bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cod liver oil. A natural Vitamin D for preserving health
Authors: Fehér János , Kovács Illés , Corrado Balacco-Gabrieli
Published: February 2011

Vitamin D deficiency is pandemic in industrialized countries due to life-style changes. Recent studies suggest that besides bone-metabolism, vitamin D plays a central role in basic cell function like multiplication, differentiation and metabolism. This may explain that low vitamin D levels represent a risk factor for several apparently different diseases such as infective, autoimmune, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, as well as diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer. Accumulating evidences suggest that an adequate intake of vitamin D may significantly decrease prevalence and clinical outcome of these diseases. Estimated reduction of the economic burden might reach about 10 percent through normalizing vitamin D levels for these diseases. However, high doses of vitamin D monotherapy needs precaution for potential adverse effects and it should be substituted with the recommended doses of vitamin D in combination with synergistic vitamin A and omega 3 fatty acids, such as cod liver oil. Orv. Hetil., 2011, 152, 323–330.
Goatsrue (Galega officinalis) Response to Herbicides
Authors: Oldham Michelle , Ransom Corey V.
Published: February 2011

Goatsrue response to eight herbicide treatments was evaluated in greenhouse and field trials. Herbicides tested on goatsrue grown from seed in the greenhouse included 2,4-D amine, dicamba, chlorsulfuron, picloram, imazapyr, imazamox, aminopyralid, and triclopyr. Each herbicide was applied at rates of 0.125×, 0.25×, 0.5×, 1.0×, and 2.0×, where X is equal to the labeled rate. Goatsrue was most sensitive to the acetolactate synthase inhibitors chlorsulfuron and imazapyr, with 50% inhibition values of 0.07× (3.7g ai ha−1) and 0.16× (90 g ai ha−1) respectively. Goatsrue did not respond to increasing 2,4-D and imazamox rates. Herbicides evaluated in the greenhouse were also tested at two field sites (Smithfield and Amalga, UT), except imazamox, which was replaced by metsulfuron. Field studies gave some varying results, but overall showed that chlorsulfuron, metsulfuron, aminopyralid, and picloram gave at least 93% control at Smithfield, and 89% control at Amalga 24 mo after treatment (MAT). Treatments of chlorsulfuron, metsulfuron, aminopyralid, and picloram were also effective at increasing perennial grass cover at Smithfield 24 MAT. All treatments at Smithfield decreased seedling goatsrue cover, whereas only aminopyralid and picloram decreased seedling cover at Amlaga 11 MAT.
Winter Wheat Response to Preplant Applications of Aminocyclopyrachlor
Authors: Kniss Andrew R. , Lyon Drew J.
Published: February 2011

Field studies were conducted in Wyoming and Nebraska in 2007 through 2009 to evaluate winter wheat response to aminocyclopyrachlor. Aminocyclopyrachlor was applied at rates between 15 and 120 g ai ha−1 6, 4, and 2 mo before winter wheat planting (MBP). Redroot pigweed control was 90% with aminocyclopyrachlor rates of 111 and 50 g ha−1 when applied 4 or 2 MBP. Aminocyclopyrachlor at 37 g ha−1 controlled Russian thistle 90% when applied 6 MBP. At Sidney, NE, winter wheat yield loss was > 10% at all aminocyclopyrachlor rates when applied 2 or 4 MBP, and at all rates > 15 g ha−1 when applied 6 MBP. At Lingle, WY, > 40% winter wheat yield loss was observed at all rates when averaged over application timings. Although the maturing wheat plants looked normal, few seed were produced in the aminocyclopyrachlor treatments, and therefore preharvest wheat injury ratings of only 5% corresponded to yield losses ranging from 23 to 90%, depending on location. The high potential for winter wheat crop injury will almost certainly preclude the use of aminocyclopyrachlor in the fallow period immediately preceding winter wheat.
Effect of Residual Herbicide and Postemergence Application Timing on Weed Control and Yield in Glyphosate-Resistant Corn
Authors: Loux Mark M. , Dobbels Anthony F. , Johnson William G. , Young Bryan G.
Published: February 2011

Field studies were conducted in 2007 and 2008 at seven sites in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to determine the effect of PRE herbicide and POST application timing on weed control and yield of glyphosate-resistant corn. Levels of PRE herbicide included none; low—atrazine; medium—atrazine and metolachlor; and high—atrazine, mesotrione, and metolachlor. Glyphosate was applied POST when corn was 30 cm tall, or 1 or 2 wk later. Common lambsquarters, giant foxtail, and giant ragweed infested at least six of the seven sites, and other weed species occurred at two to three sites. Control of weeds at the time of POST application ranged from 48 to 91%, 58 to 99%, and 87 to 100% for the low, medium, and high levels of PRE herbicide, respectively, averaged over POST application timing. Control of giant foxtail and redroot pigweed decreased by about 20% between the second and third POST timing, averaged over PRE herbicide, but control of other weeds was similar among timings. Late-season control of common ragweed, velvetleaf, common lambsquarters, and Pennsylvania smartweed exceeded 90%, regardless of PRE herbicide or POST timing. Control of redroot pigweed, ivyleaf morningglory, and giant ragweed was as low as 74, 67, and 83%, respectively, but the high level of PRE herbicide resulted in 90 to 97% control of these weeds. An interaction between PRE herbicide and POST timing for late-season control of giant foxtail, tall waterhemp, and yellow nutsedge reflected the more effective control among POST timings from the higher levels of PRE herbicide. The overall trend in this study was for more effective weed control in PRE/POST herbicide programs with more comprehensive PRE herbicides that have substantial activity on both grass and broadleaf weeds. Highest yield occurred where the PRE treatment consisted of a two- or three-way combination of herbicides applied at 50% of the recommended rate or higher. Yield was reduced at all POST timings with atrazine alone or in the absence of PRE herbicide.
POST Herbicide Combinations for Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) Control in Sugarbeet
Authors: Jursík Miroslav , Soukup Josef , Venclová Veronika , Holec Josef
Published: February 2011

