bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dama Orchestra’s Shidaiqu Recontextualized in Theatre
Authors: Ying Loo Fung , Chiat Loo Fung
Published: September 2014

This article examines how Dama Orchestra has recontextualized shidaiqu (时代 曲) in a theatrical setting. Dama Orchestra was originally a Chinese orchestral group in Malaysia that, due to economic crisis, changed its focus from classical music to staging the more popularly demanded shidaiqu. Shidaiqu is a southern Chinese song genre popular from 1920 to 1950 and typically performed in Malaysia during Phor Tor (Hungry Ghost Festival). It has remained popular with mature Chinese Malaysian audiences at ko-tai , pubs, and karaoke bars. By adapting it to a theatrical form in the late 1990s, Dama Orchestra transformed the popular and commercial nature of these songs into an elite musical theatre genre. Performed as a Westernized hybrid theatre, shidaiqu attracted serious music aficionados in Malaysia and was raised from its stigmatized position as genü maichang (sing-song girl entertainment). This article draws on participant observation work to report how Dama musicians re-Sinicized the orchestration of shidaiqu and combined it with theatrical elements to appeal to the diasporic Chinese community of Malaysia.
Buddhism and Thai Comic Performance
Authors: Polachan Wankwan
Published: September 2014

This article on the evolution of Thai comic performance investigates its symbiotic rela-tionship with Buddhist belief in the Middle Way, the nonextreme mode of existence. From the ritualistic comic performance of Buddhist monks to the modern genre of Westernized stand-up comedy, Thais celebrate the value of sanuk (fun) and the achievement of social harmony. However, while older comic forms mock stupidity, inferiority, and vulgarity, the popular stand-up comic Udom Taephanit avoids confrontation and criticism and therefore does not portray the extremes of society needed to fully appreciate the value of the Middle Way.
Looking to the Future: Training a New Generation for Balinese Arja
Authors: Collier Bethany J.
Published: September 2014

Steady changes in Bali’s social, cultural, and political landscapes impact the status of the traditional performing arts, and globalization’s potentially stifling effect on the Balinese arts remains a concern. This article examines how today’s teachers of the operatic dance-drama arja modify traditional pedagogical models as they work with young performers in the context of globalization and change. It considers some of the implications of these technology-based adaptations, explores the teachers’ ideological motivations, and argues that training teenagers to perform this challenging genre is an effective tactic for reinforcing their sense of Balinese identity.
Introduction: Global Encounters in Southeast Asian Performing Arts
Authors: Cohen Matthew Isaac
Published: September 2014

Long considered an isolated backwater of global cultural flows, a proud possessor of artistic traditions seemingly immune to international fashions, Southeast Asia is now coming into its own as a cultural powerhouse, refashioning old traditions and taking on new forms and ideas, with connections being rapidly formed between ASEAN member states in anticipation of the region’s Economic Community in 2015. This introduction positions this volume’s articles and the World Symposium on Global Encounters in Southeast Asian Performing Arts, where they were presented, in relation to the region’s cultural shifts. It argues that the critique and subversion of tradition is a sign of its vitality and future viability. A new paradigm is emerging in which Southeast Asian theatre and performance are not being treated as the West’s exotic “Other” or in relation to nation building but as a site drawing interested parties into a conversation regarding both local and global issues.
Lighting Spectacles in East and Southeast Asia
Authors: Williams John A.
Published: September 2014

This report shares the author’s twenty-five-year experience of lighting cultural shows, architectural and historical sites, and theatre in East and Southeast Asia.
“Allow me to disappear … in the fetid slums”: Catherine de Hueck, Catholic Action, and the Growing End of Catholic Radicalism
Authors: Rademacher Nicholas
Published: September 2014

Catherine de Hueck Doherty—currently Servant of God in the process of beatification and canonization—was a pioneer in the tradition of Catholic social thought and practice in North America. In the decades leading up to the Second Vatican Council, she experimented with a radical Catholic Action movement that was simultaneously independent of and joined to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. In so doing, she explored the growing end of the pre-Vatican II Catholic radical movement. With Dorothy Day and Father Paul Hanly Furfey, among others, she sought to clarify the technique of radical Catholic Action. She identified a multiplicity of radical Catholic Action models and articulated a path to sanctity for the layperson. Ultimately, she pushed the boundaries of radical Catholic Action through her desire to escape to the “fetid slums.” Her overall experimentation with radical Catholic Action drew both support and resistance. Catholic bishops, priests, and laypeople offered varying assessments of de Hueck, who, as a lay woman, challenged the status quo on race, ethnicity, and economic disparity.
“Das wahre Programm der Zeit hieß: Jazz”: Zum Stellenwert des Jazz als (musik)kulturelle und literarische Chiffre in der österreichischen Zwischenkriegszeit
Authors: Kucher Primus-Heinz
Published: September 2014

