developed for estimation of chlophedianol hydrochloride in bulk drug and syrup dosage form. The method employed with Hypersil BDS C18 (100 mm x 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) in a gradient mode, with mobile phase of methanol and acetonitrile in the ratio of 65:35 %v/v. The flow rate was 0.1 ml/min and effluent was monitored at 254 nm. Retention time was found to be 1.130±0.005 min. The method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ)in accordance with ICH guidelines. Linear regression analysis data for the calibration plot showed that there was good linear relationship between response and concentration in the range of 20-100 μg/ml respectively. The LOD and LOQ values were found to be 2.094(μg/ml)and 6.3466(μg/ml)respectively. No chromatographic interference from syrup excipients and degradants were found. The proposed method was successfully used for estimation of chlophedianol hydrochloride in syrup dosage form.
Gestión participativa para mejorar las condiciones de accesibilidad urbana: La Hacienda, Puebla
Authors: Salgado Montes Stephanie Scherezada
Published: May 2017

La colonia La Hacienda, ubicada en una zona urbana consolidada de la ciudad de Puebla, fue desarrollada a finales de los años sesenta bajo una visión planificadora con prioridad al uso del automóvil, su estructura urbana ha sufrido un deterioro constante a lo largo de las últimas décadas mermando las condiciones de accesibilidad urbana. Ante la indiferencia e incapacidad de gestión gubernamental para atender los problemas de la pequeña escala es necesario realizar acciones que promuevan la acción participativa entre los actores sociales con los gubernamentales. La Facultad de Arquitectura de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, adquiere un rol mediador para avanzar en ello, con el objetivo de contribuir a la reflexión sobre los avances, dificultades y resultados que observamos en el proceso para construir una gestión participativa.
Gestión participativa en la elaboración de estrategias de revitalización urbana para el Barrio histórico de San José, Puebla
Authors: Ramírez Rosete Norma Leticia , Calderón Calderón Basilio , Milián Ávila María Guadalupe , Guevara Romero María Lourdes
Published: May 2017

La necesidad de incidir en la forma de intervenir el Centro Histórico de Puebla para mejorar las condiciones de habitabilidad y cohesión social del barrio de San José, nos conlleva a construir una propuesta metodológica de alcance multidisciplinario que sea un modelo de intervención. De esta manera, se deberán analizar las políticas, estrategias y el  impacto generado por los proyectos de rehabilitación urbana implementados por el gobierno en el Centro Histórico y, principalmente, enfatizar el papel de la participación de la comunidad en la protección, rescate y conservación de sus barrios. Esta preocupación investigativa nos conduce a la reflexión teórica y al estudio del arte de la rehabilitación urbana sostenible —de gran relevancia en el ámbito internacional— y da la pauta para analizar la viabilidad de diferentes tipos de intervención (conservación, renovación, regeneración, etc.) realizados de manera parcial y fragmentada a principios del siglo XX. Resultado de esas intervenciones es la formulación de un modelo integral de rehabilitación urbana sostenible como principal acción de mejoramiento, capaz de recuperar estos espacios históricos en los ámbitos social, cultural, económico, urbano y ambiental. En este sentido, la gestión participativa coadyuvará a fortalecer la propuesta de estrategias de rehabilitación a escala de barrio que garantice la integración social y la mejora de la calidad de vida en el barrio de San José.
Water defluoridation by alumina modified Turkey clinoptilolite: equilibrium, kinetic models and experimental design approaches
Authors: Selimoglu Selim , Simsek Esra Bilgin , Beker Ulker
Published: May 2017

In the current work, alumina modified natural zeolite (Z-Al) was used for fluoride adsorption in aqueous solution. Effects of process parameters such as pH, temperature, initial concentration and contact time were investigated. Box–Behnken design was found effective in defining the operating conditions for fluoride sorption onto Z-Al. Confirmatory experiments were conducted to examine the reliability of the regression equation. The predicted (2.261 mg g−1) and experimental (2.289 mg g−1) capacities were found to be similar, demonstrating the accuracy of the model. The fluoride adsorption onto Z-Al was well described by the Freundlich model. Kinetic studies revealed that the adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order reaction. Thermodynamic parameters depicted that the fluoride adsorption on the alumina modified zeolite was a spontaneous and exothermic process. The co-existing ions affected the defluoridation performance significantly. Regeneration of exhausted Z-Al was achieved with H2SO4.
Separating grey- and blackwater in urban water cycles – sensible in the view of misconnections?
Authors: Tolksdorf J. , Cornel P.
Published: May 2017