Velvetleaf is one of the most significant and fastest spreading alien weeds in Europe, and it is a difficult weed to control in conventional sugarbeet. Laboratory experiments were carried out in 2007 and 2008 and field experiments were carried out in 2006, 2007, and 2008 with the aim of finding effective herbicide combinations and optimum timing of control. Herbicides containing the active ingredients phenmedipham, desmedipham, ethofumesate, clopyralid, and triflusulfuron were all tested at different timings. Phenmedipham + desmedipham + ethofumesate gave 87% velvetleaf control in pot experiments when applied at the growth stages of velvetleaf cotyledons and one true leaf, but only 27 to 42% control in field trials. Triflusulfuron gave 76% control in pot experiments and 83 to 88% control in field experiments. The timing of the first and second herbicide applications was very important: the first application of herbicides must be at the cotyledon stage of velvetleaf. A 1-wk delay in first application reduced herbicide efficacy by 8%. A 5-d period between the first and second treatments gave 93% control, while a 10-d period between the first and second treatments gave only 77% control. Sugarbeet yield decreased by 60 to 86% due to competition with velvetleaf when a standard herbicide combination (phenmedipham + desmedipham + ethofumesate) was used, and the velvetleaf produced between 6,700 and 14,800 seeds m−2. Inclusion of triflusulfuron in the herbicide treatment significantly reduced velvetleaf seed production to between 200 and 4,700 seeds m−2. In most cases, inclusion of triflusulfuron increased sugarbeet yield. Better velvetleaf control occurred in years when the sugarbeet canopy developed early and the index of leaf area of sugarbeet was higher.
Site-Specific Weed Management in Cotton Using WebHADSS™
Authors: Ford A. J. , Dotray P. A. , Keeling J. W. , Wilkerson J. B. , Wilcut J. W. , Gilbert L. V.
Published: February 2011

Field trials were established in 2005 and continued in 2006 to evaluate a conventional broadcast herbicide sprayer compared to a variable spray (sensor-activated) weed-sensing sprayer (WSS). The computer-based Herbicide Application Decision Support System (WebHADSS™) was used to determine a portion of the herbicides applied (based on herbicide efficacy and economics). Weed control, herbicide usage, crop yield, and net returns were compared across treatments. The broadcast applications were usually the most effective at controlling weeds. A PPI herbicide did not always improve weed control compared to treatments in which no PPI herbicide was applied. Variable treatments used less herbicide than the broadcast system in both years. Cotton lint yields in broadcast applications were similar to the weed-free check in both years of the study. Variable treatments often provided equivalent net returns (gross yield revenue less weed control cost) to the broadcast treatments. Although herbicide savings were observed in the variable treatments when compared to a broadcast system, a reduction in weed control was observed, indicating the need for future improvements of this system. A site-specific weed management program used in conjunction with WebHADSS™ may have potential in cotton production systems in the Texas Southern High Plains where weed densities are low.
Occurrence and Molecular Characterization of Acetolactate Synthase (ALS) Inhibitor–Resistant Kochia (Kochia scoparia) in Western Canada
Authors: Beckie Hugh J. , Warwick Suzanne I. , Sauder Connie A. , Lozinski Chris , Shirriff Scott
Published: February 2011

A survey of 109 fields was conducted across western Canada in spring 2007 to determine the extent of ALS-inhibitor and dicamba (synthetic auxin) resistance in kochia. Weed seedlings were collected from fields in three provinces of western Canada and transplanted into the greenhouse. Seeds were harvested from selfed plants, and the F1progeny were screened for resistance to the ALS-inhibitor mixture thifensulfuron–tribenuron or dicamba. All kochia populations were susceptible to dicamba. ALS inhibitor–resistant kochia was found in 85% of the fields surveyed in western Canada: 80 of 95 fields in Alberta, six of seven fields in Saskatchewan, and all seven fields in Manitoba. For the 93 ALS inhibitor–resistant populations, the mean frequency (±SE) of parental plants classified as resistant was 61 ± 3%. Most of the resistant populations (87%) were heterogeneous and contained both resistant and susceptible individuals.ALSsequence data (Pro197and Asp376mutations) and genotyping data (Trp574mutation) obtained for 87 kochia parental (i.e., field-collected) plants confirmed the presence of all three target-site mutations as well as two mutational combinations (Pro197+ Trp574, Asp376+ Trp574) in resistant individuals.
Application Placement Equipment for Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) Suppression along Roadsides
Authors: Gannon Travis W. , Yelverton Fred H.
Published: February 2011