Usually the early European jazz reception is associated, after Paris, with Berlin and the culture of the Weimar Republic, while Austria and particularly Vienna are paid but scant att ention in this context. When looking more closely at the cultural and artistic dynamic in Vienna during the 1920s, however, one encounters a surprising density of both the reception of jazz and independent contributions as differentiations of existing artistic practice in the areas of literature, music, theater, and feuilleton writing. This paper on the one hand reconstructs the broad spectrum of jazz presence based on contemporary sources and, on the other hand, investigates the cultural and discursive meaning of the latter, that is, to what extent it can be regarded as a cultural code of the time and how it interfaced with other parallel artistic phenomenons (for instance, debates about new music) and political discourses (Americanism, national stereotypes, racism, and so on).
The Debt of the Living
Authors: Weber Samuel
Published: September 2014

Listening to a tape recording of Paul de Man’s Cornell Messenger Lectures on a ride from Paris to Strasbourg, the author found himself unable to determine if de Man was saying “debt” or “death.” This confusion, and Walter Benjamin’s sketch, “Capitalism as Religion,” together provide the point of departure for rethinking recent economic developments in light of what might be called an “economic theology” that allows both debt and death to be seen as symptoms of a persistent cultural incapacity to acknowledge finitude.
Undead-Ends: Zombie Debt/Zombie Theory
Authors: Botting Fred
Published: September 2014

This essay examines the ways in which contemporary economic discourse uses the zombie metaphor. It situates these uses in relation to the current resurgence of zombies in popular fiction and film, and distinguishes zombies from vampires: while the former signifies global debt and stagnation, the latter connotes credit and consumer boom. It argues that the arc of desire and fear engendered by these figures of horror discloses a continuity in the affective trajectory of neo-liberalism as it supplants traditional philosophical distinctions between material and symbolic forms of debt. Rather than operating with a distinction between spiritual and financial modes of guilt/debt, an economic absorption of cultural values circumvents the need for subjective or symbolic inscriptions, and institutes the debt-relation directly and materially.
Export of dissolved organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus following clear-cutting of three Norway spruce forests growing on drained peatlands in southern Finland
Authors: Nieminen Mika
Published: September 2014

The effect of clear-cutting on the concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), organic nitrogen (DON), NH4+, NO3â, and P in outflow water from three productive, Norway spruce dominated drained peatlands (RCC, VCC-1, VCC-2) were studied. Changes in runoff and transport loads (concentration x runoff) at two of the catchments during the frost-free period are also presented. Approximately 40% of the area was cut at RCC and VCC-2, and 72% at VCC-1. The volume removed was 250 m3 haâ1 at RCC, 259 m3 haâ1 at VCC-1, and for VCC-2, 317 m3 haâ1. The mean annual increase in outflow concentrations of DOC during the first four years after clear-cutting was 9.0 mg lâ1 at RCC, 22.8 mg lâ1 at VCC-1 and 8.4 mg lâ1 at VCC-2. Corresponding increases in the forms of nitrogen were: 0.23, 0.51 and 0.16 mg DON lâ1; 0.06, 0.31 and 0.04 mg NH4+-N lâ1; and 0.05, 0.12 and 0.22 mg NO3â-N lâ1. Clear-cutting did not significantly (p > 0.05) increase P concentrations. The increase in non-frost season runoff over the first three years after clear-cutting was 107 mm at RCC and 207 mm at VCC-1. The export loads of DOC during the non-frost season increased by 80 kg haâ1 at RCC and by 184 kg haâ1 at VCC-1 over the first three years. Corresponding increases for the other studied solutes were: 1.78 and 3.98 kg DON haâ1; 0.39 and 1.49 kg NH4+-N haâ1; 0.45 and 0.48 kg NO3â-N haâ1, and 0.09 and 0.06 kg P haâ1. The study demonstrated that clear-cutting may significantly increase the export of DOC and different forms of nitrogen from drained productive peatlands while only small increases in phosphorus export may occur.
Cell wall thickness and tangential and radial cell diameter of fertilized and irrigated Norway spruce
Authors: Lundgren Christina
Published: September 2014

Two Norway spruce nutrient trials were used to evaluate the effects of fertilization and irrigation on transverse tracheid dimensions. Three different treatments and a control (C) were used; daily irrigation (I), daily liquid fertilization (IL) and an annual solid fertilization (F). The nutrient optimisation was based on foliage analysis and both liquid and solid fertilization essentially comprised the same amount of nutrients but the latter was applied annually in solid form. The cell measurements; cell wall thickness, radial and tangential cell widths, were obtained using image analysis (SilviScan at CSIRO, Melbourne, Australia). Mean annual cell wall thickness was decreased by fertilization (F and IL) on both sites whereas no effect of the irrigation on wall thickness could be detected. Radial cell width was increased by treatment at Flakaliden but at Asa the effect of irrigation and fertilization was reversed when the data structure i.e. development from pith and out and annual ring width was taken into account. Tangential cell width was not significantly affected by treatment at Flakaliden. At Asa fertilization caused a small increase on tangential cell width. Ring width was positively affected by treatment and is an important factor explaining the effects on primarily cell wall thickness and radial cell width.
Seelische Unbefangenheit — das Kind als wahrer Mystiker im Zeichen der „Blauen Blume” bei Novalis und Philipp Otto Runge
Authors: Sebesta Jadwiga , Wawrzynek Karin
Published: September 2014

