bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fostering Rural Financial Services through Technology: The Case of FINO PayTech
Authors: Maitra Debasish , Upadhyay Parijat
Published: July 2017

The case depicts a situation faced by a company in the business of financial inclusion services. FINO PayTech Limited (popularly known as FINO) was the first mover in the blue ocean of financial inclusion business in India. It is quoted as the world’s largest banking agent manager. Formed in Mumbai in 2006 with the mission to solve problem of financial exclusion, FINO entered the market riding on the biometric smartcard and hand held devices technology and had since grown exponentially. It served more than 64 million end customers all across India adding average of one million new customers to the formal financial system every month. FINO’s uniqueness came from factors such as diversified product offering (which ranges from savings, credit, payment services, remittances, insurance, financial literacy, and so on), a robust technology, a dedicated channel of bandhus (banking correspondents/agents) and mature processes.

The top leadership envisaged that FINO could not remain limited to savings and withdrawals activity if it had to reach many more million customers. The credit and micro insurance services had to be provided at the doorstep of the people and only then could FINO possibly project itself as a multi-product delivery company and that’s the challenge management was encountering when scaling up in a constrained regulatory framework.
Mineralogy, geochemistry and geochronology of mafic magmatic enclaves and their significance in evolution of Nongpoh granitoids, Meghalaya, NE India
Authors: Sadiq Mohd. , Umrao Ravi K. , Sharma B. B. , Chakraborti S. , Bhattacharyya S. , Kundu A.
Published: July 2017

The Cambrian Nongpoh granitoids, intrusive into the Precambrian gneissic complex and metasediments of the Shillong Group, represent a major phase of granitic magmatism in the Shillong Plateau. The Nongpoh granitoids comprise diorite, granodiorite, porphyritic and grey granites. Porphyritic granite is the dominant lithology exposed in the Nongpoh granitoids, and contains three types of enclaves, viz. xenoliths of gneissic rocks, dark grey porphyry and biotite-rich microgranular enclaves. The mafic magmatic enclaves (MMEs) of various dimensions and shapes, including rounded, ellipsoidal, rectangular, angular to subangular, and stretched bodies, were produced by evolving nature and contrasting kinematics of interacting felsic and mafic magmas. The biotite-rich enclaves are due to the injection of syn-magmatic mafic dykes in felsic magma. The various textural assemblages and sub-linear variations between silica and major oxides, chemical mixing and element diffusion suggest that multistage magma hybridization was the key process during the evolution of the Nongpoh granitoids. The 501 Ma age obtained by chemical (U–Th–Pb) dating of monazite in MME ascertained the age of the magma hybridization event in the Nongpoh granitoids, which is equivalent to the igneous activity at 500 Ma during the amalgamation of Eastern Gondwana.
Modeling and Simulation of Extreme-Scale Fat-Tree Networks for HPC Systems and Data Centers
Authors: Liu Ning , Haider Adnan , Jin Dong , Sun Xian-He
Published: July 2017

As parallel and distributed systems are evolving toward extreme scale, for example, high-performance computing systems involve millions of cores and billion-way parallelism, and high-capacity storage systems require efficient access to petabyte or exabyte of data, many new challenges are posed on designing and deploying next-generation interconnection communication networks in these systems. Fat-tree networks have been widely used in both data centers and high-performance computing (HPC) systems in the past decades and are promising candidates of the next-generation extreme-scale networks. In this article, we present FatTreeSim, a simulation framework that supports modeling and simulation of extreme-scale fat-tree networks with the goal of understanding the design constraints of next-generation HPC and distributed systems and aiding the design and performance optimization of the applications running on these systems. We have systematically experimented FatTreeSim on Emulab and Blue Gene/Q and analyzed the scalability and fidelity of FatTreeSim with various network configurations. On the Blue Gene/Q Mira, FatTreeSim can achieve a peak performance of 305 million events per second using 16,384 cores. Finally, we have applied FatTreeSim to simulate several large-scale Hadoop YARN applications to demonstrate its usability.
Seamless Vision-assisted Placement Calibration for Wearable Inertial Sensors
Authors: Wu Jian , Jafari Roozbeh
Published: July 2017

Wearable inertial devices are being widely used in the applications of activity tracking, health care, and professional sports, and their usage is on a rapid rise. Signal processing algorithms for these devices are often designed to work with a known location of the wearable sensor on the body. However, in reality, the wearable sensor may be worn at different body locations due to the user's preference or unintentional misplacement. The calibration of the sensor location is important to ensure that the algorithms operate correctly. In this article, we propose an auto-calibration technique for determining the location of wearables on the body by fusing the 3-axis accelerometer data from the devices and three-dimensional camera (i.e., Kinect) information obtained from the environment. The automatic calibration is achieved by a cascade decision-tree-based classifier on top of the minimum least-squares errors obtained by solving Wahba's problem, operating on heterogeneous sensors. The core contribution of our work is that there is no extra burden on the user as a result of this technique. The calibration is done seamlessly, leveraging sensor fusion in an Internet-of-Things setting opportunistically when the user is present in front of an environmental camera performing arbitrary movements. Our approach is evaluated with two different types of movements: simple actions (e.g., sit-to-stand or picking up phone) and complicated tasks (e.g., cooking or playing basketball), yielding 100% and 82.56% recall for simple actions and for complicated tasks, respectively, in determining the correct location of sensors.
IoT: The Internet of Terror
Authors: Neville-Neil George
Published: July 2017