Experiments were initiated during 2003 and 2004 to evaluate application placement equipment for plant growth regulator (PGR) applications along bahiagrass roadsides. Recently designed equipment combine low-volume application and pesticide placement technology. Application placement equipment conceal the image of a traditional spray application. Evaluated application placement equipment included a wet-blade mower (Burch Wet Blade) and rotary-wick applicator (Weedbug™) compared with a traditional broadcast spray. Wet-blade mowers are designed to mow and simultaneously apply a pesticide solution to a cut stem or leaf in a single pass, whereas rotary-wick applicators are designed to wick a solution onto foliage. Evaluated PGRs included imazapic (9, 35, or 53 g ha−1) and sulfometuron-methyl (26 g ha−1). Bahiagrass injury varied with application placement equipment and was greater with rotary-wick applications in 2003, compared with foliar broadcast applications and the wet-blade mower. Bahiagrass seedhead suppression ranged from 31 to 60% with application placement equipment in July 2003 compared with 93% for a broadcast spray. In 2004, rotary wick- or broadcast-applied PGRs provided excellent (> 90%) seedhead suppression. Although application placement equipment may have advantages to broadcast-spray applications, evaluated equipment did not enhance bahiagrass suppression along roadsides in North Carolina compared with a foliar broadcast spray. Additional research is needed to determine if this type of application may provide consistent results with other species and compounds.
Effect of Fall Tillage and Cover Crop Strategies on Wild-Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceum) Emergence and Interference in Snap Beans
Authors: Peachey R. Edward , Mallory-Smith Carol
Published: February 2011

Direct-seeding of cover crops is often promoted to reduce potential soil loss during the winter, enhance soil fertility, and reduce energy use and equipment traffic on fields. The impact of direct-seeding of cover crops on wild-proso millet seedling emergence in subsequent crops is unknown. In this study, a pulse–chase experiment determined the effect of five fall soil management strategies, two spring primary tillage levels, and two herbicide programs on wild-proso millet emergence in a subsequent crop of snap beans. Wild-proso millet seeds were sown following sweet corn harvest in two commercial production fields to simulate seed rain at a density of 500 and 1,000 seeds m−2in the fall of 2004 and 2005, respectively. The experimental design was a split–split plot. Five fall treatments were applied to main plots and included direct drilling of cover crops, conventionally tilled and drilled cover crops, a winter fallow treatment, and two additional treatments that were direct-drilled and conventionally tilled in the fall but that were not seeded with cover crops to separate the effects of tillage and cover crops on wild-proso millet emergence. Main plots were split in the spring and snap beans planted without primary tillage or conventionally planted after the soil was tilled. Tillage and cover crop treatments applied in the fall influenced emergence in the spring but with slightly different outcomes at the two sites. Direct drilling without a cover crop produced more wild-proso millet seedlings in snap beans than the winter fallow plot; tillage before cover crop planting in the fall produced recruitment levels less than or equal to densities in the winter fallow plots, with one exception. At one site, cover crops increased emergence compared to plots without cover crops. Spring tillage did not alter the affect of the five fall management treatments on wild-proso millet emergence. Direct-seeding of cover crops should be done with equipment or methods that minimize soil disturbance to prevent movement of wild-proso millet seeds into protected and favorable zones of emergence in the soil.
Common Cocklebur Competition in Forage Maize
Authors: Hussain Zahid , Marwat Khan Bahadar , Cardina John
Published: February 2011

Common cocklebur is a new weed in irrigated maize grown for forage in the hot, dry region of northwest Pakistan. We conducted experiments in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Peshawar, Pakistan, during 2006 and 2007 to evaluate the interaction of common cocklebur density and maize density on biomass, leaf area index (LAI), and plant height of forage maize. Seven common cocklebur densities (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 plants m−2) in maize planted at four densities (5, 7.5, 10, and 12.5 plants m−2) were evaluated. An ANOVA for both years revealed significant main effects and interactions for all variables. Regression of measured variables against common cocklebur density showed that maize biomass declined linearly as common cocklebur density increased from 0 to 12 plants m−2, with an increasing rate of decline for high maize densities and low maize densities. Combined data for all maize densities revealed that the relationship between maize biomass and common cocklebur biomass fit a linear function, with 1.28 to 1.35 kg ha−1loss in maize biomass for each kilogram per hectare increase in common cocklebur biomass from about 1,500 to 3,200 kg ha−1. Above 8 to 10 common cocklebur plants m−2, weed biomass declined, presumably due to intraspecific competition. An increase in common cocklebur density decreased maize LAI about 0.15 to 0.3 units for each additional common cocklebur plant per square meter in 2006, and 0.11 to 0.24 units in 2007. Common cocklebur LAI increased in a linear fashion as density of the weed increased. Results suggest that the effect of common cocklebur interference on maize biomass was associated with a change in allocation of resources, resulting in increased crop height growth at the expense of a reduction in LAI and presumably potential light interception by the crop as common cocklebur density increased.
Safe Lettuce Planting Intervals Following Herbicide Use on Fallow Beds
Authors: Fennimore Steven A. , Rachuy John S. , Valdez Jose A.
Published: February 2011