The infrastructure approach SEMIZENTRAL has been developed for fast growing cities, to meet their challenges regarding water supply as well as biowaste and wastewater treatment. The world's first full-scale SEMIZENTRAL Resource Recovery Center (RRC) has been implemented in Qingdao (PR China). Greywater (GW) and blackwater (BW) are collected and treated separately. Measurement of influent concentrations differ significantly from the design values. Thus, the operation strategy for the RRC had to be adapted. Amongst other reasons, the changed influent characteristic was caused by misconnections of GW and BW sewers. Already a misconnection rate of 6–8% requires an extension of the GW treatment process for nitrification/denitrification to fulfill effluent standards. Hence, measures should be taken to avoid or reduce misconnections. Nonetheless, in a semi-centralized scale (>10,000 inhabitants) a 100% avoidance might not be possible. Thus, consequences from misconnections should be considered during the design of source-oriented infrastructure systems.
NaA zeolite derived from blast furnace slag: its application for ammonium removal
Authors: Guo Hongwei , Tang Lizhen , Yan Bingji , Wan Kang , Li Peng
Published: May 2017

In this paper, high value added NaA zeolite material was prepared from blast furnace (BF) slag by hydrothermal method and its adsorption behavior on the removal of ammonium ion was investigated. It was found out that the synthetic NaA cubic zeolite with smaller crystal size obtained at nSiO2/nAl2O3 = 2 and nH2O/nNaOH = 20 showed better adsorption performance. The kinetics of the adsorption of ammonium ion by synthesized NaA zeolite was fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The intra-particle diffusion modeling reveals that two mixed rate-controlling mechanisms were involved in the adsorption process. The relatively high value of activation energy of 92.3 kJ·mol−1 indicates a high impact of temperature on the adsorption rate, and the nature of ammonium adsorption is chemical reaction rather than physisorption. Based on the thermodynamics calculations, the adsorption of ammonium was found to be an endothermic, spontaneous process. The adsorption isothermal analysis showed that the Langmuir model could be well fitted and a maximum adsorption capacity of 83.3 mg·g−1 of NH4+ was obtained. Thus, it was demonstrated that by forming low cost NaA zeolite and using it for environmental remediation, the synchronous minimization of BF slag and ammonia nitrogen contamination could be achieved.
Removal of phosphorus using suspended reactive filters (SRFs) – efficiency and potential applications
Authors: Karczmarczyk Agnieszka , Bus Agnieszka
Published: May 2017

The removal of phosphorus (P) from agricultural runoff is essential to reduce the threat of eutrophication in bodies of water. In this study, an alternative method of applying P reactive materials (RMs) in the form of suspended reactive filters (SRFs) is presented. The SRF method enables P which has already entered a body of water to be caught. In this study, an autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) was used as the SRFs. The experiment was carried out in a laboratory in a hydraulic block of 1 m in width and 2 m in length. Three curtains, consisting of eight suspended bags filled with the AAC, were used. The ratio of RM mass to water volume in the hydraulic block was 3:1 (g:dm3). The initial concentration of P amounted to 1.335 mg P-PO4·dm−3. The results demonstrated the successive reduction of P in the water over the experiment duration and the number of cycles in which water passed through the system of curtains. SRFs filled with AAC decreased the level of P-PO4 in the solution to 0.190 mg·dm−3. The highest removal efficiency (50% overall P reduction) was observed at the beginning of experiment, when the average unit sorption amounted to 0.192 mgP-PO4·g−1.
Utilization of anaerobic granular sludge for chromium (VI) removal from wastewater: optimization by response surface methodology
Authors: Hu Yifan , Yang Changzhu , Dan Jinfeng , Pu Wenhong , Yang Jiakuan
Published: May 2017