It is true that many security-focused engineers can sound like Chicken Little, running around announcing that the sky is falling, but, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will notice that, indeed, the sky IS falling. Not a day goes by without a significant attack against networked systems making the news, and the Internet of Terror is leading the charge in taking distributed systems down the road to hell - a road that you wish to pave with your good intentions.
Vision: How to Catch Fast Signals With Slow Detectors
Authors: Demontis Gian Carlo , Cervetto Luigi
Published: July 2017

The visual system is equipped with highly sensitive but slow detectors, yet it can resolve light changes up to 60 Hz. Processes taking place in retinal circuits go beyond the intrinsic limits of the transduction machinery by an unconventional exploitation of voltage-dependent conductances, cleverly lined up to generate a cascade of band-pass amplification stages.
Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1: Physiological and Pathophysiological Roles
Authors: Binder Bernd R. , Christ Günter , Gruber Florian , Grubic Nelly , Hufnagl Peter , Krebs Michael , Mihaly Judit , Prager Gerald W.
Published: July 2017

Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) inhibits plasminogen activators (u-PA and t-PA) by forming stable complexes endocytosed via a low-density lipoprotein receptor superfamily member-dependent mechanism. PAI-1 circulates actively in plasma and latently in platelets but is also secreted and deposited into the matrix by several cells, where it participates in tissue repair processes.
Arterial Gas Embolism and Decompression Sickness
Authors: Neuman Tom S.
Published: July 2017

Decompression sickness occurs when a sufficiently large gas phase forms within the tissues of the body after a reduction in ambient pressure. Arterial gas embolism occurs secondary to pulmonary barotrauma when gas is forced into the pulmonary vasculature. Although they may clinically present in a similar fashion, the underlying pathophysiology of the two conditions is quite different.
Targeting Histone Demethylases in MYC-Driven Neuroblastomas with Ciclopirox
Authors: Yang Jun , Milasta Sandra , Hu Dongli , AlTahan Alaa M. , Interiano Rodrigo B. , Zhou Junfang , Davidson Jesse , Low Jonathan , Lin Wenwei , Bao Ju , Goh Pollyanna , Nathwani Amit C. , Wang Ruoning , Wang Yingdi , Ong Su Sien , Boyd Vincent A. , Young Brandon , Das Sourav , Shelat Anang , Wu Yinan , Li Zhenmei , Zheng Jie J. , Mishra Ashutosh , Cheng Yong , Qu Chunxu , Peng Junmin , Green Douglas R. , White Stephen , Guy R. Kiplin , Chen Taosheng , Davidoff Andrew M.
Published: July 2017

Histone lysine demethylases facilitate the activity of oncogenic transcription factors, including possibly MYC. Here we show that multiple histone demethylases influence the viability and poor prognosis of neuroblastoma cells, where MYC is often overexpressed. We also identified the approved small-molecule antifungal agent ciclopirox as a novel pan-histone demethylase inhibitor. Ciclopirox targeted several histone demethylases, including KDM4B implicated in MYC function. Accordingly, ciclopirox inhibited Myc signaling in parallel with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, resulting in suppression of neuroblastoma cell viability and inhibition of tumor growth associated with an induction of differentiation. Our findings provide new insights into epigenetic regulation of MYC function and suggest a novel pharmacologic basis to target histone demethylases as an indirect MYC-targeting approach for cancer therapy. Cancer Res; 77(17); 4626–38. ©2017 AACR.
Influence of the Method of Definition on the Prevalence of Left-Ventricular Hypertrophy in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease: Data from the Know-Ped CKD Study
Authors: Cho Heeyeon , Choi Hyun Jin , Kang Hee Gyung , Ha Il-Soo , Cheong Hae Il , Han Kyung Hee , Kim Seong Heon , Cho Min Hyun , Shin Jae Il , Lee Joo Hoon , Park Young Seo
Published: July 2017