Continuous planting of lettuce from December to September each year in the Salinas Valley of California requires preparation of raised fallow beds ready for planting. Application of soil residual herbicides during winter fallow periods controls weeds but must be used with caution because germinating lettuce seedlings are very sensitive to herbicide soil residues. Three herbicides were applied to fallow beds at about 90, 60, and 30 d before lettuce was seeded. Herbicides tested were flumioxazin at 71, 105, and 211 g ai ha−1, two formulations of oxyfluorfen each at 280 and 560 g ha−1, and carfentrazone at 36 g ha−1. Herbicide injury to lettuce was assessed by visual estimates, crop stand, and number and weight of marketable lettuce heads. The 71 g ha−1rate of flumioxazin, both oxyfluorfen formulations, and carfentrazone did not injure seeded lettuce or reduce the number or weight of lettuce heads. Flumioxazin at 211 g ha−1injured lettuce, reducing the number of marketable heads, and should not be used within 90 d of lettuce planting.
Breakthrough in 22-in.-Hole Drilling in Kuwait Deep Wells
Authors: Al-Saeedi M.J.. J. , Mahesh V.S.. S. , Al-Ajmi H.S.. S. , Al-Enezi D.. , McKinnell D.C.. C.
Published: February 2011

High-pressure/high-temperature exploration activities in Kuwait include the drilling of deep wells (approximately 16,500 ft) to search for high-quality oil from the Jurassic formations. Recent discoveries of commercial gas and light oil in six of the North Kuwait oil fields have resulted in the startup of the North Kuwait Gas Development Project. This project is a major venture with a planned production growth up to 1,000 MMscf/D of gas and 350,000 B/D of light oil, which requires a total of more than 90 new wells. For this new phase of development, the challenge was to change the approach to the drilling of deep wells to reduce overall project timing and cost. A rethinking of current drilling methods was required along with the application of new technology solutions to optimize drilling times.

The North Kuwait deep-well design is complex and requires surface/intermediate casings to be set at maximum depths to reach target depth (TD) in a workable hole size. The 22-in. hole is drilled from 6,000 to 9,500 ft and was considered to have a potential for improvement. A conceptual project was set up that would attempt to replace multiple 22-in.-insert-bit runs, rotary driven, with a single polycrystalline-diamond-compact (PDC) bit design run on a downhole motor. The objective was to establish a partnership approach with the bit manufacturer and motor provider and to develop bit designs, equipment specifications, and operational parameters over the project period.

The bit design team identified the main aspects on which the new PDC-bit design was to be based, and a prototype bit was manufactured. Results from the first run of the bit were analyzed, and the design was modified for the second run. A critical element was the development of the downhole motor, with a more-powerful 12¾-in. motor with precontoured stator being used for the second and subsequent runs. Bit designs and downhole-motor and rig-equipment specifications were developed and improved on over the project, resulting in the achievement of the project goal with the drilling of the entire 22-in. section with one bit from shoe to shoe. The performance improvements in the trial wells gave substantial increases in rate of penetration (ROP) and reduced drilling times.
Evaluating the pattern of residential quality in Nigeria: The case of Osogbo township
Authors: Jiboye David
Published: February 2011

One of the major challenges of housing in Nigeria is how to address existing
variations in the pattern of residential quality across different urban
areas. Through a survey of 406 housing units selected from three residential
areas in Osogbo Township in Nigeria, this study examines and compares the
pattern of housing quality. Using descriptive statistics and Analysis of
Variance (ANOVA), where; F =24.786 and P = 0.00 - significant at 0.05, the
study shows that residential quality varies in pattern from one area to
another. By comparing the mean differences among the zones, Zones C and A had
6.84, while C and B had 5.298. These values indicate that residential quality
of "Zone C" is better relative to those of Zones "B' and "A" in Osogbo. The
study concludes that appropriate policy and strategies should be put in place
to improve housing quality within different residential areas in Nigeria.
Housing for the new socio-economic elite - a case study of novi sad
Authors: Kostres Milica , Reba Darko
Published: February 2011

This paper examines the spatial dimension of economic inequalities that
occurred in Serbia over the last 2 decades. The paper presents a case study
of a city of Novi Sad, which has undergone radical changes both within its
social and spatial structure that even today remain unparalleled in the
region in terms of their nature and rate. In the 1990s, the specific
political and economic conditions have led to the great transformations in
demographics and the overall social structure, since the city, formerly
experiencing negative population growth rates, has been rapidly populated by
refugees from the wars in former Yugoslavia. At the same time, a large gap
between the poor and the wealthy was created as the result of changes that
marked the transition to the post-communist society. This has caused great
changes of the built form that previous master plans could not anticipate.
The implications of this process for housing involved the spatial segregation
of diverse socio-economic groups. The paper presents 2 urban fragments where
the houses for the new economic elite were built, both of which represent
inadequate models. Both cases represent monotonous environments that lack
spatial complexity and not encourage community binding. Therefore the paper
also includes a proposal of a new concept for the housing for the inhabitants
with higher-incomes.
Water phenomenon: Urban morphology transformation
Authors: Cakaric Jasenka
Published: February 2011