The aim of this article is to show the role of an innocent child as the true mystic, which formally represents the completion of the “Blue Flower”, the main symbol of the German Age of Romanticism, the epoch of yearning for the infinity, inner unity, love and redemption. These aspirations, encapsulated in the notion of the innocent child as the true mystic is particularly manifest in the literary works of Novalis and the paintings of Philipp Otto Runge.
Zróżnicowanie wewnętrzne języka etnicznego a uniwersalne koncepcje kodów wspólnotowych. Od lingwistyki do semiotyki
Authors: Grzelak Eliza
Published: September 2014

The author collected the most important findings concerning the internal diversification of the ethnic language (using Polish as an example) and, treating those concepts as a starting point, set out to present the contemporary universal linguistic, discursive and communicative communities. While stressing the high diversification of codes within the communities, the author returns to the rhetorical, adequately defined concept of three styles. In her description of the code of communicative community, the author draws a reference to the communal nature of rendering the image of the world and highlights its intersemiotic, supraethnic and universal character.
Bayesian Inference of Shared Recombination Hotspots Between Humans and Chimpanzees
Authors: Wang Ying , Rannala Bruce
Published: September 2014

Recombination generates variation and facilitates evolution. Recombination (or lack thereof) also contributes to human genetic disease. Methods for mapping genes influencing complex genetic diseases via association rely on linkage disequilibrium (LD) in human populations, which is influenced by rates of recombination across the genome. Comparative population genomic analyses of recombination using related primate species can identify factors influencing rates of recombination in humans. Such studies can indicate how variable hotspots for recombination may be both among individuals (or populations) and over evolutionary timescales. Previous studies have suggested that locations of recombination hotspots are not conserved between humans and chimpanzees. We made use of the data sets from recent resequencing projects and applied a Bayesian method for identifying hotspots and estimating recombination rates. We also reanalyzed SNP data sets for regions with known hotspots in humans using samples from the human and chimpanzee. The Bayes factors (BF) of shared recombination hotspots between human and chimpanzee across regions were obtained. Based on the analysis of the aligned regions of human chromosome 21, locations where the two species show evidence of shared recombination hotspots (with high BFs) were identified. Interestingly, previous comparative studies of human and chimpanzee that focused on the known human recombination hotspots within the β-globin and HLA regions did not find overlapping of hotspots. Our results show high BFs of shared hotspots at locations within both regions, and the estimated locations of shared hotspots overlap with the locations of human recombination hotspots obtained from sperm-typing studies.
Using CD4 Percentage and Age to Optimize Pediatric Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation
Authors: Yin Dwight E. , Warshaw Meredith G. , Miller William C. , Castro Hannah , Fiscus Susan A. , Harper Lynda M. , Harrison Linda J. , Klein Nigel J. , Lewis Joanna , Melvin Ann J. , Tudor-Williams Gareth , McKinney Ross E.
Published: September 2014

BACKGROUND:

Quantifying pediatric immunologic recovery by highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) initiation at different CD4 percentage (CD4%) and age thresholds may inform decisions about timing of treatment initiation.

METHODS:

HIV-1-infected, HAART-naive children in Europe and the Americas were followed from 2002 through 2009 in PENPACT-1. Data from 162 vertically infected children, with at least World Health Organization “mild” immunosuppression and CD4% <10th percentile, were analyzed for improvement to a normal CD4% (≥10th percentile) within 4 years after HAART initiation. Data from 209 vertically infected children, regardless of immune status, were analyzed for CD4% outcomes at 4 years and viral failure within 4 years.

RESULTS:

Seventy-two percent of baseline immunosuppressed children recovered to normal within 4 years. Compared with “severe” immunosuppression, more children with “mild” immunosuppression (difference 36%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 22% to 49%) or “advanced” immunosuppression (difference 20.8%, 95% CI: 5.8% to 35.9%) recovered a normal CD4%. For each 5-year increase in baseline age, the proportion of children achieving a normal CD4% declined by 19% (95% CI: 11% to 27%). Combining baseline CD4% and age effects resulted in >90% recovery when initiating HAART with “mild” immunosuppression at any age or “advanced” immunosuppression at age <3 years. Baseline CD4% effects became greater with increasing age (P = .02). At 4 years, most immunologic benefits were still significant but diminished. Viral failure was highest in infancy (56%) and adolescence (63%).