Background/Aims: Children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a high risk of cardiovascular disease. Left-ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LVH) is an early marker of cardiovascular disease in pediatric CKD, and the prevalence of LVH in pediatric CKD is approximately 20-30% in pre-dialysis CKD patients. However, there is no consensus on the ideal method of defining LVH in pediatric CKD patients. Previous studies have typically used the LV mass index (LVMI), which is calculated as LV mass in grams divided by height in meters to the 2.7th power ≥ 38 g/m2.7, to diagnose LVH in children with CKD. Recently, age-specific reference values for LVMI ≥ 95th percentile and LV wall-thickness z-score > 1.64 in children were addressed. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and contributing factors of LVH in pediatric CKD patients according to each measurement and evaluate the concordance between each measurement. Methods: We used the baseline data of the KoreaN cohort study for Outcome in patients With Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-Ped CKD), which is a nationwide, 10-year, prospective, observational cohort study of pediatric CKD. A total of 469 patients were enrolled, and 458 patients were included in the final analysis. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate the association of the variables with LVH. Kappa statistics were used to analyze the concordance. Results: According to an LVH diagnosis of LVMI ≥ 38 g/m2.7, 188 patients (41.0%) were diagnosed with LVH, and the prevalence of LVH was high in younger patients (< 2 years of age). Using the age-specific reference values, 116 patients (25.3%) were diagnosed with LVH, and there was no difference in the prevalence of LVH according to age. Thirty-one patients (6.8%) were diagnosed with LVH using an LV wall-thickness z-score > 1.64. There is poor concordance between the diagnosis of LVH using the LV wall-thickness z-score and the LVMI method. Conclusions: The results of this study show that there is poor concordance between the diagnosis of LVH using the wall-thickness z-score and the LVMI2.7 criteria. Further investigation is needed to estimate the correlation between LVH and cardiac dysfunction and to find a better method for defining LVH in the pediatric CKD cohort and thereby predicting cardiac dysfunction.
Staging with Unilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy and Expert Pathological Review Result in No Recurrences in a Series of 81 Intestinal-Type Mucinous Borderline Ovarian Tumors
Authors: Dewilde Kobe , Moerman Philippe , Leunen Karin , Amant Frederic , Neven Patrick , Vergote Ignace
Published: July 2017

Objective: Recent studies suggest that mucinous borderline ovarian tumors (MBOTs) belong to a high-risk group that is more likely to develop an invasive recurrence. The objective is to determine these risk factors. Methods: A monocentric retrospective review of all consecutive patients with intestinal-type MBOT diagnosed between 1993 and 2013. All tumors were evaluated by one pathologist without knowledge of clinical outcome. Extensive surgical staging and pathological tumor sampling (1 block/cm diameter in tumors <10 cm and 2 blocks/cm diameter in tumors >10 cm) were performed in all cases. Results: A total of 81 patients were included. Patients with micro-invasion were also included. None of the patients recurred. No bilateral tumors, nor tumors with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage II or higher, were diagnosed. Median follow-up was 87 months. Conclusions: In our series of pure intestinal-type MBOT, including micro-invasion, no recurrences were observed. Given the heterogeneity of these tumors staging with at least unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, extensive pathological sampling, and expert pathological review are of paramount importance to be able to diagnose a pure intestinal-type MBOT and excluding gastrointestinal mucinous tumors and more important, excluding an invasive focus, defining a mucinous ovarian carcinoma. When these conditions are fulfilled, the prognosis of pure intestinal-type MBOT is excellent.
Literatura e alimentação em José de Alencar
Authors: Kaspar Katerina Blasques
Published: July 2017

No panorama em que a personagem de ficção romântica é constituída a partir de um modelo real de indivíduo, captar os elementos literários empregados pelo romancista na elaboração de sua trama parece ser relevante para recepção da obra. Neste contexto, a alimentação poderia ser considerada um aspecto de valioso destaque na proposição de espaços que permitam a comensalidade para estabelecimento de conflitos, bem como interessante figura para caracterizar lugares e personagens. Valendo-se de um corpus variado de José de Alencar, a investigação precisará paralelos com reflexões francesas sobre a gastronomia, de Brillat-Savarin e Balzac e, pautando-se igualmente por conceitos da crítica literária, sobretudo Antonio Candido e E. M. Forster, para uma enumeração e leitura de cenas de refeição e elementos alimentares e gastronômicos propostos pelo romancista para composição de suas obras. O interesse estará tanto no estudo de trechos em que a alimentação e os ingredientes aparecem como centrais na construção fictícia como também na investigação de como tais procedimentos podem ter figurado como parte da cor local no projeto literário de Alencar.
The Effect of Iron Status on Risk of Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Gill Dipender , Del Greco M. Fabiola , Walker Ann P. , Srai Surjit K.S. , Laffan Michael A. , Minelli Cosetta
Published: July 2017

Objective—

Iron status is a modifiable trait that has been implicated in cardiovascular disease. This study uses the Mendelian randomization technique to investigate whether there is any causal effect of iron status on risk of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Approach and Results—

A 2-sample Mendelian randomization approach is used to estimate the effect of iron status on CAD risk. Three loci (rs1800562 and rs1799945 in the
HFE
gene and rs855791 in
TMPRSS6
) that are each associated with serum iron, transferrin saturation, ferritin, and transferrin in a pattern suggestive of an association with systemic iron status are used as instruments. SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism)-iron status association estimates are based on a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of 48 972 individuals. SNP-CAD estimates are derived by combining the results of a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of 60 801 CAD cases and 123 504 controls with those of a meta-analysis of 63 746 CAD cases and 130 681 controls obtained from Metabochip and genome-wide association studies. Combined Mendelian randomization estimates are obtained for each marker by pooling results across the 3 instruments. We find evidence of a protective effect of higher iron status on CAD risk (iron odds ratio, 0.94 per SD unit increase; 95% confidence interval, 0.88–1.00;
P
=0.039; transferrin saturation odds ratio, 0.95 per SD unit increase; 95% confidence interval, 0.91–0.99;
P
=0.027; log-transformed ferritin odds ratio, 0.85 per SD unit increase; 95% confidence interval, 0.73–0.98;
P
=0.024; and transferrin odds ratio, 1.08 per SD unit increase; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–1.16;
P
=0.034).