In this study, anaerobic granular sludge (AGS) was used as a novel adsorbent for hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) removal from aqueous solutions. Factor experiments were conducted to find out the effects of different variables on the biosorption process. Among these terms, the impact of three main independent variables (contact time, initial pH and AGS dosage) on the removal efficiency of Cr (VI) was modeled using a well-fitting polynomial equation (R2 = 0.9044), by conducting 20 batch experiments designed by a central composite. The experimental isotherm data were successfully described by the Freundlich isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was more suitable for explaining the kinetics process of adsorption. The AGS can be disposed using 0.1 M NaOH with 96.4% desorption efficiency. The results of the analyses (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy) suggested that Cr (VI) adsorption most likely involved electrostatic adsorption, redox reaction and complexation.
FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF FLOATING-MUCOADHESIVE MICROSPHERES OF NOVEL NATURAL POLYSACCHARIDE FOR SITE SPECIFIC DELIVERY OF RANITIDINE HYDROCHLORIDE
Authors: Sahu Vikram Kumar , Sharma Nitin , Sahu Pratap Kumar , Saraf Shubhini A.
Published: May 2017

Objective: Localization of ranitidine hydrochloride (RH) into the upper part of the intestinal tract is beneficial for better drug bioavailability. Present work described the method of preparation of novel plant polysaccharide based floating microspheres for delivery of the drug into the stomach.Methods: Polysaccharide was extracted from the seeds of plant Tamarindus indica (TI). Extracted polysaccharide was evaluated for some physicochemical parameters. Floating-mucoadhesive microspheres were prepared by using extracted polysaccharide as mucoadhesive excipients while eudragit as a release controlling polymers by using emulsion crosslinking method. Chemical crosslinking was done by using epichlorohydrin. Prepared microspheres were evaluated for their drug-polymer compatibility study by using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Further characterization such as size, surface properties, swelling index, percentage encapsulation, in vitro buoyancy and drug release was performed.Results: FT-IR study confirms the chemical crosslinking of extracted polysaccharide and also drug stability during processing of microspheres. The size of microspheres was in the range of 5.38 to 7.84 µm. SEM images revealed that all batches were of spherical in size and smooth surface. The swelling index showed better swelling in the range of 158-257 percentages. Encapsulation efficiency was found to be decreased by decreasing the concentration of polysaccharide. In vitro buoyancy study possesses that formulation F1 showed better floating ability as compared to the others. Finally, in vitro drug release study revealed that prepared microspheres were able to release the 100% drug within 8-12 h, indicating sustain release behavior.Conclusion: Present study concludes that polysaccharide of TI may be used as excipients for the preparation of floating-mucoadhesive microspheres.
IN SILICO DESIGN AND MOLECULAR DOCKING STUDIES OF SOME 1, 2-BENZISOXAZOLE DERIVATIVES FOR THEIR ANALGESIC AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY
Authors: Kumar Sarath Sasi , T Anjali
Published: May 2017

Objective: In silico design and molecular docking of 1,2-benzisoxazole derivatives for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity using computational methods.Methods: In silico molecular properties of 1,2-benzisoxazole derivatives were predicted using various software’s such as Chemsketch, Molinspiration, PASS and Schrodinger to select compounds having optimum drug-likeness, molecular descriptors resembling those of standard drugs and not violating the ‘Lipinski rule of 5’. Molecular docking was performed on active site of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (PDB: 2KSR) for analgesic activity and COX-2 (PDB: 6COX) for anti-inflammatory activity using Schrodinger under maestro molecular modelling environment.Results: From the results of molecular docking studies of 1,2-benzisoxazole derivatives, all the compounds showed good binding interactions with Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and COX-2. Compounds 4a and 4c showed highest binding scores (-7.46 and-7.21 respectively) with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and exhibited maximum analgesic activity. Compound 4a showed highest binding score (-7.8) with COX-2 and exhibited maximum anti-inflammatory activity.Conclusion: All the derivatives of 1,2-benzisoxazole showed good analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity as predicted using molecular docking on respective receptors.
The Effects of Stress on Employee Productivity: A Perspective of Zimbabwe’s Socio-Economic Dynamics of 2016
Authors: Mawanza Wilford
Published: May 2017