CONCLUSIONS:

Initiating HAART at higher CD4% and younger ages maximizes potential for immunologic recovery. Guidelines should weigh immunologic benefits against long-term risks.
Hormones in the immune system and their possible role. A critical review
Authors: Csaba György
Published: September 2014

Immune cells synthesize, store and secrete hormones, which are identical with the hormones of the endocrine glands. These are: the POMC hormones (ACTH, endorphin), the thyroid system hormones (TRH, TSH, T3), growth hormone (GH), prolactin, melatonin, histamine, serotonin, catecholamines, GnRH, LHRH, hCG, renin, VIP, ANG II. This means that the immune cells contain all of the hormones, which were searched at all and they also have receptors for these hormones. From this point of view the immune cells are similar to the unicells (Tetrahymena), so it can be supposed that these cells retained the properties characteristic at a low level of phylogeny while other cells during the evolution accumulated to form endocrine glands. In contrast to the glandular endocrine cells, immune cells are polyproducers and polyreceivers. As they are mobile cells, they are able to transport the stored hormone to different places (packed transport) or attracted by local factors, accumulate in the neighborhood of the target, synthesizing and secreting hormones locally. This is taking place, e.g. in the case of endorphin, where the accumulating immune cells calms pain caused by the inflammation. The targeted packed transport is more economical than the hormone-pouring to the blood circulation of glandular endocrines and the targeting also cares the other receptor-bearing cells timely not needed the effect. Mostly the immune-effects of immune-cell derived hormones were studied (except endorphin), however, it is not exactly cleared, while the system could have scarcely studied important roles in other cases. The evolutionary aspects and the known as well, as possible roles of immune-endocrine system and their hormones are listed and discussed.
Candida bloodstream infection: A clinical microbiology laboratory perspective
Authors: Pongrácz Júlia , Kristóf Katalin
Published: September 2014

The incidence of Candida bloodstream infection (BSI) has been on the rise in several countries worldwide. Species distribution is changing; an increase in the percentage of non-albicans species, mainly fluconazole non-susceptible C. glabrata was reported. Existing microbiology diagnostic methods lack sensitivity, and new methods need to be developed or further evaluation for routine application is necessary. Although reliable, standardized methods for antifungal susceptibility testing are available, the determination of clinical breakpoints remains challenging. Correct species identification is important and provides information on the intrinsic susceptibility profile of the isolate. Currently, acquired resistance in clinical Candida isolates is rare, but reports indicate that it could be an issue in the future. The role of the clinical microbiology laboratory is to isolate and correctly identify the infective agent and provide relevant and reliable susceptibility data as soon as possible to guide antifungal therapy.
Comparison of an automated ELFA and two different real-time PCR techniques for Salmonella detection in poultry samples
Authors: Rohonczy Kata , Zoller Linda , Hermann Zsolt , Fodor Andrea , Mráz Balázs , Tabajdi-Pintér Veronika
Published: September 2014

The aim of this study was to compare an enzyme-linked fluorescent assay (ELFA)-based and two real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods with the results of the standard culture-based method EN ISO 6579:2002 (bacteriological standard method used in the European Union) for the detection of Salmonella spp. in raw chicken meat. Our investigations were performed on 141 poultry samples sorted from supermarkets.Relative accuracy, relative specificity and relative sensitivity were determined. According to the ISO 16140:2003 criteria for validation of alternative microbiological methods, the ELFA-based method (VIDAS ICS2 + SLM), and real-time PCR methods (TaqMan, Bax) were comparable to the reference standard method for the detection of Salmonella spp. in chicken meat. The use of these methods provide results within 48 hours with high sensitivity (100%). The TaqMan real-time PCR showed a relative specificity of 98% and both of the real-time PCR methods presented 100%.The VIDAS ICS2 + SLM and the Bax real-time PCR methods showed the highest relative accuracy (100%) and 99% in case of the TaqMan method. In conclusion, both the real-time PCR and the ELFA-based assay can be used as a rapid and user-friendly diagnostic method for detection of Salmonella spp. in chicken meat samples.
In vitro study on the effect of doxycycline on the microbial activity of soil determined by redox-potential measuring system
Authors: Szakmár Katalin , Reichart Olivér , Szatmári István , Erdősi Orsolya , Szili Zsuzsanna , László Noémi , Székely Körmöczy Péter , Laczay Péter
Published: September 2014

The potential effect of doxycycline on the microbial activity was investigated in three types of soil. Soil samples were spiked with doxycycline, incubated at 25°C and tested at 0, 2, 4 and 6 days after treatment. The microbiological activity of the soil was characterized by the viable count determined by plate pouring and by the time necessary to reach a defined rate of the redox-potential decrease termed as time to detection (TTD).The viable count of the samples was not changed during the storage. The TTD values, however exhibited a significant increase in the 0.2–1.6 mg/kg doxycycline concentration range compared to the untreated samples indicating concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on microbial activity. The potency of the effect was different in the 3 soil types. To describe the combined effect of the doxycycline concentration and time on the biological activity of one type of soil a mathematical model was constructed and applied.The change of microbial metabolic rate could be measured also without (detectable) change of microbial count when the traditional microbiological methods are not applicable. The applied new redox potential measurement-based method is a simple and useful procedure for the examination of microbial activity of soil and its potential inhibition by antibiotics.
Prokaryotic phylogenetic diversity of Hungarian deep subsurface geothermal well waters
Authors: Németh Andrea , Szirányi Barbara , Krett Gergely , Janurik Endre , Kosáros Tünde , Pekár Ferenc , Márialigeti Károly , Borsodi Andrea
Published: September 2014