Conclusions—

This Mendelian randomization study supports the hypothesis that higher iron status reduces CAD risk. These findings may highlight a therapeutic target.
Cytomegalovirus Infection and Relative Risk of Cardiovascular Disease (Ischemic Heart Disease, Stroke, and Cardiovascular Death): A Meta‐Analysis of Prospective Studies Up to 2016
Authors: Wang Haoran , Peng Geng , Bai Jing , He Bing , Huang Kecheng , Hu Xinrong , Liu Dongliang
Published: July 2017

Background

Several studies have suggested that cytomegalovirus infection is likely associated with an increased relative risk of cardiovascular disease (
CVD
); however, the results are inconsistent. We aimed to provide a systematic review and meta‐analysis of community‐based prospective studies assessing the association between cytomegalovirus infection and relative risk of
CVD
.

Methods and Results

We searched Medline and
EMBASE
to retrieve prospective studies that reported risk estimates of the association between cytomegalovirus infection and relative risk of
CVD
. The search yielded 10 articles including a total of 34 564 participants and 4789
CVD
patients. Overall, exposure to cytomegalovirus infection was associated with a 22% (relative risk: 1.22, 95%
CI
: 1.07–1.38,
P
=0.002) increased relative risk of future
CVD
. We estimated that 13.4% of
CVD
incidence could be attributable to cytomegalovirus infection.

Conclusions

In conclusion, cytomegalovirus infection is associated with a significantly increased relative risk of
CVD
.
Association of Proteinuria and Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Patients With Intact and Reduced Kidney Function
Authors: Molnar Amber O. , Eddeen Anan Bader , Ducharme Robin , Garg Amit X. , Harel Ziv , McCallum Megan K. , Perl Jeffrey , Wald Ron , Zimmerman Deborah , Sood Manish M.
Published: July 2017

Background

Early evidence suggests proteinuria is independently associated with incident atrial fibrillation (AF). We sought to investigate whether the association of proteinuria with incident AF is altered by kidney function.

Methods and Results

Retrospective cohort study using administrative healthcare databases in Ontario, Canada (2002–2015). A total of 736 666 patients aged ≥40 years not receiving dialysis and with no previous history of AF were included. Proteinuria was defined using the urine albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio (ACR) and kidney function by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The primary outcome was time to AF. Cox proportional models were used to determine the hazard ratio for AF censored for death, dialysis, kidney transplant, or end of follow‐up. Fine and Grey models were used to determine the subdistribution hazard ratio for AF, with death as a competing event. Median follow‐up was 6 years and 44 809 patients developed AF. In adjusted models, ACR and eGFR were associated with AF (
P
<0.0001). The association of proteinuria with AF differed based on kidney function (ACR × eGFR interaction,
P
<0.0001). Overt proteinuria (ACR, 120 mg/mmol) was associated with greater AF risk in patients with intact (eGFR, 120) versus reduced (eGFR, 30) kidney function (adjusted hazard ratios, 4.5 [95% CI, 4.0–5.1] and 2.6 [95% CI, 2.4–2.8], respectively; referent ACR 0 and eGFR 120). Results were similar in competing risk analyses.

Conclusions

Proteinuria increases the risk of incident AF markedly in patients with intact kidney function compared with those with decreased kidney function. Screening and preventative strategies should consider proteinuria as an independent risk factor for AF.
Neural Mechanisms Underlying Risk and Ambiguity Attitudes
Authors: Blankenstein Neeltje E. , Peper Jiska S. , Crone Eveline A. , van Duijvenvoorde Anna C. K.
Published: July 2017

Individual differences in attitudes to risk (a taste for risk, known probabilities) and ambiguity (a tolerance for uncertainty, unknown probabilities) differentially influence risky decision-making. However, it is not well understood whether risk and ambiguity are coded differently within individuals. Here, we tested whether individual differences in risk and ambiguity attitudes were reflected in distinct neural correlates during choice and outcome processing of risky and ambiguous gambles. To these ends, we developed a neuroimaging task in which participants (n = 50) chose between a sure gain and a gamble, which was either risky or ambiguous, and presented decision outcomes (gains, no gains). From a separate task in which the amount, probability, and ambiguity level were varied, we estimated individuals' risk and ambiguity attitudes. Although there was pronounced neural overlap between risky and ambiguous gambling in a network typically related to decision-making under uncertainty, relatively more risk-seeking attitudes were associated with increased activation in valuation regions of the brain (medial and lateral OFC), whereas relatively more ambiguity-seeking attitudes were related to temporal cortex activation. In addition, although striatum activation was observed during reward processing irrespective of a prior risky or ambiguous gamble, reward processing after an ambiguous gamble resulted in enhanced dorsomedial PFC activation, possibly functioning as a general signal of uncertainty coding. These findings suggest that different neural mechanisms reflect individual differences in risk and ambiguity attitudes and that risk and ambiguity may impact overt risk-taking behavior in different ways.
A new species of Aspidiophorus (Gastrotricha: Chaetonotidae) from the Swedish west coast
Authors: KÅNNEBY TOBIAS , TODARO M. ANTONIO
Published: July 2017