This research paper deals with the mutual dependence of water phenomenon and
urban morphology. Water is a basic subject matter of many analyses, and it is
considered a principal existential and vital generator of the formation,
sustainability and transformation of different types of cities. The water
relevant facts are here presented from the aspect of elementary criteria of
generative factors of typification of cities and relationship between urban
landscapes and water. By integrating well-known urban and technical factors
with presence of water on a surface model, optimum results are obtained with
respect to water percentage in cities. Overall results of the research
represent an instruction for future transformations of urban structures
encouraged by water presence.
Air pollution as the cause of urban stress. A case study: Nemanjica Boulevard, Nis, Serbia
Authors: Petrovic Milos , Trajkovic Slavisa
Published: February 2011

Topic of this paper is air pollution as a cause of urban stress. This problem
is analyzed within a case study in Bulevar Nemanjica in Nis. For the observed
location, the measurements were conducted in a period of eight months (May
2007 - June 2007) by the Health Protection Institute in Nis. Motor traffic
exhaust gases which were observed were: carbon-monoxide (CO), nitro-oxide
(Nox) formaldehyde (HCHO). Measurements were taken at "Bulevar" green market,
b standard methodology prescribed by the boundary values code book, immision
measurement method, criteria for creation of measuring points and data
records. Concentration of exhaust gases of motor vehicles did not exceed
permissible limits, except carbon monoxide in May, while it continued to
decrease and remained within the legal limits. If the Mediana - Bulevar
Nemanjica location was enriched by green surface and pedestrian zones, this
would lead to the decrease of exhaust gases concentration. That would prevent
endangering environment and facilitate its healthy functioning.
Concrete aggregate and cement mass content effects on compressive strength
Authors: Grdic Zoran , Toplicic-Curcic Gordana , Stojic Nikola
Published: February 2011

The mass content of aggregate (ma) and of cement (mc) of concrete comprise
coefficient calculated as ma/mc. Some methods used for designing of concrete
mixtures take into consideration this coefficient. In this paper, concrete
mixtures were prepared so that mass of cement, water cement factor and
granulometric composition have been varied. Values of the coefficient ma/mc
in experimental research ranged between 7,20 in concrete mixtures mixed with
250 kg of cement to 3,60 in concrete mixtures mixed with 500 kg per 1m3. From
the aspect of compressive strength of concrete, it has been established that
optimum values of the coefficient ma/mc depend on the granulometric
composition and water cement factor. At higher water cement factors, larger
values of ma/mc coefficient are required to achieve the maximum strength
under the given conditions.
Phenomenology of perception and memorizing contemporary architectural forms
Authors: Alihodzic Rifat , Kurtovic-Folic Nadja
Published: February 2011

Perception of an architectural form is not a unilateral act which has been
often and unduly identified with mechanicistic captures of a camera. In
understanding architectural composition and the way it influences our
perception and memory, the knowledge regarding the field of psychology of
perception and the analysis of principles of its use in architecture proved
to be highly important. Instinctive understanding of perceptual processes and
of laws according which our visual apparatus and memory are influenced by the
architectural form and space is something that cannot be avoided. These are
the operating principles of the so called "ordinary" observer; and this is an
important insight for architecture as a visual discipline, which has been
often neglected. As a significant addition to intuition and experience, the
creative work of architects is supported by the insights on perceptual and
cognitive processes which have been revealed by the psychology of perception.
Determination of extraction conditions of Ginkgo biloba L. leaves by supercritical CO2 using response surface methodology
Authors: Milosevic Svetlana , Lepojevic Zika , Zekovic Zoran , Vidovic Senka
Published: February 2011

The effects of process parameters on the extraction of Ginkgo biloba L.
leaves with supercritical carbon dioxide were investigated. The investigated
parameters include particle size (mean particle diameter 0.19, 0.467 and
1.009 mm), solvent flow rate (1.5810-3, 3.2210-3 and 4.1610-3 kg CO2/min) and
pressure (100-300 bar), which were obtained by the response surface
methodology (RSM) under the following condition ranges: temperature
40-50-60?C, pressure 100-140-180 bar and extraction time of 2-3-4 h at the
flow rate of 3.2210-3 kg/min. Based on the experimental results of kinetics
of Ginkgo biloba leaves extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide,
modeling of the extraction system of Ginkgo biloba-supercritical CO2 was
done. Two mathematical models (Reverchon-Sesti Osseo and Sovov?) were applied
to correlate the experimental data. RSM was applied to optimize the process
parameters of supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of Ginkgo biloba L.
leaves. A second-order polynomial response surface equation was developed
indicating the effect of variables on Ginkgo biloba extraction yield. The
statistical analysis of the experiment indicated that pressure (X1),
extraction time (X3), the quadratic of temperature (X22), and the interaction
between pressure and extraction time (X1X3), show significant effect on the
extraction yield. The results showed that the data were adequately fitted
into the second-order polynomial model. It was predicted that the optimum
extraction process parameters within the experimental ranges would be the
extraction temperature of 52.7?C, the pressure of 184.4 bar, and the
extraction time of 3.86 h. Under these conditions, the predicted extraction
yield is 2.39% (g/100 g drug).
Prototropic processes in benzaurins. 19F and 1H NMR spectra of fluoro- and methylsubstituted 4-hydroxyphenyl-diphenylcarbinols, related fuchsones and benzaurins
Authors: Hansen Poul , Peregudov Alexsander , Kravtsov Dimitrii , Krylova Antonina , Babakhina Galina , Golovchenko Ludmila , Pachevskaya Valentina
Published: February 2011