Geothermal wells characterized by thermal waters warmer than 30°C can be found in more than 65% of the area of Hungary. The examined thermal wells located nearby Szarvas are used for heating industrial and agricultural facilities because of their relatively high hydrocarbon content. The aim of this study was to reveal the prokaryotic community structure of the water of SZR18, K87 and SZR21 geothermal wells using molecular cloning methods and Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE). Water samples from the outflow pipes were collected in 2012 and 2013. The phylogenetic distribution of archaeal molecular clones was very similar in each sample, the most abundant groups belonged to the genera Methanosaeta, Methanothermobacter and Thermofilum. In contrast, the distribution of bacterial molecular clones was very diverse. Many of them showed the closest sequence similarities to uncultured clone sequences from similar thermal environments. From the water of the SZR18 well, phylotypes closely related to genera Fictibacillus and Alicyclobacillus (Firmicutes) were only revealed, while the bacterial diversity of the K87 well water was much higher. Here, the members of the phyla Thermodesulfobacteria, Proteobacteria, Nitrospira, Chlorobi, OP1 and OPB7 were also detected besides Firmicutes.
Machiavellianism and personality disorder: their relationship in the mirror of interpersonal attitudes
Authors: Láng András
Published: September 2014

Introduction: Social and personality psychologists have described Machiavellianism as a pragmatic, callous-unemotional, exploitative and manipulative attitude towards others. Several former studies linked Machiavellian personality traits and interpersonal problems or personality dysfunction. Aim: The aim of this study was to reveal the connection between Machiavellianism and interpersonal problems that are characteristic of personality disorders. Method: 252 participants (146 females and 106 males, aged 32.46±5.39 years, mean±SD) filled out self-report measures of Machiavellianism and personality disorder related interpersonal problems. Results: There was a medium strength relationships between Machiavellianism and several interpersonal problems. Aggression and ambivalence proved to be significant predictors of Machiavellian personality traits. Conclusions: Results are discussed in relation to the patient–therapist bond. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(39), 1584–1588.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder analyzed with array comparative genome hybridization method. Case report
Authors: Duga Balázs , Czakó Márta , Komlósi Katalin , Hadzsiev Kinga , Sümegi Katalin , Kisfali Péter , Melegh Márton , Melegh Béla
Published: September 2014

One of the most common psychiatric disorders during childhood is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which affects 5-6% of children worldwide. Symptoms include attention deficit, hyperactivity, forgetfulness and weak impulse control. The exact mechanism behind the development of the disease is unknown. However, current data suggest that a strong genetic background is responsible, which explains the frequent occurrence within a family. Literature data show that copy number variations are very common in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The authors present a patient with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who proved to have two approximately 400 kb heterozygous microduplications at 6p25.2 and 15q13.3 chromosomal regions detected by comparative genomic hybridization methods. Both duplications affect genes (6p25.2: SLC22A23; 15q13.3: CHRNA7) which may play a role in the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This case serves as an example of the wide spectrum of indication of the array comparative genome hybridization method. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(40), 1598–1601.
Bone tissue: Rebuilding and inflammation
Authors: Jakab Lajos
Published: September 2014

In this review the author summarizes the knowledge related to structural elements of bone tissue. The process of bone reorganisation and knowledge about the special feature of bone metabolism in human are also discussed. It is noted that due to the reorganisation, there is a complete renewal of bone tissue in every 10 years, and this renewal lasts throughout the life. However, there are life periods when osteoclast activity is low, e.g. in childhood and the second decade of life when the gain of bone mass may be as much as 40% of the final bone mass. Overactivity of osteoclasts occurs at age 60 years in men and somewhat earlier in women. Reorganization of bone tissue is an elementary requirement for the physiological functions (locomotion, hemopoiesis, immune functions). The RANK-RANKL-osteoprotegerin axis plays an important role in the regulation of bone metabolism. Bone mass is dependent on osteocytes; osteoblasts are building up while osteoclasts are reabsorbing bone tissue. In this process transcription factors, hormone-like substances and a large number of cytokines are involved. In addition, the inflammatory process within the bone tissue as well as the defending, reparative inflammation and specific immune response are of great importance in bone reorganisation. This is particularly valid for α2-macroglobulin and transforming growth factor, although the exact role in bone reorganization has not been fully explored. It can be concluded that the elements, which participate in bone reorganization and in defending inflammatory and specific immunological processes, are essentially identical. Therefore, the existence of an osteo-immunological complex system has been emerged. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(40), 1575–1583.
Composition, English, and the University
Authors: Carr Jean Ferguson
Published: September 2014

The role composition plays in the contemporary American university, particularly in relation to the english department, has changed from the days when composition was not an expertise but a duty. Initiated on the college level in the 1870s, as John Brereton has argued, at a time much like our own, when the American college was “in danger of becoming irrelevant to a rapidly changing nation” (3), composition consolidated the many kinds of writing done in the courses (and in the extracurriculum) of universities into a required academic subject, positioned at the threshold of college education. It was charged with preparing students for the rigors of college study and for citizenship and professional life. For many generations of college English teachers, composition was an expected part of the job: everyone, whatever their specialty, taught first-year writing.
A Concentrated Itinerancy
Authors: Pyle Forest
Published: September 2014