Gastrotricha is a group of small aquatic acoelomate animals with more than 820 species worldwide (Balsamo et al. 2015). The Swedish gastrotrich fauna today comprises 94 nominal species of which 40 are marine and 54 are freshwater (Curini-Galletti et al. 2012; Kånneby 2011). Of these, 69 species belong to the order Chaetonotida Remane, 1925 and 25 species belong to the order Macrodasyida Remane, 1925. Compared to other relatively well investigated countries in the region, the Swedish marine Gastrotrich fauna of the west coast appears fairly surveyed. In fact, 38 species have been recorded from Norway (Clausen 2004; Schmidt 1972), while 15 species have been recorded from the seas surrounding the Danish mainland (Grilli et al. 2010). The Swedish brackish waters of the Baltic have a lower diversity and so far only 7 species are known from this area (Kånneby 2011; unpublished observations). By comparison, 31 species have been recorded from the Polish Baltic coast (Hummon 2008; Kolicka et al. 2015). In this paper we describe a new species of Aspidiophorus found during an intensive research on the gastrotrich fauna of the surroundings of the Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences (Kristineberg) on the Swedish west coast carried out in the summer of 2009.
Description of a new species of the genus Odontomutilla Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) from India
Authors: DAS DIPANWITA , KUMAR P. GIRISH , BHADRA KAKALI
Published: July 2017

A new species, Odontomutilla paderua Das, Girish Kumar, sp. nov. (India: Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh), which is related to O. speciosa (Smith, 1855) is described and illustrated. A key to females of Indian species is given.
Satellite Rainfall Estimates for Debris Flow Prediction: An Evaluation Based on Rainfall Accumulation–Duration Thresholds
Authors: Nikolopoulos E. I. , Destro E. , Maggioni V. , Marra F. , Borga M.
Published: July 2017

Rainfall thresholds are often used in early warning systems to identify rainfall conditions that, when reached or exceeded, are likely to result in debris flows. Rain gauges are typically used for the definition of these thresholds. However, in mountainous areas in situ observations are often sparse or nonexistent. Satellite-based rainfall estimates offer a solution to overcome the coverage problem at the global scale but are associated with significant estimation uncertainty. Evaluating satellite-based rainfall thresholds is thus necessary to understand their potential and limitations. In this work, an intercomparison among satellite-based precipitation products is presented in the context of estimating rainfall thresholds for debris flow prediction. The study is performed for the upper Adige River basin in the eastern Italian Alps during 2000–10. Large differences are observed between event-based characteristics (event duration and magnitude) derived from rain gauge and satellite-based estimates, revealing considerable interproduct variability in the debris flow–triggering rainfall characteristics. The parameters of the satellite-based thresholds differ less than 30% from the corresponding rain gauge–based parameters. Results further suggest that the adjustment of satellite-based estimates (either gauge based or by applying an error model) together with spatial resolution has an important impact on the estimation of the accumulation–duration thresholds.
Il rapporto di amicizia tra Pietro Metastasio e il conte udinese Daniele Florio attraverso l'Epistolario del «poeta cesareo»
Authors: Dorigo Ermes
Published: July 2017

Questo scritto utilizza essenzialmente l' Epistolario di Pietro Metastasio (1698–1782), per analizzare il suo rapporto di amicizia col «ciambellano imperial cesareo» di Maria Teresa, il conte udinese Daniele Florio (1710–1789), «poeta de' Sovrani, Sovrano de' poeti», lungo tre direttrici adeguatamente approfondite. Amicizia come reciproco sostegno e guida, fraterna paterna filiale, a seconda dei casi, che comprende e travalica sincerità e onestà, di cui pur si nutre, per rasentare, con la tenerezza e l'affetto che la plasma, un sentimento di puro amore e disinteressata dedizione. Il tema dell'Amicizia costituisce il fulcro della canzone poetica scritta da Daniele Florio in morte del Metastasio come si legge già nella premessa A GLI AMICI: «[…] io ho perduto un impareggiabile Amico. Voi, che portate scolpite nell'animo le Sacre Leggi dell'Amicizia […] rendere una pubblica testimonianza […] di tenerezza, e gratitudine all'Amico»; parole riprese nella poesia, soprattutto nella prima e terza strofa, che danno il ‘tono’ a tutto il componimento: «Mai più soavi lacrime / Non versa un infelice / Di quelle che Amicizia / Dal fido cor gli elice […] Io su le fredde ceneri / Piango d'un chiaro Amico, / A cui mi strinse il genio / Con forte nodo antico».
Leopardi's and Beckett's Dianoetic Laugh: The Intermediate Space of Desire in the Operette Morali and Krapp's Last Tape
Authors: Cauchi-Santoro Roberta
Published: July 2017