Tautomerism of benzaurins and hydration are studied. 1H and 19F chemical shifts have been determined for a number of substituted 4-hydroxyphenyl-diphenyl carbinols containing fluorine in a 3-, 3*- or 4*-position, and for similar compounds containing additional methyl groups in a position of 3, 3** or 4**. The same data have been obtained for the fuchsones prepared by dehydration of the above carbinols. On this basis chemical shifts of fluorine in different positions have been evaluated as a monitor of the transformation of 4-hydroxyphenyl group to the semiquinone moiety. The 19F NMR can be used to monitor the transformation of 4**-fluorobenzaurin and the related 3,3*-disubstituted and 3,3*,5,5*-tetramethylsubstituted compounds to the corresponding carbinols due to the addition of a water molecule and to study the tautomerism of the two latter benzaurins as well as that of 3,3*,4**trifluorobenzaurin. Furthermore, fluorine and methyl group chemical shifts are sensitive to syn-anti-isomerism in substituted fuchsones.

The prototropic process of these compounds may be slow or fast on a 1H NMR time scale depending on the solvent and may be catalyzed by water or carbonic acids. On the basis of kinetic and thermodynamic data obtained by dynamic NMR studies, a mechanism for the process has been proposed.
Synthesis and characterization of layered double hydroxides with different cations (Mg, Co, Ni, Al), decomposition and reformation of mixed metal oxides to layered structures
Authors: Klemkaite Kristina , Prosycevas Igoris , Taraskevicius Ricardas , Khinsky Alexander , Kareiva Aivaras
Published: February 2011

Three layered double hydroxides (LDH) [Mg1−xAlx(OH)2]x+(Am−)x/m]·nH2O and [MII
1−xMIII
x (OH)2]x+(Am−)x/m]·nH2O (MII — Mg, Co, Ni; MIII — Al; A — CO3
2−) were successfully synthesized by the low supersaturation method. The as-synthesized LDH samples were thermally decomposed and the derived mixed metal oxides reformed back to layered structures in water and magnesium nitrate media at different temperatures. All synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of XRD and XRF analyses showed that single-phase layered double hydroxides were formed during synthesis and reformation. It was demonstrated, that a partially substituted by cobalt and nickel LDH samples also show memory effect. The crystallite size of regenerated LDH depends on the regeneration media, temperature and chemical composition. The LDH samples after regeneration consist of large particles with sharp edges along with a large amount of smaller particles
Influence of land development on heavy metal forms in the Bobrza River ecosystem (Świętokrzyskie Province, Poland)
Authors: Rabajczyk Anna
Published: February 2011

Metals are perceived as pollutants but they are also natural substances found in the environment. The surface water environment is under the influence of continuing industrial pollution/effluents. Therefore it is necessary to determine various metal forms present in each component of the water ecosystem. The study presents analysis for Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn and Pb content in the Bobrza River bottom deposits and water. The analysis of water and sediment samples from the Bobrza River taken from the littoral zone at three sampling points: the riverhead, i.e. the natural environment; Białogon — the acidic environment; and Sitkówka-Nowiny — the alkaline environment, were analyzed. Sample quality indicators were defined with pH value, conductivity, heavy metal content for water and suspended matter samples. The metal forms in river sediment were also analyzed. The sediment samples were subjected to Tessier’s five-stage sequential extraction procedure assisted by microwave radiation. Analyte concentration in water samples and in the extracts was determined with the use of F-AAS and GF-AAS techniques. The results obtained reveal a relationship between land development, the degree of metal bonding with suspended matter and metal forms found in river sediments.
Reservoir recultivation versus forms of heavy metals in sediments: the case of the Kielce City Lake
Authors: Rabajczyk Anna
Published: February 2011

The Kielce Lake is a water reservoir located in the Kielce city zone. Areas around the reservoir are used for recreational, residential and industrial purposes. Additionally, the nearby state road to the city of Łódź, is a source of transportation pollution, including heavy metals. The reservoir is fed by a watercourse which receives municipal wastewater from the town of Masłów near Kielce. The amount and diversity of organic and inorganic compounds which flow into the reservoir causes heavy pollution of the Lake waters. To reduce the degree of reservoir pollution, a pulverizing aerator was installed in the middle of the Kielce Lake in May 2008. Sediment samples were collected at a depth of 0–20 cm between July 2008 and May 2010 at five sites in the littoral zone of the recultivation area. These environmental samples underwent a five-stage sequential extraction procedure, assisted by microwave radiation. The concentrations of trace metals Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Pb, Mn, Fe and Cd in various extracts were determined by means of F-AAS and GF-AAS. The results have shown a high concentration of analytes in reservoir sediments.
Velocity and velocity bounds in static spherically symmetric metrics
Authors: Arraut Ivan , Batic Davide , Nowakowski Marek
Published: February 2011