In the preface Joan Aesthetic education in the era of globalization, her Remarkable collection of field-defining essays written over a quarter century, Gayatri Spivak recounts how she retrospectively “discovered” an informing motif: the “distracted theory of the double bind.” She briefly notes that “distracted theory” is a “poor but accurate translation” of théorie distraite, the term Derrida used in the preface to Psyche: Inventions of the Other to characterize the relation between that collection of occasional essays and his ongoing theoretical project (ix).
Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma - Characteristics and Survival in Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Western Australians
Authors: A.M Frydrych , L.M Slack-Smith , R Parsons , T Threlfall
Published: September 2014

Background:

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common type of malignancy affecting the oral cavity. While exposures to main risk factors for oral SCC such as smoking and alcohol use are higher amongst the Aboriginal people, little is known about oral cancer in this population. This study aimed to describe characteristics and survival of oral SCC in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Western Australians.

Methods:

All primary oral SCC cases reported to the Western Australian Cancer Registry (WACR) between 1990 and 1999 were analysed with respect to person characteristics including: date of birth, sex and indigenous status; and disease characteristics including: date of biopsy, disease stage and site as well as date of recurrence and date of death. Exclusion criteria included diagnosis not based on incisional or excisional biopsy, diagnosis other than oral SCC or a history of another malignant neoplasm.

Results:

Aboriginal individuals were more likely to reside in rural areas. No statistically significant differences in oral SCC characteristics and survival were noted between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Western Australians.

Conclusion:

This study provides new information on person and disease characteristics of Aboriginal Western Australians diagnosed with oral SCC.
Blaschkoian Lichen Planus in an Amazghi; A Rare Case Report
Authors: Elghblawi Ebtisam
Published: September 2014

Lichen planus (LP) is a common acquired inflammatory dermatosis of unknown origin with several
morphological forms. Linear lichen planus is frequently seen but cases of zonal/ zosteriform/ dermatomal/ blaschkoid LP
are rare.
Typically LP is merely acknowledged as an old companion to a dermatologist in the clinic. Nonetheless sometimes it
comes in masquerades. Many reports have documented LP to occur in scars of previous herpes zoster (HZ) lesions.
Zosteriform LP without evidence of HZ is an extremely rare occurrence in the head and neck area. To the best of my
knowledge such a condition has not been reported in the literature previously.
I report a healthy 53-year old Amazaghi woman with grouped lichenoid, unilateral linear plaque skin lesion on the right
side of the face that followed the lines of Blaschko with no previous history of HZ on the involved area. The punch biopsy
specimen confirmed the typical histology of lichen planus. A clinical diagnosis was made based on the clinical picture and
biopsy reading.
Usually Blaschko linear skin lesions develop later in life with distinctive features, and thus it should be differentiated from
other acquired skin dermatoses. I report this case of LP type for its scarcity and to add one more case to the list of existing
literature, with the idiosyncrasy of late presentation onset.
Continuing medical education in Serbia with particular reference to the Faculty of Medicine, Belgrade
Authors: Bjegovic-Mikanovic Vesna , Lalic Nebojsa , Wenzel Helmut , Nikolic-Mandic Ruzica , Laaser Ulrich
Published: September 2014

Background/Aim. Continuing Medical Education (CME), conceptualised as
lifelong learning (LLL) aims at improving human resources and continuing
professional development. Various documents of European institutions
underline its key importance. This paper therefore tries to analyse the
current status of CME and the main deficits in the delivery of LLL courses at
medical faculties in Serbia with special consideration of the Faculty of
Medicine in Belgrade with detailed financial data available. Methods. Data of
2,265 medical courses submitted in 2011 and 2012 for accreditation were made
available, thereof 403 courses submitted by 4 medical faculties in Serbia
(Belgrade, Kragujevac, Nis, Novi Sad). A subset of more detailed information
on 88 delivered courses with 5,600 participants has been provided by the
Faculty of Medicine, Belgrade. All data were transferred into an Excel file
and analysed with XLSTAT 2009. To reduce the complexity and possible
redundancy we performed a principal component analysis (PCA). Correlated
component regression (CCR) models were used to identify determinants of
course participation. Results. During the 2-year period 12.9% of all courses
were submitted on preclinical and 62.4% on clinical topics, 12.2% on public
health, while 61.5% of all took place in Belgrade. The subset of the Faculty
of Medicine, Belgrade comprised 3,471 participants registered with 51 courses
accredited and delivered in 2011 and 2,129 participants with 37 courses
accredited and delivered in 2012. The median number of participants per
course for the entire period was 45; the median fee rates for participants
were 5,000 dinars in 2011 and 8,000 in 2012, resulting together with
donations in a total income for both years together of 16,126,495.00 dinar or
almost 144,000.00 euro. This allowed for a median payment of approximately 90
eur per hour lectured in 2011 and 49 euro in 2012. The 2 factors, D1
(performance) and D2 (attractiveness), identified in the PCA for Medical
Faculties in Serbia, explain 71.8% of the variance. Most relevant are the
duration of the courses, credit points, and hours per credit point gained by
lecturers and participants respectively. In the PCA for Belgrade D1 and D2
explain 40.7% of the total variance. The CCR on the number of participants
reveals the highest positive impact from the number of lecturers per course
and the expenditure on amenities, the highest negative impact from the total
income collected per participant. Conclusion. The faculties of medicine in
Serbia should reconsider the entire structure of their organisation of CME,
especially to improve the quantity and quality of registration limit the
course fee rates per hour and reduce administrative and other costs request
lecturing in CME programmes as obligatory for academic promotion and organise
a focussed marketing.
Taxing Nonrecourse Litigation Funding
Authors: Gamino John
Published: September 2014