The desire not to desire is crucial to Samuel Beckett's and Giacomo Leopardi's oeuvre. Beckett would delve at length into the ablation of desire in Proust, in which context Leopardi's poem “A Se Stesso” is quoted. Beckett catalogues Leopardi as one of the philosophers who proposed the only impossible solution — the removal of desire — to living. This apparently negative outlook in both authors has received critical attention. My contention, nonetheless, is that while both Leopardi and Beckett initially aspire to the nothingness that results out of the dissolution of desire, neither Leopardi nor Beckett are nihilists. It is through their humor that the two authors introduce a paradoxical intermediate space for desire, where the humorous moment simultaneously contains its repression and release. It is through the Leopardian and Beckettian dianoetic laugh, analyzed in the Operette Morali, Zibaldone di pensieri and Beckett's play Krapp's Last Tape, that this paradoxical desire is expressed.
Il romanticismo italiano e la poesia popolare maltese
Authors: Friggieri Oliver
Published: July 2017

La tradizione letteraria più antica di Malta, scritta in italiano, faceva parte integrante della letteratura italiana. Per vari secoli, almeno dal primo Cinquecento in poi, gli scrittori dell'isola si consideravano maltesi tramite la loro completa e continua adesione ai modi di pensare e di scrivere della penisola vicina, con la quale Malta ha sempre avuto stretti contatti di natura politica e culturale. Il maltese, l'antica lingua della comunità isolana, di origine araba ma scritta nell'alfabeto latino, non godeva di una sua tradizione scritta, ed era completamente ignorata nei campi dell'amministrazione e della cultura. Il rapporto con l'Italia ha eventualmente condotto al riconoscimento dell'idioma parlato. La diffusione dei principi romantici di democrazia e di rispetto per il patrimonio popolare ha dato luogo alla scoperta del maltese come forma espressiva adatta ad essere scritta e coltivata.

La nascita della poesia in lingua maltese risultò dalla diretta partecipazione di Malta all'esperienza romantica dell'Italia. Le forme e i contenuti della nuova poesia mettono in rilievo la dinamica con cui due diverse culture, semitica e latina, si fondono in un unico insieme entro i limiti del carattere assimilativo dello spirito maltese. Il riconoscimento della tradizionale poesia popolare maltese come parte del patrimonio nazionale (1895–1964) e la nuova diffusione di versi popolari nella forma scritta (1791–1839) sono aspetti essenziali di un unico fenomeno italo-maltese. Si tratta anche di un documento dell'influsso della cultura romantica maltese fuori Italia.
Zeno Cosini's Philosophy of Humor
Authors: Nikopoulos James
Published: July 2017

This article argues that Zeno Cosini's famous sense of humor derives from a philosophy of nihilism. Because this philosophy expresses itself as humor, as a mode of communication traditionally considered antithetical to everything associated with nihilism, the root of Zeno's penchant for joke making oftentimes remains hidden from view. Hence, this article looks at the philosophy that underlies Zeno Cosini's humor while aiming to assess just how ‘readable’ to others said humor renders this philosophy. This ‘readability’ is considered in light of Zeno's relationship to three audience groups: those within the narrative who are ignorant of Zeno's journal; Doctor S., the one character who is privy to the journal's contents; and the readers of the journal, who know what Zeno's doctor does but who lie outside the space of the narrative.
Foreign Direct Investment by SMEs
Authors: Secretariat UNCTAD
Published: July 2017

Small-and medium-sized enterprises can contribute significantly to development, as the Asian experience shows,'
India's Exports: An Analysis of Export Growth and Instability in the Post-reform Period
Authors: Nayak Dinkar , Kumra Akash
Published: July 2017

Exports play a crucial role in the economy of a country. The necessary foreign exchange earnings came through this process of export are utilized by many countries in their development process. Sudden fluctuation or sign of volatility in the export trend can upset the foreign exchange earnings and hence their development drive. This export instability is a matter of great concern before developing economies. This paper makes an attempt o understand and analyze this issue in detail.
In their own words: Stories from HIV-positive African American women
Authors: Robillard Alyssa G , Reed Cymone , Larkey Linda , Kohler Connie , Ingram Lucy A , Lewis Kaleea , Julious Carmen
Published: July 2017

Objectives:

African American women are disproportionately impacted upon by HIV, particularly in the Southern states of the USA where the percentage of new cases of HIV and the percentage of people living with HIV in the USA are highest. This study describes the lived experiences of HIV-positive African American women based on their written stories.

Design:

Naturalistic qualitative design.

Setting:

Three organisations serving people living with HIV in a Southern state in the USA.

Method:

HIV-positive African American women 18 years of age and older ( N = 23) recruited from organisations working with people living with HIV were given the opportunity to write their own story following their participation in a semi-structured individual private interview. Content analysis was conducted on the written accounts.

Results:

Analysis of narratives written by HIV-positive African American women revealed themes of self-actualisation and self-worth. While some stories highlighted experiences of helplessness/hopelessness, most stories were more optimistic in nature, offering advice for prevention and highlighting individual efforts of advocacy and education. Stories also touched on risk/protective behaviour and women’s acknowledgement of their own responsibility in their HIV status.