This study was motivated by Zimbabwe’s deteriorating economic experience, which has resulted in high unemployment rates, low productivity, high cost of doing business, increased labour disputes, and stress manifestation amongst the working population. The results of the study showed that change factors, demands or pressure factors, lack of support and participation at work by supervisors and other staff members, and work role were to a greater extent the most stressful factors. The perennial economic crisis in the country, high degree of uncertainty due to restructurings and redundancies, and work changes without consultations, had a positive impact on employee’s productivity. The regression results concluded that poor work relationships, lack of support at work, and poor planning had negatively affected productivity.
Factors Influencing Competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nairobi County, Kenya
Authors: Irungu Anne , Arasa Robert
Published: May 2017

The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing firm competitiveness among the Small and Medium Enterprises in Nairobi, Kenya. Specifically the study set out to examine the influence of strategic leadership, technology, resources and organization culture on competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nairobi. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The study population comprised of SMEs in Nairobi which fall within the top 100 SMEs in Kenya. There are 79 SMEs from Nairobi County in the Top 100 SMEs in Kenya. A sample size of 25 SMEs which represented 30% of the target population was selected through stratified random sampling. The stratification was based on five business sector categories (real estate, supplies, services, distribution and manufacturing). The study utilized primary data which was collected from top management employees through the use of questionnaire. Data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Correlation analysis was employed to aid in establishing the nature and strength of the relationships between variables of interest. Correlation analysis results indicate that strategic leadership, adoption of relevant technology, resources availability and organization culture has a positive and significant relationship with firm competitiveness. The study concludes that sustainable competitive advantage of the firm stems from effective strategic leadership, adoption of technology, resources availability and effective organization culture. The study recommends that SMEs should embrace various competitive strategies to remain relevant in the market and achieve the required competitiveness. The SMEs managers should embrace strategic leadership practices, benchmark on best practices to ensure constant touch with their customers, embrace adoption of appropriate technology towards realizing higher levels of efficiency and effectiveness, ensure optimal utilization of resources, and cultivate a good balance between the organization culture and the organization processes so as to enhance competitive advantage. This study was confined to factors influencing organizational competitiveness of small and medium enterprises within Nairobi County. Other studies could be pursued in terms of expanding the geographical setting and taking recognition of other variables that could intervene and or moderate the investigated relationship.
Analysis of Government Expenditure and Sectoral Employment in the Post-apartheid South Africa: Application of ARDL Model
Authors: Habanabakize Thomas , Muzindutsi Paul-Francois
Published: May 2017

The current study has been designed to analyse the interactions between real government spending and job creation in South Africa focusing on five major economic sectors, namely construction, financial, manufacturing, mining, and retail sectors. The main objective of the study was to determine how job creation in different economic sectors responds to changes in real government spending. To achieve this objective, the study used five different autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) models to analyse the long-run and shot-run relationships between government spending and employment rate in each of the aforementioned five economic sectors. The sample period consisted of quarterly observations starting from the first quarter of 1994 to last quarter of 2015. The study found a long-run relationship between government spending and job creation in the mining sector but there was no evidence of long-run relationships between government spending and jobs creation in construction, financial, manufacturing, and retail sectors. The short-run analysis showed that government spending could create jobs in all five sectors. This paper concluded that increasing government spending can only create short-term jobs but does not create lasting jobs in most sectors, except the mining sector. To increase the number of durable jobs, the South African government should therefore increase spending on mining sector.
Aplicaciones biotecnológicas en minería aurífera: Estado del arte sobre la oxidación bacteriana de arsenopirita (FeAsS)
Authors: Ospina Correa Juan David , Osorno Bedoya Laura , Giraldo Builes Jim , Mejía Restrepo Erica , Márquez Godoy Marco Antonio
Published: May 2017

En el mundo, grandes cantidades de sulfuros provenientes de la explotación minera con características refractarias y/o con iones, en su estructura cristalina, nocivos al medio ambiente y a la salud humana, han sido acumulados en el tiempo. Dichos sulfuros presentan contenidos de oro relevantes en la mayoría de los casos, el tratamiento de estos materiales no es factible por métodos convencionales, lo cual incrementa el costo de la recuperación de los valores metálicos presentes. Es así como, en las últimas décadas, la bio-hidrometalurgia, se ha convertido en una tecnología comercialmenteviable para la extracción de metales preciosos. Además, es bien conocida por su utilización en la bio-remediación de drenajes ácidos, remoción de metales pesados presentes en áreas mineras, suelos y sedimentos contaminados, residuos industriales como cenizas de incineración; degradación de cianuro, adecuación de concentrados para separación por flotación espumante, biodesulfurización de carbones, entre otras. En este trabajo se presenta el principio fundamental de la oxidación bacteriana de la arsenopirita, así como un esbozo acerca de los mecanismos y diferentes susceptibilidades que muestra frente a la oxidación biológica.
Optimización de energía en sistemas de bombeo
Authors: Sabogal Abril Bernardo Roger , Palacios Peñaranda Jairo Arcesio , Pantoja Tovar Cristhian Libardo
Published: May 2017