This article examines the implications of the growing phenomenon of nonrecourse litigation funding. The increasing acceptance and use of such funding raises elemental federal income tax issues of characterization and timing for funding providers and for plaintiffs accepting such funding in exchange for agreeing to share the cash proceeds of any settlement or judgment. Emphasizing the commercial (business-to-business) market for litigation funding as it has evolved, this article addresses the lack of guidance as to the implicit tax compliance issues by testing alternative guidance models that may apply by analogy. It concludes by identifying the single model that should apply and offers a pro forma revenue ruling as a starting point for the government's further consideration of the issues and early promulgation of administrative guidance.
Taxation of Gambling in the United States: Comparing the Current System with Two Alternatives
Authors: Jones Christopher R. , Usrey Spencer C. , Webb Thomas Z.
Published: September 2014

Under current federal and state laws within the United States, the taxation of gambling activities is complex and largely inefficient. At the federal level, taxes on gambling providers are virtually nonexistent outside of normal corporate taxation laws. At the state level, the varying tax regimes within states lead to a complicated reporting environment, with differing calculation methods and varying tax rates for gamblers and gambling operations. For individuals, tax reporting can be cumbersome, complex, and ineffective. This paper discusses the current tax reporting environment in the United States, as well as the tax environments in other nations with large gambling industries, such as France, Macau, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Finally, we calculate an estimate of tax revenues on gambling earnings based on the current U.S. tax regimes and compare them to hypothetical tax revenues calculated by using tax regimes in foreign jurisdictions.

Data Availability: All data are publically available and cited in the article.
Analysis of Anticaries Potential of Pit and Fissures Sealants Containing Amorphous Calcium Phosphate Using Synchrotron Microtomography
Authors: Delben ACB , Cannon M , Vieira AEM , Basso MD , Danelon M , Santo MRE , Stock SR , Xiao X , De Carlo F
Published: September 2014

The aim of this study was to analyze the anticaries potential of pit and fissure sealants containing amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) by synchrotron microtomography. Bovine enamel blocks (4×4 mm; n=50) were selected through surface hardness (Knoop) analysis. Slabs were obtained through cross-sections taken 1 mm from the border of the enamel. Five indentations, spaced 100 μm apart, were made 300 μm from the border. Ten specimens were prepared for each tested material (Ultraseal XT plus TM, Aegis, Embrace, Vitremer and Experimental Sealant). The materials were randomly attached to the sectioned surfaces of the enamel blocks and fixed with sticky wax. The specimens were submitted to pH cycling. After that, the surface hardness (SH1) was determined, and the blocks were submitted to synchrotron microcomputed tomography analysis to calculate the mineral concentration (ΔgHAp cm−3) at different areas of the enamel. The comparison between the SH1 and ΔgHAp cm−3 showed a correlation for all groups (r=0.840; p<0.001). The fluoride groups presented positive values of ΔgHAp cm−3, indicating a mineral gain that was observed mainly in the outer part of the enamel. The ACP showed mineral loss in the outer enamel compared with fluoride groups, although it inhibited the demineralization in the deeper areas of enamel. The combination of two remineralizing agents (fluoride and ACP) was highly effective in preventing demineralization.
Compounds of the Methanolic Leaf Extract as Chemotaxonomic Markers for the Campanula Pyramidalis Complex (Campanulaceae)
Authors: Janković Ivana B. , Drobac Milica M. , Lakušić Dmitar V.
Published: September 2014

During the past few years, the isophylloid Campanula pyramidalis complex has been the subject of studies aimed at an improved understanding of the relationships within it. The center of distribution of the C. pyramidalis complex is in the Balkan Peninsula with some smaller parts of the area located in the south Apennines. Although 21 taxa of the C. pyramidalis complex were described, only four species are accepted: C. pyramidalis, C. versicolor, C. secundiflora and C. austroadriatica. In the present study, we propose compounds of the methanolic leaf extract as possible chemotaxonomic markers for the C. pyramidalis complex. Eleven flavonoids and two phenolic acids were detected in leaf extract using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection analysis. The investigated taxa of the C. pyramidalis complex differ in terms of the composition of the methanolic leaf extract. clustering of investigated taxa is not completely consistent with the previously reported molecular and morphometric data.
Decrease of Atherosclerosis Markers and Oxidative Stress After 1 Year Administration of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Supplements in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Dragomir Andreea , Rusu Emila , Posea Mihaela , Radulian Gabriela
Published: September 2014