Conclusion:

Strengths and resources are expressed in stories, as well as the acknowledgement of stressors associated with HIV. These within-culture narratives may be useful in programmes and interventions to inform culturally resonant prevention efforts and promote self-management activities among women living with HIV.
Perceptual and Verbal Discriminations of 'Elaborated' and 'Restricted' Code Users
Authors: Robinson W.P. , Creed C.D.
Published: July 2017

Previous tests of the validity of Bernstein's distinction between 'elaborated' and ' restricted' codes have used social class as an independent variable and continuous speech or writing obtained in only slightly structured situations as dependent variables. For this investigation of six year old working class girls, two less inferential independent variables were used: induced change resultant upon participation in a language programme for over four terms and naturally occurring linguistic variation found in speech samples taken when the subjects were five years old. The dependent variables were measures of attentiveness, errors of perceptual discrimination, efficiency of perceptual discrimination, and efficiency of verbalization of discriminations made. Participation in the language programme and ` elaboratedness ' of code in the speech sample were related primarily to the efficiency of verbalization.
Intelligibility of Black and White Speakers for Black and White Listeners
Authors: Norton Darryl E. , Hodgson William R.
Published: July 2017

The purpose of this study was the investigation of the auditory discrimination ability of black and white listeners. Ten black and ten white subjects listened to PB-lists spoken by ten black and ten white speakers. There were no significant differences found between the discrimination ability of the two groups. However, both groups obtained better discrimination scores when listening to white rather than black speakers.
Acoustical Features of Children's Vowel Sounds: Development by Chronological Age Versus Bone Age
Authors: Gilbert John H.
Published: July 2017

The acoustic development of four vowel sounds in children's speech during the first six years was studied to determine whether statistically significant differences in formant frequency are apparent when chronological age is compared with a measure of physiological age. Thirty pre-school children were recorded in free verbalization situations. Representative productions of the four vowels /i/, /æl /α/, /u/ were analysed with a sound spectrograph and measurements made of Formants 1 and 2. Results indicate that when the formant frequency measurements are compared as chronological age v. physiological age, no difference is found. It is concluded that grouping children by a measure of physiological maturity, rather than by chronological age, does not change the final results when examining the development of formant frequencies.
Contour Systems of One Variety of Scottish English
Authors: Currie Karen L.
Published: July 2017

Six speakers of Edinburgh English were recorded reading a text. These readings were analysed instrumentally to obtain measurements of fundamental frequency, intensity, and pause duration. The measurements were then analysed in terms of "complete contours." The results suggest that there is a neutral intonation contour which acts as the neutral phonological carrier. This contour is defined in terms of a base-line and deviations from that base-line and it is demonstrated that this contour varies according to discourse function.
Observations on Elicited Language Imitation with the Severely Retarded
Authors: Lamberts Frances , Burns Martha
Published: July 2017

Word, phrase, and sentence imitation responses by 42 institutionalized, severely retarded adolescents were examined with a view to validity of imitation in language assessment with the retarded, and for developmental characteristics of language processing by retarded speakers. High response consistency in imitation, and semantic and syntactic substitutions were interpreted as evidence of internalized control of grammar by these speakers. A mental-age but not chronological-age correlation with imitation ability was found. One third of the speakers did not produce good imitations for three-word, Subject-Verb-Object phrases; speakers who did produce good imitations of such phrases could also imitate longer phrases and sentences. Evidence of metalinguistic awareness was presented, and results and teaching implications were discussed in terms of speakers' ability to process basic semantic relationships.
Pronunciation by Analogy: Impact of Implementational Choices on Performance
Authors: Damper R. I. , Eastmond J. F. G.
Published: July 2017

Pronunciation by analogy (PbA) is an emerging, data-driven technique with potential application in text-to-speech (TTS) systems, as well as being an influential psychological model of reading aloud. The underlying idea is that a pronunciation for an unknown word (i.e., one not in the dictionary, or lexicon, of the human or machine “reader”) is assembled by matching substrings of the input to substrings of known, lexical words, hypothesizing a partial pronunciation for each matched substring from the lexical knowledge of the “reader,” and concatenating the partial pronunciations. This paper assesses the capability of PbA to derive pronunciations for unknown words of English.

As a psychological model, PbA is “under-specified,” that is, the implementor of a simulation of the process faces detailed choices which can only be resolved by trial and error. One goal for this paper is to explore the impact of certain basic implementational choices on the performance of PbA systems. The variables studied are the specific lexical database used as the basis of the analogy process, the way of ranking/scoring candidate pronunciations, and the effect of manual versus automatic alignment of letters and phonemes.

When tested with short (monosyllabic) pseudowords previously used in experimental psychology studies, the lowest error rate achieved is 14.3% (for a test set of size 70). We conclude that current PbA systems are at best poor models of pseudoword pronunciation by humans.

To assess their suitability for use in a TTS application, in which multisyllabic words will be encountered, the implementations have also been tested with lexical words temporarily removed from the dictionary. The best performance obtained was 93.5% phonemes correct (corresponding to 67.9% words correct) for a 16,280-word dictionary. This is vastly superior to the 25.7% words correct obtained using a set of popular letter-to-sound rules, indicating considerable scope for analogy methods to be exploited in future TTS systems.
Phonotactics and Syllable Stress: Implications for the Processing of Spoken Nonsense Words
Authors: Vitevitch Michael S. , Luce Paul A. , Charles-Luce Jan , Kemmerer David
Published: July 2017