Se realizó un estudio de optimización energética en sistemas de bombeo, resaltando el impacto de los variadores de frecuencia, con el objetivo de proponer un modelo para diagnosticar sistemas de bombeo que permitieran valorar la disminución del consumo energético. Se hizo una búsqueda y recopilación de las teorías aplicadas a: sistemas de bombeo, motores de corriente alterna, variadores de frecuencia y su uso en las industrias. Se propuso el modelo de diagnóstico y se desarrollaron mediciones en un banco de pruebas; se analizaron los datos recopilados con una herramienta desarrollada en Excel, que permitió caracterizar el sistema; se realizó una simulación que consistió en asignarle unos porcentajes de uso de la curva de carga; se demostró un ahorro energético, si el sistema logró operar en un punto de mayor eficiencia. Se analizaron las pruebas con el variador de velocidad, las cuales presentaron un ahorro mayor de energía debido al menor consumo de potencia. La herramienta desarrollada en Excel permitió, a través de datos iniciales, calcular la curva de carga de todo el sistema, la eficiencia de la bomba, el motor, el conjunto motor variador (en el caso del uso del variador de frecuencia) y control del motor o arrancador (centro de control de motores).
Las composiciones de Francesco Antonio Pistocchi (1659-1726): listado actualizado de su obra
Authors: Béjar Bartolo Alejandra , Ammetto Fabrizio
Published: May 2017

El cantante, compositor y didacta (maestro de canto) Francesco Antonio Pistocchi (Palermo 1659 - Bolonia 1726) fue un músico ampliamente reconocido por sus contemporáneos (Giuseppe Torelli, Pier Francesco Tosi, Johann Joachim Quantz, entre otros) y, hoy en día, es digno de ser considerado entre los mejores compositores de música vocal del Barroco italiano. Aunque no está todavía catalogada de manera sistemática, su producción merece ser ampliamente estudiada, analizada y ejecutada. Hasta la fecha no existe un catálogo exhaustivo que registre de manera puntual toda su obra, por tal razón, en este estudio se presenta por primera vez un listado actualizado de su amplia producción –que incluye óperas, serenatas, oratorios, cantatas, duetos, tercetos, madrigales, misas (o secciones de misa), salmos, responsorios, cánticos, letanías, himnos, antífonas, motetes, lamentaciones, pastorales y secuencias, además de una colección de música instrumental–, en donde se especifica la localización de su música que ha llegado hasta nuestros días (actualmente resguardada en alrededor de treinta diferentes bibliotecas de Alemania, Austria, Bélgica, Francia, Italia, Reino Unido y Estados Unidos de América). Cabe hacer hincapié que muchas de las composiciones de Pistocchi se han identificado y enlistado por primera vez en esta investigación.
«Miradas de progreso. Reflejos de la modernidad en la otra Edad de Plata (1898-1936)», de María del Mar Mañas Martínez y Begoña Regueiro Salgado (eds.)
Authors: Nicolás Díez Sofía
Published: May 2017

Reseñas del libro Miradas de progreso. Reflejos de la modernidad en la otra Edad de Plata (1898-1936), de María del Mar Mañas Martínez y Begoña Regueiro Salgado (eds.)
The Oral History of Evaluation: An Interview with Lyn Shulha
Authors: Lam Chi Yan
Published: May 2017

Abstract: Lyn Shulha is a Canadian evaluator whose scholarship in evaluation use, collaboration in evaluation, and evaluation standards development has shaped evaluation theory and practice in Canada and abroad. This article presents the transcript to an interview conducted with Dr. Shulha conducted in the tradition of oral history studies. Dr. Shulha identifies formative experiences in her development as an evaluator that shaped the trajectory of her thinking on evaluation theory and practice.