Background and Aims: To assess the impact of 1 year administration of omega-3 fatty acids supplements on oxidative stress parameters and atherosclerosis progression. Material and Methods: A total of 284 patients with metabolic syndrome, aged 61±6.7 years, without clinical evidence of atherosclerosis were allocated to 2 groups, matched by sex and age: group A (140 patients) - diet according to ESC/EASD recommendations; group B (144 patients) - the same diet + capsules of fish oil (1g eicosapentanoic acid, 1g docosahexanoic acid, 0,1g a-tocopherol acetate). Body fat (BF) was measured by bioimpedance analysis. For oxidative stress evaluation we used the FormOx systems monitor on a blood drop and for progression of atherosclerosis the intima-media thickness (IMT) at common carotid artery. Patients were evaluated at baseline, after 6 months and 1 year. Results: IMT significantly decreased in group B vs group A at 1 year (p<0.0001) and was correlated with %BF (p<0.001), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (p=0.002), leptin (p< 0.001), adiponectin (p<0.05), leptin/adiponectin ratio (p< 0.001) and oxidative stress (p<0.001). Conclusions: One year administrations of omega-3 PUFA enriched diet reduces cardiovascular risk of metabolic syndrome patients, resulting in a significant decrease of oxidative stress and atherosclerosis progression.
Modern Approach in Premature Ovarian Failure
Authors: Pacu Irina , Ionescu Cringu , Serafinceanu Cristian , Pantea-Stoian Anca Mihaela , Elian Viviana
Published: September 2014

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a condition affecting 1-2% of women younger than 40 years of age, characterized by amenorrhea, hypoestrogenism and elevated gonadotropin levels. In the last years it became a problem of social health interest as the frequency increased due to environmental factors and new, efficient methods for cancer treatment in young women. Few genes have beed identified to explain cases of POF but there are also autoimmune associated conditions and an increasing number of iatrogenic cases (chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy). Modern approach in POF means not only a precise etiological diagnosis, but also a correct counseling for these patients who often want to become parents, and a chance for a healthy life without the long term consequences of estrogen deprivation from an early age. In vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques can be useful for certain cases but research is needed on strategies to improve fertility for women who have follicles remaining in the ovaries.
Acceleration of ray tracing method using predictive evaluation and GPGPU technology
Authors: Sobota Branislav , Korečko Štefan , Szabó Csaba , Hrozek František
Published: September 2014

Ray tracing is one of computer graphics methods for achieving the most realistic outputs. Its main disadvantage is high computation demands. Removal of this disadvantage is possible using parallelization due to the fact that the ray tracing method is inherently parallel. Solution presented in this article uses GPGPU (general-purpose computing on graphics processing units) technology and a predictive evaluation for the acceleration of ray tracing method. The CUDA C was selected as a GPGPU language and it was used for a conversion of a raytracer core. The main reason for choosing this language was usage of the Tesla C1060 graphics card. The predictive evaluation of a scene was based on the fact that total computation time increases proportionally with resolution. This evaluation allows selection of the optimal scene division for the parallel ray tracing. In tests, proposed GPGPU solution reached accelerations up to 28.3× comparing to CPU.
Seasonal occurrence of diseases in a recirculation system for salmonid fish in the Czech Republic
Authors: Palíková Miroslava , Navrátil Stanislav , Čížek Alois , Soukupová Zdeňka , Lang Štěpán , Kopp Radovan , Mareš Jan
Published: September 2014

Aquaculture represents the fastest growing animal husbandry in many countries. However, higher intensity of fish farming can pose higher health hazards, too. We monitored the health status of fish from one fish farm in South Bohemia and discovered the main health problems in the breeding. For two years we examined a total of 224 specimens of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), 126 specimens of hybrids (S. fontinalis×S. alpinus), 49 specimens of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) – all clinically healthy, and 100 clinically diseased or freshly dead fish. We registered skin erosions mainly in the caudal peduncle and tail fin. Two parasite species were identified (one protistIchthyophthirius multifiliisand one nematodeRaphidascaris acus) by parasitological examination. The epidemiological indicators ofI. multifiliiswere low. The prevalence of adultR. acuswas 0–86% with a maximum in June. From November, capsules with larval stages ofR. acusappeared in internal organs. Their highest intensity (200 pieces) and prevalence (100%) were detected in October. By microbiological examination of skin and gills, we identified changes in the density of bacterial population and its species composition dependent on water temperature and fish density. The most important problem on the monitored fish farm seems to be furunculosis of salmonid fish in all clinical forms, and the high intensity of larval stages ofR. acus. The originality of this study is based on the fact that the observed breeding employs the first Danish recirculation system in the Czech Republic and no recent information about health problems has been available.