Two experiments using bisyllabic CVCCVC nonsense words that varied in phonotactic probability and stress placement were conducted to examine the influences of phonotactic and metrical information on spoken word recognition. Experiment 1 examined participants' intuitions about the phonological “goodness” of nonsense words. Experiment 2 examined processing times for the same stimuli in a speeded auditory repetition task. The results of both studies provide further evidence that the phonotactic configuration and stress placement of spoken stimuli have important implications for the representation and processing of spoken words.
The reactions of fertilizer phosphate with soils
Authors: Huffman E. O.
Published: July 2017

The composition of the solution formed on dissolution of the fertilizer in the soil is a major factor in the reaction of the phosphate with the soil minerals. Orthophosphates are rapidly precipitated in the soil, but the polyphosphates form precipitates much more slowly. The hydrolysis of the polyphosphates to orthophosphates further complicates the behaviour of the polyphosphates, and much additional study will be required for evaluation of the polyphosphates as fertilizers.
Weed control with paraquat in plantation crops
Authors: Darter I. E.
Published: July 2017

Plantation crops, including orchards, are characterized primarily by their perennial nature and the fact that they are normally planted; a derivative characteristic is the relatively wide and regular spacing. These features, despite the variety and wide geographical and climatic distribution of the crops, to some extent define the weed problems and set the stage for a dramatic exploitation of the unusual physical and biological properties of paraquat. The possibilities are intriguing.
The effect of some early synthetic insecticides on pest management practices
Authors: Stapley J H
Published: July 2017

The use of insecticides is often advisable and sometimes essential; when a crop is threatened, it is necessary to take action which must be swift and effective. Integrated pest management is a concept which is now generally known and widely accepted and it is to be hoped that less effort will be expended in the future on partisan and often biased controversy, and that the judicious use of insecticides will be accepted as an integral part of pest management strategy.
Renewable resources (hydrocarbons)
Authors: Hall D O
Published: July 2017

While many countries are already embarked upon large-scale cultivation of sugar- and starch-for-alcohol crops to augment their ever-increasingly expensive imports of petroleum products, studies are also being widely conducted on the possible use of hydrocarbon-producing plants. However labour-intensive such enterprises may be, they have the advantage of directly supplying fuel and chemicals; they are less competitive with food crops, and may be viable in desert or semi-arid areas.
Mapping the Brassica Genome
Authors: Lydiate Derek , Sharpe Andrew , Lagercrantz Ulf , Parkin Isobel
Published: July 2017

The six cultivated species of Brassica furnish a wide range of crop types (including oilseed, vegetable and fodder crops) which seem quite different when observed under normal cultivation (Figure 1). However, Brassica species and a large number of other wild and cultivated species are all closely related (Figure 2) and genetic exchange through sexual crosses is possible across most of this very extensive gene pool. Traditionally, the investigation of genome organization in plants has employed cytology to study chromosomes and genetic markers to define linkage groups. Cytology is difficult in Brassica because the chromosomes are small, but the genus is very amenable to investigations using molecular-genetic markers because of the high degree of natural polymorphism. Gene homology and the general structure of the genome seems to be conserved between Brassica and related genera and modern marker technologies are freely interchangeable across this group. However, the collinearity of related chromosomes in different Brassica species has been disrupted frequently by chromosomal translocations. Thus Brassica species have quite distinct genetic maps, in contrast to cereal species where collinear homoeologous chromosomes are the general rule. The mapping of the Brassica genome will have a considerable impact on the breeding of Brassica crops. In particular, it will facilitate the transfer of beneficial genes between species and the rapid introgression of genes from wild plants into useful cultivars. These improvements in breeding should be translated into crops which are more easily adapted to suit the needs of new agronomic practices and the demands of a changing environment.
Adaptation of Flowering in Crops to Climate
Authors: Roberts Eric , Summerfield Rod , Ellis Richard , Qi Aiming
Published: July 2017

Recent work at the Plant Environment Laboratory at Reading, carried out in collaboration with several International Agricultural Research Centres, has led to a model which characterizes and quantifies the separate genetic responses in crops to daylength and temperature that determine when flowering occurs. These responses are illustrated here for soyabean and we discuss briefly how the model is contributing to crop improvement in other species.
Population: The Dynamics of Change
Authors: Lutz Wolfgang
Published: July 2017

Global population growth is generally considered to be one of the major driving forces of global change. Population changes, however, follow their own dynamics and can be influenced only marginally in the short run. This paper outlines the basic structure of these dynamics, including the important momentum of population growth. It also presents alternative population projections that show that in the long run much depends on fertility trends in the near future, and that a successful curbing of population growth will result in very rapid and significant population aging.
Strengthening partnerships with National Agricultural Systems for more effective livestock research
Authors: Smalley Michael , Eley Rob , Lebbie Sahr
Published: July 2017

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) uses partnerships and collaborative arrangements to ensure that its limited human and financial resources for improving the productivity of animal agriculture are used to best effect. The most important partners for ILRI are national scientists in developing countries, but the capacity for livestock research in many such countries remains weak. ILRI has a programme (SPAN) designed to strengthen national and regional capacities for livestock research. This paper describes the activities and some of the achievements of collaborative research networks, training and information services and products that together make up SPAN; and which help to strengthen partnerships between national researchers in different countries, and between ILRI and national scientists. Examples are given to demonstrate the importance of ILRI's partnerships for effective livestock research.