We find simple expressions for velocity of massless particles with dependence on the distance, r, in Schwarzschild coordinates. For massive particles these expressions give an upper bound for the velocity. Our results apply to static spherically symmetric metrics. We use these results to calculate the velocity for different cases: Schwarzschild, Schwarzschild-de Sitter and Reissner-Nordström with and without the cosmological constant. We emphasize the differences between the behavior of the velocity in the different metrics and find that in cases with naked singularity there always exists a region where the massless particle moves with a velocity greater than the velocity of light in vacuum. In the case of Reissner-Nordström-de Sitter we completely characterize the velocity and the metric in an algebraic way. We contrast the case of classical naked singularities with naked singularities emerging from metric inspired by noncommutative geometry where the radial velocity never exceeds one. Furthermore, we solve the Einstein equations for a constant and polytropic density profile and calculate the radial velocity of a photon moving in spaces with interior metric. The polytropic case of radial velocity displays an unexpected variation bounded by a local minimum and maximum.
Effectiveness Randomized Controlled Trial of Face to Face Versus Internet Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Social Phobia
Authors: Andrews Gavin , Davies Matthew , Titov Nickolai
Published: February 2011

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of Internet cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) with face-to-face CBT in social phobia.

Methods: Randomized controlled trial of 75 patients with social phobia referred to an anxiety disorders clinic. A total of 37 patients participated, and post-treatment data was obtained from 25 Subjects (Ss). An intention to treat analysis was used. The same therapist (M.D.) treated both groups.

Results: Both groups made significant progress on symptoms and disability measures. There were no significant differences in outcome between the Internet and face-to-face groups. The total amount of therapist time required was 18 min per patient for the Internet group and 240 min per patient for the face-to-face group.

Conclusions: Both forms of treatment were equally effective and this is consistent with previous findings in depression and panic disorder. The difference in clinician time required was substantial. If Internet CBT was offered as ‘standard of care’ the staff time saved would permit a stepped care model in which in-depth therapy for the difficult to recover patients could be provided without an increase in staff.
Estimating the Accuracy of the Chedoke–McMaster Stroke Assessment Predictive Equations for Stroke Rehabilitation
Authors: Dang Mia , Ramsaran Kalinda D. , Street Melissa E. , Syed S. Noreen , Barclay-Goddard Ruth , Stratford Paul W. , Miller Patricia A.
Published: February 2011

Purpose: To estimate the predictive accuracy and clinical usefulness of the Chedoke–McMaster Stroke Assessment (CMSA) predictive equations.

Method: A longitudinal prognostic study using historical data obtained from 104 patients admitted post cerebrovascular accident was undertaken. Data were abstracted for all patients undergoing rehabilitation post stroke who also had documented admission and discharge CMSA scores. Published predictive equations were used to determine predicted outcomes. To determine the accuracy and clinical usefulness of the predictive model, shrinkage coefficients and predictions with 95% confidence bands were calculated.

Results: Complete data were available for 74 patients with a mean age of 65.3±12.4 years. The shrinkage values for the six Impairment Inventory (II) dimensions varied from −0.05 to 0.09; the shrinkage value for the Activity Inventory (AI) was 0.21. The error associated with predictive values was greater than ±1.5 stages for the II dimensions and greater than ±24 points for the AI.

Conclusions: This study shows that the large error associated with the predictions (as defined by the confidence band) for the CMSA II and AI limits their clinical usefulness as a predictive measure. Further research to establish predictive models using alternative statistical procedures is warranted.
Crimen Sollicitationis
Authors: Janssen Diederik F.
Published: February 2011

Late modernity’s binary intrigue of child sexuality/abuse is understood as a backlash phenomenon reactive to a general trans‐Atlantic crisis concerning the interlocking of kinship, religion, gender, and sexuality. Tellingly dissociated from 1980s gay liberation and recent encounters between queer theory and kinship studies, the child abuse theme articulates modernity’s guarded axiom of tabooed incest and its projected contemporary predicament “after the orgy”—after the proclaimed disarticulation of religion‐motivated, kin‐pivoted, reproductivist, and gender‐rigid socialities. “Child sexual abuse” illustrates a general situation of decompensated nostalgia: an increasingly imminent loss of the child’s vital otherness is counterproductively embattled by the late modern overproduction of its banal difference, its status as “minor.” Attempts to humanize, reform, or otherwise moderate incest’s current “survivalist” and commemorative regime of subjectivation, whether by means of ethical, empirical, historical, critical, legal, or therapeutic gestures, typically trigger the latter’s panicked empiricism. Accordingly, most “critical” interventions, from feminist sociology and anthropology to critical legal studies, have largely been collusive with the backlash: rather than appraising the radical precariousness of incest’s ethogram of avoidance in the face of late modernity’s dispossessing analytics and semiotics, they tend to feed its state of ontological vertigo and consequently hyperextended, manneristic forensics.
Introduction
Authors: Hubbard Thomas K.
Published: February 2011

Adolescent sexuality has been at the forefront of the recent “Culture Wars,” as is clear from the many news stories and political battles over issues such as sex education, teen pregnancy and STDs, Child Sexual Abuse, enhanced legal regulation of sex offenders, pedophiles on the internet, “sexting” and child pornography. On the one hand adolescents today are more sexually mature than at most historical periods: physical puberty occurs ever earlier (Moller, 1987), while children’s capacity to access the same media as adults grows ever more sophisticated. Already in 1982, Neil Postman presciently observed that electronic media had obliterated the historical technological superiority of literate adults relative to not‐yet‐fully-literate children (Postman, 1982). At that point, he was thinking mainly of television, but his observation has become even more true in the digital age, when adolescents are often the ones teaching their parents and grandparents. 1982 had not yet grasped what would be the ubiquity of MTV or cheap, highly graphic visual pornography in many parents’ closets, or if not there, on their kids’ computer screens. Children have become the most clever at accessing media at precisely the time when popular media culture is more saturated with verbal, musical, and visual images of sexuality than ever before.
Smokeless Tobacco and Pregnancy Outcomes
Authors: Rahman M Ekhlasur
Published: February 2011

DOI: 10.3329/jdmc.v19i2.7071J Dhaka Med Coll. 2010; 19(2) : 74-75
A Prospective Study on Response of Immunosuppressive Therapy with Cyclosporine and Prednisolone in Acquired Aplastic Anaemia
Authors: Islam MS , Hossain MZ , Aziz MA , Begum M , Rahman MJ , Ara T
Published: February 2011

Context: A randomized prospective study was done to see the effect of therapy with cyclosporine and prednisolone in patients with idiopathic aplastic anemia. Methods: A total of 40 patients were included in this study .We use cyclosporine 6mg/kg/ day and prednisolone 30 mg /day for a period 6 months. The study was done during the period of July 2005 to October 2006. In the study population, out of 40 patients, 26 were male and 14 were female. 2 patients died early in the treatment and 4 patients transformed into acute leukemia. The rest 34 patients completed therapy for 6 months. Results: Among the 34 patients, 22 patients responded to therapy and 12 patients were nonresponders. According to severity, population distribution was as follows: 12 (35.30%) patients were non-severe AA, 19 (55.88%) patients were severe AA and 3 (8.82%) patients were very severe AA. Out of 22 patients (responders), 7 (31.82%) patients start to respond at 3rd month, 5 (22.73%) patients at 4th month, 8 (36.36%) patients at 5th month and 2 (9.09%) patients were very late to respond; they respond at 6th month. At the end of 6th month trial, 7 (20.59%) patients had complete response, 15 (44.12 %) patients had partial response and 12 (35. 29%) patients were non-responders; overall response rate was 64.71%. The adverse effects of the therapy were found e.g. weight gain in 100%, hypertension in 26.47%, increased serum creatinine in 38.23%, hyperglycemia in 20.58% and infection due to immunosuppression in 14.71%. Conclusion: Combination of cyclosporine and prednisolone therapy merits further study as primary treatment for aplastic anemia in patients who are not able to undergo bone marrow transplantation. Key words: Aplastic anaemia; immunosuppressive therapy; combination of cyclosporine and prednisolone. DOI: 10.3329/jdmc.v19i2.7074J Dhaka Med Coll. 2010; 19(2) : 80-85
High Sensitive C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) and Its Correlation with Angiographic Severity of Patient with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
Authors: Hasnat MA , Islam AEMM , Chowdhury AW , Khan HILR , Hossain MZ
Published: February 2011

Background: Association between the plasma hs-CRP levels and the severity of coronary stenosis in subjects remains controversial. This cross sectional study was performed in the Department of Cardiology, Dhaka Medical College during July 2008 to December 2009, to determine whether the concentrations of hs-CRP correlate with the coronary atherosclerotic disease assessed by coronary angiography. Methods: For this purpose, a total number of 90 consecutive patients having IHD admitted in the Dhaka Medical College Hospitals were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into three groups according to their level of hs-CRP. Out of 90 cases, 22(24.4%) patients were in group I, in group II 33(36.7%) patients and rest 35(38.9%) were in group III according to their hs-CRP level. Severity of CAD was assessed by vessel score, stenosis score and extent score. Result: Significant positive correlation (r=0.7409; p<0.001 r=0.6648; p<0.001 and r=0.6386; p<0.001) was found between hs-CRP and vessel score, stenosis score and hs-CRP and extent score suggesting increasing level of hs-CRP strongly suggestive of extensive coronary artery disease. Conclusion: High level of hs-CRP strongly suggestive of extensive coronary artery disease Key words: hs-CRP; angiogram; coronary artery disease; vessel score; stenosis score and extent score. DOI: 10.3329/jdmc.v19i2.7076J Dhaka Med Coll. 2010; 19(2) : 91-97
Violence against Women - A Study Done in the One-Stop Crisis Centre (OCC) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Authors: Khanom R , Saha DK , Begum K , Nur J , Tanira S
Published: February 2011

Objective: This study aims to describe main perpetrator of violence area and prevention of violence against women. Study design: A cross sectional study was carried out in One-stop Crisis Centre (OCC) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period of June 2006 to May 2007. Methods: 284 victims reported in OCC during the study period were selected as cases for the study and quantitative information was collected from them using cross sectional for the present study. Results: Study shows that most of the violence is done by husband (46.48%) and prevalence is more in rural areas (80.98%) in comparison to urban area (19.02%). Physical assault is the most common type of violence (50.35%), followed by sexual assault (36.63%) and burn (13.02%) Housewives are tortured more (67%). Conclusion: Proper implementation of existing rules and community based interventions for raising awareness about the domestic violence against women are recommended. Key words: Violence against women; assault; human rights; one-stop crisis centre (OCC); Bangladesh. DOI: 10.3329/jdmc.v19i2.7077J Dhaka Med Coll. 2010; 19(2) : 98-101